The Loomba Foundation

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KASHMIR

CB Patel Publisher & Editor Asian Voice, Gujarat Samachar

Lord Raj Loomba CBE Founder and Chairman Trustee The Loomba Foundation

BRINGING PROSPERITY TO An Asian Voice and The Loomba Foundation initiative

December

2019

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Help me to Empower Widows in Jammu and Kashmir “I WILL BE CYCLING 4,500 KM ACROSS INDIA TO RAISE MONEY FOR A NEW PROJECT TO HELP WIDOWS IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR. WIDOWS IN THIS PART OF INDIA NEED ALL THE HELP THEY CAN GET AND PLEASE READ MY STORY IN THIS MAGAZINE TO FIND OUT MORE” CHRIS PARSONS

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT Mr Safdar Shah Loomba House, 622 Western Avenue, London W3 0TF Tel: : +44 (0)20 8102 2351 Email: safdar@theloombafoundation.org

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CONTENTS

21 INTERNATIONAL WIDOWS DAY

6-7 KASHMIR BEFORE AND AFTER REVOCATION OF ARTICLE 370

11 14-17

PROJECT KASHMIR 2020

CYCLING FOR WIDOWS IN KASHMIR-2020

18-19 TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH EMPOWERMENT

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Changing Face of Jammu and Kashmir ashmir they say is “paradise on Earth”. But the beauty of the Mughal gardens in Srinagar or the alpine glaciers of Sonmarg until recently appeared to be diminished by reports of conflict and trouble in the region. As a result, the erstwhile state's tourism industry and economy have suffered significantly.

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In light of this, the recent revocation of Article 370 by the Indian Prime Minister Hon'ble Shri Narendra Modi brings renewed hopes to the Valley. The Modi Government has identified over 100 districts in the newly formed Union Territory of Kashmir for potential investment and infrastructure development to bolster economic growth. His reforms will ensure that women from the state even if they marry outside the state do not loose their inheritance rights for themselves or their progeny. This, therefore, overcomes the patriarchal bias prevalent in the previous clauses of Article 370 (35A).

An exemplary icon campaigning for women empowerment is Lord Raj Loomba CBE. His pioneering work through The Loomba Foundation has drawn worldwide attention to the plight of widows and their families.

I wish The Loomba Foundation every success for their new initiative, 'Cycling for Widows 2020' and I urge you to support this noble cause.

CB Patel Publisher/Editor Asian Voice/Gujarat Samachar

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Message from Lord Loomba CBE he plight of widows and their families has been close to my heart from a young age when my mother Pushpa Wati was widowed at an early age of 37 in 1954.

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In 1997 my wife Veena and I set up the Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba Trust – as The Loomba Foundation was initially known in the UK. My mission was to care for widows and their children, and to change the culture that discriminates against them.

Since then The Loomba Foundation has worked tirelessly in several parts of the world and, as you will read in this magazine, through several programmes and initiatives aimed specifically at widows and their families. Now, with the revocation of Article 370 – a bold and ambitious move by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi – a tremendous window of opportunity has arisen to bring prosperity to communities in Jammu & Kashmir through our work with widows and their families.

The Loomba Foundation is delighted to collaborate with Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar newsweeklies to launch this special edition and I do hope that this initiative will help make a difference to communities in the region of Jammu & Kashmir.

With the committed support and generosity of our partners and donors, The Loomba Foundation remains committed to its founding mission: to transform the lives of impoverished widows and their dependent children.

Lord Raj Loomba CBE Founder and Chairman Trustee The Loomba Foundation

An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

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Kashmir before and after revocation of Article 370 n Vinod Tikoo, Jammu Kashmir Study Centre, UK

THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE ERSTWHILE STATE OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR IS PERHAPS, NOT KNOWN BY MANY. IN THE EARLY 1900S DURING THE MAHARAJA'S RULE, THERE WERE LAWS IN THE PRINCELY STATE OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR PREVENTING ANY OUTSIDER, THAT IS, ANY PERSON FROM OUTSIDE KASHMIR, FROM ACQUIRING OR HOLDING LAND IN KASHMIR. THE MAHARAJA WAS WARY OF A LARGE NUMBER OF ENGLISHMEN AND WEALTHY BUSINESSMEN COMING AND SETTLING DOWN THERE HAVING ACQUIRED PRIME PROPERTIES. o address this fear shared by other hill kingdoms, the following definition of the term 'State Subject' was sanctioned by his Highness the Maharaja Bahadur of Kashmir (vice Private Secretary's letter No. 2354, dated the 31st January 1927 to the Revenue Member of Council) and is hereby promulgated for general information.

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WHAT THE TERM 'STATE SUBJECT' MEANT All persons born and residing within the State before the commencement of the reign of His Highness the late Maharaja Ghulab Singh, and also persons who settled before the commencement of Samvat year 1942, have since been permanently residing there. There were four classes of citizens- the natives, those living in the state for a period of time with immovable properties, those businesses/companies set up in the state in which the Government is financially interested or so as to the

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Shafalica Bhan, a Kashmiri Hindu Pandit, with the author Vinod Tikoo celebrating India Day in London

economic benefit of the State or to the financial stability of which the Government was satisfied.

THE INSTRUMENT OF ACCESSION, ARTICLE 370 & 35A It was the Government of India Act, 1935, and not the Indian Independence Act, 1947, which provided for the mechanism of the accession of Indian states to the Federation of India. The 1947 Act, under Section 8 merely recognized the Act of 1935 as the interim constitution. This was until the enactment of a Constitution by a Constitutional Assembly convened for that purpose.

The Maharaja of the State acceded J&K to India as a consequence of armed invasion by tribals supported by regular Pakistani forces. He did this by the Instrument of Accession executed on 26th October 1947.

After this, in October 1949 the Constituent Assembly of India inserted Article 306 (A). From 17th November 1952, Article 306 (A)

became operative as Article 370. It provided the framework for the special relationship of Jammu & Kashmir within the Indian Constitution.

The architect of Article 370, N Gopalaswami Ayyangar’s exposition of Article 370 is very pertinent in this regard: “We have also agreed that the will of the people, through the instrument of the Constituent Assembly will determine the Constitution of the state as well as the sphere of Union jurisdiction over the State. Till it comes into being, only an interim arrangement is possible. (It is argued that Article 370 was inserted to govern this interim arrangement).

“When the Constituent Assembly of the State has met and taken its decisions both on the Constitution for the State and the range for federal jurisdiction over the State, the President on the recommendation of that Constituent Assembly will issue an order that this article shall cease to be operative but the recommendation of the Constitution Assemble will be a condition precedent.”

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1952 DELHI AGREEMENT Furthermore, Article 35A was enacted after the '1952 Delhi agreement' was reached between Nehru and the then Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah. It was introduced through a presidential order on 14th May 1954 to continue the old provisions of the territory regulations and ‘State Subject’ under Article 370 of the Indian constitution. The article permits the local legislature in J&K to define perma-

nent residents of the region. It forbids outsiders from permanently settling, buying land, holding local government jobs or winning education scholarships in the region, restricting the ability to vote, contest elections, seeking government employment and availing other state benefits such as higher education and health care. The article, referred to as the 'Permanent Residents Law', also bars female residents of Jammu and Kashmir from passing on the property inheritance rights if they marry a person from outside the state. The

provision also extends to such women's children. Critics of Article 35A say the provision did not have any parliamentary sanction, and that it discriminates against women.

The Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, which was subsequently adopted on 17th November 1956, defined a Permanent Resident (PR) of the state as a person who was a state subject on 14th May 1954, or who has been a resident of the state for 10 years, and has “lawfully acquired immovable property in the state.

REVOCATION OF ARTICLE 370, SUBCLAUSES PRESIDENTIAL ORDER 272 & REORGANISATION BILL On 5th August 2019, the Presidential Order C.O 272 was introduced in the Indian Parliament, followed by the Re-organisation Bill for J&K. It used the Proviso to clause 3 of Article 370 authorising the President of India to pass an order removing or modifying parts of Article 370, provided there was a recommendation from the ‘Constituent Assembly’ of the state.

However, the Constituent Assembly of the state ceased to function in 1957.

CO 272, therefore, took a different route, it used the power of president under Article 370 (1) to indirectly amend 370 (3) via provisions of Article 367. The most important amendment to 367 was the Constituent Assembly of the state shall read as ‘legislative assembly of the state’. Therefore, CO 272 allowed the President with the concurrence of the government of J&K to amend or modify the provisions of the constitution with regards to J&K. The reorganisation bill further recommended the bifurcation of the state of J&K into two union territories (UT): UT of J&K and UT of Ladakh. This came into effect from 31st Oct 2019.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? The recent decision to bifurcate the state and to revoke the key clauses of Article 370 has suddenly opened

up the debate for re-hashing the identity of the region. It is no longer just the majority Sunni Muslims from the Valley of Kashmir or the ethnically exterminated Kashmir Pandits who are at the centre of the narrative normally.

The focus is suddenly on the entire region and its ethnically diverse communities including, Valley Muslims, Kashmiri Pandits, the ethnic Hindu and Muslim Dogra communities of Jammu, the Buddhists & Shias of Leh/Kargil, Gilgit Baltistan communities,

clauses of Article 370 (35A).

Years have passed by and a generation of Kashmiris born in the conflict-ridden Valley have lost all connection to the intricacies of a multicultural past of the Valley. For those born and brought up in the last 30 years, Kashmir Valley has remained a zone in defiance with its own past and rich history. Time has now also come for these Kashmiris to re-discover their roots and connect back with their rich and syncretic past.

And last but not least, the future holds promise for the economic resurgence of a region with an abundance of mineral resources, its talented people and natural beauty. The opportunity to integrate with the growth story of the millennial Indians provides a template for the people of the Kashmiri art and culture - a treasure trove waiting to be unearthed region to re-invent their future and open a vista of Poonchies, Gujjars, Bakarwals et al. possibilities for tourism, art, craft, IT, The recent changes in the horticulture, sericulture, apple legislation have finally provided farming, and other industries. This equal voice and space to all these new beginning has the potential to diverse and often lesser-known wash away the sins of historic people of the region. These also wrongs and thus allow the love, include the forgotten Western dignity, and respect of its people to Pakistani refugees from 1947, synergise and create a “Jammu & LGBTQ+ communities who have Kashmir” of our dreams. had none to very limited rights in the state. The changes ensure that - The Author is a Digital IT the women from the state even if leader based in London. A they marry outside the state do not Freelance writer/community activist lose inheritance rights for themselves or their progeny and working towards advocacy and therefore overcomes the creating awareness among the patriarchal bias in the previous diaspora on Jammu and Kashmir.

An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

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The Dogra dynasty and Maharaja Hari Singh THE COMPLEX HISTORY OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR (J&K) CAN NEVER BE COMPLETELY EXPLAINED WITHOUT DISCUSSING THE LINEAGE OF MAHARAJA HARI SINGH AND THE DOGRA DYNASTY. THE EARLY 1800s MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE DOGRA DYNASTY OR THE RAJPUT CLAN. THE THEN PRINCELY STATE OF J&K COMPRISED OF THE JAMMU PROVINCE, JÄGIRS OF POONCH AND CHENANI, PROVINCE OF KASHMIR AND FRONTIER PROVINCES OF LADAKH, BALTISTAN, AND GILGIT. INITIALLY GOVERNED BY GULAB SINGH, MAHARAJA HARI SINGH WAS THE THEN PRINCELY STATE'S FOURTH AND THE LAST DOGRA MONARCH. uring his rule (1925-47), Maharaja Hari Singh introduced a slew of reformist laws wherein he ensured compulsory primary education to all, prohibited child marriage and built places of worship for everyone. Perhaps, his intention of establishing a democratic rule in the region is best highlighted from his coronation address. During the ceremony he said,“For me all communities, religions, and races are equal. All religions are mine and justice is my religion.”

Like the Dogra Maharajas preceding him, he regarded all religions as equal and would be present at the Mosque to exchange Eid greetings with his Muslim subjects. The Maharaja introduced small animal rearing schemes, and a sheep breeding department was established in 1937 for the welfare of the nomadic tribes of the state like Gaddis, Gujjars, Bakerwals, Changpas and Chopans. This meant that he had already won people's confidence in the Valley especially after enrolling the Agriculturists Relief

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Regulations of July 1926 where he empowered the farmers to escape moneylenders, prevented starvation and prevented the spread of common diseases. A firm advocate for education for all Hari Singh also introduced The Compulsory Primary Education Act of 1930 in Jammu, Srinagar, Sopore, Mirpur and Udhampur. As a result, the number of schools in the region increased from a mere 706 in 1925 to a staggering 20,728 schools in 1945.

AN INDIAN BY HEART It was in 1927, that Maharaja Singh introduced the Act of Hereditary State Subject only to prevent the then princely state from becoming a British colony of the Crown. However, he made no distinction in the definition and rights of the Permanent Residents of the state based on gender. The gender-bias in Article 35 A was introduced much later using a political order of 1959.

Communications, post, telegraph,

and development of roads encouraged tourism and bolstered interstate trade during his reign.

Often remembered as the last Dogra ruler who governed a Muslim majority state, Maharaja Singh's commitment to the cause of India’s Independence is evident by his words at the Round Table Conference in the House of Lords in London in 1931. In this conference, he said, “I am an Indian first, and then a Maharaja.”

He was instrumental in ensuring that the then princely state of Jammu Kashmir became a legal and constitutional part of India. Yet, historical records mostly remember him for being caught between the politics of Sheikh Abdullah and Pandit Nehru. Maharaja Hari Singh had to abdicate the throne unceremoniously with which ended the hundred years rule of the Dogra dynasty. He was cremated in Chandanwadi in Mumbai and only his ashes returned home to be immersed in the River Tawi.

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Tourism and investment potential in Kashmir

BOOSTING TOURISM IN JAMMU & KASHMIR Tourism has been the backbone of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir contributing 8% revenue to its annual GDP. Official government figures show that over 100,000 locals were employed in the region to host about 1.2 million tourists until 2016. Over the years growing insurgency and security concerns had resulted in a 40% decline in the year-on-year footfall of tourists in Kashmir in the five years since 2012.

Following the unprecedented revocation of Article 370 which hindered private sector investment in the Valley, hopes and aspirations of Kashmiri locals are renewed. Travel agents and the Valley's citizens thriving on tourism are optimistic about an economic turnaround. From medical tourism and historical religious sites to revival of other tourist attractions, investment opportunities are now aplenty.

SIXTY NEW PROJECTS AND £800 BILLION Recently, in a bid to turn Kashmir into a pilgrim destination, the central government of Indian has announced over 60 new projects

with a total investment worth £800 billion approximately. This proposed investment falls under the package announced by Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in 2015. Major development projects as part of this package are in various infrastructure sectors such as road construction, hydropower supply, pharmaceuticals, tourism, agriculture, horticulture and skill development, among others.

LAND FOR FOREIGN AND PRIVATE INVESTORS Before 5th August 2019, real estate activity in the J&K region had been very limited. A primary reason for this can be attributed to the fact that non-residents were not legally allowed to purchase property and hence, investors never gave it a second thought.

Now, as snow settles in the newly bifurcated Union Territory of Jammu &Kashmir, government officials have identified about 2000 acres of land wherein foreign and private investment companies can establish their industrial headquarters. Some of these districts in Jammu include Kathua and Samba while others are Ganderbal, Kupwara, and Anantnag in the Valley.

Although it will take some time for the government to build investor confidence in the region, it will give a boost to a crumbling state economy.

Additionally, it is expected to create thousands of jobs especially at a time when one in four persons aged 18-29 year-olds in the region is unemployed.

"I am hopeful that this revocation will do wonders for Kashmir tourism.

The government will ensure the best safety for the Union Territory's people and tourists. Famous hotels, chains of restaurants, malls, luxury brands will make massive investments in the Valley. With money comes prosperity and stability, which Kashmir has always been deprived of since Independence,” said Tanuj Ahuja, Founder of Aerospace Holidays Pvt Ltd to the Economic Times.

According to a report published by the Economic Times, Kashmir received six million pounds of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) between April 2000 and March 2019. However, with the newly introduced reforms, the government expects the FDI in the region to multiply manifold. This optimism is especially pronounced after Indian industrialists Mukesh Ambani announced his intentions of establishing Reliance Industries in the region.

An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

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The Loomba Foundation THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE UK IN 1997 BY LORD RAJ LOOMBA CBE AND HIS WIFE LADY VEENA LOOMBA, IN MEMORY OF LORD LOOMBA’S MOTHER WHO BECAME A WIDOW AT THE EARLY AGE OF 37 BUT SUCCEEDED IN EDUCATING ALL HER SEVEN YOUNG CHILDREN SINGLE-HANDEDLY. THE FOUNDATION HAS SISTER CHARITIES REGISTERED IN INDIA AND THE USA AND IS ACCREDITED BY THE UN DEPARTMENT OF GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEPARTMENT (ECOSOC). he Loomba Foundation is the first global charity which is committed to empowering widows and to educate their children in India and around the world. The core work of the charity is in India; however, it has empowered widows in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Syria, Kenya,Uganda, South Africa, Rwanda, Malawi, Guatemala and Chile. In addition to empowering widows and educating children of poor widows the Loomba Foundation is actively engaged in advocacy to improve the lives of widows.

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EARLY TRAGEDY

young couple.

But, Pushpa Wati Loomba was determined to ensure that her children’s prospects were not harmed by this tragedy. She devoted the whole of the substantial resources left behind by her husband to ensuring that all the children received the best education.

Raj went on to build up his business in the UK and India, but he never forgot the impact of those events. He realised that if his father had not left behind his wealth his mother would not have been able to provide for the siblings. Recalls Raj, “The state of poor widows and their children I had seen in my younger days came rushing back to me.”

The story of The Loomba Foundation dates back to 23rd June 1954 in the small rural town of Dhilwan, in the State of Punjab in India, when a wealthy local businessman, Jagiri Lal Loomba, succumbed to tuberculosis.

Tragedy followed for his widowed wife Pushpa Wati and her seven children. For tenyear old Raj Loomba, what happened next was a shock that was to stay with him for the rest of his life.

On the very day of his father’s death, his grandmother ordered the Lord Loomba, Cherie Blair and Ban Ki-moon after International Widows Day young widow to remove her was adopted by the United Nations as a day of global action bangles, jewellery and bindi – the sign of a married woman – and henceforth to wear only white clothes. From a happy, fulfilled wife, his mother was instantly In 1997, five years after Raj transformed into a desolate widow.

Loomba’s mother passed away, Raj Years later, when Raj married and his wife Veena established the Veena Chaudhry, he was enraged Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba Trust when the priest asked his mother to – as The Loomba Foundation was sit away from the altar lest, as a initially known in the UK – to care widow, she bring misfortune to the for widows and their children.

BIRTH OF THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION

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The initial focus was on India, where some 46 million women– almost 10% of the female population of marital age – are widows.

He saw that if he could find a way of funding the education of the children of poor widows, it would transform their families and provide for a better future.

OBJECTIVES The objectives of The Loomba Foundation are: l Promote the welfare and economic empowerment of disadvantaged widows and education of their children. l Promote the fundamental freedom and human rights of widows and their children around the world through advocacy. l Promote the Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030, which the United Nations established at the UN General Assembly in 2015, with the main objective - “To leave no one behind”.

INTERNATIONAL WIDOWS DAY International Widows Day is an initiative of the Loomba Foundation, launched at the House of Lords in London on 26 May 2005.

Following the launch, the Loomba Foundation led a five-year global campaign for UN recognition.

It resulted in a unanimous decision to adopt International Widows Day as an annual global day of action by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. Observed on 23rd June it highlights the discrimination and injustice suffered by widows worldwide.

According to UN Women there are 285 million widows worldwide.

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AFGHANISTAN

CHINA

Project Kashmir 2020 he decades long conflict in Kashmir has had a particularly tragic impact on Kashmiri women, leaving a vast number of them as widows. A majority of the women have not reached education beyond the third grade level. Many of them are known as "half-widows", a term given to women whose husbands have completely disappeared and are still missing in the ongoing conflict in Kashmir. The Loomba Foundation's commitment to the advocacy of widows, their economic empowerment and education of their children hopes to make a demonstrable difference to the lives of Kashmir's widows.

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PAKISTAN

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

LADAKH Tibet

HIMACHAL PRADESH

An apolitical organisation, The Foundation views the revocation of Article 370 by the Indian government as a timely opportunity to extend its charitable work to around 5,000 widows in Kashmir in partnership with Tech Mahindra and The Hinduja Foundation.

All funds raised by Chris Parsons' cycling challenge of 4,500 kilometres from Kanyakumari to Srinagar in Kashmir during February to April 2020 will go towards helping widows. As part of its vision for widows in Kashmir, The Loomba Foundation will work with partners to set up various skills development programmes, identify deserving

widows and deliver practical training.

The Loomba Foundation has a long and proven track record of empowering widows and making change happen. As with all its programmes The Foundation will aim to create a lasting impact that will change lives. Upon completion project Kashmir will enable widows to earn money, support their families, lead a better quality of life and benefit the local economy.

Project Kashmir will provide skills training in the following five areas: l Hospitality l Tourism l Hair & beauty care l Tailoring l Food processing

An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

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The Loomba Foundation Educatin WHEN THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED, RAJ LOOMBA SAW THAT IF HE COULD FIND A WAY TO FUND THE EDUCATION OF THE CHILDREN OF POOR WIDOWS, IT WOULD NOT ONLY TRANSFORM THE CONDITION OF THAT FAMILY BUT ALSO PROVIDE FOR A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL ITS MEMBERS.

SCHOLARSHIP FOR EDUCATION In March 1999, a year after it was established, the Loomba Foundation launched its first scholarship programme, funding the education of one hundred children of poor widows in the State of Delhi right through secondary education, and beyond, for those who wished to go into higher education. At the same time The Foundation announced its target, that within a decade it would fund the education of at least one hundred children of poor widows, selected solely on the basis of need, in each of India’s then 29 States.

This meant The Foundation hoped to educate 2,900 children by 2009.

PAN-INDIA EDUCATION PROGRAMMES With fundraising under way and an education programme in place, the Loomba Foundation set about making progress towards its target.

Areas that had seen a sudden increase in the number of widows were often prioritised, such as the scheme launched in Odisha State (for 100 children) after a destructive cyclone, and the one in Gujarat (also 100), following an earthquake in the city of Bhuj. Both these schemes were launched in 2001. In 2002, programmes got under way in Rajasthan (100) and Punjab (100) and the following year in Andhra Pradesh (100), Haryana (100), Uttarakhand Pradesh (110), and Arunachal Pradesh (100) in the far north-east of the country.

In Tamil Nadu, in 2004, The Loomba Foundation’s funding was matched by its partner, the Sriram Welfare Foundation, creating a programme for 200 students. At the

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An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

end of that year the Indian Ocean tsunami struck, causing destruction that left existing and newly-created widows and their children worst affected. In India, Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu was hardest hit, and The Loomba Foundation responded by extending its programme in the state for a further 500 children drawn mainly from the fishermen’s villages in the district.

Five programmes were launched in 2005: Chhattisgarh (100 children), Jammu and Kashmir (100), West Bengal (100), Maharashtra (200) and Uttar Pradesh (100).

Further programmes for 100 children each were launched in the states of Assam, Bihar, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, bringing the total number of Loomba scholars by 2006 to 3,610. The Loomba Foundation had reached and far exceeded its target with two-and-ahalf years to spare.

GENEROSITY OF DONORS This would not have been possible without the generous support of numerous donors, including Sir Richard Branson, who funded scholarships for 500 children in five states for five years, and Brijesh Nayyar, who has funded the education of 300 children in three states for five years. Shamin and Shiraz Lalji generously funded the extended programme for 500 children in Tamil Nadu following the tsunami.

The programme in Chhattisgarh is sponsored by BT; in Jammu and Kashmir by Sheetal Kapoor and Ricky Kapoor; and in Maharashtra

by Martin Ciupa and Mellon Group Europe.

The students who received

funding under the original programmes have completed their education. Some have gone on to higher education with The Foundation’s support, including 18 students currently completing engineering degrees in Madhya Pradesh. New children have joined the programmes. To date, more than 10,000 children of poor widows have received funding, and in this way The Loomba Foundation has directly transformed the lives of 60,000 people in their immediate families. The programme continues to grow with the support of new donors, including the Hinduja Foundation, which has funded scholarships for 500 children in five states for five years. The Loomba Foundation’s partnership with the Rotary India Literacy Mission includes education funding for 2,000 children.

In 2006, The Loomba Foundation donated five million Rupees, which was matched by the Punjab Government, to renovate, refurbish and provide sanitation and drinking water for a school in Dhilwan, where Raj Loomba was born, which had once been a magnificent building but had fallen into disrepair. At the suggestion of Prakash Singh Badal, the Chief Minister of Punjab, the school was renamed in honour of Raj Loomba’s late father and inaugurated on 18 November 2008 by the President of the Loomba Foundation, Mrs Cherie Blair.

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ting the children of poor widows SOME CASE STUDIES EKTADAR AHMED (MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA) I lost my father when I was twelve years old. This event left my mother, my brothers and sisters shocked and hurting. The family’s financial situation, which was not good to begin with, deteriorated.

After completing my higher secondary education, being financially weak, I had no hope of doing my further education until The Loomba Foundation came forward to assist me.

Thanks to The Foundation, their generous financial support enabled me to study Engineering from one of the top private colleges of Madhya Pradesh, India.

After completing my graduation, I worked as a BMS Engineer at GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited for one year.

Currently I am doing my own Textile Business.

VISHAL SINGH (RAJASTHAN, INDIA) My name is Vishal Singh. I am currently living in Jaipur. I was born and brought-up in Rajasthan. When I was just a child my father died, due to which the family’s responsibility was on my mother’s shoulder. Through extreme hard work, she completed the schooling of all her three children.

After completing my 10+2, I decided to go for BE but I was not financially capable of doing that.

With the help of The Loomba foundation I managed to get admission to Laxmi Narayan College of Technology(LNCT), Bhopal. In July 2018, I completed my B.E. Degreeand found a job at a reputed company, W3 Era Web Development and Technology Pvt. Ltd), as a digital marketing executive. Now, I am capable of earning and helping my family financially.

EKDAM AHMED (MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA) After completing my higher secondary education, I had no hope of doing my further education as my family was financially weak. The Loomba Foundation came forward to assist me. I would like to thank The Loomba Foundation for granting financial support to study engineering in one of the top private colleges of Madhya Pradesh. I was elated and felt so blessed that words will never express the gratitude I felt for this wonderful gift from The Loomba Foundation.

SUJEET SHRIVASTAVA (BIHAR, INDIA) I completed civil engineering in 2018. I never thought that I would study engineering because I did not have the money to do further studies. One day I received a call from the principal of my school asking if I would do engineering. I said that I did not have the money to do so. He told me about The Loomba Foundation thanks to who I completed engineering. Today I am working as a site engineer in MDS INFRA NIRMAN PVT LTD.

RAVI KUMAR (BIHAR, INDIA) I was born in Bihar, India in 1995. I pursued B.E. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from LNCT, Bhopal (MP India) in 2017 through financial support from The Loomba Foundation.

I am currently working with Kedar industries based company in Pune. I have more than 2 years experience in electrical and electronics sector. My current activities including selling, branding, marketing, management and customer support.

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CYCLING FOR WIDOWS 2020

KEY FACTS

CHRIS PARSONS, A LAWYER WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS, SPENDS MOST OF HIS TIME IN INDIA AS CHAIRMAN OF THE FIRM’S INDIA PRACTICE. CHRIS MET LORD RAJ LOOMBA CBE A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO WHEN HE AGREED TO CYCLE FROM LONDON TO GIBRALTAR TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT WIDOWS IN INDIA.

30 MARATHONS IN 30 DAYS Back in 2011, Chris was able to raise $200,000 and has had the pleasure of visiting schools in Delhi where the children of widows are being educated with the monies he helped raise. Not content with a fund-raising effort in Europe, Chris was keen to do something in India so came up with the slightly crazy idea of walking 30 marathons in 30 days to celebrate his 30 years at HSF. This took him, at the beginning of 2015, from Mumbai down the coast of Maharashtra and Goa to Mangalore in Karnataka before turning east to cross the Western Ghats into Bangalore – some 1260kms.

This time he was able to raise $300,000 for the Loomba Foundation. All of the money has been used to support 5,000 widows in Varanasi – and Chris was fortunate to visit Varanasi with Raj to

see the work of the Loomba Foundation in action. Now he is focused on a new challenge for 2020 when he plans to cycle the length of India from Kanyakumari in the south to Kashmir in the north a distance of some 4,500 km which he hopes to complete in about 45 days and he is keen to support the Loomba Foundation again.

PASSION FOR INDIA Chris said: “India has become a very special place for me and feels like my second home. Over the last 15 years I have visited the country over 150 times spending time with clients, teaching at law schools and engaging with various social initiatives. If I can combine my passion for India with supporting widows and their children, I will be a happy man. With one eye on 2020, I have started to train in earnest and I am very excit-

Dates:

February to April 2020 Duration: 45 days Distance: 4,500km Start: Kanyakumari Finish: Srinagar

ed to be working with my friend Raj again to support the Loomba Foundation and its wonderful work for widows in India.”

AMBASSADOR FOR THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION Lord Loomba said: “Chris has been an amazing ambassador for the Loomba Foundation and the cause of widows in India but how he comes up with his mad ideas for fund-raising I will never know.

Cycling from London to Gibraltar was one thing, 30 marathons across India from Mumbai to Bangalore quite another but now the thought of him cycling 4,500 kilometres from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in 2020 leaves me breathless. But if that means he can try and raise $450,000 for widows in India I am right behind him (in spirit at least).”

“CHRIS HAS BEEN A GREAT AMBASSADOR FOR THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION. I FIRST MET HIM WHEN HE AGREED TO CYCLE FROM LONDON TO GIBRALTAR TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE FOUNDATION, THIS TIME HE HAS GONE ONE STEP FURTHER” LORD RAJ LOOMBA

Chris Parsons - Cycling for Widows 2020, a project by The Loomba Foundation to raise money for widows in J&K. Pledge form on page 23

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An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

Make a Donation to Help Widows in Jammu & Kashmir

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CYCLING FOR WIDOWS IN JAMMU & KASHMIR THE CHALLENGE Chris starts his challenge on 3rd February 2020. All the funds that Chris raises will go towards a new programme that will launch next year and will help widows in Jammu & Kashmir. Says Chris, “I could see 2020 coming up and that had a nice ring to. I thought that my last one was in 2015, that would have been five years ago, and I thought: Why not?

“I have a passion for India, because it’s my second home and I wanted to support widows and their children again. Why cycling? I walked and ran last time. I’ve done cycling before for the Loomba Foundation, when I did the London to Gibraltar cycle ride, and I thought, why not?”

CHRIS'S TRAINING REGIME Chris is building up his training regime as he inches closer to the start date in Feb 2020. He has to fit in his training with his schedule as a busy lawyer as he lives in the UK but spends around two weeks each month in India.

Says Chris, “I bought myself a Peloton bike, which I’m on fairly

regularly, which is a sort of spin (stationary) bike, which I use at home. In nice weather I like to get out as much as possible. I’m cycling around the countryside often do between 35 and 50 kilometres at a time.”

DIET Chris is using an app called Healthifyme to help with his diet and he gets advice from a nutritionist through the app.

“I haven’t really made any major changes. I’ve got a massive weakness for stuff I shouldn’t be eating like chocolates, cakes, sweets and crisps. So, I’m trying to cut those out and eat fairly healthily,” says Chris.

MAN OR MACHINE Chris's superhuman efforts and the epic challenges he takes on is truly mindboggling. Queried about his machine-like performance he says, “Can I prove I’m not a machine?

Well, I can assure you that. I think perhaps the best way to describe me is sort of slow and dogged but if I put my mind to something, I try and ensure that I achieve it.'

Make a Donation to Help Widows in Jammu & Kashmir

He continues,"I have sometimes been guilty of doing certain things to excess in the past and cycling a long way and raising money for widows and their children is a positive kind of excess that I'm happy to take on.”

Cycling a long way or walking a long way and raising money for widows and their children is Chris's way of using any kind of excess in a positive way.

An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

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An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

Make a Donation to Help Widows in Jammu & Kashmir

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CYCLING FOR WIDOWS IN JAMMU & KASHMIR CHRIS'S PASSION FOR THE PLIGHT OF WIDOWS AND CHILDREN The Loomba Foundation's work with widows and their children in the developing world, and in India in particular, resonates deeply with Chris.

Says Chris, “The harsh plight of widows is something that I have come to understand through Lord Loomba’s descriptions. I have read about some of the challenges they face, and the fact that they are often thought to be the reason for their husband’s death.

“The way they are treated, the lack of support that they receive from their families and the community means that they seem to be a really important group of

people. I believe that that they urgently need our special support.

They are people who have already suffered one great loss, and to be suffering another one along with their children means that hopefully I can help both them and their children.”

RAISING FUNDS FOR SCHOOLS AND WIDOWS “I was lucky to go and visit, I think it was two schools in Delhi, after I raised money from cycling from London to Gibraltar, and I was able to see the children that were supported in those schools. I have to say that it was fantastic just to see the positive impact that the funds were having on their schooling. In relation to the

Make a Donation to Help Widows in Jammu & Kashmir

money that we raised last time from the 30 marathons, it was all used to buy Singer sewing machines for widows in Varanasi,” says Chris.

He adds, “I went along with Lord Loomba to visit a number of the widows in Varanasi and to be able to see, again, first hand, the excitement of them receiving something that would hopefully enable them to earn a living for themselves and for their children. I have to say that Varanasi was also just incredibly fascinating, and seeing the Aarti on the river in the evenings at night was incredibly evocative.”

Chris is looking forward to his fundraising next year so he can support widows and their children yet again, but this time in Jammu & Kashmir.

An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

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The Loomba Foundation & Widow Empowerment WIDOW EMPOWERMENT IS ONE OF THE KEY TOOLS USED BY THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION TO HELP TRANSFORM THE LIVES OF WIDOWS. THE PROGRAMME WILL PROVIDE WIDOWS WITH THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO LEAD A BETTER LIFE. HAVING NO INCOME IS A MAJOR ISSUE AFTER THEIR HUSBANDS PASS AWAY AS HE IS USUALLY THE SOLE WAGE EARNER. OFTEN, THE WIDOWS ARE IN A CYCLE OF ABUSE. SO THE PROGRAMMES ARE DESIGNED TO GIVE THEM SKILLS TO IMPROVE THEIR ECONOMIC SITUATION. ver the years The Loomba Foundation has used various initiatives to change lives through widow empowerment. The Foundation has helped widows become entrepreneurs through programmes in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Syria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Malawi, Chile and Guatemala. The majority of the initiatives in India in the past have involved skills training in tailoring and providing widows with a sewing machine free of charge. The Foundation now offers a range of skills training in other areas to allow widows gain employment in an India that is ever changing.

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KEY WIDOW EMPOWERMENT PROJECTS In 2012, the Loomba Foundation launched a new project to empower 10,000 poor widows in India.

They have empowered over 2000 widows in Punjab in partnership with the state government of Punjab. In 2014 a programme was launched in association with the Punjab government to help 5,000 widows and was carried out in conjunction with Lions Clubs International. Lions Club International has been a key partner in widow empowerment over the last few years. Since 2012, they have donated over 3000 sewing machines to the Loomba Foundation for its widows empowerment projects in various states of India. They donated 2,000 sewing machines to widows in India in 2014.

That year, a further eight schemes were launched across India to empower 500 widows, including one benefiting 5,000 widows in Punjab. In 2018, 300 sewing machines were distributed to widows in Kolkata.

A mega empowerment project to help 5,000 widows in Varana si was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister

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An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

CASE STUDY Sunita is a widow who went through an empowerment programme in Varanasi where she was taught tailoring skills and given her own sewing machine.

Her story demonstrates the effectiveness of the work carried out by the L.F. “My name is Sunita and I am 36 years old.”

“My husband died when I was 25 years old. My son was only 2 years old when he lost his father.”

of India Shri Narendra Modi in 2016.

Varanasi, known as the city of widows, has an estimated 90,000 widows. The project was completed in 2018.

“I lived with my in-laws who physically and mentally abused me.”

CURRENT & FUTURE EMPOWERMENT PROJECTS

“I couldn’t earn any money as I had no-one to look after my son and my in-laws imprisoned me at home.”

In 2017, The Loomba Foundation announced a partnership project with Rotary India Literacy Mission (RILM) to provide skills training to 30,000 impoverished widows, approximately 1,000 in each of the 30 states in India. This joint project is a skills training programme covering Beauty & Wellness, Healthcare & Care Giving, Security Industry, Telecom, Tourism & Hospitality, Handicraft, Textile & Apparel, Agriculture, Food Processing and Automotive Industry.

The wide coverage of industries and skills means widows can choose the best course to suit their local needs, thus improving their chan ces of employment to support their families. In the first year so far the RILM project is running in five Indian states of Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal and for the second year it is planned for Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan and the newly formed Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. We are grateful to Mr. Graham Tobbell, Mrs. Susan Tobbell, Brightsun Travels and Mr. Rajinder Singh Chaddha for supporting the RILM project.

In 2019, a widow empowerment programme in conjunction with People Possible Foundation and the Self Employed Women’s Association(SEWA) was launched to help 150 widows in Ahmedabad. This unique project guarantees employment in the form of producing environmentally friendly canvas bags.

In 2020 The Foundation is going to launch a project in Jammu & Kashm ir

“I was in a terrible mental state.”

“There were times when I couldn’t afford to feed my soon or buy him medicines when he was sick.”

Sunita now stitches clothes such as blouses, petticoats and saree falls. She is also carrying out tuition to help young kids improve their schooling so she can earn extra money. She is now concentrating on bringing up her 13-year-old son. Above all, she is now happy.

to help 5,000 widows. The skills training will cover hospitality, tourism, hair & beauty care, tailoring and food processing.

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The Loomba Foundation Transforming lives through empowerment THROUGH VARIOUS INTITIATIVES THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION HAS CHANGED THE THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF WIDOWS AND THEIR FAMILIES ALL OVER THE WORLD. Khushboo was a child bride when she got married and her husband died when she was only 17.

She says, “I was thrown out of the house that I shared with my in-laws just 10 days after my husband died and was seperated from my daughter.”

Khushboo went through The Loomba Foundation's sewing machine skills training programme in 2015.

Although she had some experience of stitching her knowledge was very basic and she wasn’t very confident either.

She is now earning money that helps to meet her day to day living expenses.

Suman Seth's husband died of a chest infection leaving her as a young widow.

She lived with her in-laws who exploited her after her husband’s death.

Says Suman,“My in-laws practiced black magic and wouldn’t let me leave the house. I managed to escape and leave the house after 10 months!”

Suman doesn’t have children but still had a hard time adapting to being a widow. She heard about The Loomba Foundation's widow empowerment programme through other widows who had already been on the training course. She is now earning Rs. 5,000 per month. She plans to open a boutique so she can grow her business.

An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

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The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Lord Loomba and his wife Lady Loomba at the launch of the empowerment project for 5,000 widows in Varanasi

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International Widows Day nternational Widows Day is an initiative of the Loomba Foundation, launched at the House of Lords in London on 26 May 2005 to tackle the prejudice that lies at the heart of widows’ suffering. The date on which it would take place each year was 23 June: the date on which, as a 10-year old boy, Raj Loomba had lost his father and witnessed first hand the injustice of what happened to his mother because she became a widow.

On 23 June 2005, exactly four weeks after the launch, Raj Loomba and local schoolchildren released 1,000 multi-coloured balloons into the sky at Tower Bridge in London to mark the first International Widows Day, and similar events took place in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Uganda and South Africa.

Following the launch, the Loomba Foundation led a five-year global campaign for UN recognition, which resulted in a unanimous decision to adopt International Widows Day as an annual global day of action by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. International Widows Day is a United Nations day of action to highlight and

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combat discrimination and injustice suffered by widows worldwide.

Since then, International Widows Day has provided a focus for campaigning in many countries around the world, with opportunities to create awareness in communities and engage governments in developing effective policies. According to Lord Loomba, “Millions remain in urgent need, and we've barely started yet.”

Another breakthrough came in 2015, ten years after the Loomba Foundation had launched International Widows Day and five years after its adoption by the United Nations. On International Widows Day in June, events included a 10th anniversary dinner in

Westminster, a Widows Conference at the UN Information Centre in New Delhi and the launch of a skills training and empowerment programme for inmates of the Gurgaon and Faridabad Jails in Haryana.

Later that year, the Loomba Foundation launched a new, completely revised edition of its global research, the World Widows Report.

The World Widows Report was discussed with journalists at a briefing at the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House in London in December 2015 and presented to SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-Moon at the United Nations later that month. On 17 March 2016, it was launched in New York at a parallel event during the 60th anniversary meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women with a warning that the newly-adopted Sustainable Development Goals will not be achieved unless urgent action is taken on the issue of deprivation faced by widows.

Lord Loomba's mother, Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba, the inspiration for International Widows Day An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

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National Commission for Widows he Loomba Foundation has campaigned vigourously for a National Commission for Widows to be set up in India to run alongside the existing National Commission for Women.

The aim is to have a dedicated entity to further help widows' causes. Lord Loomba is of the firm belief that India would struggle to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals outlined at the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations in September 2105 to which India was also a signatory.

There are 46 million widows in India. If their dependents are added to that number the Commission would transform the lives of 100-150 million Indians. An exclusive Commission for widows body would ensure that the issues they face are optimally addressed. Such a Commission will help implement a systematic and incremental approach to changing deep seated cultural beliefs and misconceptions that result in the marginalisation and destitution of millions of widows, and put an end to gender discrimination.

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An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

Some of the key issues that The National Commission for Widows will assist in are: l Education, vocational training and employment opportunities to enable their economic empowerment. l Provide free legal aid to abandoned and destitute widows, especially in matters relating to eviction from their home by in-laws, forced marriages and property inheritance rights. l Free medical aid for abandoned and destitute widows. l Establish widow help centres in each district administration and/or village panchayat so widows can gain assistance at a local level.

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20 AWARDS th ASIAN ACHIEVERS The people’s choice awards

CALL FOR

NOMINATIONS Deadline for submitting nominations: 30th June, 2020

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Is there someone you know from the Asian community who deserves recognition for their unique contribution to the community or the nation?

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Professional of the Year Woman of the Year Sports Personality of the Year Business Person of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award Uniformed, Civil and Public Services Entrepreneur of the Year Achievement in Media, Arts and Culture Achievement in Community Service

Email: aaa@abplgroup.com Apply online

www.asianachieversawards.com

Awards will be held at Grosvenor House, Park Lane

September 2020 Organised by www.abplgroup.com

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PLEDGE FORM Jammu & Kashmir Widow Empowerment Make Online Donation www.justgiving.com/fundraising/chris-parsons40 I would like to donate:

£10

£25

£50

£100 Other:

I would like to pay by Cheque (made payable to the Loomba Foundation) Card (debit/credit) Invoice me (use address below) If paying by card please fill in the details below Card number: Expiry Date:

/

Please gift aid this donation Using Gift Aid means that for every pound you give, the Loomba Foundation will receive an extra 25 pence from the Inland Revenue at no extra cost to you.

Donor’s name (as printed on card): Email Address: Company name (if applicable) & address:

Postcode:

Cardholders signature: Please send to Mr Safdar Shah The Loomba Foundation Loomba House 622 Western Avenue London W3 0TF. Tel: 020 8102 0351 UK Registered Charity No. 1064988

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An initiative by Asian Voice & The Loomba Foundation 2019

THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT