AV 8th November 2014

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Suicide bomber kills 62 on Pak side of Wagah border

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

See Page 22

Delhi heads for fresh elections

See Page 25

Asian community celebrates Diwali in Britain

See Page 16

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

VOL 43. ISSUE 26

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Does Baker-May fall indicate splintering Coalition?

The split between Home Secretary Theresa May and Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker has

raised several questions in the minds of Britons.

Continued on page 7

Pakistan using militants as proxies to counter Indian Army: Pentagon "When You Go Home, Tell Them of Us and Say, For Their tomorrow, We Gave Our Today” Rupanjana Dutta This Remembrance Day marks 100 years since the start of the First World War. This is a perfect moment to reflect upon the tales of those who sacrificed their lives and freedom for their country including 74,000 Indians,

protecting liberties that today we easily take for granted. Yet, for decades, the role of these men has been reduced to an occasional mention in history books.

Nearly 1.5 million Indian men, reportedly the largest volunteer force in military history at the

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time, participated in the World War I, fighting in treacherous conditions in Western Europe, Mesopotamia and East Africa. To commemorate this event, a sea of ceramic poppies, each representing a British military fatality during the First World War, has been installed in

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Continued on page 17

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In a blunt assessment of terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, the Pentagon has told the US Congress that the country is using militant groups as proxies to counter the superior Indian military.

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"Afghan and India focused militants continue to operate from Pakistan territory to the detriment of Afghan and regional stability.

Pakistan uses these

Continued on page 26

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Sunil Jindal

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

Myself, knowing that I am capable of achieving so much more, yet under playing myself

Founder & Director, Jindal Associates LTD

Sunil Jindal is seasoned business professional with over 20 years’ experience in the corporate world. After 20 years he decided it was time for a change and has since been running his own leadership and performance coaching practise. Sunil generously gives his time to charitable causes, he has been a mentor to many social enterprises, enabling their business to grow through marketing excellence and he has also been a charity trustee for over 5 years. Sunil is passionate to see others excel and frequently presents at seminars and conferences on the role of coaching in enabling business performance and excellence, Sunil is an expert is seeing in others what they cannot see for themselves. Sunil has 2 teenage daughters who he fondly describes as his head and heart while his wife Rita is an emblem of his soul.

1) What is your current position?

- Managing Director of my own Leadership & Performance Coaching Practice. Looking to extend my impact working with the younger generation to help them forfill their dreams and aspirations.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

- Delivery of some of the most technically challenging projects enabling business performance - As winners of this year’s HRH Duke of York iDEA programme seeing how my daughters have excelled and grown through the process

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

- My spiritual mentor and good friend

- Having to reinvent and discover myself to help serve others.

3) What inspires you?

- Seeing others overcome obstacles, issues in pursuit of their own excellence.

- Sporting achievements in breaking records, setting new bars of performance

Students plan to buy ÂŁ6m Dall Estate Castle for asylum seekers A group of students are attempting to raise enough money to buy a ÂŁ6m Scottish castle - so they can give it to asylum seekers to live in.

The group, from Aberdeen University, want the 38-bedroomed Dall Estate in Perthshire to become the new home of

refugees wanting to live in Scotland.

The castle also boasts tennis courts, a golf course and an army assault course, all set in 265 acres - which dates back to the 1300s.

Darroch Bratt, who studies anthropology and archaeology, told the Press

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and Journal: "Basically, this came about by a total accident. I was looking through some property websites and this one caught my eye. So, I started talking about it with a few of my friends and we all agreed that it would be such a horrible waste to see it become another playground for the megarich. And we just felt that there had to be a better way to use all that land – we thought that housing conditions are generally not the best for refugees wanting to live in Scotland."

The group, who runs the Shared Planet Cafe in Aberdeen, is seeking donations from crowdfunding site Indiegogo and has a 28 December deadline.

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

- The freedom to take my business where I want to, to help others see the possibilities in working with me 7) And the worst?

- Client bureaucracy and procedures that prevent open and engaging possibilities 8) What are your long term

goals?

- To provide employment opportunities to graduates, those seeking career change at whatever stage in their life.

- To take my business to countries such as India to change the leadership paradigm - To see my daughters for fill their dreams and ambitions in life and work 9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?

- Education system for children aged 16+, the advice for kids of this age in the main is to follow the traditional forms of career development, allow them to be coached to explore much more than traditional career routes 10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?

- Walt Disney, he created magic and make believe at a time when the world needed it most.

He refused to follow orthodoxy and created a legacy that will outlive many of our lifetimes.

‘Cursed’ Asian women secretly abort girls British women with family in the Indian subcontinent have revealed how they underwent illegal abortions of female babies because of cultural pressures to have a boy.

One mother, fearful of being ostracised by her inlaws, aborted three female foetuses, while another, one of four sisters, had a termination because she could not face the “curse� of having a baby girl. A third, who had already given birth to a daughter, was repeatedly punched in the stomach by her husband after he discovered that her unborn child was female.

The harrowing accounts have emerged as a cross-party group of MPs introduces a parliamentary bill this week intended to Kelly Tolhurst, Conservative candidate for the Rochester and Strood Parliamentary by-election, joined her local Hindu community on Sunday 2 November as they prepared for the Jalaram Jayanti celebrations. She was joined by Priti Patel MP and Rehman Chishti MP.

A billboard in Delhi: cultural pressures to have boys remain

highlight what they suspect is some doctors’ flouting of the law on gender abortions.

Research by the Department of Health has found no evidence of a high ratio of boys in such communities but campaigners say there is growing anecdotal evidence that gender abortions are secretly being conducted.

A poll by ComRes for the lobbying group Christian Concern found that 84% of people believe gender abortion should be “explicitly banned by law�.

Rani Bilkhu, spokeswoman for the campaign group Jeena International, said: “This bill is the chance to fight what we believe is the first violence against women and girls.�

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

COMMENT

India welcomes Rousseff’s re-election

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quickly off the blocks with a tweet congratulating Dilma Rousseff on her re-election as Brazil’s President, the first woman in the country to hold that office. He said he looked forward to working with her to strengthen India-Brazil ties. Portuguese-speaking Brazil is South America’s largest country with a population of 70 million. Famed for the Amazon rain forest, legendary soccer icons, Samba music, mineral wealth and human capital, Brazil emerged from the dark shadows of military rule – a common feature of the entire continent, in the 1970s, from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru and Bolivia, when USbacked dictators or oligarchs, gave US companies free rein to do as they pleased, to remain a law unto themselves. The placemen were studiously obedient to the dictates of their American overlord on international issues. A democratic wave swept across South America, elections were held and leaders emerged who were accountable to their own people and not to Washington. Dilma Rousseff’s predecessor, the remarkable Luis Inacio Lula da Silva broke the mould of Brazilian politics in 2003 with an ambitious programme to reduce the country’s crippling poverty and unemployment. Such was its success that overall poverty during his 8 year term in office came down by an astounding 55 per cent, while the 9 per cent unemployed was reduced to 4 per cent. At the point of his departure as president, Lula da Silva’s approval rating stood at a staggering 73 per cent. Leaders from the Third World have flocked to Brazil to study the Brazilian model and apply some of its lessons in their own countries.

Dilma Rousseff continued with these policies of social and economic empowerment, which won her a second term, if only by a narrow margin of 3 per cent.

Under President Lula, Brazil joined a new transnational grouping that also included Russia, India and China, with South Africa coming in later.

BRICS seeks to break the financial stranglehold of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) set up towards the end of the Second World War at Bretton Woods, USA. Its heads by decree would be restricted, respectively, to an American and European. Loans and grants were strictly regulated to conform to the economic principles fashioned by the historical experiences of North America and Western Europe. These, frequently, were at variance with the needs and aspirations of developing nations. The popular definition of “international community,” in the Western media and its use by mainstream Western politicians have been trimmed to fit the narrow circle – a Lakshman rekha, if you will - of the United States and its European allies. The vast ocean of humanity across the continents are excluded from this definition, underlying an unwritten apartheid concept in the Western-promoted global order. BRICS is gradually finding its feet. It has established a lending facility, the newly established BRICS Bank, with a startup capital of R100 billion that will administer financial help to nations in need of such aid at easier rates of interest offered elsewhere. India was anxious that Brazil remained in step with the foreign policy established under ex-Pesident Lula. Dilma Rousseff’s re-election as Brazil’s President means the country will keep faith with its BRICS partners, also with the trilateral sub-group of India and South Africa. These institutions must continue their work If there is ever to be a multilateral world order. The BRICS nations will have to pull their weight by fulfilling their responsibilities, singly and collectively. This is the only realistic roadmap to a future that works.

During his talks with President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Brazil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled the help Russia had rendered India in times of its greatest need. The US sanctions regime on the export of high technology to India in the aftermath of Pokhran I and II nuclear tests, had no effect on Moscow; and the way Moscow had stood by New Delhi during the 1971 war, when the US and China resorted to coercive measures against India in support of their ally, the military dictatorship of Pakistan, war recalled.

Russia occupied a niche of its own in Indian policy and in the sensibility of the Indian people, said Mr Modi. So much for the past. Now, Russia is in a spot of bother with the imposition of US, EU-led sanctions. It is turning to India in its time of need.

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister with special responsibility for relations with India will be arriving in New Delhi this week for highlevel talks with the Indian leadership including External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Rogozin will be seeking to upgrade investment and commercial ties between the two countries, among other things, and reinforce ties in the defence sector, where the relationship is especially strong. The agreements reached in New Delhi will not be made public until President Putin comes to India for the annual IndiaRussia summit, when he is expected to affix his signature to the deals. There are already critical sub-

jects in the pipeline, such as a free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (in which Russia is the driving force) and India. Vietnam and Israel are also in the queue for a similar arrangement. The possibility of using the rupee and ruble in trade should not be ruled out. With the Western economic boycott, this is a moment of opportunity for India to enter the Russian market as a major player in multiple sectors. “These are tough times, and in such times -, you turn to friends in hope.

These are also times when friendship is tested,” said a Russian official to an Indian reporter. “I think we’re happy to help in any way we can,” an Indian official told the same reporter. The welcome that awaits Mr Rogozin, continued the official, demonstrated India’s commitment to Russia. India has a vital geostrategic interest in sustaining Russian authority and power in the Eurasian heartland. This historical presence should continue in the interests of durable peace and stability. A US-led NATO expansion here would be fraught with uncertainty, remembering the role Washington played in the recrudescence of militant Islam for its own shortsighted goals. With over 700 US military bases straddling every continent there is surely no need for more. The Middle East is meltdown largely because of failed American policies in the region.

Central Asia should not be made a playground for the new Great Game. The future well-being of India depends as much on its security interests as it does on its economy.

The Queen opened the Tata Group’s first Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) engine manufacturing plant, worth 500 million pounds, in Wolverhampton. The high profile event was attended by Ratan Tata and leading British politicians and the plant’s 300 workforce. “It’s a very significant step in our global growth,” said JLR Executive Director, Mike Wright, at a roundtable discussion prior to the launch.

Producing the lightweight efficient engines presents the company with an opportunity of attracting a whole new generation of customers. “For the first time we have strategic control of the design and engineering and manufacture of engines. And for any automotive player, that is a very important strategic step,” said Mr Wright. The significance of the occasion was underlined by Ralf Speth, CEO of JLR. “It represents the revitalization of Jaguar Land Rover that has taken place under the stewardship of the Tata Group, he said. “The engine is at the heart of every car, and manufacturing engines in-house will help us meet our very ambitious cycle plan com-

mitments,” said Wolfgang Stradler, Manufacturing Director, during a presentation at the launch. “We are now ready to deliver.” The plant measuring 100,000 square metres is the size of 14 football pitches and includes an engine testing facility, manufacturing and separate assembly halls for diesel and petrol engines. At full capacity, the plant is expected to create 1,400 jobs. It could also provide 5000 jobs in the supply chain. The facility will be supported by 2000 JLR power-train engineers. Around 30 per cent of 71 suppliers are based in the UKI, with rest coming from Continental Europe. The plant is located between JLR’s three other manufacturing sites at Halewood Castle Bromwich and Solihull, an area long associated with the automotive industry. JLR recently opened its first overseas plant in Changshu, China, in a joint venture with Chinese automaker Cherry. JLR has an annual production capacity of 130,00 units per year. Its Brazil branch is expected to come on stream in 2016, where its production line should reach an annual 24,000 units per year.

India’s friend in need

JLR opens new UK plant

3

Choose to make a difference instead of choosing to be indifferent today - by Caroline Naoroji

Jenny Willott MP for Cardiff Central

Time to drive corporate sustainability and transparency The scale of the Rana Plaza tragedy – and the fact that we here in the UK had unwittingly contributed to it through our demand for cheap clothes was so deeply shocking that it has changed the behaviour both of retailers and their customers.

British businesses can lead the way on this through their environmental and procurement policies and the working conditions they give their employees.

However, overseas their efforts are equally vital and British business’ can lead by example helping to eradicate child labour, protect the environment and expose corruption all over the world.

Looking out for the people around you, not just yourself is fundamental to the Liberal Democrats and sets us apart from the Tories.

As a result, I think this is an area where we can have a real and longlasting impact on this country’s business culture.

More than 50 studies, including from Goldman Sachs, show that companies with strong environmental, social and good governance policies do better than their peers. Here’s some examples: Marks & Spencer have set themselves the goal of becoming the world's most sustainable major retailer, and not just because they’re concerned about their image - M&S believe their changes saved them £70 million in one year alone.

Following Rana Plaza, Primark has devoted a whole website to the work they’re doing to improve workers’ rights in Bangladesh, as well as helping those affected by the disaster.

And H&M now publish a list of all of their suppliers, making it easier for people to check on those who produce their clothes.

The Government is working with the British

Retail Consortium to encourage retailers to become more transparent and take more responsibility for their suppliers. We are trying to make it as easy as possible for retailers to act ethically, and as easy as possible for shoppers to decide where best to spend their money to support those businesses who are making a difference in communities across the world.

But it’s not just the retail sector that is changing. When the UK chaired the G8 in Northern Ireland last year we made promoting transparency a top priority and following the G8 we have been working with our European neighbours to shine a light on the extractives sector. Companies will have to publish all payments they make to any government worldwide.

The public will know if a multimillion dollar payment has been made, and can check if the result is new schools for children or new Bentleys for government officials.

We will be one of the first countries to put this in place, and not only that, we have also signed up to a global standard to open up how we monitor these industries here in the UK too.

With Liberal Democrats in Government, now is the time to drive corporate sustainability and transparency to the top of the agenda, and that is exactly what the Lib Dems are doing in the Department for Business.

What is becoming clear is that not only does this not come at the expense of profits, but that properly ingrained corporate responsibility can actually create long-term success.

And the Liberal Democrats are driving this.

The Liberal Democrats are the party of fairness, the party of equality, the party of responsible business.

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UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Exciting Aakruti Heritage Project culmination celebrated In 2013 the Confederation of Indian Organisation commenced a project to collate the history of Leicester’s South Asians People between 1945 and 2013. The project titled Aakruti, researched peoples journeys to Leicester and has culminated in the creation of a website and touring exhibition. To celebrate the culmination of the project the an event was hosted at Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre on 28th October 2014.

The project has recorded the lives of the otherwise unknown pioneers from the Asian community, that have contributed to the success of Leicester. A wide range of people have contributed including a housewives, physicians, radio presenters, social workers, entrepreneurs, sports people, musicians and community activists.

The website also contains a photo archive that builds a picture of events, reflects the local history of South Asian culture and traditions. A touring exhibition has also been developed that will tour Leicestershire in the coming months.

The project has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and supported by BBC Radio Leicester

and Leicester Mercury.

Constant inspiration by Leicester University archive dept. The launch event was at the Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre, Leicester.

Fifty in depth video interviews include many unsung heroes: Lilaben Koya, Shaficul Islam, SS Dard, Rohit Trivedi, Sadhna Vaidya, Dr. Gautam Bodiwala, Ajoy Aggarwal, Davindra R Acharya, Sajan Odedra, Atul Pattani, Kanti Lakhani and many more.

Tara Mukherjee the first Asian Opening batsman, played in 1948 for Leicestershire and made undefeated century in his debut match will be attending aged 92 along with many participants attended the launch along with BBC Radio Leicester Editor Jane Hill and assistant editor Kamlesh

Purohit who were very pleased to be a part of this archive research.

Welcomed by chair of this programme Mr Bhupen Dave, he gave an overview of Research project and archiving life stories around us. Kenneth Lowles talked on project outcome and achievements and future of research. Tara Mukherjee, Devshi Modhvadia and Tanman Patel explained the values of archiving great stories of Leicester. The vote of thanks was given by Dr H D Vyas.

The event was attended by university researchers, Media students, archivist, creative writers, community activists, journalists and participants and project volunteers. The rich stories of people are now available to view on their website www.asianheritage.info

Concerns raised over Channel 4 documentary ‘Make Leicester British’ An Indian-origin Labour councillor in Leicester has expressed "serious concerns" about a new Channel 4 documentary that scrutinizes the city's renowned ethnic diversity.

'Make Leicester British', which aired Monday, brought together eight residents of Leicester - four of them British citizens, the others recent migrants to the city.

The show is produced by the same people behind 'Make Bradford British', which won widespread critical acclaim but was criticized by politicians and members of the public in

Bradford for showcasing the city as one which is deeply divided between white Britons and predominantly South Asian immigrants.

Leicester Councillor Sundip Meghani said he is concerned about the way the programme will portray community relations in the city, home to one of the largest Indian Diaspora communities in the world.

"For one thing the trailer begins with the following statement: 'In one of Britain’s most diverse cities immigration polarises opinion.' Most of us in Leicester know this is a lie."

Mr Meghani said in a blog post on his website: “It’s disappointing but unsurprising that Channel 4 regularly broadcasts controversial programmes such as this. Channel 4 would have us believe they are a bastion of liberal media (but) in reality Channel 4 is a commercial organisation and in the end it all comes down to profits and advertising revenues. It is extremely offensive for the programme makers and for Channel 4 to suggest our city is not British, or that our ‘Britishness’ has somehow been diluted by the arrival of immigrants."

Greater Manchester Paediatrician Raza Laskar admits abusing boys A Greater Manchester paediatrician has admitted a string of sex offenses against children, after he was found in possession of more than a million indecent images of children, many accessed on the "dark net".

Raza Laskar, 32, of Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty to charges including sexual activity with a child and making indecent images of a child at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

Detectives raided Lasker's home after more than 1,600 files containing indecent images of chil-

dren were placed on a file sharing site between Christmas Day last year and 27 January 27, and the IP address of the device they were uploaded from was traced to Laskar.

More than 1.2 million indecent images and videos of Laskar engaged in sex acts with children in a hotel room were found on computers and data

storage devices after the 2 May raid.

Laskar, who is married, was caught as part of a nationwide sting called Operation Notarsie, which targeted users of the dark net, an encrypted internet network, as well as other areas of the internet not accessible through search engines.

More than 650 suspected paedophiles, including, doctors, teachers and former police officers have been arrested as part of the operation, the biggest of its kind in more than 10 years.

Laskar will be sentenced on 9 January.

Police wanted Dewani for his wife's murder 'in 48 hours' South Africa’s former chief of police has told how he suspected Shrien Dewani of murdering his wife Anni within 48 hours of her body being discovered in a blood-spattered Cape Town taxi.

Speaking publicly about Anni Dewani’s “honeymoon hijack” murder for the first time since he was dismissed from South Africa’s police force in a corruption scandal, Bheki Cele told how police suspected her husband of murder almost immediately.

“I think a day or two after his killing - after the killing of the young woman - police on the ground and myself made up our mind that he has something to answer. It would have been in 24 to 48 hours that the picture began to gel - that this guy

has a case to answer”, he said.

According to Mr Cele now South Africa’s deputy minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries - it was the fact that Anni had not been raped plus the lack of injury to her husband which prompted the police’s suspicions.

Mr Cele’s comments are included in a new book about Anni Dewani’s murder due to be published in South Africa this week. In it, he claims that, despite his early suspicions, he allowed Shrien Dewani to fly home to Bristol five days after Anni’s murder for humanitarian reasons.

Mr Cele’s comments come as Dewani enters the fifth week of a murder trial during which he has been accused of paying a gang criminals R15,000 (£1,339) to assassinate his

Swedish wife of two weeks in a fake hijack plot.

Mr Dewani insists that he innocent. And while his South African legal team has yet to put the case in his defence, his British extradition lawyer Clare Montgomery QC has previously argued that the case against him is based almost entirely on the words of criminals who turned state witness in return for immunity from prosecution or time off their prison sentences.

Anger as Hindu pupils are denied the school meals they want Pupils were left in tears after being refused their chosen hot dinners, because Surrey County Council's school meal forms make no provision for non-veg Hindus.

Mayur Amin has called for change after his two children, Dylan, seven, and Simran, five, who cannot eat beef due to their religious beliefs, were classed as vegetarians, and refused the school meals they wanted, such as roast chicken, gammon or fish and chips.

Mr Amin said his children, who go to Salfords Primary School, have been denied the meals they want on six occasions.

"On the Surrey County Council meal requirements sheet there is no option to put 'no beef'. So they are put in the vegetarian category and the staff at the school give them what it says. It is a lack of awareness of how to deal with a child that is not allowed to have beef for religious beliefs – they don't have a

procedure for a minority.

I just feel they don't know how to deal with Hindus.

"How do you explain it to children of five and seven who are coming home in tears saying 'I was looking forward to fish and chips and we weren't allowed to have it'? It just breaks your heart. They enjoy sitting with their friends and having a hot meal, it is exciting for them and this causes a lot of distress."

The children have a packed lunch on the days beef is served.

Manchester Bhavan celebrates Diwali On 18th of October, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Manchester), the only registered charity running Saturday school for Indian cultural activities at Manchester Grammar School in Manchester for 21 years, organised Diwali Utsav celebration at world famous Manchester Grammar School.

The event was blessed with Lord Bhikhubhai Parekh as the Chief Guest, Paul Johnson, the Deputy High Master of MGS, Jyotsanaben Shah from Asian Voice/Gujarat Samachar and Mukund Jobanputra, chairman of Manchester Bhavan amongst many others.

Lord Parekh emphasised the depth of Indian culture and sanskar beyond just the entrtainment.

There were captivating performances by Sitar maestro Gaurav Mazumdar and tabla by Kaushik Sen. Excellent prayer was sung by Bhavan music teacher Rakesh Joshi, an excellent explanation of the Shiva Tandam given by Bhavan dance teacher Prajyoti Madhusudan

and a thoroughly entertaining Bollywood dance medley by Bhavan Bollywood dance teacher Sharmistha!

Manchester Bhavan students won everyone's hearts with mini-chat show about Bhavan activities, and excellent classical, Bhangra, Dandiya and Bollywood dances!

The event was supported by local communities, State Bank of India, Mr Harshad Mehta of Rosy Blue Diamonds, the Jobanputra family, Sai Spice Restaurant, Mina Travels and ASM Indian supermarket among others.

All the Bhavan management committee members including Pravin Joshi, Alka Rauniar (Program Committee Chair), Chetna Shah,

Kamleshbhai Rajput, Malan Kaushal, Avni Vyas and Raju Hindocha played a great voluntary role in organising and running the event.

The event was conducted in a lively and well-informed manner by Dr Keyur Buch, the Chairman of Bhavan Culture Promotion Committee.

It was heartwarming to see the Bhavan volunteers Gauri Paralikar, Bharati Hindocha, Dr Kamal Rauniar teaming up with volunteers of the National Hindu Students Forum. Excellent original artwork was displayed as special Diwali decoration

by Kunjal Buch.

The audience left after a sumptuous dinner wanting more of the same for next Diwali.

5

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Kapil’s

KHICHADI

Is Labour going Sharia?

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com

Astute readers of Kapil’s Khichadi will know that for the past several years I have been looking into the Labour Party strategy of winning the next election. The more I looked the more concerned I became, or at least these are my observations for what they are worth.

So let’s set the scene. For reasons beyond our understanding it was the Labour Party that introduced the diplomatic ban on CM Narendra Modi. A few of us asked serious questions at the time of both the Labour Government here, as well as the Congress Government in India. It was the first time a democratically elected politician was disrespected in this way in the absence of any verifiable evidence. So far there has not been even one court case that has shown that Shri Narendrabhai had any direct involvement with what happened in Gujarat in 2002 and yet the ban came into force.

In the past few years I have been very vocal in asking Ed Miliband to give written clarity on Labour’s stance on Shri Narendrabhai Modi. He has still to answer my questions. However just before the Indian elections some Labour MPs held anti-Modi events at the House of Commons. And Ed Miliband did nothing about it. We even had one of Labour Party’s big donors, Anish Kapoor, come on Newsnight and brand Shri Narendrabhai Modi a mass murderer, and still no comment from Ed Miliband.

And then the nightmare situation for Labour, Shri Narendrabhai Modi became the PM of India with a massive majority. And even then Ed Miliband was very slow to send his congratulations.

So why is Labour behaving in this way? Look at the table below:

It shows the top twenty seats where there is a sizeable Muslim population.

In fact it also includes estimation on how many Mosques there are within the catchment area of each seat.

So you can see that some 49 Labour seats are dependent on the Muslim vote. In fact quite a number of them are dependent on the Pakistani Kashmiri vote. Yes it begins to make sense now.

No wonder Labour and some of their MPs, as well as their junior Minister, were so keen to be on the side of the Pakistani Kashmiri separatist during the recent debate in Parliament.

In a recent answer Roger Godsiff MP for Hall Green said, ‘I have consistently supported the right of the people

of Jammu and Kashmir to determine their own future and to decide how they shall be governed, and who should govern them’. We then had Shadow Minister Shabana Mahmood saying she will highlight Kashmir issue within Party and outside in masses to defend the right of self-determination of Kashmiri people. “We will jointly struggle for giving Kashmiris a chance to exercise their internationally recognized right of self-determination with the party”. She said women leaders of SDM (Self-Determination Movement) are playing vital role to highlight Kashmir issue and get across the board support for Kashmir cause. “We hope in upcoming general election there would be a good number of Friends of Kashmir Parliamentarians in British Parliament who can effectively support Kashmir cause”, she opined.

So there you have it directly from the horse’s mouth that should Labour win the next General Election then one of their top priorities will be to see the Pakistani Kashmiri separatist get their way. Is this what you the Indian community want?

Why am I bringing these issues to your attention? Very simply you are the voting public. You have placed your trust in various politicians as well as community leaders for many years.

Based on this trust the Indian community has tended to vote for the Labour Party mostly. However the question you must all ask now is, ‘has the Labour Party changed so much, that it no longer speaks for our community?’

For me it is clear, the Party under the leadership of Ed Miliband seems to have decided to go left of centre in a big way, and to also become very closely engaged with the Pakistani community.

This is of course their prerogative and they must do what they feel is right for them in order to get back in power.

After all, that is what politics is all about.

However as a community we must have our own objectives.

I cannot believe that a Party that is so close to the Pakistani community can ever now find favour for the Indian community. The examples I have cited above shows a pro-Pakistani stance. If this is what Ed’s Party are willing to do before an election, I wonder what else they will want to do if they were ever to get back in power.

So I say to you all, look into the finer detail of how politicians say one thing and do another. Question those in our own community who may be misleading all of us because they have their own political masters to whom they have allegiance. If we as a community don’t wake up and see the wood for the trees – then the writing on the wall is clear, and it will come back and bite us all. You heard it here first folks.

IIM-A alumni discuss UK-India ties Spriha Srivastava

There could be no better time to discuss the future of India-UK relations than now. With a new and robust government at the centre, Indian markets have been riding on the wave of optimism expecting strong policies and a stronger economy to emerge soon.

London-based alumni from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad got together to host a panel discussion on new beginnings in UK-India partnerships.

The panel discussion, moderated by Adam Jones, Business Life Editor of The Financial Times featured Lord Adair Turner, Former C h a i r m a n , Financial Services Authority, Patricia Hewitt, chairperson of UK-India Business Council, Lord Karan Bilimoria, Founder and Chairman, Cobra Beer, Sunil Munjal, Joint MD, Hero Motocorp and Prof. Ashish Nanda, Director of IIM Ahmedabad.

The discussion focused on the new Government in India and the UK Government’s continued effort in strengthening ties with India. The first and the most important question that the panel tackled was how things have changed with the new government.

It’s only been a couple of months but Prime Minister Narendra Modiled government has already been making headlines across the nation and outside in trying to bring the country’s economy together, disciplining its bureaucracy and reaching out to citizens far and wide – something the country had been missing in the last ten years under a Congress-led government.

Members of the panel seemed extremely pleased with the way the new government has started working but warned that it is still a little early to make any conclusions and a few more months or years will tell how this government has brought about a change.

The panelists focused on a range of sectors –

from FDI to defence, infrastructure, urbanization, policy formations, doing business in India and so on.

On the education sector, Prof. Ashish Nanda, Director of IIMAhmedabad said there is need to take national brands international by connecting them to their global partners. A number of students asked why the brand IIM is not very well known outside despite the fact that it ranks quite high in world rankings. Prof. Nanda

But with a new government at the centre and a new Reserve Bank of India Governor, Raghuram Rajan, who also happens to be an IIM Alumnus, hopes have gone up not just for market participants but also for the common man in India.

A number of questions were raised by the audience ranging from partnerships between UK and India in various sectors from education to commerce and so on. A very interesting sugges-

said there is need to make these brands more international by encouraging exchange programmes with universities like Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial.

A big area for UKIndia relations is the number of Indian students that come to UK to study. With this in mind, the panel discussed the issue of immigration and Lord Bilimoria criticized UK’s policy to class international students as immigrants since restrictions on studying in the UK are damaging universities and the economy.

He said this is one area that needs to be worked on and he and his party have always taken this up in the Parliament.

On economy, Lord Turner who is currently a Senior Fellow at Institute for New Economic Thinking talked about a falling rupee at the beginning of the year that led to India getting clubbed with Turkey, Russia, Brazil and Indonesia, collectively known as Fragile Five, due to external factors such as the U.S. Federal Reserve announcing wrapping up of its bond buying programme and domestic factors such as policy paralysis at home.

tion came from a gentleman who said there should be an exchange programme in bureaucracy where Indian IAS officers come to the UK to see how the UK bureaucracy functions and vice versa. Another suggestion was for established UK companies to mentor UK small and medium enterprises (SMEs) intending to focus their efforts in India A number of international students present at the event were also interested in knowing how they could study at the IIMs, to which Prof.

Nanda said that there is an international quota and they are looking to increase the numbers as well as strengthen the student exchange programs at the IIMs. Held in the Edwardian I of the posh St. James Court, the event brought together IIM-A alumni from different fields – banking, marketing, consultants, academicians and so on.

It also brought together alumni from other IIMs such as Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow and Kozhikode to name a few.

A number of UK based entrepreneurs, lawyers and members of the media were also present.

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

UK

Does Baker-May fall indicate splintering Coalition?

Continued from page 1

While Mr Baker reportedly said that working in the department was like "walking through mud", speculations reveal that his resignation may lead to the final blow to the strained Lib Dem and Conservative party Coalition relation.

While the Tory government immigration policies continue to baffle the legitimate immigrantswho are contributing to the economy of Britain and adding to the diversity of the country, the comment from Mr Baker has not come as a surprise, especially as the election approaches. He reportedly stated that working with Home Secretary Theresa May was a "constant battle", as she thought she was in a "Conservative government with a few Lib Dems in it".

However Lib Dem leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said to have understood Mr Baker's reasons and said he had been an "outstanding" minister. But a former Tory colleague suggested Mr Baker was not a team player.

However it is also believed that this resignation may have posed a

threat for the MP for Lewes in May election, a seat which he won with a majority of just over 7,000 in 2010.

In a BBC report, the assistant political editor Norman Smith said “the Lib Dems were portraying Mr Baker's exit as a personal decision and playing down any sense of the coalition 'splintering'".

A keen musician, Mr Baker told the BBC it had been grueling being the only Lib Dem minister in the Home Office since October 2013 and he "wanted a break" to spend time in his constituency, with music and with his family.

While describing Mrs May as a "formidable, intelligent and competent" politician, he reportedly said the way she ran her department in an era of coalition government was "disappointing".

In his resignation letter to his party leader, Mr Baker reportedly said he was pleased with his achievements in the Home Office but unlike in the Department for Transport, where he had previously been a minister, "the goodwill to work collegiately to take forward rational evidencebased policy has been in somewhat short supply".

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Mosaic employability scheme involving Muslim offenders launched

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling on Monday 3rd November 2014, attended the official launch of Mosaic’s employability scheme which will provide a range of employment opportunities for prior offenders enrolled in Mosaic’s Ex-offender mentoring programme.

The first corporate partners for the scheme also attended the event and included CEO Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE, CEO MITIE Group PLC and Iqbal Wahhab OBE, founder of Roast Restaurant. Working with corporate partners, Mosaic will endeavour to increase rehabilitation for ex-offenders within the Muslim community.

Although Muslims make up only 4.2 per cent of the total population, they represent 13.4% (or 1 in 7) of the British prison population with the number more than doubling in the past decade to nearly 12,000. Yet research suggests that Muslim prisoners are not accessing the support they need to successfully integrate into society and employment upon release.

Employment is proven to reduce the likelihood of re-offending by up to 50%.

The new scheme aims to

Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE

address this by helping more young Muslim offenders gain vital employability skills and mentoring directly from large employers.

Mosaic, an initiative of Business in the Community, runs a fully funded Ex-offender programme works with young Muslim prisoners aged 18 to 35 years old who are approaching the end of their custodial sentence.

Developed in partnership with the Muslim Youth Helpline (MYH) it offers a one-to-one mentoring relationship for 12 months; six months during custody and six months in the community.

Mentors work alongside prison staff to provide support and stability by offering wide-ranging practical assistance, including helping prisoners to secure housing and employment.

The partnership, between Mosaic, and Mitie the FTSE 250 strate-

gic outsourcing company, will involve volunteers from Mitie supporting prisoners from HMP/YOI Isis and HMP Brixton through employability workshops over the next year. Mitie will also offer work placement opportunities to participants. In addition, Mosaic has secured further support to help ex-offenders engaged on their mentoring schemes from Borough Market’s Roast Restaurant and Millwall Football Club. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said: "We cannot go on with a situation where thousands of prisoners are released onto the streets every year with no guidance or support, and are simply left to reoffend.’’

"Many prisoners have had fractured childhoods, addictions, exposure to violence and a lack of positive role models. Mentors can't unpick all of that.

But they can give offenders a fair chance of staying on the straight and narrow by being a wise friend, supporting them with finding a job or somewhere to live.

This needs businesses, like Mitie and Roast, to step up to the plate by providing mentors and job opportunities alike."

Ruby McGregor-Smith

Iqbal Wahhab OBE

CBE, CEO of Mitie, said “The Mitie Foundation is dedicated to creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds to join the world of work, by raising aspirations and unlocking people’s true potential.

We are delighted to be able to support Mosaic’s efforts to help those who wish to turn their back on previous criminal activity to get back in to the workplace, making a positive contribution to society.”

Iqbal Wahhab OBE, Founder of Roast & Cinnamon Club restaurant, said “As the originator of Mosaic’s offender mentoring programme, I believe this is a hugely beneficial development. At Roast we firmly believe that we’re less interested in where you have come from and more in where you want to go. I am proud of Roast’s commitment to helping ex-offenders and hope that many other businesses will step up to the plate.”.

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UK

Lord Loomba receives Lifetime Achievement Award

The United Nations Association of New York announced the honourees for its annual Humanitarian of the Year awards on 29th October, during their celebratory gala dinner commemorat-

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

year's UN Day theme was Empowering Women, Promoting Peace and Progress, and the honourees selected were individuals and organisations which have shown extraordinary commit-

Recipients of the UN Humanitarian Awards commemorating UN Day 2014

w o m e n throughout the world.

Lord Raj Loomba CBE was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his extraordinary accomplishment and tireless dedication to empowering disadvantaged widows and educating their Lord Loomba receiving Lifetime c h i l d r e n Achievement Award at the UN NYA around the The other two recipiworld. Lord Loomba was ents of the Humanitarian delighted to receive this Awards were United award and speaking after Nations Under Secretarythe presentation said: “I General and Executive am honoured and humDirector of UN Women, bled to receive this prestiPhumzile Mlambogious award recognising Ngcuka and Chairman of my work for widows and H&M (Hennes & Mauritz their children through the AB), Stefan Persson.

Loomba Foundation”.

Lord Dholakia initiates important debate on the recent elections in India

ing the 69th Anniversary of the United Nations known as UN Day. This

Lord Dholakia has raised a very pertinent question“So what has Britain to offer India?” at a debate in the House of Lords on what assessment the UK Government has made of the outcome of the 2014 general election in India.

Remarking on the dual importance of holding the debate on Diwali and the "unique opportunity” the new Indian Government presented: ”for the United Kingdom to reinvigorate momentum in its relationship with India, "Lord Dholakia said: “India needs investment, and the UK is already its biggest G20 investor—and we can do more.”

Highlighting that: "Britain is in a unique position to work more closely with India because we have educational, historic, cultural and peopleto-people ties between our two nations," Lord Dholakia noted that the UK Government was right to "re-engage with Narendra Modi in 2012 after the 10 years of diplomatic isolation of the Gujarat Government."

Declaring an interest, Lord Dholakia said he was: "honoured to be appointed as Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s business adviser" to India. Touching on the many times that David Cameron has visited India since 2010 and the "recent visit of India’s Foreign Minister, Sushma Swaraj, to the United Kingdom," Lord Dholakia described how he was able to gain a "first-hand opportunity to see why India matters to the United Kingdom" when the Liberal Democrats "led the first

ment to social entrepreneurship, gender equality and the empowerment of

Lord Dholakia

UK trade delegation to India since its landmark election in May." Highlighting the overwhelming victory that the new prime minister of India gained and the mandate that this has given Narenda Modi Lord Dholakia said that whilst: "[w]e also have the distinction of having here one of the largest populations of the Indian diaspora, estimated at 1.5 million" we should " not underestimate India’s position worldwide."

Crediting our High Commissioner, in India, James Bevan for building up one of the largest diplomatic network's there, Lord Dholakia said: "[w]e cannot continue to plead our special relationship with India. We have to work hard to build renewed confidence in our bilateral relationship."

Evidencing the many overseas visits the new Indian PM has already made to other countries Lord Dholakia stated that whilst we now have "increased co-operation on foreign policy and a

genuine understanding on matters of defence and security [t]here are still irritants in the field of education, where there is a drop in the number of students coming to the U n i t e d Kingdom for further education.

"Citing other examples of our continued links with India Lord Dholakia noted that: "[b]ilateral trade is likely to double by next year, and there is a renewed co-operation on matters of research and innovation." This was all positive reinforcement of both countries commitment to working in partnership together.

Observing India's now improved outlook with the new government from "a period of stagnation with a declining economy," Lord Dholakia said: "[t]he BJP’s election win was the logical outcome.

The country was crying out for a strong Government and the BJP provided that." Giving credit to Mr Modi: "that it is the first time in 30 years that any single party has secured an absolute majority," Lord Dholakia said: "[p]eople's expectations are great" and "[w]e now have the most powerful Prime Minister that India has had for many years." Citing the challenges that lie ahead for the new government with an "estimated .. . 60% of India’s population ..

below the age of 35 [and a] further estimated ... 10 million to 15 million young people enter[ing] the labour market each year," Lord Dholakia stated "[t]here was [an] emphasis on reform, which involved more devolution of power and control which would result in more economic liberalisation and less central control."

Pointing to "the BJP Government in Gujarat['s] .. economic growth, which has continually exceeded that of other states in India" Lord Dholakia opined: "the BJP Government [has] a unique opportunity to reform labour laws and rebuild the industrial sector."

Illustrating Mr Modi's "flagship programme aimed at tackling poverty by ending financial untouchability" Lord Dholakia asserted that he "was not afraid to identify issues that have featured prominently in the past years" such as "corruption," and" rape, equality, and the safety of women and girls."

Lord Dholakia affirmed “that the new Government have [also] placed economic development high on their agenda” and the UK is well positioned to improve on “our bilateral trade [which] is over £16 billion [pa].” This includes the City of London which “is the world’s biggest financial centre and well placed to provide expertise and advice.”

Continuing his theme Lord Dholakia also emphasised the important contributions that are made in the field of educa-

Cllr David Perry

Leader of Harrow Council

A Celebration and a Commemoration I would like to start by wishing everyone a very happy Diwali.

This isn’t just an important event for our Hindu community, but is celebrated all over Harrow and the wider area.

Our Mayor, Councillor Ajay Maru, visited Bhaktivedanta Manor in Watford on Sunday as part of the Diwali celebrations across the North West London area.

In addition to the many ceremonies held to mark Diwali, we have also been building up to the start of a four year commemoration to mark the First World War. The War saw millions of volunteers from around the world give their contribution to the war effort, including around one and a half million volunteers from India, as well as thousands from the West Indies and Africa.

100 years on from the end of the First World War we are still in debt to those brave soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect their families, and keep future generations safe. All over Harrow war memorials honour their service and bravery; it is only fitting that as a Council we mark this centenary tion. This includes: “some of our leading universities and colleges already hav[ing] offices in India, attracting thousands of Indian students to the UK every year.” Whilst this is promising, Lord Dholakia highlighted that problems in this area due to visa applications have resulted in “a drop of nearly 20% in students coming to the United Kingdom.” This was something that needed urgent “examin[ation of] our immigration policies to ensure that there are no detriments here;” a d d i t i o n a l l y , “promot[ing] more student exchanges, joint research projects and learning partnerships both here and in India” was needed said Lord Dholakia.

Noting that “[e]vidence from a recent poll found that more than 68% of Indian Muslims felt safer under the Modi Government than under previous Governments” Lord Dholakia raised the issue of “regional priorities”.

Stressing the

by ensuring that all our war memorials are fully restored and cleaned.

Of the nearly 2900 Harrovians who fought in World War One 644 were killed – their memories live on in the commemorations and tributes we pay to them on Armistice Day. We have spent £80,000 on specialist cleaning work for memorials in the Borough, including those like St John’s Church where we have supported the Church to keep their memorial in pristine condition.

I have taken a look for myself at the work being done to restore these memorials in visits to the Pinner War Memorial and the grave of William LeefeRobinson, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his astonishing bravery as a pilot in the Home Defence Squadron. It is always a humbling experience to remember the lengths to which our war heroes went to protect our country.

I hope all residents in Harrow will join me on remembrance Sunday in marking our deepest respects for our fallen soldiers, and those soldiers from other nations who fought with us during many different conflicts. importance of this Lord Dholakia said: “the international community is looking to see how India intends to continue strengthening regional ties.” Recognising that “India is a mature democracy” Lord Dholakia welcomed the inroads already made in this area since the new government formed such as meeting the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, but emphasised that: “[i]t is not for Britain to mediate between India and Pakistan.” Finishing off Lord Dholakia was keen to point out that “[t]he prize for co-operation [between India and Pakistan] is high,” and “[f]ull trade normalisation will benefit both countries,” but ” [w]e need to exercise care that in debates and discussions, particularly in this country, we should not support those who are determined to undermine the world’s largest democracy’s process of economic development.”

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

The UN Economist - turned Writer Reshma Ruia has a PhD in Creative Writing and Critical Thinking from the University of Manchester and post graduate and undergraduate degrees from the London School of Economics.

She started her professional life as a development economist with the United Nations and the OECD, but turned to writing after moving to Manchester.

‘A Mouthful of Silence,’ is her second novel. It was short listed for the SI Leeds Literary award.

Her first novel, ‘Something Black in the Lentil Soup’ was published by BlackAmber Books, now an Arcadia imprint, and by Penguin India.

Reshma has written short stories and poems which have appeared in anthologies, magazines and also broadcast on Radio 4.

‘A Mouthful of Silence’ is set in Manchester and India. It challenges and re-exam-

Reshma Ruia

ines accepted assumptions regarding love and identity, what it means to grow old and still be consumed by fire.

Reshma was born in India, but spent her formative years in Rome, Italy. She has also lived in Paris and London and

sees herself as a product of different cultures and her narrative portrays the inherent tensions and preoccupations of those who possess multiple senses of belonging.

She told The Asian voice that literature was always a passionate interest. She decided to follow her passion after moving to Manchester and has not looked back since then.

“For my first novel‘Something Black in the Lentil Soup,’ I simply submitted my work directly to a publisher and was lucky to be picked up by PenguinIndia and Black Amber Books. I am looking for representation for my new novel, ‘A Mouthful of Silence.’

The whole publishing industry has become much more complex with the arrival of e-publishing and Amazon.”

Reshma said that her work technique depends on the stage of her writing. “I will spend a lot of time thinking when an idea is germinating. The first draft is excruciatingly difficult to write, but once I am caught in the flow, I am oblivious to time and can happily sit at my desk for ten hours. The outside world becomes irrelevant.”

She says that it’s not always easy to find an

alternative to sitting at her desk, but “I do enjoy walking and try and do yoga and pilates. I hate competitive sports. I try and keep fit mentally by extensive reading and learning about new ideas.

I travel a lot and am lucky that my job as a writer allows me to be mobile and flexible. All I need is a computer, a notebook and a wander-

“It is the writer’s job to keep the reader turning the page.” ing mind.”

Reshma’s perceptions have undoubtedly been shaped by her cosmopolitan background.

“Rome had a profound impact on my creative psyche. There is a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for beauty and a less hurried pace of life where one walks hand-in-hand with history. My memory of Rome is always pine-scented and filled with warmth. I might be over-romanticizing but one tends to do that with the past.

London seems to be the centre of the

9

Universe right now! I was a student here at the LSE and have always enjoyed its buzz, and eclectic cultural offerings. It is a polished and sophisticated city that is not afraid to flaunt its wealth.

Manchester is smaller and more intimate by contrast but it benefits from top class academic institutions. It is by no means the poor country cousin to London, but has its own self-confident identity and a sense of optimism and brashness that can be very attractive.”

The differences between radio and novel writing are distinct and clear for Reshma.

“The biggest difference would be time and structure. Writing for radio demands brevity, a clean plot line and dialogue to keep the listener engaged. The cadences of voice and pace are critical.

A novel by contrast is a slow-burning process.

One can build up an entire new world with elaborate plots and character construction. The narrative can be as convoluted and deep as the writer’s imagination. But just as in radio, it is the writer’s job to keep the reader turning the page.

Audiences for both genres can be fickle or loyal.

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UK

Faith schools ‘must teach gay rights’

“The move follows snap inspections by Ofsted at 40 schools”…”new rules will be published this month”… “schools could face closure (if they do not follow the rules)”… continues the paper (TST 2 Nov p1).

When I was in school in 1950s, I was taught ‘Moral Science’. Last month Japan has introduced this subject in their education system. Nicky Morgan, the education secretary, should consider doing the same in all public schools in the UK. This would avoid regular rivalry between children, teachers and parents of different faiths.

The current rules being introduced are a violation of the fundamental principle of human rights, namely freedom of thought, conscience, religion and education.

Such rules should be nipped in the bud. They are against the concept of human rights that derives from the doctrine of natural rights, which holds that individuals, by virtue of their humanity, possess fundamental rights beyond those prescribed in law [p540, Cambridge Encyclopaedia, 4th Ed).

Instead of introducing British values rules in this manner by piecemeal as a reaction to snap inspections, it is high time public policy time and money is spent on drafting and introducing a written British Constitution.

Nicky Morgan should be reminded that money does not grow on trees.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Narendra Modi

Religion of peace

Bukhari’s invitation

Narendrabhai Modi has conquered all the hearts and minds of the world’s humanity. I have not seen anybody abusing, insulting or humiliating our revered and respected prime minister. Modibhai is a remarkable and wonderful person human being, caring for the poor, downtrodden and struggling for life and always thinking and dreaming about the poor children’s health, education and well being, always thinking towards a dramatic change in village life and rural life and ever poor cities of India.

Our political relations with neighbouring countries far away are growing better and better, always thinking trade and commerce relations to grow and improve from better to best. Looks like God has made him especially to uplift India, and for the betterment of India.

The time will come when villages, towns and cities will develop like the western countries. The world is one family and everyone has a right to live happily and pleasantly. Australia is demanding his presence, Obama felt very badly to see him and discuss various issues for the betterment of human mankind. Any group which is harmful and destructive to human nature and human beings will not survive and will not last long. His moto is wonderful. His objectives are praiseworthy.

I would conclude that Modi is not only a good human being but like Devi and Devta the whole world will flourish under his shadow.

On the Pakistani side of the IndiaPakistan border post at Wagah the Taliban, by suicide bombing, have killed at least 50 people and more than 100 were injured. Those who are affected are completely innocent.

A few days ago, after the IED bomb blast at Burdwan in West Bengal a Muslim terrorist hub has been discovered. In 1970 the Pakistani army slaughtered over 3 million people in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

Millions of Muslims fled to India especially in West Bengal. A large of number of Muslims did not return to Bangladesh even though the Pakistani army was defeated and had surrendered.

Now the Muslims are showing gratitude by terrorising those who gave help, shelter and succour.

In Nigeria over 2 hundred girls have been abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and forcibly married to Muslim strangers. In Iraq thousands of Yazidis have been driven out of their homes and slaughtered. In Syria 322 Sunnis of AlBu Nimr tribe have been slaughtered because they do not agree with IS policies. In Iraq, Syria, Libya and also other places there is fight between Sunnis and Shias. In Afghanistan Sunnis are killing Sunnis.

In most Muslim countries there are social upheaval and political problems.

There is one thing common to all those perpetrating these crimes. They are all Sunni Muslims. But we are repeatedly told Islam is a religion of peace.

My request to Muslims is: Please read the history of how Islam has been propagated with open and impartial mind.

It was very disappointing and sad to hear the news that Syed Ahmed Bukhari - one of the Great Muslim religious leader in Delhi - has invited Pakistan President to attend the ceremony of making his son the next Imam and has blatantly ignored the Prime Minster of India.

He is not an ordinary man to have any views but he commands a great position within the Muslim religion and his actions should reflect the sincerity for India and not for Pakistan.

Bukhari’s actions will effect the whole population of Muslims and this present activity certainly damaged to Islam. It is therefore more and more Indian Muslims should come out and Condemn his actions.

It will be ideal for Syed Ahmed Bukhari to apologise to the whole nation and withdraw his invitation to the Pakistani President.

Ramesh Vaish Moradabadi By email

Corruption free India

Cruelty beyond belief

Shri Narendra Modi is in earnest to free India of corruption, bureaucracy and laziness. He soon made www.mygov.nic.in to find out what the common people want and asked for their Suggestions and of course advice of the experts. This gave them a platform for their likes, dislikes and discussions which brought a new wave of hope enthusiasm and confidence in Modi.

Officers have separate devices to use in the offices. Through their names anybody can know when a particular person goes in and leaves office. Their time is 9 am to 5.30 pm with half an hour lunch. This is great! This will make them punctual and will show what and how much work they produced in a certain time resulting in increased efficiency.

To my surprise and delight this is already introduced in 148 Central Govt.

Organisations and intended to go Nationwide. What a wonderful idea. This will also inspire private corporations as well to go digital. This will later go in to Manufacturing and other sectors too. As such India will beat other nations' GDP! Gandhiji was destined for India Independence while Narendrabhai ( as he called me Upendrabhai ) Modi is destined for India Progress, Prosperity and Prestige all over the World! God Bless Narendra Modi! --- Jai Bharat!

My heart fills with sorrow every time I see Fatima Khan, mother of 32 years old Orthopaedic Surgeon Abbas Khan found hanged in prison allegedly murdered, who was father of two and a caring human being who went in war torn Syria, entered lion’s den to help war victims in one of the most draconian, unpretentious conflict in human annals.

She went to Syria on her own in a desperate attempt to free him, knocked on every door, sleeping outside prison but all her efforts met with a brick wall. No mother has to go through such heartbreak scenario, to bring home the body of her son killed in mysterious circumstances. She was badly let down by the British government, as she approached Indian government for help but being British citizen of Indian origin, she was told they were could only intervene if official request comes from British government which never materialized, despite her numerous requests. No wonder she blames the government for letting her family and her son down, abandoning them in their hour of need.

The Chief Coroner conveyed Jury’s decision that Dr Khan was “unlawfully killed” that may help the family to find out the truth but in tyrant Assad’s Syria, such killings are daily occurrences. So bringing the guilty to justice is next to impossible.

Kumudini Valambia By email

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Dr Jatindra Saha By email

High Noon

I have been catching up on a few of the past editions of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar. Together with the Noon Group looks for Bharat's prosperity and peace with its neighbouring countries (AV 6/6/2014). I do too and am pleased to see that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is wowing international leaders with his approach on the international scene. I just hope and pray that Bhaarat's neighbours reciprocate.

What a force the ASEAN countries can build over the next few decades.

I am also most pleased to read Lord Noon's article (AV 27/9/14) ‘The Need to Speak Out'.

Unfortunately the vocal minorities drown out the quiet, polite and law abiding majority. It is high time that more people call a spade a spade and make sure that the ruthless people whom we have witnessed over the recent months are confronted as the Pandavas' did so in the battle in the 'MahaBhaarat'.

God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change Courage to change the things we can. and Wisdom to know the difference. I believe this is a Christian prayer.

Yogi Pandya Wembley

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Dharam Sahdev By email

Diwali and the Jains

We have just celebrated Diwali. In fact, Diwali functions and parties are still continuing where people are enjoying themselves by dancing and exchanging gifts and lighting fireworks.

We, members of Shree Jain Sangh celebrated Diwali at the Forest View Centre in Romford, and members of Redbridge Asian Mandal did so at the Orchard Banqueting Suite in Ilford. Hindus celebrate Diwali to commemorate the victory of Lord Rama over the evil king Ravana and other such joyous events by merry making and feasting themselves on sumptuous meals as well as lighting diyas and fireworks.

For Jains, Diwali marks the anniversary of the attainment of moksha by Mahavira (Jainism’s twenty-forth and last Tirthankara or prophet) at the end of his life on earth in 527 BC. It was late in the night of Diwali (Aaso Vad Chaudash) that Mahavira left his earthly body and achieved liberation.

Jains celebrate Diwali in various manners. Some fast for the two days as Mahavira did immediately preceding his liberation. Others join their Hindu friends at parties and generally enjoy themselves.

However, Jainism preaches austerity and observing penances to shed the accumulated karma. I wonder therefore which is the right way for Jains to celebrate Diwali? By fasting as Mahavira did or by enjoying themselves along with their Hindu friends? Jainism also teaches nonviolence to even the tiniest living beings.

So I believe that the lighting of fireworks which can harm tiny insects is out of the question for Jains.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

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UK

Councils to continue lobbying with NABA for local high streets

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Derby City Council will continue to lobby for support of its proposal to increase business rates on larger out of town retailers, despite receiving a negative response from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government last week.

Twenty-three Local Authorities in England are in support of National Asian Business Association's bid to fight for local high streets, as well as organisations including Public and Commercial Services Union, The National Federation of Sub-Postmasters, Living Streets, Locality, UNISON, Sustainable Food Cities, The Campaign for Better Transport and Action for Market Towns.

Councillor Ranjit Banwait, Leader of Derby City Council says of the response from the Secretary of State, “This is an all too familiar response from a government Minister who holds everything local government stands for in contempt. Our proposal under the Sustainable Communities Act, calling for an increase in business rates on out of town retail outlets is not lazy - it’s in response to what our local businesses are telling us, that it’s time those companies earning millions of pounds each year put more of their profits back into the local community.”

Despite this setback, the Council promises continue its

Councillor Ranjit Banwait, Leader of Derby City Council

campaign for change. It is estimated the levy will cost less than 0.1% of supermarket income, making it almost impossible for the levy to be passed on to consumers.

It is a well-known fact that large retail outlets have a negative impact on local shops, jobs and businesses: over 80% of independent shops on our high streets have closed, including local butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers and bakeries.

Meanwhile, the number of larger stores [2,320+ square meters] located out-of-town increased from just under 300 in 1980, to more than 700 by 1990, and to almost 1,500 in 2007 (Competition Commission 2008).

One of the great benefits from investing in our local high streets is that they in turn reinvest in their community. Half of the turnover of an independent

Diwali reception by Bank of Baroda

local retailer goes back into the local community, whilst the figure from supermarkets is just 5% (Federation of Small Businesses 2008 Keep Trade Local Manifesto).

The Council is to host a NABA Conference on Thursday 20 November in Derby at their request to put further pressure on government to look again at our proposal. Uday Dholakia, Chairman of the National Asian Business Association (NABA), says of the proposal, “The aim of the conference is to galvanise support for a considered and well structured super market levy proposition that will actually enable local authority intervention in support of small retailers. NABA’s stance is not anti-multiples. We welcome the choice and value they offer and the jobs they create and lately the access they have been giving to Asian businesses to their supply chain. NABA’s priority is to ensure we have a pragmatic framework that compensates independent retailers as part of a supermarkets planning and 106 requirement actively and implementation by local authorities, with a clear appeal mechanism for all parties” The Council has been invited to present is proposal to the LGA’s Environment, Economy, Housing and Transport Board in January and finally, the Council also confirms its intention to appeal the decision of the Secretary of State.

11

Lighting of lamp by Gopichand Hinduja, Dhimant Trivedi and other dignitaries

CB Patel, Publisher/Editor of Asian Voice and other invited guests

On Thursday 30 October, Mr Dhimant Trivedi, Chief Executive, Bank of Baroda (European Operations) invited guests to a gala Diwali reception at the Thames Suite, Park Plaza River Bank. The evening started with a networking session, followed by the welcome address

by Mr Trivedi and lighting of lamps by dignitaries. The evening also included live entertainment, dinner and dance

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MEDIA WATCH

A high powered intelligence team from Delhi including the top brass of the National Investigation Agency, Intelligence Branch, Research and Analysis Wing and the National Security Guard descended on West Bengal for a close-up view of the details unearthed so far of the jihadi terrorist network in the State.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Telegraph October 28,29)

Fadnavis at helm

Nagpur-born and educated lawyer Devendra Fadnavis has been elected the head of the BJP legislators of the Maharashtra Assembly and is the new Chief Minister of the State. He said he owed his upbringing to the RSS, which inculcated in him the values he held dear. Fadnavis is young and dynamic. The previous Congress Chief Minister Prithviraj Chauhan described Fadnavis as a brilliant parliamentarian. (Hindu October 29)

India to aid Vietnam

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and team in West Bengal

India’s National Security Adviser , Ajit Doval, who headed the team, called on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and read her the riot act. The ongoing investigation had revealed an unexpected scale of conspiracy hatched across a string of unauthorized madarasas, concealed explosives, triggering devices, inflammatory documents and much else that affected national security with international ramifications as well.

Jihadi tentacles had been discovered in the Birbhum, Burdwan, Murshidabad, Malda and Nadia districts with links to networks in adjoining Bangladesh. Plans were afoot to assassinate the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a bid to overthrow her Awami League government and replace it with a jihadi grouping. This had resulted in joint anti-terror operations between the intelligence agencies of India and Bangladesh. Mr Doval spoke on behalf of the countries intelligence agencies and a visibly chastened Ms Banerjee listened quietly for a change. The message from the centre was enough. The demoralization of the State police, which had started under the 34year Communist-led Left Front dispensation, had accelerated under the present Trinamool Congress government, all with a view to furthering their vote bank politics. The rot that had set in had to be reversed, hence the previous lack of cooperation from the local police had exceeded the limits of tolerance. Ms Banerrjee and her aides grasped the implications of Mr Doval’s message. She well understood that this was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s voice and, very likely, President Pranab Mukherjee’s too. Cooperation with the Centre, hereon, was an imperative, if the Trinamool regime wished to survive. With State assembly elections due in May 2016 and the shambolic law and order situation in the rural hinterland, Ms Banerjee has been put on notice. Her support base is fast eroding, and she knows it. Telegraph, Times of India, October 27-31)

Home Minister authorization

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, having received Ajit Doval’s report on the terror network in West Bengal, authorized him to

set the ball rolling in neutralizing the modules of the Jamaatul-Mujahideen of Bangladesh and its Indian branches without delay. Doval also briefed the Special Secretary (Internal Security) Prakish Mishra and heads of the National Investigation Agency and the National Security Guard (commando unit). (Hindu October 29)

Rajnath to visit Israel

Rajnath Singh is to visit Israel early in November, where he will be putting India’s seal to key homeland security agreements between the two countries. He may have a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and top Israeli officials. The visit follows the trip to India of Israel’s National Security Adviser Joseph Cohen, who met with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval. The IndoIsraeli partnership is set to grow exponentially across a wide range of areas, from agriculture to pharmaceuticals and defence.

India is Israel’s largest arms buyer. (Hindu October 27)

Time bomb, U-turn

Doval had warned that West Bengal was sitting on a time bomb. Chief Minister Banerjee appeared to have responded by sacking a number of Trinamool Congress leaders, notably the vicious Abrul Islam; she followed this with an olive branch to the Tatas by extending a noticeably warm welcome to five of company directors of the Group’s segments, promising them every help is setting up bases in West Bengal. She went further by inviting Tata Motors to return to Singur, from which her mass agitation campaign, in 2010, had forced the company to relocate to Gujarat.

Mea culpa

Finance Minister, Amit Mitra, whose rude dismissal of Ratan Tata had come in for censure in the local media, was all smiles as he announced the arrival of a second unit of Tata Consultancy Services, the group’s software arm, to New Town, the high-tech suburb coming up on the outskirts of Old Calcutta. A belated mea culpa, maybe, but better late than never. (Times of India,

India is to render all possible help to Vietnam in its ongoing efforts at military modernization. Calling India’s defence cooperation with Vietnam “among our most important,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a firm commitment to “modernize Vietnam’s defence and security forces” following talks in New Delhi with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. The two countries signed a number of significant agreements including a Memorandum of Understanding for energy exploration in Vietnamese waters of the South China Sea by ONGC Videsh Ltd. Also, India is to give Vietnam a $100 million line of

a symbolism attached these moves.” (Hindu, Times of India, Mint October 29)

India-Russia BrahMos deal

India and Russia have to agreed that the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, a joint venture product, will only be exported to a list of countries mutually approved by Delhi and Moscow. The two partners will also draw up a negative list of countries that are to be barred from acquiring the missile. All requests for BrahMos are

Queen launching JLR Tata-owned plant in Wolverhampton See comment page 3

BrahMos missile

to be decided on a case by case basis, said BrahMos Corporation CEO Sudhir Mishra.

New variants

Lighter and smaller land, air and sea variants of the missile known as BrahMosM , weighing around 1.5 tonnes, are being developed for India’s three services.

The BrahMos team is awaiting user requirements before making the necessary configurations for testing and manufacture are put in place, said BrahMos CEO Sudhir Mishra.

Once inducted into the Navy, the missile could be launched from submarine torpedo tubes. For the Air Force a mini version Modi with Vietnam Prime Minister Ngyuen Tan Dung would mean Beyond Vision Range capability with credit for the purchase of four future platforms, most notably coastguard vessels to be made in the Medium Multi-Role Combat India by government or private Aircraft, and the Fifth vendors for the Vietnam navy.

Generation Fighter Aircraft, believed to be among the world’s Signal to China most lethal aircraft, being jointly developed by Russia and India.

By making Vietnam the heart of (Hindu October 30) India’s Asia-Pacific strategic policy, the Indian government Japan firm’s investments has sent a clear signal to China that Indian regional interests will be vigorously pursued. India and Vietnam have also agreed to coordinate their security policies with those of Japan as part of a trilateral arrangement. Professor Srikanth Kondapalli of Jawaharlal University’s Department Chinese Studies said there would no change in the geostrategic situation.

“Firstly, China has not respected Indian sensitivities - one example is Chinese transfer of sensitive nuclear technology to Pakistan. So India does not need to be concerned about Chinese sensitivities. There is, of course,

SoftBank of Japan is to make investments in India worth $10 billion in the country’s IT and communications space sector, following Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Tokyo several weeks ago.

SoftBank is one of Japan’s largest telecom and internet corporations . The SoftBank commitment was confirmed in Tokyo by its Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Som at a meeting with India’s Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, whose ministry issued the following statement: “Mr Som today assured the Minister that SoftBank would invest about $10 billion in India in the coming years. He placed it on record that India is the top most priority for SoftBank.” He estimated India’s potential e-commerce turnover to reach $0.7 trillion in the next ten years. Minister Prasad informed Mr Som of India’s incentives such as electronic manufacturing clusters, and of the package scheme to boost the industry’s future prospects. (Hindu October 28)

India in top three start-ups

With 3,100 start-ups, after the US (41,500) and UK (4000), India ranks third in the world.

Over the last year alone, there were 850 technology products across the country; this is projected to grow four-fold by 2020 when the figure is calculated to reach 2,000. India has the fastest start-up ecosystem in the world and the total number of technology product/digital start ups is projected to reach 11,500 by 2020. “This hyper-growth, is the inflection point for the start-up ecosystem,” said Ravi Gururaj, Chairman of Nasscom Product Council. (Business Line October 30).

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Som with Ravi Prasad

UK

BSICC organises UK Karnataka Business Meet 2014

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

British South India Council of Commerce, in association with Government of Karnataka NRI Forum, organised it annual UK Karnataka Business Meet 2014 at the British Parliament, London on 30th October 2014. The business meet had Lord Swraj Paul as one of the speakers and was chaired by Mr Virendra Sharma MP, Patron of British South India Council of

Commerce. The audience included representatives from Karnataka, Members of House of Lords & House of Commons, representatives from various trade bodies etc.

One of the highlight of the business meet was the signing the memorandum of understanding between British South India Council of Commerce,

represented by its Director/ Chief Co Ordinator, Mr. Sujit S Nair.,FRSA and Indo British Trade Council, a sub-committee of Leicestershire Asian Business Association, represented by its Chairman, Mr. Uday Dholakia. As per this agreement, British South India Council of Commerce & Indo British Trade Council, a sub-committee of Leicestershire Asian Business

Association have agreed to work together to promote investment, exports and deepening international commercial relations between UK and India, especially South India. As part of this agreement one of the nominee from BSICC will join IBTC’s Board so as to give a strategic and operational link between the two

o r g a n i s a t i o n s .

Additionally, IBTC will host BSICC’s Midlands Office on gratis at their International Trade Hub, allowing both organisations to promote events, visits and missions to and from the Midlands. BSICC will also be inviting one of the nominees from IBTC to join its Advisory board.

The business meet commenced with Mr. Virendra Sharma MP starting the proceedings

and formally welcoming the delegates. Following this Lord Swraj Paul spoke about various opportunities which India offers. Mr.Satish Luhar, Head, India Prosperity & Bilateral, South Asia Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London spoke about UK India relationship.

Following this,

Virendra Sharma MP, Uday Dholakia and Sujit S Nair

Mr.K.C.Janardhan, Hon Secretary of British Business Group Bangalore talked about some of the business opportunities in Karnataka in his talk titled as " Advantage Karnataka".

Mr.Mike Knowles, Dean, Sushant School of Design and Formerly Visiting Prof UAL spoke about Design Led Skills Centres focusing on various Crafts of Karnataka. The next talk was about Doing Business in India with emphasis on the state of Karnataka by Mr.RamPrasad Alva, who is the Head of Initiatives to Prof Rajeev Gowda Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha representing Karnataka.

Jonathan, Senior researcher at Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce spoke about the Untapped Potential of

UK Cities. The next talk was an interesting one where Mr.M L K Naidu, Youth President (Sandur), Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene spoke about the Challenges faced by farmers as a result of Industrialization.

He spoke in Kannada, which is the native language of Karnataka and Ms.Bharati Singh, who runs a very prominent NGO in Karnataka, translated his speech into English.

Following this, Mr.Sadanand Nayak, Executive Director, Punjab National Bank (International) Limited, London spoke about UK Karnataka relations. Then there was a short motivation talk by motivational speaker Mr.Paresh Rughani following which the all the delegates present in the business meet

13

were introduced. Next, Ms.Bharathi Singh, Founder and Managing Trustee, Sa-Mudra Foundation, Bangalore spoke about "Towards Empowering Youth & Enabling Differently challenged in Karnataka".

M r. M a n j u n a t h Vishwakarma, Steering Committee Member, BSICC delivered the vote of thanks.

As background, British South India Council of Commerce (BSICC) is an umbrella body of South Indian communities in UK, formed with the intention to raise UK companies awareness to enormous potential opportunities in the South Indian states and encourage them to trade and invest in South Indian States. BSICC mission is to promote trade and investment between South India and the UK, and to provide a platform for companies and businessmen who wish to become part of the South India- U.K trade community. BSICC promote and defend the interests of UK companies in South India, representing UK businesses to the state governments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and also to the Indian audiences and the Indian media.

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Most Amazing Performance

by Samarthanam - Sunadha Group Navin Shah, GLA Member for Brent and Harrow

Every year Diwali period brings about a range of entertainment which is a joy to watch. Top of the bill this year was the performance at the Dhamecha Lohana Centre, on Sunday 27 October, by the artists of the ‘Samarthanam Sunadha’ – a cultural group comprising vision, hearing and speech challenged youth from Bangalore, India. The performance was unique not simply because of the disabilities associated with the dancers, it was spell binding for its quality of classical dancing, fusion of classical music and choreography. The event was hosted by the Lions Club of London Golders Green under the leadership of Lion Bharatbhai Hindocha who is Trustee of ‘Samarthanam UK’ who with his colleagues presented a riveting show to a 550 strong audience, the Mayor of Harrow Cllr Ajay Maru, Uma Kumaran and Cllr Rekha Shah.

Media publicity of the event invited the audience “to have a wonderful time and share the vision of breaking the barriers of disabilities

and promotion of empowerment.” True to their word the group, accompanied by two local UK school children, delivered their vision that evening! The first performance set the tone of the afternoon with a mesmerizing dance and music performance of the highest possible standard by artists who with severe disabilities. After completing a successful to the USA the group is now touring the UK till mid-November. Who are these people and the group? Let me share with you some vital information about this talented outfit.

‘Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled’, established in Bangalore in 1999, is headed up by Mr

Mahantesh GK who is the Founder Trustee of the organisation.

Samarthanam supports and inspires disabled people, including those suffering from vision and hearing impairment. The vision of the organisation is to empower its members to become financially independent by training them and give them life skills. Its work is focused around education, empowerment and sustainable development for the people with varied disabilities and those with severely poor economic and social backgrounds.

One of the many projects that Samarthanam runs for the young adults, ‘Sunadha’ is a cultural branch of the

trust that encourages and enables the youth to learn and perform various forms of performing arts.

These include Indian Classical, Modern Dance, Bollywood, Contemporary and even theatre. For the last couple of years visually impaired artistes have performed several shows in the US, stunning audiences with their proficiency in Indian classical and folk dances and music. Sunadha dancers have earned much acclaim and are regularly invited to perform at prestigious events like the renowned Hampi Utsav, the Vishwa Kannada Sammelana and Rotary International convention held at Bangkok last May Sunadha artistes endeavour to bridge the cultural gap and the experiences they gain travelling around the world and meeting people go a long way towards building their confidence and creating opportunities for economic self-sufficiency.

Further, each new show contributes to the growing awareness about the abilities of the disabled across nations.

Liberal International Group discuss modern slavery The Modern Slavery Bill making its way through Parliament at present was the subject of a discussion by a number of charities and senior Liberal Democrats including Sir Nick Harvey MP. Lord Raj Loomba and Liberal Democrats activist Anuja Prashar earlier last week (Monday 1st October) The discussion was preceded by the screening of Lakshmi the story of a beautiful 14 year

old girl who is snatched from her family in the village and sold to a brothel in the city.

Against all odds, the traumatized and broken child-woman shows courage where every-

body else fails. Resisting all pressure, violent threats, coercion and bribes, she stands up in court and in a historic landmark case succeeds in putting the traffickers behind bars.

The story of Lakshmi directed by Nagesh Kukunoor is story based on true events in India It served as a stark reminder to the 100 or so people attended the event that one of the most depressing and

East is East Theatre Review

Tanveer Mann Playwright Ayub Khan Din is back with all time favourite, East is East, but this time it has returned to its roots and with a particularly personal tone. Din joins the cast as overbearing father George Khan in this humorous revival by director Sam Yates.

Largely autobiographical, we see how George is torn between his determination to raise his children as traditional Pakistani Muslims and the fact that they feel more British than anything.

The hilarious yet poignant play, which was later made into a hugely successful film, deals with issues that still resonate today. Set in 1970s Salford, the stage captures the grittiness of Salford’s brick walls, alleyways and slums, providing the perfect backdrop for the domestic tensions that occur within the home.

The drama unfolds at the start with an extremely agitated George who has just found out that his youngest son, Sajit, played by Michael Karim, has not been circumcised.

The story then propels into exploring a number of different issues, switching between the domestic drama in the household and the fish and chip shop George owns.

Fighting to establish where he belongs, Pakistan or Britain, George translates his confusion into a tyrannical rule of his children.

Seeing them adopting western ways, he forces them to submit to arranged marriages. So ensues a bitter struggle pressing issue on our time is the abuse of young girls both in the UK “Trafficking and abuse of young girls is as much a problem in rural England as it is in a remote village in India “said one of those present.

Nick Harvey said this addressing this problem will require international cooperation Raj Loomba promised to ensure the

between a father and his children, both who are fighting to establish their own identity, in the backdrop of anti-immigration sentiment and racism.

Din masters the behaviour of his larger than life character George Khan – portraying with ease his tyrannical nature but also a man wrought with anxiety and distress.

The turning point of the play is when we see George break down on stage - the point where the play goes from a comedy to something much more serious. Except for an accent issue, which is achingly calling for attuning, Din’s performance is otherwise exceptional.

Likewise, Ella, played

by Jane Horrocks, cuts a forlorn figure, under her tough exterior. A loving wife and dedicated mother, she is torn between her husband and her children. Doing everything to please her husband and keep her family together, she succumbs to shocking bouts of abuse from George. The culmination is when George violently beats her. Uncomfortable to watch, it is even more painful to witness Ella returning back to normality.

Performances by Tariq (Ashley Kumar), Saleem (Nathan Clarke), Maneer (Darren Kuppan), Sajit (Michael Karim), are spectacular, depicting the intensely fused and fraught relationships they experience in their attempt to find an identity. Overall, a thoroughly moving play, which will make you laugh and cry at the same time.

Modern Slavery Bill would not simply be a piece of legislation that is passed and then sits on the shelf Anuja Prashar promised to pull together the various women’s group in the UK concerned about the issue and keep a watching brief on progress in tackling this scourge which really should have no place in the 21st Centrury

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Remembrance and Privacy

Next week will be the Remembrance Sunday. The war to end all wars is still relevant in the digital era. And it is our duty to know and remember why it all still matters.

The head of spy agency GCHQ claimed this week that Silicon Valley web companies are the command and control centres for terrorists because they keep their users’ information too private.

A couple of years ago I helped Jemima Khan (whose former boyfriend Hugh Grant has been in the news on phone hacking and privacy issue) to raise funds for Auschwitz Concentration Camp Memorial where the Nazis killed Jews in the Second World War. What connects all these events?

Because upon ending of the War, European powers worked on enacting the European Convention on Human Rights.

These are not simply individual rights, they are rights so that never again will the family be under threat. Rights to marriage for instance. Rights to privacy. People died for these rights.

Let me remind you what 60 short years ago they died for: “Considering the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations

Sneha Yadav

on 10 December 1948; Considering that this Declaration aims at securing the universal and effective recognition and observance of the Rights therein declared…Right to respect for private and family life. Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.”

This right at Article 8, nestles alongside other ‘trivial’ ones such as the ‘Right to Life’, ‘Prohibition of Torture’, ‘Prohibition of Slavery’, ‘Freedom of Religion’.

“The saint and poet seek privacy to ends the most public and universal: and it is the secret of culture, to interest the man more in his public, than in his private quality,” said Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Until you have had to, like I have had to, protect your Article 8 Right to Privacy from through injunctions in the courts against a criminal phone hacker, computer email hackers, it is difficult to understand the importance of ‘the sacred realm of privacy’.

The terrorists win, not when web companies keep data private, but when they don’t.

It’s a reminder history resonates for years to come and it is our duty to know why it all matters.

London Calling

Stardust is set to take a step ahead in celebrating all things Bollywood. It will present an enthralling concert in London by Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik, who are known as the king and queen of melody.

The singing sensations were at the Magna Lounge in Mumbai recently to unveil the concert’s logo and address the media about the upcoming show.

Joining them on the dais were Nari Hari, Chairman, Magna Publishing Co Ltd, and the host for the event, Rajeev Paul.

It is the first time the duo is collaborating with Stardust for a live concert and they promise to create magic on stage on 22nd November, 2014, at the Apollo Theatre in London.

When asked about the rapport they share with each other, Alka replied, “The bonding that we share is that of mutual understanding, both onstage as well as offstage. We also quarrel sometimes as there are situations where we don’t agree with each other’s opinions. But at the end of the day, we forget all our differences.”

They were asked their views on the music of today and they both said they

UK

15

Indian Deputy High Commissioner to the UK visits Reading

Alok Sharma with Dr Virander Paul, Indian Deputy High Commissioner to the UK and attendees at the meeting

Alok Sharma, the Member of Parliament for Reading West, on Saturday 1st November 2014, hosted a meeting for local businesses and individuals with the Indian Deputy High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency Dr Virander Paul.

More than 40 people attended the Reading meeting, during which the Deputy High Commissioner spoke about change in India following the outcome of India’s general election, the policies of the new Indian government to produce economic growth and improve transparency and accountability. During his speech, the Deputy High Commissioner spoke about the importance of India’s relation-

ship with the UK in achieving all of these goals.

Dr Paul also answered questions from attendees about measures to boost bi-lateral trade and investment, such as obtaining Indian visas and helping Readingbased businesses build relations with Indian companies. The Deputy High Commissioner agreed to provide introductions for business people based in Reading to Indian companies, to help facilitate trade.

Alok also joined Dr Paul for a visit to the Reading Hindu Temple to attend a special Diwali programme, as part of the High Commission’s agenda to extend its engagement with the British Indian community. Dr Paul was the first senior

member of the High Commission to ever visit the Reading Hindu Temple.

Alok Sharma said: “I was delighted to welcome Deputy High Commissioner Paul to Reading to meet local business people and individuals who were able to raise issues related to bilateral trade, consular matters and cultural exchanges between India and the UK. India is a huge market with fantastic prospects for future growth and I am therefore particularly pleased that the Deputy High Commissioner has agreed to introduce local businesses to senior officials to help facilitate trade and investment and also host business meetings at the High Commission in London.”

Sainsbury's removes 'Haribo Sweets' Diwali Promotional Campaign"

did not approve of the current trends. Be it Yo Yo Honey Singh or Himesh Reshammiya, they fail to understand why their music and lyrics are popular and hope it’s just a phase.

Alka was asked if she ever received offers to act, to which she said, “Yes, I used to get a lot of offers, but I was focussed

on my singing career. You need to be really passionate about being an actor and I was not.”

Kumar and Alka have given a number of hits in the ’90s and they obliged the crowd at the Magna Lounge by singing a few lines of Mein toh raste se jar raha tha and Maine socha na tha to much applause.

Sainsbury’s have withdrawn their Diwali campaign following a complaint by the Hindu Council UK (HCUK) which highlighted a customer’s complaint when seeing a promotional campaign for Haribo sweets.

In a letter to the supermarket Dipen Rajyaguru, Director for Equality & Human Rights for the HCUK stated: “Sainsbury’s is being extremely insensitive and very ignorant in your ‘Diwali promotions’ through promoting Beef Gelatine produce (Haribo sweets) as part of the celebrations. Beef consumption is strictly prohibited in Hinduism just as Pork is prohibited in Judaism and Islam. In addition, it is obvious that that by labelling them as ‘halal’ (Islamic food standard) that it may not be suitable for Hindu’s and certainly not specific to Hindu belief.”

In response to the HCUK’s complaint James Bailey, Director of Packaged Food at Sainsbury’s wrote: “We run a Diwali promotion every year, designed to showcase the products we sell to help customers celebrate this important festival. On this occasion we got it wrong on two counts – by highlighting sweets for Diwali that

contain beef gelatine, and then again by promoting them as Halal.

All this promotional material has been removed from display in our stores and will be deleted from our website overnight.

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A free exhibition at:

The Story of Leicester’s Ugandan Asian Community

Newarke Houses Museum & Gardens The Newarke, Leicester LE2 7BY

Open: Monday - Saturday from 10am to 5pm Sundays from: 11am to 5pm

Tel: 0116 225 4980

www.leicester.gov.uk/kampalatoleicester

DIWALI

Thousands celebrate Diwali at the Hare Krishna Temple

Thousands of people from all over the UK came together on Sunday 26 October to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at Bhaktivedanta Manor Hare Krishna Temple, as part of one of the biggest festivals in the country.

Over 17,000 people celebrated Diwali at the UK's most famous Temple, which was donated by The Beatles star George Harrison to the Hare Krishna movement in 1973. Guests included MPs and Mayors from all over north London and beyond. Theresa Villiers MP and Shailesh Vara MP were among them.

Visitors were treated to a day of colourful Indian dramas, traditional dance performances, face painting, henna, with the festivities culminating with the famous annual grand firework display at 6.30pm.

Bhaktivedanta Manor is

the only Temple in the UK to host a Diwali fireworks display on such a scale.

The festival of Diwali

Photo courtesy: Vijay Mistry

16

clebrates the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness, and the story is told in the ancient Indian text, the Ramayana.

Lord Rama, his wife Sita, brother Laxman and friend Hanuman are returning home after defeating the demon Ravana. Their journey home took place during the new moon, so their travels were made in complete darkness.

However, thousands of local villagers celebrating

their return began to light up their route home by hanging lamps, lighting divas, candles and fires to help them get

home safely, which is why it is often called the ‘festival of lights’.

Bhaktivedanta Manor is home to some of the world’s most beautiful deities of Lord Rama, Sita, Laxaman and Hanuman. Weeks of preparations go into designing the altar and Temple room, and the deities are a special draw for the thousands of pilgrims and visitors attending the festival.

Diwali is the second biggest festival hosted by the Temple after Janmashtami in August, which celebrates Lord Krishna’s birthday.

Srutidharma Dasa, Temple President of Bhaktivedanta Manor said: “Diwali is traditionally a time for families to come together – it gives us an opportunity to give, forgive and to be grateful. It is a time when we think about giving to others - helping those who are less privileged than ourselves.

And, by forgiving others it grants us an opportunity for new beginnings...”

Metropolitan Police Hindu Association celebrates Diwali At the invitation of MPHA, over 120 people including MPS SMT, MPHA members, Staff Association representatives and prominent community leaders gathered to celebrate Diwali at New Scotland Yard on 8 September.

AC Helen King Opened the event by lighting a candle in memory of all the fallen officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice whilst protecting the safety of our communities.

Warrant Officer British Army Ashok Chauhan MBE lit a candle to mark the sacrifice of the WWI heroes who lost their lives during the war including 700,000 soldiers from India who fought alongside British troops.

Lord Paul lit a candle in memory of people who we have lost from our community including Mr Arjan Vekaria President of Hindu Forum of Britain.

Chief Guest Sir Bernard HoganHowe was welcomed with garland by Special PS

Ketan Mandalia. The Commissioner said that he was attending the great Diwali event to show his support for the Metropolitan Police Hindu Association who has been providing an excellent support for the Metropolitan Police Service, their members and the communities.

Other speakers included

AC Helen King, AC Martin Hewitt, Chris Porter Head of Forensics Quality and Capability, Borough Commander Sue Williams Redbridge, Superintendant Ian Larnder, DCI Jane Corrigan, Jay Lakhani Director of Hindu academy, Lord Paul, Rt Hon Keith Vaz, Shailesh Vara MP and Seema Malhotra MP, Arunima Kumar Dance Company artists who have performed on big stages in over 35 countries presented two dance items Satya Minhas was presented with a token of appreciation on behalf of MPHA members by Sir Bernard for being the longest serving founder member, who has dealt with over 100 welfare cases.

Satya thanked everyone for this honour and said that the MPHA is open to people from all faiths and any one could become our member. A pure vegetarian buffet was offered to guests.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

My Experience at 10 Downing Street

Simran Solanki, Age 7

I would like to tell you about my experience at 10 Downing Street. My mother Heena and I were invited to meet Mr David Cameron to celebrate Diwali. At first I didn’t think much of it and then my parents explained he is the Prime Minister of Britain. The day finally arrived and on the day I was excused from school slightly early. When we arrived there was a queue of people as there were police at the gate checking the invites and identification. We then had to go through security, which was like the airport, but it was not too bad. As we approached the entrance, it was all shiny and black just like I see it on the news, with a big gold No.10. I could not believe I was now standing outside this famous door.

We were guided up

the stairs but before that everyone had to deposit their mobile phones on a shared shelf. We walked through this grand long corridor and then went up what was a very interesting staircase, as it had pictures of all the Prime Ministers and some were in black and white. We picked up a drink and progressed to the main room. First I saw the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir volunteers had

setup an amazing display of Diwali sweets and decoration called ‘Anakut’.

For about one hour we were what the adults call ‘networking’, I call it chit chat ! and there was bite size food being served.

The room was very packed by 6.30pm and then I finally saw Mr David Cameron enter the room looking very smart in his black suit. He came in greeting and talking to people, look at the food display and walked up to a tall Divo to light it. He stepped onto the podium and he greeted everyone by saying ‘Shubh Diwali’.

He talked about different things such as Sewa, celebrating Diwali, Unity and Values. I was impressed he knew so much about our Hindu culture, values and festivals.

I feel so privileged to have been invited to meet the Prime Minister and this experience I will never forget.

Neasden Temple Goes Pink to support Breast Cancer Care during Diwali

A young girl draped in a striking pink sari guides an elderly visitor through beautiful decorations at the Neasden Temple on Thursday 23 October 2014, fittingly symbolising timeless values of Diwali.

The volunteer, dressed in pink colours to support Breast Cancer Care during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, was one of many helping the thousands of visitors to the Temple, officially called BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London. Devotees and well-wishers had arrived to celebrate Diwali and the Hindu New Year, two of the most important and colourful festivals of the Hindu calendar.

Diwali, known as the ‘Festival of Light’, symbolises the triumph of good over evil and is a time for thanksgiving, goodwill and charity. Premvati Patel, a temple-goer, further explained, “The temple has taught me to think about what I have done for others over the year and to try and do a little more to help. It is also a time when I can take stock and strengthen my own relationship with God.” Present to switch on the pink lighting and launch the spectacular fireworks display were three families – two of whom had sadly lost loved ones to breast cancer, but have been truly inspirational for others, and Remi Brahmbhatt, a long-time survivor of the disease.

On Friday 24 October, the Mandir once again hosted one of the largest New Year celebrations in the country which began early in the morning with

proud and happy to come here. What you do as a community is reflected best on occasions like this.

You maintain your spiritual values in a foreign country without giving up loyalty to the country in which you live – this is the great contribution of Indians and I think a great message which we take away on an occasion like this today.”

Mayor of Brent Cllr Kana Naheerathan and Mayor of Harrow Cllr Ajay Maru, as well as other local councillors, CB Patel, Publisher/Editor, Asian Voice also joined the being welcomed at the temple congregation.

Marie Harry, Breast food’ – however, is not a Health Promotion feast but “an offering of Training and Support the first meal of the New Officer for Breast Cancer Year made in thanksgiving Care, was also present and to God for his providence observed the Mandir’s over the past year, and to support in action, includseek his blessings for the ing the incorporation of year ahead”, Kirtan Patel, pink colours in the decoone of the volunteers rations. “I’m in awe of the explained. volunteers coming togethChief Guest on the er wearing those [pink] occasion was H.E. Mr colours. It’s been incrediRanjan Mathai, High ble how the community Commissioner of India to has come together today. the UK. Addressing the It’s been wonderful to take assembly, he applauded part in this celebration at the contribution of the BAPS Mandir.”

Indians in the UK. “I am prayers for peace and wellbeing. A majestic arrangement of freshly prepared vegetarian food exhibiting a spectrum of colours, delicious fragrances and intricate art is a sumptuous sight that visitors enjoy every year at the Mandir. This “Annakut” – literally, ‘mountain of

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Remembering the fallen Heroes

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Continued from page 1

British Defence Secretary visits India The Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon MP visited India on Thursday 30 October 2014. He led the United Kingdom’s commemorations to recognise India’s contribution and sacrifice during World War One, including laying a wreath at India Gate and hosting at a commemorative reception. He also met with his Indian counterpart, Mr Arun Jaitley, Minister for Defence and Finance, and the Indian National Security Advisor, Mr

Minister Jaitley and I reflected on the common values which India and the UK shared then and still share now. There was, rightly, great pride on both sides.

“We also looked forward, to consider how our countries can work together in tackling the many security challenges threatening global and regional security. And our shared pride at events a century ago stands us in very good stead as we embark together on that work."

Remembering sacrifices made by communities All across Britain, and worldwide, on Remembrance Sunday,

Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP placing a wreath at India Gate, Delhi Ajit Doval, reaffirming the UK’s defence and security partnership with India.

The visit had personal significance for the Secretary of State, whose grandfather Captain Harold Spink served in the Indian Army, and formed part of the Indian expeditionary force that fought in Mesopotamia.

In recognition of the huge Indian contribution to the World

communities will pay homage to the fallen soldiers of World War I, celebrating the centenary.

The beginning of the month has witnessed little poppies pinned to the shirts/coats of people- a special and personal tribute. Muslim women will now be able to go one step further, by wearing a ‘poppy hijab.’

Tabinda-Kauser Ishaq, 24, a student at the London College of

Sapper Ishwor Gurung

Flt Lt Rakesh Chauhan

and World War One’. It was the launch event of a three-year project to reveal the untold story of how one of the world's smaller communities played a disproportionately large role in the ‘war to end all wars’.

The story of Sikhs in World War I was told through original artefacts including unpublished photographs and drawings, newspapers and comics, postcards, stunning works of art, uniforms, gallantry medals, and folk songs sung by the wives left at home. It also featured a unique album of X-Rays of wounded Indian soldiers’ injuries generously lent by Her Majesty The Queen from the Royal Collection.

UKPHA Chair, Amandeep Madra said: “The British Indian Army’s contribution was actually greater than the better-known efforts of the white commonwealth countries of Australia, Canada and New Zealand put together.

The non-white Empire’s efforts have largely been forgotten and their heroism and sacrifices omitted from mainstream narratives, or left as somewhat forlorn footnotes of history.

“And yet men from British India in particular ensured that the Western Front wasn’t lost in those vital first months, and then went on to fight the war’s

Sergeant Krishnabahadur Dura

Rifleman Suraj Gurung

War I effort and a mark of respect for the Indian servicemen who gave their lives, Mr Fallon laid a wreath at India Gate, before hosting a largescale commemoration event at the British High Commission in New Delhi.

During the reception, the Secretary of State unveiled Victoria Cross (VC) memorials, commemorating the six VCs that were won by soldiers from the current territory of India. He presented the memorials to the Indian Minister of Defence, along with digitised war diaries of the India Corps that fought in France and Flanders and other commemorative items.

Mr Fallon told Asian Voice, "India and the UK are natural partners. The events I've attended and the discussions I've held today are the clearest possible evidence that this partnership is deep, broad and long-standing.

“In a moving ceremony to mark the enormous contribution made by Indian servicemen during the First World War, Defence

Rifleman Sachin Limbu

Fashion and a British Muslim, has designed a headscarf that is patterned with poppies, and has been created specifically for Remembrance Day this year.

She reportedly told a newspaper, “The idea to do a headscarf came from knowing that many Muslims generally mark Remembrance Day. “We felt it wasn’t that widely known. The number of Muslim soldiers who fought in World War I was even less known. We wanted to create something that illustrated this history.”

More than 400,000 Muslims fought alongside British troops in 1914, but it is a fact that is little known or talked about. It’s why the Islamic Society of Britain and integration think tank British Future which is selling the hijab online, approached Tabinda to help them find a symbol of Remembrance that would appeal to British Muslims.

In the summer, UK Punjab Heritage Association (UKPHA) organised an exhibition called ‘Empire, Faith & War: The Sikhs

Rifleman Yubraj Rai

forgotten fronts in Mesopotamia, Arabia, Palestine, North Africa and beyond. Their contribution has never adequately been recognised or even told.

“By telling the Sikh story we want to change that and remind the world of this wider undervalued contribution of the nonwhite British Empire. This is British history and a story that helps explain much about modern Britain as well as filling in a tragically missing piece of First World War history.”

More than 200,000 Gurkhas have fought in the two world wars, and in the past 50 years they have served in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Cyprus, the Falklands, Kosovo and now in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the two World Wars the Gurkha Brigade suffered 43,000 casualties, and to date it has won 26 Victoria Crosses – 13 by Gurkhas and 13

by British Officers. In the World War II there were no fewer than 40 Gurkha Battalions in British Service, as well as parachute,

Lance Corporal Siddhanta

garrison and training units. In all this total sum amounted to 112,000 men. Side by side with British and Commonwealth troops Gurkhas fought in Syria, the Western Desert, Italy and Greece, from North Malaya to Singapore and from the Siamese Border back through Burma to Imphal and then forward to Rangoon. In Britain's 13 years war with Afghanistan, The Times reported that 40 Gurkhas held off 28 assaults in two weeks at Nawzad; between 2001-2014,

Lance and Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar. It also included Flight Lt Rakesh Chauhan, a British Gujarati and Lance Corporal Martin Joseph Gill, who seem to be of mixed ethnicity.

Remembering Rakesh's contributions, the Leicester city had come to a standstill in end of April, as about 2,000 people lined to honour this 29 years old RAF officer, who died when his helicopter crashed in Afghanistan. Survived by parents and a brother, he was honoured and remembered at the prestigious 14th Asian Achievers Awards in London's Grosvenor Hotel on 19th September.

On Remembrance Sunday, 9th November this year, dignitaries and well-wishers across Muslim women with Britain will fall silent for poppy printed headscarf two minutes in respect to those who laid down the 453 British troop soldiers their lives in past conflicts. who were killed included solMonarchs, MPs, Peers, Mayors diers of Gurkha origin, or the will lay wreaths at different cenoregiment, such as- Rifleman taphs and memorials. Hundreds Yubraj Rai, Colour Sergeant are expected to line the streets Krishnabahadur Dura, Corporal for services and parades held Kumar Pun, Corporal Arjun across the county- to remember Purja Pun, Sapper Ishwor as the name suggests- a day to recall and pay tribute to those Gurung, Rifleman Suraj who risked and gave up their preGurung, Rifleman Vijay Rai, cious lives for someone else's Rifleman Sachin Limbu, Lance safety, peace and independence.

Corporal Gajbahadur Gurung,

World War I Centenary

Kusoom Vadgama

Corporal Arjun Purja Pun

17

The inscription carved on the centotaph in Whitehall, designed by Edwin Lutyens, the Glorious Dead remains etched on the hearts of all who honour and remember the fallen heroes. Serving soldiers march past the monument and Monarchs lay wreaths while the veterans of the wars, wearing medals and poppies (introduced in 1921) with pride, complete the processions.

This ritual has continued since the first Armstice Day, 11 November 1919. The day remembers and honours those who died in and in the case of India, those who made the supreme sacrifice for the country not theirs. At the time, India's enemy was Britain and not Germany, yet 1.5 million men came to the colours without constrictions and over 60,000 of them died in WWI., leaving their families consumed with grief. Ironically, India was fighting its own war of independence on the home front and the freedom fighters were marched into prisons when at the same time Indian soldiers were lying on the battlefields of Europe, defending Britain. Inspite of it, there was no question of Indian loyalty to Britain's war efforts or to

the King Emperor. The war produced heroes like Khudadad Khan, the first ever Indian to be awarded the Victoria cross on 31 October 1914, for his bravery (until 1911, Indians were not eligible for this award).

To mark the Indian contributions to the war, Mrs Sarojini Naidu (1879-1948), wrote a poem 'The Services of Indian Womanhood' which says all about the human sacrifice and the sheer agony of the brutality of war. A talented politician and poet described as the nightangle of India, she was also a brilliant orator.

Indian soldiers who died of their wounds were cremated on the Brighton Downs ie the Sikhs and the Hindus. Muslim soldiers were buried first at the Memorial Gardens and later reburied at the Brookwood Cemetery near Woking.

As we mark the centenary of the war, we pay tribute to all who lost their lives. The monument at Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, scene of fighting in World War II has the following timeless inscription that says all about the debt that we owe to the war dead: “When You Go Home, Tell Them of Us and Say, For Their tomorrow, We Gave Our Today.”

18

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Dear Financial Voice Reader,

Banks should be full of lying cheating fraudsters.

In my monthly BBC newspaper review to a global audience of 288m, I had a punch up about banks.

Look, JP Morgan is going to be fined for fixing the currency rate. Key points you need to know: 1.Such fines are a tax on fraud – and like all tax, the taxman doesn’t want to kill the patient, just keep him alive to make the payments each year. If the taxman is a blood sucking vampire, then the banks are someone who must be kept alive to keep producing blood 2. The regulators like the mafia just go to the banks when they need money and find criminality as an excuse to take their money 3. The money taken from banks is tiny – its not even a punishment. Take JP Morgan, their fines will be three months of profits! That’s hardly a punishment. It is 2% of their entire market capitalisation. So so so small.

4. Such criminality is not only to expected from banks, but its an understanding that they do this to achieve profits. They’ll never be caught for everything, so they keep some profits from cheating – so it makes sense for them to do it 5. If you are a shareholder, and your bank is not cheating to make profits, you’ve got to ask yourself are they making all the effort they could to make money?

6. It’s become a badge of honour – we cheat therefore we must be big and profitable 7. No one ever gets sent to prison anyway. Who got sent to prison for the credit crunch?

8. What about reputational damage – well JP Morgan is up 4% this year. It’s added to its wealth.

9. Some low level trader may go to jail. Always the little guy. The Board never go to prison.

10. If your bank’s staff are not lying and cheating to generate profits then some other stinking banks’s staff will be. So better it’s your bank that’s the most profitable one and boosting your share price than some other lying cheating bank.

11. I don’t condone criminality, but the way the whole stinking system is set up it is expected and never deterred. But until the Board can go to prison, until fines are 10% of market capitalisation of the company, then cheaters will go on cheating.

Amul dairy starts production in US

Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union popularly known as Amul Dairy has started production of three dairy products at its US plant located at Waterloo village in New York. The plant, located 350 miles away from New Jersey, is Amul's first manufacturing facility outside India. The facility has been set up under a tripartite agreement between Amul Dairy, the

Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) that markets brand Amul and New Jersey based NRI businessman Piyush Patel.

"After receiving Gujarat government's approval a fortnight back, we have started production of ghee, paneer and shrikhand at the US plant last week," said Amul Dairy's managing director Dr K Rathnam.

Moody's welcomes India's policy steps, but wants to see more

Global credit agency Moody's welcomed recent efforts by India's government and the Reserve Bank to boost economic growth and attract longterm investments, but said the measures would need to be sustained to have an actual impact on the country's sovereign ratings.

Moody's Investors Service said steps such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" campaign, infrastructure initiatives, improvements on monetary policy framework, and banking sector

reforms were all "incremental, rather than radical" measures.

But Moody's said it wanted to see "sustained improvement" in the reform momentum for "over at least the next two years" to have an actual impact on India's credit

Modi vows to bring back 'black money'

Narendra Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was committed to bring back funds illegally deposited in banks outside the country to avoid tax, widely referred to as "black money". In his second radio address to the nation since coming to power in May, Modi said the money stashed abroad illegally belonged to the poor of the country.

"The issue is an article of faith for me," Modi said in his speech that was aired live by various public and private radio channels.

Illegal deposits abroad cost India billions of dollars in lost revenue and Modi had earlier promised his government would change laws or enact new measures to bring back such funds. On taking office, he

appointed a panel to investigate the matter. Modi said he did not know how much black money was deposited in banks overseas, but Washingtonbased think-tank Global Financial Integrity has estimated that India suffered $ 344 billion in illicit fund outflows between 2002 and 2011. The government has already submitted a list of people with illegal foreign bank accounts to the Supreme Court, which is monitoring the case. "From what I am understanding and based on the information I have, I am telling you that we are in the right direction," he said in his address, which lasted for about 20 minutes. He said he would take up the case of drug addiction in his next address.

Indiabulls property show in London

Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd (IBHFL) is hosting ‘India Property Show 2014’ exclusively for the NRIs, PIOs & OCIs audience at the Ocean Suite, at the Cumberland Hotel, Oxford Street, London W1H 7DL on 8th and 9th November 2014. The exhibition will be open for public from 10 am to 7 pm. Twenty leading developers of properties from all across India like Mumbai, Gujarat, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Punjab, Kolkata and Hyderabad will be

part of the show.

Multiple projects are on display with varying options like flats, villas etc.

Customers can choose from a wide range of properties starting with INR 20 Lakh to premium properties up to INR 10 crore with sizes ranging between 400 sq. ft. to 6,000 sq. ft. In addi-

tion, one can get exclusive offers and valueadded benefits during these two days of the exhibition.

Speaking on the occasion Gagan Banga, Vice Chairman & MD, IBHFL said, "Buying a home in India is a "sentimental decision" for many NRIs as it is driven by a need to remain connected to their roots. Customer satisfaction is the hallmark of all IBHF offerings. In addition to the full home loan options, it also provides Advisory Services to NRIs and PIOs want-

ing to buy properties across India. IBHFL strength lies in its welltrained personnel who have in-depth knowledge and expertise.

The specialized team of counsellors not only provide customers personalized home loan counselling, but also provide assistance to identify and buy properties in India, in-house legal and technical advice relating to property related documentation and flexible repayment options tailor made to suit their requirements.

ratings.

Moody's rates India at "Baa3", or the lowest investment grade, with a "stable" outlook. It was the only one among the three major global credit agencies not to downgrade India's outlook to "negative" over the past three years.

"Since India's sovereign rating already incorporates Moody's assessment that its growth potential is high, such

higher growth rates would, in themselves, be of limited (though positive) significance for India's sovereign credit profile," the agency said.

Moody's said an assessment of India's credit ratings would only come after it sees sustained improvements in inflation, investment climate and policy predictability and transparency.

The credit agency added it wanted to see stronger fiscal, balance of payments and banking sector metrics.

Orlando businessman Nik Patel arrested on fraud charges

Nikesh A Patel

Orlando businessman Nikesh A Patel was arrested by the FBI on allegations that he fraudulently sold $150 million in loans, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

Authorities allegedly claim that 25 loans were sold to a Milwaukee company as being guaranteed by the US Department of Agriculture. Patel was released on $100,000 bond and his attorney, Mark NeJame, said that Patel denies the allegations and nothing has been proved.

Meanwhile, Patel who has allegedly been facing criminal charges and a $72 million lawsuit has agreed to sell five hotels, two multimillion-dollar homes, several luxury brand watches, a Rolls Royce, a Lamborghini, and gold coins.

“We agreed we were going to sell some assets off,” NeJame said. “He’s acknowledging that he owes some of the money, and he is doing the right thing by selling some assets and giving the money to the people he owes,” a report in Orlando Sentinel said.

The asset sales were outlined in an order for the civil case where Patel allegedly owes money to Milwaukee-based

Pennant Management.

Patel and Pennant negotiated the sales, and US District Judge Amy St. Eve signed the order.

Pate's rise in Orlando business community was quick. Before the age of 30, he had opened a restaurant downtown and launched his financing company, First Farmers Financial. Only a year ago, his hotel company Alena Hospitality went on a buying spree.

First Farmers sold a group of loans to Pennant totalling $179 million in value. According to the civil lawsuit and criminal charges outlined by the FBI, Patel created fake documents stating that the loans were guaranteed by the US Department of Agriculture, when they were not. Selling the assets listed in Tuesday’s order will not satisfy Pennant’s entire claim, NeJame said.

Other investors who did business with Patel are not included in the order signed on Tuesday.

Pennant will have final say on sale of hotels, and proceeds from the sale will go to Pennant. In addition to the sale of assets, First Farmers will immediately pay $6.1 million to Pennant.

REAL ESTATE VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

19

The Property Chain

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

We are a month away from completing a deal in Southwick St, W2. It consists of four stories, half commercial and the other half residential.

The total square footage is 6,700 and we paid £3.7m which equates to £552 per sq. ft., which is cheap. The property admittedly is not on a high street location and therefore the commercial will be less desirable.

Even so at this price you really cannot go wrong.

The residential consists of 4 flats generating £100k per annum, and the commercial element should bring in another £78k per annum.

What’s more is the property has the potential for further development, which our architect is exploring.

What’s interesting is I had been staring at this property almost every day, a year after we started the business for about 6 years as our offices in Paddington were directly opposite this building, when we first moved into the area. Little did I know that one day we would be purchasing it.

Th is is an area whic h has a lot g oing for it. This is t he secon d bu ilding we have bo ught in the area, the other being 6 Lo ndo n St re et, W2 which is a ston e throw away; which we purchased and resold prior to compl etion a co uple of mo nths ago . T his was a commercial buildin g with commercial on th e g round fl oor wit h o ffices in the base me nt and three floors above. It came with plan ning permission fo r 4 f lats. We picked it u p fo r £1.9m and re so ld it for £2.025m whic h is still a g ood d eal f or the incoming bu yer f or a freeho ld block.

Prior to this a few years ago we sourced a site with planning for a row of four mews houses in London Mews, W2 which took a long time and effort to come to fruition, at one point we thought the deal was dead, but it got reincarnated and we got another chance to grab it at auction. This however was more of a charitable transaction as we didn't get paid on it, luckily not all of our clients are charities.

This area is set to be hotting up with the coming of the New Cross rail link and prices will rise even further despite the rather gloomy outlook on property currently. I have seen this area go up heavily since the time I have been there. This patch was always seen as the poor relative of the W1 postcode. The wrong side of Edgware Road, it was so close but yet had a stigma attached to it.

This started changing when ambitious plans were announced for the Paddington Basin, and big companies were said to be relocating their HQ to here including Marks & Spencer which was coming from no less than its Baker Street location to be in this area. The policing of the streets increased with the aim of cleaning it up. Then Heathrow Express started from Paddington station which will get you to the airport in 15 minutes.

There was a time when I could get 10 flats in a new development for free. No kidding. However I chose not to purchase any, as they were too expensive. Officially they were priced at £350k each and I was getting them for £275k. They came with the benefit of a two year rental. This was in the good old days when you could get mortgages based on the valuation and not on the purchase price. Days when all you needed was a good credit rating and some bravado.

ple who run around the market and claim to have control over deals which they don’t. They work on the principle if you shovel enough some of it will stick. This runner was one of the better ones to be fair, we had transacted through him before many years back. He wasn't direct with the owner, he knew someone who knew someone who knew the owner.

I’m highly averse to these types of situations, as most of these end up being a complete waste of time, effort and money. Nonetheless I saw no harm in putting forward an offer, albeit a cheeky one of £3.6m.

The agent who did have direct control over the deal wasn't having any of it, apparently he had a higher offer which he was progressing with (rumour has it that it was £4.2m).

Finally after going quiet, the agent called me up directly from out of the blue and said he’s ready to do a deal. He said he can introduce me to the owner, who was Malaysian, and we can agree the price there and then.

So I went to meet this Malaysian gentleman whilst he was eating his chicken satay, and agreed the deal there and then; we struck a price of £3.7m after a quick phone call to his sons in Malaysia.

So papers were sent and as t his was a purchase of t he company it bec ame a prot racted transact ion. Ofte n lawyers can lo ck horns on certain issues, the y each say th ey are prote ctin g their clie nts, but I have a sn eaky suspicion t hey’re act ually protect in g themselves and the ir in su rance premiums.

Which at t he time I did n't have; my thin king was if they we re ever empty h ow o n earth was I g oing to afford the mo rtg ag e and t he service charge s which see me d to me at the t ime horrend ous. These f lats must n ow be worth at least £650k a piece .

The way we managed to close the deal in Southwick was a bit topsy turvey. We were originally introduced through a ‘runner’, these are peo-

The Real Deal

We locked horns on some points and the deal got stuck in a dead lock, the seller who was not a details kind of guy decided to pull out of the transaction completely.

Whilst this was going on the runners involved, of which there were four in total, (this I later discovered) were trying to sabotage the deal, knowing they had lost control of the transaction. They started offering £4.2m to the buyer directly in Malaysia and trying to break the deal.

However with the relationship I had developed with the agent we managed to come to a compromise and exchanged on the transaction with the completion 6 weeks away.

Then I started getting harassed with thinly veiled threats over the phone. One gentleman by the name of Mohammed who claimed to know me called me up and asked for a meeting. I replied I didn't not want to meet because for all I knew he may just shoot me dead, truthfully this is what I told him. He insisted on meeting me and so at the risk of my life I agreed. He then explained to me he had come to know I had purchased the property, he claimed he was in a chain of four runners who had ‘introduced’ the deal to me. I explained to him that I didn't know him, neither did I have any agreement with him, verbal or otherwise, if I did I would honour it. I explained to him he should approach his link on the chain and sort out any agreement they had. This was the second call I had! The first from a woman who was also claiming to be in a chain. Whom I also did not know!

This is the colourful world of property! Certainly in this patch of London.

Paddington, London, W2 Purchase Price: £980k l A bright three bedroom flat in a beautiful building l Long lease l Properties in this location are sold for more than £1,100 per sq. ft. while this is coming at around £875 per sq. ft. l Excellent buy and hold opportunity Call us now to reserve!

0207 993 0103

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in

Central London Property Sourcing

info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

55 Bryanston Street, Marble Arch Tower, London, W1H 7AA

Follow us online:

Sowandreapuk

SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l Buying at auction is a good way to pick up a bargain, provided you don't get carried away with the emotion of the auction itself.

Set yourself a limit and stick to it and don't get carried away with winning at any cost. l In an auction if the bidding doesn't reach the reserve price, try and negotiate with the seller afterwards. The property wouldn't be at an auction in the first place if they weren't very keen to sell.

20

BUSINESS

India home to 2nd largest proportion of highly paid expats

India is home to the second largest proportion of high-earning expatriates in the world after China and ahead of countries like Switzerland, Russia and Hong Kong, says an HSBC survey.

According to the seventh Expat Explorer survey commissioned by HSBC Expat, 18 per cent of expats working in India draw a salary of USD 250,000 or more every year while in China 29 per cent expats earn a similar annual salary.

The proportion of expats drawing similar salaries is 17 per cent in Switzerland and 16 per cent each in Russia and Hong Kong. "India as a country offers exciting career opportunities for expatriates who have the right skill-set and global experience," HSBC India Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Sanjiv Sud said.

"With robust GDP growth projections, multinationals setting up shops here and Indian corporates hiring overseas talent to lead their businesses, the country will continue to offer lucrative career prospects to expatriates," Sud added.

Expats in India also

report greater savings on everyday expenses and have substantial disposable income when compared to their home countries, the survey says.

Expats in India spend less on utilities (43%), groceries (42%), clothing (42%), healthcare (41%), housing (40%) and household goods (40%), the survey revealed.

"Expatriates enjoy a better lifestyle in India as the operational and commodity costs are substantially lower compared to the West. This helps them save money for the future and also have substantial disposable income," Sud said.

A sector-wise analysis shows that new-age sectors such as telecommunication, information technology and Internet account for 21 per cent of total expats working in

India, followed by construction and engineering (19%). Among all, 23 per cent of expats working in India are from United Kingdom, followed by the United States (14%) and Japan and Canada at 7 per cent each.

Age profiles of expats working in India is fairly spread with 50 per cent of them in the age bracket of 35-54 years and 43 per cent in the range of 18-34 years, the survey said. In the overall list, Switzerland was ranked as the number one country by expats looking for a well-balanced, high-quality lifestyle, followed by Singapore, China, Germany and Bahrain while India stood 9th in the list. Lower living costs and good perks for families make India an increasingly attractive expat destination, the survey said.

The government of India has slammed World Trade Organization members, who suggested signing an agreement on easier custom rules by a select group of countries and keep the dissenters such as India out of the Bali package.

Several countries have in the past proposed that countries such as India be kept out and a plurilateral framework be worked out. Last week, WTO director general Roberto Azevedo too listed it out as one of the options to break the deadlock at the multilateral agency, though he also said that such an arrangement is not in the best interests of a global trade framework.

Azevedo still suggested

that efforts should be made to arrive at a consensus.

There is a stalemate at WTO following India's insistence that the trade facilitation agreement should not be signed until the concerns over the formula for calculating the domestic subsidy is reworked.

"Why keep trade facilitation out? It would be plurilateral. How can there be an agreement on this. All issues need to be discussed," said a government official. Indian authorities are wary that there may be attempt to sidestep crucial issues in order to get a deal.

In any case, there are several in the government who are critical of the

In a bid to take advantage of the bullish stock market sentiment, the India's finance ministry has kicked off the exercise to cut government stake in public sector banks to 51% and enable them to raise fresh capital to meet their growth requirements.

Sources said that the ministry has moved a cabinet note as the government is keen that banks are well capitalized to meet the funding requirement. With government finances already stretched,

the BJP administration has decided that Centre's holding be cut to 51% against the UPA-decided level of 58%. Through this move banks will be able to expand their equity base by issuing fresh shares to the public.

While all state-run banks are well above the regulatory requirement of 9% capital adequacy ratio, several of them, led by State Bank of India, the country's largest lender with a quarter of the pie,

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

4-fold increase in scholarships to Indian students: Vince Cable

decision to make the services negotiations a plurilateral affair, where likeminded countries keep out others and sign an agreement under the WTO umbrella. Those who want to join later have to pay an additional price by way of higher commitments.

When the Doha Round was launched 13 years ago, India had hoped to use its acumen in the services sector, especially IT, to get a better visa regime. In return, it was willing to lower import duty on industrial goods. But the developed countries were unwilling to make any concessions either on services or on reducing subsidy on farm produce.

It has been a busy month.

This week, India's Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hosted an investors' round table in London, opening a dialogue with investors into India about the new opportunities and initiatives from the government.

A couple of weeks ago at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) celebrations in London, India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said: “We regard relations with the UK as a priority in India’s external engagement,” during her speech at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The day before the PBD, FICCI co-hosted an investors' round table with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Part of the discussion was about the tremendous response to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make In India campaign. Since the campaign's launch, the Invest India team, which manages the thousands of email queries received, has been providing potential investors with data, following up approvals from government departments, providing a hand holding escort service from arrival to departure and arranging appointments for investors with relevant agencies. Invest India is a joint venture between FICCI and the Government.

Asian Voice readers miight have read last week that just a few days before the PBD, Business Secretary Vince Cable MP announced a bonanza for Indian students aspiring for admission to UK universities in a speech to FICCI members in Delhi.

He announced a fourfold increase in the number of scholarships and said that it would open the doors to numerous Indian students for study in the UK. He said that the UK government has also decided to set up an alumni fund that would arrange return tickets

and bear other expenses of the students who wish to participate in alumni activities once they finish their studies, and build their relationship further with the UK. In the education field, FICCI already supports an annual Fellowship at King's College, which last year was taken up by Vikram Mehta, the former CEO of Shell India, and the year before by former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran. And next week's FICCI Higher Education Summit in Delhi sees several universities from Britain take part. “We are also proud to announce a major initiative in the skills development and education space linking India and the UK right here in London. The inaugural India Education Innovation Conference 2015 will be on 14-15 January. It is being hosted jointly by FICCI, the UK-India Business Council (UKIBC), Microsoft, King's College, US-based global skills provider Knod and others. Further details are on our website at www.eic2015.com .

In India, there were four items in particular over the last month which reflected a greater confidence for investors in the economy. Asian Voice readers will have read in the paper last week that the Bombay High Court ruled in favour of Vodafone in a long-running dispute with the Indian tax authorities. Vodafone is the largest foreign corporate investor in India.

FICCI was happy to note the positive determination and given that India has the most number of transfer pricing disputes globally, quick resolutions are critical to build

investor confidence.

Second, the Government announced a slew of labour policy reforms, recognising that the current labour policy is an impediment in promoting industrialisation and investment in India.

They are aimed at simplifying compliances, bringing more transparency and accountability and focusing on skills development.

It was a positive message to industry that the Government had earlier piloted three Bills to amend the Factories Act, Apprentices Act and Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns & Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Act, 1988. However, industry still expects significant changes - for example, making a ‘Director’, operating from overseas, liable for safety violations is not justified and would deter investors.

Third, the Finance Minister announced a decision to deregulate diesel prices. FICCI's view is that this will encourage private retailers to re-enter the market, state-owned firms will be able to improve their liquidity, operational functioning and financial health, and upstream players will have greater incentive to invest.

Finally, FICCI welcomed the Government’s decision to bring an Ordinance to clear the impasse created by the recent Supreme Court’s judgment cancelling 204 coal blocks allotted since 1993. The Ordinance will address the future of cancelled blocks and ensure that the already producing blocks are brought back on track,” said FICCI President Sidharth Birla. These announcements point to greater investor confidence in India's economy. As was discussed at the PBD, the 1.5 million strong Indian diaspora in Britain have an important role to play in driving the economy forward.

will need more equity to meet the higher fund requirement of corporate and retail borrowers in coming years. A higher equity base will enable banks to issue more bonds and maintain capital adequacy ratio of around 12%. Data available on the BSE website showed that

government holding in at least six state-run banks is under 60% with at least four banks having capital adequacy ratio of below 12%. In his Budget speech, finance minister Arun Jaitely had announced the government's intention to cut its stake to 51%, which will ensure that the public sector character is maintained. The government decided to reduce the floor on its holding as it could only spare a little over Rs

110 billion for recapitalizing public sector banks.

The rest of the funds, it said, need to be raised from the market.

The government has estimated that stateowned banks will need around Rs 2,400 billion till 2018, which they may not be able to raise from the government. It has asked banks to sell non-core assets and initiate several other measures to meet the funding needs but experts believe that these options will have limited

impact and the only solution is for the government to reduce its holding below 50%.

The Atal Behari Vajpayee government had proposed to reduce government holding in staterun banks to 33% but the amendment could not be passed in Parliament as Congress, which was the main Opposition party, blocked the move. This time the NDA government had decided to stick to the 51% formulation, at least for the time being.

India opposes trade pact by select WTO group

Indian govt plans to cut public sector bank stake to 51%

CURRENCY VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

21

Foreign Exchange

Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX, Currency Specialists.

UK Banks Pass Their Stress Test

Although we saw that the UK pass it banking stress tests, an analyst at the Lloyds Banking Group suggests it could struggle to pass the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own tougher, stress tests conducted in December. This is a concern to the pound as the main fear is a fall in the house price index which the UK has heavily been driven by. If stress tests are not passes then UK Banks may be forced to impose stricter lending criteria.

In the UK we also had figures which showed a fall in the number of working households. The percentage of households where no adults work has declined to the lowest level since records began, according to the Office for National Statistics. The ONS showed that 1.5m children are living in workless households, a fall of 132,000 or 15.9% fall. Of the regions in England and countries of the UK, the North East had the highest percentage of workless households at 21.2%, while the South East had the lowest at 12.3%. The percentage of households in which no adult has ever worked was 1.5%, the same as a year earlier.

In Europe German business confidence fell to its lowest point since December 2012. Figures from the IFO institute of economic research showed 7,000 companies expressed the sixth fall in business sentiment in a row. The IFOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Business Climate index fell

to 103.2.

The Euro struggled after inflation figures revealed the German Preliminary consumer pricing index (CPI) turned negative. The CPI has registered -0.3% when measured month on month, this represents a further fall on last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s figure and also came in well below market analysts estimates for a minor deflationary figure of -0.1%.

Inflation in the Euro zone edged up slightly in October, reinforcing the view that the European Central Bank will hold fire on any additional policy action at its meeting next week. A first estimate on Friday from the European Union's statistics office showed consumer prices in the euro zone rose by 0.4 percent in October in line with market expectations. A day earlier German data showed inflation in Europe's largest economy slowing in October to 0.7 percent, its lowest reading since May. Many analysts have said a number of factors meant ECB action as early as next week was unlikely, but that he expected further measures by the first quarter of next year. ECB policy-makers still appear somewhat divided on the likelihood of deflation in the euro area. The central bank's chief economist Peter Praet told Belgian media earlier this week that the possibility was limited stating "We are not in deflation but we cannot ignore the concrete risk of it".

Demand for U.S durable goods recorded its biggest drop in eight months in September and the pace of house price gains moderated in August falling to 5.6% from 5.8% , suggesting some cooling in economic growth in the third quarter as markets in Europe and emerging nations slow. US companies want to see signs that sales are holding up before making expensive investments to modernise manufacturing plant.

Orders to American factories for long-lasting equipment such as machinery and computers unexpectedly dropped 1.3 percent in September, indicating businesses worldwide are reluctant to spend on expanding output.

Despite this poor figure the US economy remains on solid ground as other data on last week showed consumer confidence jumped to a seven-year high in October to 94.5 this month the highest level since October 2007.

Consumer confidence advanced as Americans enjoyed More job security, gasoline prices at almost fouryear lows and a strengthening labour market are setting the stage for stronger expansion.

The Federal Reserve announced it will stop its six-yearold QE program which strengthened the Dollar against a basket of currencies and by over a percent against the Pound. In three rounds of QE, the Fed bought trillions of dollars of mortgage and US treas-

ury bonds from banks and hedge funds to keep interest rates at zero.

With the stimulus package coming to an end, it will result in the Federal Reserve not buying any more of these bonds. All eyes will now move over to speculation surrounding the US Interest rate rise which is likely to happen sooner rather than later simply due to it currently being on 0.25%.

Also, consumers in the US buying goods have had long enough to utilise the low interest levels as well as companies who may have needed to refinance their debts, have had six years to do this. The drop in fuel prices could not have come at a better time for the U.S economy. Consumer spending unexpectedly dropped 0.2 percent in September, weaker than any economist projected, after rising 0.5 percent in August, according to Commerce Department data issued in Washington. The report also showed incomes rose at a slower pace last month.

The lowest costs at the gas pump in four years and the biggest payroll gains in more than a decade are projected to lift buying power and household purchases heading into the holiday-shopping season. Other reports today showed consumer confidence jumped this month to a seven-year high and manufacturing in the Chicago area picked up, bolstering prospects for a rebound.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 4th November 2014 @ 4.30pm GBP - INR = 98.11

USD - INR = 61.33 EUR - INR = 76.99 GBP - USD = 1.60 GBP - EUR = 1.27

EUR - USD = 1.26 GBP - AED = 5.88

GBP - CAD = 1.83

GBP - NZD = 2.06

GBP - AUD = 1.83

GBP - ZAR = 17.83

GBP - HUF = 393.36

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

22

WORLD

Suicide bomber kills 62 on Pak side of Wagah border

Lahore: At least 62 people, including 17 women and three security personnel, were killed and more than 150 injured in a lethal suicide attack on the Pakistan side of Wagah border, the only road crossing between Amritsar and Lahore, minutes after the flag lowering ceremony on Sunday. Banned terrorist organization Jundullah claimed responsibility for the attack.

Punjab inspector general of police Mushtaq Sukhera said the bomber triggered the explosion outside a restaurant near a paramilitary soldiers' checkpoint at Wagah. "The parade venue is about 600 metres ahead of the blast site. The suicide bomber detonated the bomb away from the parade venue because of the strict checking," said top Rangers officer Tahir Khan. "If the blast had occurred close to the border gate, the devastation would have been far greater," Khan added.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Beating retreat cancelled for 3 days Pakistan Rangers requested BSF to cancel beating retreat ceremony at Wagah border for the next three days, which was agreed to by BSF chief DK Pathak.

Journalists were told to clear out of the area which was cordoned off by security men. An official said that the Indian side of Wagah border was "safe" after blast on Pakistani side.

Suspected suicide bomber arrested Pakistani authorities, meanwhile, announced

the arrest of at least 20 people, including a suspected suicide-bomber, for Sunday’s attack.

Authorities said they recovered 8 kg explosives and a suicide vest from area flanking the blast site, even as entire Pakistan was on red alert on Muharram eve to deter any possible attack on Shias who’ve been targeted by the Taliban and its offshoots in the past.

Cops in Lahore told news agencies that residential areas in Wagah were being searched and 20 people were arrested, including a 17-year-old suspected suicide-bomber, Abdul Rehman, a resident of Multan district, 350 km away. Rehman had gone missing from a seminary in the old city of Lahore a month ago. “Police along with an intelligence agency raided a house in Multan and arrested Rehman,” a cop said, adding Rehman is now at an unknown place and being questioned.

under way. He said 817 displaced people were being sheltered in two camps at Ampitikanda and Koslanda.

Heavy machinery was also deployed in the search even as top officials warned that chances of finding survivors are slim, the army and police personnel were engaged in rescue operations with five teams from the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO). Lankan Army has deployed a contingent of over 500 troops from

the Security Forces Headquarters to rescue the buried victims of the landslide.

Together with army soldiers, Sri Lankan Air Force troops, Policemen, health teams and civil relief teams are also currently engaged in finding about 200 people believed to be buried in the mud.

Five heavy duty trench digging machines arrived at the landslide site when the rescue operations resumed.

“We are also bringing in an additional 200

troops to add to the 500 already here to carry out the search,” the region’s top military officer, Major General Mano Perera said.

Rescue efforts were being hampered by persistent rains that have also made the surrounding hills unstable, he said.

“There were no concrete structures which could have acted as air traps for victims to survive,” he said. Even the office which carries details of the area residents has been buried in the rubble, Amaraweera said.

An investigation must be launched against the estate owners as to why they disregarded the warning issued in 2011, which has now led to many deaths, Samarasinghe said.

Indian High Commissioner Y K Sinha spoke to Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister G L Peiris and offered assistance to deal with the disaster.

arrested on a boat in the seas off northern Jaffna's Delft islet.

The high court judge Preethi Padman Surasena passed judgment on the five Indians and three Sri Lankans for involvement in heroin trafficking between India and Sri Lanka in 2011.

However, the Indian government, which has been pursuing their case for the last four years, maintains that it has done due diligence and found them to be innocent.

Immediately reacting to the Sri Lankan court verdict, India's external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin in New Delhi said, "India's high commission in Colombo will appeal to higher court through a lawyer against the judg-

ment by the lower court against these five Indian fishermen".

He also said that India has been pursuing the case at both levels - legal and official - and will continue doing so. The issue of fishermen is a very emotive matter for both Sri Lanka and India, where Tamil Nadu-based parties including AIADMK and DMK have been regularly pressing the Centre to take up the matter with the Lankan authorities seriously and have often resented high-profile visits from the island nation.

Nonetheless, the attacker crossed four security checkpoints and was waiting for the public to gather as the flag hoisting ceremony was about to end, said Shuja Khanzada, Punjab's interior minister.

"His target was to get close to soldiers at the border but he was unable to cross the last checkpoint," he said. Ahmed Marwat, spokesman of alQaida-affiliated Jundullah told Pakistan media that the attack was in retaliation against Pakistan Army's Operation Zarb-iAzb against militants in Waziristan.

200 feared dead in Sri Lanka landslide

Colombo: A deadly landslide, triggered by heavy rains, wiped out the homes of mostly Indianorigin tea plantation workers at Meeriabedda tea estate in the central Badulla district of Sri Lanka.

Nearly 200 people are feared to have been buried alive after a deadly landslide destroyed the homes of mostly Indian - origin tea plantation workers with slim chances of any survivors being found even as India offered help to deal with the disaster.

“I have visited the scene and from what I saw I don’t think there will be any survivors,” Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said.

Disaster Management Centre Assistant Director Pradeep Kodippili said according to the latest information 192 people were believed to be missing in the landslide and rescue operations were

5 Indian fishermen sentenced to death by Lankan court

Colombo: Five Indian fishermen were given death penalty by a Sri Lankan court for alleged drug trafficking, prompting a response from India that it will appeal to a higher court against the judgment. The five fishermen, all hailing from Tamil Nadu, were apprehended in 2011 by the Sri Lankan Navy on charges of smuggling of drugs, official sources said.

The five Indians are among a group of eight people sentenced to death by the high court in Colombo. They had been

In Brief

Diabetes 'out of control' in some parts of England

London: New statistics reveal that diabetes is out of control in some parts of the country, especially in East London and West Suffolk, with 120 limbs amputated a week and no areas in which treatment targets are being met. The data from Public Health England shows that on average, just one in three patients have their blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels properly controlled. Experts said the failure to control the disease can result in complications, such as amputations, blindness, kidney failure and early death.

Imam's 'sham marriage' trial collapses

London: The trial of Mohammed Mattar, who is accused of conducting 580 sham marriages between Muslim men and European brides collapsed after the Home Office failed to finish paperwork in time. He was said to have presided over the bogus weddings at his Islamic bookshop in west London between 2008 and 2012 to help men win the right to stay in Britain. The charges were dropped after government investigators missed deadlines to hand over vital information.

8 Shias shot dead in Pakistan's Balochistan province

Peshawar: Eight Shia Muslims were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying them in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province. The victims were travelling in a bus when two gunmen attacked them in Hazar Ganji area in provincial capital Quetta. The attackers escaped after the firing and police were searching for them.

Promiscuous men face less prostate cancer risk

Montreal: Researchers from the University of Montreal found that men who had experienced sex with a large number of women were 28 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than men who had slept with only one woman. “It is possible that having many female sexual partners results in a higher frequency of ejaculations, whose protective effect against prostate cancer has been previously observed,” said Marie-Élise Parent, one of the study’s authors. The protection is thought to work by reducing the concentration of cancer-causing substances in fluid in the prostate, as well as the number of crystal-like structures in the prostate associated with cancer.

Surgeons turn amputee’s foot into knee

London: Jordon Moody, 22, a young actress with bone cancer, has had her thigh amputated and replaced by her lower leg, with a new knee joint created from her backward-facing foot. The procedure known as a “rotationplasty”made it possible for her to wear a prosthetic leg without pain. Moody said it was a real shock at first after the surgery, but now it seems totally normal. Lee Jeys, the surgeon at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham who carried out the procedure, said after the surgery the patients could walk and in clothes they look completely normal.

Glaring errors of NHS doctors

London: The Health Service Ombudsman has revealed a number of blunders committed by NHS doctors involving members of every generation. The ombudsman tells how a woman in her 80s died after being left unattended by doctors for six hours, afer suffering a fall, while a baby just one day old was left with permanent brain damage because of glaring errors by hospital staff.

Embarrassing cash machine gaffe

London: A blunder by a cash machine in Aberystwyth offers shoppers “free erections.” The blunder occurred after a sign was wrongly translated into Welsh. The sign on a cash machine should read "arian am ddim" which means free money. But the supermarket blunder says "codiad am ddim" which instead means free erections.

MP Eric Joyce arrested over London shop incident

London: Falkirk MP Eric Joyce has been arrested after "clashing" with a teenager in a London shop.

The Metropolitan police said a 54-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of bodily harm following the incident at a convenience store in Camden. Joyce released a statement confirming that he had spoken to police at the store on Friday, 17 October. The police said a 14-year-old boy was also arrested at the scene for possession of cannabis, and was taken to a police station for questioning along with the 54-year-old. In a statement posted on his website, Joyce claimed he had asked for police to be called after he had "detained a youth." He said officers who questioned him said the CPS and Met Police press office would be informed "because of my identity."

WORLD

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

In Brief

Third baby doesn't bring joy to parents

London: A new research shows that the birth of the first and the second child briefly increases the level of their parents' happiness, but a third does not. A new study by the London School of Economics and Political Science and Western University, Canada reveals that parents' happiness increases in the year before and after the birth of a first child, it then quickly decreases and returns to their 'pre-child' level of happiness. The pattern for second births is similar, although the increase in happiness before and around the birth is roughly half of that for first births.

Widow saves killer driver from jail

London: Paul Bithell, 30, who had pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving to Bill Cross, 79,was facing jail after it was revealed he had a previous conviction for drink driving. But Doreen Cross, 80, said that her husband Bill's death “was genuine” and guilt of the driver was “punishment enough” and pleaded the judge to show mercy to the driver. However, after the widow’s plea, the judge gave Bithell a 12-month community order and banned him from driving for a year. As he left the dock, Doreen walked over to him and they hugged, both of them weeping.

British-Iranian woman jailed for watching men's volleyball

Tehran: Ghoncheh Ghavami, a British woman with Iranian citizenship, has been sentenced to serve a year in prison for attending a men's volleyball game.

Ghavami, 25, an alumni of SOAS university in London, was told her fate on Sunday by a closed court in Tehran. Her parents were not permitted to enter the courtroom and it was not open to the public, her brother Iman said.

Banks hiding sharp hike in mortgage fees

London: Research has found that banks have doubled the fees they charge mortgage borrowers to £1,600 in five years using an array of undisclosed levies. The resulting confusion made it almost impossible for customers to find the best deals, consumer group said.

Journalists told to pay $ 60,000 to follow Obama on his Asia tour

Washington: The price tag for journalists wanting to cover Barack Obama's tour of Asia and Australia next week has hit a stratospheric $ 60,000 (£37,500) and that is just for flights. US news outlets have expressed dismay at the prohibitive cost of the nine-day trip which will take Obama to Australia, China and Burma.

Education department's 'gay rights' tweet sparks row

London: Labour MPs have criticised the education department officials after they appear to suggest that gay rights are not “British values”. The MPs queried a tweet which drew a distinction between “teaching gay rights” and reforms to the curriculum that will make it obligatory for schools to teach “British values” of respect and tolerance for gay people.

Living wage increased

London: The living wage has increased by 20p an hour to £7.85, boosting the pay of 35,000 low-paid workers in the UK. The new rate for the voluntary pay threshold was announced at the start of living wage week along with figures showing that more than a fifth of UK workers still earn less than the living wage. The Living Wage Foundation said the threshold was up 2.6% on 2013 and was 21% higher than the national minimum wage of £6.50 an hour. The London living wage goes up 4% to £9.15 an hour.

Army cadet suffers burns in blowtorch attack

London: An army cadet suffers burns in the face when a man attacked him with an aerosol can and sprayed him with lit fumes in Manchester city. The 15year-old boy was waiting at a bus stop when he was attacked. The offender was wearing a dark hooded top walked off from the bus stop without saying a word.

The cadet, who was wearing his camouflaged uniform, suffered minor burns to his face and right forearm, Greater Manchester Police said.

Spider found inside singer Katie Melua's ear

London: Singer Katie Melua discovered that a spider was living in her ear after suffering scratching in her ear for a week. The 30-year-old believes the spider crawled inside her ear after she used a pair of earphones on a flight. Though the thing looked terrifying up-close on the doctor's camera, once he took him out it was pretty small.

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Bangladesh Islamist leader sentenced to death for war crimes

Dhaka: A special Bangladeshi court handed the death sentence to the leader of the country's largest Islamist party for war crimes, in a longawaited verdict that triggers fears of fresh violence.

The war crimes court found Motiur Rahman Nizami, head of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, guilty of mass murder, rape and looting during Bangladesh's war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.

Head judge Enayetur Rahim sentenced Nizami to "hang by the neck until his death" for orchestrating the killing of top doctors and intellectuals during the conflict as head of a ruthless militia.

"It's a historic verdict," chief prosecutor Haider Ali told reporters outside the packed and heavily guarded court in Dhaka.

Ali said Nizami, who became Jamaat's leader in 2000 and was once a minister in a Jamaat-allied

government, led the notorious Al-Badr militia "which took part in many heinous crimes".

Security was tightened across Bangladesh ahead of the verdict after similar judgments against several of Nizami's senior lieutenants plunged the country into one of its worst crises last year.

Tens of thousands of Jamaat supporters fought with police and more than 500 people died in the unrest and subsequent political violence ahead of disputed polls in January.

Jamaat called a called three-day nationwide

strike to protest against the verdict.

Death sentence upheld M e a n w h i l e , Bangladesh's Supreme Court upheld the death penalty handed down to an Islamist leader for atrocities during the war of independence from Pakistan more than four decades ago.

M o h a m m a d Kamaruzzaman, 62, assistant secretary general of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was found guilty of genocide and torture of unarmed civilians during the 1971 war to break

away from Pakistan by a special war crimes tribunal in May last year.

The tribunals have delivered death sentences for two Jamaat leaders, including its party chief and former minister, Motiur Rahman Nizami, over the past week.

Media mogul gets death Another Jamaat leader and media tycoon Mir Quasem Ali was sentenced to death by a special war crimes court for atrocities he committed during the 1971 independence war against Pakistan.

"He (Ali) shall be hanged by neck until he is dead," pronounced chairman of the three-member special tribunal for war crimes, as the 62-year-old Jamaat leader looked bewildered on the dock. Amid heavy security, the court simultaneously sentenced him to 72-year imprisonment for several other charges. The jail terms would be virtually infructuous since he was sentenced to death.

Gurdwara vandalized in Australia's Perth

Melbourne: A newly-built gurdwara has become target of anti-Islamic slurs after it was vandalized and painted with obscene messages in Australia's Perth city. The multi-million dollar Sikh shrine in Bennett Springs was painted with the words like "Aussie pride" and "go home."

Security cameras of the gurdwara were also damaged. "We are from India, particularly from Punjab, we have got no relation with any other religion.

We are Sikhs and our religion is totally different from any other religion,"

ly just done the damage to this temple, they have done the damage to the whole country," he said.

said the pastor Satjit Singh.

The treasurer of the gurdwara, Aman Deep Singh, said it was very hurtful.

"Make the difference

between Arabs and Sikhs and above all we all are here, we have left our businesses, jobs. They have done so much damage. They have not actual-

Labor MP Margaret Quirk said the racial slurs showed "complete ignorance". "Most of the people that worship in this temple are in fact Australian citizens and this of all weeks; it's particularly shocking," she said. The incident has occurred few days after two Perth mosques and an Islamic school were vandalised and had been painted with slogans.

the candidature of Hillary Clinton for the 2016 presidential polls.

Speaking about his high school senior daughter, he said: "When she votes in her first election in 2016, I want her vote to help us elect the first female president of the United States of America.

I am ready for that."

"But first, let's focus on the imminent election now," he added. In his campaign, Ose described Clinton's campaigning for Bera as an act of desperation.

Beijing: China has cautioned India against accepting Vietnamese Prime Minister's call for New Delhi to play an active role in the South China Sea, saying that the dispute in the waters was to be resolved only by countries "directly involved". On a visit to New Delhi, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was quoted as saying that he hoped India, as a major power in the region, would "actively support" countries involved to solve the dispute peacefully.

Relations between China and Vietnam have recently been strained on account of the dispute, although China's top diplomat, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, travelled to Hanoi this week - the same time that the Vietnamese Prime Minister was in New Delhi - with the aim, officials said, of bringing relations back on track.

Bill Clinton campaigns for Ami Bera in electoral battle

W a s h i n g t o n : Congressman Ami Bera's re-election bid has got a major boost with former US President Bill Clinton campaigning for him in the California seat where the Indian-American is locked in a tight contest.

With Clinton, the star campaigner for the Democratic Party, personally seeking votes for Bera, the only IndianAmerican in the current Congress and only the third ever IndianAmerican to be elected to the US House of Representatives, his electoral chances brightened.

The polling will be held this week.

Clinton described Bera as the embodiment of the American dream.

The 49-year-old Bera is facing tough competition from Republican Doug Ose, a businessman who served three terms in Congress through 2005.

Appreciating Bera, Clinton described him as a "local remedy" for the intransigence gripping Washington.

He cited Bera's support for the federal health care overhaul, equal pay for women and increasing the minimum wage. Clinton alleged that Republicans are too often trapped in an "evidencefree zone," mentioning their denial of global climate change and disapproval of raising the minimum wage.

In his brief opening remarks, Bera supported

China cautions India on Vietnam overture

24

INDIA

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Former minister quits Cong, floats new party Chennai: In a repeat of 1996, the Congress in Tamil Nadu on Monday was split into two with former Union shipping minister G K Vasan quitting the party and floating a new outfit. The name of the party and its flag will be announced later.

The split was indeed more serious than was expected with many senior leaders of the erstwhile Tamil Manila Congress (TMC), which was floated

by Vasan’s father G K Moopanar, moving to the new outfit. Most significant of the lot was former Member of Parliament Peter Alphonse, who was till last week, in the running for the post of TNCC president after B S Gnanadesikan quit the

Bangalore: In yet another shocking incident, a sixyear-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in a private school in Bangalore in the fourth such case in as many months. The girl, studying in the first standard, was allegedly sexually assaulted twice on October 28 and 29, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar said. A man, who is "strongly suspected" for the offence, has been detained and is being questioned "thoroughly" with cases booked under Sections 376 of IPC and 5 and 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012.

He said prima facie the incident took place in the school, which has already been booked for not complying with safety guidelines issued by police to ensure safety of children. The girl's mother lodged a complaint

post. Vasan’s supporters claimed that more than 30 of the 59 district presidents of the TNCC and several former MLAs and MPs have moved into the new party and called it a “vertical split.” Making his announcement, Vasan said for 14 years since the merger of the TMC with the Congress in 2002,

he had worked hard under the leadership of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. But he had to part ways as he felt the Congress was not taking efforts necessary to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Tamil Nadu. The party had been out of power for 48 years in Tamil Nadu.

But no proper efforts have been made to strengthen the party in the State in order to come back to power,” he pointed out.

Vasan said the vote share of the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections was not the reflection of its true strength.

In fact, the vote share could be double of the 4.3 per cent it got, he said, adding, it was on this strength that the new outfit would build upon. On

whether a regional variant of the Congress would check the growth of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, he said his outfit will chalk a new path in the politics of Tamil Nadu.

As far as the BJP goes, he said he stood on a different end. Those who stood with Vasan on Monday included two sitting MLAs, N R Rengarajan and John Jacob; former MPs Alphonse, Gnanadesikan, S R Balasubramanian, N S V Chitthan; former MLAs Gnanasekaran, Kovai Thangam and Vidiyal Sekar; and former Tiruchi Mayor Charubala Thondaiman.

Meanwhile, TNCC chief EV K S Elangovan appealed to Vasan to reconsider his decision.

at the police station, he said.

Kumar said the police would seek the opinion of experts on further aspects of the case. "After proper verification, we will take a final view on the accused," he said. The incident occurred just five days after an office assistant in a school in Bangalore was arrested for sexual assault of a three-anda-half-year girl studying in nursery. Recurring sexual assaults on minor girls have evoked public outrage and raised questions about safety in schools and their compliance with safety guidelines issued by police. An eightyear-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by her 63year-old teacher inside her school premises over a period of time. The offence came to light in early August, barely a month after the rape of a six-year-old girl at 'Vibgyor High' school which led to street protests.

Hyderabad: Online recruiters of terror outfits like ISIS are luring Hyderabad professionals to join them, but after crossing the Indian shores the gullible men are realising that it is a sham and their handlers are actually a breakaway faction of Indian Mujahideen (IM) working for al-Qaida, sources said.

The breakaway group of IM, led by one Sultan and others, is reportedly carrying out online recruitment through Al Isabha website, and cheating professionals attracted by the Caliphate concept. "The ISIS is flush with funds and professional manpower, but it is the alQaida which is in need of talent to deal with software applications," sources said.

Dilsukhnagar twin blasts prime accused Riyaz Bhatkal and his brother Iqbal Bhatkal reportedly

developed differences with other IM members, who are taking shelter either in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia.

The breakaway faction joined hands with al-Qaida and started recruitment in India for the outfit. "It is through Sultan, al-Qaida members like Zahid Hindi are drafting Indians into the terror network.

Police foil techie's bid to join ISIS: Meanwhile, Hyderabad police foiled the attempt of a former Google India employee Munawad Salman from joining ISIS. Salman was nabbed by police and questioned to gather more details about his plan to join the ranks of ISIS. After counselling he was let off.

Salman, who hailed from Tamil Nadu, got attracted to jihadist group through social media networks and had planned to join its forces.

owner of the house, Mahipal, actively supported and connived with the main accused. However, Mahipal consumed some poisonous substance and committed suicide.

Cash and jewellery, believed to be worth millions, were stolen from the bank’s Gohana branch last week. The robbers had dug a 125-feet-long and 2.5-feetwide tunnel to the bank from Mahipal’s house, lying unoccupied for more than four years, to carry out the heist. They randomly targeted the bank lockers and managed to break 77 of a total 350 lockers at the bank which is located in a residential-cum-commercial area of the town.

action on the 30th Jalandhar: US year of Sikh genobased right's cide clearly shows group, Sikhs For why justice has Justice (SFJ)has eluded the 1984 given a call to boyvictims for the last cott SAD (Badal), 30 years," said SFJ especially during legal advisor their visits to Gurpatwant Singh North America Pannun. and EU. This "When UPA came within a Parkash Singh Badal government was in power, few hours of the arrest of SAD (Badal) supported Bibi Jagdish Kaur, a witness such call for non-cooperaagaist Congress leader tion bandhs, but now while Sajjan Kumar and Karnail SAD-BJP alliance is in Singh Peermohamad, presipower in Punjab as well as dent of All India Sikh in Delhi, why are the genoStudents Federation, among cide victims getting arrested many other activists. These when they are protesting to activists were arrested by raise awareness," Pannun the Amritsar police while asked."In the past, rights they were observing Punjab group used to question Bandh.

Punjab Chief Minister "For thirty years SAD Parkash Singh Badal for (Badal) used the issue of shielding and protecting massacre of Sikhs for its police officials who were political gains but now arbiinvolved in fake encounters trary arrests of victims and but after witnessing today's their supporters are made. actions we shall boycott They try to raise issues of SAD President Sukhbir denial of justice and Badal and their party memimpunity to those who had bers during their visits to organized mass killing of North America and Sikhs, thus they have European Union," Pannun exposed the SAD (Badal). said.

The Badal government's

G K Vasan

6-year-old sexually assaulted in Bangalore school

Haryana bank robbery case solved, 3 arrested

Sonepat (Haryana): Three days after the daring bank robbery in Gohana town in Sonepat, police claimed to have cracked the case with the arrest of three persons and recovery of jewellery weighing over 24 kg from them.

Meanwhile, the owner of the abandoned house, through which a 125-feet-long tunnel was dug to the Punjab National Bank locker room in Gohana, allegedly committed suicide after consuming some poisonous substance soon after he was booked, police said.

“We have arrested three persons. They all belong to Katwal village in Sonepat district. We have recovered nearly 24 kg jewellery and over 60,000 cash from them,” Rohtak Range IG, A K Rao said. Sonepat SP Arun Nehra said one of the accused Surender, worked as a laboratory technician in Sonepat. Nehra said based on statement of the accused, the owner of the abandoned house was also been booked, but he allegedly committed suicide. “The

Terror outfits trapping Hyderabad professionals

Sikh diaspora urged to boycott Punjab Chief Minister Badal

South Brief

School teacher fined for pinching student's cheeks

Chennai: The Madras high court has directed a woman teacher to pay a fine of Rs 50,000 for pinching the cheeks of a student.

Mehrunnisa, a teacher at Kesari Higher Secondary School here, was accused in 2012 of pinching her student's cheeks to punish him. The boy's mother first took the matter to the state human rights commission which imposed a fine of Rs 10,000. Not satisfied with the quantum of compensation, the mother approached the high court which told the teacher to pay a fine of Rs 50,000.

Bangalore becomes Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The IT capital of India will now be officially known as Bengaluru. The state government on Friday had issued a notification changing anglicised names of 12 cities including Bangalore, Mysore, Belgaum and Mangalore. These cities will hereafter be known as Bengaluru, Mysuru, Belagavi and Mangaluru. Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people of Karnataka on their state formation day or Kannada Rajyotsava on November 1. "Greetings to people of Karnataka on Kannada Rajyotsava. May Karnataka scale new heights of progress in the years to come," Prime Minister Modi said.

School introduces Bharatanatyam in curriculum

Chennai: Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram at Kilpauk in Chennai has introduced a Bharatanatyam in curriculum for Class 4 students. The initiative was taken up in collaboration with the Prayathnam Trust of Dancers. The syllabus will serve as a primer for serious learners of the art form.

Saraswathi Vasudevan, who is set to teach the classical dance form to the students, said that there was an interest in learning classical dance at the independent institution level, through studios conducted by dancers. "We have started teaching music and yoga in schools. But formal dance learning has not yet made an entrance. This is a pioneer effort," she said.

North Brief

Khattar keeps key portfolios to himself

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has allocated portfolios to his six Cabinet colleagues and three Ministers of State.

According to a communication from the State government, Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki granted his consent to allocation of ministries which are believed to have been approved by the BJP’s central leadership. Khattar has kept most of the important portfolios to himself.

12 injured as religious groups clash Amritsar: As many as 12 people were injured in a clash between followers of Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (DJJS), Nurmhal, and various Sikh groups at Jodhpur village in Tarn Taran district. According to reports, a religious function of DJJS was organized at the house of Ranjit Singh in Jodhpur, which was opposed by Sikh organizations, including Satkar Committee.

Ranjit had sought police security after Sikh outfits threatened against letting him hold the function. Sources said when members of Sikh organizations reached Jodhpur to stop the function, a scuffle broke out between them and DJJS followers. As tempers flared, guns were pulled out and shots fired, in which several persons were injured.

3 get life term in murder case

Mohali: Almost three years after Dr Deepak Kaura, a Chandigarh-based cardiologist with a controversial life, was found drugged to death in his SUV in Dera Bassi, a Mohali district court convicted three persons for the murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Lured by greed, Deepak Sharma, his wife Honey, both residents of Panchkula, and Vishal Vij, who was a junior engineer in the PGI - had conspired to abduct Dr Kaura for ransom and ended up killing him on the night of December 20, 2011.

It was Kaura's wealth and the reputation that made the three hatch the plan.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Escape to the Middle East

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TRAVEL - INDIA

25

Delhi heads for fresh elections

The eight month long suspense over the fate of Delhi assembly and government has ended with the capital heading for fresh elections.

On Monday, the three major political parties - BJP, AAP and Congress i n f o r m e d L i e u t e n a n t Governor Najeeb Jung that government formation was not possible in the present circumstances and pressed for immediate dissolution of the assembly. The LG sent a report on the matter to President Pranab Mukherjee.

This will mark the first time in almost a decade that assembly elections will be held in a state within such a short span of time. Bihar had gone to the polls in February 2005 and then in October 2005 under a similiar set of circumstances. After a flip-flop over government formation that stretched over months, BJP finally told the LG, when he invited the party for consultations on Monday, that it would be unable to form a government. The LG's invitation came three days after the Supreme

Court commended his efforts for resolving the stalemate in the capital.

The BJP, which is the single largest party in the assembly with 29 seats, including one ally, said it didn't have the requisite numbers. Sources said PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah were also in favour of seeking a fresh mandate rather than trying to cobble together a majority.

With its government at the Centre and the party performing very well in Maharashtra and Haryana in the recent assembly elections, BJP is confident of getting an absolute majority in Delhi.

Even winning all three seats in by-polls would not have helped BJP

return to office in the state after a gap of 15 years.Three seats Tughlaqabad, Krishna Nagar and Mehrauli - in the 70-seat assembly fell vacant after three BJP MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha. For full majority, a party would have needed at least 36 seats, a number none of the parties was able to muster.

Though fresh polls are now certain, the process of by-polls will continue till Election Commission of India strikes down the notification, which may not happen till next week.

This means that political parties will have to declare their candidates for the by-polls before the last date of filing nominations on November 5.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appropriation of Sardar Patel, a giant of the freedom struggle who is remembered for uniting India after Independence, was complete when he feted the `Iron Man' as an icon next only to Mahatma Gandhi. The consecration of India's first home minister on his birth anniversary stood out also because of the diminution of significance of Indira Gandhi's death anniversary .

Under successive regimes, the day when the former prime minister was killed by her Sikh bodyguards has been observed as the most important date on the calendar, with Patel barely finding a mention. The tables were turned on Friday with observation of Indira's death anniversary almost reduced to a Congress affair - the PM's tribute to her and President Pranab Mukherjee's presence at Shakti Sthal notwithstanding.

After 10 years, there were no government advertisements remembering Indira. In contrast, new-found official patronage saw Patel loom large.

In fact, Modi, whose government has decided to celebrate the day as

`National Unity Day', lamented that the birthday of a man who welded disparate principalities into a nation saw the killing of thousands of Sikhs in retaliation against Indira's assassination. “Thirty years ago, a ghastly incident happened when thousands of our own people were killed. This was not a wound inflicted on one community, but was a knife in the heart of an order that has existed in India for thousands of years,” Modi said at a function to flag off `Run For Unity'.

Apart from a tribute to Indira on Twitter, Modi also mentioned her death anniversary in his speech.

But his emphasis on the massacre of Sikhs was at

sharp variance with the way Congress has marked Indira's death -as a sacrifice for national integrity.

Modi left no doubt that he considered Patel, and not Jawaharlal Nehru, to be the natural successor of Mahatma Gandhi. Recalling the sacrifice that Patel made at Gandhi's instance when he gave up a flourishing practice abroad to join the freedom struggle, drew farmers to the movement and played a crucial role in Dandi March, Modi said, “When we look at Gandhi, it seems that he would have been incomplete without Sardar saheb.

They shared an unshakeable bond. They formed an unbreakable partnership.”

Modi hails Sardar Patel as Indira Gandhi fades away

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INDIA - LONDON

50 nations back Modi's call for International Yoga Day

One of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first global imprints could come soon with the fruition of his proposal which he announced in his United Nation's speech for an International Day of Yoga. As many as 50 countries - US, Canada and China most recently - have signed up for co-sponsorship of a draft resolution which India's UN mission is preparing for declaring June 21 as International Yoga Day. The resolution will be submitted soon to the UN secretariat with the government looking to aggressively push for its adoption before the end of this year.

Perhaps India's most significant export to the world, the ancient art of

Continued from page 1 proxy forces to hedge against the loss of influence in Afghanistan and to counter India's superior military," the Pentagon told the Congress in its latest six-monthly report on the current situation in Afghanistan.

"These relationships run counter to Pakistan's public commitment to support Afghan-led reconcilia-

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Yoga is fast taking centrestage in Modi's soft power push. The list of co-sponsors includes Asian heavyweights China, Japan, Indonesia and South Korea and also South Africa and Nigeria in Africa. Neighbours such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka were amongst the earliest to sign on. Latin American giants Brazil and Argentina too have com-

mitted support. With USA and Canada joining recently, the EU members are expected to also join as cosponsors soon in what, according to official sources, is turning out to be a broad-based coalition of support that has countries as disparate as Iran and Cuba on board.

Following Modi's call for an International Yoga Day in New York on September 26, the Indian Mission to UN has gone about seeking support for the PM's proposal in an exercise being directly monitored by foreign minister Sushma Swaraj.

The resolution, couched in terms of building better and healthier lifestyle patterns, is expected to be submitted to the

UN Secretariat soon.

"The goal is to then step up outreach efforts to other countries in November so as to garner overwhelming support for adoption before the end of the year, signalling that delivery is an important ingredient of PM's foreign policy announcements," said a source. Yoga has invariably found mention in Modi's exchanges with important world leaders including with US President Obama. He explained the benefits of Yoga to Obama over their White House dinner, which saw Modi sipping only on warm water as he was fasting, as the president expressed admiration for Modi's "energy and vigour".

tion. Such groups continue to act as the primary irritant in Afghan-Pakistan bilateral relations," the Pentagon said in the report running into more than 100 pages. Referring to the attack on the Indian consulate in Herat, the Pentagon said this was done just ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India.

The attack came three days prior to the swearing-in of Modi who is perceived as being close to Hindu nationalist groups, a fact that may have played into the timing of the attack," it said. “In June the US department of state announced that the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible for the attack. Following the attack, former Afghan

President Karzai denounced the attack and made strong statements supporting relations with India," the report said.

India's external affairs ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said, "It manifests a growing acknowledgement in the international community of the extent of Pakistan's involvement in international terrorism."

Pakistan using militants as proxies to counter Indian Army: Pentagon

In Brief

Middle-aged to be screened for dementia

London: Middle-aged people will be screened by doctors for their risk of dementia and told how their “brain age” compares to their biological age, under new plans to “scare” people into adopting healthier lifestyles. It means a man of 40 could be told that he has the brain of a 60-year-old, and a significantly greater chance of diseases like Alzheimer’s, based on his weight, exercise habits, cholesterol levels and alcohol intake.

Women drink more than men at home

London: A survey of 2,000 people has found that women are more likely to drink a whole bottle of wine at home on their own than men. The proportion of whole bottle drinkers is highest in the 25-34 year age group at 20 per cent, followed by the 45-54 year age group at 19 per cent. Those under the age of 24 and over the age of 55 were least likely to regularly have a bottle on their own at home, with 12 per cent doing so.

The study found many people are regularly knocking back around 10 units of alcohol in one sitting, instead of the recommended daily maximum of two to three units for women, or three to four units for men.

British charities investigated for terror risks

London: The charity watchdog has began an investigation into British aid organisations, amid concerns that they are at risk of being hijacked by terrorists in Syria and Iraq. The head of the Charity Commission said that groups distributing money and supplies donated by the public in Britain could be exploited by Islamists to smuggle cash, equipment and fighters to terrorists on the front line.

Terrorism warning for British tourists

London: The foreign office has warned holidaymakers to be vigilant as they are at the risk of being attacked by Islamist terrorists after Britain's intervention in Iraq and Syria. The warning applies to every country in the world, and the FCO updated travel guidance on its website. It reflects a “generalised threat” to Britons, rather than intelligence of a specific and credible attack.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

HEALTH WATCH

Ravi Bhanot’s Health Blog

Health benefits of ginger tea

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othing beats cold in the winter like a piping hot cup of ginger tea.

With its high levels of Vitamin C, magnesium and other minerals, ginger root is extremely beneficial for health. Once made into tea, you can add peppermint, honey or lemon to mask the taste of the ginger. Here's why you should have this soothing beverage.

Relieve nausea: Drinking a cup of ginger tea before travelling can help prevent the nausea and vomiting associated with motion sickness. You can also drink a cup of ginger tea at the first sign of nausea to relieve the symptom.

Improve stomach performance: Useful in improving digestion and increasing absorption of food, ginger tea can prevent bloating after eating

too much.

Reduce inflammation: Ginger contains antiinflammatory properties that make it an ideal home remedy for muscle and joint problems. In addition to drinking ginger tea, you can also use it to soak inflamed joints.

Fight respiratory problems: Ginger tea can

help relieve congestion associated with the common cold. Try a cup of ginger tea for the respiratory symptoms associated with environmental allergies.

Improve blood circulation: The vitamins, minerals and amino acids in ginger tea can help restore and improve blood circulation that may help

decrease the chance of cardiovascular problems.

Ginger may prevent fat from depositing in the arteries helping to prevent heart attacks and stroke.

Relieve menstrual discomfort: This one is for all women suffering from menstrual cramps. Try soaking a towel in warm ginger tea and apply it to your lower abdomen. It may help relieve the pain and relax the muscles. At the same time, drink a cup of ginger tea with honey.

Strengthen immunity: Ginger tea can help strengthen your immunity due to the high levels of antioxidants in ginger.

Relieve stress: Ginger tea has calming properties that may help lower your stress and tension. This is thought to be due to a combination of the strong aroma and healing properties.

research - the study had eight men and 10 women between 19 to 29 years of age. Each subject completed three modified Oral Glucose Tolerance Tests (OGTTs) over a two-week period to see how their blood sugar levels responded to sweet drinks. The OGTTs were evaluated in subjects who consumed one of three drinks, each equally

sweet.

• A 75 g glucose drink(G) • A 75 g glucose drink with 9.5 g Portabella powder (MG) • A 9.5 g Portabella powder with Stevia/flavored water (M) The results showed decline in after mealinsulin levels in women who consumed glucose drink with Portobello powder.

This means mushrooms may keep the body at a healthy weight by balancing out the blood sugar levels. The results were particularly strong in women, but men shouldn't ignore the benefits of this superfood either.

All in all, that's more than enough a reason to throw in an extra handful of mushrooms in your grocery bag

Mushrooms can help you lose weight!

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study titled "The effect of mushroom intake on modulating post-prandial glycemic response," from the Department of Nutrition Science at the University of Buffalo shows how Portobello mushrooms can help people lose weight by regulating blood sugar levels.

"Our results indicate that consumption of mushrooms could be useful in regulating glucose levels," says study coauthor Peter Horvath, associate professor, Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Professions.

"This alone may benefit individuals attempting to lose weight and who want to exercise for a longer time."

To put it simply, every cell in your body needs glucose but our body can't possibly use up all the sugar one consumes through an unhealthy diet.

This extra sugar turns into fat that leads to obesity.

This is where mushrooms come in. They help to regulate blood sugar levels and help maintain a balance in your body.

According to the

Saliva test as effective as blood tests in diagnosing diseases

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cientists have revealed that simple tests on human saliva would be capable of diagnosing diabetes and cancer at an early stage and perhaps other neurological disorders and autoimmune diseases.

The study has brought to light that saliva contained many of the same disease-revealing molecules that were contained in blood.

Dr. David Wong, a senior author of the research and UCLA's Felix and Mildred Yip Endowed Professor in Dentistry has said that if they could analyse constituents in saliva that could mark someone who has pre-dia-

betes or the early stages of oral cancer or pancreatic cancer and they could utilize this knowledge for personalized medicine.

The UCLA scientists have identified more than 400 circular RNAs in human saliva that was the first discovery of circular RNA in saliva or any body fluid that included 327

forms that were previously unknown.

While most RNA mole-

To Our Readers

We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement it. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

cules translate genetic code from DNA to make proteins, there were also classes called non-coding RNAs that do not. Saliva has been carrying with it non-coding RNAs, microRNAs, piRNAs and circRNAs that were biomarkers for disease and health monitoring without this study scientists would have never known that non-coding RNAs, microRNAs, piRNAs and circRNAs existed in saliva.

Their overriding conclusion was that saliva has tremendous medical and scientific value. In the nottoo-distant future, dentists would be able to take saliva samples to analyse for a variety of diseases.

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Hair Loss: Is there hope?

Jam packed audiences came to hear Ravi Bhanot, author of Hair Today...Hair Tomorrow explain what can be done for hair loss at the Nutrigro Hair Loss Road Show this week. Why is hair loss and hair thinning prevalent in 3 out of 4 men and 3 out of 5 women some time in their life times? On average 100 Ravi Bhanot hairs are lost daily – so do JP MRPharmS Dip(Nutr) Dip(Hom) Dip(Ayurv) Dip(Stress not worry if it is less than this!

Manag) Dip (Massage) There can be various Pharmacist, Ayurvedic, Complementary Health and reasons for hair loss: Nutrition Consultant, Lecturer, Genetics, nutrition, infecResearcher and Author. He is a tion, hormonal, drugs, hair celebrity columnist for many products and life style magazines and is Director of could be certain causes but The Ayurveda Institute of Europe and Coolherbals Ltd. how do you figure out what is your cause and what can you do about it.

How to do find your Hair Loss Cause(s) Rule out the basic causes - medication or infection could be troubling you - if so speck to your doctor.

Otherwise follow what we call the NUTRIGRO Hair Plan. Professor Romesh Gupta OBE from Lancaster University calls it “a revolutionary natural plan to keep your hair for longer”.

N - utrition. With our busy lives it is possible to missing out on essential protein vitamins and minerals. How would you know if this is the case? Try some hair protein, vitamin and mineral capsules such as Nutrigro capsules or Noukrin for three months and see if they make a difference. Ayurvedic research shows that ‘cooling’ foods such as salad, yogurts and fruits help. This is based on the theory that an imbalance in Pitta or heat energy is imbalanced in the scalp.

U - se non harsh chemical, no Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, no artificial dyes or artificial colours hair products as normal hair products may be causing a reaction.

T – raining. Make sure you do physical and breathing exercises daily to increase blood circulation and hence nutrients to the hair follicles. Yoga and exercises that specifically help the scalp and hair are in my book, Hair Today...Hair Tomorrow.

R – outinely remove toxins. Massage your scalp daily to improve circulation and remove toxins.

I - magine yourself enjoying great hair and a healthy scalp. A positive self image can help a positive outcome. Everything happens twice in life - first in the mind then in reality. Imagining the hair you want can play a part in trying to realize that goal. Cut out the hair you would want and place it on a picture of yourself. Let nature work on your goal.

GRO - wth of existing hair and a healthy scalp can be achieved in this way.

If your hair is falling off easily try the new Red LED scalp roller treatment. This is simply a plastic device you roll on the scalp to cause micro channels allowing ingredients to hold the hair more strongly to the follicle, the ‘live’ part from which the hair grows.

It causes collagen and elastin to be made to strengthen the follicle further. Join our Telephone Seminar on Saturday 8th November 10am: 10 Ways To Keep Your Hair For Longer. Simply ring on 0844 4730497 then type pin 762887 (4.3p/min normally).

The Nutrigro Scalp Roller Kit For Thinning Hair

Coolherbals Ltd. 386 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex, IG3 9JU

www.coolherbals.com

Tel: 020 8597 9039 Email: ravi@coolherbals.com

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

‘Goli Soda’ boys reunite for another film ‘Kaaviya Thalaivan’ to be promoted via road trip

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he makers of upcoming Tamil period drama ‘Kaaviya Thalaivan’ have decided to go on a road trip to promote the film. The team will visit key towns in Tamil Nadu to meet audiences and engage with them in a lot of activities. It is story of theatre artists in the 20th century.

“In the olden days, theatre actors would perform a small scene from their drama on the roads to attract the attention of the audience. Since our film is about theatre artists, we also intend to do something similar by travelling to seven important towns in Tamil Nadu,” the film’s director Vasanthabalan said.

“We will go on a road trip, meet people and talk to them about our film. We plan to organise talent shows in colleges to tap some hidden talent and also present skits outside theatres in these towns,” he added. Starring Siddharth, Prithviraj, Vedhika Kumar, Anaika and Nassar in important roles, the film is slated for release on Nov 14.

The four boys who played the lead in this year’s Tamil blockbuster ‘Goli Soda’, have reunited for Tamil film ‘Vajram’, which will deal with the problems prevailing in the educational system.

Sriram, Kishore, Pandi and Kutty Mani will be joined by newcomer Bhavani Reddy in the film.

“The story will focus on some major flaws in our educational system. It will be about how the right to education has become a business in this country. I’ve tried to

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fter giving away, Amma mixer, grinder, laptop, and cheap canteens across the city as ‘Amma’ fast food, here comes Amma theatres.

The city corporation was looking at suitable places within the city limits over the last few months and we hear that they will start constructing theatres at, Pulianthoppu, Kotturpuram, Mint, Valasaravakkam, and

'The Shaukeens'

“The Shaukeens” is an upcoming Hindi comedy film directed by Abhishek Sharma. The film features Annu Kapoor, Piyush Mishra and Anupam Kher in lead roles alongside Lisa Haydon, while Akshay Kumar features in a cameo playing himself. The project is a remake of the 1982 film “Shaukeen” directed by Basu Chatterjee, starring Ashok Kumar, Utpal Dutt, A K Hangal, Rati Agnihotri and Mithun Chakraborty. “The Shaukeens” has been partly shot in Mauritius.

address this problem through the eyes of four teenagers,” director Ramesh Selvam said.

Selvam feels it would make sense to address the problem from the perspective of the teenagers.“A hero in this film would’ve made it very cliched. People would expect him to fight for the cause. I didn’t want to tread that path. Since it’s a problem faced by the children, I felt it would be wise to say the story from their perspective,” he said. The four boys had previously also worked together in ‘Pasanga’ and ‘Marina’.

Kodambakkam. All these theatres will accommodate 250-300 people and each location is expected to have minimum 4-5 screens. These theatres will screen only movies which gets U certificate from the censor board and all the halls will be equipped with the latest sound system and AC. The ticket price is expected to be within 30 rupees.

Dev Patel to star with Nicole Kidman in 'Lion'

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lumdog Millionaire” star Dev Patel and Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman are set to star in “Lion,” a new drama produced by The Weinstein Co. The drama, based on the memoir “A Long Way Home”

by Saroo Brierley, follows a street kid from Kolkata (Dev) who is taken in and adopted by a couple in Australia, according to Hollywood Reporter. Dev also appears in John Madden's upcoming “The Second Best Marigold Hotel,” the sequel to the 2011 hit, which Fox Searchlight will release in the US next year. In addition, Dev plays self-taught Indian math genius Srinivasa Ramanujan in Matt Brown's period drama “The Man Who Knew Infinity.”

Will Maniratnam direct Dhanush?

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ources say that Maniratnam spoke to Dhanush to remake his ongoing Tamil – Malayalam bi-lingual ‘Okay Kanmani’ in Hindi. There is a buzz that, Maniratnam had approached Alia Bhatt to play the female lead in this Hindi remake.

Dhanush is currently busy with ‘Anegan’ and he will start promoti n g ‘Shamitabh’ post the release of ‘Anegan’. As usual, nothing has been confirmed from the camp of Maniratnam as he always used to keep everything as a top secret related to his projects.

However, what we come to know is, ‘Okay Kanmani’ is an out and out love story and the movie will be released for Valentines day, 2015. The movie features Dulquer Salman, Nitya Menon, and Prakash Raj in the lead roles while A R Rahman is scoring the music.

Hrithik, Sussanne granted divorce by family court

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ollywood star H r i t h i k Roshan and estranged wife Sussanne formally ended their marriage after a family court in Mumbai granted them divorce by mutual consent.

There were no signs of acrimony or bitterness. Hrithik and Sussanne had decided to end the marriage of 13 years on an amicable note and had filed for a mutual consent divorce six months ago in a court.The settlement between the two was not detailed in the court papers, but both parted with an assurance that the agreement made outside court would be honoured.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

My mom wants me to tie the knot: Priyanka

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ollywood actor Priyanka Chopra, who is also an international music personality now, is probably one of the most eligible women in the country. Even though she has rarely spoken of settling down, she says that her mother wants her to tie the knot.

“My mom wants to see me as a bride. She has wanted to do that since I was four,” says Priyanka, laughing. “In fact, I was a bride in her head the day I was born,” says the 32-year-old. However, the actor says marriage is not a matter that can be taken lightly.

“It is an extremely important aspect of your life. It’s not something one can rush into. You should get married to the person who makes you feel like you are the only girl around,” she says, adding that if she has

to wait longer to find that person in her life, she will.

So does she have a special someone in her life, considering not very long ago, she had said, “I’ve never said I’m single.” “What I said was, ‘I have neither negated nor affirmed if I am dating anyone’. People just assume that I am single,” says Priyanka.

When asked to clear her relationship status, the actor evasively says, “If there’s someone, whoever it is, who is relevant enough to be spoken about, I will."

Right now the star is busy answering congratulatory calls for her last hit - a biopic on boxer Mary Kom that was directed by Omung Kumar - even as she shoots for her next project. It's no mean fact for a 'female film' to earn Rs 1 billion," she says.

Salman Khan hails 'Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans'

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ollywood superstar Salman Khan has hailed the film - “Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans” - which was shot in the wetlands of Sundarbans. The film tells the story of a motley crew of mercenaries who embark on a terrifying chase through the Sundarbans in search of a Royal Bengal Tigress responsible for the disappearance of a young journalist.

Writer, producer and director duo Kamal Sadanah and Abis Rizvi used cutting edge filming techniques for the shoot and also enlisted the help of Pune-based VFX company Anibrain, which was associated with a number of Hollywood blockbusters.

Speaking at the launch of the film's trailer, Salman was effusive in his praise, saying he was "blown away" by the "amazing" look of the film. "I've known these guys for a long time. When they first came to me and told me that they were making a film based inside the Sundarbans and about a White Tiger, I immediately thought, 'Oh they are making Shere Khan!'" "But I'm really blown away by this film. It's amazing. I'm so impressed. The look of the film is on par with any Hollywood film," Salman said.

The film features an ensemble cast includ-

Pooja Misrra walks out of Jaya's movie 'Amma'

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ollywood model, actress Misrra Pooja walks out of former Tamil Nadu minister chief Jayalalithaa’s movie “Amma.”

The multilingual film being shot in and Bangalore directed by Faisal Saif is set for release later next year. Pooja was requested to play the role of a CID cop for the movie as a guest appearance. Initially she agreed to be part of the movie, but after reading the script, she finds that the role did not do her justice. So Pooja graciously bowed out even offering a replacement. "The project was not one for me, the script did not justify my talent. I am sure I will work on something better soon with Faisal."

ing Abhinav S h u k l a , Himarsha V, Achint Kaur, Subrat Dutta, Varindher Singh Ghuman, Nora Fatehi, Ali Quli, A a r a n C h a u d h a r y, Aadil Chahal, Pranay Dixit and Pulkit. The thrilling journey begins following the disappearance and death of a young journalist whilst on assignment in the Sundarbans.

When the journalist's brother arrives in the area to reclaim his body, he is stonewalled and forced out by locals who live in terror of an unseen beast who's roaming the mangrove forests and wreaking havoc. Determined to find his brother's remains, Pundit assembles a motley crew of mercenaries and adventurers to mount the search with the help of a local guide. The ensuing journey takes the team on a terrifying and high-speech chase through marshy heartland of the Sundarbans. Along the way the team have to battle not only the formidable and frightening beast who rules the Sundarbands but a host of other adversaries including a villainous Tiger poacher. The film was released in UK cinemas on 31 October.

Sadashiv Amrapurkar passes away at 64

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arathi a n d Bollywood actor S a d a s h i v Amrapurkar passed away after battling with lung infection for over a fortnight. He was on ventilator support and had been in a critical condition for the past few days.

The actor had worked in movies like “Ishq,” “Mr. India,” “Aankhen,” “Gupt” and several others. He often essayed negative characters. But his performance in Mahesh Bhatt’s “Sadak” is considered the most memorable where he played Maharani, a eunuch who heads a brothel in Mumbai’s red light area. Working closely with David Dhawan in the ’90s, Amrapurkar went on to essay several comic roles in the director’s films such as “Coolie No 1” and “Aankhen” and came to be known also for his comic timing.

Guns and roses set the screen ablaze in 'Kill Dil'

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ash Raj Films presents the best of Bollywoodʼs new generation of talent in one of the most compelling and innovative films of the year, “Kill Dil,” releasing in cinemas on 14th November. The film is an action flick with spirited passion at the heart of it. The film is directed by Shaad Ali, who makes an experimental departure from earlier super hits such as “Bunty Aur Babli.”

The film features Ranveer Singh, Ali Zafar and Parineeti Chopra in leading roles.

Making a radical departure from the comedy genre he is famous for, veteran Govinda depicts a negative role with equal prowess. The movie combines action with romance, por-

SRK thanks Salman for promoting his film

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hah Rukh K h a n t h a n k e d Salman Khan for promoting his film on reality show 'Bigg Boss'. it saying proves that there are no i s s u e s between the duo. "I think it's extremely gracious of him to have done that. I thank him from the bottom of my heart because it also takes away from the fact that when people talk about issues between actors (it proves that) we don't have any issues," Shah Rukh said. In Kolkata to promote his latest release 'Happy New Year', the 48-yearold actor said wherever there is a platform they talk about each other's work and promote it in the way possible.

trayed through a pulp fiction style of filmmaking thatʼs sure to be appreciated by film lovers and critics alike.

The soundtrack is composed by ShankarEhsaan-Loy. Synopsis: Once upon a time in North India, two killers, Dev (Ranveer Singh) and Tutu (Ali Zafar), roamed free. Abandoned when young and vulnerable, Bhaiyaji (Govinda) gave them shelter and, in turn, nurtured them to kill. All is normal in their lives until destiny throws free-spirited Disha (Parineeti Chopra) into the mix.

What follows is a game of defiance, deception and love. Kill Dil is a film about the tricks the heart plays on an unsuspecting victim of love.

Aishwarya to play a lawyer in 'Jazbaa'

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ishwarya i a R Bachchan will in back be action with her comeback film “Jazbaa.” This action suspense also thriller Irrfan casts Khan. The story is about a lawyer (played by Aishwarya) who will race against time to achieve the impossible, of a suspended cop (played by Irrfan) who will go beyond the call of duty and it has a mother (played by Shabana Azmi) who will fight both of them for her own justice. The film will be shot entirely in Mumbai and shooting starts early December. And it's not just the actors who are racing against time in this thriller; even Sanjay will do everything he can to ensure that he finishes the film in time for the Cannes Film Festival in 2015.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Brightsun Travel meets Shah Rukh Khan!

Brightsun Travel, a Hounslow based travel agency is proud to announce its partnership with Silver Star Diabetes.

Mr. Deepak Nangla (Managing Director) and his wife Payal Nangla donated a cheque for £3000 to Bollywood Megastar Shah Rukh Khan after he took his test for diabetes in support of charity. This took place at an exclusive event held at the House of Commons on Saturday 4th October.

Deepak Nangla said: “Silver Star Diabetes is an amazing organisation for Brightsun Travel to partner with. Since inception in 2007, it has touched the lives of thousands of people through community outreach programmes testing people for diabetes for free. Shah Rukh Khan’s support in promoting awareness of this charity is invaluable. ” Silver Star Diabetes is a registered Charity oper-

Megastar Shah Rukh Khan with Deepak and Payal Nangla

ating in the UK & India, that was launched in January 2007.The Charity runs Mobile Diabetes Units (MDU). There are currently over 3 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and another over 1 million people who have type 2 diabetes but do not yet know it. The main role of

the Mobile Diabetes Unit (MDU) is to carry out important diabetes testing in the community and to promote culturally sensitive healthcare, with particular regard to the high prevalence of diabetes in the major towns and cities of Britain.

The charity runs 4 Mobile Diabetes Units

Coming Events

l Remembrance Day Parade and Civic Service

Mayor of Harrow, Cllr Ajay Maru extends a warm welcome and invites all residents to Harrow’s Remembrance Parade and Service on Sunday, 9th November which will be lead by Pipers of the Glen Trew Pipe Band.

The parade marches from Katie’s Statue, Harrow Town Centre at 10am, through Station Road ending at Harrow Civic Centre at 10.45am. It will be followed by a 2 minute silence, wreath laying ceremony, and readings of the winning poems from the Mayor’s Remembrance Poetry Competition.

This year, Harrow is building upon its strong youth involvement, with young cadets playing an active role in Harrow’s Parade & Service, and Harrow pupils have entered a Remembrance Poetry Competition, with three winning poets reciting their poems after the observed silence at 11am.

(MDUs) which travel out into the community, to places of work, worship, community events, High Streets and retail parks testing the public for free for diabetes and offering lifestyle advice. During these visits, its staff has discovered thousands of people who have a propensity for diabetes who did not know about it.

Brightsun Travel is proud to donate to this organisation and is its appointed travel partner.

Keith Vaz MP, founder patron of Silver Star Diabetes said of the donation: “I am delighted by the donation from Brightsun Travel which has helped us to kick-start the appeal for the 5th Silver Star Mobile Diabetes Unit. This will help so many people across all communities learn more about diabetes and receive treatment to manage the disease, as early on as possible.”

abled. This runs until Wednesday, 19 November.

l A musical night to the legendary: Rafi, Lata & Kishore by Balbir, Binu and Sukhraj from Bassebase, Friday 21 November 2014, 7:30- till late, VIP lounge, Middlesex HA8 7DD. Contact: 020 8951 4441 l 9th November, 2014, Shree 108 Hanuman Chalisa Maha yagna Social Club Hall, Northwick Park Hospital, HA1 3UJ,11am – 5pm.

Contact: 020 8459 5758

l Sun 9th Nov 2014 - Mataki Chownki by Shree Budhdevbhai, Shree Manubhai and Shreemati Rituji, sponsored by Babitaji and family at 3pm followed by Maha Prasad. Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple, Middlesex UB8 2DZ. Contact: 07882 253 540

l Bradford is marking the centenary of the first year of the First World War with a look back to November 1914.

(BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad.

Tel. +91 79 2646 5960 Bureau Chief: Nilesh Parmar (M) +91 94266 36912 Email: nilesh.parmar@abplgroup.com Consulting Editor: Bhupatbhai Parekh, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Tel: +91 79 2630 4142

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Whether you’re single or attached you’ll have to go through a lot, as deep psychological transformations are taking place in all types of relationships. No matter what your chosen path is, you’ll be recognised and rewarded for it. Don’t be afraid to experiment, trust your hunches, go with your gut feeling.

Solutions to minor problems should be considered very carefully if cash is involved.

If you are your own boss, then you can look forward to a fairly good week. Geminis who face a strict schedule may find the next seven days a little frustrating, because this is a week where you will need a certain amount of personal space. You may be absorbing new ideas about how to create financial independence. Others may not understand, so you may have to keep your ideas to yourself.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 You have been going through major changes in your relationships, as a result of your own radical personal transformation. Your ideas about love and partnership are changing daily. As with most things, your health waxes and wanes. You might even find the energy to keep up with your projected gym schedule. No matter how hard you are working, try to make time for relaxation.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 It’s all about communications, as they take centre stage this week. You’ll have to openly speak up about your wants and needs without fear. Regarding love there will be a struggle between devotion and freedom. You need to feel completely consumed by the passion of your lover, and yet you need personal space to explore your own thing.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 Anything or anyone that drains your time and energy should be re-evaluated. It’s time to use that creative imagination of yours to create grandeur in your life. Venus, the planet of love and beauty in your Solar 3rd house and Mars in your 5th house is creating a lot of opportunities for you. Don't get too carried away and lose sight of little things that mean a lot to you.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 If your ambitions have been undefined, don't worry as from now on, you understand exactly what kind of impact you need to make on the world. Jupiter in your 11th house of gains and friendships will help you network and grow without you constantly worrying. Health-wise you will be feeling fit and relaxed.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 This is a good time to appreciate what you have already created in your life.

Of course, there are still challenging issues on both a personal and practical level. It's a time of slow and steady progress that can set the stage for a long time to come. To get here you may have overcome obstacles by making important decision and choices that set the direction of your life.

Bradford Industrial Museum will be looking at a week at war to reflect the local and global experiences of early November 1914. This exhibition explores life on the home front and how war affected industry, women, leisure, attitudes to war and the treatment of the injured and disEditor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Chief Accountant: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Business Development Managers: Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com

At work sometimes a little upheaval and chaos is exactly what you need to set things right again. There’s no need to be complacent: the time is now. you’ll have no qualms about deciding what you want and going after it with total devotion. Unpredictable energies continue to influence your health sector. The key for you as always is to remain calm and collected.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

Urvashi Jagadeesan (India) Mumbai: Kanti Bhatt, Hemraj Shah (Jumbo Advertiser) Horizon Advertising & Marketing: 2012, Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad. Tel +91 79 2646 5960 Email: horizon.marketing@abplgroup.com Business Manager: Hardik Shah (M) +91 99250 42936 Email: hardik.shah@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Neeta Patel (Vadodara) M: +91 98255 11702 Email: neeta_abplgroup@yahoo.co.in Business Co-ordinator: Shrijit Rajan M: +91 98798 82312 Email: shrijit.rajan@abplgroup.com International Advertisement Representative: Jain Group (South India) Tel: +91 44 42041122/3/4 Fax: +91 44 25362973 Mumbai: +91 022 2471 4122 Email: jain@jaingroup.net Delhi Office: Tel: +91 9311581597

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 Expansive Jupiter in your Solar 9th house of travel and spirituality is going to play a great part for some of you, who are widening their horizons. An important time to build too, as Saturn in your solar 12th House can be very severe and restrictive.

Regardless of the limits, you have the capacity to turn the course of your life in a more fulfilling direction.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 You know you have no choice but to streamline and reassess your priorities before haphazardly saying yes to everything that smells like a potential opportunity. Try to create a balance between expansion and conservation. Mars in your sign makes you feel invincible, but the way to utilise this transit is to sift through all the opportunities that come your way.

Responsibility is your key word, especially at work. Set your own goals, rather than trying to meet those set by someone else. You will achieve a lot more, especially when you're motivated by your own desires. Your ability to manage what you have on your plate earns respect from others around you. You will benefit in every way if you learn to self-discipline and pace yourself wisely.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Relationships are likely to widen your horizons, but exercise caution, because some opportunities won't prove quite as amazing as they first seem. Mercury in Libra, the sign of diplomacy, will help you organize your priorities and systematically put them into practice. People entering your life now will encourage you to move beyond your established boundaries of safety.

Pak win first test series against Australia in 20 years

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Pakistan achieved their first series win over Australia in 20 years with a thumping 356-run win in the second Test in Abu Dhabi on Monday, taking the two-match series 2-0.

The elusive win lifts Pakistan to number three in International Cricket Council's Test rankings behind number one South Africa and Australia.

Spinners Zulfiqar Babar (5-120) and Yasir Shah (3-44) rocked Australia once again for 246 in the second innings soon after lunch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Pakistan won the first Test by 221 runs in Dubai. Pakistan had taken a big step forward after scoring a mammoth 570-6 declared in their first innings and getting a 309-run lead by dismissing Australia for 261.

That never allowed Australia to stage a comeback and avoid series defeat for the first time since losing 1-0 in Pakistan in 1994. The defeat was Australia's third worst in all Test cricket behind their 675

run loss against England in Brisbane in 1928 and by 408 against the West Indies at Adelaide in 1980.

In contrast Pakistan registered their biggest win in terms of runs, beating their 341-run victory over India at Karachi in 2006.

Pakistan had to fight hard in the morning session as Steven Smith defied Pakistan during his resolute knock of 97, but once Smith departed, legbefore by Shah, Australia lost their last four wickets for the addition of just eight runs. Smith added an invaluable 107 for the fifth wicket with Mitchell Marsh, who fell after scor-

ing 47.

Smith missed a sharp turner from Shah who also bowled Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc to finish with 12 wickets in the series.

Babar had Nathan Lyon caught for his second fifth wicket haul, following up his first in the first Test in Dubai. Babar finished with 14 wickets in the series as Pakistan did not miss ace spinner Saeed Ajmal's absence who is suspended due to illegal bowling action.

Before lunch Smith batted resolutely, using his feet against the spinners during his 204-ball knock

and hitting a dozen boundaries.

Smith reached his eighth Test fifty with two boundaries off spinner Zulfiqar Babar, who failed to add to his three wickets on Sunday.

Marsh, who top-scored with 87 in Australia's first innings, played Pakistan's pace-cum spin attack confidently and he and Smith added 55 runs in the first hour.

But Mohammad Hafeez provided the breakthrough when he had Marsh caught by Asad Shafiq off an uppish flick.

His 130-ball innings included six boundaries.

Hafeez finished with 2-38.

The win is also special for skipper Misbah-ul Haq who equalled the most wins record by a Pakistani captain with 14. Imran Khan and Javed Miandad also won 14 Tests as captains. Misbah set the world record for the fastest half-century and equalled the feat of fastest century in all Test cricket during his 101 not out on Sunday, capping a memorable Test match.

BCCI demands $ 42 mn in damages from WICB

Calling West Indies' pullout midway into the India tour a "monumental disaster", the BCCI has slapped a US $ 41.97 million damages claim on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). The BCCI also suspended bilateral relations with the WICB till the dispute was resolved, and threatened legal action if the West Indies board didn't respond within 15 days.

Scheduled to play five ODIs, a Twenty20 and three Tests, the West Indies players pulled out of the series after the fourth ODI in Dharamsala on October 17. They cited the failure of West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) and WICB to respond convincingly to their questions related to the memorandum of understanding and collective bargaining agreement signed by the two parties in September.

In a a stern four-page Global financial trader TradeNext has organised a trials day to select an Asian football star in front of Premier League and Football League scouts for the competition's 40 finalists. The players have battled through training and skills sessions across the country to compete in the SFAAFS final at Wembley Powerleague on Saturday, November 8. TradeNext has organised the trials after highly impressed by the standard of players who entered their groundbreaking competition.

TradeNext is funding the trials to give the 40

letter addressed to WICB president Dave Cameron, BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel indicated that if the WICB failed to respond within 15 days about how it intended to compensate the losses in "acceptable terms", the BCCI would initiate legal proceedings.

"Pending resolutions of all disputes the BCCI suspends all bilateral cricketing relations with the WICB," Patel's letter stated.

Patel's missive arrived even as Cameron and senior WICB officials were engaged in meetings with players and WIPA in Trinidad to resolve the dispute. The meeting was facilitated by Prime Minister of St Vincent, Ralph Gonsalves, who helped resolve the dispute between Chris Gayle and the WICB three years ago.

As soon as Dwayne Bravo, the West Indies ODI captain, said that the play-

ers would be forced to take extreme steps unless they got clear answers from WIPA and WICB regarding the new MoU/CBE, Patel said the BCCI understood the seriousness of the issue and attempted to avert the debacle. Patel pointed out that Bravo and his teammates continued to play till the fourth ODI only because of the intervention by him and the other senior BCCI officials.

Patel stressed that the consequences of the West Indies pullout were "multifold and crippling" to the Indian board. "The BCCI is faced with huge revenue losses, a loss of reputation and is at risk of losing valuable commercial partners," Patel wrote. "The consequences of cancellation of a committed home Tour during the biggest festival season Diwali in India is a monumental disaster for the BCCI. It is during this

season that our partners derive the most value from their rights.

"Our broadcaster had committed to its advertisers during this season and on account of your actions, is facing a severe crisis the effects of which are felt by the BCCI. The BCCI holds the WICB responsible and liable for all such consequences and intends to enforce its rights to seek compensation from the WICB to the fullest extent permissible in law."

Patel demanded a written assurance from the WICB explaining how it intended to pay damages claimed by BCCI and warned a failure would mean further sanctions. "In the event the BCCI does not receive such a proposal in acceptable terms, within a period of 15 days from receipt of this letter, please note that the BCCI has peremptorily instructed.

SPORT WORLD

IPL betting: Mudgal panel clears Srinivasan of wrongdoing

The Mudgal committee in its final report to the Supreme Court of India said it did not find any evidence to link BCCI president N Srinivasan to his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan’s betting activities during the Indian Premier League T20 tournament in 2013. The report, submitted to a bench headed by Justice T S Thakur, will be taken up for hearing on November 10 and marks the culmination of the extensive inquiry process set in motion by the Supreme Court in October last year.

Even as the Justice Mukul Mudgal committee held Meiyappan guilty of betting, it failed to find enough evidence of his involvement in the far more serious offence of spot fixing. Evidence of his involvement in fixing would have put not just him but Srinivasan and the players of M S Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in serious legal trouble. The Mudgal committee had first submitted its report in February, finding Meiyappan guilty of betting and rejecting the claim of Chennai Super Kings that he was not a team official. With regard to Srinivasan and some eminent cricketers, it said allegations against them were unverified and needed to be probed. The court, while asking the Mudgal panel to probe the charges, had forced Srinivasan to keep off the affairs of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) till the probe was over. The committee is learnt to have said in its final report that there was no clinching evidence to link Meiyappan's betting activities to his father-in-law. Although the panel said some nagging issues about Srinivasan's conduct remain unresolved, its report vindicates his stand that he had nothing to do with Meiyappan's work, and will allow him to renew his request to the apex court to let him get back to the top post in BCCI.

Amir Khan aims for Grand slam when he faces Devon Alexander

Amir Khan will top the bill at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas’s most prestigious boxing venue, when he faces Devon Alexander, a former two-weight world champion from the United States, on December 13. Khan, the former IBF and WBA light-welterweight champion, beat Luis Collazo there in May on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather’s first bout with Marcos Maidana.

England appoint Ramprakash as full-time batting coach

Mark Ramprakash, will be appointed as England team’s new batting coach.

Ramprakash, 45, has been working with England’s batsmen part-time since Graham Gooch was sacked as Test batting coach last April. This appointment, which begins with England’s one-day tour of Sri Lanka later this month, will formalise his role across all three formats.

Trial to select Asian football star

players a chance to join the Premier League clubs.

TradeNext Chief Executive Mohsin Jameel said: “We are delighted to have found so much Asian talent through our Search

For An Asian Football Star competition. We felt the finalists deserved the chance to be seen by scouts and talent spotters from leading clubs in the Premier League, including

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, and the Football League. We hope that some of them do enough at our trials to go on to earn the opportunity to perform at the highest

31

level.” The trials not only give the finalists to shine at the competitions but the winner of SFAAFS will attend the TradeNext FootballCV Academy for a week, and train at the FA’s St George’s Park Centre of Excellence. Boxing legend Amir Khan has been following Search For An Asian Football Star and supporting the players chasing a pro career. He said: “SFAAFS is a great opportunity for young lads to improve their football skills and gain valuable experience. And now that TradeNext is funding the trials, it couldn’t get much

better!”

FA-qualified coaches from SFAAFS organiser FootballCV www.footballcv.com have been hugely impressed with the quality of players – from the Under-12s to the Under18s. FootballCV director David Mallinger said: “Our coaches have seen some real talent. The 40 finalists have earned the chance to showcase themselves in front of scouts from leading Premier and Football League clubs.”

The SFAAFS final kicks off at 3 pm, on Saturday November 8, at Wembley Powerleague.

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SPORT

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 8th November 2014

Ishant, openers power India to 169-run win over Lanka

India scored an emphatic 169 run win over Sri Lanka in their first ODI game of the five-match series. While the batsmen continued to dominate the performances with Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane hitting fluent centuries, it was the pace bowling triumvirate of Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Ishant Sharma that impressed under lights and heavy dew at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

An early start to day/night fixtures on account of the dew prompted Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews to put the hosts in to bat, but an extremely good batting surface, coupled by rapid centuries from Rahane (111, 108b, 13x4, 2x6) and Dhawan (113, 107b, 14x4, 3x6) took out any advantage the chasing side may have had.

The Indian openers added 231 runs in 35 overs, and despite their quick dismissals soon after, the middle order powered them to 363 for 5 in the first game of the five-

match contest.

In reply Sri Lanka were bowled out for 194 inside 40 overs, with Ishant picking up 4 for 34 - his best bowling figures in ODI cricket - to highlight an eye-catching performance from the Indian seamers, even though India would be sweating over the status of Aaron, who had hobbled off the field while bowling his fifth over with a thigh

strain.

While India impressed, Sri Lanka were left to rue their poor bowling performance and the batsmen's inability to put pressure on India's bowlers instead, with only Mahela Jayawardene (43, 36b, 6x4, 1x6) looking comfortable in the middle until hitting straight into Virat Kohli's hands off Akshar Patel.

The Sri Lankan batsmen would have expected

some freebies especially early on with the new ball, but Yadav and Aaron began probingly, repeatedly beating the outside edges of both Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan.

India's pace bowling duo cranked up the pace from the start and the Sri Lankan openers struggled to time the ball. Dilshan fell to Yadav caught behind for 18 in the ninth

over and Sri Lanka had failed to get a move on.

Kumar Sangakkara's wicket for 13 made matters worse, and the trend of regular wickets continued right until the last wicket.

Dhammika Prasad and debutant Lahiru Gamage, opening the bowling in the absence of the injured Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara - not picked for this game - had earlier kept the Indian openers quiet as Gamage even slipped in a maiden over, but Rahane and Dhawan hit their groove soon after. They were also helped by two rare tough chances put down by Kumar Sangakkara, but aside from that they were seldom troubled on a batting paradise.

Run fests are common in limited overs contests played in India, but what was encouraging in terms of Virat Kohli's captaincy was India's decision to take the batting Powerplay early, allowing the openers to step up the scoring rate between overs 23 and 28. Dhawan

and Rahane took 62 runs in those five overs as they capitalized on the fielding restrictions, as opposed to the usual ploy to take the Powerplay towards the latter stages of the game.

Suraj Randiv (3/78) and Ashan Priyanjan managed to pull the hosts back by sending back Rahane and Dhawan respectively, but the damage had already been done. Suresh Raina, playing his 200th one-day international, also completed 5,000 ODI runs while scoring a brisk 34ball 52, before being trapped leg before by Randiv. Quick wickets towards the end didn't allow India to reach that 400-run mark, but Kohli (22), Ambati Rayudu (27) and Akshar Patel (14*) ensured they weren't too far behind.

Brief scores: India 363/7 in 50 overs (Dhawan 113, Rahane 111; Randiv 3/78) beat Sri Lanka 194 in 39.2 overs (Jayawardene 43; Ishant 4/34, Yadav 2/24, Akshar 2/24) by 169 runs.