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Air India 100 pilots threaten to resign, go on strike

For reports see pages 26

VOL 40. ISSUE 26

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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Pakistan cricketers found guilty of 'spot-fixing'

Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were convicted on Tuesday of fixing parts of a Test match in the most serious corruption scandal to hit the sport in more than a decade In the most significant day of the 20-day trial, the jury for the spot-fixing case gave its verdict after nearly two hours of being present at the London’s Southwark Crown Court.

A jury found Butt guilty of both charges and Asif guilty of conspiring to cheat. They plotted to deliberately bowl no-balls during a Lord's Test match against England in the sum-

Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif

mer of 2010. The verdicts are a scalp from beyond the grave for Britain's News of the World tabloid, which uncovered the conspiracy

but was shut down by owner Rupert Murdoch this year amid a scandal over phone-hacking.

Prosecutors alleged Butt

and Asif conspired with British agent Mazher Majeed and Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Aamer to bowl the no-balls as part of a plot that revealed "rampant corruption" at the heart of international cricket.

Butt was found guilty on two counts - by a majority on conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and by unanimous verdict on conspiracy to cheat.

Asif was found guilty by unanimous verdict on conspiracy to cheat. The jury is still considering the charge of accepting corrupt payment against Asif.

Continued on page 26

5th November to 11th November 2011

Meera Syal’s daughter ‘fails to dazzle’ in the limelight Being a celebrity must be a great feeling, until you are hunted down by hords of intrusive paparazzi for no good reason that most normal people can fathom. But being a ‘celebrity daughter’ is even more hazardous.

Meera Syal, TV sit com comedienne, playwright, singer and journalist has earned her niche for the ‘all rounder’ she is!

But her ‘role’ as ‘good’ mother has been subjected to close critical scrutiny, with her teenage daughter Chameli Bhatia, 19, allegedly

Meera Syal with daughter Chameli

smashing a glass into the model Christian Pannell’s face at a birthday party thrown by former classmates.

Continued on page 13

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

one to one Keith Vaz MP with

Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine, University of Glasgow Naveed obtained his medical degree in 1990 at Glasgow University, and was appointed Professor of Metabolic Medicine in 2005. He is interested in the causes, screening and prevention of obesity, heart disease and diabetes, and makes use of existing and new data to help determine the relevance of both clinical (e.g. body weight) and blood-derived measures (e.g. cholesterol etc) to these conditions. He also contributes to relevant trials in diabetes and heart disease. Naveed has published over 300 papers and written over 20 chapters, and contributed to several guidelines.

He even enjoys media interactions, often trying to correct misconceptions. He has been awarded four national awards and more recently the 2011 Minkowski Lecture by the European Association for Study of Diabetes where he recently opened the conference speaking to 5000, a scary but enjoyable experience. He chaired the organising committee for Diabetes UK 2010 conference, is on the British Heart Foundation project grants committee, and contributes to other national and international committees. Finally, but perhaps most importantly, his passions outside work include his two young children (Zakee 10, Zara 8), and playing football wherever the opportunity arises.

1) What inspired you to begin your career in your chosen field?

gratifying. I guess the realisation that I could successfully carry out complex procedures gave me a lot of confidence.

After this, I moved to clinical biochemistry and it was here that I gained my first exposure to medical research.

Research represented an entirely new way of thinking and I think opened up dormant parts of my brain. I say this since medicine relies heavily on knowledge acquisition whereas research can take you to entirely new places. It took a few years to do a PhD and gain more basic research expertise but after a few years, work

When I left school I was not sure I wanted to do Medicine and after I had qualified and finished my junior house office job, I remained unclear about my future, so much so that I left medicine for six months and dabbled in accountancy!

On returning to medicine, I gained a lot of encouragement from being a senior house officer with considerable responsibility; I was responsible for placing heart pacing wires when on call. This can be a tricky procedure but its completion is very

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

Probably my father. He is in business and has had lots of ups and downs over the last 30 years or so, but he rarely lets things get to him and is always up for new challenges. He keeps on pushing others and has an amazing drive, a characteristic my siblings and I have all tried to follow.

My mother too, is amazing and runs a virtual hotel looking after 10 grandchildren most weekends! began to flourish and papers and grants began a normal way of life for me.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Being awarded the Minkowski Lecture by the European Association for Diabetes earlier this year was an immensely proud moment. This is an annual award given to a European Researcher under age of 45 for published work which has contributed to “the advancement of knowledge about diabetes mellitus”. The award involved opening the 3 day conference with a 45 minute lecture to an audience of over 5000 so it was a bit daunting but I really enjoyed it.

My parents and sister came to see me and so it was fantastic to share the

Shopkeeper challenges gunman has a chemical engineering degree, said he was terrified at first but then decided he had to get the gun from Buckley.

At Newcastle Crown Court, Buckley, of no fixed address, admitted attempted robbery and

having an imitation firearm. The court heard he has a drink problem and has attempted suicide.

Judge Brian Forster adjourned the case until November 23 for a presentence report.

He remanded Buckley in custody and warned him he must expect a jail sentence.

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3) Please tell us about your current position?

I am professor of metabolic Medicine in Glasgow which involved around 50% research time, 30% clinical time for the NHS and 20% teaching and other duties. It’s a nice mix.

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

Nothing to be honest other than the fear of failure which I think I have

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

The flexibility to pursue important research questions. I am also free to develop collaborations with whoever I wish to in pursuit of those goals.

This has led me to work with some of the best researchers in the UK and elsewhere.

7) And the worst?

The administrative load of trials is substantial and I am not good at this type of work. In fact I hate administration and would much rather write research papers!

8) What are your long term goals?

To continue to conduct high quality research

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

I would regulate the food industry – not as a punishment but rather to get them to produce better quality meals with lower sugar and fat contents so that there were far less unhealthy choices for individuals and many more healthy choices. I am a firm believer that what is provided in society is what is eaten so we have to help individuals in the modern day to lead better lives with perhaps the most important goal to improve dietary intakes across the board. All the evidence clearly shows education alone does not work. I would also tax sugar sweetened beverages as a starter for 10.

This is easier to do and could cut calorie intakes too. I appreciate the food industry has to remain profitable but it can do even with such changes.

Voluntary agreements will not make any change so we have to regulate and once the food industry realises this is going to happen, I am sure they can meet the challenges set.

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

Martin Luther King. His eloquence and passion as a speaker were inspiring. He fought the good fight.

Marathon runner refused recognition Guinness World Records says it does not recognise claims that a 100-year-old Briton is the world’s oldest marathon runner. Fauja Singh, from Ilford, (pictured) attracted worldwide publicity after he completed the Toronto marathon last week. Guinness World Records says it has not ratified the record as Mr Singh cannot show a birth certificate from 1911. His

trainer, Harmander Singh, says such documents were not made in India then.

His British passport, showing his date of birth as being 1 April 1911, as well as a letter from the Queen congratulating Mr Singh on his 100th birthday, have been shown to the organisation. But it says these are not considered sufficient proof of age.

SOC IE

Contact Mr. Mitesh Patel, Solicitor No Win No Fee

day with them. I had a lot of very positive feedback from the conference and now receive more invites than ever before to lecture all over the world.

Unfortunately my day job means that I can only accept a few.

that has the potential to improve people’s lives and answer relevant questions to help improve medical care or practice. Engaging in more trials would be important, especially around the obesity prevention arena.

0800 118899 Email: mpatel@levenes.co.uk Website: www.levenes.co.uk Ashley House, 235-239 High Road, Wood Green, London N22 8HF

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Rasaratnam Rahulan, a shopkeeper challenged a gunman to carry out his threat and when the robber turned his back, he grabbed the gun. A customer then rugby-tackled the gunman, pinning him down with Mr Rahulan until police arrived. Mr Rahulan, who

overcome. I now realise the important of tenacity – believe in important ideas, go though with them, take people along with you and keep knocking on doors – of course for the latter I mean keep writing papers and grants and don’t take rejections badly but get back up and resubmit elsewhere.

Perseverance is an important asset of course.

Personal Injury

SOLICITORS

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

COMMENT

Bell tolls for eurozone – and EU's future The funeral bell appears to toll for the blighted eurozone. Its German and French high priestess and high priest, Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy, who appear to meet every second of the week, alone and with their compeers in the club, come up with emollient statements to pacify an unsettled market and assure investors and public alike that all will soon be well; that the debilitating Greek debt would be cured of its afflictions, and that the eurozone and the wider European Union would be restored to rude health. To add spice to the crisis, Chancellor Merkel has warned that the future of Europe itself was tied to the health of the eurozone; she pointed to the 50-year peace that the continent had enjoyed because of these pan-European institutions; were the Eurozone to wither the contagion would spread to the European Union, imperilling future regional peace and stability.

The rot that has taken hold of the eurozone cannot be wished away with verbal threats; the situation on the ground worsens by the day. The Greek debt is 180 per cent of the country's GDP, even if all the bailouts materialised they would reduce this to 120 per cent after a decade of such help. Spreading public disorder has made the Greek state dysfunctional. Its exit from the eurozone is the only way out. Meanwhile, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Ireland appear to be trapped in a similar vortex. The health of the French economy is in some doubt, and the German public is fast losing faith and patience with their Chancellor's

determination to throw good money after bad in a desperate bid to put things right. Hit-and-miss panaceas are as likely to bear fruit as John Citizen is to win the European lottery.

Sweet reason seems to have descended into a black hole, with the eurozone's great and good going to China, cap in hand, for the bailout of the century, as Beijing's foreign exchange reserves top $3 trillion. But the mandarins of the Middle Kingdom are a canny lot: a token sum, maybe, to relieve the pressure in Brussels, but nothing more. China has its own problems with a growing real estate bubble and much else besides, so charity must begin at home.

If the truth be told, Europe is rudderless. Its leaders lack a compass suitable for contemporary realities. Delusional imperial adventures in the Middle East-North African underbelly and elsewhere promise momentary relief from a cancerous ego. The inflammation returns as the effect of the Endorphin subsides. But let us enjoy the comedy when it occurs. The protesters at London's St Paul's Cathedral sought to target the denizens of the City next door. Instead they have struck the heart of the Anglican church.

Resignations from the ranks of the clergy on the anti-capitalist message of the protesters and its possible applications and relevance to the Gospel have confused the faithful. Some say the Arab Spring has been followed by the Anglican Autumn. Can the winter of deepening discontent be far behind?

Afghanistan's bed of nails Shakespeare likened “the dread of something after death,/ [to] the undiscovered country from whose bourn/ No traveller returns....”

Something similar could surely be said of Afghanistan and its forbidding wastes and the unwelcoming inhabitants who roam this bleak landscape. Addicted to pitiless ways and the liberty to pursue them from long custom, they perceive strangers, who wish to convince them of the error of their ways with the same distaste as we do rat poison. Afghans have been loath to have any truck with foreigners, whatever their intentions. They have a compact with the Afghan earth which only death can break.

Would-be conquerors historically have been given a particularly rough ride. Two British expeditions to Kabul during the high noon of the British Raj in the 19th century were famously repelled with heavy loss of life to the invaders. The Soviet intrusion a century later fared no better. The United States saw the Soviet exercise as a heaven sent opportunity to get even with Moscow for the humiliation of Vietnam, the Russians having succoured the Vietnamese insurgency. The US payback was arming the Afghan Mujaheddin and initiating a global jehad involving much of the Arab world, Pakistan and China and, closer to home, Britain as well. Each had its special role in the exercise, the international crusade doing much to sap the strength of America's cold war superpower adversary, leading eventually to the dissolution of the USSR. The US was the conductor and paymaster of the enterprise and it drew immense satisfaction from its success, but American triumphalism simply reinforced

American hubris and marked the start of a tragic, continuing narrative that has drained the US exchequer, as the intervention in Afghanistan led to the invasion of Iraq as part of a wider global War on Terror. Caught in the dilemmas of imperial overstretch in neighbouring Pakistan, the US struggles to free itself from its vast regional bed of nails. Varying counter-insurgency strategies have been to no avail. Former Islamist US allies against the Soviet Union are currently Washington's sworn enemies, none more so than the Haqqani network whose attacks on Nato convoys and personnel are taking significant toll of American and Coalition lives. The Haqqanis are Pakistan-based, as are groups of the Afghan Taliban. They are believed be in cahoots with the Pakistan military and intelligence services. This alleged nexus has subjected US-Pakistan relation to immense strain, with no relief in sight.

The Obama Administration appears overwhelmed by its burdens at home and abroad.

The US economy shows little sign of the growth which alone can reduce the country's crippling 9 per cent. plus unemployment. No US post-war president has been able to win a second term in office with national unemployment figures trailing 7 per cent. Mr Obama's prospects of re-election look bleaker by the week, as his opinion poll ratings plummet to new lows. Compound this with news from Afghanistan and Pakistan and you will understand why the US President is a troubled man. His return to the White House will depend on an economic miracle, fortified by some measure of success on the Afghan battlefield.

Indian talent shines in US Raj Dutt, an Indian American, who passed out from IIT-Kharagpur before going on to the US for higher studies, has developed a next generation energy-efficient computer chip that has caught the attention of the Pentagon, which is testing its application in America's ambitious F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, the plane mooted for the UK's sole aircraft carrier.

Mr Dutt path-breaking technology has been pioneered by APIC Corp and Photonic Corp, of which he is Chairman and CEO. The technology helps computer processors consume up to 90 per cent less energy and run about 60 per cent faster, He says, “The significance of the technology is that information transfer on the semiconductor chip as well as between components will now be done using light photons instead of just electronics.”

There were also advantages in size and weight, he explained. Photons do not generate heat, thus do not need to be cooled. For electronics, cooling is one of the largest cost components.

“Most significantly, we have figured out how to do this using the same economical process used in manufacturing semiconductor chips, enabling them to be stamped out by the million,” Mr Dutt said.

Knowledge, innovation and science are the most durable and creative aspects of the unfolding Indo-US relationship as it faces 21st century challenges in technological and industrial development..As open societies India and America are best equipped to interact and move forward in these critical, epoch changing areas. Long may the relationship prosper.

www.abplgroup.com

Thought for the Week It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again.

- Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)

Sarah Teather MP Liberal Democrat MP for Brent Central and Minister of State for Children and Families

What Diwali means to me When I was a child in Leicester, I used to watch with curiosity and fascination as Diwali transformed the grey streets of Belgrave Road and the surrounding area into a riot of colour. The lights, the smells, the fireworks, are all vividly imprinted on my memory as an intrinsic part of autumn.

One of the great privileges of being a Member of Parliament in Brent is that I now get to participate in Diwali and not just watch it from a distance.

As a Brent MP I am invited to participate in a wonderful range of different traditional and religious events throughout the year.

However, few occasions can match the annual Diwali celebrations for the spectacular way in which they light up the urban landscape with an explosion of colour and creativity.

Diwali’s message – of hope over fear, of light over darkness, the triumph of good over evil – seems to come at the perfect time. It is a message of new life and new beginnings, just as the summer closes and the plants return to the earth. A message of light as the nights are drawing in and darkness arrives sooner. A message of warmth just as autumn’s damp chill begins to penetrate.

I love the transparent generosity of the Annakut celebration. I love the very human way in which it intertwines earthy abundance and an assault on the senses with a pro-

found spirituality and prayerfulness. It also provides a wonderful opportunity for people to come together and renew the bonds of community that are the lifeblood of our towns and cities, and to look forward together to the year ahead.

This year, as in previous years, I was lucky enough to be invited to spend time at two of my local temples for the New Year and Annakut celebrations: the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir in Willesden Green and the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden. The displays at both were spectacular and the welcome from those inside as warm and open hearted as ever.

What was particularly impressive at both temples were the ways in which young people took leadership roles, meeting and greeting visitors and helping with decorating the temple and preparing for the many tens of thousands of visitors. The huge sense of pride that the young people clearly felt in their roles was a reminder, should we ever need one, that though many knock our youth, they would do well to recognise their huge positive role that so many young people play in our communities.

Finally, it just remains to me to wish all of the readers of Asian Voice a very happy Diwali and the very best for the year ahead.

ASIAN VOICE is published by Asian Business Publications Ltd Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080 Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com www: abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications

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Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Email: majithia.meera@gmail.com

Leicester Voice Schools participate in new pilot scheme to cut carbon footprint

By Meera Majithia

Five schools in the city are piloting a bold new region-wide scheme that will dramatically cut carbon dioxide emissions and save taxpayers a considerable amount of money on energy bills.

Leicester City Council and De Montfort University have come together with the region’s other local authorities and schools estates to sign up to the Carbon Trust’s School Collaboration on Resource Efficiency (SCoRE).

Funded by Climate East Midlands, SCoRE will help schools save up to 25 per cent on their energy bills. This will include simple, nocost and low-cost solutions, such as pupil-led initiatives to switch off unnecessary lights and equipment through to the installation of renew-

able energy systems where feasible. The potential financial savings are very significant. For example, reducing the running time of a school heating system by one hour can save 10 per cent off a school’s energy bill. If every school in Leicester were to reduce their energy bill by £5,000 this would result in approximately an extra £0.5 million that could be spent on education.

Leicester City Council is one of nine local authorities involved in the 12-month scheme which aims to identify annual energy savings of £12m across the region while reducing carbon emissions by 86,000 tonnes.

Caldecote Community Primary School, Folville Junior School, Judgemeadow Community College,

Merrydale Infants School and St John the Baptist Primary School are all taking part in the scheme which was launched on Tuesday 1st November at Judgemeadow Community College.

Cllr Rory Palmer, deputy city mayor with responsibility for transport and climate change, said: “Protecting the planet for future generations is a key priority for the city. “ Our priority is to make Leicester a low-carbon city and this important project will contribute to the work we are doing to achieve this. I am pleased that we are working with these schools on the SCoRE project and look forward to seeing positive outcomes for the schools and young people involved.”

Police thank the public for their overwhelming support for bone marrow campaign Leicestershire Police are thanking the public for their fantastic support following the launch of their campaign to find a bone marrow match for one of their colleagues.

Inspector Rik Basra was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in 2009, but managed to recover after five months of intensive chemotherapy. However he recently found out the leukaemia had returned and is undergoing some more treatment.

This time he requires a bone marrow transplant as part of the treatment and is appealing to the public for help after failing to find a sibling match.

More than 140 people registered with Anthony Nolan during the Diwali celebrations in Leicester on 26th October to help find a donor to save Rik’s life.

Teams of volunteers from Rik’s family, Leicestershire Police and Anthony Nolan mingled with crowds on Belgrave Road, handing out information and encouraging people to

go to Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre and the former school building on Abbey Park Street to provide saliva samples and register on the database, Chief constable Simon Cole said: “At several stages throughout the event, people were queuing out of the door of both registration centres.

It was an incredible and very humbling sight.

“I cannot thank the public enough and I hope this support will continue throughout our campaign to find a donor match for Rik and other people suffering from blood cancers such as leukaemia.”

There is a huge need for Asian donors to come forward and Anthony Nolan’s ‘Man on a Mission’ campaign is about helping people like Rik and spreading the word of how easy it is to help save a life.

People who were not at the event and would like to register can do so at a further event being held at the Leicester Tiger’s Ground, on Saturday 12th November between

a hugely popular free interactive workshop for women the following day, where they could learn the art of wearing a saree.

F i o n a Allen, Chief Executive at Curve, said: “It was so successful that we could hardly get people to leave. The event ended up going for two hours not one because there were sarees from all the different regions and everyone wanted to try them on. It was a real mixture of women from different nationalities and ages and that’s one of the things that we are most pleased about.”

On the 28th October

Indian breakfast for famous foodies

Celebrity chefs Hairy Bikers visited a restaurant in Leicester this week to learn how to cook traditional South Indian breakfast for their BBC1 show which is due to be aired next month.

Simon King and Dave Myers arrived at the Kayal restaurant, on Grandby Street on their trademark motorbikes to learn how to make idli and dosa from restaurant chefs Rajesh Nair, Ajith Nair and Jinson Paul.

Fans greeted the duo as they arrived just after 8am in the morning. And the pair are believed to have left at around 2.30pm after having a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Leicester children have worst teeth in the UK

According to an NHS report 12-year-old children in Leicester have the highest rate of tooth decay in England.

Figures taken from the national dental health survey show that 45.3 per cent of 12-year-old children in the city have experienced tooth decay, compared to an average of 17.5 per cent in 2008/9.

The NHS Leicester City Primary Care Trust (PCT) said that it needed to try harder to het the basic dental hygiene message across to people. A number of factors can contribute to poor dental health, which include diet, poor oral hygiene and not visiting a dentist regularly.

In total 140 PCT’s out of 152 took part in the survey which was called NHS Dental Epidemiology Programme (NHS DEP) for England, and undertaken

by North West Public Health Observatory and The Dental Observatory.

Men sentenced for kidnapping woman

ASIAN ASIAN BL BLOOD OOD STEM DONOR EQUIRED URGENTLY URGENTL NTL LY RREQUIRED THIS IS A SIMPLE QUICK P AINLESS PROCEDURE PAINLESS RIK is married with two children and has LEUKAEMIA, he is in desperate need of a BLOOD RT TAGE of ASIAN DONORS on the register and so we are STEM CELL DONOR. There is a SHORT appealing for people to come forward so we can find a LIFE E SA AVI VING MA AT TCH for RIK. The BEST MA ATCH for Rik is likelyy to be A ASIA SIAN aged between 18-40.

To join the register all you need to do is visit the website below, fill out a form and then send in a saliva sample in the kit provided.

Yo our saliva is tested and if you are a match for Rik or anyone else you will be asked to DONATE. Most people donate via a method similar to GIVING BLOOD. You can join the register by competing an application online. w www.anthonynolan.org/register www .anthonynolan.or thonynolan.or n.org/r g/re egis gister IF you are OVER 41 you can still become a STEM CELL DONOR by becoming a BLOOD DONOR, simply tell the nurse you also wish to be a stem cell donor orr.. To find out more please go to k// to sign up. www.blood.co.uk/ www.blood.co.uk/

To T o rregist egist g ter er go tto o www www.anthon w.anthon .anthonynolan.org y rg/r g regist g/r egist gister ter

YOUR HELP COULD OULD SA AVE V RIK’S LIFE VE ONLY ONLY 4% OF O F POSSIBLE P O S SIBLE DONORS D O N O RS ON O N ANTHONY ANTH O NY NOLAN NO L A N BLOOD BLOO D STEM REGISTER ARE A RE ASIAN ASI A N

- LETS INCREASE THE CHANCES F FOR OR EVERY EVERYBODY BODY

12pm and 4pm.

Donors can also register online at www.anthonynolan.org/register.

Once they have checked that you are eligible, a saliva kit will be posted to your home.

Communities gather to celebrate Diwali A host of citywide festivities took place in Leicester to mark the special occasion of Diwali.

As usual thousands flocked to the Belgrave area to enjoy the event at Cossington Park on Diwali day.

Around 28,000 people in total are thought to have visited Belgrave Road, which was closed from 5.30pm until 9.45pm for a range of stage entertainment and a huge laser and firework display.

Meanwhile the Curve theatre had a range of exciting events taking place during the Diwali week. This was kick-started with a ‘history of the saree’ exhibition hosted by Leicester-based saree retailer Anokhi Sarees on Wednesday 26th October.

This was followed with

In brief

there was a feast of celebration with the Diwali Curveball which included Bollywood music and dancing, dhol drummers playing live alongside a live orchestra and a homegrown group of talented musicians.

In addition to this the public were also able to enjoy some exclusive oneoff shows, which were put on at the theatre especially to mark the festival of

Diwali.

These included ‘Bachchan Haule Hale’ on October 27th ,which featured local artist Uday poking fun at social and cultural idiosyncrasies as well as some song and dance from a local Bollywood dance troupe.

Collaborating with the Centre for Indian Classical Dance, a special Indian classical Vs contemporary showcase was held on the 28th October featuring acclaimed British-Indian Kathak dancer Aakash Odedra alongside Ash Mukherjee, Sooraj Subramaniam and Revanta Sarabhai.

And finally the theatre bid farewell to the weeks festivities with an evening of dance and story telling –

Six men have been sentenced to more than 13 years in total for their part in the kidnap of a woman from Leicester in July 2010.

Arvinder Singh Khera, 45, of Walsall, Abdul Farooqui, 47, of Bolton, Gurdeep Singh Sandhu, 28, of Wednesbury and Harjit Singh Dhaliwal, 35, of West Bromwich pleaded guilty to kidnap and Amarjit Lal, 45, and Gurpreet Singh, 32, both of Walsall pleaded guilty to unlawful imprisonment.

All the defendants pleaded at an earlier hearing and were sentenced on Friday 28th October at Leicester Crown Court.

Khera, Farooqui and Dhaliwal were sentenced to two years and eight months, Lal and Sandhu were sentenced to two years and Singh was sentenced to 18 months.

The conviction follows an operation conducted by Leicestershire Constabulary’s major crime unit following a report that an Asian woman had been kidnapped from her home address in the Highfields area of Leicester in July 2010.

The victim was an Indian national who had been brought into the country on the pretence that she will be working as a dancer in the entertainment industry.

Unfortunately when she arrived in the UK she was made to offer sexual services to men in return for money.

Detective Superintendent Mark Harrison led the investigation, he said: “This was a difficult and complex investigation which involved a number of agencies including Forces from across the country.

“Colleagues from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the UK Border Agency supported our investigation throughout and it was with their assistance that we have secured this conviction.”

Leicestershire Constabulary is also supporting the national Purple Teardrop campaign, which aims to support women and girls rescued from sex trafficking and offer specialist care to help them stabilise their lives and plan how to return to normal life and to raise awareness of sex trafficking issues to the wider society. titled ‘Amaas’ which also included Aakash Odedra and local dance school Desi Masti.

Fiona added: “So many people in Leicester celebrate Diwali, it is a big part of the community and

it is important for us to reflect that. We’ve had such a positive response this year that everyone involved is already talking about how we can make it bigger and better next year.”

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Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

NEW STORE NEW STORE NEW STORE NEW STORE NEW STORE

NEW STORE

STORES COMING SOON

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Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Kapil’s

Cllr Rabi Martins

KHICHADI

Watford Borough Council

Duty calls

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com

‘Pilgrimage’ to Parliament The Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB) celebrated Diwali for the tenth year in a row at the House of Commons. As usual adherents of the dharmic faith and others made their annual pilgrimage armed with that ‘Golden Pass’ affording them this unique opportunity.

As it has become custom and practice, MP’s of all colours lined up to show how much they love the Hindu community; and their grasp of Diwali and of the core values defining Hindus.

Their sincerity occasionally tainted with the thought that votes might have been more on their mind than anything else. Nevertheless, it is important that those in power begin to appreciate that politics in Great Britain has changed, and for any political party that wants to grab power – the votes of the various minority groups are now even more important. The next election will be decided most probably by no more than a few percentage points – and understanding that means all our com-

munities have the potential to affect real change at the ballot box.

It just happens that I was asked to compere the event. This by definition gives one a unique perspective of the dynamics of power play unfolding.

Some MP’s playing hard to get and arriving late for that grand entrance, community leaders wanting their 5 seconds of fame, Ministers absently thinking they are Gods - and amongst this chaos – the dance of righteousness unfolds. Unknown to the participants, Diwali sheds light and the miracle of seeing the true nature of one’s friends and foe unfolding.

Interestingly the plight of the Coptic Christian community was raised and rightly. However, disappointingly the plight of the Kashmiri Pundits did not get a mention. Even more importantly and closer to home, neither the plight of the Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple in Hillingdon did not feature.

ISKCON Mark II? You will all remember the outrageous decision of the local council when Bhakti Vedanta Manor sought planning permission and were refused for many years. That was the work of a Tory Council which eventually relented, no doubt with polite pressure from central office and the tremendous support given by Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar.

Hillingdon is also a Tory Council and they have served an enforcement notice on the Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple which if they do not comply with – will result in its possible closure.

The Trustees have made valiant efforts to seek support from our community by contacting various national bodies as well as those in power. However thus far it seems there has been reluctance by many to get involved proactively.

There are some features of the Tory Government that we have to commend, for example David Cameron was the first western leader to call a spade and spade when in his first official visit as Prime Minister to India he said Pakistan was akin to a terrorist state.

More locally, the Labour Government managed to develop only ONE Hindu school in 13 years, but under the stewardship of Michael Gove the Tories have already granted permission for a further four more Hindu schools. So whilst at one level we can value this positive step change in policy and practice, it is rather disheartening then to see that you can end up having a one-sided antiIndian debate in the House of

Commons on Kashmir also led by a Tory! It is equally incredible that even today a local Tory party can believe they can act in a manner that is alien to being inclusive by serving an enforcement notice on a Hindu Temple. Even more astonishing, did you know that the lead officer who signed off this disgraceful act was a gentleman by the name of Mr Rajesh Alagh (Hillingdon Borough Solicitor) – is there a need for me to say anymore?

For you the readers of Asian Voice; please do check out this website and assess for yourself the facts and whether in today’s society it is right for the Council to do what they are doing: http://www.matajitemple.com/ The political class need to understand that the Hindu community is a good friend of the nation. Not only is the community well educated, great in business and contributes significantly more towards the national GDP than other communities – its core values are such that they enhance the very fabric of our country. Therefore, for any entity to undermine such a community for at best petty reasons, and at worst for reasons that coined the phrase ‘the nasty party’ should be unacceptable to everyone.

I sense I will have upset a lot of powerful people – but I say to all of them (many of whom are my friends), rise to your responsibilities and start doing the right thing for the community rather than indulging in self gratification.

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Contact: Ashvwin Gosai

129 Bowes Road, Palmers Green, London N13 4SB.

Tel: 020 8889 9112 Mobile: 07985 404 942 E-mail: anupamcaterers@yahoo.co.uk www.anupamcaterer.com

Secret lovers die after falling in canal Two teenagers, Sara Rylance and Fayz Uddin, who were involved in a secret relationship because they had different religions, died after falling into a canal, friends have claimed.

Fayz, who had been drinking, was walking around the edge of Smethwick Lock on the Birmingham Mainline

I don’t mean to sound alarmist but there are worrying signs that if the current trends continue we will become a nation of haves and have-nots. Opinion is divided on whether this is a consequence of the economic mess the coalition government inherited from Labour or more a consequence of the policies being implemented by the Conservatives with little or no resistance from their Liberal Democrats partners.

Local Councils are reporting an ever increasing demand on the social service budgets as more and more families begin to feel the impact of increased cost of gas and electricity – two essential household items. Yet the best that government minsters can offer is a suggestion that people shop around and use the cheapest provider.

The increased cost does of course hurt everyone but not everyone is able to absorb it equally. So this coming Christmas will see more elderly people die of hyperthermia and more children go without a festive Christmas lunch – let alone Christmas presents.

Ministers tell us that this short term pain cannot be avoided and that in the long run the economy will recover and everyone will be a winner.

It is difficult to share such optimism in the face of constant bad news.

Take for example the announcement

by UCAS that applications for university courses for 2012 are down 9% compared to those for this year. Those who warned against a hike in tuition fees have been proved right.

This group includes a number of Liberal Democrats MPs who signed the pledge during the 2010 election only to

roll over when the Tories proposed the hiking of the fees from £3000 to £6000.

At the time we were told that a handful of universities would be allowed to charge £9000 on condition they took in students who would otherwise not generally be offered a place at some elite colleges.

That proviso it turns out has long been forgotten and the majority of universities now charge £9000.

It will be a while before we learn to what extent the fall in applications is because students from the poorest families did not feel confident enough to take on such a high debt. It is all very well government saying no one need start to pay back the loan until they earn £21,000. But when you live in a household that is used to a hand to mouth existence the mere thought of accumulating a £27,000 loan at the end of three year degree must be extremely frightening. This will apply particularly to children from poorer backgrounds.

And as we all know a high proportion of Asian and other ethnic minority community’s fall into this group.

Thus an ever increasing number of young people from low income families will end up without university degrees and struggle to find well paid jobs.

This could result in a whole generation growing up disillusioned, frustrated and ready to give up on themselves as well as our country. Our political leaders have a duty to prevent such an outcome. or else will end up with one group of people who continue to dine at the Ritz whilst at the other end of the spectrum we have people queuing up at food banks Not the kind of Britain many of us will want to live in.

Mayor Boris Johnson visits Shri Sanatan Hindu Mandir, Wembley The Mayor of London Boris Johnson visited Shri Sanatan Hindu Mandir (Shri Vallabh Nidhi UK) Wembley on 27 October 2011, which coincided happily with Diwali and New Year Celebrations. He was accompanied by Tim Rolph, Anjana Patel, Amrish Patel, Rickie Seigal, and Ravi Gidhar.

The Mayor was given a traditional Hindu welcome with a garland, a tilak (a mark worn on the forehead by Hindus) and was presented a murti of Lord Ganesh which is specially hand crafted from the same stone that has been used to construct the temple. The Mayor performed an Aarti (religious ritual of worship) to mark the auspicious occasion.

The Mayor was impressed by the architecture and the grandeur of the temple and in his speech he expressed a

wish to visit it with his family. He stated that this temple inaugurated during his tenure as a Mayor, hence has a special significance for him and hoped that it would be visited by the worshippers and community at large for centuries to come. In response to Mr Thakrar’s request to put this Mandir on the London tourist map, Mr Mayor acknowledged that this

Mandir will be recognised as a London Landmark in tourist maps and various tourist guides for London. As per the Hindu tradition, the Mayor made an offering of a basket of fruit to the God. The Mayor was very well received by the crowds and he spent time talking with the volunteers, craftsmen and waiting public.

Canal when he lost his footing and plunged into the water.

Sara tried to pull Fayz - known to friends as ‘Fizzul’ - from the water but she slipped and fell in

too.

A group of friends further down the canal footpath heard the commotion and dashed to the 20ftdeep-canal lock.

But they were unable

to reach the couple whose bodies were submerged under water.

The friends then phoned emergency services who arrived on the scene within minutes.

Mahendra Patel, Treasurer, Mrs Gorande Bhatt, Secretary, Boris Hohnson, Mayor of London, narendrabhai Thakrar, Chairman, Pradeep Dhamecha, Trustee

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Barrister faces being struck off for discreditable comment

“Our London” CIIr Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

CHILDCARE Access & Availability in London Scrutiny of ‘Access and Availability of Childcare’ in London has been taken up in the London Assembly since mid year this year - an issue I meant to bring to the readers in the last few weeks but other topical issues took priority. It is also appropriate that the childcare issues are shared now because it neatly follows my comments about the fares hike in public transport in my last article and you will see there is a link between the two!

According to a new report by ‘Campaign for Better Transport’ over a third of families’ take home pay is swallowed up by rail fares and childcare costs. For London the situation is even worse where 40% of salaries of London’s families go towards the cost of childcare and transport / commuting. Spokesperson for Better Transport, warns “We now have both the highest rail fares in Europe and the highest childcare costs. With fares set to rise 28% over the next four years, these combined costs will become increasingly unbearable.” As to the costs of childcare, it varies from region to region. According to the ‘Daycare Trust’ the average annual cost for nursery care in England for an under-two year-old is £5,028, £5,178 in

Scotland and £4,723 in Wales.

Whilst the report on the cost of childcare and fares paints a grim picture, work is underway in the London Assembly to examine the scope and issues related to childcare in London.

Work carried out in 2010 by the London Development Agency estimated that the London’s childcare market is worth around £1 Billion (18% of national spending on childcare) and there are approximately 200,000 childcare places (75% are provided by nurseries) in London. Against this background there are issues and barriers affecting both access and availability of childcare facilities.

‘Density of Supply’ defines number of childcare places available per child. On this account, among nine regions, London has the second lowest density of supply of childcare places - North East region with the lowest density. Cost of childcare in London are the highest compared to anywhere in the UK – this being so particularly in inner London areas and for children under 3.

One of the issues affecting take up of childcare provision is flexibility (ability to open childcare facilities outside normal core hours). Lack of flexibility particularly disadvantages lone parents

and those who work anti-social hours. With rising level of unemployment, flexibility of service is critical than ever before.

Quality of childcare plays an important role too. No specific monitoring data is available for London but nationally there have been improvements to childcare quality. However, there seems to be perception that the quality of childcare is poor in London. One of the reason for low take up of childcare provision amongst ethnic minority communities may be the perception of poor quality childcare service. One of the sticking issue impacting childcare is the proposals for universal credit. Gingerbread and Resolution Foundation reports conclude that the new welfare system will leave low-income parents little incentive to work more hours. Which in turn will have detrimental impact on childcare take up and equity issues.

Examination on this vital issue is currently ongoing and I would return back to it when we’ve finalised our conclusions and recommendations. In the meantime I share the concerns that the rising costs incurred in childcare and rail fares would put many parents with young children in a very difficult situation.

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A barrister known for her campaigns on racial issues faces being struck off after allegedly passing a note claiming an employment tribunal judge was a “s—- who did not know the law”, reported the Daily Telegraph.

Natasha Sivanandan, 57, is also accused of making “crass” remarks to her client Jacqueline Daley.

Miss Sivanandan (pictured) appeared before the The Bar Standards Board (BSB) over her conduct during Miss Daley’s employment tribunal at Bury St Edmunds, presided over by Judge Jeremy Cole.

Miss Daley was suing Cambridgeshire Police for disability discrimination claiming she was prevented from applying for a job because she was required to fill out an application online, a task she could

not perform because of her arthritis.

Miss Sivanandan denies engaging in conduct that is dishonest or discreditable to a barrister, and also denies engaging in conduct that is likely to bring the profession into disrepute. She described the allegations against her as “totally untruthful”.

The hearing continues.

3,000 banks on visa blacklist Nearly 3,000 banks have been put on a Government black-list of financial institutions which cannot be trusted to verify documents supporting student visa applications, officials have said. Foreign students applying to study in the UK who claim they have funds to support themselves and pay for their course held in any of the banks on the list will receive no points for maintenance, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) said.

The list, which includes 1,977 banks in India, three in Pakistan and 762 in the

Philippines, is the latest part of the Government’s efforts to crack down on bogus students.

A UKBA spokeswoman “We need to be confident that those applying for student visas have the funds to support themselves and pay for their course in the UK.” Officials will give a 30-day notice period when any bank is added to the list to enable potential foreign students to provide financial documentation which meets the new requirements. The list will also be kept under review, officials said.

8

www.abplgroup.com

Dee Katwa

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Midland Voice Contact: Dhiren on 07970 911 386 or dhiren.katwa@abplgroup.com

Bogus benefit claims family caught out A Birmingham family involved in fraudulently claiming almost £80,000 in housing benefits over eight years has avoided being jailed immediately.

The fraud involved newsagent Mahroof Hussain, 44, his 43-yearold wife Farida Bi, his lover Manjit Dhillon, 41, and his sisters Farida Begum and Jamila Bi,

aged 39 and 35, respectively.

The racket involved three properties in Smethwick and Edgbaston and hiding the identity of the landlord or the relationship between the landlord and tenant in order to get the benefits.

Jonathan Challinor, prosecuting, told

Exam controversy Solihull College in the Midlands has launched an internal investigation after a former teacher claimed a colleague once sat an exam for an absent pupil. The ex-maths teacher, Claire Cinarli, 49, has also claimed she was asked to sit with struggling pupils during exams and tell them if they had answered a question correctly.

IAB celebrates Diwali The growing popularity of the Institute of Asian Businesses (IAB) was evident at its recent annual Diwali networking event attended by a record number of guests. The wine and dine round-table event saw speakers from Arup, the global engineering giant, and Jaguar Cars. The ethos and meaning of Diwali was eloquently explained by solicitor and IAB committee member Nilay Shastry. IAB’s “still a little nervous” president, Nasir Awan, who has just subscribed to Asian Voice after realising its popularity, told guests: “As well as socialising, I’d like you all to capitalise on it.” Overall, it was a good evening enjoyed by all.

Tough test for foster folks As part of new findings revealed this week as part of National Adoption Week it has emerged that around 40 foster parents in Birmingham have quit because of a complex, new government-imposed exam. The experienced foster carers gave up last year because they couldn’t face tackling paperwork described as demanding as gaining an NVQ, which takes a year to finish. It comes as the cash-strapped city council is attempting to bolster its number of foster parents from about 600 to 1,000. Only four per cent of children adopted last year were from black and Asian backgrounds.

Motorists clock on legal loophole A staggering 1,400 Midland motorists have been allowed to carry on driving – despite clocking up 12 penalty points or more on their licences. The West Midlands has the highest number of motorists being given a second chance at 428 and, of those, 194 are in Birmingham. Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire courts have also shown leniency, with 185 and 158 of their 12-point drivers dodging a ban. According to statistics released by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the figures for Leicester, Wolverhampton and Coventry, stand at 89, 53 and 44, respectively. The offenders used a legal loophole to escape disqualification, or managed to convince magistrates to allow them to get back behind the wheel.

Festival of queer culture SHOUT, a festival which aims to recognise, raise awareness of, and celebrate the diversity within mankind, has begun this week in Birmingham. The festival of queer culture, now in its second year, runs between 3 – 26 November and features something for everyone. The list includes The Modern Lesbian, a free exhibition which explores the hidden history of gay and bisexual women in the West Midlands and Nubian Rainbow, a series of dance and musical performances exploring the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender black and Asian people. To find out more about SHOUT visit www.shoutfestival.co.uk

Wolverhampton Crown Court Dhillon gave a false name for her landlord while living in a property owned by Hussain and picked up £40,805 in housing benefits. Hussain admitted allowing his wife and lover to make false claims while the women all pleaded guilty to making false claims to obtain benefits.

Judge Amjad Nawaz gave Dhillon a ten-month suspended jail term and

ordered her to carry out 150 hours’ community service.

Hussain, of Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston, got a 12month jail term suspended for 18 months while Farida Bi and Farida Begum were both given six-month suspended prison sentences with 100 hours’ unpaid work.

Jamila Bi was given a 12month community order and ordered to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work.

Tourism duo honoured Congratulations to Edmund Bartlett and John Lynch, Jamaica’s Tourism Minister and Director of Tourism, respectively, who jointly received the C a r i b b e a n Destination Achievement Award at a glittering ceremony. The pair, pictured, were lauded for their innovative approach and astute leadership in ensuring growth in the tourism sector despite tough economic challenges.

JP accused of daughter’s death A veteran magistrate from Birmingham, Rashpal Chana, pictured, has gone on trial accused of the manslaughter of his two-year-old daughter Kristina, who is alleged to have died after being severely scalded.

Kristina’s mother, Eva, is also accused of manslaughter. Father-of-three Mr Chana, 49, is better known for his academic career and was in 2006 honoured by Her Majesty the Queen for his contribution to British Science.

Immoral crime A funeral director from Birmingham has been jailed for four months for stealing a dead man’s ring. Callous Chris Birch, 45, stole the ring which the grieving family of Lloyd Butler had requested to be placed in his coffin. Birch, pictured, was only found out by a sheer fluke because after he tried to sell it to Lloyd’s friend.

MP’s wife put behind bars The wife of Birmingham MP John Hemming has been jailed for nine months suspended for a year after being found guilty of burglary. Mum-of-three Christine Hemming, 53, was caught on CCTV stealing a kitten from the home of Emily Cox, her husband’s lover. Mrs Hemming, pictured, was also ordered to do 150 hours’ unpaid work and pay £1,000 costs.

Director salaries under spotlight The pay packet of Dr Rashmi Shukla, regional director at NHS West Midlands, has come under fire in light of public sector cuts. Dr Shukla, pictured, who earns around £130,000 plus around £40,000 remuneration, is one of five Public Health directors who have been criticised by the Taxpayers’ Alliance. Emma Boon, from the Alliance, said Birmingham “cannot afford to pay senior execs generous sums if they aren’t delivering results”.

News in Brief Visa system change Sri Lanka is scrapping its visa-on-arrival scheme in favour of an electronic travel authorisation. Tourists will pay £32, regardless of age, for a permit that allows them to enter the country twice in a 30-day period. The scheme will be introduced on January 1.

Register online at eta.gov.uk

Trust tops NHS complaints league The Health Service Ombudsman has named Birmingham-based Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull Hospitals, as the “most complained about” in the NHS. This year it saw 171 complaints, up from 82 last year, which equates to a 109% increase.

Plans for Gurdwara Plans have been unveiled to convert a former Walsall industrial unit into a gurdwara. A planning application has been submitted to the local authority by Gobind Marg, a new Sikh-ethos charity.

New role for Sumeet Royal Bank of Scotland Group has appointed Sumeet Desai as head of public affairs. Desai, a former journalist at Reuters, was previously a senior adviser to RBS Group.

New Asian TV comedy TV bosses have commissioned a new Asian sitcom set in Birmingham. Citizen Khan will be the first Asianonly comedy to be made for BBC1, and will follow a British Pakistani family living in Sparkhill. The series has been created by Adil Ray, the former BBC Asian Network broadcast journalist.

Councillor: I’m sorry Matt Bennett, the Tory head of Birmingham’s children’s services, has apologised to colleagues after calling a rival a t**t during an email exchange, which was copied in to all 120 city councillors. Cllr Bennett, pictured, attacked Labour councillor Tony Kennedy in a row over the council’s road contractor Amey. He said: “You really are a complete t**t, aren’t you?” after Cllr Kennedy had complained that Amey would not send officials to evening community meetings over safety fears.

£3K boost for homeless charity A fundraising event in Birmingham has raised £3,000 for St Basils, a local charity for the homeless. The event, held at the Mint Hotel, was organised by The Birmingham Property Meet, a monthly networking forum for property investors and landlords. The guest speaker was ‘Secret Millionaire’ Gill Fielding, pictured, with forum founders and event organisers Sue Elkington and Maksoom Hussain. Credit, in particular, to tireless volunteer Mohsin Ali, 28, for his extraordinary efforts in helping to raise the funds.

Funny world

Priests in Poland have been asked to bless all the manhole covers in their town to stop them being stolen by scrap metal thieves. Councillors replaced all 4,000 of the town’s manhole covers after the new ones had been given the special service to keep them safe.

Dee Katwa

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Junior Camerons to ‘convert’ over Diwali craze

Britain’s Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities were praised for their “outstanding contribution” to the nation

by Prime Minister David Cameron who hosted a Diwali reception at 10 Downing Street a fortnight ago.

On entry through the famous black door, guests walked past a row of lamps, then towards and up the red-carpet staircase which was finely decorated with red and orange flowers.

Attended by leading figures from these faith communities, the evening event saw guests exchange greetings in the form of hugs and handshakes.

In addition, there were drinks and a selection of Indian canapés.

Guests included acting High Commissioner of India Rajesh Prasad, up-to-earth actor Jimi Mistry, Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh from Birmingham’s largest Gurdwara, Mr CB Patel, editor and publisher of our newsweeklies, Shailesh Vara MP, Dr Narayan Rao

of Midlands’ Balaji Temple, Lord Karan Bilimoria, voice of Hindu youth in the UK Pranav Bhanot, Shiv Thakor, 18, an English cricketer with Leicestershire County Cricket Club, veteran community activist Kantibhai Nagda, Janubhai Kotecha and Baroness Sandip Verma. Avtar Lit, owner of Sunrise Radio, also made a guest appearance. Three days earlier Mr Lit was featured in The Guardian for leaving £160,000 raised for charity in a bank

account for seven years.

A fitting song and music was provided

by PN Narayanan, a music teacher from Watford. It was interesting to observe the mingling between guests, all of course CRB-checked. Most connected with those they knew. Egos shone through brightly, as did the ‘I’m something’ attitude.

One female guest from a leading Midland temple persisted that I introduce her to Keith Vaz MP and “other key influencers”.

Amusing still was when Mr Cameron walked into the room, along with the honourable Dolar Popat, now Lord, who did a few introductions on the way towards the podium. Among the first few guests he met were a representative from the RAF who presented Mr Cameron with a handshake. Businessman Dr Rami Ranger handed the Premier a set of Sunmark cufflinks and Vinay Tanna from the Hare Krishna Movement, an English version of a Hindu holy book.

Several attendees wriggled through the crowd, brushing aside others, in a desperate attempt to take a photograph with Mr Cameron, some even handing him their business card. Funny this, because this is how Adam Werritty had first captured, apparently, the heart and mind of Dr Liam Fox. In his three-minute address, Mr Cameron repeatedly praised the Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities for their contribution to our national life. Coincidentally, the reception

took place just hours following the death of ex-Libyan leader Col Gaddafi, thus a celebration of “good over evil and light over darkness”. In concluding, talking of his children, he said: “Of all the parties we have here at Downing Street, Diwali is by far the most exciting. Because of the lights, the colour, the flowers and the sweet drinks they’ve almost converted, so tonight should be the key moment. You relax and enjoy.”

Touching on rivalry and politics between people, “the room is full of it,” a councillor told a white-turbaned Sikh guest. Among the handful of invitees who stood calmly were Bharat Solanki, a hardworking, lawabiding citizen and community worker, and Ritula Shah, BBC Radio Four’s only Gujarati-speaking journalist. Interestingly, neither appear in any of the 177 photographs taken by the official photographer. In addition, neither were invited a day earlier to the Diwali party at the House of Commons hosted by the Hindu Forum of Britain, the largest representative body for British Hindus.

HFB, which seems to want to keep within its comfy zone, may want to review its guest list for next year’s Diwali event and consider inviting ordinary, selfless Hindus, nationally, for their extraordinary contribution to Mr Cameron’s Big Society.

Hindu Council hosts Diwali festival In spite of a few challenging issues, including time and money, the Hindu Council of Birmingham managed to pull off one of the best Diwali celebrations, ever. Held at the New Bingley Hall in Hockley last Sunday, the 11am-7pm event featured stage shows, a kiddies’ corner, a catwalk, stalls from community groups, charities and service providers, and stores selling things traditionally associated with Asian culture. Sponsored by the Asian Bridal Show and supported by the local authority, the event brought together a few thousand people, reflecting the sheer faith, race, culture and religious diversity of Birmingham, which has around 30,000 Hindus and twice as many Sikhs. Volunteers were rushed off their feet in an attempt to ensure the smooth running of the event. But despite their tremendous efforts, there were some parking issues and a few unhappy stall holders. Expected, some

said. A VIP reception featured the lighting of the lamp by Birmingham’s Lord Mayor Councillor Anita Ward and President of HCB, Jo Thanki “a lone woman surrounded by many men”. Short speeches were given by Lord Tarsem King and Councillors Chaman Lal and Paula Smith.

The Midlands’ highest-ranking Indian diplomat, Mr C Gururaj Rao, also spoke. “Who doesn’t want light in their lives,” he said, “every soul is divine, we’re a trainbow, a harmonious blend of colours”. A beautiful Indian dance, led by Truptiben Patel, president of the Hindu Council in North England, was performed by a group of young girls. Mrs Thanki paid tribute to her fellow

HCB Committee members for their “outstanding teamwork”. Hats off, in particular, to Ramanbhai Bulsara, HCB’s General Secretary, who, despite poor health, went the

extra mile to ensure the overall success of this event.

In addition to his role, he took on the huge task of one of its treasurers Paras Shah who “miserably let down fellow members by not attending a single Committee meeting or responding to important emails,” according to a HCB official.

Photo: Hindu Council of Birmingham Committee members with Lord Mayor and guests.

DIWALI SPECIAL

9

GPS: Bringing communities closer by crossing boundaries Three British Hindus were among 16 award winners, names of whom were announced at a prestigious ceremony hosted by the Global Punjabi Society in Leicester last Saturday.

They were Mr CB Patel, editor and publisher of our newsweeklies, Dr Gautam G Bodiwala, a consultant in emergency medicine (both for their services to community) and zero-to-hero social entrepreneur Amar Lodhia (for transforming his own life, now a role model to others).

The dinner and dance function brought together guests from up and down the country, as well as from India, Canada and Thailand.

The event has raised around sixty thousand pounds for three charities – ROKO Cancer, Overseas Indian Association and Crimebeat Warning Zone.

Hosted jointly by illustrious couple Ashok Verma, UK President of GPS, and Baroness Sandip Verma, the evening featured jokes, speeches, food and drink, a raffle and an auction.

Distinguished guests included Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC MP, acting High Commissioner of India, Rajesh Prasad – a gentleman taller and more charismatic than his predecessor but not as much, yet, as his junior Midland-based colleague Mr C Gururaj Rao, who was also present – leader of Birmingham City Council Mike Whitby, Lord Bhikhu Parekh and Resham Singh Sandhu, High Sheriff of Leicestershire.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon veteran community leader Mr D L Chadha, President of Shri Krishna Temple, Wolverhampton.

Other award winners were: Nileema Sukhadia, of India; Professor Harminder Singh Dua, President of the Royal College of Opthalmologists, who is currently in South Africa; Sudarshan Mohindra, a Hindu chaplain in Nottingham; Professor Nathuram Puri, Madan Paliwal and journalist Suresh Kumar Sharma, both of India; Bobby Grewal; Krishna Prashad Sharma, who, despite three heart attacks has not given up charity work; veteran dhol tsar Gurcharan “King” Mall, of Dholblasters; Ranjit Singh Ghura of Thailand; dad-of-two businessman and philanthropist David Sidhoo and actress Nicki Aneja Walia.

Each award winner was presented with a gold plate engraved with their name. The shortest speech was given by Ms Mohindra and the longest by Professor Puri, who said: “I can live without everybody else, but not myself.”

His wealth, it seems, speaks louder than his words. Despite struggling to talk, he continued his emotional address. “There’s a method in madness. I’m doing it to please myself.” On the other hand, a modest Ranjit Ghura dedicated the award to his father who came to England from the Punjab in 1930.

“We’re all achievers,” he told guests. Dr Rami Ranger, International Chairman of GPS, gave a humorous speech.

The Global Punjabi Society was launched in September 2010 at the House of Lords. It aims to identify, recognise and reward aspiring and ambitious people of Indian origin who have excelled in their chosen areas of work. To find out more visit www.globalpunjabisociety.com

Her Majesty honours Dr Ranger thrice on Enterprise Sun Mark Limited is the only company in the UK to receive a triple consecutive Queen’s Award for Enterprise, ever. Its suave Chairman, Dr Rami Ranger, pictured, threw a glittering party at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel to celebrate this unique achievement.

Attended by over 500 guests, the evening began with a welcome address

by Dr Ranger’s daughter Reena Ahuja, followed by a This Is Your Life-style slide show featuring Dr

Ranger with world leaders and distinguished national and international personalities and celebrities.

Also present were

around 40 politicians from all political persuasions, including two MEPs, each of whom was invited on stage to say a few words.

By far the most passionate speech was given by Stephen Pound MP who suggested that Greenford – where Rami’s HQ is based – should be changed to Ramiford. He described Rami an “entrepreneurial genius”, adding, “if there’s one man on this earth who can do it, it’s Rami Ranger”.

The only politician to

speak with the aid of notes was Lord Sheikh, Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum. Interestingly, Lord Sheikh was the only politician who got aggressive and was uncooperative when confronted last year about an awards scandal.

Congratulations to Dr Rami Ranger on your achievement from everyone at Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar.

(Det aile d repo rt n ext wee k in UK pag es)

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YOUR VOICE Grapes are sour

Don’t know which Navratri event Sharadbhai goes to, but most of the organisations celebrating the festival do it with community spirit and without commercialisation.

The organisations can do so because of the grants provided by the Brent council.

If the grant was not available, many of the small organisations won’t be able to celebrate Navratri, or they have to go for commercialisation of the festival to makeup the costs. Due to grant, children under the age of 12 go free and charge for the above 12 is capped at ￡3.

Most organisations don’t charge anything.

I understand your point about the cuts to essential services like health and social needs, but then why the council is ready to spend tens of thousands of pounds on its own organised events, which are of little value to its citizens.

Why is Brent council spending nearly ￡100m for new office block with designer lights and furniture, while cutting the essential services?

There is a huge unrest in the Hindu community in Brent in opposition to the Navratri festival cut. It is not a party political issue; it is a serious issue of right and wrong. 6000 plus residents signed a petition against the cuts to the grant. There was serious disgust among the community that during Navratri the councillors who attend these festivals and shamelessly promote themselves as guardian of the community, to further their political career, but behind the back they vote along the party line.

Now because you live in Hounslow and your council don’t give you any grants, shouldn’t be the reason that Brent council can also cut the grant. This smacks as a case of sour grapes from your side.

Paresh Shah Via Email

Joy of Navratri and Garba in Brent I read with much surprise a letter to Asian Voice dated Saturday 22nd October 2011 by Sharad Mistry.

The Navratri celebration in Brent is not a commercial money spinning event, we in Brent celebrate Navratri traditionally and in accordance with our culture and customs. It is a traditional Hindu festival enjoyed by everyone including young people and elders. The festival is enjoyed by not only the Hindu Community but also other communities living in Brent.

The funding from the Brent Council has remained at the same level for many years and only partially funds the festival. It is mainly used to pay the charges for the Hire of School Halls in Brent. The money goes back in the Brent economy and pays for improvement of the Schools.

To ensure that everyone can take part in the festival, a precondition of the grant is that, all the organisations have to allow under 12 year old to go free and the maximum charge for rest is only £3 per person. This ensures that the youth can benefit from the grant as well as the community at large, and the community organisations recover other costs not paid out of the grant. Many organisations even allow free entry!

Manubhai K Makwana Chairman, Hindu Council (Brent)

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Is AV right to put an opinion poll

AV at the Forefront

Asian Voice asking readers to give their opinion whether Shrien is guilty or not for killing his wife Anni, I am afraid it might not be right to do so for any press media. Any way the response is excellent, twenty four people responded but most of them it appears they know personally to Mr Shrien. So their views may or may not be right or acceptable. It is very hard for people to comment on such cases when they hardly know the truth. If Shrien is completely innocent and is being involved by the South African police, then he is going through very torturous period of his life. He deserves our full support to be protected. But we must not forget the other side of the coin. Imagine if he is involved then we will be doing great injustice to Anni and her parents.

It is also true that South African Police or any third world country`s police we can hardly trust. So it is hard to believe whether the truth will come out in this case or not. Could we propose to British police to participate in this case and find out what happened?. But even that is not guaranteed because many times even British police have arrested innocent people for the murders. So what is the solution - may be possible if we involve jury from this country and some investigative officers to look after the interests of Shrien and Anni both in South Africa.

Dharam Sahdev Ilford [We take your point about the opinion poll. What we asked readers was if they believed Shrien was a killer and if it will be wise for him to go to South Africa. And you may be right in saying people who replied may have known Shrien.

However we are doing further investigation on the genuity of such letter writers. In due course if any hint of manipulation is discovered, needful will be done. We also believe friends and family are bound to believe that their kith and keen are incapable of doing anything wrong, which is natural (and probably that is what we saw in our last issue). But as a media we are on the side of truth, reality and justice, and we will ensure that it is not denied to whoever concerned- whether to Anni or Shrien.

- AV]

Britain’s public sector unions are to take legal action against the Government over pension reform.They say that they are launching their legal challenge over what they describe as the “biggest robbery of a pension scheme this country has ever seen”. Six unions are taking High Court action to argue that a switch in the way increases to pensions are calculated are “unfair” to millions of public sector workers. The unions are challenging the use of the consumer price index (CPI) instead of the traditionally higher retail price index (RPI) for the annual increase in public sector pensions.

Your Voice column readers would know that in my letters entitled “Briefcase and Brolly Brigade” and “Pensions Clawback”, I was the first to draw attention, through the medium of our favourite “Your Voice” column, to this unfair way adopted by the Government to calculate the way in which Civil Service pension increases are calculated.

In my letter headed “The Pauper and the Dictators”, I had said that Iraq’s dictator, Saddam Husain was found in an underground hole and wondered how and where Libya’s Gaddafi would be found. And sure enough he was found in a sewer. So once again, Asian voice has been at the forefront to draw attention to these matters. There are many other instances when AV has been a pioneer in shedding light to issues affecting us all, Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Indians fighting for a cause

What an attack and counter attack. If Anna team sincerely wishes to make India corruption free, they have to follow suits of some European and Middle Eastern countries where hands and legs are chopped and dozen whips are rewarded if single mistake is done.

All the leaders of the present government are badly corrupted and the money stolen is not thousands, not in lakhs but crores. So much is hidden in Swiss banks and other places of deposits that we are still considered a poor nation!

So many ‘andolands’ are taking place against such corruptions. I urge the Congress government to wake up. It is still not too late.

Once again my most sincere thanks for the generosity of the space given to Cornelia Sorabji. You have done justice to her life’s work. Anne Hoose’s excellent review says it all; she has shown Cornelia as a woman who had a mission in life to improve the lives of women and children in India and what great communicator she was in the west.

Cornelia belonged to the eminent Indians in Britain fighting for a cause who never sought personal fame or praise. Those who belong to this elite group of our pioneers are Bhikaji Cama who fought the British for 33 years in Europe risking her own life and spending her own money to start monthly bande mataram which ran fron 1909 to 1913; Princess Indira of Kapurthala who drove ambulances during the raids in London in the second world war. She also ran a BBC radio programme from 1947 to 1967 as the parliamentary Lobby Correspondent; Pandita Ramabhai who worked and earned money to help child widows in India; she taught Sanskrit in England; Anandibai Joshi, the first woman to study medicine in America.

The list is endless. We owe a lot to these selfless personalities and I am more than glad that you have shared my determination, with a very positive act of kindness, to recognise their sacrifices. The way you have helped me to promote Cornelia has been a bonus!

Ramesh V Moradabadi Southall

Kusoom Vadgama London

Congress and Hazare

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‘Smile Pinky’ too gets the Oscar Boyle says Mumbai dwarfed the statuette

E-mail: support@abplgroup.com

Cricket crazy Indians for the first time was seen so euphoric on Monday morning, as they expected a couple of Oscars. British Indians in the UK, Dharavi slums, the shanty township of Mumbai, a village in Uttar Pradesh and almost the entire Bollywood waited in expectation, glued to their TV sets. They burst into celebrations as one by one, their heroes, the actors of the British Indian film and the music maestro, A R Rahman bagged the top awards in the world of entertainment.

British actress Kate Winslett also won the Oscar after having missed it almost five times earlier.

‘Smile Pinki’, a short documentary on a cleft-lipped Indian girl in Uttar Pradesh directed

by American director Megan Mylan, won the Oscar for the Best Documentary (Short).

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The election for the state assembly in Uttar Pradesh (UP), the largest Indian state with more than 150 million is going to take place in March 2012. The state is ruled by Mayawati who comes from socially and economically deprived community (Dalit). The present Indian ruling dynasty Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi comes from UP. There is a tussle between Mayawati and Rahul Gandhi to win the election next year and they are fighting each other on political grounds. One such dispute is the acquisition of land by UP government for development purposes from the farmers in Bhatta Parsul village in UP. The agitation by the farmers took place several months ago and Rahul Gandhi visited the place recently and the villagers claims the policemen attacked them during the agitation and some of them claimed they were raped.

What seems to me strange is that the statement made by the women appears to be unreliable since they claim they shut the door of their houses and raped. The rape victims as claimed

by Rahul Gandhi are illiterates. It is very likely they have been paid to make such statements in the public, since they are poor.

However if the statement made by villagers are true, it is a shame that Indian policemen should behave as barbarians without any respect and dignity for women and it is a shame to the entire police force and to Indians also. Mayawati comes from a poor Dalit family and I do not believe that she will allow raping poor young women by police force in her administration. NDTV is making a big issue of this. Only independent committee consisting of members from outside the state can find the truth.

Arun Vaidyanathan Via Email

Secular India

Mr Harish Dave’s (pg 10, AV 22 Oct) wrongly states Asian Voice as anti Pakistani, and Indian-Muslims as secular. Asian Voice devotes full page about Pakistan. Losing Pakistani customers would be unprofitable for ABPL group.

AV’s title, ‘secular India’ shows ignorance of pseudo-secularism in Bharat. Harishbhai is unaware that Muslims in India can never be secular lest they be condemned by fellow Muslims as apostates.

History is witness to atrocities by Muslims in name religion, eg demolition of 3000 Hindu temples etc; massacre of Hindus by Moplahs and other on Direct Action Day. Non secular Muslims - on grounds of religion:1) Partitioned India in 1947.

2) Muslims of Kashmir killed and drove Hindus and Pandits OUT since 1989 3) They are getting Haj subsidy, safe houses prior to Haj and medical treatment in Mecca paid by India’s tax payers.

4) They deny permanent and weatherproof shelter for Hindus on Amarnath pilgrimage.

5) Forced amendment of Constitution of India as in Shah Bano case.

6) Get reservations in jobs, colleges and schools.

7) Block Ram mandir construction, and repeatedly revenge Babri masjid incident, 8) They swear loyalty to Brotherhood of Islam-religion and not to geographic nation; forbidding them to regard India- who sustains them-as motherland.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Visit our website: www.abplgroup.com

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Health Watch

Bhatta Parsul and Rahul Gandhi

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Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

UK

YOUR VOICE

Labour needs to stop wasting our money

Outer space: the last frontier

The Vision of Europe

It is very unfortunate that Brent Council’s Labour Administration insists on wasting money and cutting essential services. As soon as the High Court delivered its judgment on the closures of six of Brent’s libraries and before the ink was even dry, they wasted no time in boarding up Preston Road Library.

I simply cannot understand the justification for such a waste of money. Before the judgment, all the libraries were locked up after normal opening hours and without any additional security. Does Labour think that all the campaigners, library users and residents of Brent are criminals? Then they are wrong.

Everyone involved in the SOS libraries campaign are peace loving and law abiding citizens who have conducted an exemplary peaceful protest throughout the campaign.

I was also incredulous to see that last week they actually sent a man to the library with a tin of paint and told him to cover over the ‘pornography’ on the boarding outside the library which is now famously known as the ‘Wall of Shame’. A campaigner assisted him in examining every piece of writing on the hoardings but as no ‘pornography’ could be found, he went away empty handed. What a complete waste of taxpayers’ money!

I would like to reiterate to this Labour Council that these hardworking campaigners would never allow any racist, sexist or obscene remarks on this Labour Wall of Shame and the remarks left there are simply a way of campaigners expressing their disgust at the dictatorial and devastating assault on our democracy by closing six libraries against the wishes of residents. The campaign continues outside the library and I would urge as many people as possible to come down and join the campaign.

Labour needs to stop wasting our money, stop insulting people and starting taking into consideration what people in this borough really want.

The newest and most advanced telescope in the world will be sighted in the “Atachama Desert” in Chile and will be appropriately named as “Eye on the Sky” with its official mission to join in our quest to find the signs for “Extra Terrestrial” (ET) life well beyond the contain of our own Solar System.

It is more or less certain that life as we know it does not exist in our own solar system. But as there are millions if not billions of solar systems out there, it would be foolhardy, scientifically madness to rule out life some where out there, even at a distance of hundreds of light years away, obviously beyond our reach for a foreseeable future.

But human ingenuity is such that nothing can be ruled out for ever. It is even beyond our wildest imagination what progress we would have made in a millennium.

The Chilean desert where rainfall has never been recorded and the sky is almost cloudless throughout the year is indeed a perfect place to site the telescope with most modern instruments, funded by a grant from our Science and Technology Facilities Council and developed by our own top Universities where we excel, lead the world.

Without light pollution and water vapour in the air, the signals would not be weakened, distorted or break-up in any way.

Some of our topmost astronomers with experience gained at Jodrell Bank will be in attendance with their Chilean counterparts. There is a buzz of excitement in the air. Scientists are indeed looking forward to focus on these distant stars and report back in six months time after the telescope becomes operational.

European civilisation is 2000 years old compared to the US civilisation that is 300 years old. Europe has been dynamic, vibrant, innovative, diverse, enterprising, fascinating and the most technologically, socially, economically and politically advanced continent.

Its idea of capitalism is less greedy and less selfish than the Anglo-Saxon kind of capitalism. A CEO of Nokia or Michelin or Mercedes gets about 10% of remuneration that a CEO of Motorola, Good Year Tyre Co or General Motors gets.

UK as a member of EU has recently shown that when they see fellow members in difficulty, instead of showing the true spirit of sportsmanship and help fellow members, it wants to rush to get out of membership.

True, many of the 27 members are not as developed as the more advanced economies. That should be in UK’s interest, not a disadvantage. As they progress to become more advanced, their population will demand more goods and services.

Splendid isolation is not an option for UK. If they get out of EU, they should urgently form an economic block with US with common language and common ideology of capitalism, values, beliefs and culture.

My forecast is that, if status quo continues, over the next decade or two, it will not be the Euro that will fall, but it will be the Pound Sterling or both the Pound Sterling and the U S Dollar that will fall or crash.

Cllr Harshadbhai Patel Via Email

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

Nagindas Khajuria Via Email

Wedding Bells

Many congratulation and best wishes to our columnist Spriha Srivastava and Vikram Balan for their recent wedding in India. We wish you a wonderful beginning, faith and love to last a lifetime. May your life be filled with happiness joy.

Yours sincerely CB Patel, colleagues at ABPL, friends & family

Cash for crash An undercover investigation by The Sunday Times has led to the arrest of a gang that stages car crashes to make false insurance claims. It is part of a nationwide fraud costing motorists 350m a year.

The fraudsters, who ostensibly run a legitimate accident claims firm, arranged for a car provided by the Times to be written off in a staged crash. They advised the undercover reporters about maximising their return by submitting false insurance claims for

the car and multiple personal injuries, potentially worth at least 6,000. They also provided a “victim” who paid a fee for his car to be involved in the crash and who, before even seeing the damage to his vehicle, submitted car insurance and multiple personal injury claims.

After being given our dossier of evidence, police raided the company and several addresses across London on Friday. Five men were arrested and all later released on police bail.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Scrutator’s Switzerland honoured Ratan Tata when the country's Ambassador in New Delhi, Philippe Welti, conferred the iconic Indian industrialist the “Exceptional Leadership Award” in recognition of his role in the world of business.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Tata said that whatever he had achieved within the Tata Group could not have been done alone. “I owe it to my colleagues – the CEOs of companies, their people who made whatever happened in the Tata Group happen. It is they who have made the Group what it is. I merely travelled the same journey that my ancestors did and it was, I think, the right thing at the right moment whenever it happened,” he remarked.

Ratan Tata

The Swiss Ambassador pointed to Mr Tata's emergence from the shadows when he took over as Chairman of Tata Sons in 1991 and transformed the Tata Group into a global conglomerate, while retaining its strong roots in its traditions and ethics. Under Mr Tata's leadership, said Mr Philippe Welti, the Tata Group had become a global force, acquiring international brands such as Corus Steel, automobiles Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR), and Tetley Tea, while manufacturing new products including the Tata Nano car, the world's cheapest passenger vehicle. The Tata Group operated in 80 countries and employed a total workforce exceeding 400,000, concluded Mr Welt (The Hindu October 18).

Robin Pagnamenta, from his Mumbai vantage point, took up the story of the Ratan Tata succession stakes in The Times (October 26). The Chairman will be retiring next year, but the committee set up to appoint a successor, had been unable thus far to come up with a name.

According to Mr Pagnamenta, “the committee is considering whether to create a new post of group chief executive officer at Tata Sons, its main holding company.” He continues: “To compound the challenge facing any successor, since Mr Tata took over as chairman in 1991 the Group has undergone an unprecedented expansion and been transformed from a mainly Indian company to a significant global player.Tata's combined revenues have increased nearly 12-fold, to $67 billion in 2009-10, with more than two-thirds coming from outside India.”

Any colossus is difficult if not impossible to replace. Ratan Tata is no exception. He stands tallest among the tall.

Modernising IAF airfields The Tata brand is synonymous with reliability, hence the substantial contract awarded to Tata Power, earlier this year, by India's Defence Ministry for the modernisation of 30 of the country's military airfields so that the latest high-tech aircraft presently being inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) can operate at maximum capacity.

The Tata contract is a sign of the times and much to be welcomed as the largest private sector engagement in India's defence sector. The contract came through a global tender.

Hopefully public-private partnership in defence projects will expand and deepen. Located in the most combustible neighbourhood in the world, Indian defence requires constant attention from the country's great and good. There is no room for

complacency, let alone neglect.

The Sunday Times Defence Correspondent, Sean Rayment, writes (October 30) that India will shortly be announcing its decision to acquire 126 Typhoon Euro-fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Indian pilots had been impressed by its 'flawless' performance in the recent Nato operations in Libya. The aircraft is produced by a consortium of British, German, Italian and Spanish companies which are set to earn ￡7 billion ($11bn) through the deal

Boost for DRDO The Indian Express (October 18) reports the infusion of high quality human capital in the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), with “the DRDO top brass now on Cloud 9, with hundreds of non-resident

Indian (NRI) scientists making a beeline to be part of India's next generation defence projects.” Confirming this reverse brain drain trend, DRDO chief V.K. Saraswat said applications were pouring in from NRIs in the US, Canada and the UK. “We have a better system for R&D in India now and that makes the difference. Our challenges are current, which will satisfy the needs of our future system. If we stick to our deadlines and set realistic targets, our products will brand for ourselves. And our customers will be our brand ambassadors,” said Dr Saraswat.

William Selvamurthy, chief controller, DRDO, explained that the reforms being initiated followed the recommendations of the P Rama Rao Committee and had started showing results. “Decision-making has become faster with directors getting more power. NRI scientists watching us closely have realised the changing philosophies of the DRDO. Last year, we hired 40 NRIs and 400-plus are waiting to get in.”

DRDI is now in the process of recruiting 2,000 more scientists and hopes to get the nod by the start of the 12th Plan.

Defence Minister A.K.Antony had already cleared the proposal, which is currently with the Finance Ministry, after which the file will be placed before the Cabinet Committee on Security for final approval. DRDO needs significant brain power to work on its big ticket missile projects, including the Medium Range Surface-to-Air and the Short Range Surface-to-Air Missiles, together worth some $30 billion.

DRDO's autonomous Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) had already hired 30 Science Fellows. The agency was responsible for the development of India's Light Combat Aircraft named Tejas.

The reverse brain drain is clearly taking hold.

the countries in New Delhi.

Minister Khar said: “In today's world it's not possible to not recommend freer trade to anyone.” Pity it took six long decades and more for the penny to drop. Better late than never.

Qaswar Abbas, reporting for the magazine India Today (October 24), tells of a Pakistani plan to rent Indian locomotives for its hard-pressed railways after the 150 engines purchased from China proved to be substandard. “Keeping in view the quality of Indian Railways' engines, we are ordering 50 of them for now. We're working out the rent and other conditions. The order may be increased in future,” said Pakistan's Federal Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour.

Explained a Pakistani railway official: “Contrary to the tall claims of our Chinese friends, their engines were a total disaster. We ended up incurring a huge loss.”

The Pakistan government move to make the teaching of Mandarin mandatory in the nation's schools is unlikely to help. The cost of this latest exercise in Chinoiserie will surely be a further debilitating drain on the Pakistani exchequer.

Salutary corrective Russia Now is a broadsheet of news and analysis about the country by expert Russian contributors and is distributed with The Daily Telegraph. Russia Now (October 25) included an insightful article by Fyodor

relations with the west. There was passing reference to India, yet Russia's defence co-operation with India in weapon system research and development is the only arrangement of its type Russia has with any country.

Anatoli Isaikin, the head of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, told the Kommersant daily (a Moscow newspaper) that India is No1for Russia “for years ahead.”

Formula One triumph The arrival of Formula One racing in India, for many in the country and abroad, was a red letter day. Bernie Ecclestone, the sport's foremost guru and diviner, impressed by the Buddh International Circuit on the outskirts of New Delhi, gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up – “What they had to build here in the short amount of time is incredible....India should be very proud that a private enterprise [the Jaypee Group] has achieved this. Everything is super...” The scale of British media coverage appeared to echo this sentiment. The seating arrangements for the good and great and the massed ranks of the hoi polloi – 95,000 in all – were worthy of the occasion.

The race was won by the German driver Sebastian Vettel.

Following the shambles of last year's Commonwealth Games, the Formula One Grand Prix inauguration was considered an unalloyed triumph. Simon Barnes, The Times sports columnist, a contrarian voice (October 31), denounced

Looking to India Writing from Lahore in Financial Times (October 18), James Lamont and Farhan Bokhari referred to the imminence of the “biggest liberalisation in bilateral trade” between India and Pakistan since partition in 1947. They write: “Senior officials on both sides of the border say Pakistan's politicians and generals have softened their traditional insistence that expanded business links with India be conditional on resolution of a bitter territorial dispute over divided Kashmir.”

Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's Foreign Minister, had told the FT reporters that her government would press ahead with granting India “Most Favoured Nation “status in an effort to break a long-standing deadlock and investment that has hurt Pakistan more than it has India, hence the title of their piece, “Islamabad looks towards India to bolster economy”.

The deal is expected to be sealed at a conference between

German driver Sebastian Vettel winning the Indian Formula One Grand Prix at the Buddh race track near Delhi

Sebastian Vettel (centre) celebrating his victory

Lukayanov on the unfolding Russo-Chinese relationship as part of Moscow's carefully crafted 'look east' policy to balance

Formula One as “silly” and polluting of the environment and regretted India's embrace of such folly. Each to his own.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Political Sketchbook Alpesh Patel’s

The Politics of Talking Ourselves Down I was lucky enough to be at 10 Downing St for the PM’s Diwali Party, but had to leave early for an even bigger party – at Buckingham Palace. The Duke of York was hosting it, and like all good sons, as his mum was out of the house (in Australia), he threw a party. The party was for entrepreneurs.

The difference between the Duke as a trade ambassador and a politician is that he does not talk down the country. His speech came across as genuine. After all I do not doubt his motives – he does not seek, nor need votes, or money.

When I speak on the BBC or CNBC, or Al Jazeera, or Radio 4 or in this paper, I say it the way I see it, because I am not trying to sell you something. I have nothing to gain whether things are good in the economy or bad.

But when I do speak that things are better than journalists portray based on my examination of the economic figures, I get many an email from people delighted someone is ‘saying it the way it is’ and not all doom and gloom.

You see the problem with politicians blaming someone else (whether it’s the opposition or Government) is that we the public listen to how bad they tell us things are and we spend a little less, or invest a little less.

Now, that would be fine, if we are saving to pay down debt. But in fact businesses are often simply not investing because of the perception and fear of uncertainty.

So unemployment stays higher. So we become less competitive, inch by inch.

And it would be fine if the politicians and journalists in describing the end of the

world were accurate. But they simply are not. There is no UK or Global Recession.

Yes we are feeling fearful – but more because we kept being told we should be fearful, than someone saying, 90% of people willing and able to work, have jobs. In Europe we produce $12trillion of goods and services – the same as the US and double that of China. That our biggest companies are making bumper profits – and they’re not all banks! That if you want to find a job, find out who is making profits by reading the FT and go to those company’s websites and apply.

You may also say there is no evidence of our ‘talking ourselves into a recession’.

Well, there is. Bloomberg analysed a correlation between the use of the word ‘uncertainty’ in their news stories and GDP. Cause or effect? They say use of the language causes people to reduce spending and investment and that in turn slows the economy. It becomes self-fulfilling. You see entrepreneurship – the fighting will comes from what the economist Keynes called ‘Animal Spirits’. And he could not in his formula’s put a value on it. But to ignite animal spirits of our entrepreneurs takes more than the wet blanket of a politician telling us the last lot created a mess. For god’s sake your last Deputy PM was a ship steward – what did you expect – business genius?

So my advice to politicians is ummm…tell the truth, stop telling us what a mess we are in. There is a lot of good economic news. My advice to journalists…ummm…stop only writing negative stories. I can’t believe I just wrote those last two sentences. How naïve am I?!

Meera Syal’s daughter ‘fails to dazzle’ in the limelight Continued from page 1 The 18-year-old needed surgery for cuts on his cheek and eyelids after the dance floor assault, Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London was told.

She has also suffered relentless online bullying since the incident, the court heard.

What Chameli did, why she did it, and if she did so, is the critical question. Parents can’t be blamed for everything.

Critics forget that Asian parents in Britain have mostly outdone themselves in protecting and inculcating their culture into their charges.

Penalising a mother for an adult daughter’s alleged ‘act of fury’, is surely way beyond the call of justice.

The Court heard that Miss Bhatia, the daughter of the star of Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No 42, allegedly held a grudge against him

after he had split up with her friend Lily Greensmith two weeks previously.

She repeatedly barged into him and gave him “strange stares” during the party on Sept 19 last year, jurors heard.

Miss Bhatia denies assault, claiming Mr Pannell’s glass shattered by accident as she went to flick his drink at him.

Mr Pannell was dancing at the venue in Woodford Green, Essex, at about 2am when Miss Bhatia set upon him, Matthew Dalton, prosecuting, said.

She allegedly walked up to him before pushing a glass of vodka and orange juice into his face, the court was told.

Miss Bhatia denies assault causing actual bodily harm.

Icah Peart, defending, accused Mr Pannell and his father of trying to cash in on Miss Syal’s fame.

Mr Pannell, a male model, had claimed he was left with a scar that may have affected his earnings.

Mr Peart said: “You knew full well that this was an accident, but you changed your story because you thought you could make some money out of it.”

He showed the court a letter Mr Pannell’s solicitors sent to Miss Bhatia, allegedly asking for compensation and threatening her family with negative publicity.

Mr Pannell denied he was trying to make money, adding that he was only interested in “justice”.

But he admitted his father had “aggressively” pursued the legal action.

He added: “I felt I didn’t want her to go to prison and she had already suffered quite a bit from the situation.”

The trial continues.

13

London based radio station being investigated A London-based radio station that raised 160,000 for natural disasters in Asia let the money sit dormant in a bank account for almost seven years, an investigation by the Charity Commission has found, as reported by the Guardian newspaper.

An 11-month inquiry by the commission found that Sunrise Radio and sister station Kismat Radio – which are not charities– allegedly deposited 160,000 of listeners’ donations in an account named Sunrise Radio South East Asia Disaster Appeal.

The Charity Commission has passed its report to the broadcast watchdog Ofcom.

A spokesperson for Ofcom told the newspaper: “Ofcom is carefully assessing the information and will make a decision shortly on whether to launch a full investigation into the issue.”

The quango has the

power to revoke Sunrise Radio’s broadcast licence.

Sunrise became the UK’s first 24-hour Asian music station in 1989 and now reaches 2 million listeners.

The charity fund, which last year had grown to 181,000 with interest, was raised through a station appeal following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and then again after the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.

The disasters killed tens of thousands of people and left many more homeless and at the risk of disease.

The Charity Commission’s report said

that there was “no evidence to suggest that the funds were at risk of misapplication” but condemned the trustees of the bank account, saying that they “did not act appropriately” by holding onto the money. The commission said that the money had now been taken from the account and given it to two registered charities working in the affected areas.

The report also said that the trustees, “failed to provide a sufficient satisfactory explanation or provide evidence to give reason for their delay”.

Station owner Avtar Lit, pictured, told the Guardian newspaper that it had not been able to deliver the money for relief purposes because the station could not get one of its presenters a visa to go to Pakistan, and the ongoing civil war in Sri Lanka.

Mr Litt was not available for comment to Asian Voice.

14

ART & CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

For more stories visit www.scribbledesk.com

Short Story by Neha Garg

The Perfect Wedding June looked at herself in the mirror. She looked beautiful.

‘Now now, be modest June’, came a voice.

June caught her best friend’s eye in the mirror and grinned.

‘Were my thoughts that transparent, Sophie ?’

‘Well, yes. But I have to agree, that wedding dress is perfect for you. Mark is one lucky guy.’

‘I have been telling him that ever since we got engaged. He better believe it.’, laughed June.

‘How are the wedding plans coming along? It’s not long now’, asked Sophie.

‘Everything is going great. Too great, in fact.

It un-nerves me sometimes.’, said June.

Sophie laughed at the disappointed expression on June’s face. They had been best friends ever since they had been kids and for just as long Sophie had known of June’s hatred for perfection. She had been known to have a spotless house but a vase of dried-up flowers in a corner. She called it, ‘The Human Touch’.

She had met Mark a little over 3 years ago at a friend’s farewell party.

Like a fairytale romance, their eyes had met across the room and they had ended up spending the rest of the night ignoring everyone else. It was love at first sight, though June had insisted that she had not truly loved Mark until a month later. There was no such thing as fairytale romances, she argued.

Sophie watched June spinning around, trying to get a look at the back of the wedding dress. Gosh, This wedding must be driving June mad, thought Sophie. All the arrangements were on schedule. The caterers had arrived from London to set up camp in the little town of Stirling for the week. June had gotten exactly the band she had wanted.

All her friends and family had accepted the invitation and were arriving on time.

She had even been able to find the exact design for the wedding dress that she had wanted ever since she was 12.

To top it all off, Mark was being a per-

fect gentleman. He was helping out as much as he could and had agreed with almost all of June’s choices.

Sophie chuckled to herself. Yes, June was definitely the only person she knew of, who would have loved a healthy disaster at her wedding.

June looked at her reflection. She looked perfect. There was that damned word again. Why couldn’t there be a little moderation in life ?

If things kept turning out this flawless, she will probably end up divorced in two years. That would never do, thought June, with mounting panic. She will have to do something. It was true what her father had always told her. Too much happiness brought with it just as much misfortune.

Why, Dad had always said that when she and her brother had been having fun and laughing uncontrollably.

He had said, don’t laugh so much. You will have to cry just as much later. And sure enough, they would have a fight and go off to one parent each and cry for the next hour.

She had talked this over with Mark but he had only laughed and told her that he loved her and would do anything to see a smile on his sweetheart’s face.

So she decided to discuss her concerns with Sophie. Sophie was her best friend after all and knew her inside out.

June sought out Sophie the very next day and told of her problem. Sophie looked at her friend with a worried look in her eye.

‘June’, she said. ‘I understand your anxiety but if you keep looking for trouble like this, you might end up divorced anyway.’

June stared at Sophie in disbelief.

Her last hope of comfort had deserted her. Right then, she thought. If she wanted this wedding to look less like something out of Mills and Boons and more like real life, she will just have to take matters into her own hands, even if it meant sabotaging her own wedding. With a mischevious glint in her eye, June set about planning a disaster for her wedding.

In the land of Lord Krishna Diwali at Bhaktivedanta Manor, home of the Hare Krishna Movement in Britain, was like being in a paradise. The sound of chanting, chattering and the bright lights from the fireworks all added to the exuberance. There were activities, inside and outside, for everyone, young and old. A VIP tent saw a spectrum of prominent guests from all faiths, races and religions. They experienced for themselves the evergreen vibrance of the land donated by Beatle George Harrison, one which reflects the playgrounds of India on which Lord Krishna danced with the ‘gopis’ cow-herd girls. Many went to feed the sacred cows, an animal symbolic of Lord Krishna. Temple President Srutidharma

(part 1)

Das praised all the helpers without whom, he said, the event would not have been the great success it was. Photo: Radha Mohan Das, from the temple’s Communications team, dressed up as Ravana.

Diwali at BAPS Birmingham Tribute to the army of ‘sewaks’ volunteers at Birmingham’s Shri Swaminarayan (BAPS) Temple for their tremendous dedication and hard work in organising, yet again, an outstanding Diwali celebration last Saturday. The event, as ever, featured an A-star ‘annakut’ food mountain, devotional songs and hymns, food stalls, kids’ activities, a spiritual exhibition, a fireworks display and much more. Guests were welcomed at the entrance

by BAPS representatives, each of whom was dedicated a role. Credit, in particular, to the shining young devotees whose extraordinary approach and attitude towards others, as well as their passion for the denomination of Hinduism they have chosen to follow, deserves plaudits.

HFB celebrates 10th Diwali in Westminster The delicate fragrances of Indian sweets, the gentle flicker of lights, and excited murmurs of celebration swept through the corridors of Westminster on Wednesday October 19th, 2011, on the occasion of the Hindu Forum of Britain’s 10th Diwali event. The celebration in HoC was sponsored by State Bank of India, and was hosted by the HFB’s secretary general Bharti Tailor and co-hosted by Lord Dholakia - Liberal Democrat, Rt. Hon Keith Vaz MP -Labour, and Mr Paul Uppal MP Conservative.

Parliamentarians, other dignitaries, prominent Hindus from the Business, academic, religious and political spheres and prominent performing artists attended the event joining in the Diwali celebrations – Festival of lights.

Speaking in the historic Member’s Room, the Hindu Forum of Britain President Arjan Vekaria JP, emphasised the need for unity and how people should live a life full of love, harmony and peace.

“Diwali is an international event celebrated across the world. The single fact that reverberates across the celebration period is the unity in diversity. It’s a time where we forget the personal animosity and extend our hands for a friendly gesture even to a stranger. We must reflect on our virtues in the most humble way,” he said.

Dasturji Dr Firoze Kotwal head priest of the Zoroastrian community pointed out that they were given asylum by the Hindus in the 10th century and showed the closeness of that link by reciting Parsee values in a Sanskrit.

The event brought together a wide range of people, from cross party politicians, Inter Faith leaders, to foreign dignitaries. They all joined the celebrations, and strongly applauded the contribu-

President for Hindu Council of Africa, and Hindu Representative of World Council for Religions for Peace Mulji Pindolia (Left) presenting Hindus in Africa book to Labour leader Ed Milliband (2nd from right). Also in the photo (2nd from Left) State Bank of India Regional Head Rajnish Kumar and Hindu Forum UK President & Trustee Arjan Vekaria (Right)

tion that British Asians bring to the United Kingdom. Acting Indian High Commissioner, Rajesh N Prasad, was particularly proud of the progress of the Hindu community in the UK, and the opportunity to celebrate Diwali at Westminster was an amazing experience for him.

“Celebrating Diwali here, in the House of Commons speaks volumes of many things. The recognition of the efforts of Hindus in the UK, as well as the beauty of British values, as accepting people from other cultures. We hope that in these times of economic hardship Goddess Laxmi blesses us,” he said. Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the Rt Hon Eric Prickles, said: “We are very proud to see Hindus getting involved in the wider community, and we also recognise that Brit-Asians have a great commitment to this country. This is a great asset.” Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Simon Hughes MP, joined in the spirit of the celebrations with a light hearted, yet important speech.“I would like to say thanks for the fantastic enterprise that Hindus have shown, as well as their contribution to the community. Diwali is about

prosperity and I would like to ask you all to keep praying. Britain’s economy really needs it,” he said. Opposition Leader, Ed Miliband, spoke of how “Diversity is our strength” and that communities should work together. “This is a very important event and fixture in the parliamentary calendar. Our country can celebrate its diversity and cohesion across the country. I know many of the challenges that immigrant communities face. We must remember that our economic-social and cultural diversity is important for our country. I will look forward to a good year and good relationship ahead,” he said. Rt Hon Keith Vaz, MP who was as usual helpful and joined the evening to celebrate Diwali.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Rt Hon Keith Vaz and Baroness Sandip Verma wished everyone a pious Diwali and spoke about the values such as sacrifice, family and hard work. They pointed out that Diwali celebrates principles that cuts across all communities and should be upheld and applauded the inclusive nature of Hindus by inviting all communities to celebrate Diwali.

Mayor visits BAPS, London on Diwali The Mayor of London Boris Johnson and the Deputy High Commissioner of India Mr Rajesh N Prasad visited BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London – popularly known as the ‘Neasden Temple’ – during the Hindu New Year celebrations on Thursday 27 October 2011.

They joined thousands of others who witnessed the Annakut – literally, ‘a mountain of food’ – which is a devout and artistic offering of the first meal of the New Year made in thanksgiving to

God. This followed the Diwali celebrations held at the Mandir the previous day.

Mr Prasad arrived for the ceremonial Rajbhog

Arti (ritual offering) which was performed at noon. In his address, Mr Prasad expressed: “I think this Swaminarayan Mandir brings out the best of our community in the sense that it brings them together – people volunteering, doing their best, working together on a common platform for this great event.”

Mr Johnson said: “I am very, very proud and supportive of what you do in this amazing mandir and the incredible things you do for your community and all communities.”

PREVIEW

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

London goes crazy for

By Meera Majithia

Ra.One

A frenzy of fans arrived at the O2 on Tuesday 25th October, to welcome Shah Rukh Khan and the rest of the Ra.One team for the red carpet premiere in London.

Shah Rukh with his wife Gauri

The entire 11-screen Cineworld cinema at the venue was booked out for the film and Asian Voice had exclusive access, enabling us to get up close and personal with the stars.

Alongside Shah Rukh, fellow cast members who walked the red carpet amidst screaming fans were Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Shahana Goswami, and the very cute Armaan Verma who plays Shah Rukh’s son in the film.

Director Anubhav Sinha, art director Sabu Cyril and Oscar award-winning sound editor Resol Pookutty were also present.

Shah Rukh’s wife Gauri also waved to fans as she walked alongside her husband, on incidentally what was her wedding anniversary night, and former model and Bollywood actor Milind Soman was also spotted.

Playing two roles in the film, that of Shekhar Subramanium and G.One in Ra.One, Shah Rukh certainly didn’t have an easy ride with the project as he overlooked the entire film as the producer as well. Speaking to the Asian Voice about the ambitious film, he said: “The hardest thing is to have the guts to start a project like this. We took about five years to start it but I’m glad we did because I think we’ve been able to achieve something quite special.

“The objective was to bring new technology and create a new genre for younger actors to follow suit. I’ve grown disturbed and tired by people saying that

Bollywood makes the same films. I’ve been working here for 20 years and I think it’s my duty to try and change that perception.”

When asked if he had made a film like this especially for his children, the actor jokingly replied: “No, you don’t make such an expensive film like this for your children – my wife would kill me. But yes I’ve made it for all the fathers around the world.”

Kareena who plays the role of Sonia Subramanium (Shah Rukh’s wife) in the film also spoke to the Asian Voice. When questioned about her performing stunts in the film, she said: “That was my one condition of signing on this movie, that I am not going to do any stunts.

I said I just want to Armaan look pretty and glamVerma orous.”

Bollywood fanatics had been queuing for hours to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars. Disha Singh, 22 and Harpreet Kaur, 20, current international students in London, had been waiting around seven hours before Shah Rukh was due to arrive.

Disha said: “We’ve never been to a film premiere before and are really excited. This is one of the first huge 3D Bollywood films so we can’t wait to see it.

We love Shah Rukh. He’s so charming and so witty and we just love his smile.”

Another lady had flown in especially from Germany for the event. Monica Dobser, 50, arrived in the morning just to get a peek of her favourite Bollywood star. She said: “I love Shah Rukh Khan and we’ve come to London for three days just to watch the film. We don’t get the opportunity to see Bollywood stars there

15

very often so we made a special trip down.”

Reminiscent of Om Shanti Om, Arjun Rampal plays the role of the villain in Ra.One. Speaking about his relationship with Shah Rukh, the actor said: “He is a great friend, a great co-star and we give each other lots of confidence and know each others space and are able to help each other out.

“This is such a different movie that we have made and to be part of that is something very special.” Before he left, Arjun told us that his real life superhero had to be his mum.

Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal

Having been recorded as the most expensive Hindi film ever to be made, there are certainly a heap of expectations from cinema-goers and industry insiders for the film. Asian Voice also took the opportunity to clarify rumours about a sequel being made with the film’s director Anubhav Sinha.

He said: “I finished making this movie 72-hours back, but yes the intention is to make a sequel.”

However having spent the past five years of his life working on the project constantly, the director jokingly added: “You follow this with drinking continuously.”

Photo Courtesy: Raj Bakrania

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16

BOllywOOD

Asian Voice Saturday 5th November 2011

Kareena’s wax statue unveiled!

Bollywood superstar Kareena Kapoor finally came face to face with her brand new wax figure at Madame Tussauds Blackpool on October 27th, Kapoor travelled to Blackpool after attending the Ra.One premiere in London. Kareena informed that the statue has been ready for over two and a half months, but she kept pushing the unveiling date back for various reasons. The unveiling marked the launch of the attraction’s all new Bollywood exhibition, which will be at Madame Tussauds until January 2012. The look of her wax statue, which was widely discussed in the industry and amongst fans, is from the popular song ‘Mauja Mauja’ from Jab We Met, a film that changed Kapoor’s career.“I think, I am asoociated with a lot of song and dance and it is better to be in that look for my statue.” The actress said.

Kareena first saw her statue in person a day before the unveiling. While she loved the statue and had seen pictures before, a source told that she was not particularly happy about its hair style. She told Madame Tussauds that her stylist Pompy will do some changes to the statue’s hair and make-up, which he did.The Ra.One actress arrived on the red carpet with her mother Babita Kapoor, a former Bollywood actress. “Mum is really proud and she had tears in her eyes. She has been sitting there and wondering that her daughter is actually waxed. There are no words for the thought and feeling that one is going to live forever. I think it’s her achievement, more than mine.

She has put in a lot for me and that’s why I wanted her to be here today with me,” said Kapoor. Kareena also said that everyone from her fans and industry peers have messaged her, congratulating her on the statue. Saif Ali Khan, who has been dating Kapoor for over four years, told her that he wished he was with her in Blackpool.

Kapoor said: “I wish he was here too. Of course, I miss him. This is my profession and my work and he is out there working.”

Kadhal Sandhya says no marriage now

She made her debut with Kadhal some six years ago, Sandhya has made many rounds in the southern languages. She is quite amazed or taken aback with the report about her proposed marriage. Recently there were reports indicating that the actress is getting ready for a sooner wedlock.

But she came out with a clarification that she has no such thought now except the films on hand.

She claimed that her first

priority would be for the secured place in Tamil and Malayalam industries. As of now she her hands are full with Malayalam movies and very soon she will be relieved from them to focus on Kollywood.

Sandhya said she has reservations over her role in films and this is why she fades for a longer duration. This award winning artist has something in her sleeves for maintaining the momentum of her career.

Kamal Haasan ropes in top director

Acclaimed director Shekhar Kapur will make a guest appearance in Viswaroopam, directed by Kamal Haasan. Shekhar Kapur, the noted director and producer, is a close buddy of Kamal Haasan and when the star approached him with the role, he agreed to do it.

Shekhar has the critically acclaimed Bandit Queen to his credit, a film that was

based on the life of the Phoolan Devi, who turned a Member of Parliament before meeting her gory death some years ago.

Shekhar is also known for directing the biopic of Queen Elizabeth titled Elizabeth and its sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age. With Kamal roping in Shekar Kapur, Viswaroopam is getting bigger and bigger.

Velayudham gets massive opening Ilayathalapathy Vijay has once again proved that he is the king of box office in Kollywood. His recent release Velayudham, which also has Hansika and Genelia in lead roles, has got a massive opening across the state. Ever since the release of the film, theatres are flooded with Vijay fans to watch their favourite star on screen.

The comedy sequence between Santhanam and Vijay is already the talk of

the town. Apart from that Vijay’s powerful punches, electrifying dance sequence, sister sentiment and songs (especially ‘Chillax’ and ‘Sonna Puriyadhu’) make Velayudham a complete entertainer.

And now due to tremendous demand from fans across Tamil Nadu, theatres owners have asked for more prints. The film is produced by Aascar Ravichandran and directed

by Jayam Raja.

SAB TV wins the CBS Outdoor Diwali Competition 2011!

SAB TV, UK’s only Asian family comedy entertainment channel has been crowned the winner of the CBS Outdoor Diwali Competition 2011, surpassing a range of companies. The SAB TV Free-to-Air campaign which executed a diverse range of creatives and mediums to cater all audiences within ethnic markets were nominated for this award due to the positive response from customers who were able to relate to each ethnic creative. Industries including advertising agencies and advertisers were then asked to cast their vote for the winner amongst shortlisted companies.

The focal feature of this six-figure campaign was the ‘free-to-air’ factor during the whole of October for Sky viewers who were not currently subscribed. Supporting this feature, above-the-line advertising was used which incorporated comical characters which everyone could relate to, along with the message of why SAB is different from all the other channels in a light-hearted and cynical manner. The Here&Now365 creative team created the new campaign for SAB TV making ‘Comedy Ka Boss – SAB TV’ the light entertainment television channel of choice amongst South Asian audiences.

A CBS Outdoor spokesperson commented, “A diverse selection of campaigns were included in this year’s nominations. Industries such as television, film, food, events were in the wide spectrum of clients. Companies that were shortlisted include Bombay Halwa, Star TV, Asian Wedding Exhibition and Dabur Vatika, which have been commended for their creativity and clear understanding of the markets. From these campaigns, it is evident and commendable that the Asian/Indian brands are recognising the important value and responsiveness of bus and underground advertising.”

I always take criticism in my stride: Dev Anand

Freida Pinto to sign $7 mn endorsement deal

His last few directorial ventures, including the latest 'Chargesheet', may have bombed at the boxoffice, but the evergreen Dev Anand says he takes criticism in his stride, and will continue to do so.The 88-year-old actor was in the capital to receive the Lifetime Achievement honour at the NDTV Indian of the Year award ceremony. "This award in a flash takes me back to the year 1945 when I got my first break in a movie as a leading man. I was keen and passionate about my work...this was more than a six-and-a-half decades ago. How long...generation after generation after generation...I have seen it all since then and I am still seeing it," said Dev.Evergreen Dev Anand says he takes criticism in his stride, and will continue to do so. "I have always taken it in my stride, gracefully, alone and aloof," he added.

Actress Freida Pinto is firming up her foray into the international world. If the grapevine is to be believed, the 'Slumdog Milllionaire' stunner has signed a two-year endorsement deal with a high fashion apparel brand for $7 million. In Indian rupees, it comes out to be approximately Rs.35 crore. It is higher than what any Indian female celebrity has ever been paid,' said a source close to the 27-year-old Indian model-turned-actress. 'It's a policy never to comment on brand deals... Brand Freida stands for very rare, unique and irreplaceable values and imagery, making her the ideal choice for a brand with a global appeal and an Indian focus,' Anirban Das Blah, managing director of KWAN, the agency that handles Freida's endorsements in India, Freida made it big internationally with her appearance in Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning film 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

Film having Salman are superhit Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma is quite renowned for his sharp tongue. This time he has tweeted “Bollywood stars have completely shattered the myth of the director being the captain of a ship..a star is truly the only captain of the ship," tweeted Varma. He further added, "Whether its abhinav or anees or siddique or sohail or arbaaz no matter whoever the director is, salman’s films become superhits anyway. This days audiences don't care about who the director of the film is as they only come to applaud their stars, Varma concluded by writing, "Just wanted to prove a point that whatever money that's paid to the director is a waste on the project as audience are going to come in anyway."

Priyanka named India's Best Dressed Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, known for her simple yet stylish wardrobe, has been given the title of India's Best Dressed by People magazine.Annually, the magazine honours style icons with the Best Dressed edition. This year, Priyanka Chopra has features on the cover of its India edition.About being chosen as the face of People's special issue of India's Best Dressed for 2011, Priyanka said: "I'm excited because I never thought I would get this title."Talking of the one style accessory she has at all times, she said: "I wear confidence."

Shilpa Shetty reveals the secret of her happy marriage The secret to have a happy marriage is to have balanced life. Starting point of a happy family is to have a good home.

And my husband has already bought me a beautiful house. I believe marriage is not doing a compromise as people think. …it sounds very, very negative. Any good marriage is based on trust and love.

That’s what keeps us together.

And marriage is my first priority. Take it as a full time job, says Shilpa. She has taken a back-seat in showbiz and is venturing in business, she is starting a website for home buyers.

Sridevi shoots for English Vinglish in US Sridevi, who ruled the silver screen in the 80s and early 90s, will be making her big screen comeback with English Vinglish. The movie is being produced by Balki and directed by his wife, Gauri Shinde.

Sridevi will be seen playing the role of a housewife, who in order to please her husband and family, enrolls for an English speaking course.

Sridevi has been a regular on the party circuit and has done a few ads and walked the ramp for various designers but has largely been a homemaker for the last 14 years. The gorgeous actress is currently in New York City, shooting the second schedule of the film. Sources say the movie is being made in Telugu and Tamil besides Hindi. The music is composed by Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bachchan has a cameo in the film.

Vinod Khanna's son tests positive for drugs Sakshi Khanna, son of veteran actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna, has tested positive for drugs consumption. Sakshi had attended rave a party at Karjat that was busted by the Police. Of the 240 youngsters subjected to the medical test, 207 have been tested positive, including Sakshi Khanna.He has tested positive for consuming cannabis.Sakshi Khanna graduated from Roshan Taneja's acting school last year and some reports suggest has been prepping for a debut in Bollywood.

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

17

SRK's RA.One earns ‘170 crore worldwide in the opening week

Review by Meera Majithia Ra.One is one of the most ambitious and biggest films to come out of India. The cross-continent world premieres held in Dubai, London and Toronto showed that no stone is being left uncovered when it comes to the promotional activity either.

The sci-fi film begins with the story of a father trying hard to fit into his son’s world. While Shekhar (Shah Rukh Khan) tries every trick in the book to impress his son and get ‘dude-ified’, his son has already given up on him.But just when the duo hit a deadlock, Shekhar strikes gold when he designs one hell of a game featuring a deadly villain. Just as things seem to be falling into place, the family find themselves in the middle of a crash that makes their world spin upside down. All hell breaks loose when the game that was meant to be played with, starts playing them.

Director Anubhav Sinha does a great job in portraying the difficult father-son relationship on screen.

The team of writers, which includes Sinha, David Benullo, Kanika Dhillon and Mushtaq Sheik have tried to ensure that this superhero flick is one with a heart and meaningful story.Although the story is interesting and not entirely predictable due to the odd twist it is unfortunately the visual effects and breathtaking action sequences that steal the show.

One particular scene-grabber is that of the chase between Ra.One and Lucifer and his mum who are in the car. The end scene is also notable. It is hard to believe that you are watching a Bollywood film when you see all the action on screen and the thought that this is only just the beginning, is truly exciting.

Shah Rukh Khan does brilliantly as the goofy father and equally impresses as superhero G.One. Arjun Rampal is cast well as the villain and glides through his role. Kareena Kapoor as usual looks great and exceptionally stunning in ‘Chammak Challo’, however it doesn’t appear as she was required to do anything particularly challenging. Her comic timing is first rate and her expressions during the action sequences are equally as good.The real stand out however is young Armaan Verma (Prateek/Lucifer) who manages to hold his own in each scene and delivers an outstanding performance.

Shahana Goswami breezes through her part effortlessly and audiences will enjoy the special cameos by Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopa and particularly the scene with Rajnikant.

Music wise ‘Chammak Challo’ has already got a huge following, while ‘Dildaara’ is also easy on the ears and is nicely placed in the film.

Due to the much created hype surrounding the film, Ra.One is doing preety well at the box office. Though the script isn’t fault proof the visual effects more than make up for this and anyone who enjoys Bollywood and sci-fi films should certainly check this out. If you’re a 3D film-fan then you’ll be delighted to know that most cinemas are showing this print too! Rating 4/5

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Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Government to phase out Indian aid replaced with loans to small businesses Dear Financial Voice Reader, I’m getting fed up. Fed up with people telling me they want to invest, but are scared off by doom and gloom press reports. I’m not fed up with the potential investors, I am fed up with journalists writing doom and gloom. You may say I am in an Ivory Tower. Well, I’m not, from my office in Mayfair, I can see Oxford Street with lots of normal people! It’s a little like Sarah Palin from her office in Alaska being able to see Russia and so feeling qualified to speak on Foreign Relations.

So let me tell you about the ‘common man and woman on the street’. Firstly, at a recent rowathon – see the picture for www.rowforfreedom.com – to end child slavery – sponsored by a Bank – Barclays no less and their NRI Corporate department – the biggest donors as we rowed away were the regular normal people who could probably least afford it, like the cleaners or the kitchen staff. Big hearts.

Common people, don’t just have big hearts when it comes to genorisity, but also with business. Hearts of lions are winning in business. I have on my iphone a little ping that comes on when there is breaking news. I count how many business stories are profits increasing.

It is more than the negative results.

But who reads that? Instead we are focussed Greece. Well, the facts are the facts. Greece can make you scared, but a profit in a company is cash in the bank very often. The trick is to distinguish fear from reality and stick to your focus in investing.

Speaking of this – I am seeing the first cracks in my love affair with Apple. Having switched to it from the useless Blackberry, I find the Iphone slow and cumbersome. It does a lot of things moderately well, but how long before I switch to Samsung. So…keep Apple for now, but watch this space.

And for those of you looking at the Nifty – well it is worried too about Greece we are told, but then look at individual company earnings. Look at Hindustan Lever.

Keeps beating analyst expectations and making new highs. Better be in that than just about any other stock or index. Or Bank of Baroda – profits jumped since last year. Tata Beverages profits are up 50% in the quarter ending September. That’s 50%! Tata Sponge Iron – doubled it’s profits for the quarter ended Sept.

Yes, it’s the miserable end of the world because the Greeks are having a debt problem (sarcasm).

Alpesh Patel

Raj Rajaratnam paid $63 mn fine

Convicted hedge fund tycoon Raj Rajaratnam has already paid more than $63 million in penalties, ordered by the judge who sentenced him two weeks ago for insider trading, one of his lawyers said in New York federal court.

Rajaratnam, 54, is going to prison for 11 years -- the longest sentence recorded for an insider-trading case -- as the central figure in a broad government crackdown using FBI phone taps. He was convicted by a jury in May.

The lawyer, William White, was arguing before a different Manhattan federal court judge over what civil penalties the Galleon Group founder should now pay to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the government's market regulator.

Without disclosing Rajaratnam's net worth, White said that since the Oct. 13 criminal sentencing proceeding, his client had forfeited more than $53 million to the government and paid a $10 million fine in addition.

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The Government is to begin phasing out aid to India and gradually replace it with loans to small businesses in some of the country's poorest areas.

Details of the pilot scheme, which is being pioneered in India by the Department for I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development, emerged amid continuing questions over why Britain gives any aid to the world's second fastest growing economy.

India is currently growing at up to eight per cent while Britain's growth forecasts have fallen below one per cent.

The decision to use India as a test case for replacing donor aid with recoverable loans was taken after Andrew Mitchell, the international development minister, voiced doubts earlier this year that British aid to India would continue "for very much longer." The

Indian government has been indifferent at best to Britain's aid contribution and increasingly sees itself as an aid donor – it has pledged to give more than $500 million in aid to Afghanistan and is set to launch its own international aid agency.

But in its new operational plan for India released, the Department for International Development outlined an attempt to address concerns about giving aid to a rising economic power while meeting its commitments to help India meet its Millennium Development Goals.

"This vision entails moving away from large financial transfers to the centrally-sponsored schemes of the national government, to a tighter focus on India's poorest states. This graduation will release resources for use in promoting pro-poor private sector investment,"

Andrew Mitchell the International Development secretary

the new plan states.

Officials said Britain will give £1.2 billion in India over the next four years, but much of it will be given as loans to "promote the private sector in India's poorest states." Last year Britain gave £278.9 million in donor aid.

The Indian government, they said, had given their backing to the plan to switch funding in a move which will take DFID officials into the world of small scale merchant banking – assessing

Renault plans India-specific small car

French carmaker Renault is planning to follow the footsteps of rivals like Hyundai, Toyota, Suzuki and Honda to develop an all-new car platform solely for India as the company tries to push sales in one of the world's high-potential market.

Carlos Tavares, the global chief operating officer of Renault, said the company was working out "all options" to give a push to its India plans. "India is one of the key markets for us along with Brazil and Russia," Tavares said after unveiling the company's first small car, Pulse, which shares platform with Japanese partner Nissan's V-platform.

Nissan already sells its Micra small car based on the same platform. "It could happen that we develop a new platform for this market. All possibilities are open."

A car built for India and its specific requirements is seen as crucial to break into the market.

Models specifically developed for the Indian market include Toyota's Etios sedan and Liva hatchback, Honda's Brio and Hyundai's Eon. Suzuki's Indian subsidiary Maruti is also developing a new car "from scratch" that is

expected to hit the roads next year.

Renault has been trying to give a thrust to its India plans ever since its partnership with Mahindra & Mahindra ended in a divorce after their joint product Logan failed to take off. The com-

pany currently sells the Fluence sedan and Koleos sport-utility vehicle in India and plans to introduce another SUV, Duster, by mid-2012. The Pulse will be the third car from the company and will be launched around January next year. However, its commonality with the Nissan Micra raises doubt over any blockbuster success, considering that Micra has not been able to make any major impact.

Tavares looked more accommodating to the company's ultra low-cost (ULC) car plans with twowheeler major Bajaj Auto.

While there have been differences between the companies over the development of the vehicle, which Bajaj is supposed to develop, Tavares said Renault was still open to any alliance. "But so far he has not shown any product to us. We are still open to him if he has some proposal," Tavares said, referring to Bajaj Auto MD Rajeev Bajaj.

business proposals and picking which are most likely to be able repay seed capital loans.

Officials said they hope that within four years half of its Indian aid programme will be recoverable loans.

"The money which will be returnable will be progressively rising and will rise to half the programme by 2015. The money will go out in a competitive way," said one.

The department will bring in specialist staff to assess loan applications and monitor their effectiveness.

DFID expects to give loans to small firms in areas like off-grid energy production which would have spin-off benefits in some of the country's poorest states like Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. It will also fund 35 public-private partnership deals to improve India's poor infrastructure.

India's exports rise by 36 per cent in September India's exports rose at a slower rate of 36.3 per cent to $24.8 billion in September as demands in the US and European markets slowed due to economic uncertainties, Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar said.

Imports increased 17.2 per cent to $34.6 billion in September, resulting in a trade deficit of $9.8 billion.

Exports had surged 44.25 per cent in August and 81.79 per cent in the previous month.

The cumulative value of exports during AprilSeptember rose by 52.1 per cent to $160 billion.

'Exports continue to grow over last year, but the heady numbers have gone.

It is clear there is deceleration,' Khullar said. He said exports have declined in recent months due to uncertainties in the US, as also in Europe.

ILO forecasts deeper jobs recession, warns of social unrest

The global economy is on the verge of a “new and deeper jobs recession”, the International Labour O r g a n i z a t i o n (ILO)informed recently. .

The agency said that the latest indicators have suggested that employment growth has “already begun to slow” and the world economy is likely to only create only half the number of jobs needed in the next two years.

An ILO report titled ‘World of Work Report 2011: Making Markets

Work for Jobs’ — released ahead of G-20 Summit — observed that almost 80 million jobs needed to be created worldwide over the next two years to reach pre-global financial crisis employment rates.

“But the recent slowdown in economic activity suggests that the world economy is likely to only create half the number of jobs needed,” it said.

It predicted the failure to create more jobs could trigger “social unrest” in many countries. “The esti-

mated risk of increased social unrest is especially high in advanced economies, the Middle East and North Africa and, to a lesser extent, Asia,” it said. As far as India is concerned, the report noted that the rising food inflation which resulted in tightening of the monetary policies has led to slowdown in economic activity and has put further pressure on the labour market.

The ILO noted that increase in food prices in

India was “much lower” as compared to sharp hikes in global prices primarily because of commodity-based policies like creation of grain banks through government procurement, storage and distribution and restrictions on international trade.

But food prices continue to rise even when global prices are stable, reflecting “the failure of domestic food management wherein temporary shortages have led to price spikes” it said.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

19

Stamp Duty, The Optional Tax

Suresh Vagjiani Managing Director Sow & Reap A Property Investment & Financing company.

Stamp Duty was levied in the UK in 1694 to pay for the war with France. Initially only planned for four years, like many other taxes it generated such high revenues for the government that it was never repealed.

The tax covered “vellum, parchment and paper”, which were used to write on back in the day. This was extended during the 18th and 19th centuries to cover a range of goods, including newspapers, insurance policies, gold and silver plate and even hair powder.

In 1808 the tax extended to property sales.

Contrary to popular belief Stamp Duty was not a tax on property but on the instruments used to transact the property deal.

As th e tax was not a property tax you could have sold a propert y prior t o 1st December 2003 and o pte d to not pay the stamp du ty. This would mean however you co uld n ot reg iste r the transaction on the land re gist ry.

After the 1st December 2003, a new tax was introduced called the Stamp Duty Land Tax. As the name implies is a tax on the transaction of land whether it is recorded on a document or not. In its now current form it is a land transaction tax. The words Stamp Duty are not appropriate as Stamp Duty is a tax that is levied on documents.

Historically this included the majority of legal documents such as cheques, receipts, military commissions, marriage licences and land transactions. A physical stamp had to be attached to or impressed upon the document to denote that stamp duty had been paid before the document was legally effective. More modern versions of the tax no longer require an actual stamp.

In India much of the documentation is still completed in this way for it to be considered valid.

The words Stamp Duty signify the tax’s origin only. The Stamp Duty Land Tax is not a reformation of an old tax but a completely new one. One of the main reasons for the SDLT was to close off the loopholes which many were using to avoid paying any stamp duty tax on the purchase of property.

Th e purpo se of Stamp Duty is of cou rse to raise revenu e fo r the governmen t.

Stamp Duty revenue rose by 12% from £2.9bn in 2008/09 to £3.3bn in 2009/10, reaching a recent peak of £6.7bn in 2007-08, which was more than inheritance tax and capital gains tax combined.

As the introduction of the SDLT closed the doors to Stamp Duty savings scheme new doors are always being found. Most of the practitioners who claim to sell these schemes do not actually know how they work. These introducers pimp out the benefits and give out some of the attributes of the scheme to give the illusion it is they who are selling the schemes when in fact the scheme is owned by another party and implemented by a tight knit band of solicitors sworn to secrecy, so this forbidden knowledge should not fall into the hands of commoners. The reason being knowledge is power, the knowledge of how these schemes work is retained tightly by those who invented these schemes, and those who become privy to these schemes are sworn to secrecy.

Schemes like this have many introducer sources to get business and avoid trying to get direct business with the public, as this keeps the heat away from them from the Inland Revenue as there is a further layer of protection involved.

One such scheme going around in the market was based on Islamic Finance. As a Muslim one is not allowed to pay interest under Sharia Law. Therefore certain exemptions where granted by the government.

We also have a client who is the head mistress of a prominent Islamic school in London. In her opinion it too was simply an exploitation of Sharia Law and a money making scheme.

Basically the system of printing money and charging interest on money you have invented from thin air is fundamentally wrong this is the reason why Sharia Law forbids the charging of interest. But by changing the labels you are merely dealing with the symptoms of the problem and not the actual problem.

So the relatively new Islamic Finance which prevents the charging of interest is being used to get around paying stamp duty.

A Recent Article dated 28th October 2011 by the BBC News highlighted the issue of SDLT avoidance issue and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) says it is chasing unpaid tax of £35m amid tax planning and “mitigation” schemes being offered on the internet.

A notable article in the Daily Mail dated 19th July 2010 titled “Buy for £20m - and pay no stamp duty: How Candy brothers advised foreign buyers to avoid millions in tax on luxury flats”. A Leaked email states.

‘There is no downside to trying the structure,’ wrote Christian Candy to the representatives of one of the penthouse buyers. ‘There will be no additional costs other than legal fees and interest (if the structure fails). There will be no penalties! The upside to your principal is a £5,000,000 saving.’

These were for the penthouse flats valued at £100m.

This meant that instead of buying the property on a freehold or a lease and registering its sale price with the Land Registry, which would incur stamp duty, the purchaser would buy out the shares in a company that owns the property.

Often high value properties are not held in personal names, they are held either in Ltd company names or offshore companies. When purchasing the shares are transferred over. This proves problematic for someone looking for comparables. When a property is transacted in this way the figure paid does not hit the land registry as the property does not change hands the company which holds the property has changed hands.

Previously the Inland Revenue had a 9 month window to investigate and SDLT savings schemes from date of submission. Now this period has been increased to 6 years from the date of the completion. If the HMRC can prove fraud or Negligence the period is extended to 21 years.

It’s easy to use these schemes but what happens when ‘it’ hits the fan? Is the scheme insured? Will the scheme promoters fight the HMRC on your behalf ? These are the questions which need to be asked prior to entering into a SDLT saving scheme.

Whether prices go up or down This cow will give milk every month

Th ere are two ways around this pro bl em to circu mve nt t he paying of interest. On e is you do n’t call it int ere st you cal l it re nt, and the secon d one the bank purchases th e prope rty and sells it back t o you at a hig her price.

Discounted 3 bedroom duplex in Little Venice - £325,000 The second is more complex to fit into the current system. This means two purchases have taken place one by the bank from the seller, the second is from the Bank to the new purchaser.

To me changing the labels in a Holy Book and rubber stamping it is not will not get you to heaven no matter how clever you make the procedure and how many scholars you get to endorse it. Classic case of forgetting the essence and focusing on detail.

One dressed up Muslim brother in the Islamic Bank of Britain, Edgware Road was adamant it was the process which changes something from Ha-ram to Sharia Compliant.

Interestingly both methods use current interest rates to work out the rent payable and the enhanced resell price the bank sells back to the ultimate purchaser.

Another Business Development manager of a prominent Islamic bank who I’ve known for many years opened up to me privately and declared it was a sham.

3-bedrooms flat in a great location close to Little Venice Canal.

The flat in the current condition will rent at around £26,000pa – approx 9% rental yield.

Similar flats sold for £340,000 last year and £360,000 this year – therefore there is at least 10% discount comparing to market value.

This is a perfect investment for a person looking for a good rental income and steady anticipated capital growth.

All flats are offered to our signed-up clients on a priority basis. To find out how to sign up for our property sourcing deals please call us on 0207 096 1083.

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now: Specialists in: l Property Sourcing l Mortgages l Commercial Finance l India Properties

UK Sales 0207 313 4595 India Sales 0203 384 5323 Westbourne House, 14-16 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 5RH

Tips of the Week l Many lenders allow for a 5% gifted deposit, this can be uses to reduce the amount you put down as a deposit l 85% buy to let products are now back on the market, now we are back to the old levels pre credit crunch

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financial vOIcE

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

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

Maria Fernandes

maria@abplgroup.com

A Postbag : Ringing the changes David Cameron announced more changes to immigration in the next year. Why immigration had to take centre stage again was strange but not surprising given that there are so many stories that need to be buried or cremated.

Here are some of the changes.

The bond system The proposal is to introduce payment of a bond of a specified amount of money as means of ensuring that applicant do not claim public funds. This is a tried and tested area which was rejected because it would be unworkable. It is also unnecessary as the statistics show that the overwhelming proportion of families who come to the UK to better their lives and therefore are not likely to claim benefits. The wider argument against this measure is that the wealthier applicant will be able to afford to pay such a bond whilst the poorer applicant will forever be deprived from entering. However this is exactly the aim of the

European markets tank on Greek referendum pledge European markets took a pummeling in early trading, as investors fretted over the surprise decision by the Greek Prime Minister to call a referendum on last week's new bailout package for the debt-stricken country.

George Papandreou shocked markets lately by announcing that a plebiscite will be held after a confidence vote in the government takes place at the end of this week. Should the government pass the Parliamentary hurdle, the referendum is expected to be held early in the new year.

Eurozone leaders agreed last week that private holders of Greek bonds should take a 50 percent loss on their holdings.

Government. Only rich oligarchs will do.

Changes in the Life in the UK test This test already which the local population would find hard to pass is to include further questions about British history. History is one of the subjects that either interests you or it doesn’t.

Learning about history does not enhance an understanding of the culture of a country. These tests should be reserved for the (British) yobs that are caught causing mayhem.

Forced marriages Forced marriages are to be made a criminal offence. Distinguish this from arranged marriages.

In 2008 the age of entry to the UK was increased from 18 to 21 and this resulted in a case was brought to the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court. The reason given for this was to prevent forced marriages not to control immigration. The Courts found there was no conclusive evidence that this provision would d have this effect and suspected that

this was an attempt to introduce this rule under the guise of forced marriages when the intention was to reduce arranged marriages.

Reporting illegal immigrants The Prime Minister encouraged the public to report illegal immigrants.

Can you imagine a scenario where rivals use this as a tactic to discredit each other. There are already too many raids of ethnic businesses. Is this likely to result in legalised discrimination?

NHS offenders Regulations are to be introduced to bar NHS offenders who owe more than £1000 until they repay it. Long overdue and possibly could and should be tightened by requiring visitors to have in place travel insurance.

Maria Fernandes has been in practice exclusively in immigration for the past 25 years.

Fernandes Vaz is based at 87 Wembley Hill Road Wembley in Wembley and can be contacted by telephone on 02087330123, by email on info@fernandesvaz.com.

Google begins India registration for Galaxy Nexus smartphone

India may figure among the 18 select countries where technology giant Google would launch its upcoming smartphone Galaxy Nexus, widely being billed as an iPhone killer, in its first phase later this month. Google aims to make available this device, which would rival technology major Apple’s smartphone iPhone, later this month in the U.S., Canada, and select European and Asian countries.

To start with, Google has launched specific web pages for India and 17 other countries, where prospective customers can register for getting further updates about the various features and availability status of Galaxy Nexus.

Apart from India, other

countries which will receive the upcoming smartphone in the first phase are-Australia, Brazil, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Portugal, the U.S., the U.K., Taiwan, Thailand and Netherlands.

Galaxy Nexus would be based on the latest version of Google’s flagship Android mobile operating system, named Android Ice Cream Sandwich. The device would have features like 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 4.65 inch HD display and the facility of fourth generation telephony services.

“With Ice Cream Sandwich, our mission was to build a mobile OS that works on both phones and tablets, and to make the power of Android enticing and intuitive,” Google had said.

With mounting debt, Kingfisher knocks at govt’s door again Cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines, which recently announced the closure of its low-cost arm Kingfisher Red, has knocked the government’s door asking for its help in securing loans from bankers.

The airlines’ chairman Vijay Mallya sought government’s intervention to

secure loans from banker’s consortium in a meeting with the civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi last week. The airline has run into financial difficulties, facing high interest rate on nearly Rs 6,000 crore debt.

When contacted, Ravi confirmed the meeting and said, “The aviation indus-

try is facing crisis. These carriers may be privately owned but are Indian carriers, and the ministry will have to watch out for them,” he told He said that he has instructed his ministry to look into the matter and asked the airline to submit a detailed proposal.

Keeping the End in Mind The beginning of the year is always a good time to put things into perspective. During the hustle and bustle of our daily lives we can often become immersed in our own thoughts - making plans for the future, devising solutions to current challenges or even just looking back at things we would have done differently (or not as the case may be). In the midst of this forest of thoughts we can often lose sight of the bigger picture.

The Hindu scriptures recite the story of King Ambrish.

He was described as an honest, just and worthy king, but one of his greatest attributes was his detachment.

While he possessed the wealth and power of a king, he never allowed it to take control of his life and more importantly he never let it dictate his thinking. He was once asked how he was able to remain so unattached to everything. He said he

lived each day as if there was a sword hanging above his head and that it would drop at any moment. The knowledge that he had no control or idea of when that sword would fall enabled him to realise that whatever he had would not be his forever.

This may seem somewhat morbid but in fact it is a particularly poignant line of thought. And it is not uncommon.

‘Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.’ Steve Jobs.

Fear of losing everything actually hinders us from achieving consistent success. There are countless stories of how young leaders, innovators and pioneers began with just a dream or an idea. They pursued these with a single minded focus and refused to stop until they achieved them. They

Indian tomatoes flooding Pakistan Lured by high profits, Indian traders are flooding the Pakistan market with tomatoes, affecting domestic supplies and pushing up prices back home.

Truck loads of tomatoes sourced from Delhi and Nashik are entering Pakistan through AttariWagah border in Amritsar daily, traders said.

"As many as 80-90 trucks of tomatoes (each carrying about 16 tonnes) are crossing Attari-Wagah border every day," Rajdeep Singh Uppal, vice-president, Amritsar Export Association said.

This has been happening for over two weeks, he said, adding that the trend is expected to continue for a month.

Rajendra Sharma, a member of Delhi agriculture marketing board, said supply of tomatoes to Pakistan is one of the reasons for continued high retail prices of the vegetable in Delhi at Rs 20-25 a kg.

Rajendra Chug, general secretary of Delhi's Azadpur market (Asia's biggest vegetables & fruits market) said that on average 10-12 trucks laden with tomatoes are heading for Pakistan everyday.

The rush of tomatoes to Pakistan is triggered by relatively high prices there because of damage to the crop due to floods in the key producing Sindh region.

The Indian tomato is selling between Rs 25-30 (Indian currency) a kg in Pakistan. The price of the same vegetable in Delhi stood from Rs 8-15 per kg in wholesale, traders in the Azadpur market said.

Indian tomato is selling for around USD 350400 (Rs 17,850-Rs 20,400) per tonne in Pakistan.

Key tomatoes producing regions like Nashik, Pune and Ahmadnagar provide the supplies to the entire northern region including Delhi during the period.

By Amit Patel

were fearless with only the thought of doing something amazing.

Many of us experience this – we refer to it as the exuberance of a carefree youth. Yet as we get older we begin to be more cautious and circumspect.

Why? Fear.

Fear of losing what we have gained, what we earned and what we have achieved. Sometimes this becomes the biggest hurdle. Steve Jobs spoke about how he overcame this, ‘Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.’ If we keep the end in mind we won’t get stuck along the way.

Brazil to be world's sixth largest economy in 2011 Brazil will become the world's sixth largest economy in 2011 due to the global financial crisis that has affected the main economic powers, the International Monetary Fund and several other organisations said.

According to data, which was quoted by local newspapers, Brazil's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011 will surpass Britain's, reaching $2.44 trillion against Britain's $2.41 trillion and make Brazil the world's sixth largest economy, reported Xinhua. In 2010, Brazil became the seventh largest economy in the world by surpassing Italy. At the end of the decade, the Brazilian GDP will be larger than any other European country's, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)'s forecast, which estimated that the Brazilian economy will surpass Germany's in 2020.

Fiber Optika Limited brings its technological innovation to UK and Europe Fiber Optika, manufacturer of fiber optic research and training systems, is being awarded the 2011 Technology of Exceptional Potential for its innovative optoelectronic laboratory solution - Light Runner.

Global Entrepreneur Programme, an initiative of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), recognized Fiber Optika’s commitment to bridge the gap between telecom industry and aca-

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Based on internationally patented technology, Light Runner is a highlyadvanced fiber optic training solution offering over 40 fiber optic experiments from basic to advance level. Being endorsed by prestigious corporate and academic bodies worldwide such as

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FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

21

Foreign Exchange Rajesh Agrawal is the Chairman & CEO of RationalFX, Currency Specialists.

For any further information call 020 7220 8181 or e-mail info@rationalfx.com

Stability for the Euro The EU summit last week offered some surprises and restored some much needed confidence back into Europe. The question now is whether the amount of €1 trillion is sufficient enough or short, with many analysts and observers suggesting that €2 trillion is a more realistic figure. That may well be the case with growing concern over Italy’s credit default swap issue and Spanish unemployment spiralling out of control.

The consensus in the markets is that it was not so much the deal itself that gave stability for the Euro but the actual fact that France and Germany could show some sort of unity on deciding the way forward. There are still many questions unanswered such as the exact details of the Greek haircut and how much of the EFSF can be leveraged but for the time being this was enough to convince the masses. As a result, we saw Euro gain against the majors as riskappetite ruled the markets.

However, this seemed shortlived as we saw the Euro fall versus the Dollar and Japanese Yen as Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou provided a real spanner in the works with an unexpected referendum on second EU bail-out. Additional to

it, the economic growth slowdown in the region has created speculation in the markets that a potential interest rate cut may follow very soon. Italy's borrowing costs have once again surged to a euro era high and EU Unemployment increased in September, from 10% to 10.2% deepening the crisis in Europe.

With news dominated with the Euro summit, attention moved away from other major such as Sterling. A survey by GfK NOP British consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level since February 2009, adding to evidence the economy risks returning to recession.

Bank of England policymaker Paul Fisher stated on Thursday there was a high chance the UK could suffer another recession and ‘more asset purchases could be necessary’ after the present amount had been completed.

Earlier this month the Bank of England embarked on a second round of quantitative easing aimed at stimulating lacklustre economic growth. Quantitative Easing involves flooding the market with pounds which is seen as a negative for the currency as it dampens demand. In addition, UK Net Lending to individuals MoM in September was not as positive as expected -

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 1st November 2011 @ 2.30pm GBP - INR = 78.62 USD - INR = 49.26 EUR - INR = 67.31 GBP - USD = 1.60 GBP - EUR = 1.17 EUR - USD = 1.37 GBP - AED = 5.86 GBP - CAD = 1.62 GBP - NZD = 2.01

dipping from £0.5Bn to £0.3Bn. Moreover, UK Mortgage Approvals dropped in September as well thus contributing to Sterling woes.

However, some analysts said despite a weak UK economic outlook sterling would remain supported against the dollar due to the fact that further QE in the UK has already been announced, while speculation over more monetary easing from the U.S. Federal Reserve has picked up in recent weeks.

Interestingly, in the Far East Bank of Japan spent over $125 billion in its intervention and in

doing so used up a lot of its credit lines with the banks it uses. Hence, they have to now re-group before coming back in and must still be rueing Shirikawa’s bizarrely mistimed comments just when they were trying to hold USDJPY above 79.00.

The coming days and weeks will tell us more about the summit and how telling the measures implemented by Europe’s leaders will have on the long term welfare of the Euro. The future for Europe is uncertain and large potentially bailouts may still be the card.

GBP - AUD = 1.54 GBP - ZAR = 12.89 GBP - HUF = 359.70

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

22

PakiSTan-BangLaDeSh-Sri Lanka-Uk

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

India can't hold Kashmir by force for long: Imran IN FOCUS Islamabad: "Politics is not cricket," a leader of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said after the huge turnout at a rally addressed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan who also brought up the Kashmir issue and asked New Delhi to withdraw the army.

"Who really left the mark will be decided by the vote," PML-N leader

Pervez Rasheed on informed. He spoke after the conclusion of Imran Khan's 'Pakistan Bachao' rally that saw the massing of tens of thousands of people in Lahore.

Rasheed said public meetings being held these days are reflective of people's desire for change.

"Politics is not cricket where you have a winner (or loser) at the end," he was quoted as

saying.Thousands of supporters of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf take part in Imran Khan's rally in Lahore. Imran Khan spoke on Kashmir while addressing the massive gathering.

He asked New Delhi to withdraw its army men from Kashmir and give the people their right to selfdetermination.

He observed that no power could ever control people through an army.

Bangladesh to support Sri Lanka hosting Commonwealth leaders meeting in 2013 Dhaka: The Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given this assurance to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa when the two leaders met at the ongoing 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) 2011 in Perth Australia.

President Rajapaksa and the Bangladeshi Premier held bilateral talks following the inauguration ceremony of the CHOGM. The two leaders focused attention on enhancing the mutual relationship between the two countries.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni, Sri Lankan Minister of External Affairs, Prof G. L. Peiris and the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in

Australia, Admiral (Retd.)

Thisara Samarasinghe were also present at the discussions.

The President also met with the Prime Minister of Singapore Li Hine Loom yesterday. The two leaders focused on international trade and investment. They also discussed enhancing economic ties between the two countries. Minister Peiris, Parliamentarian Sajin Vaas Gunawardena, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and High Commissioner Thisara Samarasinghe participated in the discussions.

The leaders of 54 former British colonies, including Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa have gathered in the West Australian city for

a three-day summit to discuss building national and global resilience and to address pressing challenges at multiple levels.

Sri Lanka is to host the 23rd CHOGM in 2013 but some Western nations, especially Canada, alleging human rights abuses are threatening to boycott the summit if it is held in Sri Lanka.

President Rajapaksa addressing the Commonwealth Business Forum invited the delegates to come to Colombo to attend the summit.

"Come to Sri Lanka in 2013 when the next CHOGM will be held in Colombo, I firmly believe that it will be a memorable experience for you," he said.

‘Love Gujarat’ mesmerises Global Punjabi society CB Patel at the prestigious ceremony of Global Punjabi Society in Leicester awarded the Love Gujarat Coffee table book to some of the creme de la creme of the community. The Love Gujarat book was launched by Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in May 2011 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the formation of the State of Gujarat.

CB Patel and HE Rajesh N Prasad, the Acting High Commissioner of India, awarding the Love Gujarat book to his daughter Mita

The former cricketer asked whether the US army had been able to control Afghans in 10 years and he then responded that only if the Indian army was more strong than the US army would it be able to control Kashmiris through force.

He also said that his party would hold a civil disobedience movement if politicians failed to declare their assets.

The Diwali magazine has been praised and acknowledged by many readers. We have received letters of appreciation.

Thank you.

Mr Jaspal Singh Minhas - President LABA and Mrs Sukhjit Minhas holding the ‘Love Gujarat’ book

CB Patel handing over the book to Nathuram Puri with Mr and Mrs Anil Puri, looking on

CB Patel handing over the coffee table book to Attorney General, Rt Hon Dominic Grieve MP

China backs Pakistan for UNSC seat Beijing: China has backed Pakistan in its desire to gain a seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

China attaches great importance to Pakistan's request for a seat on the UN Security Council, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu. China supports Pakistan playing a bigger part in maintaining international peace and security, Jiang said noting that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners.

Pakistan had voiced its wish to get a seat on the UN Security Council at the 66th General Assembly session in September. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said the process of UN Security Council reforms "must be worked in a manner that will reinforce the confidence of the peoples of the world in this body and enhance its credibility and effectiveness."

Hindu temple in Pak reopens after 10 years

Suicide bomber kills 13 Americans in Afghanistan Kabul: A Taliban suicide bomber rammed a van into an armored NATO bus killing 13 American troops and four Afghans in the deadliest attack on coalition forces in Kabul since the war began — a major setback for the U.S.-led coalition as it begins to draw down combat troops.

Anti-US Pak cricketer rallies 100,000 people Lahore: Thousands of supporters of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf take part in a rally in Lahore Cricket legend and opposition politician Imran Khan railed against the government and its alliance with the U.S. before an energized crowd of over 100,000 flagwaving supportersy, establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in Pakistani politics.

US must think '10 times': Ashfaq Kayani

CB Patel and Shri Gururaj Rao, Consular General of India in Birmingham holding the coffee table book

Pakistan, Turkey agree to swap currency

Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari and his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul have agreed to finalise the currency swap agreement between the two countries.The two presidents held wide-ranging bilateral talks in Istanbul The urrency swap agreement would enable traders and businessmen of the two countries to trade in their respective currencies without drawing from their dollar based foreign exchange reserves. This will reduce the pressure on the foreign exchange reserves and give a quantum jump to the bilateral trade between the two countries, Associated Press of Pakistan quoted him as saying.

Islamabad: Pakistan's army chief told parliament's defence committee that the United States should focus on stabilising Afghanistan instead of pushing Pakistan to attack militant groups in a crucial border region, a committee member informed.

Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani's comments could deepen a crisis in relations between the United States and Pakistan, whose alliance is critical to efforts to stabilise Afghanistan before the end of 2014, when NATO combat troops are due home. Kayani said “United States would have to think "10 times" before taking any unilateral action there. Pakistan is not like Iraq or Afghanistan.”

Islamabad: A historic Hindu temple has reopened after 10 years in Pakistan's Peshawar city after a woman devotee fought a long legal battle.The Hindu community celebrated Diwali in the temple at Gor Khutthri area.

The temple was reopened for worship after 10 years.

Kamla Rani, granddaughter of a temple priest, was happy that the temple was reopened for worshippers.

Her mother Phool Wati had filed an application with the Peshawar High Court to reopen the temple for worship.

NATO kills 115 militants in east Afghanistan fight Kabul: NATO and Afghan forces have killed at least 115 insurgents over the past week as part of an ongoing operation in a northeastern Afghanistan province, the coalition said as it looks to curb insurgent activity along the border with neighboring Pakistan. The fighting in Kunar province, known for its rugged terrain that leaves coalition supply lines from Pakistan vulnerable to insurgent attacks, comes as NATO is stepping up efforts to secure the country and ready Afghan forces to fully take over security responsibilities before international forces wind down their combat mission in 2014.

Pak terror groups oppose MFN status for India Islamabad: Several banned jihadi groups, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, opposed Pakistan's move to grant Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India.Leaders of the groups, including Muttahida Jihad Council chairman Syed Salahuddin, told a gathering of hundreds of supporters at Aabpara Chowk in Islamabad about their movement to "liberate" Jammu and Kashmir."We will continue our struggle on the political, diplomatic and, most important of all, jihadi fronts till the last Indian soldier leaves Kashmir. We will continue till Jammu and Kashmir becomes independent," said Salahuddin, who is also the chief of the Hizb-ulMujahideen. The terror groups also said that they would take 'revenge' for the killing of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002.

Woman suicide bomber hits Afghan government office Kabul: Afghan police informed that a female suicide bomber has blown herself up as she tried to attack a local government office in the capital of Kunar province.The province is a hotbed of militancy in northeast Afghanistan along the Pakistan border.The guards outside the government's intelligence office in Asad Abad became suspicious of the woman and started shooting, at which point she detonated her explosives.There were no other casualties in Saturday's attack.

Sri Lanka to scrap visa-on-arrival for Indians, others Colombo: Indian tourists, business people and transit passengers will have to apply for travel authorisation ahead of heading for Sri Lanka, in a few months from now. Indians constitute the biggest chunk of tourists into the country. Sri Lanka’s Immigration and Emigration department announced that an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system that will replace the simple visa-on-arrival facility for travellers from 78 countries. The ETA is a web-based system that grants a person permission to travel to Sri Lanka. It is not a visa in itself, but an approval for travel. The visa will be stamped on the passport in arrival here; but the passenger will have to log in ahead.

world

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

In foCus 22 illegal workers from India arrested in UK

London: Twenty-two Indians have been arrested over the past five weeks by Britain's immigration authorities for working illegally in the country, and the UK Border Agency is now working to deport them from the country.The illegal workers were arrested in enforcement operations on businesses and private addresses across England, Wales and Scotland.These businesses now face fines of up to 10,000 pounds for each illegal worker, unless they can prove that they carried out the correct pre-employment checks, the agency said. Twelve Indian men were arrested in co-ordinated enforcement operations on a national car parts company in Tamworth, Staffordshire and Wembley.

Flood defenses in Thailand’s capital Bangkok: The complex network of flood defenses shielding Thailand’s capital from the worst floods in nearly 60 years, as coastal high tides hit their peak. While the city center was protected, Bangkok’s northern outskirts remained inundated along with much of the rest of the country.Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that the floodwaters that have wreaked havoc to provinces north of Bangkok in the last several weeks had started to recede, and she urged citizens to let the crisis take its course.

Gunman opens fire on U.S. embassy in Sarajevo Sarajevo: A gunman opened fire on the United States embassy in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, injuring one guard in what the country's president has called a "terrorist attack." No embassy staff was injured.An eyewitness informed by phone from his car that the shooting spree outside the embassy lasted some 10 minutes as police rushed onto the scene."There was the sound of automatic weapon fire like in a war. Individual shots were heard. It didn't last just a minute or two," he said.Police managed to capture the shooter after a 30-minute standoff near the embassy, located in central Sarajevo.

Japan to offer nuclear plant technology to India Tokyo: Japan and India are moving forward on a deal for Tokyo to provide nuclear plant technology to India despite widespread worries about safety after the March 11 disaster triggered by a massive tsunami. Japanese foreign minister Koichiro Gemba informed that the agreement was reached in a meeting in Tokyo with his Indian counterpart SM Krishna to move forward on the nuclear plant deal.

6.9 earthquake shakes Peru capital Lima, Peru: A magnitude-6.9 earthquake centered off Peru’s central coast sent people running panicked into the streets in cities. There were no reports of damage though hospital directors reported at least 20 injuries.People who had lost loved ones and homes in the earlier quake were badly shaken and some broke into tears.Their was killer earthquake in 2007 that killed 596 people.but this quake was considerably less violent in Lima, a city of 8.5 million people. The capital shook for about 30 seconds in a series of moderate, swaying movements.

Seven dead, 200 injured in China blast Beijing: At least seven people were killed and 200 injured when two trucks ferrying explosives blew up near a gas station in China's Guizhou province. The incident took place when the trucks with around 70 tonnes of explosives exploded in front of a motor vehicle testing station in Fuquan city, about 100 km from Guiyang city, Xinhua reported.A witness said the testing station was destroyed and a neighbouring fivestorey residential building was badly damaged.

China jolted by two quakes Beijing: Two different quakes jolted parts of China early Tuesday morning, prompting people to rush out of their houses, though no casualties were reported.An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale shook the border area of Sichuan and Gansu provinces in western China.A little more than two hours later, another earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale jolted Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of Ili, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.No reports casualties were reported in both the cases.

Countries across world celebrate 7 billionth babies

Manila: The world's population touched another milestone (October 31), Monday born became a symbol of the world's population reaching 7 billion people.

Danica May Camacho, born in Philippines was welcomed. UN chose Monday to mark the day with a string of festivities worldwide, and a series of symbolic 7-billionth babies being born.

Russian authorities showered gifts on newborns.

In Bangladesh, authorities named another baby girl the world's seven billionth

child as Oishee, In Cambodia, the honour fell to a baby girl who has yet to be named.

India welcomed the birth of baby Nargis as the "symbolic" seven billionth baby Weighing three kgs, the baby was born at Danaur village on the outskirts of Lucknow, adding to

India's population of 1.21 billion. "Nargis is the first child of of young parents.

The birth of Nargis has given a new resolve to her father Ajay, who now wants to work for creating awareness among the people about nurturing the girl child and wants his daughter to become a doctor. UN had carried out a survey which found that the probability of the seven billionth child being born in Uttar Pradesh was high. Every minute, 51 babies are born in India, 11 of them in Uttar Pradesh.

Airlines ready for next battle against EU carbon law Brussels: Twenty-six nations are expected to lodge a formal protest soon against a European Union law to make airlines pay for carbon emissions - adding to transatlantic tension on an issue that has triggered a tit-for-tat bill in the U.S. Congress.

Under EU legislation, from Jan. 1 all flights to or from Europe will have to buy carbon permits to help offset their emissions under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) -- the 27 member bloc's prime tool for trying to curb the amount of carbon

Libya: Abdul Raheem al-Keeb elected as interim PM

Tripoli: Tripoli academic, Abdul Raheem al-Keeb, was elected Libya's interim prime minister in a vote conducted by members of the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) “This transition period has its own challenges. One thing we will be doing is working very closely with the NTC and listening to the Libyan people,” alKeeb said after the 51 NTC members voted, with 26 backing him in Tripoli through a ballot."We salute and remember the revolutionaries who we will never forget. We will not forget their families," he said.

Former interim prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril, fulfilled a promise to resign after Libya was declared officially liberated.

in the atmosphere. Last week, in the U.S. Congress, where environmental issues have become a flashpoint between Republicans and President Barack Obama's Democrats, the lower house passed a bill making it illegal for airlines to comply with the EU's law.

While the airlines have

argued the commercial cost of the EU law could be significant and they have taken separate steps to reduce their carbon impact, the European Commission's calculations are that it would be modest.Depending on decisions by airlines on how much to pass on to customers, the Commission has calculated costs per passenger could rise by between around 2 euros ($2.80) and 12 euros -much less than the 100 euro per allowance penalty it would impose on airlines that do not comply.

23

Wikileaks fights funding blockade

WikiLeaks is to temporarily suspend its publishing operations and instead focus on raising funds to fight back what it described as an “unlawful” and “arbitrary” financial blockade imposed on it by the Bank of America, VISA, Mastercard, PayPal and Western Union as part of a “politically motivated” attack by American authorities.

WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange said the financial blockade was an “existential” threat to the organisation and if it continued, WikiLeaks would not be able to carry on its work.

It had been able to survive on cash reserves for nearly a year but if it didn't find a way to remove the blockade it would not simply be able to continue by the turn of the year.

“In order to ensure our future survival, WikiLeaks is now forced to temporarily suspend its publishing operations and aggressively fundraise in order to fight back against this blockade and its proponents. We have commenced pre-litigation action against the blockade in Iceland, Denmark, the U.K., Brussels, the United States and Australia,” he said.

24

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Black money: 782 offshore accounts being probed The Income Tax department is looking at 782 Indian accounts in HSBC Geneva for suspected black money. Sources said a probe into some of the Indian account holders with over Rs 3000 crores in deposits are being probed. The list was not officially given by the Swiss government, added the sources.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee says the government will reveal more foreign banks when there is enough information from the investigation.

On being asked if the Finance Ministry received

some names of MPs and industrialists regarding black money in the Swiss bank, Pranab said, "When the information comes investigation starts and matter comes to the court.

As per the existing treaty terms, we can review the names only then in the case of prosecution by the I-T department."

Sources said the list was passed on by the French Government which got the list through unofficial sources and decoded the list. It had names of account holders from many countries including India. The list contains details upto the year 2009.

The unofficial list has account names, number, passport details of the account holder and the amount. Sources told CNN-IBN that the Finance Minister in a meeting on July 8, 2011 asked for a preliminary investigation into these accounts and the accounts holders.

India, according to the Finance Ministry, has so far received over 9,900 pieces of information from several countries regarding suspicious transactions by Indian citizens, which are now under different stages of processing and investigation.

Gujarat tourists held hostage on Lakshadweep, freed

ets and they were allowed to board the vessel.

The tourists had left from Kochi on October 27.

Kalpeni was the second island on their itinerary.

The tourists were taken to Kalpeni in mini-boats while the main ship waited in deep sea. The island does not have the infrastructure to provide accommodation to such a large group of tourists.

Hence, it was decided to return to the cruise ship by evening after spending the day on the island, Shah said."However, when we reached the jetty to board the mini-boats that would take us to the cruise ship, some local people stopped us and closed the jetty gates," said Shah.It was the phone of Minal Dave, a professor from Bharuch, which saved the day for the tourists as the phones of all others in the group were not working.

Dave said they waited for an hour or two but the situation soon began to deteriorate. "The climate, too, was against us. It began to rain. There were children and elderly people among the tourists and no one was carrying medicines or any first-aid material. It became a night-

(Courtesy: The Times of India)

It was a situation that occurs only in movies but, in this case, it was happening for real. Around 130 tourists, most of them from Gujarat, found themselves stranded on the Kalpeni island of Lakshadweep last week with no water, food or communication with the outside world.

The tourists, including 26 children, from Kavaratti, the headquarters island of Lakshadweep.

They were about to board a mini-boat that would take them to the cruise ship, MV Kavaratti, when about 300 local villagers stopped them saying they did not have valid tickets. The tourists had to stay on the island without food or water till help finally arrived.

Chief minister Narendra Modi, whose office was informed of the incident, called up Union home minister P Chidambaram and asked him to intervene in the matter. Officials of the Gujarat Information Office in New Delhi said in a statement that the issue was then taken up directly with the administrator of Lakshadweep to resolve the crisis.

The tourists’ ordeal ended when the police dispersed the villagers and escorted them to the ship that would take them to Minicoy Island, the third (and last) island on the tourists’ itinerary. The port officer said all the passengers had valid tick-

mare," said Dave.Finally, using Dave's phone, the Gujaratis among tourists were able to contact Gujarat government officials who informed the chief minister's office about their plight.

The tourists said that they were stopped by the local people because of differences with the officials of Lakshadweep tourism over remuneration. The villagers thought stopping the tourists was the best way to negotiate with the authorities.

The group was finally taken to the cruise ship in the early hours of Sunday.

From there, the tourists proceeded to Minicoy.

After visiting the last island on their itinerary, the group left for Kochi.

Monk of Ramkrishna Mission wins highest math award The room is full of books that suggest the saffronrobed man in front of you is no ordinary mathematician.Mahan Maharaj has been awarded this year's Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award for mathematics, the highest academic honour in the country. This is the first time that any monk has won the award.This brilliant mathematician has been working with hyperbolic geometry and topology for nearly two decades now.The 45-year-old is fluent in English, Hindi and Bengali.

He studied in St Xavier's Collegiate School till Class XII and cracked IITJEE to enter the prestigious IIT Kanpur to study electrical engineering.

Soon, he realized that he was not enjoying this field of study and changed to mathematics. After completing his MSc, he went to University of California, Berkeley. After coming back from US, he renounced the world and became a monk.

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil

Story of Parshurama (Part 4) Earlier we saw how Renuka, wife of the rishi Jamadagni, was attracted to King Chitraratha while bathing in the river. When she returned to the ashram, the rishi, on seeing the loss of radiance in her aura, divined what had happened. He was furious at this fallacy of character and calling his five children, asked them to behead her. The four elder sons, out of attachment to their mother, refused to obey him. The rishi cursed them and they fell down lifeless.

Parshurama, the youngest, agreed to do his father’s biding. He immediately took an axe (parshu) and cut off his mother’s head.

This calmed the anger of the rishi and made him very happy. He told his son to ask of him as many boons as his heart desired.

Parshurama said, “Bring back my mother to life and let her have no memory of what happened. Thus, free me of the sin of killing my own mother. Please, also give my brothers their lives again. Make me invincible in battle and grant me a very long life”. His father granted him all his desires.

One day King Sahastrarjuna came to Jamadagni’s ashram with his army. Parshurama was not present there. The rishi and his wife welcomed the king but he,

drunk with power, declined their invitation. Further, he forcibly took away a young calf, destroyed trees, and left. When Parshurama returned, his father narrated what had happened.

Hearing the screams of the calf’s mother, Parshurama got very angry. He picked up his beautiful bow, among other weapons and went behind Sahastrarjuna. In the battle that followed, Parshurama cut off the thousand hands of Sahastrarjuna before killing him.

When the king’s sons heard of his death, they decided to take revenge and attacked Jamadagni’s ashram in Parshurama’s absence. They rishi did not defend himself but kept crying out ‘Rama’ to his son who was away.

All past articles on the Mahabharata can be accessed from http://epaper.asianvoice.com or from http://www.3stepbreath.com/mahabharata.html

Finally, intra-Gujarat flights take wing

Come Christmas, honchos wanting fly across Gujarat will get wings. SpiceJet will start operating intrastate flights connecting Ahmedabad and Surat with Saurashtra and Kutch. The launch is being timed with Rannotsav, the annual desert festival organised by the state government in Kutch. The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd has approved the project.

The company plans to fly 78-seater, Q400 aircraft. Functional airports in Ahmedabad, Surat, Porbandar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Keshod, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Vadodara will be linked gradually.

Ahmedabad and Surat will

After killing the rishi, the king’s sons left.

When Parshurama returned he saw the mutilated body of his father and was overcome by grief and broke down.

“These lowly sons of Sahastrarjuna have killed you like a hunter kills its prey in the jungle. They have killed you because I killed their father. You, who never fought back, are old in age and always remained in deep tapas.

They have committed a grave sin and shall pay for it dearly.” He then performed the last rites of his father.

Singlehandedly, he killed all the king’s sons.

He also destroyed completely the army that had accompanied the king’s sons to the ashram.

Parshurama’s rage was still not satisfied, so he went around and killed all the Kshatriya kings. He repeated this twenty-one times. When he was embarking on his twentysecond campaign, his forefathers appeared before him and told him to stop, saying their souls had been appeased.

Parshurama then held a Yagna where he gave away the earth he had won and all his possessions to retire to a hermitage.

be made the hubs, connecting other centres. The company may fix a basic fare for a one-hour flight at Rs 2,400.

Kamal Hingorani, vicepresident, SpiceJet said, "We have acquired 30 aircraft exclusively for connecting Tier II and Tier III cities across the country. Gujarat is an important market."

According to him, the airlines has started intrastate operations in Andhra Pradesh. The planes are running at 85 per cent occupancy. He further said that the basic fare cost for a one-hour flight was around Rs 2,400. Earlier, Deccan Charters Ltd, Luan Airways and Ventura Airlines had announced daily flights connecting important destinations in Gujarat. However, the plans have not yet materialisedDCL's plan hit a roadblock when the Director General of Civil Aviation did not approve of the lease agreement under which the company had sought to procure three 60-seater aircraft from Denmark.

Azim Premji to start two free schools in every district

After chipping in for the country's educational system for a decade, the Azim Premji Foundation (APF), run by the third richest Indian on his own money, is all set for a generous initiative. The foundation plans to start 1,300 schools across the country- two per district which will be free, impart education in the local language and be affiliated to the state board.Those associated with the planning of this Rs 9,000-crore project say that the schools will focus on the overall development of their students, including their health and nutrition.

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Government wonders why Team Anna keep issuing warnings The government wondered why Team Anna keeps on issuing warnings when the Centre has repeatedly announced its commitment to bring a strong Lokpal Bill at the earliest.

"This has been said by Anna and his associates many times. Before campaigning against Congress in Hisar also, they had said that they would compel the government to bring Lokpal bill... I do not know why they are making

such statements when there is no need to compel the government for it," information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni informed.

She was responding to questions on Hazare's letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he threatened to resume his fast on the last day of Parliament's winter session if the government fails to get a strong Jan Lokpal Bill

passed by then.

"A number of Cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister himself has said that we all want to a powerful Lokpal Bill. Standing committee examining is also speeding up its work in this direction by holding extra sittings.

"There is no indication that there will be any delay in bringing the bill. When the government has reiterated its commitment to the bill so many times, I fail to

understand what is the reason for their issuing warnings frequently," Soni said.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the 74-year-old activist said he did not find it right that responsible people in government and Congress were making remarks that creates doubts about the passage of the bill. The winter session of Parliament will begin on November 22 and end on December 23.

Wedding wows! 120-year-old man marries 60-year-old in Assam

If their respective ages were to be added up, they'll date back to India's first war of independence in 1857. So, when 120year-old Hazi Abdul Noor tied the knot with 60-yearold Samoi Bibi, 500 guests at the wedding ceremony in Assam were bound to be left gaping.A former contractor, Noor of Assam's Satghori village Sunday married Bibi, a resident of North Foolbari village in adjoining northern Tripura.

Noor might very well be the oldest person to get married in this part of India as far as my memory

goes. Displaying his documents, Noor said: 'My age in the electoral list of the election commission is

Infants to fast against TN's Kudankulam nuclear plant

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In a bid to highlight the need for a safe planet that now has seven billion people, about 40 babies will fast for an hour as part of the continuing protest against the Kundankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu.

While the world is celebrating the birth of seven billionth baby, in order to highlight that the planet should be secure for our children to live on. Infants aged between three and five months with their mothers will fast for an hour.The infants will be in the cradles next to their mothers, Pushparayan added.

India's nuclear power plant operator NPCIL is building two 1,000 MW nuclear power reactors with Russian technology and equipment in Kudankulam, around 650 km from here. The first unit is expected to go on stream in December. The project is estimated to cost around Rs 13,000 crore.

116 years, but I am 120.'

In fact, this is not his first marriage.Today, he heads a family of 122

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members, including two sons, three daughters and numerous grandchildren, most of whom are married. Noor's eldest daughter is 79.'Soon after my mother's death, my father asked us to find him another wife who would look after him as he needs full-time support,' said Noor's eldest son Hazi Azir Uddin, a retired teacher.'With the help of one Abdul Hamid of Tripura, we found a new mother, though she's half his age. She was married once. Long back her husband died and she has no children,' the son said.

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Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi may not be welcome in the US, but China is ready to roll out the red carpet for him as he gears up to visit the world's fastest growing economy and Asian powerhouse next month.

Modi is likely to visit China Nov 8. The visit has been cleared by the external affairs ministry.

Modi is expected to make a pitch for greater Chinese investment in Gujarat and showcase his state as a hub for foreign investment. In particular, Modi is likely to discuss the prospects of Huawei, China's biggest telecom company which has a considerable presence in India, investing in Gujarat.

China has been impressed by the economic transformation of Gujarat in the last decade and the massive foreign investment it has attracted in different sectors. When China's Vice Minister Ai Ping visited Gujarat last week, he had lauded Gujaratis' contribution to business development in different countries, including China. He had also extended an invitation to Modi to visit China.

Modi is expected to seek Chinese assistance to develop a "Gautam Buddha circuit", that includes constructing a temple where Buddha's relics would be preserved, to attract

tourists to the state.

Modi's visit will take place soon after Nur Bekri, chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, visits New Delhi and Mumbai next week to explore investment opportunities.

The visit by regional leaders has become a trend of sorts lately, with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar going to China in June.

Kumar's visit was focused on cooperation in the field of infrastructure, agriculture and rural development.

Despite differences over a host of issues, economic ties between India and China have been showing a steady upswing.

The two countries recently held their maiden strategic economic dialogue to exchange their experiences in macro-economic management and to address issues like the growing trade imbalance in favour of Beijing.

Bilateral trade is already touching $60 billion, with both sides confident of scaling it up to $100 billion.

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26

InDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Air India 100 pilots threaten to resign, go on strike

As many as 23 Air India pilots reported sick leading to cancellation of 10 international flights and the state-owned airline could face more trouble with around 100 pilots threatening to quit.

The pilots have sent a letter to AI chairman Rohit Nandan, seeking “no objection” to quit and take up work in other airlines. Already, eight pilots from AI and several more from Indian Airlines have resigned, as the airlines have not paid salaries and allowances for the last four months. The union, with 400 pilots as members, has threatened to go on a strike. It is also planning to file a written petition against the management. The IPG’s latest salvo is over selection of Indian Airlines pilots for training in Boeing 787 plane, due for delivery in December. AI has 1,600 pilots.

According to sources in AI, the decision to select Indian Airlines pilots for the Boeing 787 training has been taken under political pressure.

“The decision has been taken under instructions of the civil aviation ministry,” source said. The management is trying to talk to the IPG, headed by the Nationalist Congress Party legislator Jitendra

Awhad, to sort out the issue.

The pilots complain about career progression, while the IPG alleges the management in collusion with the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (the Indian Airlines pilots union) created an artificial shortage of commanders in AI. “Command training of 70 AI pilots in Boeing 737 (AI Express) was stalled for the past two years.

This was done to deliberately create a shortage of commanders in AI, thereby facilitating the induction of Indian Airlines pilots to fly Boeing 787,” the IPG said in a letter signed by 80 pilots.

The IPG letter stated 120 pilots (50 captains and 70 first officers), transferred to AI Express From AI, are stuck for the last five years and there is

no plan to bring them back to the parent company.

“This has further created a shortage of pilots in AI and is being used to justify the induction of pilots from erstwhile Indian Airlines to fly Boeing 787.”

Few pilot’s complaint is that some of them have not been given a chance to fly the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft.

Hours after more than 10 international flights were cancelled by Air India owing to a strike called by the pilots alleging discrimination, the company management issued a press statement denying any agitation by its pilots.

Air India would like to clarify that there is no strike call given by any section of employee of Air India and there is no agitation by the pilots of the

airlines,” Air India’s statement read.

The management clarified that the cancellation of flights today occurred due to a shortage in cabin crew not because of the striking pilots, and that the issue has been resolved.

Jitendra Avhad, a AI pilot, said, "We have not declared a strike but we have conveyed our intentions to go on strike if there is no solutions."

AI Management, however, declined that they have received any letter from pilots seeking MOC. In a letter to Air India CMD Rohit Nandan, over 100 pilots, owing allegiance to the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG), said they were "compelled to seek a No Objection Certificate so that we may consider seeking employment elsewhere".

Copies of the letter were also sent to Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi and other officials, besides the Regional Labour Commissioner, Mumbai.

When contacted, Air India officials, requesting anonymity, said the IPG office-bearers were currently holding negotiations with the management and "we are hopeful of sorting out their issues".

Pakistan cricketers found guilty of 'spot-fixing' Continued from page 1 Butt, a former opener and captain, faces a possible jail term of seven years.

A decision on his conviction will be taken later this week. Butt and Asif stood impassively in the dock as the verdicts were delivered. The pair became the first sportsmen to be convicted of on-field corruption in UK court since the 1960s.

The jurors hearing the trial took five days to reach their verdict on all charges. They resumed their deliberations on Tuesday morning after presiding judge Justice Cooke told them he would accept a 10-2 majority.

Butt, 27, and Asif, 28, plotted to bowl deliberate no-balls during the Lord’s Test against England last August.

Majeed was also charged and arrested but was not part of the trial.

Mazher Mahmood, News of the World's former investigations editor, told the court he had approached Majeed pretending to be an Indian businessman.

Majeed claimed he had at least six Pakistani players working for him and that it would cost between £50,000 and £80,000 ($78,000 and $125,000) to fix a "bracket", where bets are made on incidents dur-

ing a given period of play.

But the cost of rigging a whole result was far more, at £400,000 for a Twenty20, £450,000 for a one-day international, and £1 million for Test matches, Majeed allegedly told the reporter.

The agent was secretly filmed accepting £150,000 in cash from the journalist as part of an arrangement to bowl the no-balls, and recorded allegedly making arrangements with Butt for the no balls.

Butt told the court he had ignored his agent's requests to fix games and had no knowledge of the plan to bowl no balls, while admitting that he had failed in his duty to inform cricketing authorities of Majeed's approach.

Asif meanwhile said he had bowled a no ball at the exact time the agent had predicted to the News of

the World journalist because Butt had told him to run faster moments before his delivery.

The team's manager during the fateful tour of England when the scam was uncovered, Yawar Saeed, said Pakistan cricket had been badly tarnished by the case.

"I feel very sad because I tried my level best to tell them to keep away from notorious people. They should have understood that and they committed a blunder, and when you commit a blunder, you are punished," he told AFP. "I'm also sad because the country's name has been dragged into this entire controversy.

Pakistan is known for its talented players but this case has stained the country's image badly," he added.

Former ICC chief Ehsan Mani termed Tuesday's verdict as a very 'sad' day for the world cricket."This tells us that Pakistani cricket establishment has failed somewhere," he said adding, "it's a very sad day for cricket around the world."

Meanwhile, the ICC reserved its reaction on the conviction of Pakistani cricketers till the jury decides on the fourth accusation of latter's acceptance of corrupt payments.

"We will make a statement only after the court has announced its verdict on the fourth charge," an ICC sposkesman told PTI. The Pakistani cricketers will remain out on bail till the quantum of their punishment is decided in a couple of days.

Detective Chief Supt Matthew Horne said: "This is a case of cheating; pure and simple. The defendants, who are world class cricketers, sought to cheat to enhance their substantial legitimate earnings. "It is unusual for the police, CPS and ultimately the courts to get involved in sporting issues to this degree, but this case demonstrates our collective determination to do so in serious cases where the conduct is clearly criminal.

"The defendants have let down the cricketing world, their fans and the hard working people that buy tickets to watch. I am not sure these men really appreciated how much they were admired by cricket fans; they were role models to countless children around the world and have betrayed their trust.

"It is unlikely such activity would have been exposed without the good work of investigative journalism; and as an investigator I acknowledge the skill involved in such work."

Happy 1st Birthday '

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In focus Sachin fined Rs 4.35 lakh over new home Exclusive sources say the Mumbai civic authorities have slapped a hefty fine on iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar for his new home in the city.They added that the master blaster paid the BMC Rs 4.35 lakh for staying in his four-storeyed bungalow in Mumbai's suburb Bandra. The legendary batsman received the rude shock as he moved into his home at Perry Cross Road in Bandra (West). As per the law, one cannot enter a flat or building without receiving an OC for it.

Now, 7,700 hectare as revenue land This will come as good news for hundreds of tribals living in four districts of Gujarat - Narmada, Vadodara, Dahod and Panchmahals. A long pending issue of deleting more than 7,700 hectare of land from the forest land records and transferring it as revenue land has been solved.The supreme court has given green signal for the transfer. People claim that the land was used for non-forest purposes for long. "Now, as per the act, once the land is declared as forest land, it is covered under the forest act and no non-forest activities can take place there. So from 1960s to 1980s there were many claims over the land by local people.

`537 crore to setup 400 schools The Government has approved an annual plan of `537 crore under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) for setting up over 400 new schools in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and strengthening the existing ones. To improve the quality of teaching, the plan also makes provisions for capacity building of existing teachers, principals and new teachers. It also includes training of 2288 teachers of 318 schools approved in 2010-11, in-service training of 26,258 Mathematics, Science, Social Science and English teachers and leadership training of 600 principals.

The Hindu Literary Prize goes to debut novel Delhi-based author Rahul Bhattacharya bagged the ‘The Hindu Literary Prize for Best Fiction 2011' for his “The Sly Company of People Who Care”.The book, which narrates a young Indian's Caribbean adventures in the company of a Guyanese diamond-hunter, was virtually deadlocked for the prize with the English translation of N.S. Madhavan's Litanies of Dutch Battery, but eventually won the day for “its consummate artistry, its refusal to exoticise India — or Guyana … and its non-judgmental attitude to the characters.

Bomb found on Advani’s yatra route A crude 6 feet long pipe bomb was found under a bridge at Alampatti village on the outskirts of Madurai city hours before Advani's janchetana yatra was to pass through.

Local people discovered the pipe bomb, filled with some sort of explosive material with long wires jutting out and informed the police. The bomb was removed and police carried out extensive searches along the route.Advani's yatra continued on its original route, save for minor detour, on its way to Kerala.It is a little too early to say who was responsible for placing the bomb, a senior police official said, adding that intensive investigations were on.

Dhoni, Bindra join elite group as honorary Lt. Colonels India's cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Olympian gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra officially became honorary Lieutenant Colonels in the Territorial Army with the army chief, Gen. V.K. Singh, pipping their ranks on their shoulders. Dhoni led India to victory in the cricket World Cup earlier this year and was instrumental in taking the team to the top spot in Bindra won the only individual Olympic gold medal for India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Along with the two sportsmen, the army also honoured Deepak Rao, a medical doctor by qualification but a martial arts specialist by choice, who got about 15,000 of the army troops trained in close quarter combat, with the rank of a Major.

Travel & HISTORY

asian voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

27

Purvi’S travel bag

By Purvi Apurva Shah

By Dr Anil Mehta

Lord Cornwallis

Taj Mahal: architecture of a love story "The world is divided between those who have seen the Taj and those who have not. Very soon, I hope to be on the side that has seen the Taj." said by Bill Clinton while addressing the Indian Parliament once, he was rightly defining the immense architectural and emotional significance the Taj Mahal has, in the hearts of people around the world.

If there’s one monument that’s almost synonymous with India, it’s bound to be the ethereally beautiful 17th century tomb in Agra. Yes, India has its temples, its palaces and its forts- but, to the fore i g n visit o r

The Taj Mahal, located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, was build for Mumtaz Mahal, the favorite wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

Construction of the tomb began in 1632 and employed more than 20,000 laborers for 20 years. According to the research the construction of the Taj Mahal was erected at a time when the resources of the Mughal Empire were such that only the finest materials were utilized for the structure and its embellishment and when the quality of the craftsmanship available in northern India was probably superior to that of any previous period.

Known for its symmet r y, the

can match the splendor and grandeur of the Taj Mahal. The color of the Taj changes with every change that takes place in the sky.

The golden pink Taj at dawn turns into dazzling white at noon. Giving way to the sultry orange at sunset is the milky blue at night. Viewing the Taj on Full moon nights is a blissful experience. No wonder then, the Taj Mahal is the most sought after destination by a foreign traveler.

The reflections of the Taj in the water pond in front of it or in the Yamuna waters in the back are some of the breath taking views.

But when you see it doesn’t r e a l l y matter.

T h e Ta j i s

Ta j and t o Mumtaz Mahal many Indians too- the Taj is India.

Nothing that’s said about the Taj can actually bring it alive to someone who hasn’t seen it. No photographs, no etchings, no `postcards from Agra’ can give you anything except a tiny glimpse of what you can expect. You have to visit Taj Mahal to get the real feel of it.

Each day, hundreds of people from all over the world marvel at the Taj Mahal. It is one of the 7 wonders of the world along with the Pyramids, the Grand Canyon, the Eiffel Tower, but it stands apart from the others: as it was built for love.

When you get there, you will realize why the Taj Mahal is the Taj Mahal, un-paralleled in beauty and magnificence.

Mahal sits on a raised platform surrounded by four minarets. Inside are delicate mosaic works and marble walls adorned with intricate patterns of inlaid precious stones.

Mumtaz Mahal, whose name means Chosen One of the Palace, had been more than the emperor’s wife.

Indeed, Shah Jahan had a number of wives. But Mumtaz Mahal was the love of his life. She was his best friend and his most trusted political adviser. Mumtaz Mahal bore 14 children; seven of them survived.

The purity of the white marble, the delicate embellishment, costly gemstones used and its picturesque location. It's beauty is sure to cast a magic spell on you forever.

There is no other tombstone in the world, which

beautiful.

Any time.

In any age.

India Tour is incomplete without having experiencing the Taj Mahal.

Agra is accessible from Delhi by Road, Air and Rail. One can reach Agra from Delhi by road in 4 hrs.

The other places worth seeing in Agra are the Agra Fort and Sikandra – the place where Akbar is buried.

Shah Jahans additions were in Marble and you will see his marble obsession here too. But, one has to agree that his buildings are the most attractive, because on white marble background, the inlay designs look magnificient. Inside the Agra Fort complex are Jehangir Mahal, Jodha Bhai Mahals.

Shah Jahan

Charles Cornwallis (17381805), an aristocrat, soldier, politician, and colonial administrator, was Governor-General and commander-in-chief of India (1786-93, 1805) where he introduced all types of reforms with a long-lasting impact and defeated powerful Tipu Sultan of Mysore strengthening the British position in India.

Of Irish descent but born in England, Cornwallis was educated at Eton, Cambridge, and at military academy, Turin. At 18, he joined the army and four years later entered parliament as member for Eye, a small borough in Suffolk.

However, on realising that he enjoyed military action to active politics, he promptly offered his services when hostilities broke out in America in 1775 (American War of Independence, 1775-83).

In 1780 he commanded the British forces in the South, and although a competent general, lost at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, effectively ending the war.

India: Although unsuccessful in America, Cornwallis’s political connections, personal standing, and integrity were high enough to be given, in 1786, the post of Governor-General of India. As GovernorGeneral he introduced many reforms of administrative services, legal and police systems, and of land ownership and taxation in Bengal that remained remarkably unaltered over time. The reforms were in the form of a series of regulations collectively called the Cornwallis Code. It laid the foundation for British rule in India.

Company’s service personnel were divided into four branches: administrative (called civil service), revenue, justice, and commerce.

To reduce corruption, employees were paid adequately but banned from engaging in private trade. Cornwallis also worked to reduce nepotism and political favouritism introducing the practice of meritbased advancements. He thus tried to establish a tradition of law abiding, efficient, and an un-corruptible administration in

India.

The Cornwallis Code strongly favoured British employees. (Cornwallis, in a manner common at the time, held racist views). He barred Indians from higher ranks in company’s civil, military, and judicial services and ensured that all judges were Europeans, thus depriving Indians of any responsible office. They were deemed worthy only in manual situations.

This effectively created racially divided government placing the British in an elite class. The situation, however, was quite different under Warren Hastings (GovernorGeneral, 1773-85), a decade earlier when Indians could still achieve major administrative positions.

Among the most important features of the Cornwallis Code was the permanent settlement of land revenue which altered the way the company collected taxes in its territories. Under the new regulations, the zamindars became the owners of the land with annual land revenue fixed permanently. This saved time and effort of the government hitherto wasted on annual settlements. This won the government, loyalty of zamindars now assured of their land ownership.

They remained faithful throughout the remaining years of company rule.

Cornwallis had the best of intentions – a deep and genuine concern to improve the condition of the people especially the poor. As a whole, permanent land revenue settlement gave social and political stability to Bengal but it completely ignored the interests of peasants, small land holders, and subtenants.

They were thrown to the mercy of big landlords, who, with time became unproductive and oppressive.

Tipu Sultan: Cornwallis was sent to India with instructions to maintain peace with the company’s neighbours, however, he was unavoidably drawn into war (1790) with the formidable Tipu Sultan of Mysore.

When he attacked the British protected Travancore, Cornwallis in alliance with

the Nizam and Marathas invaded Mysore (Third Mysore War) and defeated Tipu, who paid heavy indemnities, and ceded half of Mysore territory (much of which went to the allies) and most of the Malabar coast to the company giving it a foothold in the far south.

As a guarantee of peace, Tipu’s two sons were handed over to Cornwallis as hostages.

The boys were returned to their father two years later.

Cornwallis returned to England in 1793 and in 1798 was made Viceroy of Ireland. In Ireland he oversaw the parliamentary union of Britain with Ireland (1800) but resigned a year later in protest when British government refused to grant Catholic emancipation (concession of political rights to Catholics).

After Ireland Cornwallis was reappointed Governor-General of India in 1805, charged with keeping it war-free.

After the expansionist regime of his predecessor Richard Wellesley (17981805), which had tripled company’s debts, the directors yearned for peace in India. However, his second term was tragically short-lived. He fell ill shortly after his arrival and died at Gazipur (UP) in the same year.

A wealthy and influential man, Cornwallis was loyal to the crown and establishment. He put his king and country above all else. In some respect he completed the work of Warren Hastings before him who first introduced administrative reforms in India. Along with Clive and Hastings he was responsible for laying foundation for British India and setting standards for the civil service, courts, and revenue collection that remained remarkably unchanged almost to the end of British era. With the exception of Mysore Cornwallis managed to keep India out of internal warfare during his tenure. On the whole he served his country (Britain) well for many years. Although he lost an empire in the West (American War of Independence), he helped build another in the East.

28

Community

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Ethnic minority diabetes day in Parliament British Parliament was the setting for Ethnic Minority Diabetes Day whose aim is to raise awareness in the British Asian Community of the danger of undiagnosed diabetes.

The Opposition Leader Ed Miliband MP, Cabinet Minister and Conservative Party Chairman, Baroness Warsi, Lord Dholakia, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Simon Hughes MP joined 65 MP’s and hundreds of community members for the occasion. The event was part of the Diwali at Westminster celebration and marked the start of the Silver Star MP’s Health Challenge.

Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Founder Patron of Silver Star said: “I hope that Ethnic Minorities Diabetes Day will be repeated in Parliaments all over the world in order to alert the Asian community of the danger of undiagnosed diabetes. The message from Parliament was ‘take the test now’.”

As part of the Health Challenge, MP’s were issued with a Silver Star Pedometer that will meas-

Hari Dhillon with Lord Dholakia

ure the amount of steps taken over 50 Parliamentary Days. The public can keep track of the MP’s positions on the Silver Star website and the winner of the 50 day challenge will be announced in February 2011.

Lord Dholakia said ‘The diabetes test was so easy. It only takes two minutes and can save lives. I hope other people will also take the test’.

Lord Dholakia went on to say ‘Diabetes is prevalent in the Asian community, and encouraged as many people as possible to take the test to help combat diabetes’.

Special Guest Hari

Hari Dhillon with Opposition Leader Ed Miliband MP, Cabinet Minister

Dhillon, Dr. Michael Spence on BBC’s Holby City, joined in the effort to highlight the problem of diabetes worldwide, ‘The evening was a triumph and I was pleased to contribute to such a worthwhile cause’.

Launched in January 2007, Silver Star is a registered charity campaigning to provide diabetes awareness whose patrons include Amitabh Bachchan and Shilpa Shetty. The Charity runs Mobile Diabetes Units (MDU) that carry out important diabetes testing and promote culturally sensitive healthcare, with particular regard to the

high prevalence of diabetes in the major towns and cities of Britain. The Units travel to local community centres, schools, work places and other organisations.

The NHS spends ￡1 million an hour on diabetes related illnesses and it is estimated that more than 1 million people in the UK may have diabetes without knowing it and another 2.8 million people have already been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

The event was supported by AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, MSD and Novo Nordisk.

Diwali celebrations at the Exchange Ilford On Saturday, 22 October, the Exchange Ilford saw Diwali being celebrated for the first time.

The Centre welcomed thousands of shoppers 1000's of people from all backgrounds who came to see the Festival of Lights being celebrated including The Mayor and Mayoress of Redbridge, Cllr. Chris Cummins and Mrs Helen Johnson.

Children and adults enjoyed free henna, face painting, sari trialling, Indian sweets, jewellery and Indian newspapers; specialist Indian stalls selling cultural books and gifts as well as Indian massages and traditional entertainment including a Sitar, Tabla, Flute and Violin players.

"It was great that children enjoyed the face painting, which is meant

triumph of good over evil. During Diwali, people share sweets and snacks with family members and friends.”

“In India, the business communities begin their The Mayor and Mayoress of Redbridge, financial year Cllr. Chris Cummins and Mrs Helen as Diwali Johnson marks the end to signify good over evil," of the harvest season in said face painting Nicola most of India. Farmers from the Clayhall Nursery. give thanks for the bounty Stores also participatof the year gone by, and ing by giving out gifts in a pray for a good harvest for Free prize draw. the year to come,” contin"Diwali is a positive ued Ravi. “Traditionally event. It translates into this marks the closing of "row of lamps,” says Event accounts for businesses.

Organiser, Ravi Bhanot.

For some it’s the spiritual “Diwali involves the lightmeaning - when Lord ing of small clay lamps Rama rescued Sita and filled with oil to signify the

Celebrate Diwali at the Palace On Sunday 13 November, Watford Palace Theatre, the Hare Krishna temple and the local community will present Diwali at the Palace: Celebrating the Festival of Lights. This unforgettable evening will bring the tastes and colours of India to the Theatre, in a joyful family experience of music and dance.

The evening will include the premier of ‘Epic Ramayan’ by the Bhaktivedanta Players; live devotional music; an exhibition; a procession in Watford Town Centre, and free Prasad (sanctified vegetarian food).

There will also be workshops and events to get involved with in the week leading up to the event.

Tickets cost just £6.50 (£5 for groups of 4 or more) and are available from the Watford Palace Theatre Box Office on 01923 225671, or directly from the Temple.

Watford Palace Theatre is dedicated to providing Community Celebrations throughout the year. By the end of 2011, we will have held events to celebrate Chinese New Year, Vaisakhi, Eid, Black History Month and

Diwali, to great success.

These celebrations would not be possible without the input of our steering groups, which are made up of people from the local community who wish to be involved in organising a celebration relevant to them.

We are currently looking for people to join our steering groups to start planning our programme of Community Celebrations next year.

People interested in joining a steering group can find more information on our website or by contacting the Theatre.

brought her back home.

We are truly blessed in Redbridge that the local multi-cultural society get on sowell and enjoy all the festive events of all the communities. The celebrations were enjoyed by people of all backgrounds.”

MKC Trust Roko Cancer celebrates 10 years

Rt Hon Dominic Grieve, Lord & Lady Sheikh, Lord Navnit and Lady Ann Dholakia, Mr APS Chawla with others at the event

MKC Trust Roko Cancer Campaign celebrated ten years of service to the community in the UK and in India at the House of Commons, Palace of Westminster on Thursday 13th October 2011, which was attended by many parliamentarians. Rt.Hon Dominic Grieve, Attorney General, was the chief guest and gave a passionate speech about the work Roko Cancer does and encouraged the guests to donate money to this worthy cause.

Roko Cancer was praised by many other parliamentarians throughout the evening, including Rt.Hon Stephen Timms, Shadow Minister, Rt.Hon Tony Baldry, Second Church Estates Commissioner and Lord Sheikh, helping to raise substantial funds for the charity. The NRI programme, started by Mr

K.S. Dhaliwal, Global Ambassador of Roko Cancer, was applauded by the speakers.

Many guests showed up to the event which featured speeches from the chairman of Roko Cancer Mr A.P.S Chawla, marketing and PR director Deep Dhir as well as figures such as Lord Dholakia.

The event was held in the Members Dining Room.

Documentaries of the charity’s work were shown to the guests who were able to appreciate the work being done in the UK and India.

Mr Chawla, chairman of the charity, thanked everybody and a presentation of mementoes were also made to Indian Women’s Association, Bucks Punjabi Society and other organisations for their continued support to the charity over the years.

Bucks Punjabi and Punjabi circle donate to Roko cancer campaign

Charity cycling for Uganda

Paul Riat OBE, APS Chawla with Tahir Ali from Venus TV and others

Subhash Thakrar (pictured), a senior Partner at Blackstone Franks and Chairman at the London Chamber of Commerce shall be taking the challenge of cycling 400 kilometres in the rough terrain of Uganda during the week of 5-13 November 2011.

The other participants in the challenge will be executives coming form the United States, UK and Africa.

The funds raised by Cycle For Uganda will be managed by Mara Foundation, a social enterprise that designs and implements programmes that promote education and entrepreneurship within Uganda. Mara Foundation is currently working in Uganda and also Kenya and has the vision to expand across

Global President Paul Riat OBE donated £5000 on behalf of the Bucks Punjabi Society and Punjabi Circle International to the Roko cancer campaign at a glittering Diwali function organised by Pardes Weekly and Venus TV. These funds were raised at the 5th year anniversary and annual fund raising dinner which took place at the Marriott Hotel, Langley on

Saturday 24th Sept 2011.

Mr Riat in his speech praised and thanked the organisers for their contribution to the Punjabi Culture and the community at large and wished them success in future functions.

In his final statement he mentioned his and the Organisations commitment to increasing the awareness of Punjabis globally and to support Punjabi arts and culture.

sub-Sahara and Africa. The Foundation works in partnership with the government's own schools in rural areas to assist in improvements in governance, supervision and training with the objective of developing entrepreneurship amongst students. The Foundation also runs a mentorship programme that partners top business leaders with exciting young

entrepreneurs.

If you wish to make any contribution, you can either send a cheque made payable to Blackstone Franks Client Account or alternatively the Foundation has made an arrangement with a UK charity called JCT who will again accumulate the funds and forward those on to the Mara Foundation.

HealtH WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

How a healthy diet could see your great-grandchildren benefit

Those who live to a ripe old age may put it down to healthy living, but they could actually have their great-grandparents to thank. Scientists have discovered that a good diet and lifestyle could help a person’s children, grandchildren and even greatgrandchildren live longer.

A team at Stanford University in California found that altering three types of proteins can affect longevity. By blocking or modifying them in roundworms, which have the same proteins as humans, lifespan was affected in the worm itself and in up to three generations of descendants, increasing their life expectancy by up to 30 per cent. After the third generation – the great-grandchildren – lifespan tended to return to normal.

This is the first time scientists have found an inherited factor affecting lifespan which is not a genetic change.

The genes were not affected and in subsequent generations a longer life was inherited but their lev-

els of the three proteins remained normal.

This is a phenomenon called ‘epigenetic’ change.

This is not new, it describes the process by which the body adapts to its environment such as diet, sunlight and pollution levels but it was not known it could be inherited.

Anne Brunet, associate professor of genetics at Stanford, said: ‘Genetic traits from our parents may not be the only thing we inherit.

The study of changes in gene activity that do not involve alterations to the genetic code, yet still get passed down at least one generation.

These patterns of gene expression are governed by the cellular material that sits on top of the genome - known as the epigenome.It is these epigenetic 'marks' that tell your genes to switch on or off.It is through them that environmental factors such as diet, stress and chemical exposure - can make an imprint on genes passed on to your descendants.

'This is very important, as what we do can affect the next generation.

‘We do not know how yet but it could be diet, pollution, smoking, all sorts of medications, exposure to radiation and stress.

‘Our bodies could have a memory of the lifestyles of our ancestors.

'This shows that longevity can be inherited in a non-genetic way over several generations and that is very exciting.’

If the same connection is found in humans it would mark a major breakthrough in genetics.These proteins altered by the scientists are found in the nucleus of all human cells, and help ‘pack’ the DNA tightly inside.

The worms also inherited hundreds of genes from their parents but it seemed to be the protein changes which influenced their life span.

Prof Brunet added: ‘We don’t fully understand what these proteins do, but they are also present in mammals and in humans which suggests they are very important.

‘This shows that longevity can be inherited in a non-genetic way over several generations and that is very exciting. We now need to do further tests to find how this works.’

A recent study by Swedish scientists looking at famine victims suggested a lack of food could affect the metabolism of their children and grandchildren.

Fish foot spa pedicures could spread HIV and hepatitis C Fish foot spa pedicures could spread diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C, health experts have warned.The government’s Health Protection Agency said those with diabetes, psoriasis or a weak immune system are particularly vulnerable and should not take part in the beauty craze at all. In new guidance, they said the risk of infection for users of the increasingly popular treatment, in which dozens of tiny fish nibble dead skin from customers' feet, is ‘low but could not be completely excluded’. If a user is infected with a blood-borne virus like HIV or hepatitis and bleeds in

the water, there is a risk the diseases could be passed on.

The agency says fish tank water contains microorganisms and believes problems could arise from bacteria being transmitted by the pedicure’s garra rufa fish, from the spa water itself or from one customer to another if the water is not changed.

‘When the correct hygiene procedures are followed, the risk of infection is very low.

‘However, there is still a risk of transmission of a number of infections — this does include viruses like HIV and hepatitis.’The HPA has

recommended that spa water is changed after each client.The equipment cannot be conventionally sterilised because the process could harm the fish, of which there are about 200 in every tank.The pedicures which have long been popular in Asia where the fad began - have been banned in some U.S. states, including Florida, Texas, New Hampshire and Washington, due to fears that infections could spread through open wounds.The trend, which is meant to leave clients with smooth and attractive feet, stands the possibility of giving deadly diseases.

29

Any quest ions writ e to m amta @thinkspalon

By Mamta Saha don.com

Psychologist

How to put yourself in the driving seat of your life In this weeks article I am focusing on the ‘coaching journey’.

At times we want to change and value good advice, however it becomes difficult to incorporate such beneficial changes either we lack the commitment or the motivation. This is especially true when we have operating from within our comfort zones for so long.

Read below for a Q and A insight into Vijay Parikhs experience of being coached by me.

Vijay Parikh is a Partner and Head of Commercial Investment Department at Harold Benjamin Solicitors, based in Harrow.

Vijay highly regarded with- in property circles. His clients are based all over the world.

Clearly Vijay is highly talented and in true leadership style he is wanting to be even greater by committing to coaching.

What triggered you to get a coach - considering you are successful, how did you feel a coach could help you be even more successful?

I had faced some challenging times over the last 12 months. My energies and emotions were stretched. I realised that a lot of my decisions were driven by factors, which were not necessarily relevant.

I was keen on using coaching to sharpen my decision making process and become more effective and have better relationships as a result.

How do you feel that coaching has changed you?

It is important to note that, coaching is not about someone providing you with all the answers. It is about being provided with tools to discover the answers yourself and have the ability to apply them.

I have become a lot more relaxed, confident and ease with myself.

What benefits has the coaching brought to your life?

I am challenged every day; I juggle work, business, social, family, com-

munity, and clients. I work in a highly pressured environment in which I am constantly seeking new ideas and opportunities both for my firm and clients. I run and manage a team of lawyers. I need to be at my best at all times. The coaching has certainly helped remove a number of mental obstacles which has lead me to operate more efficiently and effectively and enables me to apply my time effectively.

Were you not apprehensive about spending your hard earned savings on coaching? How do you convince yourself that this was a good investment to make?

It is a very small price to pay to be the best you can and being your best at all times.

Spending money on the gym and spending money on sharping your mind is no different.

Would you recommend coaching?

I certainly would recommend coaching. Mamta is fantastic. We have been working together for almost 12 months. Mamta has greatly skilled in being able to challenge the reasons why and how I make decisions. She has the ability for me to find answers to solutions and problems simply by untangling my thoughts and preconceived ideas. There has been a fundamental improved change, within a very short space of time.

She has empowered me to make challenging decisions in positive ways, she stretches my abilities and I feel better for it. I look forward to continuing my journey with Mamta.

Highly recommended life coach who will make a difference professionally and personally.

How do you see ongoing coaching assisting you?

There is always room for improvement.

The world is consistently changing. I need to keep up to date with new ideas and generate new oppor-

tunities. I will continue to use coaching to continue to better myself and meet the challenges that come my way.

Could you provide a specific example of a challenge in your life where coaching with Mamta has helped you.

I now know that anything is possible. I no longer seek approval of others for my actions. I have the ability to place full confidence in my abilities and myself. I consider myself to be fantastic and know that anything is possible.

What advice would you give to people who are considering coaching but are unsure whether to go ahead or not?

You have nothing to lose, but everything to gain. You will be surprised how effective the coaching sessions are. I recently went on the Think Spa Dubai Retreat that Mamta runs and I would highly recommend it.

Through the coaching experience what visions and goals have you created to achieve in the next 5 years that you didn’t have / wouldn’t have thought of before the sessions?

I’ve realised that all prejudices and preconceived ideas are created from a very young age. All fears are simply “mind made”. I’m in the process of creating visions and goals that would far exceed any that I would have set before the sessions. These include creating “non legal service businesses”, working with associated firms in India and China, working more closely with the Media.

I am now running bespoke coaching retreats and Skype coaching.

Places are exclusive and filling up fast, get in touch by emailing mamta@thinkspalondon.c om. Remember to ‘like’ Think Spa London on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sending you energy and focus. Good luck, god bless.

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30

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

CB Live is only a Gujarati programme in UK on MATV SKY 793 Prof Balwant Jani, former Vice Chancellor of the North Gujarat University and currently Dean of the Arts Faculty of Saurashtra University at Rajkot as well as Head of Gujarati department is a renowned scholar on 'Ginan' spiritual literature of the Khoja Ismaili Community.

He will discuss about the present and future of Gujarati language in Britain, Gujarati journalism as well as his widespread knowledge of Gujarati diaspora.

If you do not have a SKY, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

Are you ready to rock?

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500 You can expect everything to run smoothly and luck to attend your efforts. However, underneath this positive surface you may be plagued by a feeling of restlessness, an uneasy feeling that something is not quite right. Try to strike a balance between material and emotional affairs!

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

7pm to 8pm

For more information e-mail:

cblive_matv@yahoo.co.uk

Coming Events l Jalaram Jayanti- Wednesday 2nd November 2011 to Sunday 6th November 2011.

Contact Shree Jalaram Mandir Greenford on 0208 578 8088 / 9285 l Shree Jalaram Bapa's 212th Birthday Mahotsav, Sunday 13th Nov, 11am-5pm, Canon Palmer School, Ilford. Contact: 0845 838 21 26

Krishna Kumar

Sunidhi Chauhan

The power house of talent, the sensational Sunidhi Chauhan and the dynamic KK are coming to set the stage alight on 12th November at the Wembley Arena with their rocking performance. The event is being presented by Rock On Music & Air India in association with Xpress Money-MATV and media partner Set Asia.

Sunidhi is winner of several music awards and has super hit songs to her credit. She is also the first Indian female singer to collaborate with international singing star Enrique Iglesias.

Krishna Kumar, lovingly known as KK has produced some of the most unforgettable melodious and soulful music touching the hearts of musical enthusiasts.

l Param Pujya Rambapa- Shree 108 Hanuman Chalisa, Social Club Hall, Northwick Park Hospital Watford Road, HA1 3UJ, 11-5pm.

Contact: 020 8459 5758 l Cardiff Sanatan Dharma Mandal celebrating Tulshi Vivah at their Seaview Building, Lewis Road, Cardiff, CF24 5EB on this Sunday, 6th Nov from 3.00pm to 6.00pm.

Contact Vinodbhai on 02920623760. l Pat-Otsav - the Grand Opening of Vrajdhdham Haveli, 58 Lougbborough Road Leicester LE4 5LD, On Saturday 5th November 2011 at 2pm, Contact: Pramod Thakkar: 07860 922 770 l Nehru Centre, 4 South Audley Street, London W1K 1HF Friday 11th Nov: Panchdeepmala: 6:30pm Sunday 12th Nov: 12pm: Children's Day

Your communication sector is all-abuzz with planetary energies firing you up preventing you from sleeping properly. Give yourself plenty of physical outlets to drain off some of the excess mental stimulation.

You should try to settle into a more grounded and steady routine instead of letting your schedule run you.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 With Jupiter riding high in your 11th house of leisure and creativity, you should enjoy a very popular phase in your life where everyone wants to invite you to parties. This will give you a chance to meet people of your own calibre and pursue any romantic liaisons that might present themselves.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 This promises to be very romantic week where some of you might even tie the knot with your loved one. This is a good time to buy or sell property or to renovate existing ones. The atmosphere at home will be calm and amiable with everyone at their best behaviour. Time to join the gym and start a new fitness regime.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 Much enthusiasm goes into professional ambitions right now, but you need to be your own boss in many ways. Circumstances will make you more determined to place your lifestyle on a foundation of greater security. Far-reaching change begins to gather momentum.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 The focus is on finances this week, but that doesn’t mean you should worry yourself sick. Rather, it is about finding new and improved ways to boost your earnings potential. Don’t let nebulous tendencies interfere with your plans. It’s fine to consider several options but don’t get caught up in indecision. Schedule networking opportunities later this week.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 At the moment, relationships are experiencing major transformations those with shaky foundations should be extra careful.

Financially, you have everything going for you. This is a good time to put lucrative plans into action and reap the benefits of sound investments.

Jet Airways awarded Wembley based Travel Hub for best performance for 4th year in a row. In this photo: Vikash Gupta and Saching Gupta receiving award from Jet Airways.

Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief of Operations ABPL: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Chief Financial Officer: Surendra Patel Tel: 020 7749 4093 - Mobile: 07875 229 220 Email: surendra.patel@abplgroup.com Accounts Executive: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Advertising Managers: Alka Shah Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Mobile: 07944 151 893 Email: alka.shah@abplgroup.com Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Media Consultant: Rovin John George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Business Development Managers: Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Nikhil Gor - Email: nikhil.gor@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4009 - Mobile: 07875 229 200 Design and Layout: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 At home, be at your diplomatic best and try not to tread on anyone's toes. Passions will run from hot to cold, and relationships may suffer.

Even the most strong-willed Taureans will be more open to compromise to keep the peace. Plan your spending and set sensible budgets to reach your financial goals.

Your horizons are most certainly expanding. Your philosophical thoughts will make your mind run wild. With Jupiter transiting your work sector, there will be many opportunities. Your financial affairs are looking up. Do not miss out on ways to better yourself in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad Tel/Fax: +91 79 2646 6061 Chief Executive Director: Kamlesh Amin Tel: +91 922 710 4308 Email: kamleshamin123@yahoo.co.in Editorial Co-Ordinator (BPO): Nilesh Parmar (M) +919426636912 Consulting Editor (BPO): Bhupatbhai Parekh, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Tel: +91 79 2630 4142 Mumbai: Kanti Bhatt, Hemraj Shah (Jumbo Advertiser) Horizon Advertising & Marketing: 205 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad Tel / Fax: +91 79 2646 5960 (M) +91 9913346487 Email: horizonadvt2009@yahoo.in Neeta Patel, (Advertising Manager) (M) +91 98255 11702 International Advertisement Representative: Jain Group(South India) Tel: +91 44 42041122/3/4 Fax: +91 44 25362973 Mumbai: +91 222471 4122 Email: jainmedia@eth.net

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Asian Voice switchboard: 020 7749 4000 Gujarat Samachar switchboard: 020 7749 4080 Sales: 020 7749 4085

Jupiter, the planet of abundance, is transiting your solar 5th house. You have plenty of romantic options. Financially you are still not out of the woods, so do not be hasty when buying. At work you will experience a relaxed atmosphere and this will help you to get on with everyone around you.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

The need to push ahead with personal interests and to assert yourself with added force will take precedence over everything else for some time to come.

Mentally you will be in top form, expressing your ideas and views. This is also a time when you will develop fresh insights into other people.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

Whether you’re single or attached you’ll have a busy time ahead of you. Business partnerships are tested and the more you live up to your own set of principles the more cash you’ll pull in. At work you will experience a relaxed atmosphere and this will promote unity.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

SpoRt world

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

31

Sebastian Vettel Dominates Indian Grand Prix Was Sebastian Vettel motivated enough to keep on winning? On Sunday, at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, Vettel left those questions, and his rivals, in the dust as he blitzed to his 11th win of the year, probably his most dominant so far.

His Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber was the closest anyone got to him but that too when the cars were stationary at the starting grid. Jenson Button, who started at fourth, smartly manoeuvred his way across Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Webber and tried hard to play catch-up with the ever-quick Vettel throughout the race. Button took the second place while Alonso was on the podium for the ninth time this year.

"As soon as Seb got into a rhythm I could not do anything about it," Button said at the postrace conference, congratulating Vettel on yet another win. Grand Prix lived up to its billing as the layout proved tricky for the field. Turn 3 saw a few cars collect hits on the very first lap. A brush between the two Williams sent Rubens Barrichello into Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber, which then rejoined in the path of Timo Glock's Virgin.

Among several other brushes of wheels, Jarno Trulli was left with a puncture after his Lotus was punted into a spin by an HRT. Kobayashi retired immediately and Glock soon followed suit.

Mercedes' Michael Schumacher and Renault's

Bruno Senna were the biggest gainers through the field. Schumacher finished the race fifth, ahead of his younger teammate Nico Rosberg who was sixth. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton started fifth but finished a disappointing seventh.

Senna was unable to keep off the challenge and pace of the Toro Rossos, which were headed for a potential double-points finish but that was before Sebastian Buemi stopped with smoke coming out of his car.

Sahara Force India's Adrian Sutil brought joy to his Indian fans when he finished ninth, and gave the team two points at home. Algersuari finished eight while the other team with the Indian connection, Sauber, also took away one point as Serio Perez wrapped up the top 10.

The battle at the front saw little sparks and challenge apart from Button's moves at the start. But it was the skirmish between Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Hamilton on lap 24 that provided some fireworks.

There was nothing that the 24-year-old Vettel did wrong on Sunday. He was quick from the word go and didn't let off till he saw the chequered flag. The Adrian Newey-designed RB7 is an incredible car but Vettel has made it do even more impressive things. Vettel won the race from pole position, leading every lap, and setting the fastest lap time to continue with his dominant season. The German for most laps led during a season,

Rory McIlroy takes Shanghai Masters title

Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy enjoyed a $2 million pay day on Sunday after a nerve-shredding play off with American Anthony Kim who came within a whisker of claiming the lavish purse at the Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters.

The pair dueled in a tense sudden death on the tricky par four 18th hole for the biggest cash prize in golf.

Nothing separated the players at the last, with their approach shots landing four feet apart in the bunker under the green amid disbelieving gasps from the grandstand. But

Kim gifted McIlroy the most lucrative cheque of his career when he missed a crucial three foot putt after a precision bunker shot.

McIlroy, the world number three, tapped in from two feet to complete a pleasing first week's work and take home a bulging wage packet. “It was a very important win.

I'll be the first to say I have not won enough in the last four years as pro and could have done a lot more,” McIlroy said after the unsanctioned event which has raised eyebrows with its massive purse.

Vettel makes history by winning India’s first grand prix

but said he was not focused on records and said he wants to continue enjoying his season.

"I think we can continue," Vettel beamed later.

"The car is fantastic and the team is enjoying it. We are on a run since the beginning of the season.

We enjoy every race. The great thing is when you walk in the garage every morning, they are flat out and pushing very hard. It's really enjoyable to see that knowing what we have achieved, we are still hungry, not lacking motivation. People come with questions but we come back with the right answers, so we don't want this to end," he added.

Vettel files

This is also his 11th win of the season, matching former champion Michael Schumacher’s 2002 season record. Only Schumacher’s 2004 season was more successful in F1 history with 13 wins.

Grabbed another record at the end of lap 42, surpassing Nigel Mansell’s 1992 record for most laps led in a season, leading his 693rd lap in 2011. At the end of lap 49, Vettel became the first driver in

history to lead 700 laps in one year. He is also the youngest man to set a Grand slam.

India hosts a successful Grand Prix

The first Indian Grand Prix has been a total success. Crowd Of 95000 watched as country roared on to global motor racing stage with highly successful F1 event.

Finally, an international event flawlessly executed and delivered by India.The first Indian Grand Prix was simply fantastic. The stunning success of India’s first F1 race brought out not just wide smiles on Sunday but an unmistakable sense of pride in the 95,000-strong crowd. It was currently held on 30th Oct, Sunday at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Sebastian Vettel won the race. He also had the fastest lap of the race on his last lap,. Sachin Tendulkar waved the chequered flag to welcome Sebastian Vettel. The circuit, designed by F1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke, was 5.141 kilometres (3.194 mi). Most new circuits are red flagged for

their boring design and ultimately one-sided action come race day. But the Buddh International Circuit has got universal praise for its design. The track has spread across an area of 875 acres. The sprawling circuit will also be used for hosting one or more rounds of Moto GP championships in the year 2012. The 10-year contract for the race has been given to the Indian construction company .The track in all has 16 largely medium speed corners where F1 cars lap at an average speed of 210 km/h. The back straight let F1 cars reach 320 km/h making it one of the fastest tracks Formula One Indian Grand Prix at Greater Noida Sunday gave birth to a new culture of motorsport in a country.

The Indian Grand Prix had potential to generate around $170 million in revenue and employ as many as 10,000 people.

Add to that the great management of the huge crowd and thousands of vehicles, precise road signage and 2,500 helpful cops, and it all seconded what champion Sebastian Vettel said: India has a way of doing things right.

There were nearly 3,000 foreign tourists, special invitees and team personnel. Most of them will be going back with happy memories.

Celebrity guests included cricketers M S Dhoni, V V S Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag, Bollywood biggies Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek

Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Arjun Rampal, and corporate honchos Richard Branson, Pawan Munjal, Yogi Deveshwar, Shivinder Singh, Malvinder Singh, Vijay Mallya and Subrata Roy were all present to watch Vettel dominate the race from the moment the five red lights extinguished.

Victorious Sebastian Vettel praises India and Indian Grand Prix

“It’s great to see what the people did here with the arena in such a short amount of time. There were little bit (hiccups) here and there but it is common in a first race. I am sure next year everything will be perfect...

India is a fantastic country. In our life we measure happiness by what we have achieved but it is not the case here. People are always happy, very friendly and co-operative. It was great to be here and I’m looking forward to coming back here next year.”

STANDINGS Drivers • Sebastian Vettal 374 pts • Jenson Button 240 pts • Fernando Alonso 227 pts • Mark Webber 221 pts • Lewis Hamilton 202 pts Force India’s Adrian sutil(30) AND Paul di Resta (21) are placed 11th and 14th Constructor • Red Bull 595 pts • McLaren 442 pts • Ferrari 325 pts • Mercedes 145 pts • Lotus-Renault 72 pts Force India are placed sixth with 51 points

Lionel Messi ‘tricks in Barca win

Lionel Messi rattled in a 17-minute hattrick as Barcelona swept aside Real Mallorca 5-0 on Saturday while Real Madrid went top of La Liga with a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad.

World Player of the Year Messi has not been at his best in recent games, failing to score in three outings, but quashed any debate over his form with a first-half treble at the Nou Camp that took his league tally this season to 13.

Barca youngster Isaac Cuenca and Dani Alves wrapped up the scoring in the second half to leave the champions second with 24 points from 10 games, one behind leaders Real.

Gonzalo Higuain gave Jose Mourinho’s in-form Real Madrid a ninthminute lead in San Sebastian but the team that netted 28 times in their previous seven matches were denied another hefty win by the battling Basques. Levante, who have dropped to third with 23 points, can reclaim top spot with an

Lionel Messi and midfielder Xavi Hernandez

eighth consecutive victory at Osasuna on Sunday.

Barca coach Pep Guardiola left four World Cup winners on the bench, with a fifth (Xavi) resting in the stands, but they were not missed at the Nou Camp.

The hosts won a penalty for handball in the 13th minute and Messi, who had a last-minute spot kick saved last weekend, blasted the ball high into the net. Adriano's crosscum-shot was turned in by the Argentine in the 21st and Messi then volleyed the third from an Alves

cross in the 30th.

Barca youth team forward Cuenca notched the fourth on his home debut in the 50th minute, rounding the keeper from Thiago Alcantara's defencesplitting pass, before Alves crashed in a fifth from distance at the end.

“It was madness when they said I was in crisis after three games,” Messi told Spanish television.

“It doesn’t bother me. I score when I can and when I don’t the important thing is the team win.”

Barca goalkeeper

Victor Valdes kept a clean sheet for an eighth game in a row and edged towards a club record. The Spanish international last conceded 787 minutes ago, in a 22 draw at Valencia last month, and is only 37 minutes short of the mark held

by Miguel Reina, father of Liverpool keeper Pepe, from the 1972-73 season.

Higuain ran on to Fabio Coentrao’s pass and dinked the ball over Claudio Bravo for the only goal at Socieded but Real Madrid were unable to turn their first-half dominance into a bigger lead.

Sociedad hit back after the break, forcing Iker Casillas into a couple of top-class saves.

Earlier, Villarreal dragged themselves out of the bottom three with a 20 victory at home to Rayo Vallecano, easing the pressure on coach Juan Carlos Garrido.

Mallorca goalkeeper Dudu Aouate (L) vies with Barcelona's Lionel Messi during their Spanish league football match in Barcelona on Saturday.

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Kvitova bags WTA Championship Czech Petra Kvitova wins the trophy of Istanbul WTA tennis masters final against Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka in Istanbul, Turkey. Petra Kvitova provided further proof that she is the rising force in women’s tennis when she beat Victoria Azarenka 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to win the WTA Championships. The 21-year-old Czech, who shot to fame by winning Wimbledon this year, produced a display of power and skill to finally overpower the gritty Azarenka and claim the $1.75 million jackpot after remaining undefeated at the yearending event which featured the world’s top eight players. Victory also confirmed Kvitova at a career-high second in the WTA rankings after ending 2010 in 34th spot and she will enter the new year with No.1 Caroline Wozniacki in her sights.

Darren Bravo show goes on in Dhaka

Bravo show goes on in Dhaka. Darren Bravo remained unbeaten with a solid 151 as the West Indies strengthened their position in the second and final Test against Bangladesh. The tourists were 309-4 in their second innings at lunch on the penultimate day for an overall lead of 433 with six wickets in hand. Shivnarine Chanderpaul was unbeaten on 33 at the break. Bangladesh were bowled out for 231 in their first innings in reply to the West Indies` 355.

Bravo, who completed his maiden Test century off the last ball, added 51 to his overnight score of 100. He has put on 69 for the unfinished fifth-wicket stand with Chanderpaul. Bravo reached the 150mark in the last over with a four off debutant left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo.

He has so far hit two sixes and 10 fours in his 255-ball knock. The West Indies added 102 runs off 30 overs to their overnight total of 207-3 for the loss of just one wicket. Nightwatchman Kemar Roach (12) fell in the day`s 11th over when he was caught by Naeem Islam at long-off off Shuvo after adding 56 runs for the fourth wicket with Bravo. The opening Test ended in a draw in Chittagong.

Defiant Katich gears up for showdown with CA

A defiant Simon Katich is likely to fight the detrimental public comment charge laid against him by Cricket Australia with his manager claiming that the axed opener knew he would land in trouble for blaming Michael Clarke for his ouster.

An angry Katich had stated that his 2009 dressing-room bust-up with nowcaptain Clarke after a Test in Sydney was the reason why he was left out of the contracted players' list earlier this year.

Both Clarke and CA did not take his comments kindly with the governing body accusing him of making a detrimental public comment last week. Katich and his manager Robert Joske will meet a lawyer before deciding the course of response.

Joske said the opener knew what he was getting into when he made the remarks.

"He only ever speaks the truth as far as he perceives it. In saying that, he was aware he probably crossed the line as far as Cricket Australia's directives are concerned," Joske was quoted by media.

Asian Voice - Saturday 5th November 2011

Two cheers for honour redeemed

By Premen Addy

Two hearty cheers to a revitalised Indian ODI side for thrashing visiting England 5 nil in a 5 match series, the third cheer being withheld until something similar is meted out when England come calling again in November-December 2012 for the longer form of the game involving four Test matches. Dwelling on the present, India's emphatic victory was clearly a triumph of skill and character. England were outplayed in every department in every game, which went some way in reducing the pain of England's 4 nil whitewash of India this summer in the Tests and ODIs. India as the visitors did everything wrong: the Test side was poorly selected and physically unfit and mentally stale. They got their comeuppance.

It proved a different ball game in India a month later. The team appeared fitter and rejuvenated. The new faces were spice to the fare, whether batting or bowling, fielding or catching. Most of all, Mahindra Singh Dhoni was reborn as a true leader and captain. His form with the bat was awesome. His every innings was as near perfection as you are like to see in context and timing and runs scored. Amazingly, he was never dismissed even once in the series. Dhoni's handling of his bowlers was beyond reproach, his deportment on and off the field exemplary. His colleagues responded with feats of derring-do of their own.

Virat Kohli's batting was of the highest class, Gautam Gambhir rediscovered his touch with the bat No 3, while Suresh Raina was a powerhouse at most times.

The Indian bowlers were more than match for their English counterparts.

The Kumar brothers, Praveen and Vinay, used the new ball with intelligent swing and seam, with Ravichandran Ashwin offbreaks and doosras and Ravindra Jadeja flighted left-arm spin taking toll of the English batting.

Jadeja's contributions as a middle order batsman possibly heralds the emergence of a genuine allrounder and stiffens the team in a crucial area. The express pace of debutant Varun Aron, a product of the Dennis Lillee school of excellence, augurs well for the future of Indian cricket

India savour their series victory

Only Steven Finn, of the England attack, was a consistent threat. His pace and lift mark him out as a champion.

The English batsmen were unable to cope with the Indian spinners. Waiting in the wings is legspinner Rahul Sharma, whose height makes him an awkward customer. He is certain to make his bow on the international stage sooner rather than later and will be a hit when he does.

And then there is Pragyan Ojha, a leftarm spinner of proven class who is also certain get a recall.

Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar sat out the series to give more

time to their injuries to heal, a wise decision on every count. Their return to international duty will make a telling difference to India's fortunes.

The influence of coach Duncan Fletcher is cl early coming through. We are in for interesting times as India prepare to take on West Indies, Bangladesh and Australia in the coming weeks and months.

The one sour taste to the cricket was the substandard onfield English behaviour. Boorishness is never a pleasant sight. Defeat is rarely pleasant, but it can be borne with dignity. It is well to remember that cricket is a game, not a war.

Pakistan cricketers found guilty of 'spot-fixing' Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif have been found guilty of their part in a 'spot fixing' scam.

Former captain Butt,27, and pace bowler Asif, 28, had denied conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments.

A jury in London's Southwark Crown Court found Butt guilty of both charges and Asif guilty of conspiring to cheat. They plotted to deliberately bowl no-balls during a Lord's Test match against England in the summer of 2010.

The court heard the players, along with fast bowler Amir, conspired with UKbased sports agent of Pakistani extraction, Mazhar Majeed, 36, to fix parts of the Lord's Test in August 2010.

Whither Pakistan cricket? Blaming the Americans won't wash since since cricket is foreign to the country! The Pakistani cricket board and the country's political establishment must accept responsibility for the malaise that has taken hold of their nation. Time to end the blame game, gentlemen. Time to get real.

England beats India by 6 wickets in Twenty20 match Kevin Pietersen returned from injury to hit 53 and give England its only tour victory with a six-wicket win against India in their one-off Twenty20 match at Eden garden, Kolkata. India scored 120-9 after choosing to bat at Eden Gardens and England comfortably reached 121-4 in reply with eight deliveries left.

Pietersen, who missed the last ODI because of a thumb fracture, showed his importance to England with an aggressive display of skillful shots. He came in at 21-1 and departed in the 16th over with victory almost certain at 106-4.

The Surrey batsman was leg before wicket to Suresh Raina after a 39-ball innings which included three sixes and five fours. India gave an early sign of its tactics when spinners Ravichandran Ashwinwhich and Yusuf Pathan opened the bowling attack.

England opener Craig Kieswetter was dismissed in the 4th over for 12 off slow left-armer Ravindra Jadeja but England was never in real trouble from any of the Indian pacers.

Earlier, India started disastrously by

Kevin Pietersen scored an aggressive half-century, India v England

slumping to 26-3 in 5.2 overs. Raina topscored for India with 39, including two sixes, before being caught by Jonathan Bairstow off Steven Finn.

Medium pacers Finn (3-22) and Tim Bresnan (2-19) took five wickets between them in eight tight overs for England, while Ravi Bopara also bowled effectively to take 2-16 off three overs.

England Twenty20 captain Graeme Swann praised Finn's performance.

"He has been the shiniest stuff for us in this whole month," Swann said. "He has always responded whenever we

needed a wicket. He has bowled superbly."

With India struggling at 91-8, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (21) shared a 29run partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin for the ninth wicket.

India brought in opener Robin Uthappa and middle order batsman Yusuf Pathan for the match.

England lost the one-day series against India 5-0 but retained its top spot in the T20 version of the game.

"It has been a tough month for us and we have played some horrible cricket in the last five games," Swann said. "The seam bowlers were outstanding and Kevin Pietersen's work with the bat was phenomenal."

Dhoni said India needed a few more runs, "The wicket was very slow and very difficult. England were bowling in the right area. They used the slower ball really well," Dhoni said. "But if we could have managed 10-15 more runs the game could have been different." England won its previous Twenty20 match against India by six wickets on Aug. 31 in Manchester.