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Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar celebrates its 39th anniversary on 5th May 2010. We thank all our readers, advertisers and well wishers for supporting us.

VOICE

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

VOL 39. ISSUE 1

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Is coalition the future of Britain? .................Page 2 London celebrates Vaisakhi on the Square ................................Page 7 Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt joins Keith Vaz for election campaign ..............................Page 11 Court Martial against Sarath Fonseka suspended ..........Page 26

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Mumbai terror attacker Pakistani terrorist, Ajmal Amir Kasab, charged with the deaths of 166 Indians and foreigners, has been pronounced guilty of all charges by a special court in Mumbai. The two Indians, who were named as co-accused in the case-Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Shaikh, have been acquitted. The argument on quantum of sentence to Kasab was heard on Tuesday. Kasab has been convicted on all 86 charges against him. He

Kasab

was found guilty or murder and waging war against India, the court said while delivering the judgment. The prosecution has short

death sentenance for Kasab. The court will pronounce the sentence on Thursday. The two Indian co-accused were set free because the evidence against them was weak, the court ruled. Kasab had said that the duo supplied maps of Mumbai to LeT bosses. Continued on page 25

A view of the glitzy cultural show held at the Sardar Patel Stadium on Saturday, 1st May in Ahmedabad to kick start the ‘Swarnim Gujarat’ Celebrations. More reports and pictures on page 23, 24.

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GENERAL ELECTION 2010

Priyal Sanghavi Britain is nearing the end of what is touted to be its most exciting election yet. Months of campaigning has culminated to the final date of May 6. The result will impact the long-term future of all three parties- Tories, Labour and the Liberal Democrats. However next week, Britain may still not have the answer to the million dollar question- who is the next Prime Minister?

Prime Minister Cameron? Since his coup in the final TV debate, David Cameron has taken a step further by believing Tories have already won. He has unveiled parts of his debut Queen's speech which clearly throw out all that Labour has done. Cameron called it the “great repeal bill” which would scrap ID cards, home information packs and other Labour acts. He also has declared an emergency budget to cut billions from government budgets . “I accept that its a simple fact that there will have to be some simple reductions,” says Cameron. The latest YouGov poll for the Sunday Times indicates that Tories will win but not with an outright majority. The previous IPSOS Mori poll for Reuters polls showed a hung parliament , but latest figures indicates an overall Conservative majority although a narrow one. Other polls such as the ICM in The Sunday Telegraph put Tories at 36%, ComRes

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Is Coalition the future of Britain? at the Independent shows Tories at 38%. After 13 years if the Tories do return to parliament Cameron is hoping for an overall majority rather than work with the Liberal Democrats.

The Third Horse Almost all PPCs from the two old parties that Asian Voice interviewed urged voters not to vote for Liberal Democrats to avoid a hung parliament. Both the parties have constantly been trying to dismiss Lib Dems as a minor deterrent en route to Westminster. But in comes, the TV debate and Nick Clegg is undoubtedly the winner. For the first time the party was leading in polls since 1983 after their SDPLiberal alliance was ahead of Labour. Clegg spoke directly to the camera and urged voters to not be scared off with the idea of a hung parliament. Lib Dems largely owe their success to the TV mike as their ratings soared and Britain finally had a choice between the two old parties. However the picture was different by the second debates with the Tory press going on a rampage to tarnish Clegg's image regarding misappropriation of funds. However in the final debate Clegg stumbled specially during a tricky questions about immigration. The party seeks to give

Don’t Forget to vote

Gordon Brown

David Cameron

Nick Clegg

amnesty to illegal immigrants who have been in Britain for more than 10 years. Other parties opposed this move as this would encourage illegal immigration as under Lib Dems 600,000 people would receive citizenship Clegg stood by his policies saying, “Of course I understand that our opponents want to totally misinterpret what we say. But we are the only party coming up with a solution.” Although Lib Dem ratings slid, Clegg's personal ratings stayed high with YouGov poll saying 79% of voters thinking Clegg is doing a good job.

controversial question about east Europeans which can easily hurt the community's sentiments. Brown unknown that a microphone was left on, near him expressed his frustration to his aide calling her a bigot. As soon as he realised his error, he immediately rushed back to Rochdale to Duffy's house, apologised to her and called himself a 'penitent sinner'. Opponent Clegg too sympathised with the Prime Minister "Clearly when anyone asks you a question I think it's important to try to answer the question and show people respect”, he says, "he's apologised. He's explained why what happened happened.” Alastair Campbell's blog posting describes the mood back at Labour, "To say he was mortified is an understatement. I don't think I have ever seen him so angry with himself. She was so clearly not a bigot, and he knew that."

Though there have been speculation by the Evening Standard saying that this election may be Labour's biggest loss in 92 years, but you never know. Election is a fair game of representation and power. Multiculturalism in Britain is a Labour gift and no one can deny that! So, we will not be surprised if Labour comes back to power if not in majority but in coalition!

Labour- fighting hard? Last week the media splashed the incident about Brown's gaffe at Rochdale. Pensioner and widow Gillian Duffy quizzed Brown at length about policies and dropped in a rather

UK General Election Opinion Poll Tracker - 4th May 2010

Party

Voting is a democratic right of people residing in the country. Not only the British Citizens, but also persons residing here can also vote. Stakes are not only high for political parties and candidates but also for people. It is said people get the government they deserve. So if you wish better government and better candidates get elected, you should go to a polling booth and vote for a candidate and party of your choice. Remember every single vote counts and your vote can be decisive- Asian Vote especially.

Opinion Poll Org Avg of polls Com Res You Gov Tory 35 37 35 Lib Dem 28 26 28 Labour 28 29 28 Others 9 8 9 40

ICM 33 28 28 11

Seats Angus Reid Populus Mori Betfair ComRes 32 36 36 325 271 33 28 23 86 74 23 27 30 212 251 12 9 11 27 31

2005 Result Seat Vote% 294 32% 62 22% 349 35% 30 9%

David Miliband, MP: Britain much stronger under the Labour By Rupanjana Dutta

Con

Lab

Labour candidate calls Brown the 'worst Prime Minister' Labour was left redfaced after one of its own members accused Brown of being the worst Prime Minister in Britain and asking him to apologise to the Queen. North-west Manish Sood Norfolk candidate Manish Sood called on Brown to wake 'up' and urged for an “A-Z clean-up of the party. Just at the last leg of the election race, Sood claimed the national insurance rise to be a 'disaster' “Immigration has gone up which is creating friction within communities. The country is getting bigger and messier. The role of ministers has gone bureaucratic and the action of ministers has gone downhill - it is corrupt,” he told a local newspaper. Sood, 38 is currently a councillor at Leicester and has declared his Tory-held seat as 'unwinnable. “The loss of social values is the basic problem and this is not what the Labour Party is about. I believe Gordon Brown

Coalition A hung parliament and a subsequent coalition government has been christened as a disaster before exploring the possibility. The last time was 1974 where both parties lost considerable votes to the Lib Dems lead by Jeremy Thorpe, and a reelection had to be called. India has had coalition government since two decades with the current United Progressive alliance being a coalition between However this time in the

UK there are mixed views on the subject. Chancellor Alistair Darling has declared that “its utter tosh that its bad for the economy.” Pundits find Lib-Lab coalition more effective than a Lib-Tory one. It is a known fact that the Tories prefer and believe that they will have the majority in the next government. However Clegg has kept his options open by agreeing to talk to the Tories in the event of a hung parliament. “Do they really think they can deliver difficult (electoral) changes by just turning up their noses at the result on Thursday and saying they have a right to govern regardless?” Clegg asked. If by Friday no party has a clear majority, there will be frantic negotiating to form one. Till then Gordon Brown can chose to remain Prime Minister. If the Tories win by a gap of a few seats, the Queen can invite Cameron to form a minority government. This is where the ball falls in Clegg's court. Lib Dems can chose to back a Minority Tory government or form a Lib-Lab alliance. Although Clegg has been announcing that Lib Dem are fighting for an overall victory, he cannot dismiss the chances of a coalition to stay in power at Westminster. If no agreement is reached, the Queen can call for a second election, which will be a costly affair for all. The big question this time is, who or who all will be the government and will it be formed in time.

has been the worst prime minister we have had in this country. It is a disgrace and he owes an apology to the people and the Queen,” he said. Ironically Sood's mother, Manjula was UK's first British Asian woman Lord Mayor and is a staunch Labour supporter. “I disapprove. My late husband gave his life to the Labour Party and my loyalty is to the party and to what Gordon Brown has done for the country. My son holds his own views but I'm very angry about this and very angry with him. I'm campaigning every night and I'm very proud of that.” Justice Secretary Jack Straw described Mr Sood's views as 'completely maverick'. “He's been disowned by his own party and, I gather, by his mother. You get this at every election. I don't think it's a matter of any purport at all,” Mr Straw said. David Collis, chairman of North West Norfolk Constituency Labour Party, dismissed him as a "dreadful candidate". He says: “Manish Sood does not represent the views of North West Norfolk Labour Party members.”

In a recent press conference, organised by the Indian Journalist Associations (IJA) President, Ashis Ray, Rt Hon David Miliband, MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affiars spoke to the member journalists and Asian Voice about Labour policies, the forthcoming election and the relation between India and the UK. 1. Why do you think India should vote for Labour? Labour party has contributed a lot to the British multiculturalism. I was in the Northern Sikh Cultural Society launch at Huddersfield and there was a remarkable discussion about the challenges the community faces. Multiculturalism and societal cohesion is a vital part of our bilateral relation with India. The first instance is the excellent relation between PM Brown and PM Singh. It is a partnership that is not only political but also economic. I want to argue for a permanent place in Security Council for India. Only a stronger Britain under the Labour party can do that. A weak government under the Tories can hardly bring about any changes. 2. We know you are close to Rahul Gandhi. Would you like to

(IJA) President, Ashis Ray, Rt Hon David Miliband, MP

comment something on it? Rahul is certainly a rising star. We are in touch privately. He is powerful and he wants to use the forces of democracy to mobilise people. 3. In what way do you Labour is better than the three other parties? Labour has clearer principles and it is more efficient with immigration policies, point based system etc. The Lib Dem's idea of Amnesty for illegal migrants is a dangerous step. Wrongs cannot be awarded! 4. Labour has been close with China and India, the latter is never been a democracy. How would you justify such a British stand? China and India both have been important for us in different ways. Indian diaspora is so large, but Chinese diaspora is not the same. We are in more strategic dialogue with India than China.

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

COMMENT

Souring US-Afghan ties By virtue of its location at the cross-roads of Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent and the famed Silk route from the borders of China and Iran, Afghanistan's value as a strategic asset in regional and global rivalries has waxed and waned. Through Afghanistan Khyber Pass entered marauding nomadic dynasties that pillaged and laid waste much of northern India, stretching from Punjab to the Gangetic heartland and thence to the landmass bordering the Arabian Sea. Whether Afghanistan was ever the asset it was made out to be is questionable, but perception rather than reality has been the magnet that has drawn in the great powers to its barren slopes and plains. It was so in the 19th Century when imperial Britain and Tsarist Russia were contestants in the Great Game so brilliant evoked in Kipling's novel Kim. Today, the United States and its Nato allies, fondly described as the coalition of the willing, are trapped in a pitiless conflict without end: in part a draining counter-insurgency pacification campaign, in part frontal combat. Religion and politics have become a cursed confection, made more explosive by the involvement of the Pakistan military and its intelligence agencies in an ambitious endeavour to manipulate the situation to their advantage. The US and UK, as the principal patrons of every regime in Islamabad, have indulged their client every inch of the way and turned a blind eye to its misdeeds. The chickens are now coming home to roost. A desperate administration in Washington has taken the unprecedented step of authorizing the execution of a US citizen, the radi-

cal Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, linked to a plot to blow up a US airliner on Christmas eve. More astonishing is the public announcement of the President's decision. Desperation has subsumed coolness. Tina Foster, of the US-based International Justice Network, told the (London) Times that she was in shock at the decision. The rule of law and due process has been cast aside. The US seems to have lost the plot. Where do we go from here? Mr al-Awlaki, who is believed to be hiding in Yemen, commands a large following among the faithful. Were civilian deaths to occur in any American assassination attempt it would only inflame an already combustable situation in the Middle East and no doubt throughout the Muslim world. The problems of Afghanistan and Pakistan would be compounded with no solution in sight. As a result, there appears to be no exit route for the US-led expeditionary force and those fighting alongside it. Relations between Hamid Karzai and his Western helpers, particularly the United States, have reached almost their nadir. Nato air strikes keep hitting innocent Afghans and, as in Iraq, the Westerners are loathed by the locals. Tribal elders have informed President Karzai that either he vetoes the projected Nato summer offensive against the Taliban insurgents or perdition awaits him. President Karzai has started talking tough to Washington and policymakers there are at a loss on how to handle him. Imperial overstretch is taking its toll of American power as it has with every predecessor that failed to appreciate the limits of power. It is a sad way to relearn one of the abiding lessons of history.

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Thought for the Week We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about. - Novelist Charles Kingsley (1819-1875)

Political Question

Seema Malhotra Labour activist and campaigner Director, Fabian Women's Network

Change: the right choice or too risky? This has been a fascinating election that has changed the balance of British politics. It has been privilege to witness first hand the election machine at the centre and in the regions. Last week I was at the launch of Labour’s BAME manifesto, which argued that Labour’s demonstrable commitment to equality, fairness for all and track record on BAME representation made it the best party for minority communities. In the last parliament, Labour had six times as many BAME MPs than the other parties put together.

BRIC bloc points to future BRIC stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China. Their economies withstood the consequences of the global economic meltdown more capably than heavyweights such as the US, UK, Germany, France and other members of the EU. The BRIC economies have also rebounded from the recession with enviable gusto. China has posted GDP growth of 11 per cent, while India's figures, yet to be released, are expected to be anywhere between 7-8 per cent. Brazil and Russia are also on the higher trajectory of growth. Furthermore, the combined foreign exchange reserves of these countries are large enough to float a second International Monetary Fund (IMF). These figures in the context of the struggles of the rest of the G20 are truly significant and point to a possible realignment of global power. That said, these are early days. The latest BRIC summit in the Brazilian capital Brasilia

is only the second in its history. Moreover, BRIC has no uniform foreign policy and certain of its members are rivals for international influence and view each other with some suspicion. This is especially true of India and China. Yet the teasing paradox is that SinoIndian trade is bounding up and is expected to post the dizzy figure of $60 billion at the end of the last financial year (March 31). Without doubt the tectonic plates of an evolving world order have shifted and, barring the untoward and unforeseen, this economic power wedded to science, technology, industrial power and skills and better honed human capital is likely to become a mighty political and diplomatic force. But this is for the future. The world has witnessed the arrival of a new bloc, which will in turn have to face up to its individual and collective challenges. How it copes with these will surely determine the direction of the 21st century.

IPL an experience to savour India's Premier League has been a rewarding experience for players and spectators alike. The enthusiasm has been truly infectious. A number of foreign stars such as Kevin Pietersen and Kumar Sanggakkara have waxed eloquent on the entire package: the environment, the quality of the cricket, and the friendships on the field and off it, and the warmth of the crowds. This experience should help the careers of emerging stars, particularly in India. The countries tried and tested veterans will soon be making way for their successors. Financially, the IPL has been a bonanza. The financial centre of international cricket has clearly moved east. But money power brings its perils, too. Shashi Tharoor, the junior Indian foreign minister had to resign under the weight of charges that he was guilty of impropriety. Lalit Modi, the IPL boss is also facing a storm. Again, the accusations of

financial malfeasance are multiplying and the end result is in doubt. That is a pity. There has been much good cricket; some of it has been exhilarating. The violations of the true spirit of cricket are now under scrutiny. More's the pity that this should have come to such a pass. Cricket is India's major sport. Its following is truly immense. The game's biggest names have an iconic status. Cricketers, politicians, movie stars, financiers and others of India's great and good mingle socially and professionally. There lies the rub. Money corrupts and huge quantities of it corrupt absolutely. The challenge for the Indian cricket board now is to be an effective watchdog: to promote the game in every far-flung corner of the land, yet at the same time to see that it remains clean and above any taint of corruption. This is where it may have fallen short of its remit. There is time still to restore its credibility.

Harriet Harman, MP launching the BAME manifesto last week at Labour party office

Crucially it also talked about Labour’s record on the economy, action to support small businesses and investment to keep unemployment down. Even the Economist said Labour made mostly the right decisions, saving the banks, pumping money into the economy and helping avert a global recession. The defining issue of this election is the economy, and in different ways people will vote based on their biggest concern. Will reducing investment through Government and regional development agencies slow down the recovery? Is immigration impacting job prospects particularly for those on lower incomes? Though history doesn’t prove it is the case, will the NI increase impact on provision of new jobs, or will it really impact on shareholder profits? We are back to the core political debate, of traditional capitalism vs role of the state. The big question on which Labour’s “don’t risk it” argument hinges is what the impact could be of pulling back the state on individual lives, job losses, home repossessions. This is a bigger debate that makes the choice at this election more thoughtful than for example previous election pledges which were simple and talked about reducing class sizes, more doctors and nurses and cutting hospital waiting times. What has been striking is the large number of people still undecided about which way to vote in this election. Yes, the decision is tougher. However this is not a time to let the outcome be decided, but for everyone, including minority communities to engage and make a choice about which way our economy should move forward, and then continue to participate in the ongoing debate that is sure to follow.

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

YOUR VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Hindus in General Election

Up to Speed

Sikh police and turbans

Harshad Patel and election

By the time 'Asian Voice' reaches the readers, the election will be under way. There are things Hindus should consider before voting for any -political party. Hindu population in Britain is less than one Million and their interest in politics is very limited since most of them run their own business and out of touch with real politics and politicians. Hindus voting power is limited to less than 30 parliamentary seats. There are a quite number of sitting members in different political parties in Harrow, Brent, Ealing and so on who attend Hindu cultural and religious functions who are not Hindus or Asians. Hindus must make sure that (hopefully) they are elected so that they can help us to start Hindu faith schools and community centres in these areas. The labour government neglected the interests of Indian community by denying Paramjit Dandia a junior post where as three Muslim Ministers of Pakistan origin were given ministerial posts and the Muslim community groups were given general grants. Afro/Caribbean were well represented in the labour government. Hindus should think twice before they vote and vote for a candidate who can help the community irrespective of religion, race and party affiliation. Please do not waste your vote since this election is very crucial for our survival. Good luck to all the prospective candidates in the local and national elections.

Having just returned from a three weeks’ tour of Mauritius, South Africa and the Victoria Falls in Zambia, I was a bit apprehensive that I would lag behind others in my knowledge of the current political, economical and social affairs of this country and the world. But never fear, three weeks’ copies of my favourite Asian Voice (AV) and Gujarat Samachar (GS) were waiting for me on my door mat where the postman had pushed them through the letter box. I have eagerly skimmed through the pages of both and must concede that I am already up to speed on the happenings in the world while I was away. Many thanks AV and GS for providing the news in an informative and interesting manner. As always, I first glance at the headlines on the front pages and then go through the “Comment” and “Your Voice” columns in AV and the “Kalam Ni Dhare” and “Tamari Vaat” columns in GS. These make me au fait with the world affairs. I then read other pages and try to put my teeth into the crossword puzzles at leisure. I must add that if you subscribe to AV and GS, you do not need to buy any other daily newspapers or weeklies. All your food for thought could be gleaned from the vast amount of information contained in these two weeklies.

Sikhs’ turbans symbolise religious discipline, loyalty and bravery. It deserves respect as Sikhs have served loyally in British army. Magnanimous Sikhs should respect law of the land, rules of health, safety and security. Many Sikhs discard turbans to suit spatial environment. They wear turban at home or at religious gatherings. Some trimmed beards or shaved it off. Yet they are respected, because of their mien, imposing personality and boldness. Therefore asking to discard turban in special circumstances must not be taken as offence. There is no malice against Sikhs’ turban at any level even though it is a patent exhibition of ones religion. Turban can make a Sikh conspicuous, targeted and may invite injuries, which may not happen if he did not look different. Turbans, not being bullet proof, are unsafe. If turban loosens and falls to ground, it may be trampled underfoot, causing greater offense to Sikhs. Therefore Sikhs must wear prescribed helmets during riots only; turbans worn at peaceful times. Police bosses may ask to substitute turbans with helmets only as last resort. Those Sikhs insisting on turbans during riots may be asked to sign waiver for compensation or award for injuries arising from wearing turbans.

I agree with your readers Ms Krupa Shah and Mr. Navin Patel. The conservatives have chosen the right person to take back the constituency which was held by Dr. Rhodes Boyson for many years. Labour Party had a chance for past 13 years, and their record of mistakes is colossal. Dragging Britain in of America’s war in Iraq on false pretences should have been sufficient to oust the Government; but there were too many selfish Labour MPs who wanted to keep their seats for their own ends. No right thinking voters, particularly of Asian origin should miss this opportunity to vote our own man to day.

Arun Vaidyanathan Via Email

Live-in relation Referring to the article in Gujarat Samachar (3rd April, Pg 10), I would like to say that there is nothing wrong in a live-in relationship with your partner and actress Khushboo's views are justified. It is immoral to refer to the statute laws in Indian legal system for such small issues. It should be constitutionally incorporated and inherited by Common Laws, which clearly gives a lot of value to one's freedom of choice. I believe it is wrong to draw example from the Supreme Court to judge the case. It said "Lord Krishna and Radha lived together without marriage." Why dragging God's name in it? No religion or God could be the sole idea behind a life style and it cannot be a basis of judgement for the highest court in a secular state like India. Staying with a partner is a social and moral choice. Legal system in India should understand it and reason it better. R N Patel Essex

We will suffer People should realise that blaming Gordon Brown will take them nowhere. If anything has actually affected this country badly is the cohesive Labour party policies and not Brown alone. Cameron can be dynamic, but he is hardly ready to face a country in such economic doldrums. He does not have the

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Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Can higher taxes solve the budget deficit? Yes. Tax burden means the percentage of revenue lost by private sector to finance the public sector. In the UK, it has been the same at 38% for the past 38 years based upon elasticity of supply and demand and impact of grey economy. Tax incidence as a percentage of GDP according to HMRC 2009 accounts for the past five years was 31%. That meant that the revenue lost by private sector to finance the public sector was 31% rather than 38% based upon GDP. Private sector creates wealth. But of recent, private sector has destroyed wealth and continues to do so. The Big Four audit quality has been shambolic. It is time we respect Governments and civil servants and their attempts to provide public services with 20% of working force managing 30% of revenue, while 80% of work force generate 100% of revenue. By comparison, the latter may be generating 120% of revenue but declaring 100% only.

Asian Voice column-Mahabharata Asian Voice has many columns, mostly political. Amongst the columns I like the most is Mahabharata. Mr Vakil is a fantastic author. I have met very few people who can draw examples between reality and mythological stories with such fantastic narration. We may not know in reality if Mahabharata and battle of Kurukshetra really happened. But the metaphors so offered by Mr Vakil, is indeed beautiful. My children are born and have grown up in this country. We have tried our level best to imbibe our culture in them. They know about Ramayana and Mahabharata, but they have never read them. The astounding fact is with Mr Vakil's column, they actually like to read it. They think they can relate it to today's world and I agree to the same. This is a fantastic column. I hope to read more of it in the coming weeks. Srikant Ayenger Via Email

Nagindas Khajuria Via Email experience! I would say this country would benefit even by Clegg more than Cameron. The former is more sincere and friendly to the BAMEs. Conservatives are not accepting towards the immigrants and am sure our multicultural society will suffer if Tories come into power. Akash Vaid Via Email

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Gulab Mistry Via Email

Pulling power of AV/GS In the annals of protest by media, especially by newspapers, your campaign to restore the direct flights between UK and Gujarat is indeed unique. It has brought every Gujarati, every Indian together for the common good, irrespective of their faith, belief, culture or personal affiliation. This is indeed a power of persuasion extraordinary for AV/GS. Although flights between London and Ahmedabad were commercially a success story, they were halted on the political ground as soon as the Congress gained power at the centre. It was an act of punishment to the people of Gujarat who gave an overwhelming victory to BJP in the state election. Indeed Gujarat is a BJP bastion with progressive, corruption free administration that has changed the economic face of the state with the highest per capita income in India. The city of Surat, a diamond processing centre, has per capita income of US $12,000, one of the highest in South East Asia and people are flooding in from all over India to Surat to be the part of the success story. Gujarat is out performing Tiger economies like Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea with ease. Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

Gordon Brown a matured PM Tory party took 18 years to destroy public services, child benefit, jobs, unions and introduced a poll tax. Now the British people has to give 18 years to Labour party to rebuild this country again to settle the economy. We were paying 17.5% VAT on Gas and Electricity and 15% interest on loan under Tory government. Now we are paying 5% VAT on gas and electric bill and under 5% interest since 1997. Who did it? Mr Brown! If Tory comes into power, the whole country will be turned upside down! J B Patel Birmingham

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

(Off Coronet Street)

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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Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

British Sikh Association honours Judge Mota Singh at Vaisakhi dinner By Rupanjana Dutta The British Sikh Association celebrated Vaisakhi by honouring Judge Sir Mota Singh QC with the Pride of the Sikh Community Award. Over 300 guests attended this glittering event along with The Shadow Justice Secretary, the Rt. Hon Dominic Grieve, Baroness Verma, the Shadow Minister for Children, Schools & Families, Mr Asif Ibrahim, Minister Coordination at India House, Mrs Monika Mohta, Director Nehru Centre, Mr Dolar Popat, Hindu Forum Britain and Chairman of the Punjab National Bank, Mr KR Kamath. Amongst many speakers only Baroness Verma and Dominic Grieve rightly spoke about the theme of the evening and blended it well with the rest of their speech, which was mostly about politics. Baroness Verma praised the contribution

Sandeep Rawal on a nationwide tour Multi Instrumentalist /composer Sandeep Raval, brings his richly coloured, richly sensuous rhythms Fusing Indian classical with modern beats, Eastern percussion and jazz, Sandeep Raval's global sound is both enchanting and exciting. One of the most versatile and accomplished multipercussionists performing today, he draws on both his Indian roots and western influence to create extraordinary new sounds on a wide range of instruments. Sandeep has composed for large scale shows such as 'Blessing' in 2005 and performed in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Bombay Dreams'. This national tour showcases Sandeep's global and western musical styles and blends them in a fresh and compelling mosaic of sound. Sandeep will be joined by a group of well loved, respected and accomplished musicians in their own fields. Including special guest Shri Mahesh Vinayakram (Vocal & Konnakol son of Grammy award winner Padmashri T.H. Vikku Vinayakram) Unmissable for World Music Lovers The tour will visit ten locations between April and May 2010 including Bristol, Winchester, Wiltshire, Nottingham, Leicester, Bristol, London and Milton Keynes.

now the Pride of the Sikh Community Award. The Guest of Honour the Rt. Hon Dominic Grieve, Shadow Justice Secretary praised the contribution of the P u n j a b i Community in

of Indians in Britain and asked them to be more publicly and politically spirited. She also explained our role in the light of Vaisakhi as a theme. "Britain is our country and we must take part in the decision making process." She praised Sir Mota for receiving the Knighthood and

Mrs Monika Mohta, Director Nehru Centre with Judge Sir Mota Singh QC

Britain. He said that he was proud of the fact that a lot of Punjabis have moved in to his constituency of Beaconsfield. He further said some of his closest friends are Punjabi. He particularly enjoys the Punjabi cuisine and Bhangra beat. Judge Sir Mota Singh QC thanked the Executive Committee of the British Sikh Association for putting on a splendid show. He jokingly said he always wanted to make his wife a Lady and now that he is a

knight she will be called a Lady. Sir Mota thanked the community and Britain for giving him so much love and honour. He praised the British sense of tolerance and fair play and as a result he could contribute to the Nation unhindered. He added, that Britain has already reached the phase of multiculturalism, what it needs is social cohesion. He requested people to come forward and make that possible.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Kapil’s

Two found guilty of doctors murder in Green Park

KHICHADI by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com Out and About

Thomas Connor Dr Nadim Gulamhuseinwala

Two men have been convicted at the Old Bailey on Friday 16th April after being found guilty of the murder of a doctor during a robbery in London's Green Park. Thomas Connor, 20 (18/08/1989), of Curtismill Way, Orpington, Kent, and William Paton, 20 (13/09/1989), of Clarendon Way, Orpington, were convicted of the murder and robbery of Dr Nadim Gulamhuseinwala on 25 July 2009. Dr Gulamhuseinwala, a qualified surgeon and management consultant, was on his way home following a night out with friends when he was brutally attacked and robbed in the park in the early hours of Saturday 25 July last year. He was cutting through the park, having entered by The Ritz

entrance, to take a route home via Queen's Walk onto The Mall. It was on Queen's Walk where he was approached by the men and, without any provocation, hit him over the head with an iron railing and stole his mobile phone, wallet and cash. The victim was rendered immediately unconscious with severe head injuries. Police were called at approximately 04:15hrs and Dr Gulamhuseinwala was taken by ambulance to a central London hospital in a critical condition where he died on Wednesday 5 August. A post mortem gave the cause of death as a severe head injury. The inquest was opened and adjourned at Westminster Coroner's Court on 12 August 2009. Connor and Paton were arrested on suspi-

William Paton

cion of attempted murder and robbery, along with a third man. The third man was later released with no further action. The defendants were rearrested on suspicion of murder after Dr Gulamhuseinwala died. They had pleaded not guilty but were convicted after a three-week trial. Detective Inspector Jeff Minns, the investigating officer from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command said: "The result today won't bring Nadim back, but hopefully it brings them a degree of comfort and will assist them in coming to terms with the tragic and traumatic events of 25th July last year. Whilst they have had to endure the pain of bereavement following the death of Nadim, his brother Imran, his mother and father, and sentencing was due on Thursday 22 April.

Queen's Award to Sun Mark Ltd for the second year This Queens Award for Enterprise symbolises the strength and credibility of the company and its positive contribution to the British economy. The company’s sales continue to grow despite the global downturn as a result of the financial meltdown. The company’s turnover

Stun Mark Ltd achieved the most coveted award for business, the Queen's award for Enterprise 2010 for a second year. It is a rare achievement by any company to win such a prestigious award and that too for a second consecutive year 2009 and 2010.

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Dr. Rami Ranger

grew by over 45% last year and is fast approaching £100 million. It is a considerable achievement by any standard, especially when the company started its operation just 15 years ago. The company exports British supermarket products to over 90 countries with staggering results and market penetration. Needless to say, due to its export activities, it not only generates wealth and employment for Britain directly, but also helps other British companies grow which are connected with its export activities like transport, shipping and manufacturing. The Managing

I happen to be watching Zee TV’s ‘Out and About’ programme anchored by my friend Dhruv Gadhvi. He was covering the recent NCGO election ‘Question Time’ event and there I was, on TV, giving an interview about the General Election. I noticed that Dhruv had kindly elevated my position to that of ‘Political Analyst’ – now we all know what that means, one error on my part and I can just see the damning headlines. So in the great tradition of ‘political analysts’ who have gone before me let me do my bit for Queen and country. There are of course no guarantees and what follows comes with my standard consumer health warning!

And the winner is? Asian Voice is published on Thursday - so some of you will be reading this as you go out to vote. Others will be reading it on Friday when the result is known. I of course have just got my crystal ball out to see if the clouds of wavering voters have shifted sufficiently to give me some last minute insight. Alas if only life was that simple. However based on how lethargic opinion polls have been since the election was announced, I am inclined to say that the Tories will be the largest party but might not break the 300 seat barrier. That figure of 326 seats will be illusive for an outright win. Tories need nearer 40% of the popular vote, and for this to happen it will require a last minute blunder by Gordon Brown, or a scintillating revelation in the newspapers. Both are equally possible given the great track record the Prime Minister has established for himself recently! On the big day I would not be surprised if Labour got closer to 30% of the popular vote, higher than the 28% the polls are suggesting at present. This will put them Director, Dr. Rami Ranger MBE, is optimistic that his company, which is a leading force in exports, will continue to drive hard and be a recipient for many more such awards for sustainable growth and for excellence. He said that the second award shows that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”.

comfortably in second position and only a few seats short of the Tories. Nick Clegg has done wonders. He utilised the TV debates to their maximum, got an incredible surf on the wave of lay supporters – but somehow when it comes to the actual vote, will they get more than 28%? I doubt it, and hence unfortunately with all their hard work they will clearly remain the third force in British politics and will not even break the 100 seat barrier. So who won the election? Well it will be a hung parliament. I don’t believe we will know for several days post the election who has actually won the election. Winning in this case is defined as the party that actually forms the Government and not necessarily the party with the highest number of seats. During this time we will read of, and hear about, endless speculation with regard to who is in bed with whom. And of those who are willing to sell their values for that ultimate prize; power. In this election, the winner may well end up being the loser.

The Challenge Regardless of who gets in power one suspects that high on the agenda will be a referendum on electoral reform. If some form of proportional representation is adopted, we will see politics and governance change in Great Britain forever. An emergency budget will take place; it will be a top up to what the present chancellor has already declared. A pay freeze on almost all public sector workers will become a necessity with an ever increasing realisation by the public that efficiency savings actually does mean jobs. Tuition fees will go up, interest payment on student loans will go up and the number of places available at Universities will begin to fall as their

core funding begins to take a hit. Banks supported by the British tax payer will make profits. With profits their value will go up as will the value of the public share in those banks. If the incoming Government holds tights for at least two years, don’t be too surprised if the tax payer makes a net profit of more than 60%. In times of great uncertainty, for the first time some people will begin to realise the value of pumping money in to save the banks.

The bigger challenge Times will get tougher over the coming years. During the debates there has been a clear sense of anger by the vast majority of people with regard to immigration. All too often this is confused with illegal immigrants, refugees and the significant numbers coming in from the EU countries. In all cases the people who suffer the wrath of such anger tend to be those who are more visible. Namely people like you and me. Whilst traversing the mayhem of the economy, any incoming government that takes its eye off the ‘ethnic’ ball will endanger the very stability of the nation. In times when there is serious hardship, often even the sanest of us tend to blame those who are the most vulnerable in society. Managing peoples’ expectations, tackling prejudice and maintaining stability in civil society should be one of the priorities, lest the demons of prejudice see the light of day. Those who win the election may ultimately question the wisdom of their win. For me, I will not doubt question how much of this ‘Mystic Meg’ predicting has in fact come true. One thing is for sure, we are now in the make or break period in our recent history – I just hope that as a country we get it right.

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

London celebrates Vaisakhi on the Square

Hindu voters to play vital role in election “Voting is a most important civic right yet large numbers of Hindus abstained from voting in the past but in this general election, more than any other, the Hindu vote could be a deciding factor, so we urge Hindus to get out and vote intelligently.” The Forum was due to organise local hustings, distributing information through temples, community centres and other mediums to raise awareness on the importance of voting. Over 7,50,000 Hindus in the country contribute highly to the economy. They are spread all over the

A Hindu organisation is urging fellow Hindus to come out and vote since the community plays a key role in determining the outcome in some seats. Hindu Forum UK is campaigning to encourage the community to engage in conversation with their local and parliamentary candidates and make an informed decision on which party to vote. With the looming possibility of a hung parliament, the community can be pivotal in determining the outcome in certain seats. Arjan Vekaria, President of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said:

UK especially in London suburbs, Midlands, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. Many Hindus feel that Government and decision-makers are failing to address their concerns, despite being the third largest faith group. Vekaria said: “Hindus are a silent but influential minority. With the elections being so close Hindus should use this opportunity to engage with their parliamentarians, air their concerns and get some commitment to resolving issues that prevent them from practicing their religious rights and beliefs.”

BNP exploiting the ‘Collective Amnesia’ of Marginalised Ethnic Minorities By Priyal Sanghavi Londoners braved the rain and cold to come out in full attendance to celebrate the holiest day of the Sikh community in one of the city's most prominent landmarks. For the fifth year in a row, Vaisakhi was celebrated in style at Trafalgar Square this bank holiday weekend.The free-forall event was enjoyed not only by Sikhs but by members of other religions and cultures. Many tourists were pleasantly surprised to see white tents all around selling merchandise. The day long activities begun with shabad kirtan (hymns and prayers) by groups from London Gurudwaras and went on to live DJ music. Statutory Deputy Mayor of London Richard Barnes and the Mayor’s Adviser on Transport Kulveer Singh Ranger welcomed the crowd. Robert Nichols, who works for the Camden Health service came along with his three-yearold daughter. He said: “I thought she would be bored but she was enthralled with the colourful dancers. We really enjoy Asian community events.”

In the run-up to the London Olympics in 2010, Sikh sportsmen were honoured including 15 year old Ashpal Kaur Bhogal who is the first British Asian to be selected for England's hockey program. Delicious hot vegetarian samosas and chole were available for free throughout the day. As per as Sikh tradition of

langar, the food was free much to the delight of everyone and served generously by the smiling volunteers. Volunteers were distributing free bottled water as well. Bankers Mitesh and Panna Patel from Harrow are regulars at community events. Panna says: “Normally at events like these they charge for

food but it is a pleasant surprise to have it for free.” Live DJ music mostly Bhangra, was thoroughly enjoyed by the crowds rest of the day. South Asian artists Sham, Juggy D and HDhami performed their hit numbers. Hitesh Panchal from Canning Town, London came in specially for the festivities and was not disappointed. “I was present for the Diwali event, these are good initiatives to get together as a community.” London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "The square was packed to the rafters to celebrate St George’s Day and this weekend the crowds were out in force to mark the festival of Vaisakhi. This popular festival encapsulates Sikh values of generosity and respect. This is a wonderful family event that all Londoners and visitors can enjoy.” Twenty million Sikhs celebrate the festival all around the world. It is commonly mistaken to be the Sikh New year. It marks the birth of the Khalsa Panth- the Sikh brotherhood. Vaisakhi at Trafalgar Square was organised by the Vaisakhi in London committee in association with the Mayor of London.

The Sikh Times reports Professor Gurharpal Singh who authored the report on behalf of Faith Matters, an organisation which works to reduce conflict both nationally and internationally, warned that ‘as tensions grow it will become increasingly difficult to contain this dispute within Britain’. Despite this, the report indicates that both communities are suffering from a ‘collective amnesia’. In other words they have forgotten they share a common heritage, culture and history. ‘The only way to resolve the crisis is to re discover the sense of shared cultural

The BNP is exploiting tensions between Muslim and Sikh communities, threatening to destabilise fragile relations, a leading academic has revealed. The launch of a new report by Faith Matters (www.faith-matters.org) warns the BNP is seeking to ‘fish in troubled waters by reaching out to sections of Sikhs (and Hindus) in order to form a tactical alliance against Muslims to promote Islamaphobia’. This is the first time any kind of substantive research has been undertaken on Muslim and Sikh tensions. It is a new but very real and growing problem.

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and historic identity - it is better for them to work together,’ added Professor Singh. Faith Matters founder and director Fiyaz Mughal OBE said: ‘There is a collective amnesia among the two communities which must be addressed, and quickly, otherwise it may cause localised tensions to flare into actual violence.’ ‘Although the report illustrates how the BNP have exploited existing tensions, it also highlights that by realising both groups have a shared common heritage, culture and political experience - these tensions may be overcome’.

www.abplgroup.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Midland Voice

Contact: Dhiren on 07970 911 386 or dhiren.katwa@abplgroup.com Dee Katwa News in Brief Council chiefs take taxpayers for painful Solicitor nabbed over waste ride in name of equality Birmingham solicitor Peter Chahal has received a court bill of £2,590 after waste from him firm was found dumped in two Dudley streets. Chahal, 41, of Peter Chahal Solicitors, admitted not disposing of his waste correctly, Dudley magistrates heard.

Council chiefs in Birmingham are preparing to appeal after solicitor Stefan Cross last week won a major legal battle by exposing the local authority’s discriminatory wage structure. And how the city’s top equality tsar is being sued for racial discrimination. More than 4,000 female workers took cashstrapped Birmingham City Council to an employment tribunal claiming they should be paid the same as men for doing the same job. During the seven-week hearing the tribunal heard how a man doing the same pay graded job as a woman could earn four times more than her. All the women were employed in traditionally female-dominated roles, such as cleaning, care and catering, as well as administration. The tribunal’s judgement upheld the women’s complaints and means the council could be forced to pay up to £100,000 to each

claimant made up of backdated salary and interest from the year 2000. The claims stemmed from the introduction of a Single Status agreement aimed at removing wage differentials between men and women. The tribunal heard how a female cleaner on Grade 1 received £11,577 – the same grade as a street sweeper. But the sweeper actually earned £32,000 because of bonuses and overtime. Paul Savage, from Stefan Cross Solicitors, which represented almost 900 of the women, brought test claims for equal pay based on 49 different job groups within the coun-

Lunch with religious leader

Under pressure: Alan Rudge

Promoting equality, he says: Mashuq Ally

cil. Last Friday, the legal firm took out a full-page advertisement in the Birmingham Mail inviting all of the council’s 25,000 non-schools employees to get in touch. Drop-in meetings are planned in venues across the city, where the no-win-no-fee firm of solicitors will be on hand to give free advice. If a further 20,000 women from the 57,000strong workforce – of

which around a quarter are from ethnic minority communities – come forward and lodge claims, the bill could rise to £1 billion. Councillor Alan Rudge, the cabinet member for equalities and human resources, said he would be consulting lawyers before deciding whether to appeal against the tribunal judgement. Continued on page 11

Kids centre marks 1st birthday

New book on rising Indians

South Yardley Children’s Centre has celebrated its first birthday. Youngsters were entertained by bouncy castles, DJs and a magician, while parents were given the chance to relax with reflexology, mehndi and head and foot massage. The Centre is one of five in Birmingham run by Barnardo’s, the kids charity. Photo: Barnardo’s regional director, Sam Monaghan with centre supporters.

Vikas Pota smiled for the camera, as did Mr C Gururaj Rao, the Indian government’s advocate in Birmingham, as the pair officially launched Vikas’s new book, India Inc, last Thursday, as part of a seminar. The seminar, titled Successful Entrepreneurship during Difficult Times, was hosted by the impeccably modest Professor Pawan Budhwar, pictured, of Aston India Foundation at Aston University, in conjunction with accountancy firm Deloitte. In his book, Vikas, MD of public relations consultancy Saffron Chase, profiles India’s top ten entrepreneurs, all men bar one. Other speakers included Richard Edwards, senior partner at Deloitte, who proudly added that all ten entrepreneurs were clients of his firm; and Stephen Kingan, CEO of Nexor, a leading provider of information assurance solutions to defence and government agencies. Another speaker, 28-year-old Nirmal Chhabria of Niva Global Services was absent due to ill health. Vikas, bless him, thinks I should be voted ‘Gujarati of the Year’. He is more deserving, I would say, of this title given his raft of achievements since I first met him at Aston University almost a decade ago. Don’t you agree Vikas?

Most powerful politician - Clegg While the Lib-Dems denounce the voting system as unfair, isn’t it ironic that this Thursday Nick Clegg could poll fewer votes than either Labour or the Tories and still end up as the most powerful politician in Britain?

Fundraising Fire Chief Vijith Randeniya, pictured, West Midlands’ Chief Fire Officer, was welcomed with pats on the back from colleagues and well-wishers as he returned from Mount Snowdon which he climbed for charity. Vij, the UK’s highest-ranking Asian fire officer, supported by around 30 firefighters, conquered the 1,085-metre Welsh peak in two hours and 40 minutes using a new state-of-the-art breathing apparatus system, the Draeger PSS 7000. Their efforts raised more than £5,500 for the Help for Heroes and Fire-fighters Charity.

Lie cost jail sentence Medical administrator Iqbal Hussain has been jailed for three months for giving his brother’s name when he was stopped by police while driving. Hussain, 24, of Small Heath, Birmingham, who worked at the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital at the time, but has since been made redundant, pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to two charges of perverting the course of justice.

Ambulance bill West Midlands Ambulance Service has spent more than £2.6 million on private ambulance crews in six months because of a shortage of paramedics in the region. Three private firms worked 2,734 shifts between October 1, 2009 and March 31, to provide 16 ambulance teams to attend 999 calls in the West Midlands, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

Accountant murdered A well-known Birmingham accountant, Vijay Kumar Thaper, has been murdered. Mr Thaper, 61, owner of Thaper & Co chartered accountants of Handsworth, is believed to have suffered two broken legs after he was attacked in the street outside his Bloxwich home on January 13 this year. But six weeks later, on March 8, a blood infection set in and Mr Thaper died, leading police to launch a murder inquiry. A forensic examination showed the clotting to have been caused by the attack. Two men were arrested after the initial assault but were later released.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt Rev Dr Rowan Williams, will this Thursday meet with leading ambassadors from the UK’s Dawoodi Bohra, a generally law-abiding Gujarati Muslim community. The special lunch, in London, has been organised by the president and trustees of Anjuman-e-Burhani London.

Liquids ban to end Liquids will be allowed in air passengers’ hand luggage by April 2013.The ban has been in place since 2006. Technology capable of detecting liquid explosives must be installed by April 29, 2013 at the latest, the European commission has warned airports.

Honorary title Lord Tarsem King of West Bromwich has been made a Freedom of the Borough – the highest award that a council can bestow. Lord King, pictured, who became a life peer in 1999, served as a councillor from 1979 to 2007. During that time he was Labour leader of Sandwell Council and then served for a year as mayor. I’m still, years on, having prompted him several times, trying to find out what exactly he does, particularly for youth, other than present gifts, repeat speeches, enjoy prestigious dinners and get photographed. Does anybody know?

Bust woman faked document Birmingham carer Nabila Fazal who had declared herself bankrupt because of student loans forged documents to try to open a bank account for a business venture, Warwick Crown Court heard. Fazal, 27, of Russell Road, Hall Green, pleaded guilty to two charges of using a false document with intent to deceive. She was sentenced to four months in prison suspended for two years, with 12 months supervision.

GP struck off Dr Sulieman Al Hourani, a surgeon from Jordan, who was supposed to take out a cyst on a patient’s right testis but instead removed the whole testicle has been struck off. The man, known only as patient A, went into Fairfield Hospital in Bury, Greater Manchester, for the operation in September 2007.

Sikh tycoon to acquire poultry firm Two Sisters, the food group based in West Bromwich is about to become a £1 billion-a-year business with the takeover of Storteboom, a poultry company based in The Netherlands. The acquisition is by Wolverhampton-born Ranjit Singh Boparan, 43, pictured, one of the UK’s most successful self-made entrepreneurs. According to The Sunday Times Rich List, he and his wife, Baljinder, are worth around £110 million.

Sporty granddad, 72, awarded

A strong-willed Sikh athlete, Jhalman Singh, from Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham, has been crowned the first Midlands Sikh Sports Personality of the Year. Originally from the Punjab, the retired engineer is in training for another athletics competition in Oxford on May 23.

EDUCATION/COUNCIL

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Kenton College - helping students fulfill their potential James Adams is the Director of Kenton College. He is graduated from the London School of Economics and has a broad and diverse experience of teaching. He is experienced in marking and assessing papers from the major exam boards. AV)Can you give a brief about yourself and your college? I am an experienced teacher of Economics and Business Studies with a track record of outstanding results at both A-level and GCSE. I graduated from LSE and I am passionate about both my subject and teaching. I have been an examiner for OCR, Edexcel and AQA in both Economics and Business Studies. The College specialises in high-quality evening and weekend tuition for students seeking support

in their A-levels and GCSE subjects. We can support both the very brightest and weakest students. Tuition takes place in small groups and on a one to one basis. AV)Which subjects do your college specialise in? Economics, Business Studies, Maths, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, IT and Computing. AV)How is the work planned for each pupil when they join? Each prospective pupil is interviewed and their needs are assessed. A programme of study is devised based on the student's requirements. All our students are set homework and tests on a frequent basis. AV)What is your teaching approach? Teaching is in small groups, which allows for individual attention to be

given to each student. Teaching takes place in two hour tutorials, to allow for directed instruction as well as testing and exam questions to be completed. Students are given detailed feedback on all the work they are set. This allows for weaknesses to be identified and corrected. Teaching is clearly focused on syllabus requirements and examination style questions. AV)What experiences do your teachers have? All the staff have had experience teaching at top schools and colleges and are expert graduates in their respective fields. Most are also examiners with major exam boards. AV)Do you supply any separate teaching material? All students are supplied with past papers, mark schemes and tailor made notes which are generated

Future Generations Sai School Harrow

by Nikhita Sethi, Age 16

History of Sai School

On Saturday 17th April 2010, Sai School of Harrow celebrated its 15th year of being a weekend school teaching children about Hinduism, human values and good citizenship. It was launched in 1995, when few Mothers had a vision to educate Hindu children about their own religion and culture, whilst teaching them about tolerance and acceptance of other faiths inspired by Sai Baba’s Educational programme. On 15th April 1995, an opening ceremony at Stanburn School welcomed 108 children, alongside their parents, to join the founders in establishing this entirely unique free Saturday school. Neru Obhrai, Shobhna Mirchandani, Ranjan Hindocha, Raaji Suntharalingam and Sam Gnanasambanthan were instrumental in helping Ranu Mehta-Radia set up this unique weekend School.

Over the years Sai School evolved and developed, adapting the syllabus to the needs of the students, by teaching the scriptures and philosophy of Hinduism through a more interactive and exciting approach, meeting the needs of Asian children born and brought up in a Western society. The School’s innovative educational approach caused word to spread quickly, with a rapid increase in the intake of children from all backgrounds. By 2005, Sai School of Harrow was serving 500 children through their dedicated volunteers teachers mirroring mainstream year groups. A structured syllabus for each year group helped form a strong bond between their class Guru and pupils as well as long-lasting friendships amongst children of same ages despite varying backgrounds of every child.

In 2000, the Youth Wing of Sai School was launched for mature pupils who had sat their GCSE Hinduism exams. The Youth Wing was introduced to combat potential threats facing young people nowadays, bonding them together and focussing their energies into making positive contributions to local and regional projects. The positive work of Sai School has been recognised in many different ways, through a number of prestigious awards. Over the last 15 years, Sai School of Harrow has played a large role in shaping many young people’s lives, with the teachers inspiring and encouraging the children to bring a positive change to the world around us through environmental and social initiatives. Log onto www.saischool.com to view Sai School’s achievements over the last 15 years.

by our tutors. AV)How different are you from other colleges? Simple: all of our teaching is of very high quality. In any school or college, teaching can be variable. At Kenton College, teachers are of the highest quality whilst at the same time being highly results-driven. Kenton also has the flexibility to offer teaching in the evenings and weekends, when most colleges are closed. AV)Will Kenton College help children in entrance exams who are struggling with certain areas in some subjects? Kenton College has already succeeded in helping weaker students to improve their performance. A four grade improvement is not uncommon. We also specialise in helping high-flying students to push for A* grades.

AV)How do you provide feedback to parents? Feedback is provided through a report after every 6 tutorials. Detailed information is provided on the child' strenghts/weaknesses and their perform-

ance in tests and homework. For further information on Kenton College please visit www.kentoncollegelondon.co.uk or call 020 8909 1000

Middle-class university students facing £14,000-a-year tuition fees Tuition fees could dramatically rise to up to £14,000 a year after it emerged an official inquiry is likely to lift the cap on charges. Students could face staged fee increases of up to £1,000 a year as universities move towards charging the full cost of degree courses. At the same time, 'free' student loans with a zero per cent real terms interest rate would be scrapped. Middle and higher income students would take the full force of the changes since bursaries would be offered to applicants from poorer backgrounds to ensure they are not deterred from going to university. The scenario is being actively considered by Lord Browne, the ex-BP boss appointed to lead the review of university funding. The committee was originally expected to raise the current £3,225 a year fee cap to £5,000 or £7,000. But now it has emerged it could allow universities to charge the full cost of degree courses. Students on arts and humanities courses at top institutions could be charged £7,000 a year and science students £14,000 a year. A cap could remain on the most expensive courses, such as medicine, which can cost more than £20,000 a year. Universities are demanding a hike in tuition fees to offset cuts to their budgets as public finances are squeezed. Both Labour and the Tories have avoided making policy on tuition fees before going into the

General Election although both have hinted fees could rise. The Liberal Democrats have called for a phased reduction of fees. Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said any fee rises 'would lead to students choosing courses on the basis of cost rather than suitability'. Students have said the removal of the fee cap is a 'nightmare scenario'. Under one possibility being considered by Lord Browne, universities would be able to increase fees well above the inflation rate each year - possibly by as much as £1,000 as they move towards a

free market. In second scenario, the fee limit could be doubled immediately before the tiered rises begin. 'He wants the cap off altogether, but he will go by tiers,' a source told the Sunday Times, describing Lord Browne as 'hawkish'. 'I'm pretty certain he will not go to a free market straight away.' It is understood the proposals would be sold to sceptical politicians with the promise they would promote social justice. They will be told it is unfair that taxpayers should subsidise families on middle and higher incomes who have often paid school fees.

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ART & CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Face to Face with Anusha Subramanyam By Rupanjana Dutta AV: What motivated you to take up dancing as a career? It started as a young girl. My mother is a dancer, musician and an excellent teacher. Her journey went from being a professor to a schoolteacher to a primary teacher to being an educational consultant. I loved dance and always felt a sense of freedom and joy. This realisation I wanted to translate for everybody. My dream is to see the whole world dancing. Her dream was to become a professional dancer musician. So, I was sent to Kalakshetra after graduating from Kalakshetra. I joined Leela Samson, the famous dancer, choreographer, who is now the director of Kalakshetra. AV: What makes you work with autistic people so closely? For me, dance is not Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam is dance. Dance is much broader. I used to wonder how to translate that to movement to somebody who could not hold a mudra properly or who is physically or mentally challenged. I believe everyone can dance and find ones expression in movement. When it is honest it is beautiful. I have been working with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) children for the last five years. And enjoy it very much. Each individual is truly unique and that gives me a huge canvas to explore movement possibilities for each one of them. The school I work, Phoenix is special in every way, the staff and students are inspiring to work with. AV: I know you are married to a gentleman from Kutch. How is it to be a Tamil married to a Gujarati? How different is the life? We met in Delhi in an auto rickshaw! That’s the spicier versions but we had a common friend. Vipul keeps me inspired and focused on the work I want. I am not sure how life would be different if I did marry a Tamilian. My father was in a transferrable job. I travelled a lot growing up in India. When people ask me where I am from, I think India. I am very comfortable in any culture. In fact, until I went to Kalakshetra, I lived only in the north. From speaking Hindi to home food was also largely north Indian. Vipul is an excellent cook and cooks enough south Indian food. Living now in London, one has that same sense of being a global citizen. From food, to music

friends, its very mixed. As we are both artists, we also collaborate a lot, with other art forms, artists. All I can say is I am lucky, or I am the luckiest person, doing what I love most and with someone who believes and helps me grow. AV: Tell us something about your dance company Beeja. Beeja means ‘seed’ in Hindi. It also carries with it a sense of transformation and the start of life. Our work whilst rooted in Bharatanatyam, is trans-cultural and intergenerational. With con-

theatres in London, museums and other non-conventional venues for dance. I have worked extensively with people with special needs, schools and family groups, exploring issues of culture, religion, identity, normalcy etc., through creating professional choreographic work, using dancers and non dancers. This work has illuminated my creative life. AV: In the age where Indian classical art is in a sort of decay every where, how would you explain the restoration? I believe that Indian

Vedanta Today-A talk by Dr Karan Singh The event began with a prayer dance by Bhavan’s Bharatanatyam students. H.E. Mr Nalin Surie Indian High Commissioner who chaired the meeting welcomed all the guests and introduced Dr Karan Singh. Mr Maneck Dalal –Bhavan’s Chairman proposed the Vote of Thanks. This was a function organised jointly by the Nehru Centre and the Bhavan Centre as part of the 60th anniversary commemoration of the Indian Republic Constitution. Dr Karan Singh began by saying that a tradition has to be of value to the present and future rather than to the past – of value to researchers and academics. Sourced mainly from the Upanishads text imp arted orally to select bands of students and later written down, Vedanta has a universal appeal, embodying respect for all systems of belief, at the same time not seeking to be imposed on other faiths

as a monopoly of truth. The aim of Vedanta is self-realisation that would lead one finally to understand that Ultimate Reality that is called Brahman. Paths, collectively Yoga that one can in practice follow, include Jnana Yoga, the path of Knowledge, Bhakti Yoga, the path of Devotion, Karma Yoga, which could be “ Work is Worship”, and Raja Yoga, the path of Mysticism. In the West,

Hatha Yoga - but a portion only of these - has misleadingly come to stand for Yoga itself. It was a brilliant address, Dr Karan Singh unerringly illustrated his points with quotations from the Veda-s and Upanishad-s. Dr Karan Singh also quoted the ancient maxim that “ V a s u d h a i v a Kutumbakam - “the world is one family” and not a market. This was followed by a short Q&A session.

BOOKWORM temporary relevance to today. Wide ranging performances, which are interactive with audiences and are site and theme specific, feature collaborations with artists from a variety of disciplines: theatre, music, poetry, multimedia & circus. Ranging from narrative to pure movement pieces, my work is simultaneously accessible, entertaining and challenging. Placing dance in different contexts where it might not traditionally be seen is at the heart of what I enjoy most. By doing so, I have had to unpick and de-construct the form and at the same time layer and re-construct it with other South Asian forms and new movement vocabularies. This has given rise to work that is hybrid and which yet has a clear South Asian sensibility. I have created performance work for hospitals and other health settings, art galleries, tube stations, schools, and day care centres. The idea is to create new experiences for the audience, new forms and performers by creating work for new environments. Lot of our work is developed through collaborations and designed for different settings, most of my choreography has been for small-scale theatres, rural touring circuits, small to medium-scale

arts is on the up. Pop, Bollywood will of course be more popular then the classical arts. thats how it is in any cultural/ community context. Lady Gaga, Robie Williams have a larger audience then a ballet or opera starts. There are more people taking up dance, and yoga that is wonderful. UK has some of the best classical dancers and teachers, this continues to grow. The fun of India through its folk and popular arts, the philosophy of India through yoga and its classical arts, are continuing to nourishes the spirit and souls of humanity. The CAT program (Centre for Advance Training), in the UK, is a government funded program to train young talented dancers, DanceXchange and Sampad in Birmingham are co-ordinating and administrating, South Asian dance. So now in Britain, you can train in Kathak and Bharatanatyam on a professional level. They also provide bursary/ scholarship to the talented dancers. This is the first in the world, even India doesn't provide this! The youth are intelligent and very caring. So all is truly well. The more we believe in all the oddness that is around, the more it will grow.

Victoria and Abdul- Shrabani Basu By Priyal Sanghavi The most commonly known Indian connection of Queen Victoria was that she was the first Empress of India- a title she cherished. Shrabani Basu dips into the last years of the Queen's reign to discover not only could she speak Hindustani, but was Britain's first curry patron. All because of one Indian servant from Agra who rose through to become her closest aide. During the time, much was done by Victoria's successor and son, King Edward VII to wipe out all traces of the relationship. Basu has dug deep to comes out with one of the most comprehensible wellresearched book on the subject. Basu discovered Karim while researching for her debut novel Curry. Karim was the man who bought spices to the British royal kitchen and introduced the country to what would be known later as their national dish. Basu has painstakingly researched the Hindustani diaries of the Queen, royal physician James Reid's journals and combed through various

Agra locations discovering his grave and descendants During the Queen's Jubilee year celebration, Abdul Karim was sent as a present to wait on tables. Victoria who was still mourning the loss of her husband Albert and her then close confidante John Brown was instantly fascinated with Karim. She chose him to be her Munshi (personal clerk) and her Hindustani language teacher. The royal family and household, government officials in both India and England remained baffled about the Queen's crazed infatuation for an Indian man 44 years her junior. Although the book talks about almost a maternal bond between the two, one can't help wonder if the relationship was

entirely platonic. Karim was the last person to see Victoria before her coffin was put to rest. Basu uses the introduction to briefly summarise the whole affair. If you hated history in school, it may seem like a good idea to stop here. But do read onto the next two chapters Agra and A Jubilee Present which transports one directly to the Victorian era, just before the nationalist movement where Indian Kings were friends and their visits much awaited in UK. The book then chronicles the Munshi's rise to power, fame and riches thanks to the enormous favours bestowed by the Queen. At one time Karim owned almost half of Agra thanks to the Queen's constant pestering. However Basu's narrative gets weaker and there are parts when it is purely informative rather than telling a story. It picks up again towards the end which chronicles Munshi's last years. All in all, an enlightening and riveting read about a forgotten part of Britain's well-loved monarch and the early signs of multiculturalism, which is an integral part of this country.

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Leicester Voice

Do you have any comments, news or photographs about Leicester? If you do, please send them to Leicester Voice at

leicester@abplgroup.com

Hundreds of fans turn out to see Bollywood star to support Keith Vaz Traffic came to a halt on Leicester's Belgrave Road as hundreds of people surrounded a motocade with Sanjay Dutt and Keith Vaz, in order to catch a glimpse of the Bollywood legend. Mr Dutt waved from a white open-topped Rolls Royce as fans screamed his name, and others jostled to get pictures on their mobile phones on Saturday. Melton Road was lined for about a mile with people keen to see Mr Dutt, who was accompanied by Raj Kundra – husband of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. The pair were in Leicester to support

Labour candidate Keith Vaz in the upcoming Leicester East elections. Mr Vaz, who held a rally at the Feast of India restaurant, in Belgrave Road, before joining the two stars for a parade around the constituency, said: “It was an honour to welcome Sanjay to Leicester , I am delighted that his fans had the chance to catch a glimpse of their favourite star. Leicester has long been a second home for Bollywood and we are thrilled to be able to bring some Bollywood glamour to the election campaign. “I am so pleased that Raj Kundra, husband of

Shilpa Shetty, could also be here to support my campaign.” However, Mr Vaz's opposition candidates have branded the event a publicity stunt. Ali Asgar, Mr Vaz's Liberal Democrat opponent allegedly said: "While Keith was entertaining Bollywood superstars I was out meeting people. I'm not using celebrities to help me win votes – I'd rather be out there with real people listening to what they say." However Conservative candidate for Leicester East Jane Hunt said: "I'd love to have Keanu Reeves supporting me – but I'm

Drug addict injured woman, 58, during street robbery A 58-year-old woman fell flat on her face when a heroin addict tried to mug her in the street, a court heard. Mohammed Omer grabbed the victim's bag so forcefully she lost her balance and fell, suffering a swollen shoulder, a cut nose and grazed knees. The 25-year-old was jailed for two years after admitting the attempted robbery in Sawley Street, North Evington, Leicester, on the afternoon of November 26, last year. Janet Hall, prosecuting, said the victim was

walking in the direction of Evington Road when she noticed a male approaching with his hood up. Ms Hall told Leicester Crown Court: "As he walked past he grabbed her handbag, pulling it with such force it spun her around. She lost her footing and fell, landing face first." The victim was with her 34-year-old daughter, who despite having learning difficulties gave chase, along with passers-by, and detained him until the police arrived.

Ms Hall said: "The victim was shaken and said afterwards she was scared to leave her house for fear of being attacked." Omer, of St Peter's Road, Highfields, made no comment in a police interview. Olivia Magennis, in mitigation, said: "He's under no illusion about the gravity of the situation he is in. He feels horrified and ashamed. “He's never done anything like this before and assures the court he won't do anything like it again."

Police hunt university attacker Detectives believe a man responsible for a string of attacks on students might have tried to strike again. A man approached a 20-year-old woman just before 3am on Friday morning along Hazlerigg Walk at Loughborough University. She became suspicious and fled when he started talking to her. He matched the description of a suspect who

indecently assaulted two young men in the area and attacked a third in February and March. The suspect is black or dual heritage, stocky or heavily built, with short, dark hair. He wore a dark hooded top, possibly with a zip up the front. Detective Inspector Chris Hewgill said: "It is very important that students take prudent pre-

cautions for their own safety and are aware of their own surroundings." University vice chancellor Professor Shirley Pearce said: "We would like to remind staff and students at the university to be aware of their personal safety at all times, especially after dark." Anyone with information should call 0116 222 2222.

Man home after robot heart op A retired Royal Mail worker is back home after making medical hisGlenfield at tory Hospital. Ken Crocker was only the second patient to have his heart problem treated by remote control. His heart surgeon, Dr André Ng, was on Wednesday the first person in the world to use a new robotic system to correct an abnormal heart rhythm in a patient. Using the kind of remote control found in

most households, he guided a thin wire catheter through Mr Crocker's groin and up to his heart. Monitoring screens in a control room overlooking the operating theatre, Dr Ng found and corrected the problem. The surgery – which took a little over an hour – was a success and Mr from 70, Crocker, Burton-on-Trent, was discharged from hospital Monday afternoon. The £350,000 robotic

system is on loan to Glenfield Hospital for about a month. Surgeons will assess its impact on patient then and treatment decide if they should buy the equipment. Dr Ng said: "I think it will be of particular benefit in the most complex cases that we deal with. There are about 300 a year and in some cases the operations can last six or seven hours. This equipment will make this much easier."

not sure he'd be up for it. Keith seems to have spent an awful lot of money on his campaign but I'm not here to criticise it." For the crowds who lined the streets, it was not the election which was on their minds but the chance to see their hero Sanjay Dutt up close. Harish Panchal, 31, also from Hamilton said: "He's a very big personality and most people here today have grown up watching his films. The turnout is fantastic, I think most people who live round here have come out to see him."

Leicester East MP Keith Vaz with Bollywood legend Sanjay Dutt in Leicester

Can you identify this suspect? Police have released a CCTV image of a woman they want to speak to after thefts from two shops. One of the incidents happened on Tuesday, April 13, at Room 13 in Francis Street, Stoneygate, Leicester. A woman entered the shop and stole a handbag worth about £50. The owner of the shop managed to recover the bag from her at another shop minutes later. On Friday, April 16, the same woman left Tabu with a handbag worth £220. The woman is Asian, in her 30s and about 5ft 3in.

PC Jim Mungovin said: "If you recognise the woman in the picture, please call us."

Midland Voice

Anyone with any information is asked to contact PC Mungovin on 0116 222 2222, using identification number 0887.

Council chiefs take taxpayers for painful ride in name of equality Continued from page 8 While there have undoubtedly been winners, Single Status has also meant that thousands of working class families are now considerably worse off – all in the name of equality. The real beneficiaries are, as usual, lawyers like Mr Cross, who is already celebrating with champagne at the prospect of milking yet more money out of the case. And every taxpayer in Birmingham will have to pick up the tab. Separately, Councillor Rudge’s right-hand man, 59year-old Mashuq Ally, who is no stranger to controversy, is being sued for race, ethnic, age and disability discrimination. Mr Ally, 59, and the authority, Europe’s largest, are being taken to an employment tribunal by Rajpal Virdee, 50, the council’s former equalities manager for social services, who was sacked for gross misconduct. A date for the hearing is yet to be fixed. But it cannot be heard in Birmingham because Mr Virdee sits on that tribunal’s board. It is

likely to be heard in Manchester and will focus on claims that Mr Virdee was allegedly victimised and sidelined in his job. He was the £50,000-a-year equalities manager for social services until he “disappeared” from the council’s headquarters in 2006. Mr Ally previously courted controversy after it emerged he was accused of being involved in irregularities over the awarding of a PhD degree when he worked at the University of Wales. Mr Ally became director of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) in Wales upon leaving the university. He resigned in 2002 after an internal investigation was launched into his conduct. That inquiry is understood to have concerned allegations of professional misconduct and inappropriate behaviour towards colleagues. Mr Ally, who is paid a whopping £100,000-a-year, has previously denied that he had left the position “under a cloud” but the CRE has confirmed that he was investigated before his resignation.

The equalities chief has since said his employment history had been assessed by his new bosses at Birmingham, but it had not been an issue. However, a senior council chief, who asked not to be named, told Asian Voice that Mr Ally had “somehow slipped through the net” adding, “my hands are tied” and said that he desperately needed help to “root out such individuals”. Mr Ally, interestingly, has always ignored email and telephone media enquiries from Asian Voice and whenever he is confronted, he is usually not willing to comment. When this publication approached Councillor Rudge some months ago to ask how to get Mr Ally to comment, he instead introduced me to Tarik Chawdry, Assistant Director of Human Resources. Mr Chawdry, who earns £73,000-ayear, had said, at the time, he believed in “action” and had pledged his full cooperation. He too, unfortunately, has not kept to his word. Watch this space....

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Scrutator’s A few days before the end of the financial year (March 31), John Chambers, Chairman and CEO of US technology giant CISCO addressed a conference in New Delhi at which he said: “I want to share with you what we see on a global stage, but at the heart of it is how the Internet is really transforming businesses, changing healthcare, changing lives, determining which countries go ahead in the global economies and, perhaps, which ones fall behind..... countries, companies or individuals who do not change will be left behind in the most rapid transition that has ever occurred in our lifetime.... In terns of globalisation, I think it is a force that is inevitable; it is going to move with a new speed; we call it the 'new normal'. I think India is very uniquely positioned to lead in that market. It is capable of using technology to accomplish social goals, change healthcare and education forever. I believe that India is not just the workforce for the future, but for the globe. It is also the innovation engine. How you do that would be an example to your peer countries around the world.

John Chambers

“CISCO does well to catch the market transitions. We stay very close to our employees. We are in every country in the world and we are number one in India.... Why am I in India? It's the talent, it's the ability, it's the ability to combine new forms of business models in education, in collaboration with the government, with the power of video.” The Internet can perform wonders in healthcare and education, with doctors and teachers making available knowledge and skills with speed and effectiveness. “When you think of India's population, with the power of the Internet, it is within our grasp to enable every student in India to have a competitive education at a cheaper cost. The future is about videos and collaboration.” (India Today, March 29)

Widening horizons The words above were prophetic, judging by Amy Yee's arresting report in the Financial Times (April 19) on the expanding horizons of Indian education. She set the scene: “The crowded streets of Mumbai are a long way from the leafy streets of Toronto. But a programme launched early this year by York University's Schulich School of Business in Toronto seeks to bridge the two financial capitals by offering a two-year MBA where students spend their first year in India and the second in Canada. To gain a foothold in India, Schulich has partnered with SP Jain Institute of Management and Research to offer the Schulich India MBA at SP Jain's Mumbai campus. With its vast young population, fastgrowing economy and need for trained graduates, India is a promising market for higher education.... India's cabinet last month approved a proposal to allow international higher educational to establish local campuses.... If the proposed bill becomes law, Schulich is eager to set up a campus.... Schulich India MBA is housed in a refurbished section of a building on the SP Jain campus..... Schulich has long been bullish about

India, setting up a representative office in India in 2005 and recruiting heavily in India for its Toronto MBA. Dezao Horvath, dean of Schulich, believes India is higher education market represents a more attractive investment than China.” Together with foreign education providers India must enlarge its educational space and make this a centre of uniform excellence. In this way, the national shortfall of well trained graduates can be met. “Just as deregulation of healthcare and telecom has given Indian consumers choice and and quality, the same apples to education,” said Karan Khemka, partner at the Parthenon Group, a consultancy that specialises in education.

Empowering Indian women Amy Turner's Sunday Times report on the rise of women power in India's burgeoning economy is well worth a read. “Women in emerging economies such as India are smashing glass ceilings,” she wrote. Compared to the sparse representation of women in company boardrooms in London and New York, “data from the World Economic

Shikha Sharma

Chanda Kochhar

Forum suggests that the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – with emerging economies are changing faster than London and New York when it comes to employing women at executive level.... India is racing ahead, especially in the financial services sector. RBS, UBS, HSBC and JP Morgan Chase in India are all run by women; so is ICICI Bank (Chanda Kochhar), the country's largest private lender. Half the deputy governors of the Reserve Bank of India are women and last year Shikha Sharma was appointed managing director of Axis Bank.”

Super elites Yet the level of female education in India is poor by western and world standards. “Class is a significant factor. India's board women are typically from highly educated super elites, with international aspirations, who believe its important to educate their daughters...These are relatively privileged women who were sent to the best schools. Their own mothers were traditional in the work sense, but they certainly didn't do their own vacuuming or get down on the floor with the toys, playing with the kids.” In other words, unlike most British middle class mums, these Indian women had full-time domestic help to cook, clean and tend to the children. Good point.

low profitability, are neglected in the current system of pharmaceutical research,” said Dr Samir K. Brahmachari, Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Under the C2D project, researchers and students pooled their time and skills using online tools for insights into 400 genes of deadly pathogen. Researchers also mapped the genes as they related to functional interactions pathways. Their work is held in a shared database, which the OSDD will share through a globally accessiblke database with any research institutions involved in TB research.

Moselle woos Nano Maya News (April 15) distributed in the London borough of Hounslow told how the Moselle administration in France was attempting to persuade Tata Motors to set up a Nano manufacturing unit on its territory with an eye to the European market. “Tata Motors should look at the Moselle province for establishing manufacturing and logistics units for Nano cars,” said Moselle Development Agency Director General David Malingrey. He said the province also had lucrative business

Mr Malingrey. Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata is on record as saying that he hoped Nano would be ready for the European market sometime in 2011.

Bihar upturn Lydia Polgreen's take on Bihar spelled hope for what for long has been regarded as India's most benighted state. But not any longer. Reporting from the state capital Patna, The New York Times Correspondent (April 10) described its previous heart of darkness: maladministration, rampant corruption, caste politics and runaway crime. “So when Bihar announced earlier this year that it had notched an 11 per cent average growth rate for the last five years, making it the second fastest-growing economy in the country, the news was greeted as a sign that even India's most intractable corners of backwardness and misery were being transformed.” Said Shaibal Gupta of the of the Asian Development Research Institute, an independent think tank based in Patna: “If even Bihar can change, then anywhere in India can change. With good governance, good policy and law and order any-

TB genome mapped A Hindu report (April 4) told of the government's Open Source Discovery (OSDD) initiative results of its 'Connect 2 Decode' (C2D) project to re-annotate the biological and genetic information relating to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MtB) genome, being released at a conference in Chennai. This was the first time that a comprehensive mapping of MtB genome had been compiled, verified and made publicly available. C2D findings may contain critical data to unlock previously undiscovered details of tuberculosis (TB); resulting in development opportunities for urgently needed be TB drugs in India and other developing countries. “We need to have a balanced view between health as a right and health as a business. It is because there has been imbalance in this view that diseases like TB, with high mortality but

Nitish Kumar

openings for major auto component makers as it was home to German firm Daimler's manufacturing unit for its popular urban two-seater small car 'Smart'. “By the end of this month, we are planning to contact Tata Motors in India with a proposal to look at the investment opportunities here for the Nano,” said

thing is possible.” It helps to have an honest and efficient chief minister such as Nitish Kumar. But darker spirits lurk in the wings. Politicak fortunes can change and Bihar's achievement rests on a low economic base. Nevertheless, its administrators deserve considerable credit. Keep up the good work.

www.abplgroup.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Alpesh Patel

In India, Barclays Bank fires 450 employees

Consultant Editor Financial Voice Dear Financial Voice Reader, Since there were no women from the major parties running to be Prime Minister, I thought I would at least in the field of finance try to change the balance, if not in politics: There can be little doubt about male dominance when only one out of a hundred of the UK’s largest companies are headed by a woman. Even in the US, it’s a similar proportion of women who head Fortune 500 companies. How ironic. Research shows 46 per cent of all US businesses are owned by women, and employment at women-owned businesses is growing at 18 per cent, compared with 8 per cent for all companies, according to business magazine Forbes. Actually, US women have an average net worth of £1.96 billion compared with the men, at £1.45 billion. And when it comes to investment, research also shows women make better investors than men. Luckily for men, there is much they can learn from women. What is it women do in stock picking, research, trading, that produces better results and how can men use the web to close the gender gap? Women’s portfolio’s earned 1.4% annually more than men’s did in a study of over 35,000 investors by the University of California at Davis. Indeed single women earned 2.3% annually more than single men. Poor male performance is due to over-trading according to the study. Men trade their accounts 45% more often than women. And single men shuffle their holdings 67% more than single women. Perhaps the adage about men’s fear of commitment is true after all. A National Association of Investors Corporation ten-year study found all-female investment clubs outpaced all-male investment clubs by producing 23.8% average compounded lifetime annual returns compared to 19.2% for male clubs. So what lessons are their for men? After all, as a sex, we men are always ready and willing to learn from women, aren’t we? Do not male drivers at the first opportunity admit they are lost and ask passers-by for help? First, save transaction costs by not churning your portfolio. Second, men should spend more time researching before investing. Fear of making a mistake was 50% to 60% higher among women than among males according to the US National Center for Women & Retirement Research. Consequently, women spend 40% more time than men researching and are also less likely to trade on a ‘hot tip’. Third men need to reign in their overconfidence. 52% of men express confidence in their ability to invest wisely, compared to just 38% of women according to the American Savings Economic Council. Men are overconfident in their abilities to pick market beating stocks. This in turn often makes women better traders – more risk averse, awaiting clearer market signals for good trading opportunities and more diversified. So what do women need? A little more confidence to start investing, but not so much as to make them bad investors, appears to be the difficult resolution.

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Barclays Bank of UK, in its biggest retrenchment phase for a year and a half, has laid off almost 10% of its employees in India, leaving around 450 people jobless recently. The bank confirmed the job cuts,

Infosys Technologies, the Indian software major will be going in for a special focus on hiring foreigners this year. According to the plans, place of pride to foreign faces is to be given in its sales and consultation teams. This will be a radical hiring shift that the company believes will help it bag lucrative deals and boost its image as a global IT powerhouse. Infy will hire nearly

mid-senior level executives. Other arms of the bank – Barclays Finance were also affected in the latest round of pink slips. Barclays Bank still has about 5,000 employees in India.

bank lost jobs in December 2008, June 2009 and December 2009. In the previous round, 150 were asked to go. A spokesman of Barclays India said most of the job cuts were in

1,000 foreigners this year to push its sales and consultation practice as the company turns its gaze on high-margin consulting and transformational deals. Almost 98 per cent of the business for Infosys comes from overseas markets, while the work force at the front end operations constitutes of just around 5% of foreigners. Infosys has about 550

C & J Clark International forms JV with Pantaloon of India C & J Clark International of UK has entered into a joint venture with Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd. For retailing of “Clarks” branded footwear and allied products. It will be a 50:50 jv. The firm will also look after the wholesale business of Clarks branded products in India. Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd announced the joint venture last week.

people in its consulting business and 700 in the sales team. Consulting services is a money-spinner, customarily holding out margins that are up to five times more than the average deal for IT companies. Local staff also make governments abroad more comfortable just as they reflect the image of trueblue global companies present in India.

Essar mobilises £1.3 bn at the London flotation

ArcelorMittal back in profits for Q1

sion" to lower its expectations in order to build the best book it could in the current market conditions. Prashant Ruia, chief executive of Essar Group, which is still the majority owner of Essar Energy, said it was "very heartwarming" that the company had secured high quality institutional investors despite market volatility and Greek bond crisis. Essar's own advisers warned investors about risks associated with the float and raised corporate governance concerns in its prospectus.

As demand for steel improved globally, ArcelorMittal returned to profitability in the first quarter of the year 2010 against a net loss for the same quarter last year. The group reported a net income of US$ 679 mn, according to a statement by the group. “The economic recovery is continuing in-line with our expectations and 2010 is set to be a stronger year for ArcelorMittal. The year has started with improved demand in all main markets, which will have a positive impact in the second quarter," ArcelorMittal Chairman and CEO Lakshmi N Mittal said.

IndusInd Bank. Incidentally, IndusInd Bank has been on the lookout for expertise in manufacturing private banking products and is even willing to offer strategic stake. KBC recently tied up with Union Bank of India to set up an asset management company in the country. KBC is the second largest bancassurer in Belgium. It is also one of the largest banks in Europe and a major finan-

cial player in central and Eastern Europe, serving 11 million customers worldwide. In November, the Belgian government and the Flemish regional government had pumped in huge capital into KBC. In return, the financial services company agreed to scale down its merchant banking business, sell its private banking and also disinvest other businesses. It, however, wants to keep its core bancassurer model intact.

Indian firm successfully concludes the biggest IPO in two years Essar, the Indian industrial group that is already in partnership with Vodafone of UK in the mobile telephony in India, last week successfully concluded the biggest IPO in the UK for two years. The group though had to slash the offer price at the last minute to ensure the success of the IPO. The refinery, power plant and exploration giant had reduced its price of shares to 420p in a lastditch effort to ensure its offer was fully subscribed. The company will now be considered for inclu-

sion in London's FTSE 100 share index. A number of companies have had to pull their flotations in recent weeks amid nervous investor sentiment. On Thursday Russian chemical group Uralchem was the latest to withdraw. However, Essar said it took the "pragmatic deci-

The private banking arm of Belgium’s KBC is believed to be all set to be acquired by the Hinduja group, the UK based Indian business conglomerate. A person familiar with the developments has indicated that Hinduja group has emerged as the preferred bidder. KBL European Private Bankers has 47 bn Euros in assets under management. The firm has operations in 10 European countries.

Though the Hinduja group has preferred not to talk on the issue, the other contenders – Exor of Italy were second highest highest bidder. Exor is controlled by the Agnelli family, the majority stakeholder in the Fiat group. Investment bank JP Morgan is managing the sale. The acquisition of KBL by the Hindujas is unlikely to have any immediate impact in India, where the group is the largest shareholder in

KBL of Belgium likely to go to Hindujas

said it was not as big as being touted. Since December 2008, it is the fourth round of lay offs at the Barclays Bank in India, effected in the last week of April. Earlier, staff at the

India’s software major Infy to focus on hiring foreigners

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ICICI Bank is 45th most valuable brand in world Elecon Engg partners India's leading private sector lender ICICI Bank has been ranked 45 among the 100 most valuable brands in the world, a list that has been topped by Google. "With a brand value of $14.5 billion, the Indian bank ICICI is the first Indian brand to feature in the BrandZ Top 100. "ICICI is the bank that introduced retail banking to India and stands to profit from the country's continuing growth," according to the fifth annual Millward Brown Optimor BrandZ Top100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2010 list. It said ICICI pioneered ATMs in India to provide wide access to banking and to help flatten the society's hierarchical structure. Separately, ICICI, which now operates almost 5,000 ATMs in India and is present in 18 countries, ranked number

10 out of the top 20 financial institution brands. Apart from ICICI, another Indian company Infosys made its debut in Millward's 'technology category'. "Outside of the Top 100, Infosys is a second Indian brand, also new this year. "Originator of the term 'the flat world', Infosys is India's most valuable technology brand and with a brand value of $6.4 billion, is a strong contender to enter the Top 100 ranking soon," it said. Infosys ranked 18 in the top 20 technology brands category. Technology brands demonstrated their pervasiveness in people's daily lives, with Google topping the list as the Most Valuable Global Brand

with a total worth of $114 billion. IBM was second at $86 billion, followed by Apple now worth $83 billion. Microsoft was fourth with a value of $76 billion. Facebook, the popular social networking site, entered the technology sector ranking for the first year with a brand value of $5.5 billion. Other companies featuring in the top 10 include Coca Cola, McDonald's, Marlboro, China Mobile, GE and Vodafone. "When most key financial indicators plummeted, the value of the top 100 brands rose by four per cent in the last year to more than $2 trillion. "In the past, many

companies were quick to cut their marketing spend during a down economy. Among the top 100 brands are HP (12), Blackberry (14), HSBC (23), BMW (25), Toyota (26), Louis Vuitton (29), ExxonMobil (39), Nokia (43), Honda (46), Pepsi (58), Sony (94) and Gucci (97). ICICI Bank to hire 7,000 employees in 2010-11 ICICI Bank on Monday said it plans to increase headcount by up to 7,000 this financial year."We plan to hire around 5,000-7,000 people this fiscal. We have also declared bonus and increments for our employees," ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO Chanda Kochhar told reporters after inaugurating the 2,000th branch of the largest private sector bank in Mumbai.

Govt panel finds 28 pc of urban Indians living in slums The country’s urban poor population has risen by at least 7 per cent as against the total urban population in the last one decade. According to the draft report of a government panel, tier II and tier III cities registered much higher growth in slum populations than metros. The latest estimates, arrived at by a committee constituted by the housing and urban poverty alleviation ministry, reveals that the number of urban poor, or slum population residing in towns and cities, increased to almost 28 per cent from 21 per cent. The number of urban poor, as per the 2001 Census, was estimated to be 52.4 million, or 21 per cent of the total urban population of

around 250 million. Set up to provide an estimation of urban poor or slum population in different states, the committee, headed by chief statistician Pronab Sen, would finalise its reports in a month’s time, a senior government official said. “The draft report points out that the tier II and III cities have recorded much higher slum population. These estimates would help in better targeting of social sector schemes,” said another senior ministry official. With the aim of making India slum-free, the ministry has announced an ambitious scheme - Rajiv Awas Yojana - the preparatory framework for which calls for enumeration of

slums. In the next step, the ministry would physically identify slums and undertake mapping. “The committee has also recommended ways to physically identify these slums,” said the official. The 2001 Census took into account only notified slums in 1,764 towns across the country, a major reason for the total urban poor population being underreported, said the official. “This committee has taken into account all the 5,161 towns and has also modified the definition of slum as followed by the Registrar General of India (RGI) which conducts the Census,” said the official. Another reason for the rise in numbers is the expanding city lim-

its. “These periphery areas may include slum-like living conditions but not necessarily slums. Most of the municipalities do not notify slum areas leading to underreporting,” said the official. The trend is particularly prevalent in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, said officials. On the insistence of the committee, the RGI has now agreed that they would identify enumeration blocks where more than 20 households exist without a concrete roof, and possess slum-like characteristics. As of now, only those slums were taken into account that had been notified by the local authorities and consisted of at least 60-70 households.

PNB targets Punjabi diaspora in Canada Punjab National Bank, a relatively late entrant in global markets, has learned from its UK experience that its brand name can translate into business success, and it is now targeting the large Punjabi diaspora of Canada as its next stop. Says KR Kamath, Chairman and Managing Director of Punjab National Bank, "Our global strategy has always been a little differentiated. Instead of focusing on the corporate finance side, we've focused on

retail markets. We are hoping to get all regulatory clearances to start operations in Canada by the end of this financial year." After Hong Kong, Nepal, Bhutan and Kabul, the UK is PNB's first major global experience. Along with plans for Canada, PNB is acquiring a controlling stake in a Kazakhstan bank JSC Dana as an entry point into Russia, and is setting up its first beachhead in Dubai this year. Mr Kamath says the bank is

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open to more acquisitions, but it all depends on the opportunities and options. Starting up in 2007 in the UK, in the four years right through the worst recession in history, PNB's UK operations have notched up a balance sheet size of USD 800 million, a customer deposit base of 18,000, four branches, and overall business growth of 87 per cent last year, from USD 373 million to USD 569 million. In Canada, PNB is hoping to replicate its UK growth trajectory. It's still a small change as compared to PNB's domestic operations, but as Mr Kamath will tell you, while PNB's over-

seas operations are still just about 2-3 percent of its balance sheet, compared to the 20 percent of many competitors, he's looking more at linkages to Indian operations. "People ask why we want to bother with low-interest income, but there's substantial scope for non-interest income in these markets, and once you are in a position to gain critical mass, it's a share of a different cake," he explains. Appealing to the Punjabi sentiment works, but it isn't all. "The brand name has a great connect with those from Punjab. To start off in a new market, that is an advantage. But now we are looking at ways to connect to the second generation of the Punjabi diaspora, who are local in their outlook and may not be familiar with the brand, and the wider local retail market," says Mr Kamath.

with Indian Navy

Gujarat-based E l e c o n Engineering has started supplies of gearboxes to Indian Navy which find application in naval warships, including INS Shivalik - the Navy's lead ship of multi-role frigates. The company is one of the major players in manufacturer of marine and industrial gears and transmission products in the country. The design and manufacture of CODOG gearboxes for the Navy's new-generation stealth warships was done in technical collaboration with Renk GmbH, Germany, world leaders in marine gears technology. This required setting up of state-of-art manufacturing facilities at Elecon to meet the stringent

requirements of quality and reliability. Prayasvin Patel, CMD, Elecon Engineering Ltd, said, "We are delighted to partner with the Indian Navy. Elecon Engineering can justifiably be proud of its achievements as INS Shivalik begins a long and successful journey in the service of the nation." The company has also been associated with the shipbuilding programme for the Indian Coast Guard by way of supply of marine gearboxes for their offshore patrol vessels. It is presently engaged in the manufacture of the largest marine gearboxes for the indigenous aircraft carrier project.

Bank of Baroda Q4 net up 20 pc to Rs 9.06 bn Public sector lender Bank of Baroda said its net profit rose by 20.40 per cent to Rs 9.06 billion for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2010. Total income rose to Rs 51.20 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2010, from Rs 49.92 billion in the same period last fiscal, Bank of Baroda said in a filing to the Bombay Stock

Exchange (BSE). The board has proposed a dividend of Rs 15 per equity share on face value of Rs 10 per share for the financial year 20092010. For the year ended March 31, 2010, the company has posted a net profit of Rs 30.58 billion, up 37.31 per cent over the same period a year-ago.

Bharti Q4 net falls 8 per cent, shares drop

Bharti Airtel Ltd, India's top mobile operator, posted a worse-than-expected 8 percent fall in quarterly profit as cheap call charges took a toll in the world's fastest-growing mobile market. In March, Bharti struck a $9 billion deal to buy telecoms operations in 15 African countries from Kuwaiti Zain, and expects to become the world's No. 5 mobile firm. India is signing up mobile subscribers at a furious pace -- 16 million a month on average in the past one year including a record 20 million in March -- but stiff competition has send per-second call charges as low as 1/100th of a U.S. cent, hitting profitability for companies. Two new operators have recently launched services, taking the number of mobile firms to 15, while aggressive bidding for 3G radio spectrum will add billions of dollars to costs. "Bharti Airtel continues to be strongly positioned in India despite a hyper competitive market," Chairman Sunil Mittal said in a statement. "We are excited about the prospects of an eventful year ahead."

Bharti's shares were down 1.5 percent at 293.70 rupees by 0350 GMT, after having fallen 2 percent following the results, in a Mumbai market down 1 percent. New Delhi-based Bharti, 32 percent owned by Southeast Asia's top phone firm SingTel, said net profit fell to 20.55 billion rupees ($461 million) under the U.S. accounting standards in its fiscal fourth-quarter from 22.39 billion rupees a year ago. With about 128 million mobile subscribers, Bharti controls almost 22 percent of the Indian market. The company also operates in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Revenue rose 2 percent to 100.56 billion rupees, as Bharti added 8.8 million mobile users in the quarter. A Reuters poll of 12 brokerages had forecast a net profit of 20.78 billion rupees on revenue of 98.15 billion rupees. Average revenue per user fell 28 percent from a year ago to 220 rupees in Jan-March as more than half of the new users were from rural areas, where the average talktime is lower than their urban counterparts.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

The campaign to save newsagents, shops on tobacco ban gets Sunday Express support Tories said they would seek to repeal the ban if they win the election Gordon Brown government is facing increasing pressure to review the ban on cigarettes displays at small businesses, as the latest to join the forces supporting the newsagents is Sunday Express. The newsagents say the rules announced by the government, to come into effect from 2013 to cover up cigarettes behind the counter is a hammer-blow for the small businesses even as they are already struggling. The ban may force hundreds of small or corner shops to close. It is a matter of concern for the ruling Labour party, as the shopkeepers have announced that they will pledge to support those who will help them survive and both the main opposition parties are supporting the shopkeepers’ cause. The traders say the costs of implementation of

the order could be as big as pounds 250 million. That apart, it will negatively impact their revenues and will not help much in preventing teenage smoking. Nearly a quarter of the shopkeepers’ business comes from cigarette sales and people buying other products when they shop for tobacco. The newsagents have put up posters in their shop windows encouraging customers to support their campaign against the Government legislation. Their slogan is “Don’t Shutters Down”. Three retailers are also seeking a judicial review of the legislation, passed under the Health Act. One, Mahendra Jadeja, owner of Jardin’s Newsagent in Winchmore Hill, North London, hopes the review will enable any future government to carry out a U-turn on

Labour’s legislation. Mr Jadeja said: “This ban is a brainless idea. In all my years of asking people why they started smoking, not one of them has said it was because they saw a beautiful display. What is likely to have more of an effect is educating families about the dangers of smoking. “As soon as you hide something away it becomes illicit and suggests the products are black market.

I have always been firm when it comes to under-age sales and even go into schools to talk about the importance of not being pushed into something that is illegal. The Government is trying to destroy my business. I already work from 3.30am to 7.30pm. This will mean a drop in customers and I may have to let staff go.” A spokesman for the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, which

Green governance award for Amul The dairy cooperative got award from International Dairy Federation in Austria The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), better known as Amul, was presented with an award by the International Dairy Federation (IDF) in Austria last week. The award was received by Parthibhai Bhatol, chairman, and ST Desai, general manager (cooperative services and administration), of GCMMF. The award was given for the best environmental initiative in the 'sustainability category' during the fourth Global Dairy Conference held from April 27 to 29. In the last three years, the milk pro-

ducers of Amul have planted over 155 lakh saplings IDF every year gives dairy innovation awards to its members in various categories like brand and products, nutrition and health, sustainability, packaging, ingredients and marketing. The awards programme attracted over 170 entries

from 29 countries in 12 categories, designed to reward and champion innovation and excellence in the global dairy industry. The award has been given to GCMMF by IDF for its environmental initiative for tree plantation. As a first step on August 15, 2007, the milk producers of more than 15,000 village dairy cooperative societies planted 18.9 lakh saplings across 19 districts of Gujarat, after the flag hoisting ceremony. Initially 'one member, one tree plantation', was the motto. Inspired by the thumping success, they carried out similar exer-

cise on August 15, 2008 on 'one member, three tree plantation' basis, in which 52.74 lakh saplings were planted. In the year 2009, the members again conducted mass tree plantation drive on Independence Day. After the flag hoisting, each member took an oath to look after the sapling till it grew into a tree. Upgrading the green movement, they planted around 84.04 lakh saplings on 'one member, five tree plantation' basis. Hence, in the last three years, the milk producers of Amul have planted around 155.68 lakh saplings.

Premji is India’s Bill Gates, says Forbes Wipro chief plans world class varsity to train teachers, improve standards India’s software tycoon Azim Premji plans to set up a world class university to train teachers who will fan out to the teacher training institutes in India’s 600 districts. “It will be a worldclass university with a large endowment,” 64year-old Premji told Forbes magazine noting, “Most of these institutes are a complete mess with the teachers leading the classes worse than the teachers that come to get trained.” The proposed university to upgrade teaching methods will be the latest venture of Azim Premji Foundation that focuses on education, improving

standards in India by training teachers and, among other things, funding model schools. Started nine years ago and funded solely by Premji, the foundation was given stock valued at “much more than” roughly $101 million estimated by a newspaper. Charity begins at home Much like Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Premji also plans to give away most of his money during his lifetime, the US business magazine revealed. “Even if I was to give my children a small part of my wealth, it would be more than they can digest in many lifetimes,” he said by way of explaining.

Azim Premji

For Premji, Forbes said philanthropy boils down to a simple philosophy: “To those to whom much is given, much has to be given back.” If the Indian software billionaire, who ranks No 28 among the richest peo-

ple in the world with $17 billion to his name, winds up giving away most of his money to charity, he would be a rare breed among Asian entrepreneurs who have tended to pass their wealth onto their children rather than putting it to philanthropic use, it said. The efforts of Premji’s foundation are separate from the philanthropic initiatives Wipro pursues, Forbes noted. Others, such as Wipro Cares, match contributions from employees and provide disaster relief, lending a hand after the earthquake in Gujarat or the floods in Orissa, for instance.

has 18,000 members, said: “Independent newsagents will not forget and will be voting with their feet at the General Election. “While we support the Government’s intentions, a display ban is simply bad policy. Firstly, it is ineffective in stopping children smoking and helping adults quit. Secondly, there are real concerns regarding the potential for significant growth in illegal tobacco products. “Our members in the UK do not wish to resort to legal action, but we are not being listened to. We may have no other option.”Shadow Health Minister Mike Penning said the Conservatives would seek to repeal Labour’s move if they win the election. The Sunday Express vows to hold the Tories to this pledge and to fight any other attempts to bring in this unfair legislation.

Mr Penning said: “We are losing our post offices, we are losing our pubs and this would take people out of corner shops and newsagents. The effect would be disastrous. “There is not a big profit margin in cigarettes for newsagents, but they increase the foot-fall, the number of people coming into shops to buy cigarettes who then buy other items where the profits are better. In a perfect world no one would smoke but we are restricting trade on a legal product being regulated very well by newsagents.” The ban could push young smokers to a black market that costs the Treasury £3.5billion in lost revenue. James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, said: “The evidence that this will actually stop young people smoking just isn’t there.”

Plans of a mega merger in air in the USA Continental, United announce the move to form a single airline Two of the prominent US airlines, United and Continental have announced plans for merger. The move, if it comes through, will create the world’s largest airline. The new company will be known as United Continental Holdings. The airline itself will go under the name of United and feature Continental’s logo. Jeff Smisek, Continental’s chairman,

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AI may again defer joining Star Alliance Air India’s hope of joining the Star Alliance, the largest of the global airline networks, by December may be further delayed, till March. The integration of its internal information technology (IT) platforms would only be completed by then. A uniform passenger scheduling system would give AI a single code, a must for entry into the Star Alliance. “The IT integration of erstwhile Air India and Indian Airlines can only happen by March next year,” said a senior AI official, who did not want to be identified. Integrating the IT of the two erstwhile companies would provide AI

with integrated product delivery, passenger handling and sales and marketing functions. The airline’s current deadline to join the alliance expires in December, after being extended from June this year. “Our deadline will have to be extended further by three months, which we are sure we will get done,” added the official. Joining the Star

Alliance, which has 26 carriers as members, will make AI part of a network that operates around 19,500 flights every day from as many as 1,071 airports in 171 countries. Long after Indian Airlines was merged into AI, the international and domestic services of the merged carrier continue to operate under different codes, AI and IC. The carriers also have distinct information technology platforms, powered by Unisys (AI) and IBM (IA). AI has given a Rs 800crore contract to SITA, the travel agency, to integrate the ticketing systems and then operate it for 10 years.

2,200 Indian companies likely to become MNCs by 2024

India is expected to produce the most new multinational companies (MNCs), overtaking China as the emerging world’s largest source of new MNCs. Over 2,200 Indian companies are projected to open operations outside over the next 15 years (between 2010 and 2024), says a PricewaterhouseCoopers report. According to the report titled the Emerging Multinationals, the competitive landscape is set to be transformed over the next decade as Indian and Chinese multinationals lead the way in seeking new markets outside their home markets. Driven by the rapid pace of globalisation and revolution in information and communications technologies, the number of companies from the emerging markets choos-

ing to set up operations abroad has increased in the past five years. The report suggests this trend is expected to continue over the next 15 years, as new multinationals from emerging economies rise in prominence on the global economic stage. "It is encouraging to know that India will replace China as the largest source of new MNCs in the emerging world from 2018 onwards. The key drivers for this are the relative increase in both investment intensity as well as openness that the domestic economy offers," PwC India leader for markets and industries Jairaj Purandare said. India and China would also be joined by an array of companies from Singapore, Russia, Malaysia and South Korea in terms of setting up MNCs.

According to the report, some of these new MNCs would become international powerhouses and would require services all over the world; for example, to support their IT and telecom networks. PwC report says more and more new MNS are moving straight into the developed economies as opposed to setting up their first foreign operation in a neighbouring emerging market. The global consultancy major used econometric techniques to project the number of new multinationals arising from a sample of 15 emerging economies over the next 15 years. The countries analysed are - Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Ukraine and Vietnam.

Alpesh Patel’s Political Sketchbook: Oh Jerusalem Dear Prime Minister, I was at a funeral last Friday, a week before the election. It was the funeral of an Englishman. And in this funeral service was a reminder of what you need to remember as Prime Minister. Before I explain, let me tell you about this Englishman; he who suffered in his mid-thirties a brain tumour leaving a wife and two young children. A fortnight ago I sat by his bedside and as two grown men we held hands as for the first time in the twenty years I have known him, he wept. ‘Bit of a sticky wicket this my friend’ I whispered to him as his hand pressed hard into mine. ‘Doesn’t look like we’re both getting out of this alive...not with our stiff upper lips intact’. He smiled through the tears as I tried to raise his spirits. You see Prime Minister, I am of Indian origin. And sometimes the advantage of being born in Britain but having your origins elsewhere is you can see the traits that made this country great – that made an insignificant geographic location off the coast Iceland the home to Parliamentary democracy and the birthplace of the largest empire known to man. You see when you see three men who would be PM debating the future of the country in desperate tones and

Indra Nooyi

Narayen at 425th slot. While Nooyi had a compensation of $10.66 mn, that of Mohapatra was $10.29 mn and Narayen had a pay packet of $1.88 mn. "For the third consecutive year, the chief executives of the 500 biggest companies in the US (as measured by a composite ranking of sales, profits,

assets and market value) took a cut in total compensation. "The latest collective pay cut, 30 per cent, was the biggest of the past three years (11 per cent and 15 per cent declines in the previous two years)," the famed magazine said. According to the magazine, in total, these 500 CEOs earned $4 bn in 2009, which averages about $8 mn apiece. "Although down from last year (49 per cent), the value realised from exercised stock options again account for the main component of pay, 30 per cent this year," the Forbes noted. At the second spot is Oracle's Lawrence J Ellison with a pay packet of USD 130.23 million,

And did those feet in ancient time. Walk upon Englands mountains green: And was the holy Lamb of God, On Englands pleasant pastures seen! And did the Countenance Divine, Shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here, Among these dark Satanic Mills? Bring Bring Bring Bring

me me me me

my my my my

Bow of burning gold; Arrows of desire: Spear: O clouds unfold! Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight, Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand: Till we have built Jerusalem, In Englands green & pleasant Land Prime Minister, oh that friend’s name was Justin Grant. This was his favourite hymn. His ancestors made your country great. Don’t let him down.

Jain Irrigation starts contract farming of onion in Gujarat The pound 59.14 million Jalgaon, Maharashtra-based Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd (JISL) has started contract farming of onions in tribal-dominated Dohad district of Gujarat, about 160 km from Vadodara. Sunil Deshpande, head of the company’s onion dehydration plant at Mahuva said, "the pur-

Nooyi, 2 other Indians in Forbes 500 top-paid CEOs list Three India-origin people, including PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi, have been named among the highest paid CEOs of the 500 biggest American companies, according to a list compiled by the Forbes. With a total compensation of $141.36 mn, H Lawrence Culp Jr, the chief of the diversified manufacturing and technology firm Danaher, is at the top of the list. The list of the 500 CEOs of the biggest American companies features as many as three India-origin people Nooyi (93rd position), diagnostics entity Quest Diagnostics' Surya N Mohapatra (96) and software major Adobe Systems' Shantanu

the dire difficulties it is in, you wonder if this nation ever gave birth to a Wellington or a Nelson or a Churchill. Prime Minister, you are a Briton. Let me reproduce the hymn we sang at the funeral of my friend because it appears to me from the outside looking in, those that seek to lead have forgotten their heritage.

followed at the third place by Chesapeake Energy's Aubrey K McClendon with USD 114.29 million in annual package. Occidental Petroleum's Ray R Irani has cornered the fourth position with a compensation of USD 103.07 million and Yum Brands's David C Novak is placed at the fifth with USD76.49 million. Others in the list include Hewlett-Packard's Mark V Hurd (26th rank with USD 24.74 million), News Corp's Rupert Murdoch (53rd with USD 15.55 million), General Electric's Jeffrey R Immelt (237rd with USD 5.08 million) and Goldman Sachs' Lloyd C Blankfein (472rd slot with USD 1.13 million in annual pay package).

pose behind the move is to ensure availability of onions for the plant and ensuring minimum support price (MSP) to its growers" The project has been undertaken by a group of tribal farmers in association with Satguru Foundation, an NGO. The company is targeting an area of 500 acres this year

and then scale it up to 2,500 acres in the next few years, he said. The Gujarat foray follows a successful contract farming programme in Maharashtra covering about 2,500 farmers, Deshpande said. Deshpande said his company sees robust growth for their onion dehydration business in Gujarat.

ONGC acquires Russian oil company India has acquired a Russian oil company and bought equity stake in an oil field project in Venezuela through consortium route, Minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Jitin Prasada told the Rajya Sabha last week. He said, “we have recently acquired a Russian oil company named Imperial Energy through ONGC Videsh. Apart from this we have acquired 18 per cent equity share in a Venezuelan field project through consortium mode.” Prasada said Oil India Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation and OVL are the shareholders in the 18 per cent stake. The minister said the recent discovery of an oil reserve in Barmer by the government would help in

meeting 25 per cent of the nation’s current oil production. “While the Barmer oil reserve can meet 25 per cent of the country’s current oil production, the KG Basin gas reserve has the capability of equalling the total gas production of the country in the coming days,” Prasada said. To another query on the ‘peak oil theory’, the minister said various studies given different have views.“Some researchers subscribing to the theory have predicted from time to time that the world’s oil production has peaked and it is likely to decline in future. However, International Energy Agency in its latest publication projected world oil production increasing from 83.1 million barrels per day in 2008.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Property Focus Suresh Vagjiani Managing Director of Sow & Reap, a Property Investment & Financing company.

As Safe as Houses

It's official, property investment is still the safest form of investment. The latest statistics were out this week showing property growth in the UK over the last 12 months. House prices in the UK rose by 1% month-on-month in April, leaving them 10.5% higher than a year earlier. These latest figures from a leading high street bank indicate that after the credit crunch and recession the industry is recovering. April’s figures show the first double-digit annual growth in UK house prices since June 2007. The year-onyear rate in this month’s figures, however, received an additional boost from the fact that April 2009 was one of the weaker months last year. The super rich who hit a slight stumbling block just over 12 months ago are now reaping the gains. A prime example would be the high end property developers, the Candy brothers.

They recently sold an apartment in their HYDE PARK ONE DEVELOPMENT in Knightsbridge for £30million. The buyer had not even seen the property and submitted a drive by offer on the property. The property is still in the early phases of development and the Candy brothers anticipate another £200 million in sales this summer. The key to this is London is still the place where the super rich wish to have a property. This proves Central London's ability to compete well globally. This will have a positive ripple effect for the local economy and surrounding property prices. The statistics simply prove what us Indians have known for eternity, property is always a safe investment. Call Sow & Reap now for guidance on how to make your money work for you.

Price – Not the only consideration When considering investment in central London the most obvious and well known rule to value a flat is the price it sells per sq ft. It is very easy to see how much the last flat in the street/block sold for, all you do is divide the price by the square footage. In a porterd block a two bedroom flat is likely to be the same size and layout of any two bedroom flat. Hence in these cases it would be a good comparable. Often with period conversions it is not always so easy to assess, the fact that statistics are too easily available sometimes gives investors a skewed perception of what the price actually is.

receives and how the light moves across the property throughout the day. The property will have a good feel about it if it receives a strong amount of light. Of course this is particularly important if you wish to grow plants, as it will govern not only if but where you should grow them. The other point worthy of consideration is the height of the ceilings. In a nutshell they should be unnecessarily high. This has become a rarity in London as when developers get hold of a property their aim is to squeeze as many sq ft of space as possible out of a building to maximise on their investment. A high ceil-

Even in the above example of a portered block each flat is totally unique. It has a unique position in the block it, will have a completely different view to any other flat. So simply quoting a price per square foot is a very crude method of assessing a value of a property. When looking at central London property it is very important to consider the aesthetics especially if the property is purchased primarily for capital growth. In this situation your final end buyer can only be one of two, an investor or an end user. In trying to achieve the highest price on the market you will be aiming to resell to an end user as an investor is likely to want a little bit of margin of the market value. So when considering investing for the primary aim of capital growth it is important to take note of the more subtle aspects of a property. One of the most important is the aspect, meaning which direction is the property facing, this will ensure how much daylight the property

ing also adds to the grandeur and the feel of the property, again this is something an end user is likely to put more emphasis on. As an investor you should be aware of these finer points when investing. It is clear for the investor London is the place to focus on, as mentioned in my previous pieces. The growth in the UK will be spear headed by London followed by the South East. This prediction has been echoed by this week’s Evening Standard dated 30-4-2010 where using land registry figures it quotes a rise of 13% for the year for the capital followed by South-East of 11.5%. The month on month rise is 1.6%. London is still set to rise further. And let us not forget even with limited credit you can still borrow 75% of a property value and so a growth of 13% in a year when applied to a 25% deposit becomes a growth of 50% on the money you invest. It is still easier to access credit in the UK than other parts of the world.

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asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Any que stio

Swati Bhan

Beat the heat with home remedies and feet not just to ornament these parts of the body but also to keep themselves cool and protected from the scorching desert heat. Mehndi soothes and comforts heatrelated swollen ankles and scorched feet as well as burns and blisters.

Beating the heat and taking care of heat strokes only has home made remedies unless the case is very serious and one has to consult a doctor. Drinking and splashing water as a shield against temperature changes and many opt to stay cool with frequent showers and drinking plenty of water. There are other simple remedies that can help you stay cool when the weather gets getting at you.

Tamrind tea treatment

Medicinal mint Mint is a cooling and soothing remedy for indigestion, biliousness, flatulent colic and diarrhoea caused due to the soaring summer temperatures. Fresh leaf juice of mint mixed with a teaspoonful of limejuice and honey is recommended thrice a day by naturopaths for the aforesaid ailments. Mint tea is a cool and comforting summer drink. To prepare mint tea: • Add 10 – 12 mint leaves to a cup of water and let it come to a boil. • Leave it covered for a couple of minutes. • Add powdered jaggery as per your requirement. Mango medicine Excessive loss of sodium chloride and iron during summer due to excessive sweating can be easily prevented by consuming raw mango with a

dash of salt. Eating a couple of unripe mangoes with salt and honey cures summer diarrhoea, dysentery, piles, chronic dyspepsia, indigestion and constipation. Pineapple power The most valuable healing factor in pineapple is its similarity to human gastric juices, which makes it an effective remedy for digestive problems, especially in the summer months as it also helps relieve body heat. Drink plenty of pineapple juice throughout the hot weather or freeze undiluted juice in ice cube trays and add to other beverages and juices. Rice remedy Thick gruel of rice mixed with a glassful of buttermilk not only makes a nutritious and easy to digest summer food but curative too in cases digestionrelated disorders. Rice powder makes an excellent prickly heat powder and helps heal other inflammatory affection of the skin including burns and scalds. Healing henna Mehndi or henna flowers are an age-old antidote for headaches caused by the heat of the sun. Headaches are said to be relieved if a plaster made of mehndi flowers and vinegar is applied over the forehead. The Arabs use henna on hands

Tamrind pulp is cooling and antiseptic. Tamrind tea is considered to be very healing for summer colds and sore throat. To prepare the tea: • Take a cup of tamrind pulp to one litre of boiling water. • Cover and leave to infuse for two hours. • Strain and drink, half a cup at a time, sweetened with a little honey, every four hours. Simple sun-tan solutions To remove a sun tan, try applying some lime juice mixed with rose water on the face before going to bed at night. Wash off with cool tap water in the morning. Another traditional solution to counteract sun tan involves mixing olive oil with equal quantity of vinegar and applying the mixture on the affected body parts an hour before bath. Rose remedy Rose petals are used to make an excellent cooling summer tonic popularly known as Gulkand. To prepare Gulkand, fresh petals of roses are cleaned and kept in a clean glass jar in layers. In between the layers of the rose petals, a type of sugar called khadishakar, is spread. (sugar quantity being twice the amount of petals). Alternate layers are thus prepared in the jar and left in the sun for fifteen days. Rose water too can be prepared at home by using fresh rose petals or shade dried and powdered rose petals and some boiling water. Washing the face with rose water particularly after coming from the hot sun is very soothing and refreshing.

Life style

ns wri te to mam ta@abplgroup.com

By Mamta Bhatia, Psychologist

Body Language Analysis David Cameron Slow confident pace, tall upright, strong tone, stuttered. Reading from a script. Reading as NC speaks. Gordon Brown Acknowledging the mistake of yesterday immediately. Shoulders up, shrugged and tense. I’m the one to fight for your future, Squatting at the start Nick Clegg Using both hands, this is about ‘you’ again looking down humbly, faster pace then Cameron. Loosing chain of thought, but very quickly getting it back. Reading as NC speaks. This time he looks into the camera directly as opposed to last week. He focuses less on making strong eye contact with the studio audience and more on appealing to the programme viewers. He is aesthetically polished and sheen. His face shows his trying energy. He hardly smiles throughout, it is straight to business. As his tone is considered, he manages not to come across aggressive. He is leaning forward with his upper body and head positioning, showing the he is being direct and not playing with the others. He cares much to look into the camera with stern eyes and focused expression showing that he is wanting to reach out to the public as much as he can. He looses his cool when he has heard much too much, feeling provoked he is unable to hide his clear frustration for the words being said and the current situation. His face shows clearly that he is angry and irritated by the comments being made. His breathing is shallow throughout showing anxiety with the situation. He takes any opportunity to keep sharp on his game and writes throughout, almost not listening to the others as they talk about their policies and him. When he does listen, he displays a confused expression. His volume gets louder to make his point but not as loud and assertive as GB.

Towards the end he is leaning forward and reaching out with his hand, showing he wants to ‘touch‘ the people of the country. Later he is leaning forward with his leg behind the stand shows that he is ready for action and comfortable with the situation. Clearly wound up by Labours campaign material. David Cameron is fuming. Looking into the camera when talking about careers. Has a short fuse and it seems he has been on edge from quite early on. Nick Clegg Softer tone. Not too expressive with hands. Talking at a normal volume. Trying to joke about chocolate but nerves catching up on him. Not listening to GB swotting in on the notes. Assertively interrupts DC. Again tries humour ’Size does matter’. Open body language - riding on the success of last week, showing he is not phased by the situation. Calm tone throughout. Almost standing away from his stand to listen to DC, displaying he is actively listening. Quoting President Obama said last week. Writing throughout. Arms open, ’I have to say’, showing honestly and humility. Loosing his chain of thought and stalling, looking down onto his notes this shows his lack of experience and lack of grooming. Has the driest mouth due to the stress of the situation. Fists are down after 40 minutes. Back to his natural self. Not looking at the camera, sharp nodding. ’Old parties’, jobs for life. Shaking his head in disbelief to DC’s view. Appealing to peoples emotions and recognising that immigration is a ’sensitive’ subject. Humbly leaning forward. He recognises the questions being asked and the people asking the questions, showing he is respecting the people and their state of emotion. Gordon Brown Slower and considered, sharper nods. Smiles 40% in combination with frank facial expression. Composed

from start to end. Higher volume throughout, wanting not to waste the opportunity to get his points and messages through to people. Looking at notes while DC is talking. Looking down (in subconscious apology) when NC refers to the ‘bank crisis’. He uses visual language to paint pictures of how it could be, he says ‘Imagine DC in this meeting‘ taking people to that place. Likening DC and NC like his two young boys squabbling - cleverly patronising and dismissing NC‘s and DC‘s credibility as leaders. Using very black and white expressions backed up with straight talk - ‘Lets be straight and frank now‘. Keeps confident every time he is challenged. That is my mission that is my aim - uses My instead of I, a lot more warmer. Uses volume through with his voice, is loud throughout. Low arm stretches and hand gestures. Saying to Nick ‘Get real‘ when GB starts to get frustrated. Looking at Nick then at the audience to check reactions as Nick is speaking. Listing off all that Labour is doing, and smiles at energy cars, he is passionate about the things he is backing. Pronounced head movements. Using hands but keeping them close together. Fastening pace of voice. Smiling when referring to ’young people’. Public service is about serving the public not about serving yourself uses any opportunity to make bold statements about his philosophy. Softens tone when talking to Grace 84 year old women. Voice is softer when talking to the 84 year old women. Constant defined nodding, faces head down. Uses the Prayer position with his hands in the closing speech trying to inspire trust. Shaking his head in disappointment when DC starts his speech. Mamta Bhatia has a solid background in Psychology. She uses Eastern Philosophy and Western Application in her daily work enabling Human potential and Personal development. She can be contacted at Mamta@thinkspalondon.com

bollyHeRos

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Now, Shahid Kapoor is utterly confused Shahid Kapoor is often hailed as a thorough professional. But he is utterly confused and taken aback by his father Pankaj Kapoor’s filmmaking techniques. Not only is he forbidden from sharing any titbits about his upcoming film ‘Mausam’, he has no say even on the looks he is set to sport in the flick. So much so that the beard he has been sporting so far is now deemed unfit for his role. Sources suggest that Shahid, to his discomfort, had been sporting a beard for long. But Pankaj after seeing the beard thought of it to be

unfit for his role of an Air Force officer. Confirming the news, Shahid said, “Believe me, I’m thor-

oughly confused. My father keeps telling me to try different looks, and I just obey. He asked me to

grow a beard and I happily did it. I don’t know what else he’s going to make me try.” Asked if an Air Force pilot with a beard is a contradiction in the first place, the actor said, “We’ll not go against the logistics of the character, that’s for sure. Dad says he was considering it. Whether it stays or not I don’t know. I’ve reached a point where I’ve surrendered completely to his vision. I’m just going ahead with whatever he wants to do with me. Exactly how I’ll look I won’t know until we actually start shooting.”

Akshay may turn director in near future know. Three years back, if you would have asked me whether I will produce a film, I would have said no. But then I became a producer...anything can happen in this industry. After three-four years, I might direct a film as well.” In Akshay’s next film “Housefull” the Sajid Khan presents him as “the world’s unluckiest guy”. But the actor says he has been quite lucky in real life. “I have been lucky with my life. I made a good career. I didn’t have

any godfather in the industry. Whatever I have achieved in life is because of my luck and a little bit of hard work,” Akshay added. “I am playing a very unlucky man in the film. He believes his luck will change when he finds true love and gets married. So he starts searching for the right girl. It’s total entertainment,” the actor said. Shot in Britain, Italy, Hong Kong and India, the film also stars Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Jiah Khan, Arjun Rampal and Riteish Deshmukh. Akshay says he’s never given a thought to why most comedies are multi-starrers.

movie, said. “When we went up there, it was 90 feet or something. So the insurance people said that we can’t allow him to do it. You can’t put your lead actor’s life at risk,” he said. “Mani said no, I am not going to risk my actor jumping off that (cliff). Actually, the current of that river is very intense. There are rocks at the bottom. “In the meantime, a five-year-old boy came and dived into the water. We were shooting it at Hogenakkal (waterfall on

the Cauvery river), where these local kids jump off for money. So five-six people jumped at the end of the day and finally the shot was taken,” he said. “This is the most challenging film I have ever done in my life. I haven’t

done such a physically and emotionally challenging film in my life. And it’s not about going to tough locations or tough scenes. The film drains you and you feel so good when you go home at night because you feel that you have done something. Getting a movie like ‘Raavan’ is so rare. You don’t get such a role everyday,” Abhishek said. Ratnam’s “Raavan” is said to be a modern interpretation of the epic “Ramayana”. It also stars southern superstar Vikram, who plays a cop married to Aishwarya.

me to do this role. He repeatedly told me that I can do it, so I said yes,' Imran, 30 said. 'Chandu' is on Chandrashekhar Prasad, a student leader from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who was shot dead in 1997 while addressing a gathering in Siwan, Bihar. Bhatt is the creative consultant for the film. Imran said he was researching a lot for the role. 'I was in first year in DU when this incident happened, so I know a little bit about it. Then I met a lot of people to learn more about

Chandrashekhar Prasad. He was truly a hero and so many people who knew him have given me inputs about his nature, his idols, so that I can understand him well,' said Imran. 'I was quite shocked to see that there is so little on the internet about him. I'm happy that this film is being made through which we can aware people about a person like Chandrashekhar Prasad,' he added. So, is he nervous about working with an experienced filmmaker like Bhatt? 'No, not at all. In fact,

Akshay Kumar had written “Namastey London”, turned producer with his Hari Om Productions and has of course acted in umpteen action films and comedies. Now he says he may wield the megaphone as well after a few years. “I wrote ‘Namastey London’ I had given the concept of ‘Waqt -- The Race Against Time’ I don’t sit and write a story. I meet people and if their stories touch me, I try putting them on the big screen. In ‘Namastey London’, the character is real. He is a friend of mine from Jalandhar. It happened to him,” Akshay said in an interview.

Talking about his directorial plans, he said: “As of now, no. But you never

He dived from a 90-ft cliff into water, stood under a waterfall for two hours, braved snakes and leeches in Kerala’s forests – Abhishek Bachchan says shooting for “Raavan” was emotionally and physically challenging for him. The actor revealed that he decided to jump from scary heights despite a no from director Mani Ratnam. “I did jump. There was a professional diver to train me how to do it,” Abhishek, who has teamed up with wife Aishwarya Rai in the

Delhi boy Imran Zahid didn't have any acting plans till filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt approached him and convinced him to play a slain student leader in the new film 'Chandu'. Imran, who runs his own journalism and mass communication institute Take One in Kailash area of Delhi, says he had never been interested in going to Mumbai for a career in the movies. 'Although I'm from a theatre background, I never wanted to go to Mumbai and make a career in acting. I am very happy teaching in Delhi. But Bhatt Saab convinced

‘Raavan’ was very challenging, says Abhishek

Bhatt convinces Delhi boy to join Bollywood

I'm very comfortable with him. Bhatt saab treats me like his son. Whenever he comes to Delhi, he meets me and we talk on any topic under the sun. I'm like family to him and he is my mentor. Whenever I have to take a major decision, I ask him and he guides me,' said the actor.

Amar Singh to star in Malayalam film Former Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh will play a Hindustani Classical singer in Malayalam film Bombay Mittai, which also stars Bollywood star Dimple Kapadia. The film, shooting for which began recently, also stars actordancer Neelambari Perumal, daughter of former chief of Sri Lanka's North East Provincial Council Vardaraja Perumal. Singh said he was excited to be acting alongside Dimple, who plays his wife in the film. He said as a young man he would bunk law classes to watch her films. This is not the first time that Singh is doing a film. Last year, he was seen in Sesh Sanghat, a Bengali film produced by Rampur MP Jaya Prada, who was also expelled from SP along with him. Singh has worked in Dev Anand's yet to be released Chargesheet. Amar Singh, the actor, however, has no intention to compete with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. "I know my limitations. I don't want to live in a fool's paradise. Everyone has their niche and forte. They cannot become Amar Singh," he said.

Nana Patekar Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai... Nana Patekar has done it again. Recently, he was supposed to be interviewed by some journalists. Though he is an unpredictable person, no one expected him to put a stop to all activities of the day. The journalists came on time on the respective day in order to interview him for “Raajneeti.” Nana came there on time, but first he went into one room with the director Prakash Jha, who has probably informed him about the interview. Nana then came out five minutes later and Jha went into another room to look after some editing work. The actor greeted the journalists very warmly and then walked straight out of the office. When Jha came back, he was shocked to find Nana, who was supposed to be interviewed, missing. He was left red-faced and couldn't explain why he had left to the journalists. Jha is clueless as to why Nana left and thinks it may be because he was annoyed with something or because he had a prior commitment. Meanwhile, Ajay Devgun who happened to be around spoke to the journalists and saved the day.

Pratik Babbar is dating a Russian girl After being linked to a number of actresses in the past, Pratik Babbar seems to have found someone for sure this time. If sources are to be believed, he is currently dating a Russian, Inga Malkowa, who he met in Goa recently while shooting for Rohan Sippy's “Dum Maro Dum.” Inga is a DJ. The couple was spotted at a lounge where they seemed to be getting pretty cozy. Goa sees a lot of multi-cultural romances all the time. According to a unit member, the Goa schedule of the film lasted for about two months with intervals. Pratik would often party in a lot of clubs when he had a day off from shooting. He met Inga during one such party around March at Anjuna beach in Goa. They got friendly and started spending time with each other. Now, Inga, along with Pratik, is in Mumbai. They have been hanging out at a lot of places in the city. He has taken her out to a number of places that he frequents. He has also introduced her to most of his friends and has been taking her to private parties.

garammASAlA

Asian Voice Saturday 8th May 2010

COLORS TV officially is added to UK’s popular Asian bouquet, VIEWASIA Package price remains same despite addition of the extra premium channel!

Vikram traumatized by ‘Raavan’ Tamil superstar Vikram who makes his debut in Hindi with Mani Ratnam’s “Raavan” is a traumatized man. While in the Hindi version of “Raavan” he plays Aishwarya Rai’s cop-husband Dev, in the Tamil version he plays the brutal outlaw Veera and that too with both the versions being shot simultaneously. Vikram was constantly running in and out of the two completely different characters makeup and languages, sometimes within half an hour. Says a source, “It got really taxing for him. While Aishwarya Rai Bachchan played the same character in two languages Vikram had to go from Raavan in Tamil to Rama in Hindi after every shot. At one point he almost lost the plot.” One day the film’s dress designer Sabyasachi Chakrabarty had dropped in on location to discuss Vikram’s look and clothes. Vikram was informed by Mani Ratnam’s assistant that he needed to sit with Sabyasachi to discuss his look with him for the film. When the two of them met both began to give their viewpoints to each other about how the character played by Vikram would dress up in the film. Vikram says, “Within half an hour after discussing the character’s look we both realised that something was terribly wrong. I wanted my looks to be simple and minimalist so that I didn’t have to change much from the way I am. I suggested to Sabyasachi to keep my skintone black. On the other hand Sabyasachi was keen on a suave and clean look. And I was very confused as

to why I was giving such a strange brief.” Sabysachi felt Vikram’s look couldn’t be dark, and told Vikram that if he was so keen on a dark look then maybe he could try and do something dark but formal. “I suggested a dhoti. Sabyasachi got really worked up and told me it was no longer funny and asked me him if I was really sure about my character Dev dressing like a rugged rustic character. That’s when both of us realised the confusion. I was talking about the looks of Veera (the outlaw character) my character in the Tamil version and Sabyasachi was talking about Dev (the cop) the character I’m playing in the Hindi version,” Vikram laughs.

It is official - India's most widely viewed channel, COLORS was launched in UK's popular Asian TV bouquet, VIEWASIA last month, strengthening its dominant position further into a new bouquet of eight channels. And with Sony Entertainment Television Asia, MAX, B4U Movies, Aaj Tak, ARY Digital, SAB and Sahara One forming an amazing arena of entertainment, it means variety, quality and innovation in terms of TV viewing. Now with COLORS, VIEWASIA consolidates its position as Britain's finest provider of Asian family entertainment and value for money. The VIEWASIA subscription package price for eight channels remains at £17.99; so bringing more 'color' into your life is free! With a gamut of shows focused on providing meaningful and differentiated entertainment, COLORS burst on to the Indian television scenario

in July 2008 and has since then gone on to capture the number one spot in the genre, replacing the decade long leader, within a year of its launch. Now, as it expands its global footprint, COLORS is confident that its lineup of shows with their unique story lines which provide a slice of India with entertainment that transcends region, religion, gender and age, will help the South Asian diasporas to connect with its roots better. Shedding light on this development, Rajesh Kamat, Group COO, Viacom18 and CEO COLORS, said, "Becoming an encrypted pay channel was always on the cards for COLORS. It gives me immense pleasure and pride to see COLORS as a

part of the VIEWASIA package. Rajan Singh, Executive Vice-President International Business, Sony Entertainment Network, said: “Our objective has been clear from the beginning – to provide value entertainment to our audiences without pinching their pocket. We almost halved our subscription fee to just £17.99 for 7 channels when Sony-B4U joined MAX MIX to create VIEWASIA. And now, with the inclusion of Colors in the VIEWASIA bouquet, keeping with our objective Colors will be added without any additional cost to the VIEWASIA package price”. The now more COLOR-ful VIEWASIA is all set to invade the drawing rooms of British audiences, for whom the TV experience will never be the same again. COLORS is available on Sky digital 829. To subscribe, please call 08448 55 22 22.

Khan-Kareena Kapoor. MSN India had conducted an online poll and invited its readers to vote for their favourite Bollywood actors under various categories as part

of their Decade Special for Bollywood. Of the 38,648 readers who responded for 'Hottest couple of the Decade' category, 36 per cent opined that Salman and Katrina made for a greater couple than Abhishek-Aishwarya who got 27 per cent votes, followed by Bipasha and John with 13 per cent votes while Kareena and Saif got only six per cent votes.

Salman-Katrina – the hottest couple

Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif may be tight-lipped about their relationship status, but they have been voted the hottest couple of the decade in a poll by MSN India that also declared superstar Shah Rukh Khan the actor of the decade. The two have beaten the likes of Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai, Bipasha Basu-John Abraham and Saif Ali

Mallika’s two films to be unveiled at Cannes The first look of Mallika Sherawat’s snake woman story “Hisss” will be unveiled at the 63rd Cannes International Film Festival, starting on May 12. Her “Love, Barack” will also be introduced at the gala event. Rumour has it that even live snakes would be involved in the unveiling. Directed by Jennifer Lynch and produced by Govind Menon and Vikram Singh Lamba of Split Image Pictures, the

movie also stars Irrfan Khan, Divya Dutta and American character actor

Jeff Doucette. It will be distributed by Venus Records and Tapes. Industry sources say that the producers will announce the release date at the festival. Irrfan has confirmed his presence. Mallika’s other movie “Love, Barack” will also be introduced at the fest. A romantic comedy set during Barack Obama’s campaign for the US Presidency, it was wrapped up last month in Los Angeles.

Bollywood actress Dia Mirza is upset about rumours of her wedding plans with Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar, saying this was "untrue". "I would like to place on record that the story that I'm marrying Shoaib Akhtar is patently untrue, unfounded and wildly speculative, " Dia posted on her Twitter page. "I don't like this fictitious story gaining any more momentum and I do not desire such attention,

" she added. Dia is, however, trying to deal with the matter as lightly as possible. She mentioned on Twitter that her fashion designer friend Rocky S. had sent her some clothes, and wished he hadn't sent them after believing the marriage rumours. "I just walked into my home and was greeted by the most amazing surprise. My friend Rocky S. has sent me the most gorgeous clothes! Amazing amazing

clothes! Wait...I hope he doesn't actually think I'm getting married..., " she added.

I’m not marrying Shoaib Akhtar, says Dia

BollyKatS

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Barbara finds Bollywood funny, yet fascinating

Badmaash Company

A dramatic flick from the house of Yash Raj Films, Badmaash Company is a film about a group of youngsters doing all the wrong things, the right way. Life in the 1990's was remarkably different for the average Indian. Consumerism had not set in. It was devoid of most of the luxuries of the West. In fact everything “imported” was good, and everything Indian, passé. Set in the 1990's in middle class Mumbai, the film is a story of four ordinary youngsters, who came together to start an import business of things longed for by yuppie Indians! What made their venture such a stupendous success was the fact that they found a way to beat the system and soon became the undisputed kings in their business, realizing their one dream of making quick money by doing all the wrong things... the right way! Living the life of champagne wishes and caviar dreams, the four friends discover that to make a business successful you don't need big money. All you need is a big idea! With their larger than life schemes, Karan, Bulbul, Zing and Chandu go on a wild roller-coaster ride into the world of sheer glitz and glamour where the stakes are high and risks even higher! All was well and hunky dory till one day the four maverick entrepreneurs are forced to shut shop... until they come up with yet another perfect plan to beat the system. The film is produced by Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra. Parmeet Sethi has directed the film, while he has also written the story, screenplay and the dialogues. The lead cast of the film consists of Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Meiyang Chang, Vir Das, Anupam Kher, Kiran Juneja, Pawan Malhotra and Jameel Khan. Anvita Dutt Guptan has penned the lyrics, while Pritam Chakraborty has composed the music. Playback is rendered by K K, Mohit Chauhan, Krishna, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Benny Dayal.

New Hindi movies releasing this week 1. Badmaash Company 2. It’s A Wonderful Afterlife

Top 5 Bollywood movies for the week No. Film 1 2 3 4 5

Paathshaala Phoonk 2 City Of Gold Prince Apartment

No. Last Week 1 2 New 3 New

Total weeks 2 2 1 3 1

Mexican beauty Barbara Mori, who makes her Bollywood debut with 'Kites', says she finds the melodrama and songdance sequences of Hindi films 'funny yet fascinating'. She is also amazed at the brouhaha kissing scenes generate in India. 'I knew nothing about Bollywood when 'Kites' came to me. Rakesh Roshan and Anurag Basu narrated the script to me and the only thing I felt was that this was such a different film,' Barbara, who will be seen as Hrithik Roshan's love interest in 'Kites', said. 'Then I saw some Bollywood films and realised there's a lot more dancing and singing than we have in Mexico. I found it funny in the beginning. 'There was a scene where Hrithik is supposed to have blood on his body, then there were these singing and dancing sequences - it was a little funny, yet I was quite fascinated. Now I look forward to more Bollywood

movies,' she added. The 32-year-old is on her third visit to India ever since her association with 'Kites'. The film is to be released on May 21. Another aspect of Bollywood that amazes Barbara is the brouhaha over kissing and lovemaking scenes. 'I respect what culture is followed in each country just as I respect the culture in my own place. The culture in Indian films is different. There I can show nudity, at least partly if not fully. And kissing is not a big deal. But here somehow it's a big thing. That was quite amazing. 'In fact, before beginning to shoot 'Kites', I told Hrithik, 'We're kissing many times in the script, won't it be a problem in your country?' He said 'Yeah, but things are more open now'. 'I have heard Anurag Basu has made some really good bold movies and I feel kissing must be okay now in Bollywood,' said Barbara. 'This is a very dif-

Swati Bhan

ferent movie, the first biggest movie I have done, my first English movie and the first action movie for me... I never imagined shooting in Bollywood...it has been so exciting. 'I really love the story. From the beginning, when I met Anurag Basu and Rakesh Roshan in Los Angeles, I felt really touched to see such a different love story - that of a Mexican and Indian falling in love without any language barrier,' she said. Unlike most other for-

eign actors who are expected to deliver dialogues in Hindi, Barbara was lucky as her character had to speak in Spanish and English only. But she was petrified of doing underwater scenes. 'Underwater scenes we shot in the Maldives. They were very complicated and tough. Water, sea... I don't like! Still we had to put oxygen masks, go underwater and act. For me, that was a big thing. It was difficult, but I sailed through...,' she said.

India’s bahu, as she is popularly known, Ms. Smriti Irani was in Ahmedabad last week to deliver a lecture on ‘Entertainment Realities and Myths’ said she was concerned at the way serials were now being drafted and the way reality shows were being projected. She was at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) at a function organised by city based media Institute National Institute for Mass Communication and Journalism (NIMCJ). Interacting with the students she said that many a times reality shows aired on television were indeed showing a disturbing trend and now the domination in the entertainment industry too was of people who did

not have much of ideas but were into market driven programmes rather than knowledge oriented programmes. “Every channel these days wants to have some kind of a saga of a saas-bahu, without having much content in them, they just want to show bickering households because that they assume that will get them the TRPs and the advertisement revenues,” said Smirti. But that is really not the case, as people do want quality stuff and entertainment at the same time. Citing the example of a tele-serial on ‘Jhansi ki Rani’ being aired in one of the television networks, Ms Irani said that people do watch that kind of seri-

als too because that is like passing down a legacy. “But when we show our children a distorted form of Mahabharat or Ramayan we are not passing down the right legacy to them and that is where our voice has to be raised and producers have to be questioned,” she added. There were good production houses who were doing some good work as well but the number was

less and it was time that more thinking people with clear concepts and good story ideas should come forward to take the centrestage. She said that television channels, which had become part of every family these days should see to it that the programmes aired should leave some kind of interaction between children and parents, it should not be treated like a slot where the family sits in front of television without uttering a word with each other. “Creative thinkers and directors have a lot of scope and the industry definitely needs more such people to take over,” lamented Irani. The measurement of quality should not be adjudged by advertisements or revenue which was the case at present.

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif has said that her upcoming flick 'Rajneeti' is much more than politics, and despite it not being a serious film, it is a crucial topic. "The story in this film is not just what you see in posters or in promos. You have seen a lot of (these), obviously you have seen it as a political film, but there is a very interesting story behind it. There is a personal story as well, there is romance in the film, there is jealousy, there is bitterness, there is betrayal," said Katrina Kaif. "It is not a serious film,

it is about a serious topic, but it is very entertaining film in the content. Otherwise, you guys all know me well enough to know that I wouldn't do a film, which is not entertaining. This is entertainment of a different sort," she added. Contrary to speculations that her character in the film was inspired by the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Kaif said that she had watched the election campaign videos of Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for a first hand know-how on right looks and the body language.

"That is one of the persons whom I have seen, I did particularly like her (Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, daughter of Sonia Gandhi) way of talking and the way she talks in public and because we are not basing my character on anybody living or dead," said Katrina. "I think I had freedom and Prakash Jha also gave me that freedom to maybe just see somebody I like and try develop a charac-

Entertainment industry too seeing a degeneration: Smriti Irani

‘Rajneeti’ is much more than politics: Katrina

ter to that," she added. Kaif launched the music album of the film along with actor Ranbir Kapoor and Director Prakash Jha recently.

IndIa

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Third all India Punjabi conference held in Patiala Sukhbir Badal calls upon all to promote use of the language among children, youth

The third All-India Punjabi Conference began last weekend, with prominent personalities giving a united call to adopt Punjabi as the main language besides making efforts to integrate all the Punjabi-speaking areas. Around 400 delegates attended the conference, held at Patiala in Punjab. Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was the chief guest. He called upon people to encourage their wards to read and speak in Punjabi. Badal said the SAD had been the main proponent

Amitav Ghosh wins prestigious Dan David Prize N o t e d I n d i a n a u t h o r Amitav Ghosh has won the prestigious Dan David Amitav Prize for Ghosh his remarka b l e reworking of the great tradition of the Western novel in transnational terms. The $1 million award is a joint international enterprise endowed by the Dan David Foundation and headquartered at Tel Aviv University. It is annually awarded in three different fields Archaeology, Performing Arts and Material Science - in the three dimension time framework of past, present and future. Ghosh, 53 is the third Indian to win the award, joining an elite league comprising of chemist CNR Rao and musician Zubin Mehta. The Indian author will be sharing the prize in the present dimension with Dr Gordon E Moore.

of Punjabi and had launched many movements to integrate the Punjabi-speaking areas in the state. He further said after enforcing its usage in offices through an Act, the state recently approached the Administrator Chandigarh, to give due status to Punjabi in Chandigarh also. Punjabi is among the major languages in UK, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore. It is the 12th largest language spoken globally, with more than 120 million people communicat-

ing in Punjabi. Noted journalist, columnist and India’s former High Commissioner to the UK, Kuldeep Nayar said efforts must be taken to integrate the Punjabispeaking areas into one Maha Punjab. Poet Surjit Pattar through his poem conveyed the urgency of saving the language. Writer Dilip Kaur Tiwana made an earnest appeal for promoting the language. Vice-Chancellor of the university Dr Jaspal Singh said the conference aimed at promoting the language.

Bhuj Swaminarayan Temple gets a Rs. 10 mn crown from a Muslim NRI devotee Nuruddin Nazmuddin Jetpurvala, a Muslim businessman born in Bhuj, the district capital of Kutch in Gujarat, is a staunch devotee of the Swaminarayan sect of Hindu religion, though he is very much a follower of Islam. He is settled in Dubai, but regularly visits the Swaminarayan temple in Bhuj. He first stepped into a Swaminarayan Temple in Chhapaiya in Uttar Pradesh --the birth place of Swaminarayan – in 1977. Since then, the temple at Bhuj has made a special place in this Muslim businessman’s heart. Jetpurvala (52), runs an engineering empire in Dubai, saved up from the profits he earned over the years. From that money, he has donated a diamond-studded gold crown worth Rs 10 million to Swaminarayan Temple in Bhuj. The crown will adorn Sahjanand Swami idol at the temple during ‘Nutan Mandir Mahotsav’ to be held this month. Jetpurvala has had an industrious past. Beginning

as a radiator technician in Bhuj and Madhapar, he went to Dubai where he continued this profession. Soon, he started his own factory in Bhuj of manufacturing auto parts. He also established branches in Abu Dhabi and Muscat. “We recently received money donated by Jetpurvala from Dubai, who will personally come to Bhuj for the celebrations,” temple committee member GK Suryaprakash Acharya said. “Nuruddin is a close friend of Ravji Bhudia, currently a trustee of the Nutan Mandir. In 1977, he visited Chhapaiya in company of Bhudia. He participated in ‘Murti Pratistha Mahotsav’ there and ever since has been a devotee of sect.” “Over the years, he came to know about the holy and social activities of Swaminarayan Temple. During his last visit, he spoke to Mahant Swami and expressed his wish to be of some service to Swaminarayan by offering him gold and diamond crown,” Acharya said.

Justice Kapadia to be new Chief Justice of India

G S Mishra becomes fourth woman judge at the SC Justice Sarosh Homi Kapadia, the senior-most Judge of the Supreme Court, has been appointed the Chief Justice of India to succeed Justice KG Balakrishnan, who retires on May 12. Justice Kapadia, who will be the 38th CJI, will have a tenure of two years and five months, as he will retire on September 29, 2012, upon attaining the age of 65. Before being elevated to the apex court on December 18, 2003, he was Chief Justice of the Uttaranchal High Court. He was Additional Judge

others were sworn in of the Bombay as Judges of the apex High Court from court last week. With October 8, 1991, to this, the number of March 23, 1993, SC Judges has gone before being up to 30, against the appointed as a sanctioned strength Permanent Judge of the HC. Justice of 31. The other two Kapadia has vast Justice Kapadia Judges who assumed office at the SC are Justice experience in tax, finance HL Gokhale, former CJ of and business matters, Madras HC, and Justice besides other civil cases Anil R Dave, who had and issues relating to headed the Bombay HC. crime. He started his law Justice Gyan Sudha is the career as a HC advocate in fourth woman Judge of the Mumbai in 1974. SC, the earlier ones being Meanwhile, Justice Justices M Fatima Beevi, Gyan Sudha Mishra, forSujata Manohar and Ruma mer Chief Justice of Pal. Jharkhand HC, and two

In divine light Dushyanta and Shakuntala

By Rajen Vakil

In the previous article, we saw that Dushyanta entered the ashram, but did not see Rishi Kanva anywhere. He called out ‘Is anyone there’ in a deep baritone that shook the forest. From the inner spaces of the ashram came out a beautiful young woman dressed in the clothes of a mendicant. She welcomed Dushyanta and sang a beautiful hymn praising him and asking the reason for his coming. The king replied that he had come to have darshan of Rishi Kanva and asked for him. She replied that her father had gone to gather fruit. At this moment, Dushyanta realised that he was greatly attracted to this beautiful woman and in a glance observed that she was of a higher being. Her eyes and face shone with the lustre of deep

tection from the anger of Vishwamitra. She also requested Indra that the gods Pavan, Kamadeva and Vayu assist her in her task, to which Indra agreed. Maneka went to Vishwamitra’s ashram where he was sitting in deep meditation and started dancing in front of him. At that very moment, the wind (Pavan) blew her clothes away. Vishwamitra saw her trying to hold on to her clothes in the wind, but desire (Kamadeva) entered his heart making Vishwamitra lose his state of awareness, filling him with great passion and excitement. The forest was filled with sweet hypnotising scents (Vayu) and the great rishi Vishwamitra fell in love with Maneka. They stayed together till Maneka gave birth to a

in me and this leftover anger becomes the cause for future expressions of anger. Before the sex energies enter the realm of total sublimation, the student must learn to perform all actions without residue; he must learn to be Shakuntala (i.e. fly like the birds). Whenever we laugh at a situation, subconsciously we are only throwing out suppressed emotions. This is a form of catharsis – in actuality we are not laughing, but crying. Once we are free of the law of karma, we realise that real laughter is not the vomiting of tensions, but the overflowing of divine energies. Dushyanta was attracted to Shakuntala’s divine laughter; the divine laughter symbolises Shakuntala’s being filled with divine energies.

yogic practices. She had conquered her senses and had a divine laughter – the kind he had never heard before. Dushyanta asked her who she was despite her having introduced herself. She reaffirmed to being the daughter of Rishi Kanva. Dushyanta was puzzled as he was aware that the great rishi had sublimated his sex energies through a process called urdhvaretas; how was it then possible for the rishi to have a daughter? She narrated to Dushyanta the story of her birth as she had heard it from her father. A great rishi, Vishwamitra, was transforming his sex energy through the same process. The king of the gods, Indra, became very disturbed by his austerities and wanted to stop his progress on this path. Indra sought the help of Maneka, an apsara (a divine danseuse). Indra asked Maneka to use her beautiful form, youth, softness, smile, and sweet words to entice and lead Vishwamitra astray. Maneka was very disturbed and reminded Indra of Vishwamitra’s powers – that he could reduce her to ashes. She mentioned that she was obliged to carry out his orders but requested pro-

daughter. At this point, Vishwamitra realised how he had fallen from his aim of sublimating his energies. He then left Maneka to go back to deep austerities. Maneka left the newborn child on the banks of the river Malini and went back to the heavens. The birds of the forest protected the baby from wild animals. Rishi Kanva, when going for a dip in the river, saw her and took her to his ashram as his daughter. He called her Shakuntala, meaning the one who is brought up by birds. Let us understand the deeper meaning of the characters and the stories. Kanva means to sound. As the sex energies rise up the yogi’s backbone to the higher areas of the brain, he enters the realm of divine sounds, or Akash tattva. Dushyanta entering the ashram is symbolic of this. Here he meets Shakuntala, meaning a bird. When a bird flies in the sky it leaves behind no footprints, but in every action that man performs there is always something left over and this becomes the seed for new actions. Say, if someone meets me and we get into a quarrel; that person then goes away but there is still anger left

Indra is the lord of the senses or the energy of sensitivity. The word Vishwamitra means a universal friend or cosmic consciousness. The yogi frees his five senses from all forms of excitement and when this happens, the yogi becomes the lord of his senses. Then, his consciousness would be steady and can merge with the cosmic consciousness. Indra would then, lose lordship of the senses and that was the reason he sent Maneka to excite Vishwamitra. Maneka means mental effort; she marries Vishwamitra or cosmic consciousness. Through the meeting of mind and consciousness is born Shakuntala. Hence, the deeper meaning of Shakuntala is also potentiality. If all students of yoga and meditation can discriminate between mind and consciousness, then the deeper potentialities which lie as seeds in all of us can one day flower into an actuality or as often put, there will be the flowering of divine consciousness. (Edited by Chintu Gandhi. Illustration by Siddharth Ramanuj.) The author can be reached by emailing 3srb@live.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Gujarat, Maharashtra ink MoU The state government of Gujarat, Maharashtra and ministry of water resources of government of India have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Par-Tapi-Narmada link project and Daman-ganga-Pinjal link project. The MoU was signed between chief ministers from Gujarat Narendra Modi, Maharashtra, Ashok Chavan and union minister of

water resources Pawan Kumar Bansal in the presence of prime minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. The prime minister extending congratulations to both the CMs said that the development of water resources in an integrated manner and adoption of various short terms and long terms measures is the need of the hour.

Gujarat celebrates its golden jubilee with pomp and gaiety Cultural extravaganza marks the milestone Bifurcated from the erstwhile Mumbai state along with Maharashtra, Gujarat celebrated its golden jubilee with pomp and gaiety. On the eve of main function, a convention of Gujaratis residing in other states of the country and foreign countries saw some 5000 delegates converging at the Gujarat University Convention centre. Gujarat chief Minister Narendra Modi in his spellbinding address exhorted non resident Gujaratis [NRGs] to reconnect themselves with their motherland. He felt that this is the occasion to unite all Gujaratis. Modi said he was not in illusion that the progress of the state was his making. Everybody, every political party and all former government had contributed to the development of the state, he averred. He urged upon all Gujaratis to make aware the new generation of the rich heritage of the state by promoting Gujarati language and general knowledge on Gujarat. This could be achieved by holding quizzes and reading, he added. The Chief Minister emphatically said Gujarati community can also be as influential as Jews are. He narrated the ups and downs during the fifty years of Gujarat’s journey to prosperity. Modi recalled that there was a time when drought periodically visited the state but the story is now different thanks to water conservation efforts and increased irrigational facilities. The Chief Minister also paid glowing tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and said Gujaratis should feel

Ms. Priyal Sanghvi, a journalist with Asian Voice collected the sacred soil from the Tavistock square in London, the place of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi statue in the British capital, on 26th April. This is the first statue of Gandhiji erected in Europe in 1965. The soil was brought to India by C B Patel, Chairman of the National Congress of Gujarati Organisations (NCGO) UK and Publisher - Editor of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar.

Guajrat Chief Minister Narendra Modi along with Governer Dr. Kamla Beniwal and Former Dy. Prime Minister L K Advani lights the lamp to inaugrate NRG meet in Ahmedabad on 30th April while Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala, State BJP Chief R C Faldu and Gujarat Assembly Speaker Ashok Bhatt look on

pride that they speak the same language that of Gandhi. He thundered that he was not ready to see Gujarat lagging behind in any sphere. World will see India through the window of Gujarat because of its prowess and power, Modi added. Earlier the state health and tourism minister jay Narayan Vyas in his welcome address gave statistics to showcase the development model of the state. Governor Dr Kamla Beniwal in her address also lauded Gujaratis for their peace loving nature and their entrepreneurial skill. Former deputy prime minister and BJP leader L.K. Advani also recalled his family’s association with Kutch and said he was proud to be a member of Parliament from Gandhinagar On 1st May Gujarat Governor formally kicked off the state’s golden jubilee celebrations in Ahmedabad with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national leadership

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi flanked by I K Jadeja, Chairman of Golden Jubilee Celebration Committee, BJP Leader L K Advani, Governer Dr. Kamla Beniwal and Assembly Speaker Ashok Bhatt ring a bell to mark the beginning of the year long celebrations

Swarnim Kalash Receivers for 30th April, Ahmedabad Name Shri Mukundbhai Purohit Shri Hemantbhai M shah Shri Bharatbhai Shah Shri Yogeshbhai Shah Shri Vijaybhai Sheth Shri Lalitkuma Ratilal Shri Mayurbhai S. Shah Smt Shaileeben M Shah Shri Shailesh Bhai Shah Shri Mahendra Bhai Shah Shri Sunil Bhai Parekh Shri Ankitbhai Shah Smt. Hinalben Shah Shri Chandrakantbhai Vallabhdas Chothani Shri Rajendrabhai ved Smt. Hiralben Dhrupen Shah Shri Nileshkumar Narendrabhai Patel Smt. Hetalben Nileshkumar Patel Shri Chandrakantbhai Babubhai (CB) Patel Shri Manoj Ladva Shakubhai Patel Rekhaben Panchal Subhash Shihora Darshanbhai Gajjar Hetalben Patel Nileshbhai Patel Dr. Neelam Nagar Mahesh Mehta Vasudev Patel & Indubhai Patel Kiritbhai Patel Bharatbhai Barai Ashishbhai Patel in attendance and the opposition Congress staying away. Beniwal launched the celebrations at a glitzy function organised at the Sardar Patel Stadium here Saturday night. Chief Minister Narendra Modi then took the audience on a soulful journey through the halfcentury existence of the state and hoped that the next 50 years would see it break all previous records in terms of achievements. “Let every Gujarati contribute 100 hours and

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Foundation for Mahatma Mandir laid Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Mahatma Mandir, proposed to be one of its kind memorial of the Mahatma. The ceremony was held on Saturday, 1st May at Gandhinagar. Sacred soil brought from various places was also used in the foundation laying ceremony. Modi said the Mahatma Mandir will be the venue to host peace talks on a global platform. He expressed the hope that the city which is named after the crusader of peace will become a pilgrimage centre for peace talks. The temple will come up at an outlay of Rs. 1.32

billion. It will be built on a sprawling area of 35 acres. The Mahatma Mandir will be having a multi purpose convention centre and a seminar hall with a capacity of more than 600 people. It will also have a giant size ‘Charkha’ or the spinning wheel, the symbol associated with Gandhiji. It will also have replicas of various places that were important in Gandhiji’s life and his movement for India’s freedom like the Dandi bridge, a heap of salt etc. Urns containing soil and water from various places in Gujarat and also from abroad were handed over to the Chief Minister.

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do 50 good deeds for the state in this golden jubilee year as a commitment,” he added. While the state pulled out all stops to make the inaugural function and the cultural programme a success, chaos prevailed due to over-crowding at the venue. Many senior bureaucrats and guests carrying invitation cards allegedly faced police high-handedness and had to go back without attending the function. Some reporters were also turned back.

C B Patel, NCGO UK Chairman and Kamlesh Amin, CEO of AB Publications India (Pvt) Ltd. handing over the soil collected from the place near the Mahatma Gandhi Statue in London to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at Gandhinagar, on Saturday, 1st of May.

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Mont Blanc withdraws the costly Gandhi pens Delhi lawyers Harsh Vardhan Surana and Sandeep Singh have won their non-violent struggle against Mont Blanc. The multinational gave an undertaking to the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday that it will not use Mahatma Gandhi’s picture for commercial purposes. The company’s limited-edition luxury pens with 8-karat gold nibs engraved with the picture of a stick-wielding

Mahatma on the historical Dandi march would not be sold in India or elsewhere anymore. Each pen was priced up to Rs 1.2 million. Mont Blanc Boutique and Mont Blanc International GMBH gave the undertaking after the Union government said it had rejected the MNC’s plea to use the image of the Father of the Nation for its high-end Mahatma Gandhi limited-edition pens.

Lions jump to 411 in numbers Lions have occupied space outside the Gir Sanctuary too While the wildlife is under threat and quite a few species face extinction, the story is different for the Asiatic Lions, found only in Gujarat in India. Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi proudly announced census results on Sunday. He said, in five years, the number of Lions in the Gir Sanctuary and the areas nearby have gone up by 52 in five years. The no. of the big cats now totals to 411. What’s more: lions can now be found outside the Gir National Park and Sanctuary area, in the four districts of Amreli, Bhavnagar, Porbandar and Junagadh. The Census has also found 77 cubs in the Gir National Park and Sanctuary, 46 sub-adult lions (23 males and as many females), 29 unidentified lions, 162 adult females and 97 adult males. Moreover,

there has been a 40 per cent increase in the subadult population. The lioness and cub ratio is 1:2, which has always been the other way round, said Forest officials. Modi said: “The lion population has increased due to public participation. In 1968, there were only 177 big cats. The Census methodology followed by the forest staff should be institutionalized, as it had a scientific approach. This can help Forest departments in other states as well. After several poaching cases

were recorded, certain initiatives were taken to safeguard the lions such as raising the walls of the wells. Last year, only one cub died after it fell into a well. The male-female ratio this time is 1:1.67. The average growth of the lion population has increased to 13 per cent, which is much higher than the previous average of five to 10 per cent.” R V Asari, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Wildlife, said: “It is good that the rate of survival of females, sub-

adults and cubs is higher than before. The lions were found healthier in the census. He added “We have tried to be as precise as possible using Global Information System (GIS) maps for each of the beats that were divided between the volunteers. The GIS maps were prepared nine months ago and showed volunteers the water points, the wells and the geography of the area. Each volunteer was taught the methods to identify lions in the sanctuary.”

Toll of Gujarat IPS officers’ arrest in fake encounters goes up to five CBI arrests Abhay Chudasama, State CID takes Vipul Agarwal in custody for Tulsi Prajapati encounter Vipul Agarwal, DSP of Dahod was arrested by CID of Gujarat Police on Monday. CID chief V V Rabari said Agarwal was held in connection with the encounter killing of Tulsi Prajapati, believed to be a key witness in the fake encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh. Agarwal was DSP Banaskantha in 2006 when Prajapati’s alleged encounter took place. Prajapati was believed to be a key witness in the fake encounter of

Sohrabuddin Sheikh and the subsequent murder of his wife Kausar Bi at the hands of Gujarat police's crime branch in November 2005. CID said, Agarwal was present at the scene of the crime when Prajapati's encounter took place. Officials had then claimed that he tried to escape from police custody while being transferred to a different prison. Prajapati was picked up by police along with Sohrabuddin and his wife

from Andhra Pradesh. Sohrabuddin was killed in a joint encounter by Gujarat and Rajasthan police in November 2005, and later his wife was allegedly murdered. State CID had arrested 14 cops including three IAS officers D G Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandian and Dinesh M N in connection with the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case. In January 2010, the case was handed over to the CBI by the Supreme Court saying that the

Gujarat police were not investigating the case properly. Following this, CBI arrested fourth IPS officer Abhay Chudasma, last week in connection with the fake encounter case. CBI had sought papers of Tulsi Prajapati case from the state police, saying that his encounter was linked with that of Sohrabuddin. Gujarat Police however refused, as they claimed that the SC mandate was only for Sohrabuddin case.

India’s own shark identified off Gujarat coast India's first individual whale shark has been identified off the coast of Gujarat by a team of Indian marine conservationists. Scientific studies on whale sharks were recently initiated in Gujarat, in which underwater photography and subsequent comparison with a global database of whale sharks is underway. After a whale shark was rescued on April 12, which was caught in a Gujarati fisherman's net, India's own whale shark was discovered from among pictures of those taken in more than 40 countries. Pattern of spots around the pectoral fins

and gills region are used to identify individuals. The photo-identification exercise is a component of the Whale Shark Conservation Project a joint venture of the state forest department, Tata Chemicals Ltd and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). Aimed at studying the population and migration of whale sharks, the photo-identification is being implemented in collaboration with ECOCEAN, which maintains the global whale shark database and coordinates this international research. "As this whale shark was the first to be identified in India, it has been labelled I-001 (which is

now the permanent identification for this individual). As research progresses, we will be trying to figure out if this individual as well as others that we encounter in the future, belong to a resident population or are migratory," said WTI co-ordinator Dhiresh Joshi. Said RV Asari, chief wildlife warden, Gujarat, "It's a historic moment for India, for Gujarat, its fishing community, and significantly for the conservation of this species in the country." "At Tata Chemicals, we are very excited about this development. We have been involved in the Save Whale Shark Campaign' since its inception and are

now supporting its research under Our Vhali' (our loved one) project. We hope many more individuals are identified and it helps the international community to create an in-depth understanding about these animals," said Alka Talwar, head of community development, TCL. The underwater photographs were taken during a whale shark rescue operation recently. Continuing a trend initiated several years ago, following the massively successful Save Whale Shark Campaign, local fishermen and boat owner Nathalal Govind Mandvi, cut open their fishing net to release the fish.

Manasvi Mamgai crowned Miss India World Delhi girl Manasvi Mamgai was crowned the Pantaloons Femina Miss India World at a glittering ceremony attended by Bollywood stars and producers.Last year's winner Pooja Chopra crowned the 22-yearold beauty, who has also won the titles of Miss Golden Heart and Miss Catwalk among Manasvi Mamgai others. Nicole Faria (20) from Bangalore was awarded the title of Miss India Earth while Neha Hinge (23) won the Miss India International crown. The final was a fun filled affair hosted by actor Mandira Bedi and Rohit Roy while Bollywood had its presence in film producers Madhur Bhandarkar and Vipul Shah. Both Bhandarkar and Shah will train six selected contestants in acting and then finally choose two of them for their forthcoming Bollywood ventures, according to the website of the pageant.

Passengers wait as Air India crew roam in Cairo The harried passengers had literally been stood up by an Air India airline crew in Cairo, for 16 hours on end all because the crew members wanted to see the great pyramids of Egypt. The flight, which was originally scheduled from Mumbai to Toronto, had to be diverted to Frankfurt via Cairo. However, on April 15, when the Boeing 777 landed at Cairo airport, fliers had little idea of what was in store for them. After waiting for a few hours, the passengers initially thought there was a technical snag. However, they were surprised to note that the pilot was there in his seat, but the seven-member crew from Cairo that was supposed to board the flight was missing. To add to their shock, they learnt that the missing members were actually sight seeing, which was why they could not return in time for the flight's onward journey. An Air India spokesperson, confirming the incident, said, "We have initiated action against the crew members who did not report to work on time. Stern action will be taken against them." One of the crewmembers admitted that they were off to see the pyramids, but denied that the delay was for 16 hours. He said that they were late by only five hours. "Language is a big problem in Egypt. Hotel accommodation was not provided on time and when we reached Cairo, we were taken to a different terminal, which added to the delay," he added.

Delhi Journalist found dead at home in Jharkhand, mother arrested Police on Monday arrested the mother of Delhi-based journalist Nirupama Pathak, who was found dead at her home here, even as it was probing if it was a case of honour killing. Pathak's mother, Subha, was arrested on murder charges. Earlier, Subha and her husband Dharmesh were detained for questioning after the post mortem report indicated that Nirupama's death was caused by asphyxia as a result of smothering, SP Kranti Kumar said. "We have arrested her under Section 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 120 b (criminal conspiracy) of IPC based on circumstantial evidence," Kumar said. Asked whether it was a case of honour killing, the SP said, "The matter is under investigation." According to the post mortem report there was a ligature mark around her neck pointing to strangulation with a rope. He said the police were misled by the family who had said Nirupama died of electrocution on April 29. The police were also investigating whether her father, who was a bank employee in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda district, was at home at the time of the incident. The parents of the 22-year-old journalist were reportedly opposed to her marrying Priyabhanshu Ranjan, her batch mate at IIMC, who belongs to another caste.

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Khushboo set to join Congress Having emerged clean from a spate of criminal cases following her utterances on pre-marital sex in 2005, Tamil actor Khushboo is planning to take the plunge into politics. Khushboo said she is keen on joining the Congress party. “I would not hesitate to accept a political platform if offered. I am a great fan of the Congress,” she said. Asked if she has got any

feelers from the party, she replied: “I don’t want to comment on that now. I will be back in Chennai in a couple of days and will answer all such questions.” When contacted, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president KV Thangkabalu said: “If she wants to join Congress, we will welcome her. In fact, anyone who is willing to accept the leadership of Soniaji is welcome to the Congress.”

Deesa thrives on potatoes A police officer – farmer could find his name in the Guinness Book for a record per hectre yield Dr. Suresh Samani

After cotton, Gujarat is now witnessing a potato revolution with Deesa taking a lead. Parthibhai J Chowdhary of Dangia village in Dantiwada taluka, who has achieved a record 87 tones per hectare production this year, personifies the strides achieved by Banaskantha farmers in potato production. The sleepy town in North Gujarat, is now on the verge of its own improved potato seed varieties, likely to be named as Gujarat1 and Gujarat-2, underscoring the research efforts and improved farm techniques associated with the farming. Notwithstanding the hostile monsoon and lack of irrigational facilities in Banaskantha district, the region is known for potato cultivation since long. The

Potato variety developed by Potato Scientist at Deesa

Best AICRP (Potato) Centre Award 2009 given by ICAR New Delhi to potato research station of Sardar Krishinagar Dantiwada University last year (File photo)

after rice, wheat and maize. Though Gujarat is not considered as major pota-

Visnagar-Ladol in Mehsana district, Dehgam in Ahmedabad district, Chaklasi in Kheda district

Potato Research Station of Sardar Krishinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University adjudged the best nationally by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) credit must go to Portuguese as they brought the seeds for the first time in 15th century when they set up their base in Surat and subsequently to their camp at Deesa as their horticultural hobby. Initially, potatoes were grown on riverbeds as the sandy land proved ideal for this crop. With the passage of time, potato farming got a momentum in this region and elsewhere as it became one of the world’s most important crops and is now considered as fourth most important source of energy

to growing state as it produces only 5-6 per cent of the total output, Deesa has emerged as major production/marketing centre contributing half of Gujarat’s potato production. According to Dr N.H. Patel, Research Scientist and Head at Potato Research Station of Sardar Krishinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, half of total 65,000 hectares land under potato cultivation in the state is in Banaskantha. The other notable pockets known for potato cultivation include

and Jam Khambhalia in Jamnagar district. Otherwise perceived as hostile factor for agricultural cultivation, sandy and solid soil coupled with extreme climatic conditions is now proving ideal for potatoes as it provides humidity and holds out moisture. With improved farm techniques and spread of sprinklers, farmers here have been able to produce quality potatoes meant for processing and also achieve the higher yield. “Banaskantha is on top in the entire state with respect to the use of

GoG website bags ‘Silver Icon Webratna-2009’ Award

The Government of Gujarat recently designed an ultramodern website with a view to promote the tourism sector in Gujarat. The website won Government of India’s ‘Silver Icon Webratna 2009’ for the

best web content. At a function held in New Delhi about two weeks ago, Union Minister for Communications and Technology A Raja presented the award to Kamlesh Patel, Chairman and Anoop Shukla,

Managing Director of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd. (TCGL). Also seen in the picture (1st from left) is Sachin Pilot, Union Minister of State for Communications and Technology.

micro- sprinkler for which the state government provides 50 per cent subsidy”, says M R Parmar, Banaskantha district agriculture officer. The district has an average of 28 to 30 tons per hectare yield, much higher than the state average. The Dantiwada dam and its canal have helped a lot besides the ground water irrigation, he adds. Shankarlal of M/s Shankarlal & Company, a leading trading firm, and government sources estimate around 600,000 ton potato production in the region this year What is more significant, is increasing preference for high yielding varieties, such as Lady Resajontay [LR], Shapody, Loker over the traditional Kufri and its likes. “The thrust is now on those varieties of potatoes which have high-

er dry matter [above 20 per cent] and low sugar content because they are in great demand. The processing companies like McCain of Canada distribute seeds and provide guidance and enter into contract farming with farmers. The producers not only get the higher yield but the higher price too. Some of them even get Rs 9 a kg”, Dr Patel informs.

anti corruption branch at Patan, owns 31 hectares of land in Dangia village in Dantiwada taluka. He is in potato cultivation since last six years. Revealing his farm strategy that ensured over 87 ton production per hectare, Chowdhary says that he has chalked out a time table right from sowing to harvesting. My labourers follow them strictly. Moreover, I have got specially designed cultivator that ploughs the land as deeper as 30 inches so that potatoes are better cultivated. Close watch on climatic condition and timely inputs like fertilizer, pesticides and water have helped me in reaping the record crop. His claim was verified by a team of agricultural experts and officials formed by the district collector. Supporting his claim, Dr Patel says the

Low sugar variety in great demand; contract farming a boost for the farmers He opines that potato cultivation is profitable and employment oriented as well. The cost of cultivation per hectare is around Rs 80,000. If a farmer on average gets 30 ton production per hectare and sells it at Rs 5 a Kg, he would reap a handsome profit. Moreover, Dr Patel claims that some 200 people get employment per hectare and women are preferred as labourers because they can carry out the farming operations in much better way. No wonder, People like P. J. Chowdhary are a happy lot. Chowdhary, a police sub inspector in

Netherlands holds the record of 43 ton per hectare in 176 days crop period. Chowdhary has however achieved the fete in just 120 days. The proud Chowdhary, who got a whopping Rs 9.75 a kg price ex-farm for his 1200 ton sale to a Rajkot based wafer manufacturing company is naturally ecstatic and would like to see his name in a record book. Like Chowdhary, Dr Patel and his associate Dr N. Singh are also enthused as the Deesa potato research station has been adjudged best in the entire country by ICAR.

Kasab Guilty Continued from page 1 The witnesses included many survivors of the terror attacks, eyewitnesses, family members of the victims, police officials, several foreign nationals, Indian security officials and officials from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Nikam argued that Kasab is a highly trained and motivated member of the Pakistani terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) who underwent months of training in weapons and intelligence so he could execute the well-planned attack on Mumbai. Nikam also relied on scores of witness testimonies in a bid to establish Kasab's role in the killing of innocents at CST and Cama Hospital, the

gunning down of senior policemen in Badruddin Tyabji Lane and the final gunbattle at Marine Drive. The prosecution's main argument had been that Kasab is a cold-blooded killer whose guilt has been established both through human accounts of the night of November 26, 2008, as well as forensic evidence in the form of DNA reports. The case against Ansari and Shaikh revolved around Kasab's confession to magistrate R V Sawant Waghule in February 2009. Kasab had said that the duo supplied maps of Mumbai to LeT bosses. Thus, they gave logistical support to carry out the attack. In his defence, Kasab

had maintained that he was an innocent Pakistani who was picked up several days prior to the attack. He has insisted that the terrorist caught on CCTV is not him but a lookalike. He also rubbished all witness testimonies as tutored and given at the behest of police officials. Both Ansari and Shaikh had denied all wrongdoing. Their main argument is why would the LeT rely upon crude maps allegedly supplied by them when far more sophisticated versions were easily available on the internet. After the arrest of American David Coleman Headley, they also argued that recce work for the attack was done by him and they had been framed needlessly in the case.

Asian Voice - Saturday Saturday 8th May 2010

Direct access to Headley soon, US assures India Washington: India will get direct access to 26/11 conspirator David Headley soon, that's what America's Attorney General Eric Holder has told India's Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium at a meeting they had in Washington. A statement released by the Indian Embassy in the United States says: "Gopal Subramanium along with the

Roundup China lifts entry ban on HIV/AIDS infected foreigners Beijing: The Chinese Government has lifted a 20year-old rule that banned foreigners with HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and leprosy from entering the country. According to a statement released by China's State Council, the decision was taken after realizing that it did little to prevent the spread of disease and caused problems when the country was hosting international events. The statement further said the lifting of the ban would not bring an outbreak of disease in the country, as scientific research has proved daily contact does not cause infection. Chinese Health Ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an said the groundwork for lifting the ban had began since the Beijing Olympic Games, but it took a few more years because of the necessary procedures, the Xinhua news agency reports. The revision comes days ahead of the opening of the Shanghai World Expo. Earlier, the government had temporarily lifted the ban for various large-scale events, including the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Indian-origin man wins SA's top national award Pretoria: An Indian-origin man who founded a humanitarian aid organisation that has provided relief to people worldwide has received one of South Africa's highest honours. Imtiaz Sooliman, who started the Gift of the Givers Foundation more than a decade ago, received the Order of the Baobab in Silver from President Jacob Zuma at a function in the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria last week. The awards are given out to deserving recipients each year to mark the public holiday of Freedom Day, April 27, when South Africa's first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela was sworn into office in 1994. The Order of the Baobab recognises South African citizens who have contributed to community service, business and economy, science, medicine and technological innovation. Sooliman's citation indicated that he was being honoured "For his excellent contribution through the Gift of the Givers Foundation to humanitarian aid in South Africa and humanitarian relief missions in various countries."

Indian doctor killed by stalker in US New York: An Indian doctor at the School of Medicine at the Ivy League Yale University was murdered outside his residence in a quiet Connecticut town apparently by a former colleague from a New York hospital who stalked him over an earlier dispute. The victim, 34year-old Vajinder Pal Toor, lived in Branford, and was a post-doctoral fellow at Yale's Medical School. The suspect, 44-year-old Chinese national Lishan Wang, has been arrested by the local police and charged with murder and attempt to murder. Wang's last known address was in an Atlanta suburb, Marietta. He is originally from Beijing. The incident occurred as Dr Toor was headed towards his car at the condo complex where he lived in the suburb of New Haven, where the university is located. The gunman shot Dr Toor multiple times but failed in his attempt to shoot his wife, Parneeta, who is five-months pregnant. The Toors have a three-year-old child. Wang was apprehended while driving away in his red minivan about a mile from Toor's residence.

Woman survives after 2,700 shots fired at her

Mexico: More than 2,700 bullets were fired at a Mexican official in a failed attempt on her life, an official has said. Public safety secretary Minerva Bautista Gomez, who was wounded in the attack in the western state of Michoacan, "is now stable and she'll leave the hospital very soon", the official said . The secretary was attacked on a Michoacan highway that had been blocked with a trailer by the hit men. Two of her bodyguards and two civilians were killed in the attack, while Bautista and nine others were wounded. A cartel called La Familia Michoacana operates in Michoacan, and has been involved in several fights with other criminal organisations for control of the state.

Ambassador of India to the United States, Meera Shankar met with the Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder and other Department of Justice representatives, followed by detailed discussions. The two partners agreed to take suitable steps to bring about direct access by Indian authorities to David Headley as soon as possible.â&#x20AC;?

Court martial proceedings against Sarath Fonseka suspended Colombo: Sri Lanka's court of appeal on Monday suspended a court martial against former army chief Sarath Fonseka, who tried to unseat the president in elections earlier this year. The court ordered the military tribunal that began hearings against Fonseka in March to halt its work until a decision has been made on the validity of the military's legal proceedings. Fonseka, who was defeated at January presidential elections by the incumbent, Mahinda Rajapakse, was arrested

Sarath Fonseka

soon after the polls and charged with engaging in politics before he quit the army in November. He also faces a second court martial on charges of corrupt military pro-

curements. He says both sets of charges are part of a political vendetta. Fonseka last year led the military to victory over Tamil Tiger rebels, ending decades of ethnic conflict on the island, but he and Rajapakse later fell out. He remains detained at Colombo's naval headquarters, from where he contested parliamentary elections in April, winning a seat in the 225-member assembly. "The suspension of the first court martial is a big victory for General Fonseka," fellow legislator Tiran Alles said to a news

agency. "Now that we have this decision we will file another appeal to suspend the second court martial." A court martial hearing scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled because it clashed with a sitting of parliament, a military source said, adding that Fonseka would be escorted to parliament, as he was for the first session. The Supreme Court earlier refused to order Fonseka's release from military custody pending a slew of cases filed by him and his wife Anoma challenging the legality of the military courts.

Nepal cities face food shortages on third day of Maoist strike

Kathmandu: People across Nepal faced shortages of food and other essential items on Tuesday on the third day of a general strike by Maoists demanding the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resignation. Businesses were unable to bring fresh supplies to the capital Kathmandu and other cities across the Himalayan nation. The capital was cut off from the rest of the country and tens of thousands of Maoist supporters brought in for protests also strained limited sup-

Maoist supporters hold flags during the third day of an indefinite nationwide strike in Kathmandu on Tuesday

plies. Maoist protestors vandalized several shops in Kathmandu, accusing the owners of defying their strike.

The strike forced the closure of all ground transport, shops, markets and banks for the third consecutive day.

Canada police suspect Sikh woman might have killed her babies Toronto: A 28-year-old Sikh woman was found dead along with her three infants in Calgary in October last year. Now the Canadian police suspect that the mother might have killed the babies herself in depression. Harsimrat Kahlon (alias Simmi Kahlon) was found dead in the home in October 2009. Family members subsequently found the bodies of three

infants hidden in sealed plastic bags and suitcases around the basement unit she shared with her partner. The mystery surrounding the four deaths was revealed on Thursday when police said the mother died of complications related to childbirth. It was still unclear how the newborns died. However, police said the case "has many of the characteristics of infanti-

cide" due to the physical and psychological evidence they gathered. Kahlon's diary entries reflect a long history of mental illnesses. She suffered from borderline personality disorder, said forensic psychologist Dr Thomas Dalby. "It was clear that she was significantly depressed at times, looked at herself as worthless, and had lost her will for life," said Dalby.

Domestic airlines said they had been forced to cut flights by as much as 70 per cent as passengers were unable to reach airports. The strike and growing polarization between the Maoists and the other political groups threatened the nearly four-year peace process that ended the decade-long communist insurgency. The latest crisis began nearly a year ago after the Maoist-led government collapsed in a power struggle with the president.

Canada gets its first porn channel Toronto: Canada, which is home to the world's first Naked News channel, finally joins the US and other western nations in getting its first full-fledged pornography TV channel. Called Vanessa, the French-language porn channel will start airing from Oct 28. Though to be broadcast nationally, it will mainly target Quebec which is the Frenchspeaking province of Canada.

We have 5,113 nuclear warheads, reveals US Washington: The United States revealed for the first time on Monday that it has a total of 5,113 nuclear warheads in its stockpile, saying the move would bolster arms control efforts. "It is in our national security interest to be as transparent as we can be about the nuclear program of the United States," secretary of state Hillary Clinton said as the Pentagon unveiled figures long shrouded in secrecy. "We think that builds

confidence, brings more people to an understanding of what President (Barack) Obama and this administration are trying to do," she said. Releasing the details of the arsenal would bolster arms control efforts as well as attempts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, she said. Clinton acknowledged there had been "numerous debates" inside the administration over whether to reveal the figures. "As of September 30,

2009, the US stockpile of nuclear weapons consisted of 5,113 warheads," the Pentagon said in a statement. The number included active warheads ready for deployment at short notice and "inactive" warheads maintained at a depot in a "non-operational status," it said. The figure represented an 84 per cent reduction from the arsenal at its peak of 31,255 in 1967 during the Cold War, and a 75 per cent reduction from late 1989 when the Berlin

Wall fell. The US government last disclosed details of the stockpile in 1993, releasing figures current up to 1961. Clinton said releasing the figures was not "in any way in opposition to our nuclear security" and that experts had already estimated the US stockpile. A US defense official said the administration hoped more transparency from Washington would set a standard that would encourage countries to be more open.

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Mehsud resurfaces on video, threatens strikes on US Islamabad: Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, who was believed to have been be killed in January, vowed attacks on the US in a new video dated early April, the SITE monitoring group said on Monday. "The time is very near when our fidaeen (soldiers) will attack the American states in the major cities," Mehsud said in the Internet video alleged to have been

made on April 4, SITE reported. Mehsud was reported to have been killed in a US bombing raid in January, but some reports last week quoted Pakistani intelligence officials as saying he had survived the strike. Another video allegedly from Mehsud's Tehreek-e-Taliban claimed it was behind an attempted car bombing in New York at the weekend.

Pak moves 100,000 troops from border with India In focus Pentagon says mass shifting shows that Pakistan is highly concerned about internal insurgency and growing terrorism threats within the country Islamabad: Pakistan has moved 1,00,000 troops from its borders with India, thinning the lines, to bolster its campaign against Taliban and other militants on its restive border with Afghanistan, the Pentagon said last week. The mass shifting of troops is an acknowledgement of the fact that terrorism and internal insurgency were posing more threat to Pakistan now, the Pentagon said in a report to the US Congress. "More than 1,00,000 PAKMIL troops were

moved from the eastern border with India. This unprecedented deployment and thinning of the lines against India indicates that Islamabad has acknowledged its domestic insurgent threat," the department said in its latest report on Afghanistan. The Pentagon did not specify the regions' from where the troops had been pulled out, but said it estimated that more than 1,40,000 Pakistani forces were now taking part in the ongoing offensive against the Taliban in Pakistan's semi-

autonomous tribal region, known as FATA. The US defence department while acknowledging that Pakistani military operations in tribal areas of NWFP had placed "a high degree of pressure on militants and reduced their safe havens", but was unlikely to have an immediate impact on the US-led war in Afghanistan. The Pentagon report said that there was a broad syndicate of extremist groups operating in the AfPak region with multiple short and long term

goals. It identified the groups as al Qaeda, Tehreek-eTaliban and Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT) which it said threatened security of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and elsewhere. Pentagon said Pakistan military crackdown so far has focussed only on internal threats, but outlined that these could be more productive depending on how they evolve in future. It acknowledged that Pak military had suffered attacks from terrorists in response to its successful operations.

SC dares govt again, demotes 54 bureaucrats Islamabad: In a move that could exacerbate tensions between the judiciary and the PPP-led government in Pakistan, the supreme court last week nullified the promotion of 54 senior bureaucrats by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. The apex court announced its verdict in a suo moto case that was initiated on the basis of a letter written by Tariq Azizuddin, Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkey. Azizuddin, who was among officials who were

superseded, said the promotions made by Gilani sidelined senior bureaucrats. The court said in its judgment that the criteria of honesty, efficiency and incorruptibility were “completely ignored” during the promotions, which also violated several constitutional provisions. It said the 54 bureaucrats were “promoted in complete disregard of the rules, destroying the structure of the services and causing anger, anguish, acrimony, dissatisfaction and diffidence”.

In a statement issued in the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu, where he is attending a Saarc summit, Gilani said his government “respects the judgment of the supreme court... and would implement the decision”. The officers whose promotions were scrapped “need not be disheartened since the government would look after their interests”, he said. Gilani also said the government would not appeal against the apex court’s decision. Tensions between the

ruling Pakistan People’s Party and the supreme court have grown in the past few months as chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has been insisting that the government should implement its verdict to reopen a raft of criminal cases in the wake of the striking down of a graft amnesty that benefited thousands, including PPP chief and President Asif Ali Zardari. The government has not yet implemented the apex court’s directive to reopen graft cases against Zardari in Switzerland.

Musharraf loses privileges in Britain Islamabad: Islamabad: Even as British government decided to withdraw former Pakistan ruler Pervez Musharraf's privileges after a UN inquiry report blamed his government for Benazir Bhutto's assassination in 2007, Islamabad has refused to follow suit. "Musharraf is a former president and it's his right to get official security and protocol," said interior minister Rehman Malik, days after a committee probing the hosing down of Bhutto's assassination scene sought withdrawal of Musharraf's privileges as the former head of the state. Earlier, media reports said the British government has decided to

Pervez Musharraf

withdraw Musharraf's security contingent comprising 3-4 Scotland Yard officers, an armoured vehicle and other benefits. The UN report accused Musharraf and his security agencies of failing to provide security to Bhutto after her return to Pakistan despite threats to her life. The report also singled out

Malik and law minister Babar Awan for abandoning the murder scene. Musharraf's spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry denied reports on the withdrawal of his privileges in Britain. Musharraf has been based in London since he left Pakistan in April 2009. He lives in a luxury apartment, which he purchased while in office, on central London's famous Edgware Road. Besides other privileges, Pakistan government has provided Musharraf a security contingent of 12 army officers of the elite Special Services Group. senators want to meet Musharraf More than 60 Pakistani senators want to meet

Musharraf, according to Major General (retired) Rashid Qureshi. He said that the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N start blaming the former president for Benazir Bhutto's assassination whenever he talks about returning to the country. Speaking to reporters at Karachi Airport, Qureshi said all those people who support Musharraf are part of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML). Replying to a question, he said Musharraf will return to the country after the registration of the All Pakistan Muslim League, which will be done soon.

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China agrees to build two nuclear reactors Beijing: China has agreed to build two new civilian nuclear reactors in Pakistan, a report said last week, amid persistent concerns about the safety of nuclear materials in the restive south Asian state. Chinese companies will build at least two new 650-megawatt reactors at Chashma in Punjab province, a report said. China began building a reactor at Chashma in 1991 and broke ground on a second one in 2005, which is expected to be completed next year, it said. A statement posted on the website of the China National Nuclear Corporation on March 1 said financing for two new reactors at Chashma was agreed by the two sides in February. A spokeswoman for the corporation, which oversees China's civilian and military nuclear programmes, said she was unaware of the deal when contacted. "Our Chinese brothers have once again lived up to our expectations," the report quoted an unidentified Pakistani official as saying of the deal, which would help Pakistan cope with a crippling energy crisis. The report quoted an expert as saying China likely felt emboldened to go ahead with the deal after the United States signed a civilian nuclear agreement with Pakistan's arch-rival India in 2008.

Taliban leader among 29 killed in clashes Islamabad: At least 29 militants, including a senior Taliban leader, were killed on Monday during clashes with security forces in Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials said. Local Taliban leader Pervez Khan was killed along with his 17 aides in an encounter with Pakistan army in Bajaur, a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold, Xinhua reported citing officials. Meanwhile, at least 11 militants were killed by security forces on Monday in nearby Orakzai region, officials said, adding that two security personnel also died in the clashes.Militants opened fire after army personnel asked them to surrender during a search operation at a militant hideout in Ghandu area of Bajaur. After hours of retaliatory firing by the army, 18 militants were killed.Later, a body was recognised as that of Pervez Khan, the third-highest ranked leader of the Pakistani Taliban, also on the most wanted list. Over 600 militants and 18 security personnel have died since the army launched operations in the tribal region in March 2010.

Pakistani-American arrested over failed car bomb New York: A US citizen has been arrested in connection with the failed car bombing in New York's Times Square last weekend but investigators continue to pursue leads, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday. The suspect - identified by Holder as Faisal Shahzad - is of Pakistani origin. The New York Times said the man lives in neighbouring Connecticut and recently returned from a trip to Pakistan. Holder said the suspect was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York as he tried to take a flight to Dubai. Authorities in New York said he would appear in Manhattan Federal Court later. "It's clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans," Holder said. "We continue to gather leads in this investigation, and it's important that the American people remain vigilant." Sources said the arrested man is believed to be the buyer of the 1993 Nissan sport utility vehicle used to carry the crude bomb made of fuel and fireworks into Times Square as it was packed with people on a warm Saturday evening.

8 pilots complete F-16 flying training in US Islamabad: Eight fighter pilots of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) have completed their seven month training for the advance F-16 combat jets. The flying training conducted in Tucson, Arizona included a fighter conversion course on the F-16 C/D aircraft, flight lead upgrade training and instructor pilot certification, reports said. The prime motive behind the training programme was to coach the Pakistani pilots so that they could impart similar training to other pilots back home over how to handle the advanced jets. It may be noted that the US is likely to provide four of the first 18 F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan in June. The fighter jets are part of the 2.9 billion dollar arms package, which includes electronics and weapons upgrades for 34 existing Pakistani F-16s.

EVENTS

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

This week CB will talk about the 50th Anniversary of Gujarat State celebration by NRG Summit and NCGO (UK), Establishment of the foundation stone of Mahatma Gandhi Temple. He will also discuss about the disability benefits and other benefits available to needy people. Mrs Sudhaben Kapashi retired officer of the Department of Works and Pension will explain some of the most common benefits. If you do not have a tv, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

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Kites coming to

Leicester Square, London Bollywood Heartthrob Hrithik Roshan and Mexican beauty Barbara Mori will be joined in UK by fellow cast and crew members of the hugely anticipated international film release, ‘Kites’, for its European Premiere at Odeon West End, Leicester Square on Tuesday 18th May 2010. The stars of one of the most ambitious films to emerge from India will grace the Red Carpet alongside Director Anurag Basu, Producer Rakesh Roshan, Music Director Rajesh Roshan and a host of international A-list celebrities and VIP’s. ‘Kites’ is the widest ever release for any Indian film production to date and heralds a new milestone in international filmmaking. The film is directed by Anurag Basu, one of the most forward-thinking directors to emerge from India, fearless in his vision of breaking the conventions associated with Indian filmmaking. ‘Kites’ stars Hrithik Roshan, one of India’s most idolised artists, who sets screens ablaze with the onscreen chemistry he shares with smoldering Mexican beauty, Barbara Mori, the South American screen icon who has been creating waves across the international film circuit. ‘Kites’ has been produced by veteran of Indian cinema, Rakesh Roshan, with haunting ensemble tracks composed by Rajesh Roshan.

COMPETITION

Coming Events l Director, the Nehru Centre cordially invites to an exclusive evening with Gurinder Chadha OBE with Alkarim Jivani, Saturday 29th May at 6:30pm. Nehru Centre, London W1K 1HF l Adhikamasa samuha sathya Narayana Puja and Katha Adiksya Adikamfalam on Saturday 8th May at Gujarati Arya Association, Leicester LE4 5GG, Contact: 0116 266 8967 l Gurjar Hindu Union Celebrating Param Pujya Shri Rambaba's 90th birthday Dhamecha Suite, Sunday 23rd May, 1pm l Treasures from Budapest: European Masterpieces from Leonardo to Schiele Friday 14th May. 10am Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Picadilly Contact: 020 7300 5615 l The Merchants of Bollywood, Tuesday 18th May- Saturday 5th June Tue-Sunday at 7:30pm, Sat and Sun Mats at 2:30pm, Peacock Theatre, Holborn l The ARCC Classical Tent at Croydon Mela Sunday 1 August 2010, 1.30pm till 6.30pm, free Lloyd Park, CRO 5RD For more details visit www.croydonsummerfestival.org l Southbank Centre 1. Saturday 8 – Sunday 9 May Southbank Centre’s mass participation festival, Chorus! 2. Jeppe Hein Appearing Rooms May - October 2010, Riverside Terrace, Southbank Centre 3. Joanna Newsom with special guest Roy Harper Tuesday 11 May & Wednesday 12 May 2010, Royal Festival Hall, 7.30pm

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 You will be pleased to see that your social life livens up during this week. It is as if a lucky twist of events and something unexpected that will provide you with a key to your heart's desire. There is a definite expansive trend where money is concerned, so do not be surprised if this turns out be a time of lucky breaks. GEMINI May 22 - June 22 All close ties of love and affection will benefit from the gentle influence of Venus. If you are married or have a well-founded relationship, it seems that the pattern of events will somehow draw you closer together emotionally. Those who are not yet totally decided, this is a fine time to do some serious thinking.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 It is essential that you adopt a very open attitude now for this is a time of lucky opportunity and a chance to greatly enrich your working life and at home. New windows on the world are about to open and this will have a maturing effect on you. There is a rather secretive aura surrounding new romance. LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 You will feel energetic and confident as the week begins. New beginnings are favoured around now. Your thinking is inspired, so listen to your thoughts. This may be a time of expansion and it would be unwise to let yourself become complacent. Affairs of the heart are likely to flourish. VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 You may find yourself hard at work behind the scenes, although that may not be apparent to others. You may find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advance on both the inner and outer level. There’s a sparkle to your social life and much enjoyment from being in touch with other people. LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 The fiery planet Mars, continues to occupy your Solar 11th house for some time to come. Its influence will help you to maintain a high energy level and achieve positive results in anything that requires drive and initiative. If you are involved in a fairly competitive field of activity, you will be the one who comes out on top. SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 It's a time of slow and steady progress that can set the stage for a long time to come. Of course, there are still challenging issues on both a personal and practical level. To get here you may have overcome obstacles by making important decision and choices. You will achieve a lot more, by motivating your own desires.

If you want to win a pair of tickets to the Premier, answer this simple question: What is the name of Barbara Mori in the film Kites? a. Linda b. Amanda c. Samantha

You should enjoy a very popular phase in your life where everyone wants to invite you to parties. This will give you a chance to meet people and pursue any romantic liaisons that might present themselves. Your communications are extremely high making it easy to close those lucrative deals.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

Email your correct answer to Rupanjana at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com by Monday 10th May, 5pm with your postal address and full name.

Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Anne Hoose Deputy Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Chief Financial Officer: Surendra Patel Tel: 020 7749 4093 Email: surendra.patel@abplgroup.com Accounts Executive: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Advertising Managers: Alka Shah Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Mobile: 07944 151 893 Email: alka.shah@abplgroup.com Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07957 694 909 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Advertising Sales Executive: Nikhil Gor - Email: nikhil.gor@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4009 Media Consultant: Rovin John George Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 Business Development Managers: Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 - Email: george@abplgroup.com Design and Layout: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Saroj Patel Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad Tel: +9179 2646 Fax: +9179 6061 Chief Executive Director: Kamlesh Amin Tel: +91 922 710 4308 Email: kamleshamin123@yahoo.co.in

A tremendous amount of planetary activity in your chart signals a time of mixed emotions as well as personal issues to be dealt with. Although the very practical affairs of life continue to be highlighted, this does not mean that there will be all work and no play. Your pioneering personality always shows through.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

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You will probably have little cause to complain this week. 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. Try to srike a balance between material and emotional affairs !

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

There seems to be some pressure on financial affairs and maybe a problem to contend with in regard to a joint venture. If you feel that something has been hanging in the balance, whatever happens you will get a clearer picture of the situation eventually. Allow matters to ride as impatience will not give you the whole picture.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 Give top priority to important written work, official matters and vital communications. If you can manage to get away from usual routines, this will not only prove to be highly enjoyable but it will have a decidedly beneficial effect on your physical and psychological well-being. Loved ones will be looking after you.

time

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

C R O s s W O R D - 86 1

22 26

28 35

40 45

47 50 53

51 54

65 69

Across

Little demons Manuel’s cash Swedish auto Spanish surrealist Stretch of land Sch. for Bruins Chopin song to Caesar’s Persia, today Behave Huge Show up for

19 20 21 22

1 5 10 14 15 16 17

39 42

52 59

24 26 28 30 34 37 39 40 41 43 44 46 47

Cleansing routine “Dallas” Materiarch Actress Archer Secondhand ride Down Undergem E pluribus___ Kind of queen? Upright stake Aussie’s friends Type of collar Famous fair lady Twisted Aide to an exec.

Otf the shore Part of a poppy Ocean motions Move it Rival of Athens Sounds from the dovecote 63 Run up a tab 64 Highway subdivision 65 When King David sang? 68 Feed the Kitty 69 Actress Shire 70 Muppet with a unibrow 71 Better than better 72 Graceful birds 73 Long to see again Down 1 R&D output 2 Fire starter 3 Former planet 4 Punk rocker Vicious 5 J. Ringling’s partner 6 Goofs up 7 Fry lightly 8 10 of dates 9 Commits theft 10 Handel’s rveries? 11 Land measure 12 King or Ladd

The person who says it cannot be done should not _____ the person doing it.(9)

solution of scramble - 53

How to play

Now arrange the letters in the circles to form the answer to the riddle or to fill in the missing word as indicated

EFNIT FLUENT KNsYPU

62 66 67

AWERR

55 56 57 58 59 60

Rearrange the letters in the four word jumbles, one letter to each square/circle, to make four ordinary words

45 49 51 53

Wedding token __as we speak Even-Steven Strauss’s NYC setting? Units of light Empower Webber hit Famous cookie maker Tirade Oil cartel Equestrian game China’s land Shoshone One of the U.S. Virgin Islands Plugging away Conforms as needed Vane reading La ___ (Milan opera house) Acress Marisa Water pitchers Aeries Thick slice Window section Uninvited kitchen crawlers Lena of “Alias” Workbench cutter Big Blue

Solution of Crossword-85

sCRAMBLE - 54

13 18 23 25 27 29 31 32 33 34 35 36 38 42

48 50 52 54 58 61

N I

WHATZIT? - 86

sPELLATHON - 86

Find the familiar phrase, saying or name in this arrangement of letters.

Today’s Ratings: 04-average | 05-good | 06-outstanding

LOOP THE LOOP - 54

MINDBENDER - 86 A potato’s key tool, I have all the power. I am generrally used on the half or full hour. If my cells were deceased or lost or the such, mypartner would only respond to your touch. What am I?

A T

K R

s Y

Sollution-85

solution of spellathon - 85 :

A stitch in time

fief, fife, fire, fish, fisher,fresh, rife, serf, serif, SHERIEF 20

KAKURO - 86

Example

solution of 85 : 4!*4!+4-sqrt(4)-578

sudoku-86 6

How many words of four or more letters can you make from the letters shown in today’s puzzle? In making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each word must contain the central letter. There should be at least one seven-letter word. Plurals, foreign words and proper names are not allowed. British English Dictionary is used as reference.

The numbers in the pink squares refer to the sums of the digits that you must fill into the empty spaces directly below or to the right of the pink square containing the number. For instance, in the given example, the 2 boxes below 12 must contain 2 digits that add upto 12, whereas for 20, the 3 boxes places horizontally next to it must add upto 20. No zeroes are used here, only the digits one through nine.

solution of KAKURO - 85

Rules Connect adjacent dots with vertical or horizontal lines, creating a single loop. (Fig A). Crossovers or branches are not allowed 3 3 (As shown by dotted lines in Fig B). 0 3 2 1 3 Numbers in the puzzle indicate the 3 2 3 number of lines that should 2 2 1 surround it, while empty cells may 1 2 1 2 be surrounded by any number of 2 2 1 lines. You can’t draw lines arround 1 3 2 3 3 zeroes. Each puzzle has just one unique solution. How to begin: Example (Fig A) - Begin with the zero next to 3. Since no lines can be drawn around zero, mark crosses around it, as shown. Now there is a cross in one space around 3. So we know the three lines of 3 can only be drawn in the remaining three spaces. Next these lines can only be extended in one direction each. Continue, using the same Solution of LTL No. 53 logic. x Hints: Keep elimix 2 x x x 2 nating possibilix x x x x ties by marking x x 2 2 crosses in x x x x spaces between 3 x 1 3 2 2 x 2 x 2 x dots where a line x x isn’t possible, x 2 x 0 x x 1 x 2 3 i.e., if you have x x x x already completx 3 2 x 3 3 ed required lines x x x x or where a line x x 2 x 2 x 3 extension may x x x create a branch x 2 x 2 x 1 x 3 2 or cause a deadx end (Fig B)

Words: Buses, penal/plane, occult, thorax. Answer: If you’re never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances

pass

8 4

3 4

9 2

3 6

solution of sudoku-85 HOW TO PLAY Each row, column and square 3x3 box is a subgrid of 9 cells. Fill in the grid so that each sub-grid contains the digits 1 to 9. Every puzzle has one solution. Note:

A digit cannot appear more than once in any particular digit combination. For instance in the example, we cannot have the combination of 8+4+8 for 20.

HEALTH WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

'Green' exercise 'boosts mental health' Just five minutes of exercise in a "green space" such as a park can boost mental health, researchers claim. There is growing evidence that combining activities such as walking or cycling with nature boosts well-being. In the latest analysis, UK researchers looked at evidence from 1,250 people in 10 studies and found fast improvements in mood and self-esteem. The study in the Environmental Science and Technology journal suggested the strongest impact was on young people. The research looked at many different outdoor activities including walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horseriding and farming in locations such as a park, garden or nature trail. The biggest effect was seen within just five minutes. With longer periods of time exercising in a green environment, the positive effects were clearly apparent but were of a smaller magnitude, the

study found. Looking at men and women of different ages, the researchers found the health changes - physical and mental - were particularly strong in the young and the mentally-ill. A bigger effect was seen with exercise in an area that also contained water - such as a lake or river. Study leader Jules Pretty, a researcher at the University of Essex, said those who were generally inactive, or stressed, or with mental illness would probably benefit the most from "green exercise". "Employers, for example, could encourage staff in stressful workplaces to take a short walk at lunchtime in the nearest park to improve mental health." He also said exercise programmes outdoors could benefit youth offenders. "A challenge for policy makers is that policy recommendations on physical activity are easily stated but rarely adopted widely."

Green space is important for mental health

Paul Farmer, chief executive of mental health charity Mind, said the research is yet further evidence that even a short period of green exercise can provide a low cost and drug-free therapy to help improve mental wellbeing. "It's important that people experiencing depression

Chillis, the red hot way of losing weight

can be given the option of a range of treatments, and we would like to see all doctors considering exercise as a treatment where appropriate." Mind runs a grant scheme for local environmental projects to help people with mental illness get involved in outdoor activities.

Probiotics can help premature infants gain weight There is now a way for extremely low birth weight infants to gain weight. They should be given feeds supplemented with probiotics -- healthy, live organism supplements that provide benefit to the host -- say researchers. Probiotic means "for life" in Latin. Their effect on digestive health and immune function has been studied. Mohamad Al-Hosni and colleagues from three medical centres, in collaboration with Vermont Oxford Network in the US, evaluated the effect of supplementing enteral (tube) feedings with probiotics in extremely premature infants who weighed 2 pounds, 2

ounces or less. They hypothesised that infants who received probioticsupplemented feedings would tolerate larger volumes of feeding per day, grow faster and require fewer days of antimicrobial treatment than those in the control group. Fifty infants received 500 million units of probiotics while 51 infants received feedings with no probiotics. Results showed superior weight gain in infants who received the probiotics even though the average daily volume of their feedings was less than infants in the control group. No side effects were seen as a result of probiotic supplementa-

Bacteria found in probiotics could help premature babies gain weight

tion, according to AlHosni, assistant professor of paediatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Al-Hosni concluded

that larger clinical trials are needed to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of probiotic supplementation to enteral feeding in this group of infants.

Study: Fish oil supplements do not boost children's brain power Parents who buy fish oil tablets to boost their children’s brain power are wasting their money, the largest study of its kind suggests. An analysis of primary school pupils found that reading, spelling and handwriting were not improved by taking omega-3 ‘clever capsules’. It contradicts a raft of other research which has credited the pills and powders with boosting mental ability and exam grades. But the academics say their study is more thorough than many others. Rather than just giving fish oils to all the children, some were given dummy pills instead, a technique that allows for a truer pic-

ture of any resulting benefits. For four months, 450 children aged eight to ten at 18 schools in South Wales took either omega-3 supplements or placebos. The children, parents, teachers and even the researchers were unaware of who had taken what until the end of the study. The results of a battery of tests revealed the fish oil pills did not improve the youngsters’ work – although it did appear that those taking them were more attentive. Researchers also found that around 30 of the 450 children had very low levels of omega-3 fat in their blood to begin with. Researcher Professor

Amanda Kirby said the study was bigger than any other of its kind. She said that while supplements might help some youngsters who have trouble concentrating in class, the conclusion for parents of children who are not having problems at school is that healthy eating is all that is needed. She said: ‘The primary

HEALTH WATCH IN BRIEF

message always has got to be to start with a good diet. We have to look at eating more fish and less processed food. It is not just that children are eating less fish, they are eating more rubbish as well. If children have a relatively varied diet and don’t seem to have problems, it is probably not going to help them.’

Eating chillis can make you lose weight by speeding up your metabolism and burning fat, scientists have found. Researchers claim that heat generated by the spicy food oxidises layers of fat as well as increasing metabolism. And those with mild taste buds can also benefit from peppers without having to endure the stinging aftertaste. An equivalent of the main ingredient, capsaicin, has been found in non-spicy varieties of the food as well. Researchers at the University of California studied the effects of chillis on the diet after becoming intrigued at

the manner in which the spicy fruits make those who eat them sweat. They fed 34 men and women a low-calorie diet, supplemented with either non-hot versions of pepper or placebo pills. They found that levels of energy expended by those given the highest amounts of capsaicin were almost double those of the triallists who had been given the placebo.

Good night's sleep key to healthy and long life Getting a good night's sleep could be a lifesaver. Those of us who manage between six and eight hours of shut-eye a night are more likely to live longer and have better health, a study has found. Researchers say the best length for a nightly sleep is around seven hours - the time spent in bed by most Britons. Their findings provide the most convincing evidence yet of a link between too little sleep and an increased risk of early death. Around one third of the UK adult population regularly sleeps five hours or less a night. Researchers from the University of Warwick and the Federico II

University in Naples studied the nightly habits of thousands of people and found poor sleepers are 12 per cent more likely to die prematurely than those who get six to eight hours. Long sleepers could also be in trouble if they regularly exceed nine hours a night. While over-sleeping does not in itself increase the risk of death, it can be a significant marker of an underlying serious illness. The findings published in journal Sleep today coincide with the release of a separate American study that found older people tend to sleep better - the opposite of what was previously thought.

Study: women diabetics 25% more at risk of cancer Women with diabetes are more likely to develop cancer - but men with the same condition appear to be at no greater risk. A study found women with type 2 diabetes have up to a 25 per cent higher risk of contracting cancer than nondiabetics. Diabetes has long been associated with a bigger risk of developing other health problems, including heart disease. Previous research had suggested a link with cancer but it was assumed to be the same for both sexes. The latest study at Tel Aviv University Medical School - which monitored 17,000 diabetics found male patients were far less likely than healthy men to develop prostate cancer - which meant there was no rise in their overall cancer

risk. The women, however, were found to be particularly more at risk from colon and genital organ cancers, giving them an overall higher cancer risk of 25 per cent. Cases of type 2 diabetes are rising rapidly. Nine out of ten with diabetes have type 2 which occurs when the body gradually loses the ability to process blood sugar, leading to levels which can damage organs.

SPort worLd

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

Australia pulverise Pakistan Defending champs lose by 34 runs

A fresh looking Australia served notice to all the contenders at the T20 World Cup on Sunday, as they beat the defending champions Pakistan emphatically. Shane Watson and David Hussey scored breezy half centuries to help Australia put a challenging 192 run target for the opponents, while Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes made life miserable for the Pakistan batsmen, taking 3 wickets a piece. Under their new leader Michael Clarke, the Australians wear a fresh look about them in this tournament. They are also equipped with some very handy specialists in the squad. They went about their

Mitchell Johnson and the rest celebrate a strike at on Monday

opening game in merciless fashion, echoing their dominance over Pakistan months earlier. Brutal half-centuries from Shane Watson and David Hussey set them up, before equally brutal pace shoved aside Pakistan's batsmen. It was

Pakistan's tenth international defeat in a row against Australia. Pakistan looked schizophrenic with the ball; Afridi was again poor and the decision to bowl Hafeez even poorer. Hafeez and Sami went for

101 runs between them. But Mohammad Aamer and Ajmal were exemplary, pulling back some respect at the very end as seven wickets fell in the last four overs, while the last over turned out to be a remarkable five-wicket maiden. Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes and Mitchell Johnson will trouble all but the very best on any surface. Tait and Nannes were too much for Pakistan's top order and the trio picked up a wicket each in their first spells; Tait in particular was sharp. {Brief scores: OZ 191 (Watson 81, D Hussey 53, Aamer 3-23) beat Pak 157 (Misbah 41, Tait 3-20, Nannes 3-41) by 34 runs}.

Jayawardne century makes Zimbabwe toil Rains, D/L made Sri Lanka winners by 14 runs If Sunday belonged to Suresh Raina of India, Monday belonged to Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka, as he too recorded his first ton in the T20s. The Lankan scored exact a 100 and helped his team pile up 173 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. It was a daunting task for the Zimbabweans as the Providence wicket was a slower one, with low bounce, making batting a challenge. Again, rains also played the spoilsport between the Sri Lanka – Zimbabwe match, but the D/L did not apparently alter the likely result, as Sri Lanka were declared the winners, beating Zimbabwe by 14 runs. The match had to be called off after the second rain interruption, when just 5 overs of the Zimbabwe

SA to play Pakistan in UAE in October South Africa has agreed to play a Test and one-day international series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in October (UAE), following an agreement between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA). An MOU has been signed between the cricket authorities of both the countries, according to a PCB official. The exact dates would be finalised soon. “South Africa has agreed to play at Abu Dhabi and Dubai and we are also considering to hold matches in Sharjah,” PCB official was by a newspaper. He said that the proposed series would include three Tests, five ODIs and a T20 match. South African had earlier refused to tour Pakistan due to the precarious security situation in the country.

Lasith Malinga runs out Hamilton Masakadza at Guyana on Monday

innings were bowled. Mahela Jayawardene, the touch artist sparkled with a delightful ton. A heavy downpour after one over into the chase left Zimbabwe needing 104 from 11 initially, but it rained again to terminate

the match after five overs were completed. Sri Lanka won on the D\L method as Zimbabwe only reached 29 for 1 when the par score was 43. The rains stayed away, however, until Jayawardene treated the

sparse crowd to a charming knock. Only one other batsman in Sri Lanka's top six touched double digits; it said much about the pitch and the form of the other batsmen but most importantly it highlighted Jayawardene’s mastery. There wasn't a single shot in violence. Not one looked ugly. Not for a moment did Mahela look hurried. And yet, his strike-rate was over 150. It was such a graceful knock that it stood out amid the violence that this format usually brings in batsmen. Even the likes of Kumar Sangakkara struggled. Zimbabwe perhaps erred by not starting with two spinners. {Brief scores: SL 173 for 7 (Jayawardene 100) beat Zim (29 for 1) by 14 runs (D/L method)}.

NZ book last 8 spot, Zimbabwe bow out

With rain disruptions continuing even on Tuesday, Zimbabwe bowed out of the World Cup T20, becoming the first team to be eliminated, while New Zealand booked their Super Eights spot with a 7 run win. Zimbabwe, after making a sprightly start, collapsed spectacularly - losing eight wickets for sixteen runs - to make New Zealand's path to the

Super Eights easy. For Zimbabwe, the entire campaign in the West Indies lasted only 48.2 overs. They were all out for a meager 84 runs, and New Zealand required to score less than 30 runs, but had piled up 36 for 1, making the calculations easy. On the field, Nathan McCullum was the hero for New Zealand again.

After his all-round heroics against Sri Lanka on Friday, he swept through the Zimbabwe middleorder to collect his second successive Man-of-theMatch award. Zimbabwe’s was the second shortest completed innings in T20s. {Brief scores: NZ 36 for 1 beat Zim 84 (McCullum 3-16, Styris 35) by 7 runs by D/L method}.

ICC World T20 - Points table Team Group A Australia Pakistan Bangladesh Group B Sri Lanka New Zealand Zimbabwe Group C India South Africa Afghanistan Group D West Indies England Ireland

Matches

Won

Lost

Tied

N/R

Pts

Net RR

1 2 1

1 1 0

0 1 1

0 0 0

2 2 0

+1.700 -0.325 -1.050

2 1 1

1 1 0

1 0 1

0 0 0

2 2 0

+0.355 +0.258 -2.800

2 1 1

2 0 0

0 1 1

0 0 0

4 0 0

+1.495 -0.700 -2.070

2 1 1

2 0 0

0 1 1

0 0 0

4 0 0

+2.780 -0.452 -3.500

Injury continues to plague OZ pacer Brett Lee Ryan Harris picked up to replace him for the World T20 Even as he announced retirement from Test Cricket, trying to keep his international career afloat, Brett Lee suffers yet another injury sidelining him from the all important World T20 tournament. Ryan Harris was picked up to replace Lee and ICC announced the acceptance of the same. The veteran pacer, playBrett Lee ing in the warm up match against Zimbabwe last week on Tuesday, felt severe pain in his right elbow. He was found to have strained his forearm muscle. It was decided that since Lee would not be able to recover in time to play the World T20, he should be replaced. This was a new injury and will need specialist opinion when Brett Lee returns to Australia.

Lanka lose Murali to injury Legendary spinner out after just 1 match Sri Lanka lost the crucial opening game and also one of its seasoned campaigners, Muttiah Muralitharan. The offie suffered a serious strain in his right adductor muscle while playing in their first competitive game against New Zealand at Guyana on Friday. The team also lost the match, proving a double Muttiah Muralitharan blow to their chances to sail through in the next – Super 8 stage of the World T20. A statement by the Sri Lanka Cricket in Colombo, released on Monday said Murali would not be able to play in the rest of the World T20. No replacement has been named yet. The offie is the vice captain of the team. Tommy Simsek, physiotherapist said Murali will need rest for two to three weeks.

Women’s World T20 match schedule The ICC Women’s World Cup T20 has also started earlier this week in the West Indies. 12 league matches will be played between the 8 teams playing the tournament. The league matches will be played at Basseterre, St Kitts. The two semi finals will be played at Gros Islet, St Lucia while the final will be staged at Bridgetown, Barbados. Date Match Wed 05 May West Indies v/s South Africa Wed 05 May Australia v/s England Thu 06 May Pakistan v/s Sri Lanka Thu 06 May India v/s New Zealand Fri 07 May Australia v/s South Africa Fri 07 May West Indies v/s England Sat 08 May India v/s Pakistan Sat 08 May New Zealand v/s Sri Lanka Sun 09 May England v/s South Africa Sun 09 May West Indies v/s Australia Mon 10 May New Zealand v/s Pakistan Mon 10 May India v/s Sri Lanka Thu 13 May 1st Semi-Final Fri 14 May 2nd Semi-Final Sun 16 May Final

English Premier League Matches Sunday, 9 May Arsenal v/s Fulham Emirates Stadium Aston Villa v/s Blackburn Villa Park Bolton v/s Birmingham Reebok Stadium Burnley v/s Tottenham Turf Moor Chelsea v/s Wigan Stamford Bridge Everton v/s Portsmouth Goodison Park Hull v/s Liverpool Kingston Comms Stadium Man Utd v/s Stoke Old Trafford West Ham v/s Man City Boleyn Ground Wolverhampton v/s Sunderland Molineux

16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00

Asian Voice - Saturday 8th May 2010

India book Super Eights berth, beat SA

Rain, D/L beat England in World T20 West Indies sail through to the Super Eights

Suresh Raina becomes first Indian to score a T20 ton

It was a Suresh Raina Sunday at St. Lucia. He had the honour to become the first Indian batsman to register a T20 century. That the occasion was the T20 World Cup and the opponents were South Africa made all the more memorable. India beat the rivals by 14 runs and booked their berth in the Super Eights, having already won against minnows Afghanistan on Saturday in their first match. Though he did struggle initially, latter he sizzled. Of the 101 runs that he piled up, 82 came of the last 38 balls that he faced. It is also important that only two others had scored centuries in the T20s. For India, it was a welcome sign that Yuvraj Singh came back to form. India amassed 186 runs and it was always a difficult target on a difficult pitch as well as a huge and slow outfield. South Africa's reply, in the face of a four-spinner Indian attack - without using Yuvraj - was even poor. Jacques Kallis and Smith struggled, they were even hesitant to take risks. Their run-rate crossed six an over for the first time in the 11th over, and it was too late by then, despite some late hitting from Kallis. For India too, the start was almost similar. Yet unlike South Africa they threw away the caution at a more appropriate time. With two early wickets gone and both Raina and Yuvraj struggling to present the middle of the bat, India were 43 after eight overs. Although the odd mis-hit remained a feature of the partnership, the sweet shots grew in frequency and India got 143 in the next 12 overs. The introduction of spin, when Raina was 19 off 22 and Yuvraj 5 off 9, was what turned it around. In the ninth over, Roelof van der Merwe's first and only, Raina played two lovely insideout drives to get six off two deliveries, and Yuvraj slog-swept to get six off one. That was trigger enough to shed away inhibitions. The first ball of the next over, Raina guessed a back-of-a-length delivery, backed away and slogged Kallis for six. His

Suresh Raina congratulates Piyush Chawla after he removed Jacques Kallis at Gros Islet on Sunday

best shot was when he made room against a near yorker from Albie Morkel in the next over and squeezed it wide of point for four. Yuvraj too had found his timing back, and took the lead in scoring, playing the effortless pickups, short-arm pulls, and the inside-out shots. Rory Kleinveldt, who got Murali Vijay in the first over and Yuvraj later, was the one who suffered the most in the last overs. In the 18th over, he was hit to such varied areas as midwicket, extra cover, straight over his head, and over long-off. 25 came off that over, during which Raina moved from 75 to 93. He reached his century with a slogged six in the final over, which went for 19. Raina will cherish this knock all the more because the pitch interested a variety of bowlers. South Africa had managed to assume a strong posi-

tion with their hit-thedeck bowlers, India were about to do so with the spinners. Harbhajan Singh bowled the first over, Yusuf Pathan was introduced inside the Powerplay, and Loots Bosman was out of his depth on the slow pitch. With both Kallis and Smith struggling, by the time the first piece of enterprise came, a slogswept six from Smith in the 11th over, the required run-rate had reached 13. By the time Kallis reached his fifty, off 45 balls, they were needing 15.5 in each of the six overs to come. Suddenly Kallis exploded, hitting three sixes in the next two overs. It seemed for the second time in 40 overs a batsman was about to put behind him the struggles and play a decisive knock. Yet, there were just too many risks required, and one of them claimed

Kallis, leaving 59 to get off 21. The requirement was comfortable enough for India to be able to experiment: Praveen Kumar bowled just one over, for three runs. With two straight wins, India stormed to the second round as the table leaders. Afghanistan go down fighting against India Afghanistan certainly weren't overawed, but struggled against shortpitched deliveries, losing five out of their eight wickets to bouncers. As promised India played as they would against a top team, setting up an easy chase and finishing it solidly - without flair and major hiccups. Noor Ali, compact against the quicks and happy to use his feet against spinners, was Afghanistan's best batsman by a fair distance, helping them recover from 29 for 3 with a near run-aball fifty. As a fielding unit, they looked like they belonged: tall left-armer Shapoor Zadran's pace impressed, as did the spin of Mohammabi Nabi and Samiullah Shenwari. {Brief scores: India’s 2nd match - India 186 for 5 (Raina 101, Yuvraj 37) beat SA 172 for 5 (Kallis 73) by 14 runs. India’s 1st match - India 116 for 3 (Vijay 48) beat Afghanistan 115 for 8 (Noor 50, Nehra 3-19) by 7 wickets}.

Chris Gayle is congratulated by his team-mates after removing Michael Lumb at Guyana on Monday

In a span of less than a year, England lost a second T20 contest against the West Indies in the World Cup. With the dramatic win on Monday, West Indies booked their Super Eights berth, while England will have to ensure that they win their Tuesday’s group D encounter against Ireland to keep their chances alive. Chris Gayle, the West Indies skipper made the right decision after calling the coin correctly, asking England to bat first. England notched up their best T20 score of 191 for 5 wickets, with Eoin Morgan scoring a lusty 55. In their reply, Chris Gayle started with his characteristic big hitting. He piled up 25 runs from just 12 balls. The rain interruption proved that this little cameo was just good enough, as the target for the West Indies was reduced to 60 runs in six overs. Last year, it was their defeat at the hands of the same West Indies that

Probe into IPL money leads to Swiss bank accounts A web of transactions across tax havens, use of Swiss bank accounts with links to money transfers have been unearthed by the Income Tax officials investigating the IPL mess in India. One account in a Swiss bank has been found to have deposits of over $3 million. The BCCI brass may find itself answering some tough questions as may IPL officials past and present as tax authorities have shared specific details with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to carry out an offshore probe into these transactions. Sources said deposits in Swiss bank accounts are part of private wealth management of the bank

concerned, protected under rigid privacy laws. To get details from bank authorities on transactions may not be so easy as in the recent past, Swiss banks have refused to cooperate with Indian investigators despite letters rogatory in some money laundering cases running into thousands of crores. Intricate transactions have surfaced in financial deals of some of the franchises. Money transfers have taken place through dozens of entities set up in Nigeria, Mauritius, Hong Kong and in some of the British overseas territories and Crown dependencies such as British Virgin Islands, Isle of Man and Jersey. BCCI can be asked

about money transfers made directly to accounts of the sports body in at least one case. The responsibility of carrying out due diligence on the source of money, to ensure it came from legitimate sources, was that of the apex cricket organization. Sources in the Enforcement Directorate said in some payments made to BCCI for bagging IPL franchises, the remittances were in contravention of FEMA rules. In some other cases, it is suspected that some IPL team partners may have indulged in round-tripping investments through entities set up in tax havens. The corporate affairs ministry - which is look-

ing into the shareholding pattern of IPL franchises - has found discrepancies in ownership status in some cases. In one instance, the list of shareholders shared with the ministry does not show the name of the person who had registered the company with the registrar of companies despite being one of the major shareholders. Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan as directors of Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Raghuram Natrajan Iyer and Ranjit Rabindranath Barthakur of Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt Ltd and Gauri Khan, Sanjiv Chawla and Jay Mehta of the Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd were among those who have been served notices.

eliminated England out of the World T20. The result was more or less a foregone conclusion from the moment that the D/L calculators were brought into play. While the method is unrivalled as a means of resolving rain interruptions in 50over cricket, it is not so well suited to the hustle and bustle of the 20-over format. It just so happened that the match did come down to the wire Andre Fletcher eventually sealed it with a pulled four through midwicket with one ball to spare - but it had been a nervy climax. In a full-length contest, West Indies' challenge might well have petered out as soon as Gayle pulled Graeme Swann to short midwicket in the fourth over. Nevertheless, with rain in the air, Gayle knew exactly how to pace his reply, and turned on the afterburner. At the other end, Shivnarine Chanderpaul turned his stance inside-out to sweep Graeme Swann over point for another six, as England conceded 30 runs in 2.2 overs, and with it, lost the game. Collingwood was understandably frustrated after the match, but England had plenty reason to be proud of their performance. Their total of 11 sixes was a national record for the format. When Morgan and Wright came together at 88 for 4 after 10 overs, they played with the ideal blend of watchfulness and aggression. After both men had their eyes in with five overs remaining, they really cut loose. Ravi Rampaul, who had conceded 25 in his first two overs, was then clobbered for 27 in his third and final over. {Brief scores: WI 60 for 2 (Gayle 25) beat England 191 for 5 (Morgan 55, Wright 45*) by the D/L method}.