Asian Voice

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

VOL 40. ISSUE 35

Asians shine in the 2012 New Year Honours List The 2012 New Year Honours list is extremely varied, reflecting the range of skills and talents across the country including around 35 Asians or South Asians.

The list includes a Formula One racing driver, a stone mason, a greyhound trainer, a master glazier and the managing director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach. 43 per cent of the awards go to women.

Honours lists are published twice a year at New Year and in midJune on the date of The Queen’s official birthday. Anyone can receive an award if they reach the required standard of merit or service, and honours lists contain a wide variety of people from different backgrounds. Anyone can nominate someone for an award.

However, the Labour party has severely criticised the awards, suggesting the Government was using the system to reward individuals who had been generous to the Conservative party.

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7th January to 13th January 2012

High-voltage polls to make 2012 electrifying

If 2011 seems to have gone in a flash, 2012 may zip by even quicker. The Election Commission has declared dates for assembly elections in five states in January and February with the results bound to mar or boost UPA-2’s position.

After the highly divisive winter session of Parliament ended in a dramatic deadlock over the Lokpal Bill, parties will plunge into electoral contests, including the battle for Uttar Pradesh that promises to have a profound impact on political equations at the Centre.

The UP poll can rewire Congress-SP ties, mark Mayawati’s decline and make or mar Rahul Gandhi’s bid to set Congress on an upward trajectory ahead of the 2014 general elections. It might mark the difference between quickening the perception of UPA-2’s

decline and giving Congress a much-needed lifeline.

While scams like 2G, the Commonwealth Games and Adarsh that dominated politics in 2011 are yet to fade, the Anna Hazare campaign for a Lokpal that promises to radically alter executive, investigative and judicial functions will cast its shadow on the year ahead despite the Gandhian was forced to cancel his fast following illness. Just when Parliament might have prevailed, political rivalries have given Team Anna a chance to get back in the game.

The state elections will be followed by the presidential election that will

demand great skill from the government in picking a candidate who can attract a significant chunk of opposition votes but is still the “right choice” for the office that plays a key role in the formation of coalition governments.

Of the elections in 5 states in January-February, the Uttar Pradesh polls will be closely watched and Continued on page 26

London ushers in 2012 with grandeur

See story on page 9

Murder of Indian student raises safety concerns regarding South Asians in Britain Britain has been renowned for its tolerance, ethics and multiculturalism. But the recent murder of Indian student Anuj Bidve, for allegedly not telling the time, has forced people to question the ‘British equality’ we take pride in. It has also raised concerns regarding the morals of the British

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youth, who live on benefits and indulge in looting and gang culture or violence.

Anuj, 23, was shot dead on Boxing Day at a close range by a gunman in an apparently motiveless attack in the Ordsall district of Salford, Greater Manchester.

Continued on page 14

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Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Malayali boy on design team of Bentley and Olympics 2012 train Rajesh Kutti, a Malayali youth has converted his dream into reality. Rajesh who has loved cars always, even before he learnt his alphabets, is now on the design team of some of the most luxurious cars in the world.

Rajesh is currently employed by Bentley Motors, UK and designs cars like Mulsanne, Continental GT or other such fancy cars. He is also one of the few people on this planet who is working on the design team of a train which will be used at London Olympics 2012.

An internship at TAFE

was the turning point of Kutti’s career where he learnt about designing.

Finally a degree from Coventry Institute in London has now seen Rajesh (pictured) based in Crewe, UK where he is one of the few successful car designers from India.

When asked by Rush Lane, a popular source on Indian auto news, if Mr Kutti would mind moving to India, he said, “My heart is in India but my particular profession does not have many avenues in India where the concept of interior car designing has not matured enough. I

Rajesh Kutti

miss home, the food and the culture that is uniquely Indian! The realisation that the car market was primarily in the West prompted me to pursue

my passion in London which is where the action was. The job I currently do is very challenging, competitive, involves immense team work and the personal and professional satisfaction is great.”

Regarding tips for youngsters in his profession, Mr Kutti excitedly added, “You can never quantify design! If you are creative, it will show in the sketches and models that you make. Car designing is more of an art and an inherent flair for designing is perhaps more important than the requisite engineering degree.”

Sony appoints new VP Business Head for Europe Sony Entertainment Network (SEN) has announced the appointment of Tony Lit as VP Business Head for Europe, overseeing the UK and European operations for its three flagship channels, SET Asia, MAX and SAB. Lit, former Managing Director of Sunrise Radio, has been responsible for many integral achievements for Litt Corporation, the family business. One of Lit’s major responsibilities was overseeing the Litt Corporation Asian Radio business taking it to the number one position of the most listened Asian radio station network n the UK, ahead of BBC’s offering.

Reporting to Neeraj Arora, Executive Vice President Head of

Tony Lit

International Business, Lit will be responsible for the revenue streams in the territory.

Arora commented, “I am delighted with the appointment of Tony Lit as the European Business Head for Sony Entertainment Network.

Tony’s previous experience broadens our strategic depth within the sales

and distribution functions as he brings a wealth of skills and knowledge that will enable us to source new opportunities in the television market. Tony’s previous contribution to the broadcast industry will make him ideally suited to drive the progression of SEN’s future strategy.”

Lit added, “SEN is a powerful, global brand with a great range of channels for the audiences. It is the home of one of the most respected international television channels in the world and it will be exciting to help bring it to the deserved position as the preferred choice in Asian households. I had 13 fantastic years at the Litt Corp and now look forward to my new role and challenges that lay ahead which

includes working with the entire team at SEN and creating greater value for our current and new audiences and clients”. Tony Lit, pictured, has started his role in January 2012.

Asian Achievers Awards 2011 will be telecasted on 7th & 8th January, 2012 at 6pm on SKY 831 (Imagine Dil Se)

Virendra Sharma MP cleared

by Electoral Commission The independent Electoral Commission have conducted a thorough and impartial investigation into allegations that Virendra Sharma MP received an impermissible donation to fund an election victory party and have completely cleared him of any wrong doing.

The Electoral Commission have written to Mr Sharma in the end of December to confirm that he did not receive any such donation and had no connection with the alleged donation either directly or indirectly and that the matter having being investigated by them is now closed.

Virendra Sharma told Asian Voice, “From the beginning I was very happy to co-operate with the Electoral Commission

Virendra Sharma MP

in order to set the record straight. I am delighted that they have unequivocally concluded that these allegations against me were false. It is always difficult when untrue allegations of this nature are made and I am very pleased that my name has been cleared by the impartial Electoral Commission.”

MPs and peers reject demands to serve halal meat at Westminster Lord Ahmed of Rotherham (pictured) thinks halal should be made available as an option.

The Palace of Westminster has rejected demands to serve halal meat in its restaurants.

Muslim MPs and peers have been told they cannot have meat slaughtered in line with Islamic tradition because the method – slitting an animal’s throat without first stunning it – is offensive to many of

their non-Muslim colleagues.

The stance has infuriated some parliamentarians who have eaten meat in the Palace’s 23 restaurants and cafes, having been assured that it was halal.

In 2010, the Mail on Sunday revealed schools, hospitals and restaurants were serving halal meat to unwitting customers.

Fast-food chains including Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, KFC, Nando’s and Subway are also using halal meat, it was revealed.

Members of the Church of England have complained that the spread of halal meat was ‘effectively spreading Sharia law’ across Britain.

The Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards 2012 It is that time of year again…The Asian Voice Public and Political Life Awards nominations. The awards celebrate the achievements of those who have made a special contribution to our political or public life over the last 12 months in a variety of fields.

The Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards represent Asian Voice’s modest effort to honour a number of outstanding individuals from different communities, walks of life and diverse political persuasions who serve society in their own special way, and who contribute significantly, in whatever they do, towards making a better world today and for the future.

These awards are given annually to individuals who have made a special impact in the preceding 12 months, ranging from international politicians to individuals who have made a big difference in their local communities.

It is the fifth year the awards have been presented and as in previous years, the event will be attended by 250 high profile politicians from all political parties, business men, community leaders. The awards for the achievements in 2011 will be handed out at the prestigious ceremony in the Members Dining Room of the House of Commons on 23rd February 2012.

The nominations for the political awards have been drawn up, and are as follows: l Cabinet Minister of the Year – last year’s winner was Rt Hon Michael Gove MP l This year’s nominations are: Andrew Mitchell, Ken Clarke and William Hague MP l Lib Dem Minister of the Year l This year’s nominations are: Vince Cable, Danny Alexander and Sarah Teather MP l Shadow Cabinet Minister of the Year – last year’s winner was Opposition Leader Ed Miliband. l This year’s nominations are: Yvette Cooper, Rachel Reeves, Andy Burnham MP l Junior Minister of the Year – last year’s winner was Ed Davey MP l This year’s nominations are: Alistair Burt, Lynne Featherstone, Stephen O’Brien MP l Labour Backbencher of the Year – last year’s winner was Anas Sarwar MP l This year’s nominations are: Stella Creasy, Lisa Nandy, Gloria de Piero MP l Liberal Democrat Backbencher of the Year – last year’s winner was Dr Julian Huppert MP l This year’s nominations are: Jo Swinson, Duncan Hames, Sir Alan Beith MP l Conservative Backbencher of the Year – last year’s winner was Nadhim Zahawi MP l This year’s nominations are: Nicola Blackwood, Adam Afriyie, Henry Smith MP

We’re seeking your nominations for the following categories: l TV Personality of the Year – last year’s winner was Rudolph Walker l Journalist of the Year – last year’s winner was Paul l Lewis of the Guardian l Restaurant of the Year – last year’s winner was Curry Fever l Asian Broadcaster of the Year l Business Person of the Year – last year’s winner was Fukhera Khalid l Broadcaster of the Year – last year’s winner was B4U l Parliamentary Journalist of the Year l Local Government Award – last year’s joint winners were Lutfur Rahman and Dr Neeraj Patil l Diversity Award l Face of the Future Award – last year’s winner was Arjun Rajyagor l Sports Personality of the Year Award l Community Award – last year’s winner was Ranjit Mathrani l Lifetime Achievement Award – last year’s winner was Nirmal Sethia

Please send your nominations into Political and Public Life Awards at: ppla@live.co.uk

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

COMMENT

Osborne should rethink solutions to failing economy Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has nailed his colours to the Coalition's economic recovery plan. This was put through Parliament with resounding words reflecting confidence and hope. But tackling an economy in crisis is a tricky business. Nothing is cast in stone. Panaceas for one generation may not work for its successors.

Circumstances change and cures must attend to novel afflictions. The Coalition will be completing its second year in office in six months and it has to show some results for its economic reforms.

The only results on view are scarcely encouraging: what was once bad grows worse by the day.

Growth has virtually disappeared as austerity bites ever deeper. Government revenues have fallen as unemployment keeps rising. More alarming are the statistics for the young unemployed. The critical years of their lives may see most without work and without hope. The scale of the possible social blight is frightening as will be their likely consequences. With figures of those below the poverty line multiplying the time surely has come for Mr Osborne and his colleagues to take pause and rethink their priorities. Even Tory panjandrums like former minister Peter Lilley are recommending a course correction, although what they have in mind may not suffice. According to Mr Lilley, Mr Osborne must take over the controls from the Bank of England. That alone is

unlikely to settle the rocking ship. Tinkering with finances will bring no durable recovery.

More radical measures must be put in place.

Regulated subsidies for small and medium businesses, the revival of apprenticeships for young job seekers may be a modest way forward. They could create the desired momentum and bring back the growth cycle. In an inter-dependent world, there is only so much national government can do. The crisis in the eurozone affects Britain's economic prospects, but there is not much London can do to resolve the woes of the euro.

Endless summits between Chancellor Merkel of Germany and France's President Sarkozy have yielded precious little beyond the usual cascades of buoyant rhetoric. Actions not words are where the solutions lie. Eurozone leadership is sadly lacking.

Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank has warned of the dire consequences that could follow the break-up of the eurozone; he highlights the spiralling debt that threatens the future of Europe itself. That a man in his position should have uttered this warning tells its own tale. The larger scenario is no comfort to Mr Osborne. He has limited space in which to manoeuvre, but he must take his chance all same.

China's sermon to India on good behaviour Beijing is breathing fire at India once more. The reason this time is less about what India has said or done, but what it might do in the future. Put simply, it is the test of Agni V, India's intercontinental ballistic missile test, scheduled for February. The earlier range of Agnis elicited no visible reaction from the leaders of the Middle Kingdom. Perhaps they felt that doing so would confer prestige on India, an entity worthy of no more respect than that given to a tributary in the hoary past. Besides the first Agnis were not designed for China and could barely reach its inner frontiers. But the longer range Agnis IV and V have the capability to strike deep into the Chinese hinterland.

This time, therefore, the matter was serious and the People's Daily, the organ of the Communist party, duly took note of these developments. An article in the newspaper in midDecember appeared to censure New Delhi for its regional and global ambitions without precisely specifying what these were. The writer also advised India to cultivatee friendly relations with its neighbours, a bit rich coming from a country that once invaded neighbouring Vietnam “to teach

it a lesson just as India had been taught a lesson in [October-November] 1962.”

Beijing got no mileage out of its aggression on Vietnam, but it did with India. Indian leaders are determined that the events of 1962 should never again recur. The country's nuclear and conventional deterrence should ensure India's security.

When China rails at India's regional ambitions is it protesting New Delhi's refusal, explicitly and implicitly, to accept Chinese hegemony in Asia?

Possibly. China sees itself as the world's second superpower and a worthy interlocutor for the United States. India with its lowlier status deserves little comparable respect or consideration.

The People's Daily told India to get rid of its “persecution mania”, a subject on which Beijing is widely accepted to be the most authoritative international authority! The games nations play: when China supplied Pakistan with nuclear weapon technology and the bomb itself from its armoury, it clearly never reckoned with the consequences of such malevolent recklessness. The chickens are coming home to roost. As you sow, so shall you reap. Hubris and Nemesis are conjoined.

Ugly truth about Iraq cannot be camouflaged with silken words President Barack Obama and US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta chose to bring down the curtain on America's costly adventure in Iraq with a string of hyperboles that have long ceased to carry any conviction in Iraq and promises diminishing political returns on US campaign trails. They left a desolation and called it peace, remarked the Roman historian Tacitus after Rome's conquest and pacification of alien territory.

The bald statistics of the US record in Iraq makes horrifying reading. America's dead numbered 4,500, Iraq counted its dead as 115,000 but the figure will double if collateral damage is included. Three million Iraqis live a life of destitution as refugees in Jordan and Syria. Iraqi infrastructure has been demolished, with severe power shortages, broken sewage systems and water supplies. The education system, once the best in the Arab Middle East, is in ruins and sectarian strife is rife. US troops left the contested Faluja district with the curses of ordinary Iraqis ringing in their ears. This was no American victory, it will forever remain America's shame.

Civil liberties and the rule of law, as we are

accustomed to perceive these terms in practice, are unknown territory in Iraq. The country's rulers are a cabal responsible to no recognizable constituency.

President Obama had opposed his predecessor George W. Bush's war, but has ended up supporting its terrible consequences with a deluge of triumphalism. The relentless pursuit of America's manifest destiny has yielded nothing more than bucketfuls of sweat and tears.

The unilateral world order the US seeks is surely unattainable. The country's economy simply limps along, its coffers stretched to breaking point, the national debt truly astronomical and needing astronomical metaphors to bring it within human comprehension. Washington's diplomacy is in disarray, with rebellious satraps, notably Pakistan, questioning its every move.

The time has come to turn swords into ploughshares.

The 2012 US presidential election will have to throw up credible answers. Does America have the strength and wisdom to do so? Or will the nation's social and economic woes crowd out all other issues?

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Thought for the Week We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day..

- Edith Lovejoy Pierce

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

2011: the year in perspective I find the start of a new year is a good time to stop and reflect on the year just gone – to remember the good memories and to learn from the not so good.

As a local MP, I know that it’s been a tough year for many people.

Some people have lost their jobs and it’s become harder to find a job, particularly for young people.

Meanwhile the cost of living has risen, and families are increasingly having to cope with higher bills for everyday essentials.

These facts make it more important than ever for us in Government and around the country to re-double our efforts to do what we can to help people in these tough times. Looking back over the past year, I think we’ve made good progress despite the global financial crisis, although there’s still more to do.

As Liberal Democrats we’ve fought for fairness in the tax system. We are on course to take the lowest earners out of paying income tax altogether by the time of the next general election. If you pay tax on your job or pension as most people will do, you may have noticed this extra money in your pay packet every month.

We’re also cracking down on the measures the very richest take to avoid paying tax and have raised £2bn extra in 2011 from top earners.

We have also invested money into our children’s futures - an area particularly close to my heart as a Minister in the Department for Education. This year we

have been able to raise the amount of money each disadvantaged school pupil gets through the pupil premium from £430 to £600 and we have also increased the number of pupils who are eligible for this money by extending the offer to all pupils who have been eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years. What is more, for younger children, we have built on the 15 hours of free childcare that all parents of three and four year-olds currently get by extending this to 260,000 of the most disadvantaged two year-olds.

We all know how difficult the job market is at the moment particularly for young people with little or no work e x p e r i e n c e .

Consequently, to help get young people into work we have set up the £1 billion pound Youth Contract, which aims to ensure that all jobless young people are either earning or learning.

Starting next April, the Youth Contract will provide at least 410,000 new work places for 18 to 24 year olds to help make sure that our country’s young people can access good quality sustainable jobs.

In this way, the Liberal Democrats have done our best to make 2012 the year, when despite tough times, more families up and down the country will have the support they need. We’ll keep fighting for a fairer Britain next year and every year until the end of this Parliament and beyond.

Finally, I’d like to take this chance to wish all the readers of Asian Voice a happy, healthy and successful 2012.

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 7th January 2012

In brief

Email: majithia.meera@gmail.com

Leicester Voice

Licences denied in the city

By Meera Majithia

Great start to the New Year for police officer An inspector who has been battling with leukaemia for many months was gifted with the best possible Christmas present, as a bone marrow donor match for him was found.

Inspector Rik Basra who was diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia was due to have the bone marrow transplant over the holiday period.

His wife, Kas Basra said: “We cannot believe this miracle. We have all prayed and worked so hard for this moment and we can’t believe it is now happening. Although Rik still has to undergo the transplant and has a long recovery ahead of him, he now has a chance of life and that is fantastic. This is the greatest Christmas present we could have ever wished for.”

Over the past few months, many of Rik’s family, friends and col-

ing events to support Rik and many other people suffering from blood cancers.

More than 750 people attended two donor sessions held at Leicester’s Diwali celebrations and at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara on East Park Road. Many more people have registered on line following the awareness raising campaign.

Kas added: “I would like to personally thank everyone, including the charity Anthony Nolan, for the overwhelming support we have received throughout this anxious time.

“The biggest thanks must go to the consultants, doctors and nurses at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, who have and continue to care for Rik. Without their support, none of this would have been possible.”

Inspector Rik Basra

leagues have undertaken a number of donor giving and awareness rais-

DMU champion and expert shoe designer recognised for contribution to footwear industry De Montfort University (DMU) honorand and world-renowned shoe designer Jimmy Choo has been honoured for his outstanding achievements in the footwear industry.

As part of its annual recognition of the world’s most outstanding Chinese designer, the Hong Kong Design Center (HKDC) has awarded Dato Professor Jimmy Choo OBE with its 2011 accolade.

The World’s Outstanding Chinese Designer Award 2011 honours designers of Chinese heritage who have demonstrated significant contributions to the design community and have continued to devote themselves to the development of design through supporting educational, training and research activities across the globe.

Choo said: “I am extremely honoured and very proud to receive this

special award and very grateful for the recognition.”

Choo is a champion of DMU’s unique BA (Hons) Footwear Design course is the only single honours footwear degree in the UK and also holds an Honorary Doctor of Arts from the university.

In 2009 he visited DMU, which is based in Leicester, UK, to give a masterclass to footwear design students and has continued to provide internships for the university’s students and graduates at his Couture House in London, UK. Dr Gerard Moran, dean of Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities, said: “We at De Montfort University, in Leicester, congratulate Jimmy Choo, Honorary Doctor of Arts at the university, on receiving the World’s Outstanding Chinese Designer Award 2011.

“Jimmy is truly a role model for young designers everywhere, as has demonstrated in providing masterclasses, inspiration and work experience for De Montfort University footwear design students. We’re honoured to be associated with him and delighted at his receipt of this greatly deserved recognition of his achievements.”

Choo, who was born in Malaysia into a family of shoemakers of Chinese descent, made his first shoe at only 11-years-old.

His determination to follow in his father’s footsteps and master the art of shoe design brought him to London where he established his couture label in 1986. His made-toorder designs include an extensive range of bespoke handmade women’s shoes, which are favoured by international stars worldwide, including the late Princess Diana.

Leicestershire County Council’s Big Society Grant Fund still has funds available for community groups to develop projects and activities, which will help to make the Big Society a reality in local communities.

So far, 29 projects from around the County have been awarded a total of £127,000, leaving just over £200,000 still to be allocated at two further Panel meetings, which are expected to be held in January and March 2012.

Grants of up to £15,000 have so far been approved by the Grants Panel. Successful projects have included: community consultation exercises; extensions to community buildings; support for volunteers; and specialist support to help community organisations with business planning and feasibility studies.

In addition to the Big Society Grant Fund, Leicestershire County Council will also have further funds available for Leicestershire’s communities in 2012 through the Community Forum Budgets process.

A round of 25 Community Forum workshops have recently allocated a total of £320,000 to over 139 community projects, ranging from village hall refurbishments to projects reducing crime in local areas.

The allocation of this funding

involved an interactive process, where residents of the Community Forum areas were asked to vote on the projects they felt were most worthwhile for their local communities, thus allocating the selected projects a share of the funding.

The good news is there is still chance to get involved. In Summer 2012, the Community Forum Budget process will be repeated, giving residents the opportunity to bid for funding to help improve their local communities. You can review and comment on all projects by visiting

www.leicestershireforums.org/cfb Nick Rushton, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for the Big Society, said: “Both of these funding schemes have supported a wide range of excellent community projects across the County. This is the Big Society in action in Leicestershire and I would urge more people to come forward and bid for the funding.”

Funding available for community groups

For more information, visit: www.leics.gov.uk/bigsociety or call 0116 305 7269 or 0116 305 7034.

Three sexual entertainment venues in Leicester have been denied licensing applications to continue trading. Members of Leicester City Council’s licensing committee considered the applications from five such venues across the city to continue trading.

New legislation means any such businesses already trading as of April 2011 must apply for permission to continue trading after April 2012.

The committee made its decisions to close the three clubs after taking into account their locations. The city council’s policy on Licensing of Sexual Entertainment Venues was brought in to set a standard for any future licensing applications.

The policy allows the council to licence up to five venues within the city centre and Braunstone Gate area, although the committee has chosen to licence just two.

New mums get expert advice

New mums at Leicester’s Hospitals are benefiting from expert advice and faster discharge thanks to a brand new DVD. Each day around 15 new mums and their babies are discharged home from the Leicester General maternity ward. Historically midwives would meet with each mum in the run up to their discharge to talk through relevant information.

Now mums still meet with midwives who answer specific questions however all of the basic information is shown on a specially designed DVD. Marian Parrish, maternity ward manager, said: “We need give women some very specific information before they head home with their newborn.

Midwives always gave this information however it was a very time consuming part of their day given the number of women who have their babies with us. The DVD means that staff can carry out other duties while women watch the film and can then be on hand to answer any questions afterwards.

“Both mums and midwives have been really positive about us using the DVD, which has been received extremely well and other NHS Trusts have been in touch to find out more.”

The DVD, produced by Leicester’s Hospitals Medical Illustration team, contains a variety of information including facts about the care women will receive in the community, advice on breastfeeding and the best way to bathe a newborn.

Double bundle of joy for couple After 15 years of marriage a couple is finally celebrating the birth of two new arrivals in the new year.

Jagruti Kanabar was one a few mums in the country who gave birth between midnight and 10am on New Years day. She gave birth to twins at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Born one minute apart shortly after 3am, her son and daughter, weight 6lb 3oz and 5lb 4oz.

Jagruti and her husband Mitesh are delighted with their new bundles of joy. The couple were trying to start a family for a very long time and did not even buy anything for the new borns before their arrival as they felt quite superstitious.

Get ready for the big swim Leicester City is hosting a special launch event to mark the special ‘Swimathon’ weekend set to take place in April this year.

The national fundraising campaign, now in its 25th year raises millions of pounds for various charities including Marie Curie Cancer Care and Sport Relief.

On Thursday, January 2th Ayelstone Leisure Centre is hosting a special event for the 2012 ‘Swimathon’ weekend

which will feature a training and coaching session from one of the region’s top swimmers.

Leicester has been selected as one of 10 cities across the UK to hold these launch events for the main event which is set to take place on April 27th, 28th and 29th in 645 pools across the country.

It is designed to encourage swimmers to take part in the main Swimathon event in April, at which they can choose between a number of

different-length swims, including the Big Splash Mile for Sport Relief, or the 2.5k and 5k distance challenges for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Leicester assistant city mayor responsible for heritage, leisure and sport, Cllr Piara Singh Clair, said: “I’m delighted that Leicester has been chosen to launch this year’s Swimathon launch at Aylestone Leisure Centre.

“Swimathon has proved over many years to be a very

popular community event, which combines exercise and fitness with raising money for very worthy causes, and I hope this year’s events will be as successful as ever.”

Organisers hope the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will help inspire people to get involved in sporting activities.

Swimmers can register to take part in a Swimathon Weekend challenge at swimathon.org

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Dismissed for being white?

A principal and his wife have been sacked from a college whose stated aim is to promote multiculturalism allegedly because they are white Christians, the couple has claimed.

Professor Malory Nye, 47, has reportedly claimed that he was dismissed from the Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education in Dundee, Scotland, because his race and religion were seen by his superiors as a threat to its core Muslim values.

He told the national daily media in the UK that the college’s claims to pursuing multicultural values were a charade and that he was dismissed so he could be replaced by a Muslim.

His wife Isabel Campbell-Nye, 42, alleges she was forced from her position as head of the English language centre because she attracted too many students who were not Muslims or Arabs.

The independent college, whose patron is Sheikh Hamdan Bin Prof Malory Nye and wife Isabel Rashid Al-Maktoum, Campbell-Nye the Deputy Ruler of community’.

Dubai, advertises itself as The couple are taking a research-led institution the college to an employ‘that promotes a greater ment tribunal claiming understanding of different racial and religious disreligions and cultures in a crimination, and unfair multicultural context, for dismissal. the benefit of the wider

New back door for immigrants to Britain Brussels rules are reportedly letting thousands of migrants into Britain ‘by the back door’. Nearly 11,000 moved here this year on the basis of having been given citizenship in another EU country.

The total, revealed in figures from the Office for National Statistics, is up more than a third on the 8,000 cases recorded in 2006. Many of the migrants would normally have been barred from taking up residence in Britain.

But under EU rules they are automatically entitled to come here once

they have EU citizenship and start working – or claiming benefits. The data, compiled from passenger surveys, shows that 47,000 non-EU immigrants have found their way to the UK using this method over the past five years.

Priti Patel, the Tory MP who uncovered the information, said the loophole completely undermined Government efforts to curb the surge in immigration that took place under Labour. She urged ministers to raise the issue in Brussels and take action to wrest back

control of Britain’s borders.

Miss Patel took up the issue herself after a BBC documentary in October highlighted the case of an Ecuadorean family who moved to London after gaining citizenship in Spain.

The family of six were receiving ￡2,300 a month in housing benefit to rent a flat in Islington, as well as tax credits and child benefit.

Miss Patel said she was ‘astonished’ by the number of people entering the UK by this route.

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Couple married via video finally meets in the UK A love-struck couple who got married via video link because they live 3,500 miles apart have finally shared their first kiss three months after the big day.

Syed Islam, from Southampton, Hants, and his blushing bride Monira Chowdhury, from Pennsylvania, America, both 28, had only met face-to-face for ten minutes as children.

Years later they were reunited during a series of internet video Skype sessions in which they fell head over heels in love.

With friends and family watching on both sides of the Atlantic, the couple donned traditional outfits for the internet wedding in September.

Now more than 100 days later, the couple have finally met as husband and wife after Monira moved to England.

Syed, 28, who is studying business administration at Solent University in Southampton, said: ‘I went to meet her at Heathrow Airport and hugged her when I saw her.

‘At first she was a bit shy, but after that it was very normal. It was very exciting to see her.

‘I know the marriage

Syed and Monira

was unusual but I could say the distance doesn’t matter in the modern world.

‘People can share their lives through modern technology.

‘We talked to each other on Skype all the time, we discussed my views and her views and it all came together at one point and we decided to marry.

‘There are three things that are very important trust, honesty and faith

and we have all these three things, so we will definitely be a very happy couple.’

Monira, 28, added: ‘He was exactly how I expected him to be - he’s a very good person and we’re getting on very well.

‘We’re very committed to each other.’ The couple met after they were introduced to each other by Syed’s mother-in-law.

They hope to have a party in Bangladesh, where Syed originates from, next year, when they will celebrate their wedding with more relatives. For now, Syed has introduced Monira to his family in Southampton and hopes to take her on a sightseeing tour of the UK, before she returns to America in April.

Syed hopes to follow soon afterwards when they plan to settle down.

He added: ‘We’re very happy together and that is the main thing.’

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Cllr Rabi Martins Watford Borough Council

By Spriha Srivastava

SRK does it again All SRK fans have been on cloud nine ever since Don released. While the film broke many records, it also proved that Shah Rukh Khan is here to stay for many more years, perhaps like the Big B. With a variety of roles in his kitty, SRK has come a long way from where he started.

I still remember watching him in Army – the famous TV series.

Back then he looked no superstar but slowly made his way to the top.

Whether it’s romance or action, the role of a smug gangster or that of a supernatural robot, he has done it time and again.

But before getting too carried away with my fascination for SRK, I will come back to Don 2 – the subject of discussion here. The movie has received mixed reviews from critics around the world.

While many praise the gripping script in the second half of the movie, a few have criticised SRK shuttling between a gangster and his romantic interest in Priyanka Chopra.

The movie starts off with Don planning a super complicated deal in Berlin, and getting together all the right people for it. The problem here is that the second

half of the movie seems to be much more gripping than the first part.

And so, by the time the actual action part comes, viewers are already in a dull mode.

However there are number of action scenes - a prison break, there’s a stylised song, there’s a car chase, there are imperson-

ed turn of events for which the credit goes to Farhan Akhtar.

The multi-talented director keeps you on the hook till the end of the movie for the final act to be revealed. A well-planned script I must

say!

As for music, the movie lacks some.

There’s only one choreographed song in the film and then another over the closing credits.

Reports suggest that the idea was to make it a more Hollywood styled action than a normal bollywood musical. A good attempt for sure as the movie is definitely a serious action film.

Apart from a few emotional and romantic scenes here and there, the movie delivers what it promises.

The movie is central to SRK’s Shah Rukh Khan & character and he Priyanka Chopra delivers his best.

However, one canations, there’s an incrednot ignore Boman Irani’s ibly complex bank robfabulous performance in bery involving a hacker, the film. He adds the there are blasts, much needed spice to the hostages, negotiations, film and so does solution in sight and Priyanka Chopra. In all, (like in 'Don') there’s a the movie is a must clever reveal at the end. watch, even if you are The movie also has not a SRK fan. It’s a many jaw-dropping diversion from our usual moments, interesting bollywood musicals. dialogues and unexpect-

London looks forward to Players Come this weekend and another bollywood action flick will hit the screens. AbhishekBipasha starrer Players – Go for Gold is set to hit the screens on January 6th across the UK. The dynamic director duo Abbas-Mustan are back to enthrall audiences once again with their lean and mean heist flick Players- Go for Gold.

Players has a massive Bollywood star cast including the likes of Bipasha Basu, Sonam Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Omi Vaidya and many others.

The movie is an official remake of the 1969 British hit, The Italian Job and is set against the backdrop of gorgeous locales in Russia, New Zealand, Goa and Mumbai.

Mr. Sunil Shah, Head of Film Distribution B4U Pictures stated: “B4U Pictures are proud to release AbbasMustan’s film ‘Players’, after the super success of ‘Race’. ‘Players’ is set to be the first big blockbuster of 2012, releasing 6th January in the UK and world-

Equality and contribution It has taken a while but the signs are that the Liberal Democrats are beginning to flex their muscles and risk causing their senior coalition partners a degree of unease.

Not for the first time Baroness Warsi has accused Simon Hughes of trying to wreck the Coalition. Simon will wear this as a badge of honour because he sees himself as the champion of his party activists and not as a mouth piece for the coalition government. He is of course absolutely right to do so. Whilst the majority of Lib Dem members supported the decision by the leadership to enter into a coalition with the conservatives, there is no hiding the fact that a growing number have recently started to ask if the party was paying too high a price for the privilege of being in government.

The Party’s poor showing in the polls and the battering we took at in last year’s local council election served only to increase this sense of unease.

Liberal Democrats members are a loyal bunch. Despite their sense of unease there have been few defection despite both private and public overtures to them particularly from the Labour Party. They have chosen instead to talk up the Liberal Democrats influence on government policy and boast that but for them over one million lower paid people would not now be paying less income tax, about their achievements, nor would thousands of children be benefiting from the pupil premium let alone the fact that ID Cards would almost certainly have been introduced and trial by jury could well have ended.

But internally the membership has continued to be critical of the Party’s failure to champion one of the central tenets of their philosophy – the development of a society where all sections of the community are treated fairly. Many were concerned that the leadership appeared to have let slip its claim to be the Party of Equality and Fairness There was dismay that the concerns expressed by community groups over the government’s to the Race Relations legislation were not heeded. There was anger too at the speed with which government moved to implement changes to the benefits system whilst dragging its feet on closing tax loop holes used by the well to do.

It seems the message from the grass roots has got through to the leadership.

Simon Hughes as Deputy Leader is becoming increasing more out spoken as

are a few other MPs. Even Nick Clegg has stepped up his game and started to stand up to David Cameron if his recent statement on Europe is anything to go by.

Nick has also increased his standing in the BME community by the message he gave to the country through his Scarman Lecture.

“We have moved forward on a number of fronts: legal rights – where we have seen the most success. Political representation is better – though of course there is still a very, very long way to go. I say that as a leader of a political party that is still too male and too pale..” he said.

His candour in admitting that the Liberal Democrats have further to go then the other two parties when it comes to political representation is something the membership is accustomed to. It is a matter of record of course that the Party has made more progress on this issue under his leadership than at any time in its history.

Three key messages in the speech stand out for me: l The lesson from the last thirty years is it is not enough for a society to reject bigotry. Real equality is not just the absence of prejudice. It is the existence of fairness and opportunity too.” l If you assume the state has all the answers, you absolve other parts of our society from playing their part. You treat black and ethnic minority communities as passive recipients of state help, rather than empowering them as strong individuals. l I want to send out a clear signal today: the Equalities Act is a cornerstone of the UK’s rights architecture. It isn’t there for employers to pick and choose from. And it is not going awaySo I have asked Andrew Stunell to work with the government's own Ethnic Minority Advisory Group and the EHRC, and to bring together some of the best experts in finance with individuals who understand the problems of building businesses. To look at the barriers preventing black and ethnic minority groups from accessing loans. We have to work out what is going wrong, and then we have to fix it.

Driving forward the equality agenda on the back of the contribution it can make to the economy rather than patronage to under privileged groups must surely be the right thing to do. I know most Asian Businessmen would embrace such an approach.

BBC’s Jeremy Clarkson mocks India wide. Like any Abbas-Mustan film, ‘Players’ is full of entertainment, with a fantastic plot and a great film to start your new year with. I am honoured to have the privilege to work on the distribution of ‘Players’ with Viacom Studio 18 and look forward to working a lot more with them in the New Year,” Abhishek Bachchan, who plays the role of Charlie Masceranhas, a chartered accountant by day and master thief by night said: “It’s an entertaining film and the UK audience will really enjoy it. If you are an Abbas-Mustan fan and like the kind of action and thriller film they make, then definitely go and watch it.”

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at spriha@abplgroup.com

Controversial TV personality Jeremy Clarkson has once again been accused of racism after mocking Indian culture in a ‘Top Gear’ Christmas Special on BBC. Viewers were furious after Clarkson

staged a series of Carry On style digs at India’s trains, toilets, clothing, food and history, The Daily Mail reported. At one point, the controversial presenter ridiculed the unhygienic conditions and

Jeremy Clarkson

lack of sanitation among the poor by driving around the slums in a Jaguar fitted with a toilet.

A spokesman for the BBC said they have been 23 complaints about content “offensive to India” in the programme, which was broadcast on Wednesday evening. She added: “If viewers or religious groups want to complain, they can complain to the BBC. We won’t be responding through the media.”

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

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www.abplgroup.com

Dee Katwa

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

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

Let them laugh at, but with you too Here’s a New Year message from an aspiring standup dwarf comedian from the Midlands to fellow dwarves and people with genetic conditions: Pursue your passion, make 2012 your year. Think positive and don’t let anyone belittle you.

Jibreel Arshad, (pictured) aged 22, has a genetic condition which means he stands just 3ft 3in tall. But that hasn’t stopped the engineering graduate trying to make a career in one of the toughest showbiz industries – as a stand-up comedian.

Jibreel, from Stoke-onTrent, Staffordshire, says it was his condition – Morquio Syndrome – that spurred him on. “I thought if people are going to stare at me, then I might as well give them a reason,” says Jibreel.

He explained: “Everywhere I go I get funny looks. Kids coming up to me, asking: ‘What’s wrong with you?’

Eventually I thought I’d give standup a try. I want to have it as a second job.

Jibreel began doing stand-up after he joined the Comedy Society while studying at

Manchester University.

His first gig was at the Southampton Comedy Festival. “When I’ve done presentations I’ve always been able to make people laugh.

Before the first gig, I was nervous but once I got my first laugh I was away. I wasn’t doing material as such. I was just talking to them about my life.”

Jibreel’s Morquio Syndrome means his body cannot process protein. Instead, it builds up on his bones and stops them from growing. But the novice comedian doesn’t want to use his physical condition alone

MBE for Diversity Guru Vidar Congratulations to equalities tsar and veteran journalist Vidar Paul Hjardeng of Birmingham who has been honoured with an MBE for services to visually impaired people and to broadcasting. Vidar, pictured, Head of Diversity for ITV News and the regions, has spent over 20 years working for ITV in the Midlands, much of that time as editor/executive producer on regional political and social action magazine programmes, documentaries and ‘live’ debates. Vidar is a role model, a modest, selfless gentleman who puts the interests of others ahead of his own and truly deserves this Royal recognition. Other Midlanders listed in the Queen’s Honours include: Julie Moore, CEO of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, who is made a Dame; community activist Mohammed Moughal, chairman of Gifts International Zahoor Ahmed and Mohamed Foiz Uddin, Wolverhampton St John Ambulance volunteer.

Vegetables ‘give powers’ Four in every ten parents in Birmingham have admitted disguising vegetables in sauces to get their children to eat them, according to a poll by Green Giant.

Around a third said they tell youngsters they will only get a dessert if they eat healthy foods or claim vegetables will give them powers.

Drunk coach driver jailed A Birmingham man who was disqualified from driving and was three times over the alcohol limit when he took a coach full of children to a local school has been sentenced to 17 months. Sanjeev Madahar, 43, of Streetly, who worked for Thandi Executive Coaches, admitted gaining employment with a false licence and driving with excess alcohol. He was also banned from driving for five years.

to get laughs. “I have to address the fact that I’m small. I start by talking about that in my act. I talk about the fact that I’m half-Asian but then I go on to other things. It is important I don’t just do jokes about my height, but it would be pretty strange if I didn’t mention it.”

Away from comedy Jibreel’s big passion is sailing. He’s a volunteer at Staffordshire-based Rudyard Sailability, which helps disabled people learn to sail. “I know it’s a bit cheeky but could I make an appeal? he asks.

“We’re trying to build a new boathouse and any donations would really help.” Readers wishing to donate, or find out more about the charity, can visit www.rudyardsailability.or g.uk Getting funny looks, cheeky laughs and sarcastic remarks from ‘normal’ people can really break one’s self-confidence. “I know the feeling,” says Jibreel. “Think positive, pursue your passion, don’t let others underestimate you. You are who you are,” he concluded – with a big laugh.

Rise in use of anti-depressants The usage of anti-depressants and anxiety medication in the West Midlands has increased by a quarter since the start of the economic downturn in 2007, according to a study by The Co-operative Pharmacy. The study found that more than 4.85 million items of anti-depressants and anxiety medication were prescribed across the region in 2010/11 – up from the 3.89 million items handed out to people in 2007/08. But according to Emer O’Neill, CEO of Depression Alliance, a charity, this is just the “tip of the iceberg”. Echoing Ms O’Neill’s comments, Mandeep Mudhar, pictured, The Co-operative Pharmacy’s NHS business director, said: ‘Prescription items have risen at an alarming rate. It is clear more people are seeking medical help. However, there are many more people who do not share their experiences.”

Alarm raised over Hajj visas Birmingham’s official consumer watchdog has called on the Saudi Arabian authorities to cut visa restrictions on Muslims making the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

The call came after Trading Standards officials found that, of 40 online and High Street travel agencies offering Hajj package tours, only four were completely compliant with all package travel regulations. They also found that of 17 firms claiming an ATOL, or Air Travel Organisers Licence, 13 were false.

Drug smuggler jailed A taxi driver who was sent a jacket with £49,000 worth of heroin hidden in the lining has been jailed for fourand-a-half years. Lakbir Basra, 42, of Exhall, Warwickshire, pleaded guilty at Leamington Crown Court of being involved in the illegal importation of heroin. Basra also admitted to two similar charges in relation to the Class B drug phenobarbytol and the Class C drug Alprazolam, which he had received in previous packages from India.

Bra banks New recycling bins for women’s bras have been introduced in Birmingham in aid of Breast Friends, a local charity. The pink collection points can be found at various recycling points across the city and at local authority community, leisure and sports centres. For every kilo collected, Breast Friends receives £1.

News in Brief Unfairness in transport schemes Just one in every ten major public transport projects planned in the UK will be located in the West Midlands, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research. Despite its location in the heart of the UK, the region appears to have been overlooked by the government. The Institute also found that just £269 per head was set aside for transport schemes in the West Midlands compared to £2,731 in London.

Burglary hotspots The top 20 burglary hotspots in Birmingham have been revealed by police. Pershore Road ranks the highest on the list followed by Stratford Road, Warwick Road and Coventry Road. The burglary crackdown, codenamed Operation Tudor, is being headed by Superintendent Manjit Thandi, of West Midlands Police.

Uncertain future for market Seven Birmingham MPs have demanded urgent talks with city council leader Mike Whitby over the “confusion and uncertainty” surrounding the future of the famous wholesale markets. The debate emerged in August last year after council chiefs announced the withdrawal of £80 million funding for a new development or refurbishment of the current market. The market employs around 15,000 people.

Pay freeze for airport staff The first pay rise for three years for 580 Birmingham Airport workers has been rejected. Unite, the union, had asked for a 4.6% rise. Last year, the airport had announced after-tax profits of £5.28 million for 2010, representing an eight-fold rise. This increase was following 75 job losses. A meeting between unions and airport management will take place on January 19.

Opportunities and Risks Offshoring and Outsourcing to India and other emerging markets – maximising the opportunity while managing the risks: This was the title of a remarkable power-point presentation delivered by eloquent speaker Sanjoy Sen, pictured, partner in Deloitte’s India Enterprise Risk Services practice, at Aston University, Birmingham. The presentation, the sixth in a series, was organised by the university’s Aston-India Foundation, led by Professor Pawan Budhwar, an extraordinary gentleman.

Free events guide A new free guide to more than 100 events taking place in Midland parks this year is now available.

Copies of the 58-page booklet are available from tourist information centres or can be downloaded from www.warwickshire.gov.uk/parks

Rise in shisha bars The number of specialist “shisha bars” in Birmingham has risen five-fold since the smoking ban was introduced in 2007. Kiran Chavda, manager at Exhale Sheeshateria in Digbeth, describes it a “social thing”. His customers range from 18 to 55. “The idea is to enjoy the flavour,” he added.

Bus pervert locked up A sinister sex pest who preyed on women bus passengers has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Marcus Parker, 23, of Moseley, Birmingham, sexually assaulted two of his victims, followed another to her front door and left others traumatised after hurling racial abuse at them. Parker, who selected his victims as they travelled on buses or left bus stops, was also put on the sex offenders’ register for life.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

London ushers in 2012 with grandeur

To the gasps of the thrilled crowd thronging the banks of the Thames, a dazzling display of rockets shot out from the arches above Big Ben’s famous dials, kicking off a spectacular pyrotechnic show.

More than 250,000 revellers watched the breathtaking display, which cost ￡274,000 and demonstrated that London is the best in the world at putting on a show to celebrate the New Year.

More than 12,000 fireworks producing 50,000 projectiles lit up the sky to mark the beginning of a year in which Britain will host the Olympic Games and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

For 11 minutes and 15 seconds, Big Ben, the London Eye and three fireworks barges, loaded with 30 tons of equipment, blazed with colour.

Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of the capital to watch the New Year’s Day Parade celebrating the start of the Olympic year.

On 1st Jan, more than 8,000 performers, including US marching bands, cheerleaders and dancers took part in the 26th annual event. The threehour spectacular celebrates the start of a year which includes the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games.

It began at noon at the Ritz Hotel and followed a 2.2-mile (3.5km) route through Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall before ending at Parliament Square in front of Big Ben. Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar wishes its readers, advertisers and supporters a very happy and prosperous new year.

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Son donates kidney to save mother A transplant surgeon at a leading hospital has saved his mother’s life by donating one of his own kidneys.

It is thought to be the first time in the world that a transplant doctor has donated an organ.

Dr Asim Syed, 32, has performed more than 100 operations at London’s Hammersmith Hospital in the country’s busiest transplant unit, but never imagined that he would one day become a donor himself. He stepped forward when told his 64year-old mother Dilshad, who had been on dialysis for five years, might be dead within months unless she got a new kidney.

The worried surgeon brought her to London from her home in Doncaster, South

Yorkshire, to be cared for at his hospital.

However, it was not all plain sailing.

Tests showed Dr Syed was the wrong blood group, so Dr Syed and his mother were then advised to consider a new way of donating and receiving, called an organpaired or pooled donation.

This is where wouldbe donors who are not a correct match can find a correct match through an anonymous donor chain.

Dr Syed donated his kidney to an unknown person and another donor in the chain was a successful match for his mother.

The chain of three transplants - involving three donors and three recipients from three transplant centres - took place simultaneously on July 31 with Dr Syed’s

Dr Asim Syed with mother Dilshad

kidney going to a recipient in the Midlands and Mrs Syed receiving her kidney from a person in the south of England.

Now mother and son

are recovering well with Dr Syed already back at work. Mrs Syed is staying with him for several months while the hospital monitors her progress.

Killers found guilty 18 years after racist murder Gary Dobson and David Norris have been found guilty of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence, the first convictions in the case since the black teenager was stabbed to death 18 years ago.

The pair were convicted and now face life sentences.

It comes after a fiveweek trial during which forensic evidence linking

the two to the murder was shown to the jury.

A spot of Stephen’s blood was found on the collar of Dobson’s jacket, while hairs belonging to Stephen were found on Norris’s Stephen Lawrence, Gary Dobson and David Norris trousers. white youths who racially secret Dobson and Norris taunted Stephen before pair. were part of a gang of

stabbing him to death in a 10 – second attack in Eltham, southeast London in 1993.

The prosecution claimed Stephen’s murder was inherently racist and pointed to evidence from recordings of the

YOUR VOICE

10

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Eradicating corruption in Indian politics

Recapitulation and Resolution

Russian Tsars raises their ugly heads

Paying a price at the hands of the church

I am concerned by the way in which the UPA government and some renegade members of the Rajya Sabha have behaved in dealing with the Lokpal bill in the Upper House of the Indian parliament. India claims to be a democratic country where more than half the population are illiterates and live below the poverty line. Instead of doing something for the poor, they behaved as illiterate brutes and idiots.

It was outregeous on the part of Rajya Sabha members not to condemn the behaviour of a member from a political party who tore the printed document of the Lokpal bill and threw the bits on the floor of the house. The sad part of the episode was that the ruling Congress party engineered the entire drama by asking a RJD member of the Lalo Prasad Yadav party to behave like an insane man in the Raj sabha. The senior Congress members pretended to calm down the RJD member instead of asking the Chairman of Rajya Sabha to throw him out of the house.

The purpose of the Lokpal bill is to eradicate corruption in Indian administration. The opposition parties wanted several amendments to the bill, since the bill did not include senior politicians including Ministers and CBI. The Bill was drafted to suit the vested interests in the Congress party. The government knew that the bill will not go through in the Rajya Sabha since the UPA government did not have simple majority in the Raj Sabha.

The Lokpal bill is meant to eradicate corruption at the top level administration in India since several senior politicians and senior administrators are in jail. The corruption in India starts from the top and ends at the clerical level.

Arun Vaidyanathan By email

With the ending of the year 2011, it is time to take stock – to recap on the events of last year and to contemplate over what transpired during the year that has just gone by.

A brief synopsis of the events that made news in 2011 can be summed up as: India hosted the greatest show on earth at the Commonwealth Games; and triumphed by winning the world cup in cricket but alas it got utterly annihilated when they toured England; India’s master blaster failed in his quest to make history by hitting a 100th ton in first class cricket. We saw people dancing in the streets when Osama Bin Laden was killed. Then we witnessed the pomp and pageantry at the Royal wedding. This exhilaration was however short lived when the looters went on a spending spree of the third kind at the London riots. While all this was happening, there was unrest in the Arab world when a Tunisian pauper indirectly became instrumental in the overthrow of the mighty dictators like President Mubarak of Egypt and Colonel Gaddafi of Libya. All these events culminated with the blinding performance of the British Prime Minister at the EU conference.

It is also time to make resolutions for the coming year. Besides our own personal resolutions like stopping smoking and losing weight, the resolutions we can make for 2012 and beyond are: we must do our utmost to save the earth for the posterity by reducing pollution and cutting down on the green house gases that we belch out into the atmosphere; we must also teach the world to stop killing and consuming animals. This is not too much to ask and one hopes that the readers of AV and GS would join with me in supporting these initiatives.

Dinesh Sheth By email

Those who are familiar with the brutal Russian history do not need reminding how totalitarian, ruthless and cruel Russian society is, almost as extreme as the Siberian weather where one would not survive even ten minutes in the open in winter. So the city of Tomsk in Siberia is the appropriate place for the court to seek the ban on Hindu religion’s most revered book, the one and only Bhagwat Gita. So it should come as no surprise to any one that Russian society, especially the Russian antediluvian Orthodox Church is bent upon harassing and persecuting the most peaceful religious minority in a country ravaged with corruption, violence and religious intolerance.

It is out of ignorance and above all the fear of Hinduism gaining ground, establishing as a major force, as Hare Krishna movement is becoming popular, gaining followers by thousands from the indigenous people who were once staunch Orthodox Christians. It is also a politics of convenience, as Hindus have no mother country to call upon, who would fight tooth and nail for their rights, as tens of Islamic countries would do so, be up in arms if their holy book Koran is marginalized or malignanted in any manner what so ever.

Hindus are in a limbo, as Jews were once before the establishment of Israel, a strong and powerful nation that not only survives but flourishes in the sea of hostility, surrounded by nations bent upon destroying her very existence. The Vatican leaning Indian government and her puppet PM may pay a leap service but would do nothing to stop this blatant discrimination. They should act upon BJP suggestion to make Bhagwat Gita a national book so that it can never be dishonoured again.

Bhupendra M Gandhi By email

I was educated by and grew up with the English colonial rulers of Kenya where I learnt the Bible, performed Christmas plays and ever since was confused about my own identity, my parents being Hindus.

On your 24th December issue you had two stories, one was on the hostility of the Russian Church towards the Gita and the second was a comment by a Vatican official Father Amorth calling Yoga the work of the Devil.

You then gave a message by the Presbyterian church on Jesus and Christmas when nearly 70% of the UK population are of no faith and for whom Christmas is one big party with hardly anybody thinking of God. This will confuse younger readers. My problems are with the Institution of the Church, and its well funded missionary activities.

Also Dinesh Sheth in his letter queried the tradition of turkey at Christmas, its origins are American, from Thanksgiving when the founding Christian pilgrim fathers celebrated with the local Indians, who saved them from starvation by giving them Turkey, but in later years the Indians themselves where massacred.

As a result of such experiences, today the Chinese licence all churches.

Unfortunately the Hindus of India, are still confused, and are paying a price at the hands of the church, as stated in the letter by Arun Vaidyanathan same issue.

Jayesh A Patel By email

what types of works you have been doing in the present life.

So always try to do good work and firmly believe in him. If Human beings have learnt to recycle things why we should not think that God may also like to recycle souls or spirits back on the earth. After all He can do every thing. So all non Hindues must start thinking on this aspect and Father Gabriel Amroth need to sit down and think wheather it is possible or not?

Hinduism is like a Grandfather to all other religions ", week and poor" but have lot of wisdom which wiser people can have free.

Dharam Sahdev By email

Having come hear forty yrs ago from Kenya and having faced racist acts such as being called a "Paki" within five days of my arrival (it was an era of Paki Bashing

by Skinheads) I have spend a lot of time fighting for justice and fairplay which included joining with the Marches of Anti Nazi League, I remember standing at a stall in Kingsbury outside what is now the Aldi store.

Having fought a hard fight against racism when it was impossible to break the glass ceiling and making the life tolerable for those who followed in our footsteps it is sad to see this incidents occurring repeatedly. It is high time for the next generation to take the baton!

We must remember that Gandhi fought the fight of racism everywhere and we forget it at our peril.

It is time to rise up and make a noise at all levels that this will not be tolerated.

The authorities need to be held to account when they spew out venom without thinking of the consequences. This young people who come to our shores full of hope and aspiration are the Steven Laurence's of the Gujarati/Asian Community.

Cllr Krishna James Marlbrough Ward, Harrow Middx

Always try to do good I was with my wife and a visitor from India our nephew, walking around Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus last Saturday when a person came to me and gave me the leaflet "What about Your Soul". I kept it in my pocket to read the contents in our home . I have not thrown it, I will keep it with me.

One paragraph in this leaflet is ‘Everyone has a soul’. It further says ‘Human beings are not just bodies controlled by the brain. We each have an invisible part to us that makes us what we are. Our nature or personality is governed by our intellect, feelings and will.

The Bible makes frequent reference to the distinction between body and soul. It tells us that at death, the dust (the body) will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit(the soul) will return to God who gave it’ (Ecclesiastes12.7) This leaflet is circulated by East London Christian Fellowship Centre Ilford.

Hinduism firmly believes in this statement but it goes one step further to say that God then decides which soul He will like to send back to earth and in which form, as life exists in various forms. How He will decide it depends

It is time to rise up against racism in the UK It is heartbreaking to hear about the murder of Anuj a student from India.

Anytime I hear of such sad incidents involving new youngsters to this country, I worry about their lack of understanding of the deep set racist views held in this society. I feel they often make decisions through sheer ignorance in this matter.

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

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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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Christmas 2011 was a Hindu style of celebration for my family. We performed “vruksh pooja” to a Christmas tree; heard Hindu bhajans by Mrs. Srideviben Mehta, Kaumudiniben Munshi, Aashit Desai, Narsih Mehta-all Nagars. The vegan dinner was made up of Indian, Chinese and Mexican cuisine e.g., eggless cakes, stuffed paratha, nacho chips, fajita, lasagne, chilli paneer, noodles etc., and coconut water as soft drinks. Grown ups dotingly showered gifts on children and newly arrived grandchildren. There was Hindu style hedonism; noisy “antakshari”, noiseless fireworks in garden, and rowdy laughs at jokes from Christmas crackers.

People speak of prevention of cruelty to animals, produce films showing love for fauna, keep pets, seek mercy and compassion from God, wail loudly to God when there are natural disasters - which are few and far apart. Yet, people kill and eat millions of turkeys, chickens, pigs annually with cyclic regularity.

God forgives carnivorous humans, which shows that making all humans vegetarian or vegan is impossible on a global level. That task is left on individual, social or even national levels, you, me and Hindus in the UK. Let the carnivores be impressed with the glow by vegetarians and vegans.

Ramesh Jhalla By email

Visit our website: www.abplgroup.com

Page -19-21

Health Watch

Celebrating Christmas the Vegan way

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EDUCATION / COUNCIL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

11

School grades hit by lack of routine Academic performance at school Children who grow up without a daily routine of set bedtimes and mealtimes do worse at school, a report suggests.

Research for the Prince's Trust suggests those with poor exam grades are twice as likely to claim their days lacked structure as they grew up.

The study of 2,136 16to 25-year-olds found more than a quarter did not have a set bedtime while growing up.

Youngsters with poorer grades were also twice as likely to say they did not have regular mealtimes.

Some 14% of young people said they had grown up without set mealtimes, compared with 30% of those with poor exam grades.

The research also suggests that 27% of youngsters did not grow up with a set bedtime. This rose to 39% for those who left school with fewer than five good GCSEs. The data comes from

linked to exercise

A set bedtime can help give a child structure

the charity's latest annual Youth Index, which looks at how young people feel about their lives across a range of areas from family life to physical health.

It also suggested those who felt they "lacked structure and direction" while growing up also appeared to be less content and confident than their peers.

One in three of those with lower qualifications (33%) said they "always"

or "often" felt rejected, compared with about one in five young people (22%) overall.

Princes Trust chief executive Martina Milburn said: "The absence of structure and routine in a young life can have a devastating impact.

Without the right support, directionless teenagers can become lost young adults - unconfident, underqualified and unemployed."

COUNCIL VOICE

Star presents Ealing riot victims with new bikes Two girls whose bikes were destroyed in a fire at their parents’ shop during the August riots were presented with new ones by UK bhangra singer Junai Kaden.

Mayor of Ealing, Councillor John Gallagher and Council Leader, Julian Bell, joined the star to present the girls with new bikes in time for Christmas.

Kiran,16, and Simmi,12, are the daughters of Amrit and Ravi Khurmy whose supermarket, Ealing Local, on Ealing Green, was burnt down on 8 August. The bikes were

in the building when the property was set on fire.

The Mayor’s Relief Fund, which was set up in memory of Richard Mannington Bowes who died after being attacked during the riot, was used to pay for both bikes.

Raffles, collections, gigs and auctions were among the activities organised by residents and businesses to raise money for the fund, which stands at £3,000.

Council leader, Councillor Julian Bell, said: “Although the riot was awful, the silver lining was that it showed what a

strong and resilient community we have. I’m delighted that Ealing residents and businesses rallied round to raise so much money for the fund.

Everyone has been very generous and I’m pleased that Kiran and Simmi are the first to benefit. I’m, sure the girls will be thrilled to meet Junai and I’d like to thank him for giving up his time to help give the girls a Christmas to remember after the horrible few months they’ve had.”

The rest of the Mayor’s Relief Fund has not yet been allocated.

BT Paralympic Torch Relay nominations now open BT, the official communications services partner of the London BT tower2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is giving people the chance to carry the Paralympic Flame on the eve of the London 2012 Paralympic Games next August.

BT is looking for the most inspirational teams to carry the Paralympic Flame during the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay.

The relay will begin at Stoke Mandeville, the spiritual home of the Paralympic movement, on Tuesday 28 August 2012.

Then over 24 hours, torchbearers will carry the Paralympic Flame to the Olympic Stadium to light the cauldron and officially open the London 2012 Paralympic Games on 29 August.

Each team of five will

work together to take the flame approximately 750 metres on its journey from Stoke Mandeville to the Olympic Stadium in London.

Successful nominees may have adopted the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality to make a difference; pushed the boundaries of what is achievable; or

helped others to accomplish whatever they put their mind to.

You can nominate your own team of five or a team you know by visiting www.bt.com/London201 2 or calling 08000 23 23 99.

Nominators and torchbearers must be at least 12 years old and nominations must be submitted by midnight on the 20 January 2012.

How well children perform in the classroom could be linked to how physically active they are, suggests a Dutch review of previous studies.

Writing in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, researchers said they found strong evidence of a link between exercise and academic performance. The review looked at 14 studies involving more than 12,000 children.

Exercise may help by increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain, it said.

But the authors of the study, from VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, said more accurate and reliable measurement instruments were needed to examine the link in greater detail.

Dr Amika Singh and colleagues were prompted to look at the relationship between physical activity and academic performance because of concerns that pressure to improve children's school marks could mean they spend more time in the classroom and less time doing physical activity.

So the authors identified 10 observational and four interventional studies for review.

Twelve of the studies were conducted in the United States, one in

Academic performance at school linked to exercise

Canada and one in South Africa.

Sample sizes ranged from 53 to about 12,000 participants between the ages of six and 18 years.

The period of follow-up varied between eight weeks and more than five years.

Two of the studies reviewed were rated as being of high quality, the study says.

Researchers said they found strong evidence of a "significant positive relationship" between physical activity and academic performance using those two studies as evidence.

The study said this could be because exercise helps cognition by increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain.

Physical activity could also reduce stress and improve mood, making children more likely to

behave in the classroom.

Dr Singh said: "Children who learn to participate in sport also learn to obey rules. This may mean they are more disciplined and able to concentrate better during lessons."

The researchers said more studies examining the exact relationship between physical activity and academic performance were needed.

"People always ask, 'How much exercise do I need to do to get an A?' We don't know that but we would like to find out," said Dr Singh.

"Children should be active for at least one hour a day, for health reasons.

But we also need to look at other things, like what kind of activities they should do, when they should do them and for how long."

12

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Scrutator’s It was a welcome change from the bitchy fractiousness of Indian politics to hear the Leader of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) Arun Jaitley, pay a fulsome tribute to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the middle of a statement critical of the conduct and attitude of most ministers as “arrogant and insensitive.” Turning to him, Mr Jaitley said: “I rate you as one of the honorable exceptions.”

This was good to hear.

Beyond every politician's mask there lurks a human being, and it would better for politics and political culture in general if dignity and courtesy were restored to legislative proceedings and better manners shown to political opponents in TV and radio exchanges, not to speak of the print media. Relentless abuse of opponents diminishes the qualiPranab Mukherjee ty of debate. Surely freedom to think and talk freely is elevated when ideas are discussed without personal rancour. In that way the poison is taken out of public life. India will be the richer for it and the credentials of all parties, who steadfastly maintain they have the national at heart in whatever they say or do will have their stature cast in stone. Freedom is not to be confused with licence. We must fervently hope that 2012 will see an exponential improvement in parliamentary manners on all sides of the House. The unruly scenes that marred the reputation of MPs is simply unacceptable going into the future.

India readied for bullet trains

Japanese consortium

The stage is being set for the arrival of bullet trains on India's rail network. In preparation for this leap into high-tech long distance public transport, nothing less than the second coming for the railways since its establish-

The tide of progress is about to take India in its inexorable stride. A report in the Hindu newspaper (December 9) tells of a Japanese consortium selected by the Indian Railways to conduct a feasibility study of running a 300 kilometre per

bullet trains

ment in 1853, when the first line was opened linking Bombay to Thane, a journey of 10 miles.

Since then locomotives have undergone repeated upgrades, with journey times proportionately reduced.

The bullet train, first introduced in Japan decades ago, represents an exponential leap.

Special tracks have to be laid for these high speed trains travelling at 300 kilometres an hour.

The technology is more complex and expensive but it constitutes a landmark for engineering and the evolution of a new generation of transport for the people.

hour bullet train in the proposed 664 kilometer H y d e r a b a d -V i j a y a w a d a Chennai high speed route.

Japan's high speed trains Shinkansen travel at the above speed and are known for their punctuality, comfort, safety and efficiency. The consortium will submit its report in seven months.

European consultants The Railways have also roped in the French firm Systra for the P u n e - M u m b a i -A h m e d a b a d

route (650 kilometres), while the UK-based consultant Mott McDonald has been engaged to make the feasibility study of the longest Delhi-Agra-LucknowVaranasi-Patna (1000 km) route. Shorter by far is the Howrah-Haldia roue (135 kilometres whose feasibility will be explored by the Spanish firm Eneco. Systra's report is with the Railway Ministry whose decision will be made known soon.

Selection for consultants for the Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar (450 kilometres) and the Chennai-Bangalore-CoimbatoreThiruvanthapuram (869 kilometres) high speed corridor are being processed and the names of the successful firms are expected to be announced shortly.

To expedite the bullet train project, Railways is to constitute a National High Speed Rail Authority on the lines of the National Highways Authority.

The high speed rail corridor scheme is planned as a catalyst to India's economic growth.

Indians in US start-ups A report in the New York Times online by Somini Sengupta on Indian start-ups in the US is well worth a read (December 5).

It opens thus: “In 1992, a handful of immigrant engineers from the Indian subcontinent who lived in the Bay Area (Francisco, California) formed a group called the Indian Entrepreneurs - or TiE - with what now seems a quaint mission: to inspire one another to establish their own technology start-ups and cash in on the Silicon Valley dream.”

Twenty years after their genesis as an ethnic professional network, TiE members began bankrolling new ventures – and not just for people back home in India, but for all comers with a worthwhile deal in their bag.

TiE Angels, as its members like to call themselves, in its first year invested in a variety of companies half of whose companies were people of Indian origin. The rest were Silicon Valley entrepreneurs of different stripes and shades.

“What it reflects is that our charter members, who are mostly Indian, are so deeply networked in Silicon Valley that all kinds of people come to them,” said Venk Shukla, who heads TiE Angels an engineer-turnedentrepreneur.

TiE today has chapters in 100 countries including, of course, India. The first shoots are now a banyan tree with branches expanding in every direction.

DRDO tests AEW&C An Economic Times report (December 8) report related the successful maiden flight of the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system at a special facility in Brazil, taking its final production a significant step forward.

SDRDO chief V.K.Saraswat, in his message after the first

test-flight, said: “The flight is a major milestone towards realizing the dream of an indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control system which will put India in an exclusive club. The Brazilian Embraer aircraft with which the system will be integrated will undergo further trials before full certification. But the first two aircraft will be delivered to India in mid-2012.

Commercial arm planned According to a report in The Hindu (December 14,2011), DRDO plans to float a commercial arm by mutating some its military technologies for civilian use. This way it hopes to tap into the wider market. With a string 50 national laboratories engaged in diverse areas of work to meet the needs of India's armed forces, DRDO feels it has a wide range of technologies that can be exploited for civilian use.

Dr V.K. Saraswat, DirectorGeneral of DRDO, said a database had been created that would enable scientists to explore the possibilities mentioned above. If successful DRDO would be able to earn significant revenues, which could be ploughed back into

V.K. Saraswat

research.

The Department of Space has been a trail blazer in this regard. Its successful commercial arm Antrix Corporation to push its technologies on a broader market.. DRDO, for its part, has teamed up with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to work on civilian projects and then market them for civilian use. There is enough promise of things to come.

Auto research unit for Chennai The Government of India has said that the National Automotive Testing and Research and Development Infrastructure Project (NATRIP) had decided to set up a GlobalAutomotive Research Centre in Chennai. “The NATRIP envisages setting up full-fledged test facilities at the Centre,” said the Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Praful Patel in a written reply in Parliament.

NATRIP, which is a project implementation body, was set up for the upgradation of three existing automative testing and R & D centres – the Vehicle

Research & Development Establishment at Ahmedabad, Automotive Research Association of India at Pune and the International Centre for Automotive Technology at Maneswar.

(The Hindu December 15).

Oil output set to rise India's production of crude oil is set to rise by 21 per cent to 45.67 million tonnes by 2013-14 via-a-vis 2010-2011 on the back of output from newer fields such as the Rajasthan block owned

by Cairn India, said Oil Minister Jaipal Reddy in a written reply to a question from an MP. Mr Reddy averred that Cairn's Rajasthan field was expected yield 240,000 barrels per day or 12 million tonnes 2013-14

Scholars honoured Peru is to confer one of its highest civilian awards – the Order of Merit for Distinguished Services – on a leading scholar S.P.Ganguly for his contribution to the strengthening of cultural links between the countries.

“I am delighted. It paves the way for promoting studies and interest in an area that has historically been neglected because of the dominance of English,” said Professor Ganguly who teaches at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru U n i v e r s i t y.

Professor Ganguly received his award from Peruvian Ambassador Javier Paulinich at his residence in the Indian capital.

Meanwhile, Russia announced that it was awarding the Order of Friendship to noted Tamil novelist D.Jayakanthan for his translations of the works of Alexander Piscine in Tamil. Similarly many of Mr Jayakanthan's writings have been translated in Russian.

The award was conferred on him in Chennai by Russian Consul General M.A.Listopadov on behalf of President Dmitri Medvedev.

Mr Jayakabthan said he wished to share the honour with all those who were with him in the Indo-Russian Cultural and Friendship Society. He referred to Russia's help to India during its times of need. The award, said Mr Jayakanthan, would further strengthen ties between Russia and India.

ISO certification for Modi’s office The office of the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has got the coveted ISO 9001-2008 certification. The certificate, issued by the Bureau Veritas Certification (India), said it would be valid until January 2015.

The certificate has been given for the “Administration and Overall Governance of the Chief Minister’s Office” (Business Line January 1).

14

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Asians shine in the 2012 New Year Honours List Continued from page 1 Sir Christopher told The Daily Telegraph: “For as long as you can make political donations, when there is a coincidence between honours and donors you get this sort of story.

“It implies corruption even when there isn’t any.

It is unsatisfactory. It is bad all round. They risk bringing it [the honours system] into disrepute.”

Sir Christopher’s concerns were echoed by his predecessor Sir Alistair Graham who said that the

appearance of a reward for political donors devalued and undermined the integrity of the honours system.

The Honours list like every year includes a number of Asian people or individuals with Asian connection. The details of these recipients are as follows: Knights BachelorKnighthood l Dr Venkatraman Ramakrishnan: Scientist, Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology. For services to Molecular Biology.

Madhurika Patel was brought up in Mumbai and was socially active with the Mumbai Patidar Samaj. She got married to Ramnlal Tulsidas Patel of Dharmaj in 1954, a family which was connected to Manchester in trade and Business since 1906.

She came to the UK in 1958 where she continued to be socially involved helping the Indian community whilst bringing up her young family.

She has been a trustee, chairperson and committee/founder member of Indian Association, Indian Senior Citizen centre, The Indian Religious and Charitable Trust, The Radha Krishna Temple and Navratri group, all in Manchester. She has represented Manchester at the UK Asian Women’s conference.

She has helped raise funds for charity and good causes.

Today at the age of 78, she is still serving Manchester’s Asian Community through different organisations. She was nominated for the Asian Achievers Awards for the Community Services category in 2009.

Mrs Patel who has 3 children and 6 grand children said: “I was very happy when I found out- it was a wonderful news.

For an Indian person this is a prestigious honour.

I am very excited to go to the palace and meet some of the Royal family...I will have to buy a new sari for the occassion, I am a big fan of all the Royals and all my family want to go with me.”

Order of the British Empire- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire l Professor Dinesh Kumar Makhan Lai Bhugra: Lately President, Royal College of Psychiatrists, London. For services to Psychiatry. l Dr Tahir Ahmed Mahmood: For services to Women’s Health.

Order of the British Empire- Officers of the Order of the British Empire. l Zahoor Aahmed: Chairman, Gifts International. For services to International Trade. l Durdana, Mrs Ansari: For services to Muslim Women in the UK. David James ASHMAN. For voluntary service to SSAFA. Forces Help. l Professor Mohamed ElGomati: Professor of Electronics, University of York. For services to Science. l Mohammad Habee bullah JP: For services to the community in Greater Manchester. l Sylvia, Mrs Maharaj: Chair of Licensing Committee, Waltham Forest Magistrates’ Court.

For services to the Administration of Justice. l Amin Mohamed Mawji: For public and voluntary service. l Jehangir Sarosh: President Emeritus, European Chapter, World Council on Religions for Peace. For Services to Inter-Faith Relations.

Order of the British Empire- Members of the Order of the British Empire l Dr Syed Nayyer Abbas Abidi: For services to the Black and Minority Ethnic community.

Surjit Singh Ghuman, founder of Panjab Radio, has been awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting.

Based in Springfield Road, Hayes, the station was set up in 2000, and Mr. Ghuman says that his goal was to give a voice to Britain’s Sikh Panjabi communities.

Eleven years on, Panjab Radio is now hot on the heels of UK frontrunner and has an estimated over 400,000 listeners every week, broadcasting in Greater London, the Midlands, West Yorkshire and North East England on DAB radio, and in Europe on Sky worldwide on www.panjabradio.co.uk.

Mr Ghuman, 49, moved to Slough in 1976 from village Ghuman, in Eastern Panjab, North India, at the age of 13, and attended Holmewood School in Langley and currently living in Taplow Buckinghamshire.

He become Britain’s youngest Magistrate at the age of 29, at Maidenhead Magistrates Court before starting Panjab Radio. He was nominated in the Media, Arts and Entertainment category at Asian Achievers Awards 2011.

Speaking about the MBE, Mr Ghuman said: “I am thrilled to be receiving this honour. “When I first got the letter through, I had to control my feelings. “I work seven days a week and love what I do. After eleven years people are still enjoying the service, which is very rewarding for me.” I would like to thank everyone who have appreciated and supported the work I have done for the Panjabi community and would have never had the privilege of receiving such an award the support of Panjab Radio’s listeners. l Mohammed Akram JP: For services to the British Pakistani community in Scotland. l Anant Barodekar: Founder of Club 25 for Young People. For services to Young People. l Kulvinder Bassi: Community Rail Team Leader, Department Transport. l Councillor Mohammad Bhatti: For services to Local Government and to the community. l Sayeeda, Mrs Chowdhury: Outreach Worker, Longsight Sure Start Children’s Centre, Manchester. For services to Children and Families.

l Surjit Singh Ghuman: Broadcasting. For services to the voluntary sector in Founder of Panjab Radio. l Vidar Paul Hjardeng: For services to Visually Impaired People and to Broadcasting. l Hifsa Haroon, Mrs Iqbal Dl: For services to Community Cohesion in Staffordshire. l Dr Hasmukh Joshi: Lately General Practitioner. For services to Medical Education and to the Royal College of General Practitioners. l Mini, Mrs Joti: Health Visitor, Bridgeton Health Centre. For services to the NHS and the community

in the East End of Glasgow. l Dr Raman Kapur: Chief Executive, Threshold. For services to People with Mental Illness in Northern Ireland. Women’s Aid Antrim, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland. l Therese, Mrs Mahindrakar JP: For services to the community in Bolton, Greater Manchester. l Mohammed Saeed Moughal: For services to the community in Birmingham. l Madhurika, Mrs Patel: For services to the Indian community in Greater Manchester. l Hanif Mohammad Raja: For services to Inter-Faith Relations in Scotland. l Bajloor Rashid: Restaurateur and President, Bangladesh Caterers Association. For services to Bangladeshi Catering. l Ms Harbans Kaur Singh: For services to the community in Hounslow. l Bakhshish Singh Sodhi: For services to Race Relations in Gravesend. l Inderpal-Singh Sumal: For public service. l Lila, Mrs Thakerar: Pharmacist. For services to the community in the London Borough of Harrow. l Mohammed Foiz Uddin: For services to Community Cohesion. l Umesh Valjee: Cricketer.

For services to Deaf Cricket. l Miss Keti Vatcha: Administrative Assistant, Distribution Team, Benefits and Credits, Preston, HM Revenue and Customs. l Akram Zaman JP: Chairman, Protocol. For services to the community in Northamptonshire.

(This may not be an exhaustive list)

Murder of Indian student raises safety concerns regarding South Asians in Britain Continued from page 1 It has been badged as a hate crime attack by the police, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.

Kiaran Stapleton, 20, was remanded in custody for 24 hours when he appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court charged with the murder, told the court his name was “Psycho Stapleton.”

Ben Southam, prosecuting, said: “He appears charged with murder.

That’s a matter that can only be dealt with at the crown court by a judge under section 115 of the Coroners and Justices Act.” He added: “He will be sent to Manchester Crown Court in due course.

“Bail can only be considered by a crown court judge. As far as bail is concerned that’s opposed by the Crown.”

Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley, who has overall command of the inquiry, said: “This

on the second post-mortem that took place on Tuesday and also about the procedures involved in repatriating Bidve's body His father, Subhash Bidve, has been critical of the way the British and Indian authorities have handled the case. He Anuj’s father Subhash Bidve (far right) with other members of the found out about family grieving their son’s untimely death his son’s death on Indian High Commission remains a complex investiFacebook at home in in UK on Tuesday. gation and the fact we Pune, India, before police The report of the sechave charged someone in the UK could contact ond post-mortem has does not mean the investihim. matched with the first gation is complete.

The victim was in a post-mortem. Bidve's body “As such, we are still group of nine male and will be flown back to India asking for the public to female Indian students in coming three days. His contact us with any inforvisiting Manchester over family, however will leave mation they may have and Christmas. to UK on Wednesday. there remains a £50,000 He was murdered at A team of Manchester reward outstanding...” around 1.30am as they Police officials on Tuesday Two officers from walked from their hotel met Bidve's family in Greater Manchester Police through the inner-city Pune. They also discussed have flown to India to Ordsall district, heading details of the family's travmeet Mr Bidve’s family. for Manchester city centre. el to Manchester.

Anuj Bidve's body has The gunman crossed The family was briefed been handed over to the road and engaged the

victim in a short conversation before shooting him in the side of the head. Mr Bidve was studying for a micro-electronics postgraduate qualification at Lancaster University.

Described as “clever and sporty”, he arrived in the UK in September after completing an electronics degree at Pune University.

Hundreds of people attended a candlelit memorial service for Mr Bidve in Ordsall Lane at 6pm on Tuesday, while

hundreds more met at a peace march for him in India, starting near Nehru Park in New Delhi at 6pm and finishing at the British Embassy.

Vikrant Gupta, who organised the Salford event on Facebook, wrote: “He was killed for not answering a simple question: what’s the time? Did he deserve this? Did his family deserve such pain and such loss?

Continued on page 30

Peace march- remembering Anuj by his friends in India

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

f ashionista

by Debasree Ghosh

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

Brooches make a comeback Happy New Year y’all! How did your holidays go? Shop much?

Eat much? Hating work right now? All of the above for me.

Also, the sales are on and I spent all my money in pre-Christmas splurges. I have a justification and it’s that Christmas day is also my birthday. And this year, my mum gave me her old sapphire brooch. I mean she hasn’t actually given it to me yet...she is in India and sceptical about Fedexing heirloom. But I have her word. And a magpie that I am, I’m already dreaming about the many ways I can glamourise my wardrobe by the addition of a single piece of sparkle. No honestly, I really do love brooches and think that it’s under-rated by our generation. Here, let me make my case.

Despite best efforts at curating and collecting, too often we feel a sense of ambivalence and at our disappointment wardrobes. It’s a struggle famously captured by Carrie Bradshaw’s timeless quip, “Closet full of clothes and nothing to wear.”

When faced with this issue, most of us would find it impractical, if not impossible, to simply do away with our wardrobe and start anew, no matter how powerful the desire to do so may be.

Because of that, we have to find ways to make our clothes feel new and exciting again. And therein lies the power of the ultimate transformative accessory: the brooch.

Brooches, too long associated with grandmothers and pastel

sweater sets, are making a comeback because of their ability to make an old favourite glamorous and fresh. Here are some of the most creative ways brooches are being used to augment and accentuate: Colour to your Collar: Designers breathed new life into the button-up blouse by adding accoutrements to the simple collar. Most notable were the beautiful hammered collar tips Balenciaga showed in their SS2011 collection which has inspired DIYs and high street retailer copy cat looks from Zara.

Use an artfully placed brooch to transform a plain collared blouse to a fashion piece. Be wary of the weight of your brooch; too heavy of an accessory will drag the small piece of fabric down and sag.

Asymmetry is key: Asymmetrical dresses and looks continue to dominate on the runways and streets. Exaggerate the effect by placing a brooch on a single strap, centering in on the area right between the collarbone and the chest. In this case, bigger is better; find a brooch that will take up the entirety of that area and blend in seamlessly with the dress.

In the bag: Or should I say on? A brooch can transform a plain

purse to a statement piece in its own right. The material of the bag is essential – be sure that your brooch will not cause any damage to the piece. Experiment with placement. A good rule of thumb is imagining where the designer may put their label on the bag and use this location as an aesthetic guide for where to

place your statement accessory.

Pin it on: A simple way to reinvigorate an old necklace is to pin on a brooch. I’m feeling particularly inspired by pearl multirow necklaces interrupted with romantic blooms of brooches.

Take care to make sure that the chain is thin enough for the pin to secure so you avoid damaging either piece.

Hinduja brothers poised to grab British bus maker Optare?

Optare will vote this Friday on proposals to dilute their own holdings and relinquish control of the group to the Hinduja brothers.

The Indian tycoons already own a 26 per cent stake in the company, through bus and coach manufacturer Ashok Leyland.

In return for a 12million loan to help keep the company running, they have demanded a share placing of 4million, which would triple their holdings to 75.1 per cent of the group.

But the move requires the backing of shareholders, who will vote at a general meeting on Friday.

Optare, which was born out of the remnants of the bus-making arm of British Leyland, said it could not continue trading if investors vote down the proposals.

But not all shareholders have embraced the move, which would see the Hindujas pick up the shares at the equivalent of 0.27p, a discount of 80 per cent on their value the day the plan was announced.

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16

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Dhanush dines with Indian, Japanese PM Thanks to Kolaveri Di, southern star Dhanush is making waves everywhere. Recently, he was invited to a dinner hosted by prime minister Manmohan Singh for Japanese PM Yoshihiko Noda. "It's a great honour dining with the prime minister of India and Japan. It's you guys who made it possible. I'm glad god gave me an opportunity to make my parents feel proud of me. God bless," he tweeted. The song that has made India sway to its tunes, is making splash in Pakistan as well where a TV channel has come out with its own adaptation - a political satire.

Surya to host ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ in Tamil “Ghajini” star Surya will be soon seen on your televisions. The actor is all set to host the Tamil version of popular reality show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati.’ If sources are to be believed, the actor has started training himself for the reality show at a popular studio in Vadapalani. The “Rakta Charitra” star is coming early in the morning for the preparation programme and shoots his forthcoming movie “Maatraan” in the evenings. It is said that Surya will have to dedicate six days in a month for the television show to balance his film commitments as well as his latest job of a host for the small screen.

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Richa not happy with final version of ‘Osthi’ Actress Richa Gangopadhyay has become the latest ‘hot heroine’ in Kollywood thanks to her back-toback releases opposite two of the top heroes in Tamil films. She debuted as heroine opposite Dhanush in director Selvaraghavan’s critically acclaimed “Mayakkam Enna” which has been going strong at the boxoffice for the past few weeks. However, her second release “Osthe” opposite Simbu hasn’t created much waves at the box-office. The film is the Tamil remake of the Bollywood super-hit film “Dabangg” which starred Salman Khan in the lead. The fact that the film hasn’t fared very well at the box-office hasn’t come in the way of Richa hiking her fee sky-high, sources point out.

Hot Garam masala Sonam Kapoor surprised at being tagged sexy Actress Sonam Kapoor's uber cool look in her forthcoming film "Players" is earning her rave reviews. The "Saawariya" girl is surprised at being tagged sexy and thanks her sister for her new avatar.

"Can you believe people are calling me sexy. I don't know where to look when they call me that. I am like 'really me?'," she said. "I don't know yaar, maybe I am like one of those girls. But it's nice to hear it for the first time in my life," added the 26-year-old who played a simpleton in her last film "Mausam" opposite Shahid Kapoor.

Shahid Kapoor turns down Vidhu Vinod Chopra's offer No more romantic sagas for Shahid Kapoor - he has reportedly turned down Vidhu Vinod Chopra's love triangle “Chitthiyan.” However, the actor, who has just done a full-on love story “Mausam,” is in no mood to go ultra-romantic so quickly again. He is hearing at an average one script every day. He has the highest regard for Vidhu Vinod Chopra's work and was keen to work with him. But a love story is not what he wants to do at the moment. At the moment the only film Shahid has said yes to is Maneesh Sharma's next for the Yash Raj Films.

Madhuri Dixit has no work Madhuri Dixit Nene, who relocated from US to India is apparently not getting much work in the Bollywood industry. She is expected to make a grand comeback in Bollywood. However, she is reportedly not getting too many good offers. Madhuri Dixit's manager apparently approached a few event organisers and told them that Madhuri wanted to perform on their shows. However, the organisers reportedly showed no interest in the dhak dhak lady.

However, Madhuri's manager denied the report and said that Madhuri is not interested in doing any shows since she is going on vacation with her family.

He added that though Madhuri got some offers to perform, she turned them down.

Now Vivek and Mallika to get dirty The chemistry is now much spoken about and Vivek Oberoi and Mallika Sherawat are all geared up to do justice to the same. Amit Chandrra's ‘ Kismat love Paisa dilli’ is going to show Delhi in a never seen light before. The film that was earlier called ‘Gyrah Challis ki last metro’ is now called KLPD simply because all three elements Kismat Love Paisa come together in a fun crazy night in Delhi. The film that highlights the glitter and glamour of Delhi would be shot in various locales of the capital.

Post seeking permission to shoot in the Qutub Minar, the producer who had recently gone for a recce now decides to shoot at the famous Buddha gardens in New Delhi. The picturesque garden that is located in South of Delhi boast of paved pathways, lush landscaped lawns, blossoming flowers, streams, sloping terrain and huge trees. The garden which is known as the place for love birds would now make way for KLPD as it would be the first film ever to be shot there.

The film being based completely in Delhi will have several of Delhi's popular spots and since the story's about youngsters it was given that some portions were to include few spots frequented by youngsters like the Buddha gardens. Walk into Buddha Gardens, Delhi and rest assured of going completely red in the face. Your view will include men lying in the lap of their ladies, kissing them and playing with their hair. And they don't even mind having an audience. You might find a constable trying to hush them away.

Rakhi Sawant, perhaps the true item-girl in Bollywood today, alleges that actress Katrina Kaif has copied her antics in her “Chikni Chameli” act in “Agneepath” remake.

“I think ‘Chikni Chameli’ is a good song.

Katrina has danced very well but it’s not something new. I have already done all this before. You can watch all my songs, I have already done that,” the 33-year-old controversy queen said at the Big Stars Entertainment Awards.

“I have done this in ‘Dekhta hai tu kya’ and she did this in ‘Shiela ki jawaani’. In ‘Chikni Chameli’, she is again following me. It seems Katrina really likes me…It’s alright if someone wants to follow me and dance,” added Rakhi, who did a cameo in a few films before featuring in a full-fledged item number “Chura liyaa hai tumne” in 2003.

Rakhi hasn’t got any awards so far. When asked about it, she compared herself with Aamir Khan, though in a light-hearted manner, and said: “Aamir and I are similar. Neither he gets awards, nor do I. But we have won the heart of India and we do not need an award.”

17

Katrina Kaif copied my moves in ‘Chikni Chameli’:

RAKHI SAWANT

I will always be ten steps behind Karisma:

KAREENA KAPOOR Just a few days back there was news around how Kareena Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor may end up clashing with each other in the Summer of 2012 when their films “Talaash” and “Dangerous Ishq” arrive together.

Though it is almost certain that the makers of “Dangerous Ishq” would think rationally and shift the film's release date, for audience in general and Kareena in particular, there is quite excitement in store, what with Karisma making a comeback. "This is going to be a great year for the Kapoor sisters," says a trade expert. "While Kareena would be rubbing shoulders with Saif Ali Khan and Imran Khan in ‘Agent Vinod’ and ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’, then ‘Heroine’ and

begin shooting for ‘Chennai Express’ with Shah Rukh Khan, Karisma would be making a comeback with ‘Dangerous Ishq’ and then kick-start ‘Satte Pe Satte’ remake with Sanjay Dutt.

There is a lot happening in the Kapoor household and the ladies of the house are busier than ever.” In that case how about a wishful thinking where one sees the most exciting time for Kapoors with her and Karisma fighting it out for the top slot in next couple of years. Now, how would that be for the industry and the filmgoers?

"Well, I don't think that will ever happen," says Kareena with a wide grin. "I will always be ten steps behind Karisma at every stage of my career. I love and respect her beyond films. The day she comes on screen again, she will be the undisputed queen of Hindi cinema," she adds.

‘Munnabhai Ki Aatma Katha’ not before 2013 For all of those waiting to catch “Munnabhai Ki Aatma Katha” sooner than later, hold on to your horses. Even though the announcement has just come in that the third part of this franchise is all set to kick-start, the fact is that Rajkumar Hirani won't be calling the shots soon. The film won't go on floors before July next year and is expected to see the light of the day only towards mid-2013.

Even though it has been over half a decade that “Lagey Raho Munnabhai” was released, neither Hirani nor his producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra want to hurry up the affairs. They understand the brand value that the Sanjay Dutt-Arshad Warsi starrer carries and want to give it due respect. They announced “Munnabhai Ki Aatma Katha” for next year as they wanted to quash all speculations around the film. However, the fact remains that it is going through some intense pre-production and only when everything is in place, shooting will begin.

Another line of thought around further pushing ahead of the film's shoot is being attributed to the

interim release of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's another production “Ferrari Ki Sawaari.” Since the maverick filmmaker is quite gung ho about the film, he wants the Sharman Joshi starrer to get its due attention. In fact a teaser of the film has already been released and there would be further momentum in promotion as the New Year kick-starts.

“Ferrari Ki Sawaari directed by debutant Rajesh Mapuskar has been confirmed for 27th April release in the middle of IPL. Since the film has cricket as an integral part of it, its arrival during the cricket season is well timed. For next few months all effort would be to prepare for that film and only after it's release would Munnabhai Ki Aatma Katha begin", a source said.

Ekta Kapoor, Karan Johar to co-produce a film Akshay back in action Single John loses heart to Vidya again?

He is known for his candy floss movies and designer dramas, and she excels at making experimental and real life-inspired stories.

Together, Ekta Kapoor and Karan Johar, once rumoured to be a couple, are now ready to coproduce a movie. "Ekta and I are super excited about the script we are producing together... will announce details as we cast the film and title it!!!" Johar posted on his Twitter page. According to reports, the film will be a "love story with a twist", and will be directed by Akshay Roy. It will be interesting to see what Johar's Dharma Productions and Ekta's Balaji Motion Pictures will have to offer considering their different styles of filmmaking.

After churning out a series of flops at the box office, Akshay Kumar is back to hardcore action on the silver screen in his latest movie “Rowdy Rathore.” From the first look of the upcoming film it was obvious that the Bollywood's biggest Khiladi has resorted to his old trick – action - as such flicks have clicked at the ticket counters in the past. Akshay took the safe route with “ R o w d y Rathore,” in which his character looks like Dabangg Khan. Moreover, he is pairing up with Dabangg's lead heroine Sonakshi Sinha.

Directed by “Wanted” director Prabhu Deva, “Rowdy Rathore” sure looks like an action winner for now.

Is the newly single John Abraham interested in Vidya Balan these days? The hottest buzz doing the rounds in Bollywood right now is that John wants Vidya as his heroine in the upcoming film “Shootout At Wadala,” which the actor has coproduced along with filmmaker Sanjay Gupta.

There is nothing wrong with the hero demanding a heroine of his choice, except that John and Vidya were reportedly on no-talking terms for a while now and till not long ago. Rumours also suggest that Vidya and John's passionate lovemaking scenes in “Salaam-e-Ishq” angered Bipasha. And with the grapevine indicating that John and Vidya were behaving like more than just friends, Bipasha is said to have warned her then boyfriend to stay away from his co-star. Vidya and John subsequently avoided working with each other or interacting even at public events.

Post his split with Bipasha earlier this year, now that John is single and ready to mingle, the actor it seems is more than interested in Vidya.

18

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Retailers in UK facing an uncertain future

Dear Financial Voice Reader 5 lies you will read about the markets in 2012.

Yes, there will be at least 5 lies about the markets you will read in 2012.

Lie number 1: That the European Market could implode and lead to the end of the Euro and disintegration of the EU and lead to a global recession…and collapse of Western Civilisation. The demise of Western Civilisation has been much prematurely prophesised.

Don’t worry about it – it’ll be here in 2013…to the extent it exists in any event.

Lie number 2: The Indian market is growing at 8% per annum. It may or may not be – but what does that mean for you the stock investor when the rupee hits an all-time low against the dollar? Or when the stock market falls anyway? You’re not making any money. It’s why my company has made longer term investments in nonIndian companies and then accessed the Indian market for those companies to tap into Indian growth. We don’t want to pay over inflated greedy Indian stock prices.

But we do want to tap into that 8% growth. So we want value and growth and so should you.

Lie number 3: The Indian Empire Strikes Back.

This is such a boring cliché. It sounds like an inferiority complex. Mature business persons invest in the UK based on returns and risks. So fill yourself with pride, but unless you’re the one buying the British company, settle down and relax.

Lie number 4: The Indian market is an amazing opportunity. Of course there are opportunities. But there are also the largest collection of poor people in India of any nation on the planet. Opportunities so good, that hundreds of millions are poor. So what makes you so special as to be able to get rich there?

The reality is to make money in India takes skills and guile. It is why so many people entrust their money to professional fund managers or buy long term investments in blue chip Indian stocks. Just ask those caught in real estate bubbles, or lost monies in transactions which they can’t exit.

Lie number 5: It’s not a good time to invest in the stock market. The reasoning behind this lie is that because of uncertainty about global growth and the UK market we should stay clear of stocks. This would make sense, except that despite all the negative comments in 2011, stocks still held up because companies made profits from exports and from demand in the domestic UK economy. It is why Next and Morrisons were two of the best performers in the FTSE 100 in 2011. The old Buffett saying that you ‘should buy when others are fearful’ runs true.

India, Japan sign a swap deal that will support rupee India and Japan last week signed a revised $15 billion currency swap deal which is expected to help support the rupee. Officials said that the two Asian giants had a swap deal for $3 billion which was signed in 2008 but it expired a few months ago. Talks between the two countries have been on to finalise a revised deal which was signed during Japanese PM Yoshihiko Noda's visit to India last week.

Japan's foreign reserves hit an all-time high of $1.3 trillion in November, and experts say a swap arrangement may help sup-

port the Indian rupee, Asia's worst performing currency this year. India's reserves have declined because of the rupee depreciation.

The Japanese government and some of its agencies are funding several infrastructure projects in India, including the Rs 1,000 billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and the third phase of Delhi Metro.

Traditionally, Japan has helped fund several infrastructure projects in India, while several top Japanese companies are again making renewed efforts to enter the lucrative Indian market.

# " #

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Retailers in UK are facing an uncertain future as sales are dropping and margins are disappearing.

In fact it is worse than 2008 as this time it's not just about the poor sales performance it's about the underlying profitability.

“We have seen a blizzard of deals and promotions, so gross profit margins have been punished," said Stephen Robertson, the director general of the British Retail Consortium.

After the collapse of Barratts Priceless, the

shoe chain, Hawkin's Bazaar, the toy shop and D2 Jeans last week, a clutch of other names are expected to go to the wall, said Robertson.

More than 40,000 are expected to lose their job, with more forced to work on reduced hours, as the full force of the consumer slowdown starts to makes its effects felt on the high street. Chains reveal how well or poorly they have fared over Christmas.

John Lewis reported with sales expected to be

up a healthy 12 pc in December, however this figure masks a likely drop in profits, because the department store chain's "Never Knowingly Undersold" promise means it was forced to drop prices to match competitors.

Later in the week both

Ten Indians among ‘tomorrow's brightest stars’ in Forbes list

Ten Indians rub shoulders with the likes of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, human rights activist Ronan Farrow and pop stars Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber in a Forbes list of 'tomorrow's brightest stars'.

The US business magazine's '30 under 30' list profiles about 360 young 'ultra impressive up-andcomers' that the companies should either 'hire today' or would be working for them in the future as they are the young people of today 'who matter'.

Among the Indians on the list of people from 12 diverse fields, including energy, finance, media, law, entertainment, science, design and technology, who are 'reinventing the world' is Kunal Shah, at 29, the youngest managing director at Goldman Sachs.

Also on the list is Param Jaggi, 17, an 'award-

Derivatives Sales at Citigroup, gave 'Citi's derivatives business a jolt.'

Raj Krishnan, 29, chief executive of Biological Dynamics is develKunal Shah & Vikas Mohindra oping blood tests winning high schooler' at that use electric fields to Austin College, who creatdetect key signals that a ed an algae-filled device patient has cancer from the blood. that fits over a car's Sidhant Gupta, 27, a tailpipe and turns carbon graduate student at the dioxide into oxygen.

University of Washington, Vivek Nair, 23, chief is developing new sensors executive of Damascus and software for the home Fortune, is developing a that conserve electricity, technology that transheat and gas. forms industrial carbon Nikhil Arora, 24, coemissions into carbon nanotubes. founder of a business that Vikas Mohindra, 25, sells 'grow-your-ownfinancial advisor at the mushroom' kits using one Bank of America Merrill million pounds of recycled Lynch gathered $38 milcoffee grounds and Maneet lion in three years from Ahuja, 27, a producer at scratch, while Manvir CNBC and a hedge fund Nijhar, 28, co-head of expert has been on Wall European Equity Street since she was 17.

HMV and Clinton Cards are expected to publish yet further drops in sales over the Christmas period.

Jonathan De Mello, head of retail consultancy CBRE, said 30,000 to 40,000 retail jobs could disappear over the next 18 months as a "retail recession" chews up the high street.

"It might not be an official recession, but we are in a retail recession," he said. However, it has calculated that 7,485 jobs are already at risk at the start of this year.

India’s food inflation falls sharply to a six-year low India’s food inflation fell sharply to a six-year low of 0.42 per cent in the week ended December 17 as prices of essential items like vegetables, onion, potato and wheat declined.

Food inflation, as measured by Wholesale Price Index (WPI), stood at 1.81 per cent in the previous week. It was recorded at 15.48 per cent in the corresponding week of 2010.

Onions grew cheaper by 59.04 per cent year-on-year during the week under review, while potato prices were down by 33.76 per cent. Prices of wheat also fell by 3.30 per cent. Overall, vegetables became 36.02 per cent cheaper during the week ended December 17.

Experts feel the sharp fall in food inflation numbers, which was in double digits till the first week of November, comes as a big relief to both the government and the Reserve Bank.

Tatas keen to expand business in Gujarat

Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata and his successor Cyrus Mistry paid a courtesy visit to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi at his official residence in Gandhinagar.

Mistry who takes over the group from Mr Tata in about one year expressed interest in expanding the business in Gujarat.

"Ratan Tata introduced Cyrus to the chief minister.

They expressed interest in the efforts made by Gujarat in energy sector, especially geo-thermal

energy. State government officials said the group was committed to be a partner in the state's journey towards progress as well as in development of human resources in the state."

Tata Chemicals Limited, Tata Consultancy Services and Tata Motors have their operations in Gujarat, while another group company Tata Power Limited is coming

up with an Ultra Mega Power Plant at Mundra in Kutch district.

The relation between the Tata Group and the state government after Modi-led administration in the state offered 1,100 acres for the mother plant of Tata Nano and helped the group relocate from Singur in West Bengal, where it was facing protests from farmers. In October, 2009, the group announced that it was relocating the plant for Nano from Singur to Sanand.

India's external debt climbed 6.6 per cent to $326.6 billion by September-end from $306 billion at the beginning of the current financial year on account of a sharp increase in commercial borrowings, export credits and short-term debts, official data showed last week.

Short-term debt accounted for 21.9 per cent of the country's total external debt by the end of the second quarter of 2011-12, while the rest 78.1 per cent was long-term.

"The increase in external commercial borrowings

reflects some concern, given that the depreciation of the rupee leads to higher debt service burden in rupee terms that could impact profitability and the balance sheets of corporate borrowers," a finance ministry statement said.

The rupee has depreciated by almost 20 per cent in the last five months. Between endMarch 2006 and endMarch 2011, commercial borrowings registered a compound annual growth 27.4 per cent.

Component-wise, the share of external commercial borrowings stood highest at 30.3 per cent in total external debt followed by NRI deposits 16 per cent and multilateral debt 15 per cent as on Sept 30.

The government and non-government element in the total external debt was 24.3 per cent and 75.7 per cent respectively.

The share of debt denominated in US dollar was the highest in India's external debt stock at 55.8 per cent, followed by the Indian rupee

18.2 per cent and Japanese Yen 12.1 per cent.

As on September-end India's foreign exchange reserves provided a cover of 95.4 per cent to the total external debt stock, while it was 99.5 per cent at beginning of the current fiscal. The ratio of shortterm external debt to foreign exchange reserves stood at 22.9 per cent at end-September 2011, as compared to 21.3 per cent at March 2011.

"Other indicators of India's external debt remain within manageable limits," the ministry said.

Narendra Modi, Cyrus Mistry & Ratan Tata

India's external debt rises to $326.6 bn

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

19

Outlook for 2012

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

As we enter the New Year it is natural to enquire what’s in store for the property market in the coming year.

Recapping a little on 2011 will give an indication of which pockets of the market are resilient and have been shielded from the turbulent times we have gone through in recent years.

Interestingly the auction results have been fairly strong especially for sought after locations where prices achieved have been higher than would have been through a sale via an agent. One recent example is of a one bedroom period conversion in Bayswater, described as being on the 3rd and 4th floors but in actual fact was only on the 4th floor, the 3rd having only the staircase leading up to the 4th floor, giving the false impression it is a duplex. This was on a fresh lease of 125 years. The property sold for £410,000 on the 15th December 2011. Traditionally December is one of the quietest times of the year for property. This small example illustrates the power of location.

In trying to foresee as to which way the market will move in 2012, let’s see what the commentator's say: Nationwide last Friday reported a fall in house prices for the first time in four months. Robert Gardner Nationwide’s chief economist says next year isn’t shaping up to be much better than 2011 for the UK economy and the housing market adding prices will move either sideways or modestly lower as the UK economy struggles to gain momentum.

The Nationwide figures did show London and nearby boroughs have performed better than the rest of the country.

According to Zoopla the number of properties worth £1m+ has grown by 26744 since the same period last year with London registering the biggest increase with 18% more homes worth more than £1m.

Th ere is a consensus where commentators agree t he gap be twe en prime pro perty and t he mainstre am market will con tinue to grow.

One thing is clear we are operating in a two tier market, one is central London and the other is the rest of the UK. Of course you have pockets where the growth remains solid and deals are hard to come by regardless of the economic climate notably Asian dominated areas and Jewish areas seem to hold their value well because both of these sectors are astute with their monies and also tend to purchase close by to where they live - currently because of their emphasis on extended families.

Woking in Surrey had the biggest average rise with prices at £299,654, up from £257,590 a year earlier.

Overall the verdict is this year for property will be a shaky one, but bear in mind this is the year of the Olympics and therefore you have what’s known as the Olympic effect which will serve to counteract the downward pressure of the economy.

It is clear central London will still have the most profitable growth

The Real Deal

prospects and is seen has a safe place to put your money in times of economic uncertainty not just for UK investors but throughout the world.

And let’s get things in perspective, though different types of investments are discussed in the same way this is not any investment, this is property we are speaking about not some paper asset company on the stock market whose price can go through the floor and disappear along with your money. A ‘crash’ is usually defined as a drop in price of 1520%. After all a property simply cannot disappear - it is impossible.

A favorite saying of mine is buying a dud property is like have a bad haircut if you wait long enough it will always grow back.

Another point to bear in mind is if you purchase purely for cashflow and have no intention of selling in the short to medium term or perhaps ever then what relevance in the price fluctuation? As the only time price applies is when you decide to cash in. Therefore if this isn't in the next few years the price drop in one sense is irrelevant as long as the monthly income is coming in.

A real life example of this is a property priced at £275,000, which we sourced for a client recently, has been rented for £430pw generating £22,300. A deposit of £100,000 and a borrowing of £200k was required to purchase the property. Assuming a 5% interest rate would give an interest payment of £10k this would mean you have a net income of £7300 even after allowing a generous £5k for expenses. Here the intention is to keep the property as a cash cow.

The Victorian House

Real life examples from the street bought to you weekly.

It may not always make sense to sell given the purchasing cost involved.

Recently we picked up a studio for a client priced at £235,000 a relatively large amount of £30k was spent on the property to do it up to a high spec. The original aim was to purchase, develop and resell. The client had dipped their toe in BTL previously and were by no means experienced property investors. The last property bought was for their son who was at university, rather than renting they thought why not purchase instead. A common misconception in my opinion, better to keep the two objectives separate, otherwise you will not achieve the best returns. Luckily on this occasion they resold with a modest profit.

The property we sourced was a studio in the plush areas of Maidavale, acquiring the property was no easy task as it was a repossession and these have a tendency to attract offers just as you are about to exchange. We

managed to keep the deal together and the property was purchased. It was bought with a redemption free mortgage to allow resell without incurring a penalty from the lender.

The property has a current market value of between £300£325,000. However on closer analysis when we done the figures it did not make sense to sell it. Buying and selling property means the cost of buying and selling gets taken off your profit margin which in this case is about £18,500. People often forget this is not the only option to release equity. You can refinance and take out 75% of the property value, and keep the property rising in value for you. Because of its location it will rent like a hot cake and we believe properties in this location will still continue to rise into the coming year. It seems the best scenario is to keep hold of the property. This allows your money not to be buried in the property and to keep progressing.

We will be running a weekly column on educating our readers on Victorian properties as it has been one of the most common type of property in England, yet apart from the name no one seems to know much about them.

The Victorian house takes its name from the reign of Queen Victoria who ruled from 1837 to 1901. The main impetus for building prolifically during her reign was the increase in population which doubled between 1841 and 1901. Compounding this was the break down of the extended family in England where the family nucleus became smaller and more numerous. A similar theme is occurring now in India, as she marches to economic prosperity.

The other reasons were the rise of steam power trains and mass production methods this happened in a much larger scale and at greater speed during this period.

By 1867 there were 13,500 miles of railway in the UK which carried the cheaper and better building materials throughout the country at less cost than canal or sea, which were the common routes of transportation at the time.

Britain managed to build a huge empire during the Victorian period. It was also a time of tremendous change in the lives of British people. In 1837 most people lived in villages and worked on the land; by 1901, most lived in towns and worked in offices, shops and factories so this was a period when massive urban-

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ization took place. Again we can draw a direct parallel to India where the population is swapping the fields and the bullock carts for literally a Porsche and the city lights, and this is Ahmedabad I am writing of!

Tips of the Week l This year it is key where you invest, as we are in general not looking at a rising market l Remember you NEVER have to sell property, it can stay with you for generations

20

fiNANciAl voIcE

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Bajaj Auto unveils a competitor for Nano: the RE 60

maria@abplgroup.com

Maria Fernandes

Employers beware In a recent decision an employer contacted the UKBA to check the status of a family member of an EU national and on the basis of what they were advised suspended the employee. The employer argued that during the suspension the employee did not have the right to work and that the employment contract was unlawful and could not be enforced.

At the Employment Tribunal the employers were initially successful but on appeal the Judge re-iterated that the right of the applicant emanated from EU law which gives rights to family members and that the fact that the employer relied on what the UKBA told them did not have any bearing on the legality of the contract. A right to reside of a family member of an EU comes from the law. The UKBA issue a residence permit as evidence of an existing right.

This judgement highlights the difficulties faced by employers when making decisions which

sizes the low level of fees.

However like all fees introduced this is only a starting point.

Rogue traders: Colleges and their tactics Whilst the introduction of sponsor registration was supposed to improve the system for genuine students it has proved to be a gold mine for a number of rogue colleges. A familiar story heard in our offices is of colleges who advise their students to make applications for extensions when there is not a chance that it will be successful and then pocket the full fees (often running into thousands of pounds) when applications are refused.

A nice little earner for some.

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.

appear on the fact of it to be reasonable. With the increase in immigration raids employers are erring on the side of caution but this can result in the type of issue that this case highlights.

The cost of justice: Fees introduced for appeals As of the 19th December fees will need to be paid for lodging appeals. Last week I wrote about this issue.

The fees decided are now £140 for oral appeals and £80 for paper appeals.

No cash or cheques but credit and debit cards are acceptable. Thos who do not have cards and cannot arrange payment should submit the appeal and explain this and the Tribunal will write to explain how to make a payment directly into the tribunal’s bank account.

If this system is anything like that operated by the UKBA in taking card payments then applicants are in for a miserable period ahead. The literature that accompanies the changes empha-

India allows foreign nationals to invest in stock market

India will allow individual foreign investors direct access to its stock market from January 15, the government of India said on Sunday, the latest step to liberalise Asia's thirdlargest economy after a year of big losses on the benchmark Sensex.

Previously, foreign nationals were limited to investing in India's equity market through indirect routes such as mutual funds, or through institutional vehicles.

"The central government has decided to allow qualified foreign investors to directly invest in (the) Indian equity market in order to widen the class of investors, attract more foreign funds, and reduce market volatility," the government said in a statement.

Analysts said the decision to allow foreign nationals to invest in Indian equities was a positive move but it was

an annual average of about 8 per cent for several years.

The rupee shed 24 per cent of its value against the dollar last year and the current account deficit is widening. Many economists predict growth below seven per cent for the fiscal year that ends on March 30.

BSE Sensex posted its first annual fall in three years in 2011 as a combination of near double-digit inflation, high interest rates, slowing domestic growth and policy inaction turned off investors already shaken by global headwinds.

Foreign fund inflows, a major driver of Indian stocks, dried up with net outflows of about $380 million last week, a far cry from record inflows of more than $29 billion in 2010 that had powered a 17 per cent rise in the benchmark index, following an 81 per cent surge in 2009.

unlikely to result in an increased flow of overseas funds in the near-term due to weak market conditions.

"At a time when the foreign institutions are reducing their exposure to India, it would not be prudent to expect foreign individuals to start investing in our markets," said Jagannadham Thunuguntla, research head at brokerage SMC Global Securities.

"We can see some impact of this decision when the stock market conditions improve," he said.

In the past 20 years India has gradually opened its economy to foreign cash. The economy is now faltering after growing at

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Bajaj Auto, India's second largest bike maker, finally unveiled its first four-wheeler, a low-emission car RE 60 at the 2012 Auto Expo in New Delhi.

High fuel efficiency and lower emissions are the key factors on which the company is banking on to make its foray into the car segment a success.

The RE 60, according to Bajaj has high fuel-efficiency ratios. Bajaj claims that this vehicle has hit 40 kmpl under test conditions and a realistic mileage in daily driving conditions should be above 35 kmpl.

The 800cc engine emissions will be an incredible 60g of CO2 per km.

Slated to be launched this year, its engine is a new water-cooled DTSi 4 (Digital Twin Spark Ignition) and able to accelerate to a maximum speed of 70 km per hour.

The small car can accommodate four people.

Though Bajaj has not yet revealed the prices for the RE 60, it is believed to be an ultra-low cost car and will compete with the Tata Nano, currently the cheapest car in the world.

Bajaj has been working with Nissan Motor Co and Renault SA on a project to develop an ultra low-cost mini car. The Bajaj RE60 will be manufactured in Aurangabad.

The RE 60 has body coloured bumpers and funky wheels. The interiors get a central speedometer cluster, folding front windows, 44-litre boot space, 95-litre under seat storage and prominent seatbelts in cabin.

This four-wheeler gets a digital twin spark tech engine. It is also available in fuel injected CNG variant.

Tata Steel Europe to cut output by 15-18 per cent

Despite the euro zone crisis not hitting the company in any major way, Tata Steel Europe is planning to go for 15 to 18 per cent production cut at the units located there. Company says the move will help improve the situation at units in Europe.

Tata Steel managing director HM Nerurkar said units of Tata Steel Europe were currently seeing a 15% to 18% production cut. Tata Steel Europe has around 16 mtpa steel-making facilities. “Their efforts at restructuring, cost reduction and those taken for customers, should definitely yield good results in times to come,” the managing director said.

On the effect of slowdown in India, he said the steel sector in India has not been hit so far. The effect, if any in India, had

Ministry proposes $6.2 bn aid for Air India by 2017

been to the extent that the country’s economic growth which was earlier projected to hover around 8.5% to 9.5% is now estimated to come down to 6.5% to 7.5%.

“Since November, the automotive industry had been performing well. Had the government paid attention to infrastructure projects, both steel and cement industry would also have done well.”

Nerurkar said among the company’s immediate targets was to complete its ongoing 3 million tonne per annum (mtpa) expansion programme by March 2012.

The expansion would take Tata Steel’s rated steel making capacity to 9.7 mtpa.

The company was also eager to step up “considerably” the pace at which its 6 mtpa Orissa greenfield project was coming up.

India’s aviation ministry proposes to provide 330 billion rupees to cashstrapped Air India by 2017 as part of the government's 12th Five-Year Plan, according to a working group report.

The proposed aid would include an equity infusion of 199 billion rupees into the loss-making carrier and 112 billion rupees for aircraft projects, including purchases and maintenance.

The report says the total debts of India's airlines are expected to rise to $20 billion in 2011/12 ending March as they struggle with rising oil prices, high sales taxes on jet fuel and below-cost pricing driven by fierce competition.

State-owned Air India, is burdened with a debt of $4 billion.

Worst year for Bombay Stock Exchange The year 2011, would go down as one of the worst years for Dalal Street as the BSE Sensex closed the year at 15,455, losing nearly a quarter of its value from its 2010 close of 20,500. Investors were left poorer by nearly Rs 20,000 billion with BSE’s market capitalization now at Rs 53,400 billion.

The debt crisis in Europe and a weak US economy were the two global factors that combined with the domestic

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against other major currencies also pulled the rupee down. The twin effect of rupee depreciation and a weak market forced India out of the select group of countries with a trillion dollar market capitalization earlier this month. The good news, however, is that it is again back in the league but still on the edge.

At the same time, the flight to safety led investors to buy gold, considered a hedge against inflation and bad economic conditions.

ones such as high interest rate, inflation, rising fiscal and current account deficits, and a near paralysis of government’s decision making process at the centre to force investors to cut their exposure in risky assets like equities.

The year also saw a 19% loss in the Indian currency against the dollar, its first yearly loss since 2008.

Along with domestic factors like a weak fiscal situation and bulging deficits, the strength of the dollar

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FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

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

2012 – The Battle against the Euro Crisis As the markets awaken to the New Year and trading, many thoughts will continue to arise mostly of concerns around the crisis in the Eurozone. The world has seen the bearish results to trading and the ongoing debt problems the Euro has been battling with in recent months.

2011 saw massive debt problems for Greece, Italy and Spain who as result of the financial difficulties decided to sell off bonds at favorable rates to reduce the debts. Along with this the IMF, EMU and Euro committee met regularly to discuss how to reduce the deficit.

Extreme measures were drafted in, such as getting the major banks to wipe repayment loans for the major culprits including Greece, Spain and Italy.

2012 marks the 10th anniversary for the Euro and will be the year for a necessary rebound with EU officials heading the efforts to maintain stability. 650 Billion worth of Euros needs to be refinanced by the end of April. There is a proposed summit meeting by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy on January 9th in order to discuss the details of new government spending rules for

the EU countries, which are supposed to be introduced in the second quarter of 2012.

The Eurozone showed a good start to 2012 trading as UK & US are closed for New Year’s Day. In Europe with stocks rising due to Germany beating estimates put in place for Manufacturing. Siemens AG (SIE) increased 2.1 percent for the biggest contribution to the Stoxx 600’s advance (SXXP) The Stoxx 600 rose 0.7 percent to 246.21 at around midday in London. Reports also suggested that Euro zone banks rose 1.2 percent after closing above the 38.2 percent Fibonacci retracement level of the November

move on Friday.

Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is unveiling a new package to surge the country back into green with a new package of spending cuts and tax increases. On the other hand the key to the Euro survival could lie with Italy – the groups 3rd largest economy with 53 Billion required to be paid back in the first quarter about a third of the euro area’s total amount for the period. Mario Monti Italy’s PM had to draft this to curb the increasing debt and aim to control further spending.

In the UK there were concerns too as Unemployment continued to grow and the

Economy concerned over problems around Eurozone. The UK Prime Minister David Cameron states that "This will be the year Britain sees the world and the world sees Britain." He believes that with the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee can help get Britain up to strength.

David does however explain that it will be a difficult year as fears about jobs and paying the bills. The search for work has become difficult, particularly for young people and rising prices have hit household budgets.

With the fantastic sound assisted firework display on the Thames in London giving the world a brief glimpse of what is to come for the Olympics, the two major events will be key factors in contributing to the success of the UK’s economy in 2012.

As European leaders return to work from the Christmas and New Year holidays it is clear on their minds that buying time will be top of the agenda in terms of rescuing the Eurozone.

Merkel recently for the New Year’s speech said “The road to overcoming this won’t be without setbacks, but at the end of this path Europe will emerge stronger from the crisis than before.”

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 3rd January 2012 @ 12.30pm GBP - INR = 82.96 USD - INR = 53.21 EUR - INR = 69.42 GBP - USD = 1.56 GBP - EUR = 1.20 EUR - USD = 1.30 GBP - AED = 5.73 GBP - CAD = 1.57 GBP - NZD = 1.98 GBP - AUD = 1.51 GBP - ZAR = 12.54 GBP - HUF = 377.46

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

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Pak judicial commission to probe memo scandal Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court set up a judicial commission to investigate a secret memo scandal that threatens the government, lawyers said, dealing a blow to the country's leaders, who have argued that such a probe is unnecessary.

The government has suggested its opponents on the Supreme Court, in the military and in the political opposition are using the scandal to try to topple the country's leadership.

The political crisis centers on a memo sent in May to US Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff at the time, asking for help in stopping a supposed army

coup following the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

The scandal first erupted in October when Mansoor Ijaz, a US businessman of Pakistani origin, wrote a column in the Financial Times claiming Pakistan's former ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, crafted the memo and asked him to send it. Ijaz also claimed the memo had the support of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Both Haqqani and Zardari have denied the allegations, but the envoy resigned in the wake of the scandal.

The army, which has denied it ever intended to

carry out a coup, was outraged by the memo and supported the Supreme Court's investigation.

The government argued that a court probe was unnecessary because parliament was the more appropriate forum and was already looking into the matter.

"This is the most disappointing judgment," said Haqqani's lawyer, Asma Jehangir, after the Supreme Court ruling. "National security has been given priority over human rights."

There is long-standing tension between Pakistan's military and its civilian leadership because the army has staged a series of coups and ruled

No chance of early elections in Pakistan: Yousuf Raza Gilani Islamabad: Pak Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has dismissed any chance of early polls, saying the next general election would be held as scheduled in 2013.

The government will follow the constitutional and due legal process to hold the next general election, Gilani told in his hometown of Multan. "Some have-nots wish to become haves and they talk of elections. But they don't know that we will act according to the law and Constitution. We are moving according to the consensus in Parliament," he said.

Asked about relations between President Asif Ali Zardari and army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Gilani said, "Their relations are very good".

He rejected media

reports that he had "begged" the army chief to accept a three-year extension in service last year, and said there was confusion on the issue due to the English translation of his remarks in Urdu.

Gilani said the coalition government led by the Pakistan People's Party is stable and all political parties have agreed that Parliament should complete its tenure.

The hue and cry for early polls was aimed at sabotaging elections to the Senate or upper house of Parliament scheduled for March, he contended.

The PPP-led government has faced pressure from the powerful security establishment in recent weeks over a secret memo that sought the US help to stave off a possible military takeover in Pakistan after the killing of Osama bin Laden in May. In response to a question about Pakistan's relations with the US in the wake of the NATO air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers last month, Gilani said the revised foreign policy for ties with the US and NATO would be approved by parliament.

the country for much of its 64-year history.

The Supreme Court decided to set up a threejudge commission to investigate the memo scandal in response to a petition filed by a group of opposition politicians, including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The commission will be led by the chief justice of the Baluchistan high court, Qazi Faez Isa, and must deliver its report within four weeks, said Zafar Ullah, Sharif's lawyer.

"We should have trust and confidence in this commission," said Ishaq Dar, a member of Sharif's political party and another one of the petitioners.

Indian envoy meets Pakistan minister over 26/11

Islamabad: India's High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal and Interior Minister Rehman Malik have discussed matters relating to Mumbai attack and the visit of a judicial commission to India. Pakistan's High Commissioner Shahid Malik had met Indian home minister P. Chidambaram and conveyed to him that the Pakistani government would be sending the commission.

The commission is expected to record the statements of Mumbai Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R.V. Sawant Waghule and investigating officer Ramesh Mahale, who had recorded the confessional statement of Ajmal Amir Kasab, convicted of the terror attack.

Imran Khan likely to join hands with Musharraf

Islamabad: The political scene in Pakistan appears to be hotting up, with the cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Tehrik-eInsaf party indicating that it is open to an alliance with former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

The party's new vicechairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said a decision on forming an alliance with Musharraf's All Pakistan Muslim League will be taken in due course of time after considering circumstances.

His comments came in the wake of political ripples triggered by the 'memogate' scandal, which has put the country's powerful army and the executives at loggerheads, leading to speculation of possibility of early polls and new political alignments.

Musharraf, who has been living outside Pakistan in self-exile since early 2009, recently announced he would return to the country later.

Musharraf is expected to set the date for his home-

coming while addressing a rally in Karachi by phone on January 8.

During an interaction with the media in Multan on Sunday, Qureshi said: "People from every political party are joining the Tehrik-

e-Insaf." The party is not "just a trend" as it represents "an ideology against the status quo", he said.

Qureshi further said that if all lawmakers of the main opposition PML-N decided to resign from parliament, the Pakistan People's Party-led government would be left with no option but to call an early election. The Tehrik-eInsaf, however, is in no hurry to gain power, said Qureshi, a former foreign minister who recently broke away from the PPP.

Islamabad: Pakistan's powerful army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said his force would back democracy and dismissed speculation of a military takeover as misleading, saying they were being used as a bogey to divert the focus from real issues.

The statement came a day after prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani warned that conspiracies were being hatched to pack up his democratically elected government. The army chief reiterated that the Pakistan Army would con-

tinue to support democratic process in the country.

Gilani in an unprecedented tongue-lashing against the military said that conspiracies were being hatched against his government.

However, Inter-Services Public Relations' statement said, "Kayani strongly dispelled the speculations of any military takeover and said that these were misleading and were being used as a bogey to divert the focus from the real issues."

Kayani emphasised that the issues of national secu-

rity need to be considered on merit alone. The Army chief said that no one could put a price tag on the scared blood of those who had sacrificed their lives for the nation.

The differences between the civilian administration and the military came to the fore after Gilani strongly criticised the army for failing to detect Osama bin Laden's presence in the country and warned that conspiracies were being hatched to oust his government.

Against the backdrop of tensions between the gov-

ernment and the military over the memogate scandal, Gilani said the people have to decide whether they want elected people or a dictatorship. Gilani also criticised the security establishment for its failure to detect bin Laden's presence in Pakistan. The army and the ISI had urged the Supreme Court to conduct a probe into the alleged memo made public by PakistaniAmerican businessman Mansoor Ijaz that had sought US help to prevent a feared coup in Pakistan after the killing of bin Laden.

Kayani rules out military takeover

Barack Obama signs bill to suspend $1.1 bn aid to Pakistan

Washington: US president Barack Obama has signed into law a massive $662-billion defence spending bill that also seeks to suspend a big chunk of $1.1 billion military aid to Pakistan, despite his "serious reservations" about provisions regulating detention and prosecution of suspected terrorists. "I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation and prosecution of suspected terrorists," Obama said in a statement after signing the bill.

Pak joins UNSC as non-permanent member United Nations: Pakistan last week joined the UN Security Council for a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the powerful world body, which also has India among its 15-member states. Pakistan was elected to the Security Council last October when 129 out of 193 members of the UN General Assembly voted for it during an election. Pakistan has previously served the Council in 1952-53, 1968-69, 1976-77, 1983-84, 1993-94 and 2003-04. Pakistan's envoy to UN Abdullah Hussain Haroon has said his country would play a constructive role in resolving key global issues that the Council is dealing with or may come up.

Pak scribe threatened for questioning military role Islamabad: Senior Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi has announced on his television talk show that he has been receiving threatening messages after raising questions about the military's role in politics. He said if the threats did not stop, he would be "compelled" to name the "organizations and officials" who were responsible for them. Without naming any intelligence agency, Sethi said during his show that the organization's operatives were "in touch with and threatening several other senior journalists". The journalists did not speak about the threats before "because we did not want to destabilize things, but the time has come when all of them should come forward and speak publicly," he said.

Muhammad Yunus seeks review of removal from Grameen Bank

Dhaka: Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus reportedly has appealed to Bangladesh's Supreme Court seeking a review of its ruling upholding his removal as head of a pioneering microlender. Yunus was waiting for a date to be announced for hearing his case after he filed a petition for a court review earlier this month. In May, the Supreme Court dismissed two petitions challenging a High Court order that Yunus must go as managing director of Grameen Bank because he violated the government's retirement regulations. Yunus founded Grameen Bank in 1983, pioneering the idea of issuing small loans to the poor. The work earned him and the bank the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.

Zardari asks ex-minister to mentor Bilawal Islamabad: Pakistan’s embattled president Asif Ali Zardari has asked former minister Aitzaz Ahsan to act as a mentor to his son Bilawal if “anything were to happen to him,” amid reports that the outspoken PPP leader is being tipped as a likely replacement for premier Yousuf Raza Gilani. Zardari had reached out to Ahsan, one of Pakistan’s leading lawyers and former interior minister, after he became embroiled in the controversy over a secret memo that sought US help to stave off a possible coup in Pakistan following the killing of Osama bin Laden.

15 killed in Pakistan's Quetta city blast Islamabad: Fifteen people were killed and over 20 injured after a blast hit Pakistan's Quetta city last week. Balochistan Liberation Army, a local separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a suicide bomb attack instead of a car bomb attack. The attack took place outside the house of the son of former federal minister Naseer Mengal who had served as oil minister during the tenure of former president Pervez Musharraf. An estimated 40 to 50 kg of explosives were used in the blast, said police, adding that bomb disposal squad also defused two other bombs planted near the house. Shafiq Mengal, the leader's son, however, escaped the attack.

Afghan girl tortured after refusing prostitution Kabul: A 15-year-old Afghan girl was brutally tortured, beaten and locked in a toilet by her husband's family for months after she refused to become a prostitute.

Sahar Gul was in critical condition when she was rescued from a house in northern Baghlan province last week, after her neighbours reported hearing Gul crying and moaning in pain. According to police in Baghlan, her in-laws pulled out her nails and hair, and locked her in a dark basement bathroom for about five months, with barely enough food and water to survive.

"She was married seven months ago. Her in-laws tried to force her into prostitution to earn money," Rahima Zarifi, head of women's affairs in Baghlan had said.

world

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Iran fires long-range missile in Gulf drill Tehran: Iran said that it had successfully test fired a long-range missile during its naval exercise in the Gulf, flexing its military muscle to show it could hit Israel and US bases in the region if attacked. The announcement came amid rising tension over Iran's disputed nuclear programme which Western powers believe is working on developing atomic bombs. Tehran denies the accusation and last week said it would stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz if the West carried out threats to impose sanctions on its oil exports.

Air strike kills 30 in southeast Turkey Diyabakir: Turkish warplanes killed 30 people in an air strike in southeastern Turkey near the Iraqi border last week, apparently mistaking smugglers for Kurdish militants. Turkish warplanes strike militant targets regularly in the region in their battle against Kurdistan Workers Party guerillas, and have stepped up raids after a PKK attack in August. "We have 30 corpses, all of them are burned. The state knew that these people were smuggling in the region. This kind of incident is unacceptable. They were hit from the air," said Fehmi Yaman, mayor of Uludere in Sirnak province." The PKK, regarded as a terrorist organisation launches attacks on Turkish forces in southeastern Turkey.

China tests 500 kmph super high-speed train Beijing: China launched a super-rapid test train over the weekend which is capable of travelling 500 km per hour, as the country moves ahead with its railway ambitions despite serious problems on its high-speed network. The train, made by a subsidiary of CSR Corp Ltd, China’s largest train maker, is designed to resemble an ancient Chinese sword. It “will provide useful reference for current high-speed railway operations”, quoted train expert Shen Zhiyun as saying. But future Chinese trains will not necessarily run at such high speeds, CSR chairman Zhao Xiaogang. “We aim to ensure the safety of trains operation,” he said.

Islamist parties in Egypt threaten to ban alcohol, bikinis

London: The popularity of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, which is expected to win a majority in Egypt's new parliament, has left the country's tourist industry fearing, as they have threatened a crackdown on alcohol and bikinis. The Brotherhood has said tourists can do without alcohol while ultraconservative Salafist candidates have taken it a step further by demanding a ban on all alcohol sales. Egypt's planned crackdown on booze and bikinis could hamper the tourism industry. They have also called for segregating Egypt's beaches by sex and banning revealing swimwear. Political unrest and violence have kept tourists away from this and other Egyptian landmarks since the fall of former president, Hosni Mubarak.

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton again top most admired list Washington: US president Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continue to be named by Americans as the Most Admired Man and Most Admired Woman living today in any part of the world. While Obama has been the Most Admired Man four years in a row Clinton has been the Most Admired Woman each of the last 10 years, according to a new Gallup poll, leading public opinion pollster. The top five Most Admired men also include George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Billy Graham, and Warren Buffett, while Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin, and Condoleezza Rice round out the top five Most Admired women.

US man gets 14 years prison for burning church Washington: Early November 5, 2008, within hours of Obama being elected president, Michael Jacques and his co-conspirators burned down "the Macedonia Church of God in Christ's newly constructed building where religious services were to be held for its predominantly African-American congregation," the Justice Department said. The building, located in Springfield, in the northeastern state of Massachusetts, was almost complete at the time of the fire, but the blaze destroyed nearly the entire structure, leaving only the metal superstructure and a small portion of the front corner intact. Jacques, now 27, was sentenced to 166 months in prison.

India-US ties have lost momentum: US experts Washington: Two US experts have said US-India relations need 'careful nurturing' to regain the 'lost momentum. ''After the dramatic turnaround of the US-India nuclear deal and the warmth and excitement of Obama's visit to Delhi just over a year ago, the relationship has lost momentum,” Teresita C. Schaffer and Howard B. Schaffer, wrote in a commentary for the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. “Both governments' domestic challenges are the major factor here, but this is a high-maintenance relationship. It does not do well on automatic pilot,” they said.

23

Siberian court throws out case against Bhagavad Gita commentary Moscow: A Siberian court has thrown out a petition that sought to ban a translation of the Bhagavad Gita as “extremist” literature.

Judge Galina Butenko of the Leninsky District Court in Tomsk ruled that there were no grounds for recognising ‘Bhagavad Gita As It Is’ as extremist because the book was “one of the interpretations of the sacred Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita.” The defence side said it was fully satisfied with the court verdict.

“This court decision shows that Russia is indeed becoming a democratic society,” said lawyer Alexander Shakhov, who represented at the trial the

162,000 killed in Iraq war: NGO Baghdad: Around 162,000 people, almost 80 per cent of them civilians, were killed in Iraq from the start of the 2003 US-led invasion up to last year's withdrawal of American forces, a British NGO said on Monday.

Iraq Body Count (IBC) warned that, contrary to apparent trends in figures released by the Iraqi government, the level of violence has changed little from mid-2009, though attacks are markedly down from when the country was in the throes of sectarian war in 2006 and 2007.

In all, the non-governmental organisation said an estimated 162,000 people were killed in Iraq in the nearly nine years of conflict. It said around 79 per cent of the fatalities were civilians.

local branch of the International Society for K r i s h n a Consciousness (ISKCON).

I n d i a ' s Ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra, who had fiercely opposed the trial, welcomed the court ruling.

“The verdict of the Honourable Judge in Tomsk in dismissing the case pertaining to the Bhagavad Gita deserves to be applauded,” said the envoy. “It is very nice to see that this issue has been conclusively resolved and is now behind us.”

State prosecutors had filed the petition against

“Bhagavad Gita As It Is,” claiming it sowed “social hatred” and called for “violence against non-believers.”

The case was built on expert testimony from local professors of philosophy and philology, who said the book expresses religious hatred and discriminates on the basis of gender, race, nationality and language.

Prosecutors offered no comment as they left the court after the verdict.

“We are happy that the court showed reason and competence in passing the correct verdict,” said

Sergei Zuyev, vice-president of ISKCON in Russia.

“It is not right for secular courts to try religions.” On the eve of hearing, India’s external affairs minister S.M. Krishna had summoned the Russian Ambassador in New Delhi, Alexander Kadakin, asking the Russian government to provide all possible help to resolve the issue.

Russia's Human Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin welcomed the court decision. “I think the Russian government must draw the right conclusions from this incident. It should fight terrorism by exposing terrorist plots and outfits, not by passing judgment on ancient sacred scriptures,” he said.

Mosque, Hindu temple site attacked with fire bombs in New York New York: New York police are investigating as bias crimes four Molotov cocktail attacks on Sunday night, including one against a mosque with 75 people inside and another against a Hindu place of worship.

No injuries were reported.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday assigned state law enforcement officials to assist the New York City investigation, saying the attacks "go against everything we stand for as New Yorkers and Americans," and the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the attacks.

The arson attacks occurred over two hours on Sunday night in the borough Queens, police said. The first fire bomb hit a conven-

ience store, causing damage behind the counter, and the second hit a private house.

Residents of the home escaped without harm but the fire caused extensive damage, police said.

The third targeted the Imam al-Khoei Foundation, a Shiite organization that provides education, funeral services, counseling and helps organize Islamic pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia, according to its website.

The fourth attack hit a private home where Hindu services are held.

About 75 to 80 worshippers were inside the mosque and some of them attempted to put out a small fire at the top of the door until the fire department arrived, imam Maan Alsahlani said.

"We don't know who did this and we cannot accuse anyone. We will let the police department deal with this," Alsahlani said. This was the first attack against the mosque, he said.

"Even after September 11, nobody did anything to the center or attacked the center," Alsahlani said, referring to the time of high tension following the 2001 attacks. CAIR, an Islamic civil rights group, called on police to increase patrols protecting mosques.

"Attacks on our nation's houses of worship must be condemned by all Americans and should be investigated and prosecuted using all available law enforcement resources," CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said in a statement.

In Samoa Friday disappeared

Apia: Samoans went to bed on Thursday last and woke up on Saturday in an historic timezone switch which the Pacific island state’s prime minister said would take the country forward to a more prosperous future.

Samoa currently sits to the east of the international date line - which runs through the middle of the Pacific - meaning that it is

11 hours behind GMT and is one of the last places on Earth to see the dawn. At midnight on Thursday Samoa became one of the first places to experience the new day, omitting Friday, December 30, entirely and jumping 24 hours ahead to Saturday as it moves west of the dateline.

The move brought the Pacific island nation in line with regional economic pow-

erhouses of Australia and New Zealand, both of which were also home to large expatriate Samoan communities.

Prime minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said the move made business sense and offered tourism opportunities.

“We’ve got to remember that over 90 per cent of our people emigrate to New Zealand and Australia. That's why it is

absolutely vital to make this change,” he told the Samoa Observer. At present Samoa is 23 hours behind Australasia and loses two commercial days a week with its main trading partners. “While it's Friday here, it's Saturday in New Zealand and when we're at church on Sunday, they're already conducting business in Sydney and Brisbane,” Tuilaepa said.

North Korea to continue Kim Jong Il's policy

Pyongyang: North Korea warned rival South Korea and the rest of the world not to expect any change after Kim Jong Il's death, sending a clear message of continuity by also calling his son and heir "Great Leader" for the first time.

North Korea's powerful National Defense Commission said that the country would never deal with South Korean president Lee Myung-bak, a conservative who stopped a no-strings-attached aid policy toward the North in 2008, and that it would

unite around new leader Kim Jong Un. He was also appointed as the supreme commander of North Korea's 1.2 million-strong military. The appointment was made at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party.

The stern message also said North Korea was "uniting around Kim Jong Un." The title was one of the ways North Korea strengthened the personality cult surrounding Kim Jong Il. The term was also used for Kim Il Sung, the

country's revered fonder and the grandfather of Kim Jong Un. The statement came a day after North Korea ended official mourning for Kim Jong Il and declared Kim Jong Un supreme leader of the ruling party and military at a

massive public memorial for the elder Kim. The top levels of government have unified around Kim Jong Un, who is in late 20s, in the wake of Kim Jong Il's death on Dec. 17.

"We declare solemnly and confidently that the foolish politicians around the world, including the puppet group in South Korea, should not expect any change from us," the National Defense Commission said in a statement. "We will never deal with the traitor group of Lee Myung-bak."

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IIMA professor quits job, joins politics AV Correspondent The Anna Hazare movement against corruption has stirred many a souls and helped many advertising companies to form their tag line, but it has also influenced an IIM Ahmedabad assistant professor to quit his present job and join politics.

Thirty four - year - old Abhishek Mishra will now be contesting the forthcoming UP elections from his hometown in Lucknow (north) on a Samajwadi Party ticket.

Mishra taught business policy at the IIMA for six years. Before joining the premier B-school of the country, Mishra was an IPS officer. But he left IPS and went to UK where he got his PhD from Cambridge University.

Being educated in convent schools all through, Mishra did his schooling at St Francis College,

Lucknow. He did his Master’s in management from Strathclyde Business School, Glasgow with specialisation in global marketing & international finance.

After completing his M. Phil in management studies from Cambridge University, he earned a PhD in strategy and marketing from the same university in 2005. His father, Jai Shankar Mishra, is a UP-cadre IAS officer currently posted in New Delhi. Speaking about his decision to join politics, Mishra said, “I was approached by the top brass of the party to contest, and secondly I realised that it was time for me to give back to the society and that could be done by being part of the democratic system.”

He said at some point in your life you realise that "We should rise above politics of religion and caste.

Hindi an alien language for Gujaratis: High Court AV Correspondent Gujarat High Court has observed that Hindi is an alien language to the Gujaratis. The court made this observation while passing its judgment on a Special Civil Application challenging the notification for land acquisition by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in Junagadh district.

NHAI had in 2006 planned to widen the existing two-lane National Highway no 8D to four lane. However, the alignment of the bypass was changed last year on several grounds. Notification in this regard was published in English and Hindi in an English and vernacular news paper.

Unhappy with the development, a group of farmers from the Saraghvada village in Junagadh district filed a petition before the high court challenging the notification. Apart from other grounds, the notification was also challenged on the

grounds that the authorities breached the mandatory provision of the law that such notifications need to be published in local language.

The division bench comprising Justice V M Sahai and Justice A J Desai in its order observed that “This is an admitted position that the language of the region where the petitioners are residing, the language used by them is Gujarati and Hindi language used in the notification is a foreign language for them. The normal spoken language in the said region is `Gujarati' and not `Hindi'.” “Similarly, government imparts education in primary school level is also Gujarati in the entire State of Gujarat including the region where the petitioners are residing” the bench added.

Upholding the farmer’s petition, the bench quashed the notification and declared the subsequent proceedings undertaken by the authorities in this connection null and void.

There should be issues like education, development and uplift of all the communities. I hope to harp on issues which are important for the young generation." Mishra who has already quit IIMA and is serious about politics said that contesting elections would his first attempt toward making an entry in the democratic system and even if he loses the elections he would continue to be with the party and work toward the development of youth and cater to issues like education and unemployment.

With UP elections scheduled to be held early next year, Mishra will be leaving for Lucknow and begin mobilising the youth force of his constituencies.

“I will reach out to the youth and elderly and begin my campaign either by the end of this month or beginning of next month,’’ said Mishra.

Girl sacrificed for better harvest

Two farmers were arrested last week in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh state after they killed a girl to appease their gods and get a better harvest. The seven-year-old girl was murdered and had her liver cut in a ritual sacrifice to ensure a better harvest. Lalita Tati disappeared in October and her dismembered remains were found a week later, said Rajendra Narayan Das, a senior police officer.

The state is the tenth largest in the country and beliefs in traditional healers runs deep. Police arrested the men last week and they told officers they killed the girl to appease their gods and get a better harvest. Tati was walking home after watching TV at a neighbour's house when she was kidnapped, Das said. The two men confessed to cutting her open and removing her liver as an offering. Das said the police had gathered enough evidence, apart from the confessions, to charge the two with murder. They would face life in prison or even the death sentence if convicted.

Gujarat helped establish Islam in South East Asia Gujarat's flourishing trade with Southeast Asian countries in the 15th and 16th century is well known. But a lesser known fact is that the state played a pivotal role in establishing Islam in this region.

The Portuguese invasion of Southeast Asia in the 17th century resulted in the decline in number of Gujaratis and their trade.

Yet, there was no shrinking of their legacy.

"One of these legacies was Islam. There were influential scholars and

teachers of Islam from Gujarat who, though few in number, planted the seeds of their belief in local disciples who in turn spread the word throughout the (MalayIndonesian ) archipelago.

Gujarat was also the base of Islamic scholars from the archipelago who returned home to propagate the religion," writes Leonard Andaya, a professor of Southeast Asian History at University of Hawaii at Manoa, in the book 'Gujarat and the Sea.' Two renowned

Islamic teachers who served in Aceh, an important port town in Sumatra - Shaikh Muhammed Jailani and his nephew Nuruddin ar-Raniri hailed from a community of Hadramis in Gujarat .

Nuruddin later became one of the leaders of Islamic reformism in the Malay-Indonesian archipelago in the 17th century.

Such was Nuruddin's influence at the court that the Dutch complained that Gujarati merchants were being favoured above all other.

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil Rishi Lomesh took the Pandavas to see the ashram of Rishi Swetaketu.

Swetaketu was a great rishi, well versed in the science of mantras. The ashram was built at the spot where he was gifted with the knowledge of the Vedas, in an instant, by a goddess.

Rishi Lomesh told the Pandavas that there were two very great rishis – Swetaketu, in whose ashram they stood, and Ashtavakra. They were related in that Ashtavakra was Swetaketu’s nephew.

Together, both of them had gone to the court of the king of Videha Janaka.

There, Ashtavakra had defeated the great Bandi in a debate.

Yudhisthira then asked the rishi to tell them the story of Ashtavakra in detail. He also asked how his body was crooked in eight parts that he was known as Ashtavakra.

Lomesh told them that there was a rishi called Uddalaka. He had a very deserving disciple called Kahod, who looked after his guru very well. After a few years the rishi was very happy with him and imparted to him all the knowledge and mysteries of the scriptures and also gave his daughter, Sujata, in marriage to him.

A few months after the marriage, Sujata was pregnant, and knew that she would be blessed with a great son. One day, Kahod was chanting the Vedas

The Story of Ashtavakra late in the night with his disciples. The young child, still in his mother’s womb, shouted to his father that he was chanting the slokas incorrectly. Being thus rebuked by his unborn son in front of his disciples, made Kahod very angry.

He cursed his son with the words, “You speak such crooked words even while you are still in the womb, your body will be crooked I eight places.” When he was born, his limbs were crooked in eight places, thus he was known as Ashtavakra, meaning crooked eight times.

Sujata, in the last days of pregnancy, was worried of how she would be able to feed the newly born child. She asked her husband to go to the court of King Janaka and ask for some gold in alms. Now the king had a great Brahmin in his court called

Bandi who could defeat anyone in a debate on the Vedas. The king had made a rule that any Brahmin who sought alms would first have to defeat Bandi in a challenge of words. If the challenger lost the duel, he would be drowned in the river.

Kahod challenged Bandi to a duel in which he was no match for him.

Thus he was tied and thrown into the river.

When the news of her husband’s death reached Sujata, she was very upset and went to her father, Rishi Uddalaka, for solace.

Her father told her never to tell Ashtavakra the truth of how his father had died.

After he was born, the young Ashtavakra treated his maternal grandfather as his father, and his mother’s brother Swetaketu, who was his age, as his brother.

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

Give me suitable post by January 15: Yeddyurappa's ultimatum to BJP

Sulking former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa virtually set a deadline for BJP leadership to give him a suitable position, saying he will wait till January 15 for the party to take a decision.

Yeddyurappa, who has been lobbying for a suitable position ever since he was removed from the post of CM in August last year on corruption charges, exuded confidence that the BJP high command would take a decision at an "appropriate time" on his demand for which he would wait till January 15.

He told reporters here that if need be he would visit Delhi during the second week of this month.

"Let me see what will happen. I will wait till January 15," he said.

Yeddyruppa's remark comes amid reports that he might float his own party if the BJP central leadership does not meet his demand by then.

The former chief minister ruled out the prospect of a mid-term poll in the state and assert-

B S Yeddyurappa

ed that the BJP government would complete its full term, which lasts till 2013.

Earlier, a delegation of BJP MLAs from Bangalore, under the leadership of home minister R Ashoka, met Yeddyurappa and pleaded with him not to take any "hasty decision" on his future political course.

Ashoka said they appealed to Yeddyurappa not to leave the party, apparently referring to reports that he might float his own party if the BJP central leadership did not respond to his demand for

rehabilitation.

Yeddyurappa was made to quit by the central leadership after he was indicted in the Lokayukta report on illegal mining and replaced by D V Sadananda Gowda, who was considered his loyalist but is now trying to come out of his shadow.

Gowda has been maintaining that he would continue as chief minister till the next assembly elections.

Yedyurappa's loyalists have been insisting that either the party re-instate him as chief minister or make him the state party chief.

Last week, Yeddyurappa and state BJP chief K S Eshwarappa were locked in a war of words over leadership issue.

In an angry outburst, Yeddyurappa has accused Eshwarappa of trying to oust him from the party and even being responsible for sending him to jail.

Eshwarappa had said no position could be given to Yeddyurappa till he came clean in the corruption cases.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Mayawati sacks 4 more ministers Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati sacked four more ministers, taking the number of her ministerial colleagues shown the door in the past six days alone to 10.

In all, she has sacked 17 ministers in the past six months on charges of corruption and anti-party activities. One minister resigned on being denied an assembly ticket.

With the latest round of sackings, the strength of her ministry is down from 52 to 27 - a nearly 50% reduction.

The total number of ministers removed during her fiveyear stint is 21 and if sources are to be believed, this isn't the end of head rolling in Lucknow.

Twelve Indian traders held in China to be deported soon

Twelve of the 22 Indian diamond traders, detained in China on charges of smuggling, will be deported in about a week's time following a Chinese court's order. "The 12 will be sent back home in about a week's time depending on the availability of seats on the flights," Indramani Pandey, head of the Indian Consulate in Guangzhou, said in reply to a question. Pandey said most of the legal formalities concerning their release and deportation were completed and they would be deported soon. Earlier on December 7, the Shenzen Intermediate People's Court, which heard the traders' case, ordered their deportation while sentencing others for varied prison terms.

India and Pak exchange list of N-installations India and Pakistan exchanged the list of nuclear installations and facilities, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad. The exchange was covered under the 'Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations between India and Pakistan'. The Agreement, which was signed on December 31, 1988 and came into force on January 27, 1991, provides, inter alia, that the two countries inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the Agreement on the first of January of every calendar year.

India remains world’s largest milk producer India has retained its position as world’s largest milk producer. This was revealed in the annual report for 2010-11 released by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). The country’s estimated milk production for the year 2010-11 is 121 million tonnes, close to 17 per cent of world milk production. Last year, the annual milk production stood at 112 million tonnes. World milk production increased to 710 million tonnes in 2010, an increase of 1.6 per cent over previous year. During the year, dairy co-operatives collected 9.6 million tonnes of milk, a growth of around one per cent over last year when the dairy cooperatives had collected 9.4 million tonnes of milk.

Mamata carries out minor reshuffle West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a minor change in her ministry by assigning an additional portfolio of panchayat and rural development to Public Health Minister Subrata Mukherjee.

Subrata Mukherjee has been given the additional charge of panchayat and rural development. He will also keep the public health engineering portfolio.The current panchayat and rural development minister, Chandra Nath Sinha has been shifted to the newly formed statistics and programme implementation department. The reshuffle is seen as banerjee's bid to speed up the work of the panchayat and rural development under the stewardship of Mukherjee, a seasoned administrator, as the crucial panchayat polls are slated to be held in 2013.

2 US citizens beaten up for kissing women An attempt to greet Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, women on New Year's in a way Westerners generally do has landed two Americans in serious trouble. Offended, passersby took the duo to task by beating them black and blue. US citizens Russelcay Francis (48) and John Douglas (47), and another comrade, working as security personnel in a cargo ship, were in Tuticorin as their ship was anchored in the port. On New Year's eve, after having a couple of drinks they went to PalayamkottaiTuticorin road. It was said that Russelcay, John and their friend were dancing on the road, inebriated, wishing passers by for New Year. At one stage, it was alleged that they started kissing local women. Shocked and frightened by their behaviour, the women started running away while local people who witnessed the incident were angered and thrashed the Americans.

Kerala police register case against SRK Kerala police have registered a case against Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for violating provisions of Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act 1986. Shah Rukh in connection with the inauguration of a showroom in Earnakulam, had performed the popular number 'Chamak Challo' from his recently released movie 'RA.One', along with some skimpily clad artistes.

Police said the cases have been registered against Shah Rukh and partners of a textile showroom.

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Lokpal Bill will be brought before RS in Budget session: Govt Putting up a brave front after it failed to muster the numbers in the Rajya Sabha, the government said that the Lokpal Bill would "definitely" be brought before the Rajya Sabha during the Budget session even as Congress leader Digvijay Singh defended the move saying extension of the House was not possible.

"Definitely we will bring it in March in the Budget session...we have to study the 187 amendments brought by Opposition parties as most are overlapping. Some amendments relate to only a part of a clause and not the entire clause, some demand removing the entire part of the bill," minister of state for personnel V Narayanasamy said.

He said after going through the amendments, the government will take a call on what to accept and what to reject and get back to the Opposition parties.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh tweeted saying "187 Amendments given till 6

pm on the day of debate and those too contradictory to each other. Extension of the House not within powers of RS (Rajya Sabha)."

He also said, now that government has time, it must "try and bring about consensus and pass a strong implementable Lokpal Bill."

Referring to the amendments moved by key UPA partner Trinamool Congress on the bill in the Rajya Sabha, Narayanasamy said its reservations are regarding the appointment of Lokayuktas in the states and "they have no grievances against Lokpal."

But at the same time the minister said Trinamool was part of the Cabinet decision to clear the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill introduced in Lok Sabha a few days ago.

"Thy voted with us in the Lok Sabha though they had some reservations about the Constitutional amendment...we are talking to them...there is still some

time and we will bring them around," he said.

Rajya Sabha fails to vote on Lokpal bill The bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha was taken up for a discussion and vote in the upper house.

But after a marathon debate that stretched until midnight, the vote failed to take place for lack of time.

The Congress-led government had extended the winter session of parliament until December 29 to meet a deadline set by Hazare to pass the antigraft legislation before the end of the year.

"The session could not have been extended," said Pawan K. Bansal, parliamentary affairs minister.

"It will come up in the next session."

The next session of parliament is likely to start in March after the completion of five state elections.

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, accused the government of shying away from the vote as it did not have the majority

needed to pass it.

The ruling Congress party depends on fickle allies and independents for its majority. With a key ally objecting to certain sections of the bill and pressing for amendments, passing the bill appeared unlikely.

"This was a choreographed act. The government didn't have the majority," said Arun Jaitley, the BJP leader, after the upper house session was adjourned. "It is both a political and moral defeat for the government.

It should resign."

Multi-billion dollar corruption scandals have added to middle class frustration with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government's record on corruption.

A bill to create a ombudsman with powers to root out corrupt officials in India's sprawling bureaucracy was first proposed in 1968 but it languished until Hazare's relentless campaign forced the issue on the political establishment.

Kiran Bedi stresses need to bring CBI under Lokpal A program was organized by the Delhi Study Group on “Lokpal Bill and corruption” where Anti Corruption Core Committee member Dr Kiran Bedi stated that they had invited all Indian political parties to express their views on corruption and Lokpal Bill. It was unfortunate that all responded except Congress party of India. It seems that Congress does not have the political will to combat corruption stated Dr Bedi, who also vociferously stressed to bring CBI under Lokpal.

The other prominent speaker besides Dr Bedi was Shikha Rai, eminent lawyer and President of Mahila Morcha. The pro-

gram was compared by youth leader Mr Kuljeet Singh Chahal. Advisor DSG Ashok Garg, Vice Presidents Bhupendra Kansal, Pravesh Verma and Gopal Garg with Treasurer Vijay Mehta were present.

Study Group President Vijay Jolly while addressing the

eminent citizens assembled on the occasion stated that we all were against corruption. We want a independent Lokpal in India. We want the CBI not to be an arm twister for the govt. but certainly under the Lokpal. The Congress Govt. should honour Prime Minister Dr.

Anna Hazare ill, may have to drop his plan to visit 5 poll-bound states Uncertainty prevails over Anna Hazare's plans to tour the five poll-bound states because of his ill-health.

Hazare was hospitalised on Saturday night in Pune as he was suffering from severe bronchitis, chest infection and a viral fever.

Doctors say his condition is improving but he needs complete rest for the next seven days. Doctors also said that he should not go on a fast for the next one month.

"Anna is responding to treatment. He should not be exposed to pollution, should take full rest. He needs medical treatment for 5-6 days. For a month he should keep his activities to the minimum," Pune hospital sources said.

The 74-year-old anticorruption crusader was forced to break his last fast on December 28 in Mumbai earlier than planned because he was unwell.

As a result, India Against Corruption has indefinitely postponed its core committee meeting.

But Hazare is confident of making a comeback. "I am not as unwell as people may think. My condition has improved. I will get better soon, please do not worry about my health," he said. After examining him, the doctors said they have advised Hazare not to fast at least for the next one month.

"We have requested (advised) Anna not to go on any fast for a month. Will be

discharged in 5-6 days," Dr Parag Sancheti said.

Suresh Pathare, Hazare's secretary said his condition was 'stable' but had been advised a complete rest by the doctors.

The 74-year-old Hazare was admitted to the Sancheti Hospital in Pune last week and his health is being monitored by a team of doctors.

"Anna is improving, less swelling; weight is 69.7, which is stable. His chest has bronchitis and will need four more days of antibiotics. He is moving around on his own," Dr Mahendra Kavedi said.

The doctor also said Hazare needs 'complete rest' now and that his aides have been asked not to disturb him.

Manmohan Singh’s promise given on the floor of parliament to Anna Hazare and his team on the issue, said Mr Jolly.

Rights crusader and lawyer Shikha Rai said that whole of India was suffering from corruption.

But the Congress govt. did not feel the pinch. The ordinary citizen of India has day to day contact with the officers for their food ration cards, district revenue officers, water board, electricity & passport officers. But all these departments were effected with the disease of corruption. So it was all the more important for all of them to come under the ambit of Lokpal, said Shikha Rai.

Court summons Google, Facebook In yet another blow to 21 social networking sites, including Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Youtube, a Delhi court issued summons to them for facing trial for allegedly webcasting objectionable contents.

Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) Sudesh Kumar took cognizance on a private criminal complaint and has directed the government for taking "immediate appropriate steps" and also file a report in the court by January 13.

The court's order came three days after another court in a civil case had restrained these sites including Facebook, Google and Youtube from webcasting any anti-religious or anti-social content promoting hatred or communal disharmony.

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Indian diplomat attacked in court by Chinese traders

An Indian diplomat was injured and hospitalised following an assault by a large group of Chinese traders in a court, as he tried to secure the release of two Indians who were held hostage by locals, demanding payment of their dues in the eastern business hub of Yiwu.

S Balachandran, a diplomat at the Indian Consulate in Shanghai was rushed to hospital when he fainted after being "manhandled" by the crowd that tried to snatch two kidnapped Indians who clung to him.

The incident happened when he was leaving the court after prolonged negotiations on the night of December 31.

The two Indians had been held hostage by the local traders for two weeks for non-payment of dues by their company, whose owner had allegedly fled the country.

Mangalore prayer hall attacked

A group of about 10-15 miscreants barged into the compound of Hebron Assembly, Pentecostal Church of God at Haleyangady, hurled stones and damaged its window panes. They also broke open the kitchen door of the pastor's house, adjacent to the hall, and damaged utensils.

Police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh who visited the spot told TOI that a few persons were taken into custody for questioning . He said no arrests have been made till now.

"None of the persons inside the house were assaulted as they had secured themselves in a room,'' said pastor ID Prasanna. The pastor came ten minutes after the incident. But his mother, wife, their daughter, son, his brother were at the House.

Indian traders asked to stay away from China trade hub The two Indians, who were virtually held captive by local traders in China's Yiwu trade hub, have now been shifted to a hotel for "safety" reasons by the police, even as India issued an advisory asking its traders to "stay away" from the busy commodity centre.

Police in Yiwu, in Zhejiang province close to

Shanghai, shifted Shyamsunder Agrewal and Deepak Raheja to a hotel where two policemen were deployed to guard them.

Raheja said over phone that they still apprehend trouble as a large crowd of locals had surrounded their hotel. Indian officials said efforts were on to bring them to Shanghai.

The two, who complained of ill-treatment and torture ever since they

were "kidnapped" on December 15, said they were merely employees of a company that owed payments to local suppliers for the goods purchased and that their owner, whose identity has not been established, had fled.

The local traders, who reportedly handed them over to the police, assert that they would let them go only after the dues amounting to several million Yuan are paid.

Meanwhile, an advisory from the Indian embassy in Beijing, cautioned Indian businessmen in dealing with traders in Yiwu, which has emerged as a major hub for commodities trading.

"Indian traders and business men are hereby cautioned not to do business with Yiwu in Zhejiang province," a trade advisory posted on the Indian Embassy website said on Tuesday.

Nobel laureate Venki calls astrology a fake discipline Nobel laureate Dr V e n k a t r a m a n Ramakrishnan provoked a few and enthralled many with his talk on 'The Sceptical Scientist'. He termed astrology and alchemy fake disciplines that depended on the power of suggestion and said homeopathy was based on belief. Terms like 'positive and negative energy' used by various "quacks were complete mumbo jumbo" and had no precise meaning, he said. Science, he added, had a particular definition of energy.

Delivering the 2nd S V Narasimhan Memorial Oration, organised by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Dr Ramakrishnan said that just as good system of government guarded people from their worst

instincts, the process of science "protects us from our biases and irrationality." "Scientific methods protect us from the danger of false beliefs. No system that does not incorporate proper testing, criticism from peers and other checks of modern science can claim to be 'scientific' regardless of the scientific jargon used," he said.

Quoting examples from history, such as disproving of FleischmanPons ideas of nuclear fusion at room temperature (cold fusion) and Linus Pauling's claim that huge doses of vitamin C can keep away cancer.

He said beliefs persisted despite data, adding that hundreds of website and news articles continue to come out on cold fusion

and benefits of vitamin C. To pass the test, prescribed procedure or medicine should be the actual cause of the cure and not a coincidence or due to an unrelated occurrence.

Dr Ramakrishnan said homeopathy had been advocated for life-threatening diseases like AIDS and cancer, for which there are real effective medicines, while astrology can be abused and used to influence decisions. "Both can lead people away from taking more effective actions based on logic and contemplation. A culture based on superstition will always do worse than that based on science," he said. He added that doctors could, however, use the power of suggestion to enhance the effect of their medicine.

High-voltage polls to make 2012 electrifying Continued from page 1 could make or mar the fortunes of many political giants. An acid test for Rahul Gandhi, the battle for UP is also likely to have major impact at the Centre.

President Pratibha Patil’s term ends in July 2012 and there is already much speculation about the next President, with some high-profile names being mentioned as her possible successor.

Towards the year-end, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi will seek yet another term even as the Congress will go all out to unseat him. Again, it will be a state election that will be followed with interest throughout the country. Himachal Pradesh will also have assembly elections in 2012.

The other states which are going to the polls in JanFeb are Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa. Manipur: Despite great political instability in the past, Okram Ibobi Singh of the Congress has led Manipur for two consecutive full terms. The party is expected to go to elections under his leadership. The main opposition alliance consists of the Manipur People’s Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, Nationalist Congress Party and Janata Dal. Punjab: Punjab has traditionally turned out incumbent governments in assembly elections. The current government is an alliance of the Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party under chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. The opposition

Congress is expected to contest under former chief minister Amarinder Singh.

The governance of the ruling coalition will be a major election issue, besides the electorate's attitude towards the eventual succession of the chief minister's son, Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Uttarakhand: Uttarakhand has turned out incumbent governments in the two elections held since its creation. The Bharatiya Janata Party will fight the election with sitting chief minister Bhuvan Chandra Kandhuri.

Opposition Congress is led in the assembly by Harak Singh Rawat, but no chief ministerial candidate has been proposed.

Uttar Pradesh: Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party has completed the

first full-term, majority government in the state in two decades. The sitting government has come under heavy criticism for corruption and publicity for the erection of statues and parks in honor of the chief minister and her mentor. In the run-up to the election, the BSP has fired numerous ministers and denied re-election to sitting legislator's to avoid the corruption stigma.

Goa: The Congress has been governing Goa since 2005 with coalition partners. It will go to elections with its ally, the Nationalist Congress Party, under chief minister Digambar Kamat. The main opposition BJP will go under the leadership of former chief minister Manohar Parrikar.

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P Chidambaram disagrees with Andhra DGP’s remarks on rape Indian home minister P Chidambaram dismissed the remarks made by the Andhra Pradesh police chief, who attributed increase in rape cases to women provoking men by wearing "flimsy and fashionable" clothing.

Chidambaram said: "I strongly disagree with that statement. Everyone is entitled to dress the way he or she pleases as long as he or she has regards to the occasion, the place and the context. Obviously, you don't wear whole lot of clothes to play football or tennis and you don't wear swimwear and go to a cocktail party". He said there cannot be any kind of policing and "certainly not by a DG of police."

Ex-Jharkhand CM told to pay `12 bn tax dues Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, who is in jail since 2009, has been asked by the Income Tax department to deposit `12 billion dues, a source said.

'The assessment wing of IT department found that Koda amassed assets worth of `33 billion. He has been asked to deposit income tax of `12 billion,' said the source. The multi-million rupee money laundering scam surfaced in 2009 when the IT department and the Enforcement Directorate raided 69 places across the country, including houses of Koda.

Indian Navy gets boost with inclusion of submarine Nerpa The much-awaited nuclear-powered attack submarine Nerpa has been handed over to India by Russia, thereby giving an impetus to the Indian Navy's fire-power.

The submarine has been handed to India on a 10-year lease at a cost of 920 million dollars. The Nerpa, an Akula II-class attack submarine, is capable of remaining underwater for months. The submarine will be rechristened as 'INS Chakra'. The submarine deal had reportedly figured during Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's three-day visit to Moscow earlier in December. The Akula-II class submarines are equipped with 28 nuclear-capable cruise missiles with a striking range of 3,000 km.

166 ‘Hajis’ go missing in Saudi Arabia As many as 166 pilgrims, who went to Saudi Arabia on pretext of Haj, are missing. These 166 are suspected to be Indian beggars who go to the holy city for begging in the guise of Haj pilgrims. Their mastermind, Sharful Haque, a resident of West Bengal, was arrested earlier by the Kolkata police. The disappearance was reported to the Central Haj Committee of India when the 166 pilgrims did not report to the airport in Jeddah. "They are suspected to be beggars and part of a huge racket," said Dr Shakir Husain, chief executive officer of the Central Haj Committee. He added there was no information about the whereabouts of the 166 pilgrims who belonged to Murshidabad in West Bengal.

Seven year jail in MP for cow slaughter President Pratibha Patil has granted her assent to the long-pending Madhya Pradesh Cow Progeny Slaughter Prevention (Amendment) Bill. Now, the accused in cow slaughter case would get maximum punishment of seven years in jail instead of three years and a minimum fine of `5,000. The bill was passed in the state assembly in 2010. With the enforcement of the amended Act now the responsibility of proving the prosecution wrong would lie with the accused in case of cow slaughter.

According to a government release, the amended Act provides that no person shall slaughter or cause to be slaughtered or offer slaughter any cow progeny by any means. Besides, no person including transporter shall transport or offer for transport or cause to be transported any cow progeny himself or by his agent.

iNdia & HISTROy

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

27

Cyclone ‘Thane’ claims 48 lives in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry

With reports of five more deaths coming in from different parts of Cuddalore district, the death toll in Friday's devastating c y c l o n e ‘Thane’went up to 31 in the district, taking the total number of fatalities in the disaster to 48 in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

The Union territory accounted for eight deaths, and Tamil Nadu 40, nine of them in districts other than Cuddalore.

Officials were struggling to restore electricity and ensure regular water supply. Fire service personnel were manually clearing uprooted trees, while priority was being given to restoring power supply to water pumping stations. Tankers were

mobilised from various districts to bring water.

Rural industries minister M.C. Sampath reviewed relief work and later said normality would be restored soon. Supply of water, petroleum products, kerosene and milk had been partially restored, he said.

Throwing life out of gear, the storm, which passed the coast north of Cuddalore at a speed of more than 125 km an hour, uprooted trees and electric posts, disrupted

power supply and transport services and damaged homes and standing crops.

Besides claiming 48 lives, hundreds were rendered homeless and forced into relief camps set up by the governments.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa released Rs 1.50 billion towards immediate relief works. Ms. Jayalalithaa, who reviewed the situation with the chief secretary and other officials, sent five ministers to five districts to oversee the relief works.

Secretaries of various departments and Collectors of the districts that bore the brunt of ‘Thane' have been asked to send a report to the government after assessing the damage.

India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh began the new year by praying at the Golden Temple here while Anna Hazare supporters waved black flags and shouted slogans outside.

The 30-35 protesters kept a steady chant of high-pitched slogans while the prime minister was inside. Police and Golden Temple security personnel kept them away from Manmohan Singh when he came out. The protest caught the security agencies off-guard.

Carrying posters of Hazare, the demonstrators shouted pro-Anna and proJan Lokpal Bill slogans.

Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur reached the shrine and performed a 'parikarma' or circumambulation of the sacred pond before entering the sanctum sanctorum.

The prime minister offered prayers with his wife. He later sat down in the sanctum sanctorum with eyes shut to listen to hymns.

Of the nearly 75 minutes he spent in the complex, Manmohan Singh spent nearly 45 minutes inside the sanctum sanctorum. He and his wife were presented a 'siropa' (robe of honour) by the priest.

Thousands of devotees were at the shrine complex

when the prime minister arrived amid tight security.

He and his wife paid obeisance at the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikh religion. He was escorted by Special Protection Group (SPG) and scores of volunteers of the shrine. Manmohan Singh arrived here on Saturday evening from New Delhi. He stayed overnight at the government Circuit House. The visit was a 'private one', a police officer said. A devout Sikh, the prime minister last visited the shrine in March 2009, a few weeks after his coronary bypass surgery in New Delhi.

Manmohan Singh prays at Golden Temple, faces black flags

Muscat Gujarati Samaj’s unique Cooking Competition

The Muscat Gujarati Samaj of Indian Social Club came up with yet another scintillating event in the form of a unique Cooking Competition attended by a 100 participants and 600-700 strong audience at the Grand Hall of Al Falaj Hotel.

The event was graced by the presence of the new incumbent Indian Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, HE J. S. Mukul, as the Chief Guest. Next highlight was the presence of an eminent TV personality Ms. Himali Modi, the anchor and

mainstay of the famous cookery show, “Rasoi Show”, on ETV Gujarati.

The two demonstrations were done by Mrs. Niranjana Toprani who prepared the Badam-Puri and Mrs. Heena Ved who made Omani Halwa. The judges who themselves were stalwarts in the field of cooking (Mrs. Deviyani Gulabsinh Khimji, Mrs. Dolly from Punjabi Dhaba, Mrs. Sujata from Al Falaj Hotel and Mr. Mahfuz Husain, Head Chef of Palm Restaurant) faced an extremely daunting task of selecting the final winners

in both the categories of the cooking competition, Sweet & Savoury.

The winners in the Sweet category were Mrs. Hema Bhat (Green Delight), Mrs. Bhavana Bhagat (Death By Chocolate) and Mrs. Alpa Ramaiya (Choco Peppermint Delight). The winners in the Savoury category were Mrs. Pravina Karia (Muscat to Kathiawad), Mrs. Leena Trivedi (Navratna Chat) and to Mrs. Sangeeta Kundnani (Lasagne). Fun activities were organized for children while their parents were engrossed in viewing of the Cooking Competition.

Muscat Gujarati Samaj’s forthcoming events include the ever popular “Patang Mahotsav” (Kite Flying Festival) on 13th January 2012 followed by the MGS Annual Picnic on Friday, 27th January 2012. It conducted a staggering 18 programs in 2011.

By Dr Anil Mehta

Great Indian Uprising of 1857 Part II : Rebels on the move Delhi: From Meerut, the insurgents headed for Delhi. They seized and plundered the city with the help of local garrison, restored the former 82 years old Mughal King Bahadurshah Zafar (Bahadur Shah II) to his throne, and persuaded the reluctant king to become their leader. So far so good, but the main problem was, there was never any clear idea in rebels’ minds of why they were fighting and what they hoped to achieve. As mentioned earlier, different groups had different vested interests.

Lucknow: After capturing Meerut, Delhi, and many surrounding towns, the mutineers headed for lucknow, the capital of Awadh which was annexed under Delhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse policy. It (Lucknow) now eclipsed Delhi as the military focus of the rising and Nana Saheb the adopted son of the deposed Peshwa Baji Rao II, emerged to replace the aged Mughal king as the leader. Other people who came into prominence during the conflict were Tatya Tope, a fellow Maratha and Nana Saheb’s ablest commander, Jhansi ki Rani Laxmi Bai, and Begum Hazarat Mahal of Awadh, a wife of deposed Nawab of Awadh Wajid Ali Shah.

In June 1857, 20,000 rebels encircled Lucknow. An adopted son of the last nawab was enthroned as King of Awadh, and an administration set up in his name. Meanwhile some 2000 Britons and Indians held out in the residency until British reinforcement arrived. The city itself was relieved after prolong and intense fight for many months.

The siege of British residency provided a continuous focus for the revolt in Awadh.

Kanpur (Cawnpore): In June 1857, the 3000 rebel forces reached Kanpur, the most important garrison town in North India and a Maratha stronghold. They besieged British garrison with some 500 Britons including women and children. They held out for three weeks against overwhelming odds before surrendering to Nana Saheb who promised them safe passage downriver to Allahabad.

But this was not to be.

They were treacherously fired upon under a flag of truce as they boarded

boats to Allahabad. No one knows whether the firing was planned, or accidental, but Nana Saheb was held personally responsible as the guarantor of party’s safety. Some blamed Tatya Tope who took over the leadership when Nana Saheb escaped to Nepal.

Some 200 survivors of massacre were marched back to town and kept in custody only to be massacred a fortnight later by Nana Saheb’s men. There were no survivors. The total number of deaths in Kanpur exceeded the total number of all the Britons killed in the mutiny so far.

Whosoever ordered it, the killing of the women and children proved to be the grave error. The British public was horrified and

In one unfortunate incidence, Jhansi (like Kanpur) witnessed the killing of 50 Britons. Rani insisted she played no part in the massacre but of no avail. When Jhansi fell (April 1858), she joined Tatya Tope in Kalpi north east of Jhansi (after his defeat in Kanpur, Tatya had made Kalpi his HQ).

When Kalpi too fell they escaped with trusty followers and captured Gwalior Fort in May 1858 for a last stand against the British.

At Gwalior most of the European women and children were spared but at least 20 men were killed.

When the British army came, Rani’s defiance barely lasted 3 weeks. She continued to fight valiantly until shot dead during the battle close to the Fort on Kanpur massacre

the rebels lost their credibility. Kanpur became the war cry for the British. The affair now became personal for the British soldiers.

Jhansi and Gwalior: The final acts of defiance took place to the south of Jamuna River. This was Bundelkhand and among its states was Jhansi, a small Maratha state, south of Scindia’s Gwalior, known for its Queen Laxmi Bai who was denied rule of her own state when her husband died without natural heir. The state was annexed in 1853 under the Doctrine of Lapse policy.

Laxmi Bai protested against the denial of the rights of their adopted son but without success.

When mutiny broke out in 1857, she took command of the rebel forces in Jhansi and succeeded in holding it for nearly a year.

17th June. Only 23, she died the death of a heroine. Few days after her death Gwalior also fell.

With the death of the Rani and recapture of Gwalior, the Great Uprising was all but over. Tatya Tope (and his followers) roamed through Rajasthan and MP for another year, until betrayed, captured and hung.

Romanticised as a heroine and freedom fighter by her followers and grudgingly gaining the respect of her enemies for her bravery and determination, Laxmi Bai was one of few leaders of the movement who emerged from what was essentially a sudden and poorly co-ordinated rebellion resulting in brutalities and considerable loss of lives on both sides.

I will talk about the Rani in detail at a later date.

28

trAvel & Community

Asian voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Purvi’S trAvel BAg

Indian Wedding

By Purvi Apurva Shah

Dare to explore rare Auli in Uttrakhand If you think you cannot do skiing in India, you are wrong. India is not all about heat and mud, there is also lot of snow in some parts of the country.

In fact Auli is a place to worship snow. Some French and Australian experts consider Auli to

becomes an ideal place for skiing in the winter months. With their wide open spaces above the snowline, it offers ski touring amongst the glaciers. For the avid skier, cross-country runs of 1020 km are now available, with the added advantage Artificial lake

be one of the best ski resorts in the world.

It is a lesser known ski destination, but is a place to freak out. Auli is a relatively new yet extremely exciting holiday destination of India. The region was unknown till recent times. It is in Uttrakhand, a state which is also called "Dev Bhoomi" as there are important pilgrimage destination in this state mainly the char-dham ( G a n g o t r i -Ya m u n o t r i Kedarnath-Badrinath).

Auli lies on the way to Badrinath. Auli is blessed with a breathtaking panoramic view of the lofty peaks of the greatest mountain range in the world, the Himalaya.

Auli is a purely adventure hotspot where passionate brave-hearts can

of fresh powder snow, away from criss-crossing streams of skiers that overtake the slopes of the European Alps. Because

Badrinath

ding rituals. Pre-wedding rituals largely involve the exchange of sweets, fruits and visits to the bride and groom's houses. The prewedding rituals increase the level of excitement among the families of the bride and groom, who keenly look forward to the wedding day. The wedding is organized in

formal procedures are divided into pre-wedding, wedding and post wedding, each being different from the other.

Muslim Wedding Rituals: Wedding is an important turning point in everyone's life. The ceremonious occasion is organized and celebrated in myriad ways all around the

time, due to convenience and the availability of enough space to accommodate the long list of guests, Muslim weddings are organized in banquet halls, auditorium as well as community centers.

Wherever the wedding is held, all the rituals of the three phases of wedding are strictly followed by the Muslims.

Muslim wedding is divided into pre-wedding, wedding and post-wed-

an elegant and charming way, while the culmination of the entire ceremony, known as post wedding rituals, is special in its own terms.

Muslim Pre-Wedding Rituals: Marriage is the most important ceremony for the Muslims. It is a much awaited occasion, wherein the union of two souls is celebrated in an elegant and charming way. It is not just restricted to a single day. The

world. Different communities of the society have their own way of organizing the most important occasion. The wedding rituals are broadly divided according to the religions.

Muslim Post-Wedding Rituals: The post-wedding rituals followed by Muslims are divided into four phases, wherein the bride bid goodbye by her family and is welcomed to her new home, by the groom's family.

Lord Bhikhu Parekh to launch books dedicated to Gujarati diaspora of their height and spread, Garhwal and Kumaon, like other sectors of the Himalayas, are in a position to offer the thrills of exploratory long distance skiing round the year.

Skiing

come for fun and frolic with snow all around. The large slopes of Garhwal and Kumaon covered with seasonal snow

an interesting trek route also. There is a training facility of Indo-Tibetan Border Police. A small temple having connection to great epic Ramayana is also present.

Artificial lake: The world's highest man-made lake is at Auli, right next to the private hotel, Clifftop Club. The government has developed this in view of creating artificial snow on the new ski slopes in the event of low snow fall. The water from this lake will be used to feed the snow guns stationed along the ski slopes and thus provide a good skiing surface and extend the ski season.

Living among clouds: Cliff Top Club Resort is one such hill resort at an elevation of over 10,000 feet from sea level. Most rooms of this hill resort provide great views of

A Muslim Wedding in India

Muslim wedding ceremony, known as 'Nikaah' in Urdu, can take place at any convenient time, because there is nothing like muhurat, the auspicious time for the Muslims. Traditionally, the Muslim wedding is held either at the bride’s or the groom's home.

However, in the present

Auli also boasts Asia's longest - 4 km - cable car (Gondola). It also has a Chair Lift and a Ski-Lift.

Apart from skiing there is

snow clad Nanda Devi and adjoining ranges of the Himalayas.

Impeccable service and modern amenities are provided at this hill resort, which serve the requirements of leisure travellers.

Ski but with care!

Skiing is thrill but a single error of judgment can cost you a precious limb. It requires hours of disciplined training, months of practice, and years of experience before one can actually enact the valiant hero on a ski, chasing the light-of-his-life on thin ice, with a song on his lips.

One of the best ways to reach Auli is by first taking a train from Delhi to Haridwar and from there board a bus or taxi to reach Auli.

The books are aimed at making Indians, particularly people of Gujarati origin, aware of their roots and how their 'matrubhoomi' is showing the way to other Indian states on the road to growth and development Renowned scholar and Member of the House of Peers, Lord Bhikhu Parekh, will launch two books dedicated to the People of Indian Origin at a function in Ahmedabad on Janaury 10.

The first book, ‘Poorva Africana Gujaratio’, is coauthored by Prof Pravin Sheth, the former head of the Department of Political Science, and London-based linguist Dr Jagdish Dave, in Gujarati, while the second book, ‘Happening State Gujarat: A live case of can-doism’, in English, is co-authored

by Prof Sheth and Dr Pradeep Mallik, the deputy editor of Ahmedabad Mirror, a morninger from The Times of India Group.

Both the books are aimed at making Indians, particularly people of Gujarati origin, aware of their roots and how their “matrubhoomi” is making progress and showing the way to most of the other Indian states on the road

to growth and development.

The inauguration of the books, at the hands of Lord Bhikhu Parekh, is more than symbolic, says Mrs Surbhi Sheth, wife of Prof Pravin Sheth who passed away at his Dayton, Ohio residence in May last year.

The function being organised by Rajkot-based Gardi Research Institute of Diaspora Studies (GRIDS) at Gujarat Vidyapith with which Prof

Sheth was associated as an honorary professor.

‘Poorva Africana Gujaratio’ is a result of research carried out personally by Prof Sheth and Dr Dave in East African countries during their visits there, while ‘Happening State Gujarat’ is based on the columns Prof Sheth and Dr Mallik wrote in Ahmedabad Mirror.

The launch of the books will be followed by a seminar on diaspora in which such experts as GRIDS director Dr Balwant Jani, former Indian High Commissioner in Uganda and Ambassador to Rwanda and Burundi K H Patel, Gujarat Samachar (London) and Asian Voice Publisher-Editor C B Patel, East Africa-based industrialist Suresh Kothari, Vishwakosh Trustee Kumarpal Desai and Dr Jagdish Dave will participate. Lord Bhikhu Parekh will preside over the seminar.

HealtH Watch

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

29

Multi-vitamins are simply Know your teeth good for nothing

Experts have said that millions of consumers might be wasting their money on multi-vitamin supplements, as they do nothing for health.

Researchers spent more than six years following 8,000 people and found that those taking supplements were just as likely to have developed cancer or heart disease as those who took an identical-looking dummy pill.

And when they were questioned on how healthy they felt, there was hardly any difference between the two groups.

Many users fall into the category of the 'worried well' - healthy adults who believe the pills will insure them against deadly

illnesses - according to Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital in London.

"It's the worried well who are taking these pills to try and protect themselves against Alzheimer's disease, heart attacks and strokes," she was quoted as saying.

"But they are wasting their money. This was a large study following people up for a long period of time assessing everything from their mobility and blood pressure to whether they were happy or felt pain," she stated.

Multi-vitamin supplements have become increasingly popular as a quick and easy way of topping up the body's nutrient

Apple peels can give relief in bowel disease

Antioxidants found in apple peels may lead to new treatments and therapies for people suffering from bowel inflammation disorders, according to a new research.

Oral ingestion of apple polyphenols can suppress T cell activation and improve experimental colitis in mice, the report said.

T cells are a type of blood cells, which play a key role in cell-mediated immunity and helps the body fight against diseases or harmful substances.

This study is the first to show a role for T cells in polyphenol-mediated protection against an autoimmune disease and could lead to new therapies and treatments for people with disorders related to bowel inflammation, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and colitis-associated colorectal cancer.

“Many people with colitis use some form of dietary supplement to complement conventional therapies, but most of the information on the health effects of complementary medicine remains anecdotal,” said David W. Pascual, a researcher involved in

the work from the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Montana State University in B o z e m a n , Montana.

“Also, little is known about exactly how these therapies work, if they work at all.”

“Our results show that a natural product found in apple peels can suppress colonic inflammation by antagonizing inflammatory T cells to enhance resistance against autoimmune disease.”

To make this discovery, scientists used a chemically induced model of colitis with Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), researchers administered an oral placebo to one group of mice, and the other group of mice was given an oral dose of apple polyphenols every day during the course of the disease.

Results showed that mice treated orally with apple polyphenols were protected from colitis.

Importantly, scientists also found that the treated mice had fewer activated T cells in their colons.

In mice lacking T cells, apple polyphenols were unable to protect against colitis or suppress proinflammatory cytokine expression, indicating apple polyphenols protect against colitis via the suppression of T cell activation and/or recruitment.

levels.

But a series of studies have indicated that, for some people, they could actually be harmful.

While the evidence that vitamins can do harm is still limited, the latest study seems to confirm that many people are at the very least taking them unnecessarily.

A team of French researchers tracked 8,112 volunteers who took either a placebo capsule, or one containing vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, selenium and zinc, every day for just over six years.

They assessed the state of their health at the beginning and end of the trial, taking a quality of life survey designed to measure everything from mobility and pain to vitality and mental health.

When researchers analysed how many in each group had gone on to develop serious illnesses over the years, they found little difference.

In the supplement group, 30.5 per cent of patients had suffered a major health 'event', such as cancer or heart disease.

In the placebo group, the rate was 30.4 per cent.

Five tips to soothe terrible cold, cough Many of us are susceptible to cold and cough in winter because of drop in temperature and our immunity. Following are some of steps to beat the winter blues: Take a hot water shower: A hot water bath always soothes and relaxes the body. Plus it will ease any chest congestion and help you breathe easily.

Drink lots of hot soups: There's nothing better than steaming hot chicken or vegetable soup for your body.

During cold, your body needs all the pampering it can get. Hot soup will not only clear the air passage, but will give you the much needed strength and energy.

Have a spoonful of honey: Consuming pure and natural honey is an excellent way to getting rid of whooping cough.

Salt-water gargle: Take a teaspoon of salt and mix it in warm water.

Use this mixture to gargle at least four times a day. It will give you relief from a sore throat.

Take steam vapours: Steam inhalation is effective to cure coughs and headaches that occur due to congestion. The steam will help in discharging mucus which will clear the congestion.

• The first step towards dental care is having awareness about your teeth.

• Type of teeth - there are two types of teeth - the primary often called the ‘milk’ teeth and the permanent teeth.

• The primary teeth are 20 in number and start appearing 6 months after the child is born till about the child is 2 years old. Adults have 32 teeth also called as the ‘Permanent’ teeth.

Treatment of common dental problems • Scaling - a professional cleaning of the teeth using an ultrasonic scaler to remove the plaque, calculus and stains from the teeth.

Should be done once in every six months.

• Gums treatment - done when the gum disease progresses to periondontal disease.

Curettage and a deep cleaning of the teeth is done. In certain cases a flap surgery may also be required.

• Wisdom tooth removal a small surgical procedure is done to remove the wisdom tooth under local/general anaesthesia.

• Aesthetic treatment done for correction of irregular teeth with spacing or crowding.

Composite veneers or

Dr. Hemang Zala

ceramic veneers are used to correct the irregular teeth.

Bleaching is done in order to lighten teeth.

• Fillings - in order to treat decayed teeth.

Tooth colored filling materials are used to do this.

• Root canal treatment (RCT) - when the decay is too deep, this is the last resort to save the teeth. During the treatment, the infected pulp is removed, the pulp chamber and root canals are cleaned and sealed.

• Replacement of missing teeth- two treatment options are available.

Removable appliances which include a partial denture and/or a complete denture. Requires about a week or 2-3 sittings for fabrication.

Immediate dentures can also be fabricated immediately after removal of teeth in certain cases.

Fixed appliances - in this the options are a bridge or an implant. A

bridge takes about 2-3 sittings where the teeth are shaped and measured so that the appliance can be fabricated. Metal or tooth colored material called ceramic is used for this. An implant is placed by a surgical procedure under local anaesthesia wherein an implant embedded in the bone. After a healing period of about 3-6 months the implant is loaded and a crown or bridge can then be placed over it.

There are different approaches to place dental implants after tooth extraction. The approaches are: Immediate postextraction implant placement.

Delayed immediate post-extraction implant placement (2 weeks to 3 months after extraction).

Late implantation (3 months or more after tooth extraction).

According to the timing of loading of dental implants, the procedure of loading could be classified into: Immediate loading procedure.

Early loading (1 week to 12 weeks).

Delayed loading (over 3 months) For more informations: Mobile: +91 94263 22303 Email: hemang.zala@dentalgujarat.com

www.dentalgujarat.com

Black tea can cut heart attack risk by 60 per cent A new study has revealed that drinking three cups of black tea a day can reduce the risk of a heart attack by 60 per cent and also the threat of diabetes.

Researchers believe that tea, packed with health-giving antioxidants, can help prevent the two killer conditions in a triple-pronged attack.

Regular consumption of tea is claimed to prevent artery-blocking blood clots, control blood pressure and stop arteries from dangerously constricting and inhibiting blood flow.

All three conditions can set off a killer heart attack as blood vessels feeding oxygen to heart muscles become blocked.

The study found that in most cases black tea was found to produce a significant protective association.

The researchers estimate that people who drink three to six cups of tea a day lower their risk of contracting heart disease by 30 to 57 per cent compared with people who never drink it or who drink small amounts.

“Given the available evidence to date, regular black tea consumption is linked with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes,” the researchers were quoted as saying.

“Though the amount required to produce such benefits should be the subject of further research, three to six cups of black tea daily appears to contribute to cardiovascular health.

“These beneficial findings are thought to be due to a variety of positive factors in black tea, such as antioxidant flavonoids and theanine, which help to control blood pressure,

regulate nitric oxide production (which impacts on arterial function) and inhibit platelet aggregation (which can cause blood clots).

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30

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

CB Live is only a Gujarati programme in UK on MATV SKY 793 This week in CB Live the first guest to be interviewed is Manisha Wala. Manisha graduated in Mechanical Engineering from MS University, Vadodara in 1993 and received a degree in Yoga and Science from Bhavnagar Uni in India. Manisha has an enduring love for Asthanga and Hatha Yoga and has been practicing over 15 years. She has proved that yoga can heal and control many illnesses. As a meditation teacher, she has written books on Yoga and Pranayama and her 'Health in your hands' is available on DVDs. The second guest would be Nalinbhai Udani. He is a renowned social and community worker, who has organised various activity for elderly people.

If you do not have a SKY, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

Murder of Indian student

Continued from page 14

The Indian High Commission issued a press release. It says, “The High Commission of India is deeply saddened at the unfortunate and tragic

Kiaran Stapleton

killing of Anuj Bidve, an Indian student studying at the Lancaster University in the early hours of 26 December 2011.

Following this unfortunate incident, senior officials from the Consulate General of India, Birmingham have been in touch with the Greater Manchester Police authorities and also the bereaved family members in Pune.

Our shock and concern at the horrific incident has been conveyed to the authorities investigating the case along with the strong expectation that the perpetrators of the ghastly crime would be brought to justice at the earliest. The

What does the murder of Anuj Bidve tell us about the safety of South Asian students in the UK? A special article by renowned author and a former BBC reporter Rani Singh will be published in the following issues of Asian Voice

concerned authorities have also been suitably sensitised about the family’s wish to have the dead body repatriated to India at the earliest. The authorities have assured us of their fullest cooperation.

The Lancaster University authorities have also been requested by the Consulate General of India to provide necessary support and care to the friends of the deceased who were present at the time of the tragic incident.

The response of the Lancaster University has been sympathetic and supportive.

The Consulate General of India and the High Commission would be extending all possible assistance to the bereaved family, including for the repatriation of the body. At this difficult moment, our thoughts are with them.”

Sushant Gupta, 21, a student at Aston University and a friend of Mr Bidve added: "He was the only son and he just came here three months ago and he was looking forward to this a long, long

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Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500 ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

Relationships continue to be challenged and tested by Saturn in your 7th house. You will enjoy very good communications, so make the most by networking and persuading others to your way of thinking. Pluto continues to put pressure on your career goals and reputation.

7pm to 8pm Every Thursday

For more information e-mail:

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nice guy, it is a shame to lose someone so good."

Keith Vaz MP who attended the vigil at Salford said; "I have been very impressed with the local people and the Candle lit tribute to Anuj at the spot of way they have his murder come out.”

Members of Mr time.

Bidve's family, from Pune "He was so excited to in India, are expected to see Christmas in the UK arrive in the UK later this and he wanted to see week to take his body back Manchester United play to his home country. on Boxing Day. He was a

Coming Events l 108 Hanuman Chalisa na Maha yagya, 8 January 2012. Sadhu Vaswani Centre, 25 Cricklewood Lane,11am-5pm. Contact: 020 8459 5758 l India Republic Day Celebration, Thursday 26th January 2012 from 12noon to 1pm, Flag Raising followed by National Anthem (Rastra Geet) Maha Prashad from 1pm to 2.30pm, Shree Jalaram Mandir Greenford. Conntact: 0208 578 8088 / 9285

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Who is the Music Director of Don 2? a. Shankar Ehsaan Loy

Winners are Rulank Kotecha and Varsha Shah

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Pluto in the 9th represents a period of questioning and deep thinking. Your most intense and life-changing experiences may come through travel abroad. In your pursuit of idealism, do not be blinded by people who are trying to impress you, as Neptune in your 11th house of friendships can weave a web of deceit and trickery.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 Be careful with friends and colleagues as there is unpredictability in your friendships. Romances will be hard work but those of you in long term relationships will feel more secure.

Pluto in the 8th house attracts you to the hidden and the dark. Make sure your taxes and joint resources are in order

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 You will have plenty of energy and drive to improve your status and at the same time achieve financial prosperity - you must make good use of the energy that is flowing, by channelling it positively! Creativity, romance and leisure all receive a tonic. However, you will need to focus on what is most important in your life, otherwise mistakes will be made.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 There is an element of disruption or stress which may be hard to avoid, but it appears that there is a strong sense of purpose in the background. A certain amount of sheer hard graft will be necessary for a short while, but the final result will be extremely pleasing. An exchange of opinions ought to prove very enlivening at this time.

Now is the time to cultivate an easier relationship with life, get out and about, explore fresh possibilities and make new friends. Any effort to enrich your life by making changes is almost certain to work in your favour and you will be surprised how circumstances help you once you make the initial move.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

It is certainly going to be a fortunate time for those already married or in an established relationship.

The keynote is emotional enrichment through close interaction with a loved one. Facets of your life that have been a source of restriction and dissatisfaction will begin to loosen their hold.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 An inspiring boost to matters of communication but make sure your curiosity on a range of topics does not lead to a scattering of mental energy. With a surge of energy and enthusiasm, this is a favourable time to make fresh starts.

Personal relationships SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 may be more intense.

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Disruptions in your home bring a new outlook with a search for security. There will be opportunities through partnerships either within a marriage or a business partnership. It is time to team up with others with the same desires and goals. It is time to take your plans to the next level with focus and planning.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

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.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 Long-term partnerships are reinvigorated. 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

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 srike a balance between material and emotional affairs !

Sport World

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Mahendra Singh Dhoni chosen for prestigious AIPS Fair Play award India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become the first cricketer in the world to be chosen for the AIPS Fair Play 2011 award for his exemplary action in recalling Ian Bell, who was declared out by the umpire during the Test series in England.

Dhoni was officially informed about his selection by Roslyn Morris, secretary general of the All Internationale De La Press Sportive or International Sports Press Association, (AIPS) on Sunday at Sydney.

Talking from Australia, Morris said, "Since Dhoni will not be able to attend the award ceremony on January 13 during the AIPS Congress in Innsbruck, Austria, he was presented with a commemorative plaque at Sheraton Hotel in Sydney."

AIPS president Gianni Merlo will present Dhoni a trophy during the inauguration of the 2012 edition of the Indian Premier League ( IPL) on April 4.

"Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world behind football. I value and appreciate cricket's role in the sub-continent and throughout the Commonwealth and hope that the fact we have given a fair play award to a cricketer will encourage the younger generations to pursue the sport honest-

ly and reject corruption and deceit," Merlo said.

Dhoni's act of fair play occurred during last summer's series in England when he recalled Bell following a contentious run out decision.

On what was the last ball before tea on the third day, Bell hit the ball towards the boundary. He mistakenly thought it had gone for a boundary, left his position and walked off the field assuming the session was over and the ball dead.

The ball had not reached the boundary and still in play, was returned to the

Venus Williams diagnosed with incurable Sjogren's syndrome Venus Williams has revealed that she is suffering from an incurable immune system disease that had even threatened to end her career.

The tennis star said she was diagnosed with incurable Sjogren's syndrome a month before she withdrew from US Open in August.

But she did not tell anyone about it even though she could feel the effects in her first match, which she won.

"I couldn't raise my arm over my head, the racket felt like concrete. I had no feelings in my hands. They were swollen and itchy. I realised it would be a miserable show," she was quoted as telling about the disease.

Sjogren's syndrome was first described in 1933 by Swedish eye specialist Henrik Sjogren. The condition causes antibodies to attack the body's moistureproducing glands, leading to

dryness on the body due to lack of secretion.

The illness most commonly affects the eyes, mouth, salivary glands, lungs, kidneys, skin and nervous system but all organs of the body can be affected.

In rare cases, complications from Sjogren's syndrome can cause salivary gland infections, kidney problems, ulcers or pancreatitis.

The tennis ace said she worried the illness might mean the end of her career so decided to take a break.

pitch where Dhoni whipped off the bails as Bell had not returned to the crease.

Bell was correctly given run out by the umpire, according to the laws of cricket. But later Dhoni withdrew the appeal and allowed Bell to continue batting.

"We knew that according to the laws of cricket he was out but we asked ourselves if this was the way we wanted to get a batsman out and if it was in the spirit of the game. The answer came back as 'no'. We agreed that we were not happy about it and would not feel comfortable at the end of the day back in our hotel rooms," Dhoni said.

Dhoni added that a similar thing had happened in the West Indies when Indian run machine VVS Laxman was stumped when the keeper took the bails off in the third Test at Dominica.

"It was not quite right," Dhoni said.

The 30-year-old Dhoni, has been the recipient of many awards including ICC ODI Player of the year in 2008 and 2009.

Football stars such as Diego Maradona and David Beckham have been the recipients of this award in the past and last year it was given to Ronaldo.

Bayern Munich team for Bhutia farewell tie

New Delhi will see some of the biggest stars of football in action on January 10 when Philipp Lahm leads the legendary Bayern Munich side in the Baichung Bhutia farewell game at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Bayern, whose pedigree as one of the world's best-known soccer clubs is undoubted, announced their squad for the game.

Bayern Munich: (GK): Manuel Neuer, Jorg Butt, Maximilian Riedmuller, Rouven Sattelmaier.

(Defenders): Holger Badstuber, Jerome Boateng, Breno Borges, Diego Contento, Philipp Lahm,

Daniel Van Buyten, Marcio Rafael Ferreira de Souza (Rafinha).

(Midfielders): Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Takashi Usami, Danijel Pranjic, Luiz Gustavo, David Alaba, Toni Kroos, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk. (Forwards): Mario Gomez, Thomas Muller, Nils Petersen, Ivica Olic. Coach: Jupp Heynckes India: (GK): Karanjit Singh, Subhasish Roychowdhury, Felix.

(Defenders): Jaspal Singh, Sameer Naik, Gouramangi Singh, Govin Singh, Nirmal Chhetri, Syed Rahim Nabi, Adil Khan, Gurjinder Singh.

(Midfielders): Reisangmi Vashum, Jewel Raja Shaikh, Climax Lawrence, Rakesh Masih, Baldeep Singh, Clifford Miranda, Lalrindika Ralte, Rocus Lamare. (Forwards): Jeje Lalpekhlua, Baichung Bhutia, Sushil Singh, CS Sabeeth.

Coach: Savio Medeira.

Sachin's son padding up for life in cricket as bowler!

Sachin Tendulkar's 12-yearold son, Arjun, looks ready for a life in cricket as a bowler and can be seen in Team India's gear at the Sydney Cricket Ground practice nets.

Bowling at his father at Moore Park, as India stepped up preparations for the second Test against Australia, he acted as if he was part of the Indian squad.

One day he could be playing for India. Expectations are a facet of life of being Tendulkar's offspring, and those of young Arjun have only intensified recently.

Arjun is busy making a name for himself, and not just in the Sydney nets and is not affected by his father's quest for a 100th international hundred, which is keeping the cricket world holding its breath with each attempt,

The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

It was in an interschool match in Mumbai in November that India's cricket-obsessed public of 1.2 billion realised Arjun's burgeoning talents with bat and ball.

The left-arm Arjun took 8-22 for the Dhirubhai Ambani International School on debut in the Harris Shield

schools competition, bowling a dozen overs in a row and reportedly troubling all the opposition batsmen with his swing and accuracy.

The reason for the subsequent hysteria on the subcontinent was not only because he is cricketing royalty. It was in the very same schools tournament in Mumbai more than 23 years ago that Tendulkar

entered the public mind.

However, young Arjun's efforts for his school and in the Indian training nets indicate that he could become a bowler rather than a batsman.

Arjun is, contrary to his legendary father, a left-hander with the bat but didn't get a chance to pad up as Fletcher's side was in serious training mode following their 122-run defeat to Australia in Melbourne last week.

Yet his bowling has made headlines in India and also reportedly got the better of one of Tendulkar's colleagues in the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. Indian media reported that Arjun, bowling at Rohit Sharma, had with late away movement beaten the batsman with his first delivery in the nets, the paper reports.

31

What a catch, Alastair!

England's Ashes hero Alastair Cook married his childhood sweetheart in front of his teammates recently and then left the church on a tractor. His new wife, model Alice Hunt, is a farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter, and the cricketer shuns the celebrity limelight to help out on the family farm in Hockliffe, Bedfordshire, where the reception was held.

Maradona fined for feud with rival coach

Former Argentine coach Diego Maradona was fined 9,000 dirham ($2,450) by the United Arab Emirates Football Association for verbally abusing a rival coach. Maradona, who coaches UAE club Al Wasl, has been feuding with Al Ain coach Cosmin Olaroiu since losing an ill-tempered match last month.

The 1986 World Cup-winning Argentine complained that Olaroiu and his staff celebrated the winning goal in an unprofessional manner. He later called Olaroiu rude and impolite and suggested it was the club's players, not Olaroiu, who deserved credit for its early season success.

In its verdict, the FA disciplinary committee also cautioned Maradona and took him to task for calling Olaroiu "impolite." The committee dismissed a separate complaint filed by Al Wasl, which accused Al Ain fans of pelting its supporters with stones after the match.

Pak recall Wahab, Umar, Junaid for England Test series The Pakistan cricket selectors have recalled leftarm paceman Wahab Riaz, batsman Umar Akmal and pace bowler Junaid Khan to the Test squad named for the England series to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in January.

Junaid's final inclusion, is however, subject to his fitness though he has been granted a goahead by the PCB medical panel. But wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria have been excluded from the team after failing to get clearance from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) integrity committee over match-fixing suspicions.

Former captain Shoaib Malik has been axed after a poor run against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Pakistan paceman Mohammad Talha, who has played just one Test in 2009 against Sri Lanka in Lahore, has also been included in the squad.

Sania to lead Indian challenge in Fed Cup

Sania Mirza was named to spearhead the Indian challenge in Fed Cup, where the country will strive to get back to Group I in the Asia/Oceania zone.

The selectors also included national champion Rutuja Bhonsle, old hand Isha Lakhani and the young Prerna Bhambri in the four-member squad. The axe fell on Poojashree Venkatesha, veteran Rushmi Chakravarthy and Aishwarya Srivastava, who were part of the squad the last time around. The team was relegated to group II after losing all the three round-robin league ties and then the playoff rubber to Chinese Taipei. India had won only three matches and two of those were singles wins

by Sania. Rohit Rajpal was named as captain and Enrico Piperno the coach of the team. The Group competition will be held in Shenzhen, China from January 30 to February 4.

32

Asian Voice - Saturday 7th January 2012

Make-or-break case for Gautam Gambhir The form of Gautam Gambhir who had scores of 3 and 13 in the first test against Australia at Melbourne, is fast becoming a cause of concern for India skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It has been 17 Tests since Gambhir struck his last century and he averages 32.75 and 31.33 in the last two years.

However, with India consistently losing their foothold on foreign soil and Gambhir coming a cropper, the current tour could be a make-or-break one for the Indian opener.

Gambhir averaged 17 from the three Tests he played in England - albeit there was a head injury which impeded his cause - and his three and 13 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) now has not helped his cause. That he could average only 39 at home against a weak West Indies team. As of now, Gambhir is a sure starter for second Test starting in Sydney on January 3 and Dhoni's public posturing is in support of the left-hander. "He's someone who is batting really well in the nets. He just needs to take that extra step and do the same thing into the middle. Once you play 30-40 deliveries as an opener, everything is sorted out," Dhoni said.

Sehwag completes 8,000 runs in Test cricket Dashing opener V i r e n d e r Sehwag became the fifth Indian batsman to complete 8,000 runs in Test cricket when he reached an individual score of 20 against Australia in the first cricket Test at the MCG. Before Sehwag, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are the Indian players who have reached the coveted milestone. He is the 23rd batsman in history of Test cricket to complete 8,000 Test runs. Sehwag completed the feat in his 93rd Test match and by guiding Peter Siddle to deep fine leg. Prior to the Melbourne Test match, Sehwag has hit 22 centuries at an average of over 52.

South Africa were the last team to achieve a higher fourth-innings target of 297 for four in beating Australia at the MCG in 1953.

It was a bowlers' Test match with no batsman scoring a century.

Australian Mike Hussey came the closest with 89 in the second innings.

Australia's pace trio Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Siddle maintained a full line and length and never let up on the Indian batsmen.

India, 24 for one at lunch after losing Virender Sehwag for seven, unravelled in the middle session

arm spinner Herath took five for 79 and had match figures of nine for 128.

He was named man of the match. Sri Lanka seemed set for an early victory when South Africa lost five wickets between lunch and tea to be reeling at 133 for six shortly before the interval.

But AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn denied the tourists any further success as they put together a seventh wicket partnership of 99 which threatened to take the match into a fifth day.

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with five wickets tumbling for 93 runs.

Gautam Gambhir fell to a fired-up Siddle, edging to the safe hands of Ricky Ponting at second slip for 13. Rahul Dravid was bowled for the second time in the match with a pearl from Pattinson that crashed into his middlestump for 10.

VVS Laxman was out cheaply again flicking Pattinson to Ed Cowan at square leg for just one after scoring two in the first innings. Virat Kohli was out first ball, leg before wicket to Hilfenhaus with Tendulkar fast running out of batting

partners.

But Tendulkar was next to go, slicing Siddle to Hussey in the gully for 32. With his departure India's chances dipped considerably, silencing the "Swamy Army" India supporters and prompting many to leave the ground.

Tendulkar now takes his quest for his 100th Test and one-day century to next week's second Test in Sydney. Ashwin went shortly after tea to a rearing Siddle delivery which he lobbed to Cowan for 30.

Zaheer Khan blasted a six off Pattinson but when he shaped to do the same on the next ball, he popped a gentle catch to Cowan close-in for 13.

Pattinson bowled skipper M.S. Dhoni for 23 and Umesh Yadav was the last wicket to fall, caught athletically on the boundary off spinner Nathan Lyon for 21, with Ishant Sharma six not out.

India began the day poorly when Australia added 61 runs for their last two wickets off 16.3 overs to exasperate the tourists' bowlers.

Sri Lanka thrash South Africa by 208 runs

Sri Lanka took the final three wickets in four balls to complete a historic 208run win over South Africa on the fourth day of the second Test at Kingsmead last week.

It was Sri Lanka's first win in South Africa on four Test tours and their first win of a previously bleak 2011. It was also the team's first win under Tillekeratne Dilshan's captaincy and levelled the three-match series at 1-1.

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Australia crushed India by 122 runs in the opening Test, destroying their vaunted batting lineup with aggressive pace to claim a decisive victory inside four days in Melbourne.

India, chasing a historically challenging 292 runs for victory, were never in the hunt after they crashed to 81 for six with the loss of Sachin Tendulkar's wicket late in the middle session.

The tourists, who have yet to win a series in Australia in 64 years, were routed for 169 off 47.5 overs after Australia squeezed another 61 runs from their remaining two wickets earlier in the day.

Man-of-the-match James Pattinson led the way with four for 53 while Peter Siddle claimed the prized scalp of Tendulkar for 32 to again keep the Indian star's 100th international century on hold.

India were always up against it as they faced up to the highest fourthinnings run chase in almost 60 years at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

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De Villiers atoned for a reckless shot which cost him his wicket in the first innings with a solid 69, while Steyn again showed up some of his top order teammates, following up his first innings 29 not out with a fighting 43.

Sri Lanka were forced to take the second new ball but with the light fading rapidly the fast bowlers sent down only three overs before Dilshan returned to spin. Herath trapped De Villiers leg before wicket and the last three wickets fell rapidly.

Morne Morkel hit five runs before he was also lbw after missing a wild slog against Dilshan off the last ball of an over and

Steyn fell to Herath off the next delivery, to be followed two balls later by De Lange. South Africa's problems started when fast bowler Dilhara Fernando dismissed Graeme Smith for 26. The South African captain was surprised by a ball which lifted sharply for him to be caught at first slip off the shoulder of his bat.

Hashim Amla and Jacques Rudolph stabilised the innings with a second wicket stand of 51 but the match swung dramatically in Sri Lanka's favour in the first over after lunch when Rudolph fell to a spectacular diving catch at second slip by Mahela Jayawardene off Thisara Perera.