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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th January 2013
How do I apply for a visa to India? If you are planning a trip to India, irrespective of the reason of travel, you need to complete an online application form, take a print out and submit it at the nearest India Visa Application Center in the United Kingdom. This Form is common for all categories being applied for and can be found on our website at http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk along with all required information on fees, documents required and locations where the application can be submitted. You also have the option to send us the application form and all required documents via post to our visa application center in Hayes. It is very important to keep in mind that the two photographs that you do need to submit along with your application must be of a specific size i.e. 50x50 and with a white background. The visa centers in London, Birmingham and Edinburgh do have photo booths that will be able to provide you with the right size and quality. Please note that incorrect or incomplete applications, documentation or photographs may not allow us to proceed with accepting your dossier at the visa center. A comprehensive FAQ tab on the homepage of our website will provide you with more information on your application requirements. Where do I apply for a visa to India? There are 8 locations within the United Kingdom where you can submit your application for a visa to India. These are: India Visa Application Center 60-62 Wilton Road, Victoria, London, SW1V 1DE. India Visa Application Center 142-148 Goswell Road, London EC1V 7DU. India Visa Application Center 1-3, Canalside, Uxbridge Road, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 0JN India Visa Application Center 20 - 21 Pemberton Street, Birmingham B18 6NY India Visa Application Center 66 Hanover Buildings Rose Street, Edinburgh EH2 2NN Submission of Application for all the above centers: 0830 - 1430 Hrs Collection of processed passports from all the above centers: 1300 - 1630 Hrs Monday-Friday India Visa Application Center C/o. The India Centre, Sanquhar Street, Splott, Cardiff, CF24 2AA. Working hours are from 09.00hrs until 14.30hrs Monday to Friday India Visa Application Center C/o. Mel Milaap Centre 134 Berkeley Street, Glasgow, G3 7HY. Working hours are from 0930 - 1430 Hrs Monday-Friday India Visa Application Center C/o. Jain Community Centre 669 Stockport Road, Longsight, Manchester, M12 4QE. Working hours are from 0930 – 1430 Hrs Monday-Friday What documents are required and the subsequent fees to be charged? Complete information on the documents required and the subsequent fees which will be charged can be found under the section ‘All About Your Visa’ on the homepage of our website http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk. Under each category information is broken down into four tabs at the top of the page titled: Visa Fees, Document Checklist, Application Form, Photo Specifications and FAQ. The new tourist visa as the 2 months re-entry restrictions on a Tourist visa has been removed by Government of India (HCI, London) w.e.f 4th Dec.
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Hinduism and Sex: A Debate at LSE
Kishan Devani
HinduJourney held a debate at the London School of Economics on Hinduism and Sex. Kishan Devani delivered a talk to the intellectuals of LSE which looked at the various different approaches to the topic of Hinduism and Sex. The various views both scholarly and scriptural views of Sex within Hinduism were dissected. Then the crowd of students were asked to grapple with their own perceptions of sex within their own lives. The talk was delivered to the Hindu Society at LSE and hence the students looked within their own personal lives to arrive at a conclusion on how they as young Hindus view sex. Pre-Marital Sex, Adultery, Living with someone without getting married were just a few of the areas that were discussed. Kishan Parshotam Vice President of the Hindu Society at LSE, and Khushboo Miyani (Assistant Vice President)
said; "Kishanbhai's speech not only engaged the students in attendance, but provoked thought and intellectual discussions. We, as LSE students, were reminded of the role we should play in our communities in order to be 'good Hindus' and 'good Citizens'. We were very grateful for Kishanbhai's attendance and look forward to inviting him, and Hindu Journey, back to LSE in the future." Nimesh Kara and Sidhant Mehta spoke on Hindu journey and its progress. The short talk consisted on explaining to students what HinduJourney was and their main aims, particularly stressing the importance of the seva and social strands. Many students from the society were interested in joining in such activities. Mr Devani closed the debate with an important message for many Hindu Youths; where he stressed the importance of joining public life and giving back to British Society ‘It is vital that we as young British Hindus involve ourselves within professions such as the media, journalism and politics, by which we can serve Britain; we are fortunate to have inspirational people within our community who have given back to Britain; who we can look up to’.
Stamford Bridge comes to Chak 89 Diners at Chak 89 were in for a pleasant surprise on Sunday, 23rd December when several Chelsea players walked in to celebrate their 8-0 whitewash of Aston Villa by tucking into their favourite Indian cuisine. Arsenal player Gervinho joined young Chelsea players David Luiz, Oscar, Lucas Paizon and Victor Moses in their 'curry' outing. This award-winning Indian restaurant in South London is not new to hosting celebrities. Many Bollywood actors, sports personalities and politicians are frequent customers at Chak 89. For Frank Khalid, owner of Chak 89 and a huge
Chelsea fan, it was a night like no other. He was thrilled to see his favourite football players digging into a variety of traditional Indian dishes, his restaurant is famous for. The ambience was overwhelming as everyone cheered and applauded the players who went around to meet other diners and have their pictures taken. The players also signed the famous Chak 89 board to show their appreciation for the beautiful food, service and ambience.
Jain Group Raises £65,000 for DeafBlind Children A cheque of £65,278 was presented by Jain group Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur UK (SRMD UK) to a charity Sense International supporting deaf and blind children from proceeds of the landmark the 'Love of Faith' Walk held in central London by the Jain community. Attending the walk were over 450 participants from across the world with representatives from nine faiths.
Mayur Mehta President of SRMD UK, Sunil Sheth Chairman of Sense International, Mayor of Harrow Cllr Nazim Ismail, Deepa Mehta of SRMD UK, other supporters and well wishers
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Short Story by Neha Garg
The Wicked Witch of the North – Part 1 Once upon a time, there lived a mighty witch named Frieda. She lived just north of a pretty little seaside town called Tring and did her best to uphold the old witching traditions and be as wicked as possible. The people of Tring never saw her step outside her little brick cottage. The cottage was run down and crumbling and looked like it was only held up by the poison ivy that grew all around it. The ivy covered the cottage so completely that no one could get in or out at the little wooden door. The garden was overgrown and covered in weeds. The only thing that suggested that someone must still live inside was the brightly coloured smoke occasionally rising out of its chimney and the little brown owl flying in and out of a window at the back. The townsfolk of Tring never went near the cottage if they could help it, for they had heard stories. Stories of a wicked witch who spent all day brewing horrible potions capable of all kinds of horrible things. ‘You are not to step foot anywhere near that old witch’s cottage,’ mothers would tell their children. ‘She’ll cook you in one of her potions and feed you to her owl.’ ‘But ma,’ whined the children. ‘The apples in her orchard are as big as watermelons …’ ‘That’s because they are full of magic potions,’ mothers would warn. You see, Frieda the Witch had a great liking for big, red, juicy apples and behind her cottage she had planted the greenest, leafiest and fruitiest apple orchard you’d ever see. But the witch, as all witches tend to do, hated children and specially hated the children
who creeped up in the middle of the day to steal apples out of her orchard. ‘This’ll show them,’
said the Wicked Witch, cackling to herself one fine day. ‘This’ll show those pesky kids.’ She stirred her steaming cauldron clockwise, three times and then anticlockwise until the smoke started to turn green. ‘They won’t dare step in my orchard again,’ she mumbled to herself. She stood on tip-toe to reach a jar marked, Bat’s Spleen Powdered, and dropped a pinch of it in her cauldron. The smoke turned a bright orange. An owl flew in at her window and sat at the edge of the bubbling cauldron. ‘Aah, there you are my darling,’ said the Witch, looking up from behind a menacing looking book called 101 ways to turn children into rats. ‘Carrots’ said the owl because that was all he could say. The Witch grinned, showing off what was left of her dirty yellow teeth. ‘You are just in time, my darling,’ she said, stroking the owl, under its chin. ‘Carrots,’ said the owl again. ‘You must fly to the orchard tonight my darling,’ said the witch to her owl, feeding him a chunk of carrot. ‘After today, we won’t be seeing those pesky kids ever again …’ ‘Carrots,’ said the owl a third time, but this time you could make out a grin on its pointy little beak.