Asian City Issue 10

AsianCity

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Issue 10 • November 8 - November 21, 2012

Sana Saeed grows up...

BOLLYWOOD CHILD STAR REVEALS ALL

PAGE 22 & 23

INDIAN MINISTER SAYS UK HANDOUT IS ‘PEANUTS’

Happy Diwali

to all our readers!

KEEP YOUR CASH! India too rich to accept foreign aid from Britain

REBECCA Ferguson has opened up for the first time after Zayn Malik dubbed their romance ‘a mistake’.

Zayn told Now magazine: ‘It shouldn’t have happened. It was just a wrong idea from the start.

‘It did end quite badly so we don’t talk any more. We’re not in touch at all.’

But Rebecca said: ‘I was so shocked by what he said! But I’m not going to retaliate.’

The couple had a four month romance in 2011, which caused controversy due to their six year age gap.

But the singer is defending their relationship.

‘I won’t talk about what went wrong between us but he knows what happened. It is what it is.’

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BRITAIN is to axe its £280million-a-year of aid to India – after India’s Finance Minister described the amount as ‘peanuts’.

India, despite having poverty, has its own space programme and even put up £10billion to bail out European countries earlier this year.

Now the funding of aid to India will be reviewed by Britain’s International Development Secretary Justine Greening.

It could be halved before 2015, when it finally ends, after a review last year warned the country was too rich for handouts.

Miss Greening is due to visit India this week for talks with politicians, and is believed to be poised to offer to replace ‘aid with trade’.

Britain would continue to provide India with expertise and technical assistance.

The government has been under pressure for spending on overseas aid when the rest of the country is suffering from the global recession.

Indian finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said that his country no longer wants or needs the British money, which he described as “a peanut in our total development expenditure”.

•NO THANKS Pranab Mukherjee with Chancellor George Osborne

His comment sparked calls for the programme to be cancelled, with Conservative MP Philip Davies saying: “India spends tens of billions on defence and hundreds of millions a year on a space programme. In those circumstances, it

Continued on Page 2

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Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

Playboy club opens in India

...but there will be no sex, just glamour •RICH India can even afford its own space programme

KEEP YOUR MONEY! FROM PAGE 1

would be unacceptable to give them aid even if they were begging us for it.

“Given that they don’t even want it, it would be even more extraordinary if it were to be allowed to continue. There will be millions of hard-pressed families wondering why on earth the Government is wasting money in this way.”

The country is the world’s top recipient of British bilateral aid, even though its economy has been growing at up to 10 per cent a year and is projected to become bigger than Britain’s within a decade.

Last week India rejected the British-built Typhoon jet as preferred candidate for a £6.3 billion warplane deal, despite the Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, saying that Britain’s aid to Delhi was partly “about seeking to sell Typhoon.”

PLAYBOY is about to introduce its risque bunny ears to India - but the club plans to remove the sex and play up the glamour in a country where even kissing in films is a touchy subject.

We will have bunnies but keeping in mind Indian sensibilities, we are toning down the costume.

‘We are working very closely with Playboy to design a bunny outfit for India.’

Though Indians may soon get The club’s promoters will to mingle with bunnies on the launch the country’s first club in beach, they still cannot buy Goa in December - a 22,000 sq ft Playboy magazine, which is open-air property in the banned in India.

Candolim Beach tourist hot-spot.

PB Lifestyle is a MumbaiBut the bodices, bunny ears based company with an exclusive and cotton tails familiar to license from Playboy Enterprises Playboy patrons are likely to be to open Playboy clubs, hotels, absent, instead replaced with bars and cafes and sell Playboy demure bunnies in an branded merchandise in India. ‘aspirational’ setting.

The Indian club’s chief Adult executive, Sanjay Gupta, said he wanted to create a club which his Gupta said he wants to wife would feel comfortable separate the powerful Playboy visiting - a far cry from the other brand from its adult associations, 40 or so Playboy clubs in the remaking it as an aspirational world. lifestyle brand for the growing The club scheduled to open in Indian middle class. mid-December, followed by a He pledged to build clubs his second club in the southern wife would want to visit and Indian city of Hyderabad early plans an aggressive advertising next year. campaign to strip his venture of Gupta added the bunnies will any adult associations. still be present - but their ‘We will dissociate from nudity costumes for the moment are completely,’ he said. ‘We are ‘confidential’. positioning it around lifestyle, He said: ‘Bunnies are an aspiration and glamour.’ integral part of Playboy culture.

It is a far cry from the Playboy

clubs dotted across the world, such as London’s original Playboy Club at 45 Park Lane, which opened in 1966 and became a noted hangout for celebrities and the wealthy.

It closed in 1981 after gaming licences were revoked and London was without a Playboy Club for 30 years.

Although the magazine is still one of America’s best-selling titles, sales have dropped to about three million an issue from around seven million in 1972.

With the Indian club, the company has so far been vexed in the effort to get away from its international image.

Media outlets have plastered photos of Sherlyn Chopra, the first Indian woman to pose nude for Playboy magazine, next to articles about the club.

‘I have nothing against her, but as an Indian lady she is associated with Playboy magazine,’ Gupta said. ‘PB Lifestyle has nothing to do with that.’

He said the company plans to invest $37.5 million to open clubs, bars and cafes over the next five years, with a goal of opening 120 outlets, including retail stores, over the next decade.

•GLAMOROUS Sherlyn Chopra, first Playboy face in India

•ATTACKED Sufyan Malik

Fireworks nearly blind school boy A SCHOOLBOY was nearly blinded when a firework was launched at him in a terrifying unprovoked attack.

Sufyan Malik was walking to play football when he saw another teen aiming the rocket in his direction.

He turned away – but a second later the firework hit him in the face, skimming his eye and burning through his top.

The 15-year-old has been told by doctors he was lucky not to lose his sight.

He said: “I was going towards the alleyway and I saw the guy with the firework.

“He was aiming it at me so I turned round to go a different way. But then he lit the firework and I saw him aim it at me.

After the attack Sufyan’s family reported the culprit to the police – but were shocked when he escaped with a caution.

A GMP spokesman confirmed an 18-year-old man had been cautioned for the attack.

TOUGH LOVE

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

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Model reveals struggle of raising child alone •TRIBUTE Stars of new film

Yash leaves a happy legacy KATRINA Kaif, Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma came together for the very first time for a press conference to promote their forthcoming film Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

The event took place at YRF Studios and is the first promotional event for the movie since the death of its director Yash Chopra, who directed and filmed Jab Tak Hai Jaan extensively in the UK earlier this year.

Khan addressed the media present at the press conference and told them about the love and dedication that Yashji had for this film. The actor, who has worked in several Yash Chopra directorial ventures, said that they (the production house and the actors) want to celebrate the release of the film as the legacy of happiness that Chopra has left back.

Leading lady Katrina Kaif and supporting actress Anushka Sharma also open their hearts to the media and shared their experiences of working with Shah Rukh and Yash Chopra.

•LEADING LADY Katrina Kaif

•THE DADDY Ex-lover Adam Dell

SHE may have a successful career and a beautiful daughter but US supermodel and TV star Padma Lakshmi says even she struggles as a single mother.

The Top Chef host has revealed to More magazine that she is often overwhelmed as she attempts to juggle her career and look after twoyear-old Krishna Thea.

‘I have struggled with it. It’s not easy, but I have a great career, and I have my daughter, ‘ the 42-year-old model said. ‘So what I don’t have is not as important to me as what I do have.’

Lakshmi admitted, ‘it does get overwhelming sometimes,’ but said she copes by reading magazines and newspapers after she puts her child to bed at night.

‘The other thing that is a good stress reliever is going to the gym, but I haven’t made it there in, like, two months. I’m like a foie gras goose fatted up!’ the former model joked in the magazine.

But the Indian-born beauty, who previously married and divorced •BEWITCHING Padma Lakshmi and Krishna at a Halloween party in New York author Salman Rushdie, is not short The Texan claimed she had of financial or parental support. refused to put his name on the birth certificate and told him she hoped Custody that Forstmann ‘was the child’s Although DNA tests have proved biological father’.

After DNA tests proved that Dell that her former partner, Adam Dell, is the biological father of was indeed the father, he demanded daughter Krishna, her late full custody and sued his former boyfriend billionaire Teddy lover to get the girl’s name changed.

A source told the New York Post: Forstmann also set up a trust fund ‘Their dispute was settled privately, for Krishna before his death.

Adam, brother of Dell computer out of court. Dell got improved firm founder Michael Dell, had visitation and custody rights.’

‘He had wanted full custody, but been engaged in a bitter legal battle with Padma over custody and they came to a compromise. Padma visitation rights with their two-year- maintains the same rights she •EX Padma wed and divorced Rushdie old daughter until earlier this year. always had.’

•DIGIT-ALL Arpan Saxena shows his 25 fingers and toes at home

MORE ‘DIGITS‘ THAN HRITHIK! Arpan has 13 fingers and 12 toes

BOLLYWOOD star Hritikh Roshan may have a double thumb, but amazing Arpan Saxena has an incredible 25 fingers and toes.

The four-year-old from Bhopal, India, suffers from two rare genetic disorders that gives rise to excess digits being formed and which leads to fingers and toes being fused together.

And just like his Bollywood hero Hritikh, Arpan is also a favourite in front of the camera: “I love it when people come to see me and take photos,” he said.

His father, Anil Saxena, 35, confirmed the toddler was originally born with 26 digits.

Following an accident, Arpan lost a finger when he was two years old.

“He was out playing when he injured one of his fingers and it just came off,” Anil said.

Arpan’s mother, Tanu, 30, said they wouldn’t be getting Arpan an operation. “It’s every parents dream to be known for their children,” she said. “Arpan is famous all over Bhopal and I am apprehensive about how an •UNUSUAL Hrithik is also famous for his double thumb operation might affect him.”

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Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

•PM Gillard visits India

Aussie PM’s Asian dream FOLLOWING her recent visit to India, Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard has proposed an ambitious new Asia Policy which among other things will see Hindi offered as a language in schools, as part of her vision to forge deeper links with India and other Asian regions who are on the verge of economic rise.

Gillard recently commented that the rise of Asia was ‘unstoppable’ and that she hoped Australia can be part of it.

Speaking about her trip, she said: ‘While Australia was changing Asia was changing too. Whatever else this century brings, it will bring Asia’s return to global leadership, Asia’s rise.’ In her ‘The Asian Century White Paper’, she has outlined a 13-year plan, that encompasses five key objectives that she hopes will attract the Asian middle classes to settle there.

‘DEVIL TOLD ME TO KILL’

•Mum accused of beating son to death •Corpse burned in cover-up, court told A MOTHER brutally beat her seven-year-old son to death with a stick then set his body on fire because he was struggling to commit passages from the Koran to memory, a court was told.

Ege is also accused of abusing her son in the months leading up to his death, allegedly beating him with a hammer and locking him in a shed for falling behind with his Islamic studies.

The trial at Cardiff Crown Court heard how the university Sara Ege, 32, is alleged to have graduate and her husband beaten Yaseen Ali ‘like a dog’ for Yousuf Ege had enrolled Yaseen failing to recite passages from the in advanced classes at their local religious text, before burning his mosque and hoped he would body at the family home in become Hafiz - an Islamic term Cardiff to try and cover up what for someone who has memorised the Koran. she had done.

In a video recording of her The youngster’s death was initially believed to be a tragic interview with police Ege told accident following the blaze at officers she had set her seventhe target of the house in Pontcanna, until a year-old post-mortem examination memorising 35 pages in three revealed Yaseen had died before months.

But the court was told funthe fire broke out, Cardiff loving Yaseen preferred to play Crown Court heard. with his friends and fell behind with his learning.

‘I was getting more and more frustrated,’ Ege said in the interview.

‘If he didn’t read it properly I would be very angry - I would hit him.

She went on: ‘I was getting all this bad stuff in my head, like I •MOURNING Family carries coffin couldn’t concentrate, I was

•ACCUSED Mum Sarah Ege

•TRAGIC Yaseen Ali, 7, was allegedy killed for failing to learn the Koran

Islamic name for the devil - and that she felt 100 per cent better after he died.

Notes kept by her GP record her as saying: ‘It is like Abuse something has been released. For three or four months I have not The court was told how Ege been normal.’ hit Yaseen with a hammer, a Police and firefighters were rolling pin and a slipper as well called to the family’s home in as repeatedly punching him.

Pontcanna, Cardiff, in July 2010 She would also allegedly lock after a blaze ripped through the him in the shed, tie him to a door, top floor. and force him to do push ups.

Little Yaseen was pulled from The court heard that in the the blaze and fire fighter Rhodri months after Yaseen’s death Ege Morgan told the court how he’d told a doctor she had been told given him CPR believing he to kill her son by Shaitan - an could save his life. getting angry too much, I would shout at Yaseen all the time.

‘I was getting very wild - I use to beat him with a stick.’

He said: ‘I was performing compressions on his chest, but I kept having to take my hand away because his skin was so hot.

‘While I was doing this bits of skin and fat were flaking off his legs - it was like when a piece of newspaper burns and curls.’

Barbecue lighter fuel was found on her Ege’s clothing when she was arrested after a post mortem examination revealed Yaseen was dead before the fire broke out.

She denies murdering Yaseen and burning his body to hide what she had done.

The trial continues.

•MURDERER Rahman

Lawyer jailed for murder

•HOPEFULS Navdeep (top left) with her rival young entrepreneurs and Lord Alan Sugar

ALAN’S ASIAN APPRENTICE

TWELVE young hopefuls will be battling it out to be named Lord Alan Sugar’s Young Apprentice in the hope of winning £25,000 to kick start their own business.

Among the contestants is 16-yearold Navdeep Bual, from Ilford, Essex.

Navdeep already has an impressive CV under her belt and as well as being Head Girl at school was the UK’s Young Ambassador for the Global Campaign for Education.

•AMBITIOUS Navdeep Bual

She has also received the Diana Award for contribution to the community and is studying for A’ Levels in Biology, Philosophy, Chemistry, Maths and Politics.

Navdeep is confident she’s ready for the challenge and said: ‘I’m probably the most competitive person I know – I thrive on competition; without it, life would be dull.’

Navdeep’s ambition is to be a politician or work for the UN. She’s up against some of the world’s most fearless youngsters, as this year - as well as being plucked from the UK - there is a contestant from Kenya and France.

Over the next few weeks the Young Apprentice stars will be put through some of the toughest challenges of their lives, and just like the sister show, one of them will be fired each week. Speaking about the show, Lord Sugar said: ‘The whole country’s going bankrupt and I believe it is young people who will bring prosperity back to the country. ‘ The Young Apprentice is on Thursdays, 8pm, BBC 1.

A SOLICITOR who beat his wife to death after years of violence has been jailed for life.

Mohammed Rahman left Jasmin Chowdhury, 32, in a “half-dead state” after the attack at their home in east London, last December.

Rahman, who worked at the Tower Hamlets Law Centre, told her sister by text to remove her “dead body from my flat”. Ms Chowdhury died three days later.

Rahman, 32, was convicted of murder and must serve at least 18 years in prison.

At the Old Bailey, Judge Timothy Pontius told Rahman: “I have no doubt that you treated Jasmin violently, both verbally and physically, on a regular basis.

The court heard Rahman, who was having an affair with another woman, attacked his wife the day after her birthday.

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

BENT TRAFFIC WARDEN

Driver bribes warden with £20 and avoids parking fine

THESE photos show how a traffic warden in a £4.40-an-hour zone was allegedly caught threatening to hand out a parking ticket - but then backed down after being handed a £20 bribe by a driver.

•DOING A DEAL Sorting it out

runs parking enforcement on the streets of more than 60 councils.

Its spokesman Dr Belinda Webb told MailOnline: ‘On Friday we were made aware that the (Daily Star Sunday) had filmed a civil enforcement officer, employed by NSL, allegedly accepting a bribe.

A journalist was parked without a ‘As the biggest employer of CEOs ticket on a street in London’s Mayfair we treat all such allegations very when a civil enforcement officer seriously. It is because of this that our (CEO) wearing a Westminster City CEOs undergo robust screening and Council jacket approached and periodic checks. threatened to fine him.

Allegations ‘We can confirm that our initial But the traffic warden, employed investigations show that the accused by the UK’s biggest parking A spokesman for Westminster City CEO had recorded on his handheld contractor NSL, allegedly said he could ‘sort something out’ if he was Council said it was a contractor’s computer the fact that someone had paid - and would stop any local fault. He added: ‘We expect the offered him a £20 note at the time the highest standards from all of our Star alleges it occurred. wardens putting a ticket on the car.

‘We have taken the routine The Daily Star Sunday reporter contractors, especially when it comes measure of changing the CEO’s came back later and asked if the deal to employing suitable staff.

‘We have been assured that NSL duties until the Star allows us to see will still on if he came back the next day and parked on the same road. are investigating the allegations fully, the video footage it claims to possess, which shall then inform our The traffic warden was captured on and as a matter of urgency.’

NSL, formerly known as NCP, investigation.’ video saying ‘yes’.

The reporter gave the warden £20 the next day and was not issued with a fine, as promised. Other cars in the street without valid tickets or permits were allegedly also not given penalty notices.

Drivers normally have to pay £4.40 per 60 minutes for a maximum of four hours on a street in the exclusive London area, and can be given an £80 fine if they do not have a ticket or resident’s permit.

•JOY Fardeen and Natasha

Twin joy for young Khan HE MAY not be able to boast of an illustrious Bollywood film career like his father Feroz, however Fardeen Khan has more reason to rejoice as he is all set to become a father to twins.

Fardeen recently announced the news to all his twitter fans “I am delight to announce that my wife is a very health 13 weeks pregnant and we are expecting twins.

Regards, FK” Fardeen Khan is married to Natasha, who is the daughter of yesteryear actress Mumtaz and London based businessman Mayur Madhvani.

FROM ONLY

£P4ER0

RT!

ADVE •PROUD Sadiq Khan MP

‘Immigrants know more FAMILY SUES OVER than Brits’ •AL QAEDA Rauf, centre, was killed by CIA Drones in Pakistan

SADIQ Khan MP says many immigrants know more about British culture and history than those who have lived here 50 years The Labour justice spokesman said that it ‘frustrated’ him to see newcomers obliged to sit citizenship tests when many people ‘know b***** all’ about British history.

Mr Khan, MP for Tooting in South London, said he met many people who have gone through the citizenship ceremony who feel ‘so excited and enthused’.

To gain citizenship or leave to remain in Britain, immigrants who speak a certain level of English must complete a test called ‘Life in the United Kingdom’, introduced in 2005.

Before being naturalised, they must also take part in an individual or group ceremony at their local town hall, which involves an oath of allegiance to the Queen and listening to the National Anthem. But even PM David Cameron fluffed a mock citizenship test on a TV chat show last month.

US DRONE MURDER

The family of an alleged Al Qaeda planner killed by a CIA drone strike are to sue the British government for helping to murder him.

Rashid Rauf, a Briton accused of playing a pivotal role in coordinating an airline bomb plot, was reportedly killed in a US missile attack on a Taliban safe house in Pakistan’s tribal areas in 2008.

His family is now to launch a legal challenge accusing the Government of being complicit in the murder of one of its own citizens on foreign soil.

British intelligence officers who shared information about him with their US counterparts may be judged to have assisted in his murder, or of committing war crimes.

A close friend of the family, who have always maintained that Rauf had no links with Al Qaeda, told the Sunday Mercury newspaper: ‘They want justice for their son who was killed in murky circumstances that amount to cold-blooded murder.

‘Rashid never had a chance to defend or explain himself. He was accused of some heinous crimes and without any trial, judge or jury he was blown to pieces by a unmanned Predator drone aircraft controlled by a soldier sitting thousands of miles away in the US. ‘The Americans could not have found and killed him without help from British intelligence officers who shared information.

‘The family want answers. They want to see the evidence that Rashid was a dangerous terrorist.’

The British government has consistently refused to say whether or not its signals intelligence agency, the Cheltenham-based GCHQ, passes information in support of the CIA drone operations over Pakistan.

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Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

AsianCity LETTERS www.asiancity.co.uk

COMMENT

BRITAIN’S BEST ASIAN NEWSPAPER

Email: letters@asiancity.co.uk

Loving it or hating every minute of it, this is your platform to express yourself to thousands of fellow Asian City-zens in the same boat as you. Tell us your points of view or simply vent your spleen, don’t hold back... we’re here to share your joy and pain

Wear a Poppy with pride

END OF AN ERA

MANY of you will have ideological reasons for not wearing a Poppy. But, while we may not be supportive of Britain’s involvement in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, we should be thankful for those soldiers who fought for the United Kingdom and what was once her empire. In World War II, there were more Indian soldiers in the British army than every other commonwealth country put together. Gandhi supported the British in the war and Indian soldiers played crucial roles in many conflicts.

The Nazis’ first defeat was at El Alamein in 1942, and it was Indian soldiers who played a crucial role in defeating the Germans. The Japanese advance was halted by British Indian troops in Burma.

Look at the list of Victoria Cross recipients and you will see many an Indian name.

We may march against war now, but it was the Indian soldiers’ marches in foreign lands that enabled us to have the freedom to protest, think freely and practice our religion and culture as we choose.

We have much to be thankful for, so wear a poppy with pride!

I WAS devastated to hear of Yash Chopra’s passing. The man was a true legend. I don’t think there is an Asian alive that hasn’t seen at least one of his films. Such a shame that he was reunited with Shah Rukh Khan and passed away before his new film, which will doubtless be a classic, was released.

Yash was old school, his films mirrored life as we knew it. He expressed in his films what people experienced in life.

We discussed Yash’s films this week after hearing of his death. All my family and friends agree that he never made a dude movie in his entire career.In fact we watched Dil To Pagal Hai and Chandni back to back.

They were both brilliant movies. There will never be another like him.

Siddek Khan, Slough I DON’T know why Asian City put Yash Chopra’s death on the front page. He is not a campaigning figure who saved and improved the lot of the common people, nor royalty or in fact very famous if you ask me.

He was just another Hindi film maker. All that fuss and attention – no need for it. It should have been mentioned in your entertainment page, not on the front page.

Reshma Hafeez, Ilford

World’s oldest couple What would the world’s oldest married couple have thought about a James Bond-themed wedding? Karam and Katari Chand were married before the James Bond books were even written!

How the world has changed around them in their 87 years together. I’m sure their wedding was a far simpler affair and certainly didn’t involve parachutes!

They tell us that their marriage has lasted because of simple things that we could all learn from: Be faithful; Look after each other; Be tolerant; Listen to each other and follow your values. More than marriage, that sounds like a good way to lead life itself.

Asian apprentice THE new series of Junior Apprentice is showing on our screens at the moment, but there is only one Asian contestant. It’s strange that a programme which highlights entrepreneurial spirit would have so few Asians in it. The facts are that you are more likely to be an Asian entrepreneur than any other minority ethnic group in the UK. A walk down any high street in the Britain will show you how Asian people have displayed real entrepreneurial flair. So, it’s a shame to see that so few Asians are represented in Junior Apprentice. Then again, as Asians prefer to work for themselves, maybe it’s because no one fancied working for Alan Sugar.

Legal Immigrants

PUBLISHER Thufayel Ahmed

EVERY week we see and hear stories about illegal immigrants being caught and sent back to their countries of origin. Asian City even mocked the ones that were caught working in Tesco’s – ‘Every Illegal Helps’ was the headline. Yes, very funny, but in actual fact there’s not much difference between us, so called legals and those so called ‘illegals’. Remember there was a time when Asians and other non-British Citizens were being begged to come over and rebuild Britain after the Second world war, now it’s the same immigrants’ descendants and relations that are still re-building Britain! Okay, not like before, but in new ways. So we should be trying to support •KILLER Kiaran Stapleton these people and helping them become part of society, get them paying taxes and joining the nation as equals – not viewing them as some kind of sub culture.

Rahel Ahmed, Whitechapel I READ with disgust that the killer of Anuj Bidve, Kiaran Stapleton, boasting in prison.

Stapleton has shown no remorse in the kiling of Anuj, and to boast that prison life is cosy adds insult to injury. At times like this I THOUGHT last issue’s Sin City was the I wish we had a bit of real justice like they funniest I’ve ever read! The comparison of do in other parts of the world and dish out Nick Griffin, BNP scumbag, with Peter a bit of real punishment in jail. I know Griffin, of Family Guy, was hilarious. Britain doesn’t have a death penalty any Brilliant! They even look alike. And the more, and frankly I’m not in favour of it point made by Mr Salim was equally because I don’t trust the Police to get it right 100%, but a good flogging or a few whacks brilliant. Keep up the good work! across the back once every other month Kismet Singh should make prison life a bit harsher.

Watching TV and reading newspapers to pass the time is an insult to the victims.

Stapleton is probably living a better life inside than out!

Aman Sethi, Tooting

Bring back flogging!

Griffin V Griffin

Bonded for good

•SHE MEANS BUSINESS Navdeep Bual

•SCUMBAG Nick Griffin

I WAS angry to read about the couple who had a James Bond themed wedding. What a stupid idea. No wonder so many marriages end in divorce these days. If couples see marriage in this way, how can anyone take it seriously? There was a time when a marriage involved religion, family, respect and honour. Today’s generation see it as a joke.

Kiran Lyall, Luton

GUEST EDITOR Shihab Salim ART DIRECTOR Virchand Pindoria ENTERTAINMENTS EDITOR Sohail Anjum MARKETING MANAGER Shuhed Miah E: (first name)@asiancity.co.uk CONTRIBUTORS Aliyah Ahmed, Azeem Hussain, Shima Shastry, Hannah Ahmed, Momtaz Begum-Hossain, Jaz Kaur, Ariana Jamila Ayesha Ahmed, Avni Pindoria, Poonam Patel, Lisa Sage, Mandy Jandoo, Jerin Rahat, Adam Ahmed, Asya Ahmed, Faizah Faheem, Rafia Rahman, Tanvir Ahmed, Paul Williams, Ibrahim Ahmed, Amanda Harrison, Mike Singh DISTRIBUTION Qalbi Ali: 07947 279 926 Newstrade: Postscriptum Ltd Non-newstrade: Surma Media PRINTED BY Mortons ASIAN CITY MEDIA LTD Unit 103, Greatorex Business Centre 8-10 Greatorex Street, London E1 5NF T: 0207 247 3537 E: info@asiancity.co.uk W: www.asiancity.co.uk

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Copyright © 2012 Asian City Media Ltd

EVERLASTING LOVE

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

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World’s longest-married couple wedded for 87 years IN AN age where few marriages endure the test of time, 107-year-old Karam and his wife Katari Chand, 100, are proof that happy ever after does exist.

her so much and I want to spend another 80 years by her side,’ said Karam.

From romantic meals to sharing jokes, the couple, who hail from Punjab, India and now live in Bradford ensure that they do little The couple, who have eight things for each other to keep the children and twenty eight romance alive.

Katari told romantic networking grandchildren together, have lived in wedded bliss for 87 years, site Zoosk.co.uk: ‘When I was making them the world’s longest young I used to make him a nice fresh meal every night. We are married couple.

The pair say that the key to vegetarian so I brought lots of fresh success is looking after each other vegetables and made sure he was in every way possible: ‘My trick is eating healthy food. to make Katari laugh. I like to tell Chapatti jokes and make her smile. Being funny is my way of being ‘Health is very important and I romantic,’ says Karam.

‘I have been told laughing makes wanted to look after him so we you live longer... my wife is still could grow old together. Some alive so it must have worked! I love would say it has worked!

‘Oh and how can I forget, I always save a bit of my chapatti for him. Just a little gesture that he appreciated a lot and it kept me a bit slimmer.’

Karam, who likes to do a word search every day to keep his mind alive, believes that spending plenty of time together has helped their marriage last.

‘We have not spent any long span apart in over 50 years. We go everywhere together – up until a few years ago we went to India •CELEBRATION Karati’s 100th birthday every year with the family and for

•FANTASY The movie uses spectacular special effects

TRANSLATING THE LIFE OF PI

•MARITAL BLISS Karam and Katari Chand say laughter is secret of their success all family weddings we make sure we get to stay together,’ he said.

Their marriage has lasted nearly five years longer than that of the current Guinness World Record holders and the couple are in the process of getting confirmation from the company that they will be named as the new record holders.

Many modern day romances fail

to stand the test of time but longevity and experience makes Karam the best man to go to for relationship advice.

‘In the past people used to listen.

Now I don’t think people take the time to listen to each other properly. People seem too busy today with work, TV and other stuff going on around them.’

WORLD’S LITTLEST OLD(EST) LADY!

•SMALL WONDER Zeenat is world’s oldest drawf

AN INDIAN woman claims to be the world’s oldest dwarf - at 113 years old.

Zeenat Bi, a resident of Bhopal, India, has Government pension records stating she is 101 but the feisty pensioner claims she is twelve years older.

The current record holder, according to Guinness World Records, is American dwarf Lowell Deforest Mason, who was 74 years old as of February this year.

And Zeenat, who stands at three feet tall, has now earmarked a wish list of things she wants to do before she dies - including meeting Bollywood star Salman Khan and taking part in the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.

She remembers when the British still ruled India and Nawabs (Indian Princes) still held a major influence over daily life.

Zeenat said: “I am so old that I have seen this city grow up with me. I remember during the British times, this entire city was almost a jungle.

There were trees as far as the eye could see.

“I even remember when the British introduced

English bread in the city for the first time. It was such a sensation, like nothing people had eaten before.”

Zeenat has survived all of her family and never married.

Despite suffering from cataracts and a calcium deficiency, she manages to survive on her only source of income, a government pension of 275 rupees (£3.19) per month.

She said: “I have been living alone for almost 50 years now. I never married and never had kids.

“All I have got is a small bed that was gifted to me by the former Chief Minister of the state, Uma Bharti. She used to send me 2500 rupees (£30) every month. But no one remembers me now.”

Zeenat has been living rent-free with local doctor Abrar Khan and his family for 20 years.

He said: “She is like my mother and a part of my family. We don’t let her do any work around the house.”

Zeenat Bi says her one love in life is eating “Paan”, a preparation of Betel leaf with Areca nut and tobacco.

DESPITE the slick special effects, creation of a fake tiger and shooting underwater, the toughest part of making ‘Life of Pi’ was telling the story, director Ang Lee said Monday.

The Academy Award-winning director who is in Mumbai to promote his latest project, based on the bestselling novel of the same name, said it was the hardest movie he had ever shot.

“The book makes a philosophical point about theology and zoology. It examines illusions. To me that is the hardest. How do you create illusion, especially with so much money?” Lee said at a press conference in Mumbai.

“I’ll be honest with you, I have been very stressed for the last four years.”

The film, a fantasy tale about a boy stranded in the middle of the ocean in a boat with a tiger, has had encouraging early reviews, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it “exceptionally beautiful”.

The largely Indian cast, including lead actor Suraj Sharma, who Lee picked out of 3,000 teenagers, and the Indian setting of the film is likely to appeal to Indian movie-goers, now increasingly enamored with Hollywood.

Lee and his cast are kicking off international promotions for the film in India.

“The universal theme of us touching God is spiritual and India is a spiritual place,” Lee said.

“To me it was a profound experience, but it has to be fun, adventurous and illusive.”

•LAUNCH Director Ang Lee promoting the film in Mumbai

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8

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

GROPE DOC CLEARED

•WANTED Nawaz-Cheema

Rape suspect on the run AN ILLEGAL immigrant who sexually assaulted a teenager escaped from the UK and went on the run for two years after police let him out on bail.

Mohammed Shah NawazCheema, 30, escaped from the UK via the Channel Tunnel after he was arrested on suspicion of raping the 19-year old victim in her sleep.

Nawaz-Cheema had been in the UK illegally for seven years when he was arrested and he did not divulge his immigration status to officers and was given bail.

Shortly afterwards he fled to Spain by smuggling himself out of Dover in the back of a caravan.

He was on the run for more than two years and police then issued a wanted appeal on BBC’s Crimewatch - and he offered to surrender from his bolthole in Barcelona.

Inquiries revealed during his illegal stint in the UK he had worked in Indian restaurants and also as an assistant sales manager for Sky TV.

E L TA

But he admits it was foolish to touch teen girls’ bottoms A DOCTOR has spoken of his ordeal after being cleared of groping two teenage girls.

Anaesthetist Niaz Ahmed revealed how he feels he has been the victim of a prosecution witchunt.

The 53-year-old was accused of making lewd comments and gestures to the 15 and 16-year-old girls before sexually assaulting them at a firework display last November.

Mr Ahmed, of Cleadon, Newcastle, denied sexual assault and engaging in sexual activity with a child and was cleared by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court.

Speaking after the verdicts, Mr Ahmed said the prosecution against him set out to destroy his character and claimed he was a “victim of circumstances”.

Mr Ahmed, who worked at South Tyneside District Hospital for 10 years, had stopped working due to health problems, but was suspended by the General Medical Council (GMC) once the allegations against him were made.

The married medic is

now hoping to get back to work and hopes to get his life back.

He said after the hearing: “I told them from the beginning I felt grossly, unfairly done to. I was the victim of circumstances.

“Already I was not able to work but the GMC have suspended me now.

“I wrote to them clearly saying it was a group of drunken girls.

The suspension can be lifted and I am hoping it will be.

Madhur stays cool

Stress “I have had so much personal suffering because of this. I do not have a job and I am unable to get a job without GMC registration.

“This has made me feel extreme stress. It will be extremely difficult to get my life back.

“It was already shattered because of other issues I had.”

Ahmed had admitted during the trial he had touched the girls’ bottoms in an attempt to be “one of the crowd”.

He told jurors he now realises it was a “foolish” thing to have done but it

•FOOLISH Anaesthetist Niaz Ahmed walks free from court was intended as a “playful gesture” without sexual motive.

When asked by his barrister Tom Moran how he felt about the decision to touch the girls’ bottoms, Ahmed said: “In retrospect, with the benefit of

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hindsight and 20/20 vision associated with it, I think it was a foolish thing to have done.

“It is a result of an inadequate attempt to be one of the crowd. I fit in very poorly and unsuccessfully.”

‘TUK TUK THIEVES LEFT ME GUTTED’

TWO restaurant bosses spent £15,000 importing a classic “tuk tuk” taxi from India — before it was stolen and torched just days after it hit the streets of Scotland.

Tahmir Hussain, 22, and Chisti Iftika, 30, had the motorised rickshaw shipped 7,000 miles from Mumbai then carefully restored it to promote their new eaterie.

But the pair were left gutted when it was stolen by callous joyriders and set alight.

Fuming Chisti said: “It’s a shame hoodlums would ruthlessly destroy something so rare and vintage as an original Bajaj tuk tuk.”

The business partners hired Jackir Hussain, 25, and his cousin Mukta, 22, to track down three of the iconic vehicles in April, for the launch of their restaurant Tuk Tuk Indian Street Food in Edinburgh. Jackir shelled out £5,000 for each 15-year-old tuk tuk, another £6,000 in export licences and £9,000 shipping fees.

When they finally arrived in Edinburgh, he got to work bringing them up to DVLA

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COOKERY legend Madhur Jaffrey has criticised today’s “rude” TV chefs.

The 79-year-old, who has written more than 30 cookbooks, is back with a new TV series, Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Nation, on the Good Food Channel.

But she told the Radio Times: “I couldn’t be that rude to people, if only because I wouldn’t like it done to me. That said, I do swear from time to time. But only in a very quiet voice.”

Madhur, who enjoyed acting success in the Merchant Ivory films Shakespeare Wallah and Heat And Dust, as well as a stint in EastEnders, presented her first BBC show, Indian Cookery, 30 years ago.

Since those days, hot-tempered chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White have enjoyed success on the small screen.

In her new series, Madhur, whose last major TV series was Flavours Of India on the BBC in 1995, explores the impact of south Asian cuisine on various parts of the UK.

•PRIDE Mukta, right, with tuk tuks

•JAILED Vinisha Sharma

Fake dentist must pay up

•ANGRY Jakir and wrecked tuk tuk standard. With repairs and new parts, the total outlay was £45,000 by the time they were roadworthy a fortnight ago.

But on Monday one went missing from outside a house in Ravelston in the capital.

Its burned-out shell was later found a mile away.

Jackir said: “I felt devastated. I would rather they stole my car — something I can replace.

“I spent hundreds of hours painstakingly restoring the tuk tuk to make it road legal.

“It was a lot of work but I felt it was worth it — or at least it would have been.”

A spokesperson for Lothian and Borders Police last night said: “Inquiries are ongoing to trace those responsible.”

A FAKE dentist who pocketed more than £160,000 through jobs secured with bogus papers has been ordered to pay back just £1,819.

An old Mercedes worth £1,400 and a cherished number plate were ruled to be the only recoverable assets of Vinisha Sharma.

The 39-year-old from Wolverhampton had already been jailed for three years for fraud.

Lawyers at Wolverhampton Crown Court agreed that her benefit from the scam was £160,684 during nine years working in jobs based on a fake Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from India before the scam was uncovered.

Judge Amjad Nawaz ordered Sharma, from Honeybourne Way, Willenhall, to hand over £1,819 within six months or face 30 days jail in default.

aSIaN CITY

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

9

FROM BOMBAY TO BRICK LANE, DOWN THESE MEAN STREETS SHIHAB SALIM MUST GO

e: shabbs@asiancity.co.uk

Over forties Rukh & roll

The fine Leone between having a great body and being a nobody IF ANYONE else feels unwanted and unloved because their Twitter followers rate is nonexistent, you’re not alone.

Even if the numbers suggest that we are, in fact, very alone. Last week I was on 144. After being advised that the way to get more followers was to actually tweet, I tweeted with gusto for a whole week. Today, I’m on 137.

Thankfully, your popularity in the cyberworld does not equate your importance in the real world.

Or at least, Bollywood has kindly let me (and other saddos like me) believe this to be true. Who do you think is the Bolly celeb who is most searched for and clicked on the Internet?

Not Amitabh, not Shah Rukh, not even Kareena or Katrina. It’s pornstar cum actress Sunny Leone.

Do you think my Internet presence will rocket if I start posting pictures of myself in the nude? Or that the number of people following me on Twitter might go up if I perhaps leaked a sex tape?

Hello?

Where’s everyone gone?

•STILL GOT IT Shah Rukh Khan

YOU won’t help noticing while reading Sana Saeed’s interview in our Bollywood section this week that while she’s grown from a sweet little child to a bombshell since she starred in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Shah Rukh Khan looks exactly the same.

The man turned 47 this week. Bollywood’s other heartthrob Salman Khan will also turn 47 next month. On the other side of the pond, Hollywood’s biggest male sex symbols, Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp, are both 49 this year.

This realisation will mean absolutely nothing to any man under the age of 40. But ladies, if you’re reading this, over 40 equals sex god #justsayin’ ONE DIRECTION star Zayn Malik publicly dishing the dirt on his ex Rebecca Ferguson is pretty uncool, but it does prove one thing I’ve always known about we of the unfairer sex.

When we are the one doing the dumping, we tell everyone it was amicable, that really, she was right but the timing was all wrong, it’s me, not her, you understand.

But if we’re the one who gets dumped, as seems to be the case in Zayn’s case, we’ll tell anyone and everyone that we thought she was wrong for us all along…

Short-lived excitement

AS someone who’s always fallen short in the literal sense, a deficiency experts say was caused by tobacco fuelling my bloodstreams stunting my growth, I was thrilled to hear the story of the great dwarf grandma who’s still rocking it at 113, and putting her longevity down to a steady diet of tobacco filled paan.

Until I realised she only has three teeth left.

Put the flippin’ camera down and help me!

YOU’D have thought the CCTV and YouTube generation, who ensure every incident worth reporting is captured on camera, would make life easier for the lawmakers.

In recent times, we’ve seen cases like the Racist Tram Woman humiliated on the web thanks to a passenger with a Smart phone, and the ex-soldier who planted pig’s heads outside a mosque bought to justice after he was caught on camera.

Every day, we pay the price of accepting intrusion to our privacy, assuming that any image caught on film will work as evidence should something bad happen to us.

Then comes the news of thug Amanda Lowe, who repeatedly kicked a defenceless Asian man as he lay bleeding on the ground, walking away without getting banged up in prison.

What makes the case all the more troublesome to stomach was that the entire incident was captured on

•EVIL Amanda Lowe CCTV camera, with the judge going as far as to say “”It is fantastic to have this CCTV footage. It is good to see the events as they happened because they are horrifying when you see them.”

Well then why free her? Because, the judge tells us, Amanda, who has her fair of share of previous convictions to her name, is a mother of two children. Since when did having kids become an excuse to get away with being a criminal? That Joseph Stalin, eh? So he was responsible for torturing and murdering millions of people, but go easy on him. He’s got kids.

And even if we are to assume that her children stand a better chance in life by being raised by a vile, violent and bigoted mother (the judge himself even said: “kids who have mothers who behave like you end up behaving like you”), why did the men who joined in or stood by watching this “fantastic” show get away with it?

The judge seems to think that being caught on camera is enough to shame these people into never doing it again. It boggles the mind. Back in the day, racist attacks used to go largely unreported because the victims were sure they wouldn’t be believed by the authorities or, more likely, would be ignored. Now you can have the whole scene played out in front of a jury on HD and still see the perpetrators walk away unpunished.

I have a request for anyone with a movie camera on their phones. If you ever see me getting my head kicked in, instead of filming it, use the phone to dial 999, then put it away and come and help me.

•GOLDEN DEARS Put it away, Mum!

WHY THE OLD STILL BELIEVE IN GOLD

ANOTHER week, another story of burglars targeting Asian families for their stash of jewellery.

It’s happening at such an alarming rate, I felt compelled to call my mother to advise her to put hers in a safety deposit box.

After a few security questions to verify I was who I said I was, then quickly informing me that my room had probably been knocked down in case I fancied paying a visit, we got round to discussing her stash of gold, through repeated assurances that I wasn’t calling because I wanted her to loan me some.

Shocking!

My own mother doesn’t even know my passion is for porn not pawn.

But the fascination our elders have for hoarding their gold is a strange one.

Do they believe their jewellery will lose value in a bank? Or is it that they want instant access to their collection for when it comes to dressing up their daughter or daughter-inlaw should they suddenly

announce marriage? In my years of editing bridal mags, I’ve come across many a modern bride with her heart set on sparkles of minimal elegance, bemoaning the fact that her mother or mother-in-law is insisting she get weighed down on her Big Day by their ancient pieces of clunky old gold.

Further investigation revealed a sweet enough reason. As far as my mum is concerned, the gold that she’s kept locked away but never too far out of sight, represents her value. They come from an age where a woman’s worth was literally measured in gold, and even though most of the pieces are garish and studded with giant red rubies, knowing you’re worth treasuring is something you can’t put a price on.

I know this for a fact.

You can’t get extra for a piece of jewellery just because it is a symbol of self-worth. Or so the guy at Cash For Gold told me anyway…

IT’S hard to feel sorry for Padma Lakshmi moaning about the perils of being a single mother. As someone who has fathered my share of illegitimate children, I know only too well how much real single mothers have to struggle.

They can’t rely on child support (I do always pay, eventually, honest), and even when they do get the errant father to cough up, they have to keep it a secret otherwise their benefits will be slashed even more by the government, who seem to think raising a child alone on pennies is, um, child’s play.

Whenever the alarmists whip up a frenzy about the ‘benefit for nothing’ culture, single women are the first to be targeted, conveniently ignoring the fact that few jobs pay enough to afford child care.

Meanwhile, Padma’s child has a trust fund set up by her ex, who was once the 782nd richest man in the world, valued at a net worth of $1.8 billion.

Now if I had that kind of money, (or if any of my exes looked like Padma Lakshmi), then, well, at least I could afford to have a vasectomy.

Who said castration?

10

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

RACIST PIG GOES FREE Judge praises CCTV but lets thug walk

•WARNING Sunny Leone cyber-searches

THE HONEYTRAP! PORN star and Bollywood actress Sunny Leone has emerged as the most dangerous celebrity in cyberspace, ahead of Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor, as searching for her on the web is the most risky.

In a study conducted by McAfee, Leone topped the list with 9.95 per cent chances of luring people into clicking on malicious links.

Katrina, who was the most risky celebrity in 2011, held the second spot this year with 8.25 percentile.

She was followed by Kareena Kapoor, with 6.67 per cent possibility of making users fall into a trap of malware laden websites.

Priyanka Chopra and Bipasha Basu rounded off the top five with 6.5 per cent and 5.58 per cent respectively.

Others who featured in the list are Vidya Balan, Deepika Padukone and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Poonam Pandey.

Salman Khan, at the eighth position, was the only male star in the top ten.

A WOMAN who was pictured launching a “horrifying” racist attack on a stranger in front of her two kids has walked free from court.

She then returns to her four-month-old baby and eight-year-old daughter before walking away.

The “disgraceful” attack took place in broad daylight in front of families and workers enjoying the summer weather in Amanda Lowe, 26, was freed by a judge May. Twenty minutes after the attack - despite having previous convictions for Lowe, Earls and pal Daniel Wray — who violence - after he said it would not be fair punched Khuram in the head — were on her children to jail her. arrested by cops.

The mum of two - who is now pregnant with her third child - can be seen leaving Punched her baby in a pram to join in an attack on victim Khuram Nisar earlier this summer.

At a court hearing on Friday, Judge Lowe had previously started the trouble Lindsey Kushner QC hit out at Lowe’s by calling the victim a “f****** P***” and a behaviour warning: “I can’t emphasise “terrorist” and when he responded Lowe’s strongly enough: kids who have mothers boyfriend Wesley Earls punched him to who behave like you end up behaving like the ground. you. That damage starts from when they CCTV footage released today shows are tiny.”

Lowe wading in and repeatedly kicking Sitting at Manchester Crown Court and stamping on Khuram’s face and head Judge Kushner spared the three thugs jail as he lies on the ground. despite having 21 previous convictions between them.

He said Lowe, who had been drinking with friends, was “lucky” not to have been looking at a “care case”.

He said: “It is fantastic to have this CCTV footage. It is good to see the events as they happened because they are horrifying when you see them.

“I think all of you can think yourselves •VICIOUS Lowe’s brutal attack caught on CCTV lucky. She (Lowe) was in that state in

•TERRIFIED Imran Hanif

Family held at gunpoint

•RACIST THUG Amanda Lowe kicked victim charge of two children. That in itself is a criminal offence - drunk in charge of a child.

“It is disgraceful. How irresponsible can you get? You could easily have been dealing with a care case here.”

Lowe, of Blackley, Greater Manchester, admitted racially aggravated assault while Earls and Wray pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm.

Khuram suffered cuts and bruises during the shocking attack.

Lowe, Earls and Wray were given 12month jail sentences, suspended for two years, and a two-year supervision order.

•HONOUR Mittal receives award from Navdeep Singh

MITTAL’S SIKH GONG

AS AWARD season continues, amongst the numerous entertainment industry events, is one of most unique ceremonies of the year – The Sikh Awards. Last month saw the third annual awards, held at London’s Park Plaza Hotel, Westminster.

The UK’s richest man Mr Lakshmi Mittal attended and received the Special Recognition Award from the world Sikh community for his joint venture between State-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Mittal Energy Ltd, in the Punjab region of India.

Acknowledging the award Mittal said I am very proud to be associated with the project in Bhatinda, Punjab. I have seen a great deal of motivation and dedication from the community in Punjab he rededicated the award to the 45,000 people who now working on this new site. He also acknowledged the support of the Indian government and the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in making the project a reality and helping develop the economy of the region.

In response to the awards being held in London the Mayor Boris Johnson said, “I consider London to be the most multicultural city in the world, and have seen first-hand the hard work, dedication and religious strength that sits at the heart of everything the Sikh community do. Sikhs are a credit to this city and bring pride and respect where ever they go in the world through their actions, deeds and unique identity”.

This year, the gala ceremony was presented by former Mayoral advisor Mr Kulveer Ranger and model/actress Anu Singh. Over 750 guests attended including Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, BBC’s Head of religious programming Mr Tommy Nagra, Ms Charlotte Leslie MP, Mr Paul Uppal MP and Dr Kate Wharton from the Archbishop of Canterbury’s office.

The event, which was hosted by The Sikh Directory, also provided a launch pad for the first Sikh 100 power list, detailing the most prominent Sikhs in the global community.

A FAMILY held at gunpoint when armed robbers burst into their home to steal £60,000 of jewellery have told how they feared they would be shot dead.

Imran Hanif, 25, and his family had just returned to their home in Clayton, Bradford, when the robbers burst in.

The family, including five children aged three to five, were herded into a back room of the sevenbedroom house in what is believed to have been a targeted daylight attack.

One of the armed robbers stood guard pointing the gun at the terrified family, while his accomplices ransacked the rooms upstairs escaping with gold bangles, necklaces sets, rings and chains.

“They said ‘If anyone moves or talks we will shoot you’. I wouldn’t wish on my enemies,” said Mr Hanif.

•FOUND DEAD Akansha Rathi

Entrepreneur found hanged A SUCCESSFUL Indian entrepreneur was found hanged just days after she complained to police about being harassed by her in-laws.

Akanksha Rathi, 32, told police that her in-laws tried to stop her claiming her husband Anirudh Rathi’s inheritance, days before her body was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her home in New Delhi.

She claimed that the family went on a campaign of mental harassment weeks after Mr Rathi’s death to stop her inheriting a share of the family steel empire.

Mrs Rathi was known in the male-dominated steel industry in India and had won the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award.

She had improved a branch of Mr Rathi’s family business into a £43million a year company in a few years.

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

11

12

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

INSIDER DEALING LED TO $11 MILLION PROFIT

BENT BANKER JAILED

•CAUGHT Wasim Ali

Kids catch criminal TWO schoolchildren who found a dealer’s drug stash have been praised by detectives for helping to bring him to justice.

The youngsters acted after finding 129 wraps of crack cocaine in a yellow tub hidden in undergrowth on waste land in Accrington, Lancashire.

When Wasim Ali and two other men turned up to collect the drugs they could not find them and were arrested by police.

Ali was this week jailed for five years and five months at Burnley Crown Court. After the hearing, DC Eugene Swift, of Blackburn CID, praised the actions of the youngsters.

He said: “This significant seizure was a direct result of information received from young members of the public, and due to their actions these drugs will now not find their way onto the streets of to cause harm and misery to others.”

A FORMER Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble Co. board member was sentenced to two years in prison for feeding inside information about board dealings to a billionaire hedge fund owner friend.

•LOCKED UP Rajat Gupta was jailed and ordered to pay a fine of $5million

Rajat Gupta, 63, of Westport, Connecticut, learned his fate from U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff, who defended the length of the prison term he levied, blasting federal sentencing guidelines that called for Gupta to serve at least 6 1/2 years behind bars. He also ordered him to pay a $5 million fine.

News of the sentence culminated a spectacular fall from grace for a man whose well recognised good deeds worldwide brought him leniency in his conviction.

The Harvard-educated businessman long respected on Wall Street was one of the biggest catches yet for the federal government.

The agency’s probing five-year crackdown on insider trading has

Attorney Preet Bharara said after sentencing. ‘We hope that others who might consider breaking the securities laws will take heed from this sad occasion and choose not to follow in Mr. Gupta’s footsteps.’

Prosecutors described how Gupta raced to telephone Rajaratnam with stock tips sometimes only minutes after getting them from board conference calls, helping Rajaratnam make more than $11 million in illegal profits for him and his investors.

Billionaire Rajaratnam is serving an 11-year prison sentence after his conviction The dealings by Gupta that were last year. highlighted at his spring trial The narrower insider trading stemmed from his relationship case against Rajaratnam and his with Sri Lanka-born Raj co-conspirators resulted in 26 Rajaratnam.

The one-time convictions and was described by billionaire hedge fund boss Bharara as the biggest insider controlled up to $7 billion in trading case in history, successful accounts, giving him a firm in part because of unprecedented footprint in the financial markets use of wiretaps more familiar to and influence that impressed juries at mob and drug trials. someone as widely regarded as Prosecutors say Rajaratnam Gupta. earned up to $75 million illegally ‘His conduct has forever through his trades while Gupta’s tarnished a once-sterling reputation attorneys point out that their client that took years to cultivate,’ U.S. earned no profits. so far resulted in 69 convictions.

Gupta was ordered to report to prison on Jan. 8.

Reading from a statement, he said: ‘The last 18 months have been the most challenging period of my life since I lost my parents as a teenager.

‘I regret terribly the impact of this matter on my family, my friends and the institutions that are dear to me. I’ve lost my reputation I built for a lifetime. The verdict was devastating.’

SHOW OFF SPEEDER JAILED

FROM ONLY

£P4ER0

RT!

ADVE

•DANGEROUS Shehzad Munir

A SPEEDING driver who killed a father-of-three when he drove at almost 155mph in an attempt to win back his girlfriend has been jailed for seven years.

Shehzad Munir, 25, was showing off when he cut across three lanes and smashed his 4.5 litre BMW 6 series into Sukhpreet Singh Chimber’s car.

Mr Chimber, 30, a bus driver, was on his way home from work when Munir’s £24,000 sports car careered into him.

The force of smash hurled Mr Chimber’s car more than 200 metres, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Mr Chimber, a father to three daughters aged six, five and 20 months, was expecting a son with his wife of eight years, Sonia, at the time of the smash in September 2010.

He suffered multiple injuries and died at the scene, on the A1306 Wennington Interchange between Rainham and Purfleet, Essex.

The incident is believed to be one of the highest speed death crashes ever on Britain’s roads.

Munir was convicted by the jury of causing death by dangerous driving.

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THERE have been several film interpretations of the Kama Sutra, but now an Indian film director is taking it to the next level, making the first 3D version of the Hindu texts that speak about sexual behaviour.

Rupesh Paul has cast model Sherlyn Chopra in the lead role, and is hoping her international appeal will help make the film a success. Earlier this year Sherlyn became the first Indian woman to pose nude for Playboy magazine and this will be her first major film role.

Speaking about his decision to do the film, Rupesh said: ‘3D will add an extra dimension to the sexual positions described in the ancient treatise on the art of love.’

He also commented that he would ‘maximise Sherlyn’s talent and beauty.’ Looking forward to the shooting, Sherlyn said: ‘Nudity is not vulgar. It is a form of art and an expression of the mind.’

•STEAMY ROLE Sherlyn Chopra

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

•LOCKED UP Khadijah Shah (with her baby) was arrested at Islamabad airport

UK mum faces death penalty

Material could help terrorists A 34-YEAR-OLD man has admitted possession of documents with details of how to make explosives, poisons and mines.

Umer Farooq, from Stockport, appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink and admitted 14 counts of possession of material that could be useful to a terrorist.

This included copies of al Qaida magazine Inspire, the Terrorist Handbook Of Explosives, and other documents about “homemade C4”, guns with silencers, “home built mines” and “silent killing”.

Farooq, who is in Belmarsh prison, was remanded in custody until November 16 when he will be sentenced at the same court.

NAOMI THROWS PARTY IN INDIA

SUPERMODEL Naomi Campbell is sealing her love for billionaire boyfriend Vladimir Doronin by throwing him a sumptuous 50th birthday party in India.

The 42-year-old model has invited a string of A list friends to the four-day celebration for the Russian businessman next month.

She is believed to have hired out the historic Rambagh Palace in Jaipur for the bash, where the Grand Presidential one-bedroom suite costs a staggering $12,282a-night. Miss Campbell and Mr Doronin stepped out on the red carpet, hand in hand, at the

•VENUE Rambagh Palace in Jaipur

London premiere of new Bond movie Skyfall.

She is said to have sent out email invitations that featured Mr Doronin underwater - 007 style - with a seabob, a handheld propulsion device, according to the New York Post.

The event, was held at various locations, including the Rambagh Palace, started on November 4. Mr Doronin’s birthday was on November 7.

Miss Campbell is said to have used the services of Paris-based travel expert Omar Cherif, who owns OC Travel.

A source told Page Six: ‘No expense has been spared.

Naomi’s team is even helping their friends secure visas. It will be the party of the century.’

Miss Campbell and Mr Doronin have been dating since 2008, and in 2010 he threw her a lavish 40th birthday party on the French Riviera, flying in the Black Eyed Peas and Grace •BIRTHDAY BASH Vladimir and Naomi Jones.

A BRITISH woman who could face the death penalty in Pakistan after being arrested on drug smuggling charges has been returned to prison with her newborn •STASH Shah was carrying 54kg daughter after giving of heroin worth up to £2.8million birth in hospital, a legal from terrible health problems charity has reported.

Khadija Shah, 25, gave birth to her baby girl Malaika a few weeks ago but was sent back from hospital to Adiala prison near the capital, Islamabad, Reprieve said on Sunday. The birth had not previously been reported.

The baby has had no immunisations and has already had to be hospitalised when she developed diarrhoea in the dirty prison, said the charity.

Shah, from Birmingham, was arrested in May after £3.2m of heroin was allegedly found in her luggage as she tried to fly home from Islamabad airport.

She denies the charges, claiming she did not know what was in the bags. She says she was on a family holiday and was asked to carry extra suitcases, in which 63kg of heroin split into 123 packages was found.

“To keep a baby behind bars is truly barbaric,” the Reprieve investigator Sultana Noon said.

“Malaika is weak and suffering

while Khadija faces execution.

No mother would wish this scenario on their worst enemy.”

The charity had earlier complained that she was receiving inadequate care in the prison, where there had been an outbreak of tuberculosis.

Complications Shah’s last bail request was dropped by her lawyers in August after it appeared it would be refused by judges and the prison authorities had insisted that she would not be allowed out to give birth unless complications arose.

Shah has a four-year-old daughter and a son aged five, who were originally held in jail with her. They were later freed into the custody of their grandmother who took them back to the UK. Both of the children caught chickenpox while in prison, according to Clive Stafford Smith, from Reprieve.

KILLED FOR LOOKING AT A BOY

A COUPLE arrested in Pakistan on suspicion of killing their 15-year-old daughter with acid say they carried out the attack because she looked at a boy.

The girl’s father told the BBC that they feared she would bring dishonour on their family. Her mother said it was her “destiny” to die that way.

The couple were arrested in Pakistani-administered Kashmir last week.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported 943 women were killed in honour killings last year.

That represented an increase of more than 100 from 2010.

Police say that the incident took place in a remote village in the southern district of Kotli. They say that the case was brought to their attention by the couple’s eldest daughter.

The girl, known only as Anusha, was found to have burns over 60% of her body. Her father Muhammad Zafar told the BBC what happened: “There was a boy who came by on a motorcycle. She (Anusha) turned to look at him twice. I told her before not to do that, it’s wrong. People talk about us because our older daughter was the same way,” he said.

Her mother Zaheen described the aftermath: “She said ‘I didn’t do it on purpose. I won’t look again.’ By then I had already thrown the acid. It was her destiny to die this way.”

Anusha’s father is reported to have taken his daughter inside, beaten her and then acid was poured over her with the help of his wife. Officials say that the couple did not take their daughter to hospital until the following morning.

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Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

WORLD NEWS

SYMBOL OF COURAGE Wounded Malala praised

•MENACE Jitender Kumar Mohla

Life for plane hijack threat AN INDIAN court has sentenced a man to life in prison for a 2009 hijack scare in a passenger plane, saying it was adopting a “zero tolerance” approach to prevent future incidents that could endanger the lives of other passengers.

A New Delhi court on Tuesday ordered Jitender Kumar Mohla, 45, imprisoned for life for threatening the pilot and crew of an IndiGo Airlines plane in February 2009 by saying he was armed with a gun and infected needles.

Mohla plans to appeal the sentence, a relative said last week, speaking on condition of anonymity because he did not wish to be identified due to the sensitivity of the case.

Mohla was convicted last week on charges of endangering the safety of others and intimidating the pilot and crew while the aircraft, which was headed from western Goa state to Delhi, was mid-air with around 160 passengers on board.

The threat created panic among the passengers and prompted the pilot to send a hijack alert.

by Pakistan for bravery PAKISTAN’S interior minister has said the 15-year-old schoolgirl activist who was shot in the country by the Taliban is a “symbol of courage and determination” against “extremist ideology”.

Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, met surgeons and Malala’s father Ziauddin.

Mr Malik said the attack on Malala was “meant to tarnish the true face of Pakistan and to discourage those struggling for Malala Yousafzai is recovering in human liberties and for the hospital in Birmingham after being democratisation of our society”. shot on school bus last month.

Cowardice Doctors at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital said she could make a good He added: “Let me reassure our recovery.

On Monday she was visited there international friends that such acts of

by Pakistan minister Rehman Malik cowardice will not deter us and the and UK Foreign Secretary William whole Pakistani nation stands behind Malala and her cause.”

Hague.

Mr Hague said Malala’s “swift and Mr Hague and Mr Malik, who were also accompanied by United full recovery is our absolute priority” and thanked the doctors at the hospital.

He added: “The people of Pakistan have paid a high price from terrorism and extremism.

“We will stand by all those who, like Malala, are courageously defending the rights of women in Pakistan and around the world.”

Malala’s father arrived at the hospital last week to visit his daughter, saying he believed she would “rise •PRAISE Pakistan minister Rehman Malik again” to pursue her dreams.

•BACK ON THE RISE Malala Yousafzai

IN DURGA’S NAME

•AFTERMATH Riot leaves ruins

•DROWNEDThe fleeing Burmese

Burmese lost in the Bay

ABOUT 120 people are missing after their boat capsized in the Bay of Bengal, police in Bangladesh say.

Survivors say many of those on the boat were Rohingya Muslims who have fled recent ethnic violence in Burma. Local fishermen rescued 13 people from the boat which sank as it was transferring passengers to a larger ship bound for Malaysia.

More than 20,000 Muslims have been displaced by fighting which erupted in Rakhine state 10 days ago.

At least 80 people have died in the violence and thousands of homes have been burnt down.

Clashes in Rakhine in western Burma earlier this year uprooted more than 70,000 Rohingya.

That violence was sparked by the rape and murder of a young Buddhist woman in Rakhine.

Reprisal attacks on Rohingya by ethnic Rakhine spiralled and the government was forced to impose a state of emergency to end the violence.

TENSION prevails in Faizabad town in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh after two people were killed in religious violence last week.

The town was put under curfew for an entire day after rioters burnt several shops and vehicles.

Curfew was lifted on Friday morning, but few people are out on the streets.

Clashes between Hindus and Muslims began on Wednesday night after rumours that a statue of the Hindu goddess Durga had been vandalised, police said. Faizabad is near Ayodhya, the scene of deadly religious riots 20 years ago.

In 1992, Hindu hardliners brought down the Babri mosque there claiming that the site was the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram.

•BRING IN THE NEW India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaks with Sonia Gandhi

Major image change in reshuffle

INDIA’S Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reshuffled his Cabinet on Sunday in a bid to overhaul his government’s image ahead of state and national elections over the next 18 months.

Seven new ministers and 15 junior ministers took the oath of office at a brief ceremony to mark the changes aimed at bringing in younger faces into the Cabinet.

Former law minister Salman Khurshid was named as external affairs minister, while Ashwini Kumar, a junior minister, was elevated to the Cabinet with the law and justice portfolio.

Five senior ministers had resigned over the weekend to allow the introduction of younger new faces in the ministerial lineup.

The long-awaited Cabinet changes gained urgency after the Congress Party-led coalition government was hit by a wave of corruption scandals. The revamp also filled several vacancies after a key ally opposed to recent economic reforms quit the coalition.

However, Congress party star campaigner Rahul Gandhi was not part of the new

Cabinet. Congress party leaders said he would concentrate on reviving the fortunes of the party before national elections in 2014.

Gandhi, a scion of the India’s politically powerful Nehru-Gandhi family, is the son and grandson of two prime ministers. He is presumed to be a prime minister-in-waiting, but so far he has held no government positions.

“I would have been happy to include Rahul in the Cabinet, but he has other preoccupations in the party,” Singh told reporters.

Singh said he had moved several people from their ministerial posts to strengthen the Congress party.

Congress lawmakers said the government wanted to change its image as a group of old men and the induction of young men and women into the government was to dispel this impression.

“This reshuffle is to bring in fresh faces and is an important step keeping in view the general elections in 2014,” said junior minister Milind Deora.

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

15

WORLD NEWS •DEVASTATION Hurricane Sandy

•WRECKAGE Site of accident

Bahawalpur truck tragedy

Hafiz not wanted

TERRORIST TURNED DOWN BY US THE U.S. has turned down an offer of post-Hurricane Sandy assistance from one of the world’s most wanted men, a Pakistani terror leader with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head.

Saeed is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terror group banned by the Pakistani government, and still heads its charity wing, Jamaat ud Dawa.

Earlier this year the U.S. State Department offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture or arrest.

After Saeed’s offer of Hafiz Saeed, an Islamist assistance, the U.S. Embassy in militant who is alleged to have Pakistan declined his help via masterminded the 2008 Twitter. “We respect the Islamic Mumbai terror attacks that left tradition of help to the needy,” •BOUNTIFUL Hafiz Saeed more than 160 people dead, said the tweet, “but we can’t issued a written statement penalty, has accused Saeed of take Hafiz Saeed’s offer Wednesday saying his hatching the plot. seriously.” organization was willing to send Pakistan kept Saeed under supplies and volunteers to help house arrest after the attacks for Accused the U.S. East Coast recover. some months but then released “We are ready to send food Saeed founded Lashkar-e- him. He maintains a high public items, medicines and doctors to Taiba more than 25 years ago profile inside the country. In the U.S. for the people affected and has mounted many attacks September, he led street protests by the storm,” said Saeed. against India as part of a against the anti-Islam film “America [may] fix bounties on campaign to wrest the Kashmir “Innocence of Muslims.” our heads but as followers of region from Indian control.

On April 2, when the State the teachings of the Prophet Saeed is accused of Department announced its $10 Mohammed (peace be upon masterminding the Nov. 26, million reward for Saeed, it said him), we feel it is our Islamic 2008 terror attacks on the city the bounty had “everything to duty to help Americans trapped of Mumbai. Ten gunmen took do with Mumbai and his brazen in a catastrophe.” Saeed noted part in the multi-day assault, flouting of the justice system.” that the charity he heads had which cost the lives of at least Saeed responded to the provided aid in Sri Lanka and 166 people, including six announcement of the bounty by Indonesia after the 2004 Americans. The lone surviving publicly taunting the U.S. tsunami. attacker, who faces a death government.

DELHI WELCOMES THE DIGITAL AGE

INDIA has begun the the process of turning off the analogue television signal, with three main cities moving to digital overnight.

Reports say that cable TV in Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta switched to digital at midnight on Wednesday. The city of Chennai is expected to follow soon.

The change could improve picture quality, boost installation and technology firms.

India is one of the world’s largest television markets.

The country has more than 150 million homes with television, of which 25% have direct-to-home (DTH) service and 51% receive cable TV. A new law - the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2011 - says all cable TV operators must transmit TV signals in an encrypted format through a “digital addressable system” (DAS).

This is forcing viewers to switch to either watching

television via a set top box from a cable operator or a satellite dish - known as a direct-to-home service.

Reports said all TV-owning homes in Mumbai had gone digital, while 95% of homes had moved to the digital system in the capital, Delhi. The deadline for the switchover expired earlier this week.

A PAKISTANI police official says 26 people were killed when a passenger van and a truck collided near the central city of Bahawalpur.

The police chief of Bahawalpur, Suhail Tajik, says Tuesday’s accident took place on a section of the highway outside the city.

He says the passenger van was overtaking another vehicle when it slammed into an oncoming truck. The van was completely destroyed.

Rescuers moved 10 injured passengers to the city hospital. All were in serious condition.

Pakistan has a welldeveloped highway system but drivers often ignore basic safety rules.

•OUTSPOKEN Imran Khan during the peace march against US drone strikes

STOP THE DRONING ON

PAKISTANI cricketer-turnedpolitician Imran Khan says he has been stopped by US immigration officials and questioned about his views on US drone strikes in his country.

He says he was taken off his flight from Toronto to New York last week.

As leader of the Pakistan Movement for Justice party (PTI), he has campaigned for an end to drone strikes against suspected militants in Pakistan.

He says the strikes kill many civilians and foster support for militants.

“I was taken off from plane and interrogated by US Immigration in Canada on my views on drones. My stance is known. Drone attacks must stop,” he wrote on Twitter.

He was said to have been questioned for about an hour, and said the delay meant he missed his flight and a party fundraising event in New York, but said “nothing will change my stance”.

The US immigration authorities say they cannot divulge any information on particular cases due to privacy laws.

“Our dual mission is to facilitate travel in the United States while we secure our borders, our people, and our visitors from those that would do us harm like terrorists,” said an official.

Earlier this month, Mr Khan led thousands of supporters on a march to the edge of the restive tribal areas where drone strikes target militants.

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Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

WORLD NEWS •UNHOLY The bombed shrine

Insurgents target shrine

A POWERFUL bomb went off outside the shrine of a Sunni Muslim saint in northwestern Pakistan last week, killing at least four people, police said.

Senior police officer Mumtaz Khan said 23 people were also wounded in the attack at the shrine of Kaka Sahib in the town of Nowshehra. Hundreds of devotees were present there at the time, and the dead and injured had been transported to a hospital.

There was no claim of responsibility but Pakistani militants such as the Taliban have been blamed for previous such attacks.

The militants follow a strict version of Islam and they claim visiting shrines is not allowed.

Nowshehra is believed to be a hiding place for Taliban insurgents, who often target security forces and government officials.

The Skype’s the limit for women

BETTER CONNECTION WITH THE INFO LADIES AMINA Begum had never seen a computer until a few years ago, but now she’s on Skype regularly with her husband. A woman on a bicycle brings the Internet to her.

Dozens of “Info Ladies” bike into remote Bangladeshi villages with laptops and Internet connections, helping tens of thousands of people — especially women — get everything from government services to chats with distant loved ones. It’s a vital service in a country where only 5 million of 152 million people have Internet access.

The Info Ladies project, created in 2008 by local development group D.Net and other community organizations, is modeled after a program that

•WEB ON WHEELS Info Ladies

helped make cellphones widespread in Bangladesh. It intends to enlist thousands more workers in the next few years with startup funds from the South Asian country’s central bank and expatriates working around the world.

D.Net recruits the women and trains them for three months to use a computer, the Internet, a printer and a camera. It arranges bank loans for the women to buy bicycles and equipment.

“This way we are providing jobs to jobless women and at the same time empowering villagers with critical information,” said Ananya Raihan, D.Net’s executive director.

Connection The women — usually undergraduates from middle-class rural families — aren’t doling out charity. Begum pays 200 takas ($2.40) for an hour of Skype time with her husband, who works in Saudi Arabia.

Begum smiles shyly when her husband’s cheerful face pops up.

With earphones in place, she excitedly tells him she received the money he sent last month. He

asks her to buy farm land.

Even Begum’s elderly motherin-law now uses Skype to talk with her son.

“We prefer using Skype to mobile phones because this way we can see him on the screen,” Begum said, beaming happily from her tiny farming village in Gaibandha district, 120 miles (192 kilometers) north of the capital, Dhaka.

In the neighboring village of Saghata, an Info Lady is 16-yearold Tamanna Islam Dipa’s connection to social media.

“I don’t have any computer, but when the Info Lady comes I use her laptop to chat with my Facebook friends,” she said. “We exchange our class notes and sometimes discuss social issues, such as bad effects of child marriage, dowry and sexual abuse of girls.”

The Info Ladies also provide a slew of social services — some for a fee and others for free.

They sit with teenage girls where they talk about primary health care and taboo subjects like menstrual hygiene, contraception and HIV. They help villagers seeking government services write complaints to authorities.

•LOGGED ON Info Lady Mehedi Akthar Misty, right, helps Amina Begum with Skype

•CULLED Thousands are to die

BAD NEWS FOR BIRDS

•AFTER THE STORM Crew members of the ship are reported to be missing

CHENNAI CYCLONE

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A TROPICAL storm weakened southern India, bringing heavy rain and a storm surge and displacing 150,000 people. Six deaths have been reported in India and Sri Lanka.

Just before the storm made landfall Wednesday, an oil tanker with 37 crew ran aground off Chennai. One of its lifeboats capsized in the choppy waters, and one crewmember drowned, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

On Thursday, two helicopters searched in the Bay of Bengal for the four missing crewmembers, said coast guard officer Gurdip Singh, adding that 32 crewmembers were rescued from

the tanker.

Andhra Pradesh state said two people died there when their homes collapsed due to heavy rain Wednesday night in Nellore and Chittoor districts, and PTI reported another death in Tamil Nadu state, a 46-year old man who slipped into the rough sea from a pier and drowned. Sri Lanka reported two deaths earlier from the cyclone.

The cyclone had maximum winds of 75 kph (45 mph) after landfall but had weakened to a tropical depression. A storm surge of up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) was forecast to flood low-lying coastal areas, the India Meteorological Department said.

Power supply was disrupted to parts of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, PTI said.

Heavy to very heavy rain expected, and fishermen were asked to stay at shore.

State authorities turned 282 schools into relief centers in Chennai and the city’s port halted cargo operations.

AUTHORITIES in India’s Bangalore city have culled about 30,000 birds after an outbreak of bird flu was confirmed.

The order came after tests showed that turkeys at a government poultry farm had died of the virulent H5N1 strain.

Birds, including turkeys and emus, have been killed so far to prevent the bird flu from spreading in the city, which is India’s info-tech hub.

The culling operations will continue for the next few days, officials said.

The virus was first detected at the government-run poultry department at Hessarghatta on the outskirts of the city.

“Measures are in place to control and contain the avian influenza,” a senior official said.

A ban has also been imposed on the sale of poultry products in and around the affected farm.

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

17

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Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

Hot in the City YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ASIAN ENTERTAINMENT

e: sohail@asiancity.co.uk

CORRIE BLIMEY! Shobna Gulati’s shock announcement CORRIE star, Shobna Gulati has announced she will be leaving the soap once again, but this time it’s for good and she now plans to focus more on her comedy writing.

ZAYN GETS ZAPPED ZAYN Malik was recently spotted showing off the tattoo on his right arm, which reads ZAP! and one would automatically assume it stood for ‘Zayn and Perrie’. But no, Zayn got ZAP! as he happens to be a big fan of comic books.

The 1D hunk eventually plans to have his whole arm covered one day.

•OF THE STREET Shobna Gulati

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The 46-year-old joined the soap as shop assistant Sunita in 2001 but took a break from the show in 2005 only to return back in 2008.

Gulati said: “I have loved playing Sunita but, having played the role originally from 2001 to 2005 and then returning to Corrie four years ago, I really feel the time has come for me to focus on other aspects of my career”.

Corrie fans recently saw Sunita turn bad when she ended up cheating on husband Dev with gambler and lothario Karl Munro.

Gulati added: “Playing Sunita has been a fabulous opportunity. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed her journey and am looking forward with excitement to her dramatic departure. I shall miss her. That said, I have made a host of friends cast and crew - friendships that will stay with me.”

Sunita has been at the forefront of a series of particularly explosive storylines in recent months, with the star setting up home with Rovers Return landlord Karl Munro after the pair cheated on their respective partners, Dev and Stella, with each other.

And it looks as if the drama is set to continue for the character, with Coronation Street producer Phil Collinson promising a ‘memorable’ end to Sunita’s time in Weatherfield.

He added in the statement: ‘It’s been a pleasure to work closely with Shobna these last few years.

‘Sunita’s mid-life crisis and the disintegration of the Alahans’ marriage has kept Coronation

Street viewers on the edge of their seats for the past six months.

‘It’s sad to lose such a well-loved and brilliantly played character, but it provides an exciting storyline opportunity and the writing team are already looking forward to developing a brilliant exit story for her.

‘Viewers can expect something very memorable. We of course wish Shobna well in everything she does next.’

Shobna first portrayed Sunita between 2001 and 2005, before returning to Coronation Street four years later.

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All in a Pandey’s work KNOWN as the Queen of Tease, Poonam Pandey is all set to unveil the first look of her debut movie titled Nasha.

“Be ready for ADDICTION, as it will take the world by storm and sweep you off your feet,” said Poonam.

Poonam Pandey is renown for teasing her fans with sensuous videos and photoshoots and her movie is said to be no less. With not long to go, she has even managed to launch a countdown ticker to D-day as she likes to call it.

Poonam shot to fame when she threated to strip if India won the One day World Cup but failed to live up to her promise.

Let’s wait and see the surprise Miss Pandey has in store for us all!

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

19

PRIYANKA Asiana model’s big loss SHY FOR BOLLYWOOD PRIYANKA Chopra may have gone international with her debut single In my City but is shy to sing when it comes to Bollywood.

“I was offered to sing whether it’s by Salim-Suleman or Vishal-Shekhar, but I was too shy for it. I have tried singing on the mic on their insistence but then I feel shy and back out saying ‘I can’t do this’. I even recorded a song with Vishal and Shekhar for Bluffmaster, but the song was not released,” Priyanka told reporters.

Having worked with international superstar Will.i.am on her debut single, Priyanka said, “Will.I.am is an extremely talented musician and artist. It was an honour for me to work with him. It was a really new experience. There are other international collaborations in this album too, you’ll get to know about it as I unravel my songs in the album.”

ASIANA model, Karishma Kotak who was a contestant on Bigg Boss Season 6, was nominated for eviction after nearly four weeks, has had to leave the show following the demise of her father who was ailing from severe liver sclerosis.

Kotak was summoned to the confession room and was informed about her father’s health and was given the option to stay or leave the house.

“Bigg Boss Season 6 contestant Karishma Kotak left the Bigg Boss house after nearly four weeks due to a family emergency. The model had to leave the Bigg Boss house as her father, who was ailing from severe liver sclerosis, passed away last evening,” a statement issued by the Colors Channel said.

Karishma’s stay in the ‘Bigg Boss’ house has been good. She stayed away from controversies and came across as a reserved individual till only lately when she had just begun to open up and mingle with other housemates.

•BOSS LOSS Karishma has quit the show

•A REAL LADY Ash

AISHWARYA KNIGHTED

Watch out white people!

IF YOU missed British Asian comedian Paul Chowdhry’s standup show What’s Happening White People back in September at Hammersmith Apollo, then worry not! The DVD of the event will be out on 19th November and can now get to watch his relentless inventive comedy punctuated by impressive feats of mimicry and verbal dexterity.

Paul Chowdhry has managed to distinguish himself as one of the most talented, popular and UK’s number 1 Asian comedians to have recently emerged. Having been inspired by comedians such as Richard Prior, George Carlin and Sam Kinison, Paul says

“I see myself as a comedian who happens to be Indian. Not an Indian comedian. It’s hard to lecture people but easier to break down barriers by making people laugh. It doesn’t always work; I’ve spoken about the BNP and people have shown me their screen saver with a swastika or BNP flag on it, not understanding the irony of what I’m saying. They thought I was one of them. But in a way that’s still breaking down boundaries”.

Chowdhry is one of the few comics with the ability and diversity to effortlessly straddle the urban and main stand-up circuits as an international headline act.

AISHWARYA Rai was conferred upon a civilian award by the French government for her contribution to the arts on the occasion of her birthday.

Francois Richier, ambassador of France to India, conferred the honour of prestigious ‘Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters’ on her at a hotel in Mumbai.

On receiving the award, Aishwarya said: “I want to thank the French government for honouring me with the award. It’s truly overwhelming. I thank you in all humility.”

She thanked her family for their support and expressed her gratitude towards her colleagues.

“I want to thank every professional who I have worked with and who made it possible for me to have such a glorious career,” she said.

The Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters honour is given to people who have shown exceptionable contribution to arts in France and the rest of the world.

In the past, noted celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan and Nandita Das received the honour.

20

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

FEATURE

HOW TO TURN YOUR MAN

If you’re happy with your Mr Perfect, joy! Move along. But if yours leaves a lot to be desired, don’t give up on him. Do what we do best – try to change him. But be sure to get it just right…

IS HE SCUM? Did you know Scum is an acronym for Sartorially Challenged Unenlightened Man? That’s because it isn’t true. But how can you tell if your man is in need of scrumming up?

• BUT HE’S SO STYLISH:

It would be moronic of us to assume men don’t love clothes as much as we do. But is he so sure his appearance will get him ahead in life, that he’s forgotten about bettering his personality? If he thinks he can get away with an uncool attitude towards women or other races, let him know you think he’s far from cool.

• HE’S INTELLIGENT:

It’s good that all those books he’s read has broadened his mind, but has he got the basic social skills to get your best friend to like him? Thrust fun upon him, lest he remains a very dull boy.

• EVERYONE LOVES HIM:

His friends think he’s the don, girls you know find him fine, but they don’t see the side you do. Forget what others think, you’re the one that chooses to live with him. If you don’t like his ways, he owes it to you to mend them.

• HE HAS HIS OWN STYLE:

That’s lovely but if his own style means he looks like a dishevelled donkey, it’s not working. Go get a haircut, man.

• HE WON’T CHANGE:

MEN are forever complaining that we’re out to change them. And do we get any thanks for it? If you happen to be with a man that is perfect in every shape and form – there isn’t a single thing you’d change about him if a genie popped out of nowhere and offered you the chance to do just that – then either you’re very, very lucky or, face it girl, you’ve been lying to yourself.

The harsh fact of the matter is: men are, by design, faulty. And they adore us so much not just because we have boobs, but because deep down inside – they need our help. Problem is, we’re just really bad at giving them the guidance they so badly need. Whenever we embark on a mission to better our men, we screw up so badly they end up resenting us, or worse, ignoring us. We go about it all wrong. We make them feel bad about themselves, take away all the fun, do little to hide our disappointment when they fail dismally and, even when they’ve changed so much to please us they barely recognise themselves in the mirror, we crack open that old chestnut: you’re not the same man I fell in love with. They can’t win, so they stop trying.

The shame is that women are natural teachers – it’s a biological fact. Even the most uneducated, socially inept woman from the most backward village in the world knows how to teach her child that he’s not going to get fed if he keeps biting her hand. Yet the most intelligent of those amongst us can’t relay the simple message to her lover: your appearance is unappealing, your attitude stinks and the way you carry yourself is unacceptable. You’ve

LESSON 1 Looks are everything

None of us are as attractive as we appear without make-up. But •BRAND NEW MODEL far from this being a matter of Changing him for the better deceit, we’re actually making the is best for both of you effort to look good for him at the same time as feeling good about ourselves. heard other Looking after your appearance isn’t a fickle, girls moan they superficial pursuit. It’s a physical show of have to treat their esteem. Now, if you point this out to him, he’ll boys with kid’s gloves – we hear: you aren’t good looking. I don’t fancy you anymore. say: good. All those tricks that mothers use and So instead, buy him treats such as moisturisers, patience they apply to stop their boys from turning exfoliators and spot creams, then turn on the girlie into socially retarded ruffians are inherent among bottom lip if he won’t use them. He’ll abide by all of us – be we mother of ten or toddler-hating your wishes if he thinks it’ll please you (but they’ll teen – and we need to apply these skills to get what go in the bin if he senses you expect him to!). we want: a better man.

Encourage a beauty regime by making it fun. If, for But you can’t change a man, you say. If his instance, the routine involves him playing with his mother didn’t raise him properly to start with, what tubes while watching you soaking naked in the tub, hope have we of succeeding? Maybe she did, but there’s more call for him to forego the Xbox and don’t forget: men need constant training. That’s join you morning and night. And don’t forget to why they love the gym so much, because it’s all too occasionally throw in the magic mantra: You look easy for them to let themselves go and forget all the really handsome today. Your skin looks so fresh I hard work they put in. A man is much more likely want to lick it. to go back to bad old habits – be it smoking or sleeping around – than a woman. They need to LESSON 2 Grooming is not gay train their mind and review their ways constantly to Assuming you’ve had success with the above, keep them on the straight and narrow. It’s just that thereby allaying his fears that using beauty the poor little dears don’t know it. products might change his sexuality overnight, We can change them, but the trick is not to show he’s ready to take the next step – the salon. Words it. If they catch on to what we’re up to, mission such as ‘pedicure’ and ‘manicure’ flood a man’s failed. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to very soul with unmanly jitters, so don’t let him upgrade your man without risking shutdown and catch on that’s what you have in mind for him. ending up with a brand new model. It’s not going Even if you suggest a day in the spa together, he to be easy but remember, it’s for his own good! might have his suspicions. So instead, tell him

That’s because he doesn’t think he needs to or feels he’s being forced to.

Always approach with the attitude: this is going to be so much fun if we both do this together. He won’t think it’s change if it’s presented as experiencing a new adventure.

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

21

FEATURE

FROM SCUM…TO SCRUM! you’ve got a fun day planned for the two of you – it’s a surprise so all he’ll have to go on is intrigue.

Once you get him in there and he gets the full works, he’ll realise what all other men who succumb to salon treatments have long worked out – it’s bloody great being pampered.

LESSON 3 Shopping is not boring

There are some things we hate just because we’ve always heard others say so. A lot of girls who’ve never even had a boyfriend cite the toilet seat debacle as a pet hate but really – it’s not a big deal. They leave it up so they don’t wee on the rim we have to sit on. Same thing goes for men and shopping. They’ve grown up thinking it’s boring and their fears are confirmed when they find themselves shuffling their feet outside the dressing room… while you shop. Next time you ask him to come shopping with you (plan it around pay day and don’t let the cat out of the bag by saying you’re going shopping for him), suggest it’s only fair he gets something out of it.

Then cunningly, guide him to the men’s store of your choice then coo over all the trendy threads you long to see him in, telling him he deserves to treat himself once in a while. Be sure to keep telling him you see pretty girls checking him out whenever he dresses up the way you like it.

LESSON 4 Style is head to toe

Khabi Mirza, Fashion Editor of Drapers, advises: ‘A sharp haircut is a must. It doesn’t matter how much money you spend on clothes, your whole look will collapse if you have hair that lies dead on your head and, more criminally, cheap looking shoes. Whether you’re going for the casual look or a sophisticated look, you must invest in stylish, top-of-the-range trainers or smart shoes – always pick brown over black – that look the business. And never confuse classy with expensive. If you’re a complete fashion doofus, there are plenty of style magazines for men out there to guide you through the shoe store maze.’

LESSON 5 Mind his manners

Now that he looks the part, the first thing to do is to re-educate him in the way he behaves. Whether he’s an academic or a dropout, there are some things that he’s never learned or, more likely, forgotten. The worst offense is etiquette. If, for instance, he eats like a pig – ban eating on the sofa and always make a meal of things around the dining table; complete with candles, napkins and even a dress code. Tell him you fancy the posh lifestyle and, seeing as he can’t afford to take you to The Oxo Tower every night, he’ll happily oblige. Get a book on etiquette and leave it in his bogside reading pile.

LESSON 6 It’s not helping

Women make the mistake of pleading: I wish you’d help round the house. Nonsense. Help insinuates thanks should be given and doing households duties should be precisely that – his duty. But to be fair, we don’t help them see the error of their ways and it’s nigh on ridiculous that so few men know where the laundry basket is kept. As long as you continue to pick up his socks and fold his shirts, the longer he’ll keep asking you to go fetch.

Don’t be militant about refusing to do his chores – that way argument lies – simply stop doing it.

When a man works out things won’t be handed to him on a plate, he soon learns that he has to get up and do it himself. And don’t criticise the way he does things too much. He’ll only start taking pride in how he does things if he’s allowed to do them his own way.

much you’ve both learned from your designated literature. This means you, in turn, have to be prepared to learn and be tested, but don’t worry – the object is to let him win. Once he’s in the habit of paying attention to the girlie point of view, get him into Closer magazine! He may hate gossiping about tittle tattle now, but he’ll soon see it generates conversation and a happy discussion leads to a happier seduction!

LESSON 8 Can’t we just be friends?

Forget the man/woman divide you’ve come to accept. As long as you expect him to be the man, he’ll slot you into his definition of what he sees as the role of a woman. The best way to get a man to see your point of view is by approaching every new subject as a friend would. Not only will this put him at ease, he’ll be happier to discuss the ins and outs of your suggestions with you. Make it a two way thing. Turn off the TV, switch off the phones and get into the habit of pen and paper resolutions, where you draw up lists of pros and cons. Keep them constructive and don’t go off in a huff if he writes something you don’t like reading or he’ll do the same.

LESSON 9 Sort yourself out

A good teacher won’t get her pupils respect if she fails to do as she says. Avoid the accusation of hypocrisy being pointed at you by bettering yourself in all the areas you know he thinks you could do with improving. For everything you ask of him, give him adequate guidance and a positive review afterwards – and ask him to do the same for you. What you’re proposing is give and take, not expect and comply. Think debate rather than argument, ideas rather than rules, and ultimately, a better life for both of you.

LESSON 7 The feminine touch

Asking a man overloaded with bravado to tap into his feminine side is as pointless as asking us to give a monkeys about the offside rule. A good game (and boys love games) is to play role reversal. You agree to read one of his books on boxing legends, as long as he reads something like Women Are From Mars, Men Are From Venus. The object of the game is to test the other on how

WHY MEN LET THEMSELVES GO

Reasons why they don’t want to be the best they can INSECURITY 1 What’s the point?

We expect men to be just that – men. The strong one, there to support us emotionally, free from all those esteem issues that only we are allowed to revel in. Truth is, men question their worth just as much as we do and if you constantly keep pointing out he’s not good enough, it’s natural for him to conclude: My best efforts aren’t good enough, ergo, I’m not good enough. If I can’t please her, I may as well please myself…

INSECURITY 2 Are you his mother?

If you’re not the type to constantly point out his downfalls, that doesn’t mean

going the other extreme is any better for his development. Women who do everything for him (‘oh bless him, he’d like to do the washing up but he’s so bad at it, giggle’) only end up with a man who very soon comes to expect it. Once the lines in a relationship are drawn, they’re very difficult to erase. So if you’ve established he won’t do anything around the house because he can’t and you want to, he won’t. Plus men, however independent, can become just as emotionally needy once it becomes apparent you’re only too happy to pamper him at his beck and call. Like children, men can be spoiled too!

INSECURITY 3 Love makes him fat

You’d think if you’re neither badgering nor pandering to him, you’ve got the makings of a good man, but this pleasant set-up may result in him thinking he doesn’t need to make the effort or, more damaging still, lowering his own expectations to match yours. He should look after his appearance (yes you love him just the way he is, but that’s not a guarantee you’ll love him if turns out to be quite the opposite), and if you’re still making the effort to look good and broaden your horizons, so should he.

Remember the golden rule: lead by example and make it fun to join in.

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Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

BOLLYWOOD

SANA-SATIONAL

Water world AN UNDERWATER sequence was shot for Talaash at Pinewood Studios last year. Due to logistical difficulties, certain underwater scenes had to be shot in London instead of Mumbai.

Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor shot at the Underwater Stage at Pinewood Studios in London. Interestingly, the team had to transport a Mumbai Police jeep all the way to London from India for the sequence.

“Yes it’s true that we called for the Mumbai police jeep to be taken to London for a few specific under water sequences to be shot with Aamir Khan,” said director Reema Kagti.

THE NEW D-PAD

DEEPIKA Padukone or D-Pad for short will be seen starring alongside superstar Rajinikanth in Kochadaiyaan and stated that the actor inspired her a lot with his dedication and passion while shooting for the film, which experiments with performance-capturing technique.

“Working with him in Kochadaiyaan was very inspiring for the kind of energy he brings to the sets even after working for so many years. He has that passion one can easily see in his eyes. After his illness, I saw the same passion,” said Deepika.

“We are trying out a new techniques, the performance-capturing technique. So it’s a completely new experience for me. While the emotions are what I’ve conveyed, the technique used is completely new,” she added.

Kochadaiyaan is Rajinikanth’s daughter Soundarya R. Ashwin’s directorial debut and the period drama is the superstar’s first film after his illness.

The 61-year-old was out of action in 2011 when he developed health problems and was flown to Singapore for treatment.

The film will also be released in Hindi,Tamil, Malayalam, Japanese, Telugu and English and Deepika might even dub for the Tamil version.

“As for Japanese or Telugu, I don’t know these languages. The idea is to make this a big international film coming from India.” she said.

IF YOU are a Bollywood fan, then you will know Sana Saeed from her first feature film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Sana played the role of Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Anjali in the film which released in the UK fourteen years ago and went on to become a blockbuster. In her first UK interview, the actress spoke to Sunny Malik about working in Karan Johar’s directorial Student Of The Year. Saeed, 24, plays the role of Tanya, a sultry college girl, in Johar’s colourful coming-of-age tale.

The rise and rise of Sana Saeed I have been on Twitter for the last two years but never really used it. I only started using it a few months ago. It feels really amazing to see that people show you love for a film that released over a decade ago. I get a lot of messages and I try to reply to everyone as much as I can.

Fans complained that Dharma Productions did not promote you as much as Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt.

They are the three leading actors in the film. I am only playing the second lead in the film. I mean, they want people to know the star cast of the film so that they come to watch the film. If they don’t know Alia, Sid and Varun, they won’t even come to watch me in it. There has been a lot of feedback and I think it is good not to be in everybody’s face. I am unsure about how people are going to accept me. It is better for me to sit back and watch how it goes.

How has the journey been for you from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to Student Of The Year?

It has been amazing but Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is something I did fourteen years ago. I did not know back then how lucky I was to be working with Karan Johar. I was really just a child and did not really know what was happening. With Student Of The Year, I really lived the moment and enjoyed every bit of it.

You are known worldwide by audiences as the little Anjali from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Has it been difficult to create a new image for yourself?

I was just a child artist in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and even though people know me because of that, I have grown up and am completely different in Student Of The Year.

Karan has really presented all of us in the film on a large scale. I really just hope that the audiences liked what they saw. I believe that I could not have asked for a better comeback than this. I could have done a leading role in any other film but that would not have been as special to me.

•LITTLE STAR In Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

You share a lot of scenes with Varun Dhawan in Student Of The Year.

I am very good friends with Varun in the film which is why I have more scenes with him. I do have a lot of scenes around Alia and Sidharth too.

Karan Johar films have done exceptionally well in the UK! It is always a challenge to see how the oversea audiences accept films.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is one of Indian cinema’s most memorable films for which I am still recognised.

I am just nervous to see how people accept Student Of The Year and super curious to know how will I be accepted this time round.

Farida Jalal, played your grandmother in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, also starred in Student of the Year. How was the experience working with the same people again after such a huge gap?

I was really excited when I found that she is playing a character in the

film. I really wanted to meet her and tell her that I am the same girl who played Anjali fourteen years ago but unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity. But besides that, I was really happy to be working with the same people I worked with during Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The hairdresser who did my hair in that film was also working on this one, which was quite surprising. Even Manish Malhotra and make-up artist Mickey Contractor are people I worked with back then. It really says something about Karan that the same people are still working with him after such a long time.

Do you ever read your comments on twitter as to what fans have to say?

You are good friends with Kayoze Irani, Boman Irani’s son, who marked his debut in Student of the Year. Tell us something about him.

I had a really good time with him.

We have worked a lot together and he is really hilarious. He is just like his father. I am sure people will enjoy watching him on-screen.

What is next for you as an actress?

Right now, I am not looking at anything. I waiting to see what kind of feedback I receive. I am, of course, as nervous as a wreck but If I am welcomed by the audience and appreciated, then I will hopefully get good projects. I just want to enjoy the moment right now.

GRAB A SLICE OF PI TWENTIETH Century Fox have announced the theatrical release of Life Of Pi in 3D and 2D on 20th December in UK cinemas.

Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) directs Life Of Pi, based upon Yann Martel’s beloved book, which went on to become one of the biggest publishing events of the past decade.

Life Of Pi is an epic adventure of magical realism and follows the story of a young man’s incredible survival at sea against almost impossible odds. A remarkable breakthrough in the use of 3D technology, Pi will take audiences on an emotionally captivating journey that will inspire, touch and transport them to a place of discovery they will be unable to forget.

The film stars newcomer Suraj Sharma as Pi, Gerard Depardieu (Cyrano de Bergerac), Rafe Spall (Prometheus), Irrfan Khan (Slumdog Millionaire) and Tabu (The Namesake).

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

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BOLLYWOOD

ANOTHER GOOD DEOL

SUNNY Deol’s 21-year-old son Karan is proving to be quite the surprise package.

Earlier, it was reported that Karan is being put through the paces by his father, and will debut in a film sometime next year, carrying forward the Deol family tradition.

And now we hear the doting son, who is currently in the UK working as an Assistant Director on the Deols’ home production Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, pleasantly surprised his dad on his 55th birthday with a unique gift.

On Sunny’s birthday on the sets in Leicester, while members of the cast and crew had already planned a theme cake and a sundowner, Karan aka Rocky turned rapper and rapped a song he had himself written specially for his dear dad.

A source told us, “Everyone wanted to surprise Sunny and the co-stars were game for what the cast and crew had planned. All of a sudden, Karan rapped a song that he had himself written to show his love for daddy dearest. The members of the unit were doubly surprised.”

Sunny was deeply touched and almost had tears in his eyes when he thanked and hugged his son for making his birthday so

•BIRTHDAY BOY Sunny Deol and Karan Deol special, informed the source.

“Sunny told Karan he would record the rap and preserve it as part of his personal collection. Others who were present appreciated Karan for the beautiful song he had prepared so secretively. Bobby Deol too praised Rocky for his effort and congratulated him for his hidden talent,” said the source.

With grandfather Dharmendra’s yen for writing shayris, Rocky’s rapping skills just add one more feather to the Deols’ talents.

Pictures: Daboo Ratnani

Neha rushes for Hashmi

Khiladi killer strikes again BOLLYWOOD supremo Akshay Kumar will once again please his adoring fans worldwide when he returns, after an absence of 12 years, to his famous Khiladi franchise with Khiladi 786.

The film sees Akshay flexing his box office pulling power as well as his brawn. He pulls no punches as he high-kicks his way through some truly spectacular stunts, harnessing his considerable experience of martial arts and extreme sports to make the film a truly visual feast of high-caliber action and stunts galore all sprinkled with some classic ‘Akshay humour’.

Once again Akshay with teams with previous co-stars Paresh Rawal, Mithun Chakraborthy and leading lady Asin in this explosive Masala action-comedy film. The supporting cast boasts the comic talents of Johnny Lever and musical hero Himesh Reshammiya. Khiladi 786 will once again see the ever-entertaining Akshay assume the role of action hero as he fights the bad guys, cracks some wise one-liners and gets the girl in this film.

THE former Miss India actress Neha Dhupia has now been paired with hunk Emraan Hashmi for her newly released film, Rush. In a recent interview, she declared how tough it is to romance someone on-screen.

She states, “People say that it must be easy for me to play someone who is ultra-glam.

However, the hardest part is to seduce on screen. You have to pretend it but make it look real for the audience. It is ironical.”

She adds: “It is a challenge to be seen in this really hot avatar while not quite exposing your skin since you are a woman in a corporate set-up. All credit to my late director and his wife Priya for making me look like that.”

So what happens in the film? What is her co-star Emraan’s role?

“The film is a journey of Sam (Emraan) who, as an earnest and sincere journalist, wants to bring the right news across to people.

However, the core philosophy of the media house where we are employed is to report news which sensationalises. So while Emraan reports, I come in to sensationalise.”

UNFINISHED SYMPHONY PORTION of a song in Yash Chopra’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan was yet to be shot, but now will be left incomplete as the film crew has no desire to tamper with the signature style of the late filmmaker, said the film’s hero Shah Rukh Khan during a press conference.

“Just a minute and a half of the song was left. Yashji wanted to shoot it in Switzerland. We don’t have the heart to shoot that part now. We will make it impure if we had to shoot it,” said Khan.

“The movie is ready for release. Yashji had finished editing and the background mix was happening.

“The film which you will see has been entirely made

by Yash Chopra,” he added.

The love story stars Katrina Kaif opposite Shah Rukh with Anushka Sharma in a supporting role and is all set to release this month, along with Ajay Devgn’s home production Son of Sardaar in UK cinemas.

Shah Rukh thinks that it is unfair to ask anyone to change their release date and therefore is fine with the simultaneous release of both the films.

“It is unfair to ask anybody to change the release date of their film. Everybody love’s their films. Yashji would have felt the same way. Films will always overlap and it is not fair for us to ask them to change dates,” he said.

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

MUSIC

•FAN Enrique Iglesias

Enrique wants to Pri WithYou BOLLYWOOD’S desi girl Priyanka Chopra has found a fan in international pop star Enrique Iglesias, who is in awe of the actress.

During his recent concert in Bangalore, the 37-year-old also had some fun filled interaction with the audience. While he was spontaneous in responding to all the questions, when asked about which Bollywood actress caught his attention, he replied: “I would say Priyanka Chopra. I got to meet her and also managed to see a few of her movies. I loved them! She is great and simply unbelievable.”

And that not all, the singer has also developed a liking for Priyanka’s debut international single “In My City”.

He said: “I also recently heard her single (In My City). It was pretty good. I enjoyed it.”

RBD RULES UK The hitmakers are back in business THEY came, conquered and continue to leave us mesmerised with their music.

Known for their smash hits Shera Di Kaum, Singh is King, Namastey London and Aloo Chaat, Bollywood hit makers UKs leading and multitalented international music artists, RDB are ready to strike again.

Recently, Manj from RDB was spotted jamming with ace music composers Salim Sulaiman at a suburban café.

Onlookers insist that the trio were at complete ease with each other, laughing around like teenagers.

“They were seen exchanging few music notes and discussing a few upcoming Bollywood projects.

All three of them looked very excited about something.

“They even broke into an impromptu gig at the request of a few guests nearby. Overall it was an evening of fun and enthusiasm for us to be in the presence of such great artists,” said an ecstatic onlooker.

So after this meeting, are we expecting a collaboration? Watch this space for more news.

MORE OF THE SAMI, PLEASE

Picture: Douglas Sonders

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IF YOU’VE been wondering about the disappearance of Pakistani musician Adnan Sami, you needn’t worry. Sami who hasn’t been seen on the music scene for a while now, says he has been on a much needed break.

“When you are constantly working, it is very important that every artist takes some time off to refresh and reboot themselves,” he said.

The 39-year-old says every singer must take some time off to refuel himself.

“I just took off for sometime to absorb and to refuel. Now that I have done that, I have taken on few film projects as a composer,” he added.

Sami last sang for Karan Johar’s movie My Name is Khan in 2010 and then some low budget flicks before disappearing off the circuit.

Having collaborated with singers like Asha Bhosle, Zakir Hussain and international artist Jermaine Jackson in the past we look forward to hearing his new material.

COLONIAL TIMES

RAY OF LIGHT

MEET Parry Ray, the 43-year-old mum who has just released her debut EP called 7 Days.

Growing up listening to Elvis and Ravi Shankar, Ray started singing at the tender age of just three. “Releasing this EP is a huge milestone for me” says Ray. “I have been luckily enough to work with some incredible people over the years and this EP is no exception. I am hugely grateful for the wonderful response to ‘7 Days’ so far,” she further adds.

For more information visit www.parryray.com

IT’S BEEN a decade since we last heard from them, but they are back. Colonial Cousins, comprising of Hariharan and Leslie Lewis have launched a new album called Once More.

Sticking to their signature style, the duo bring you seven fresh tracks, “we’ve had a great time working on this album. Our soul is in there. Like our previous albums, there’s a spiritual feel in this one too. Also, the music represents the sound of 2012.

For both of us, it’s been quite a journey” says Hariharan.

Colonial Cousins released their debut album in 1996 and received a great reception. Devraj Sanyal, Managing Director, Universal Music India & SAARC, said, “Colonial Cousins are a legend. From 1996 to date it’s been a momentous journey. This album is one that we think will break all records of the past simply because the music is incredible and in the now.”

Their music was a fusion of Indian and western styles and won the duo many awards and we are sure this album will also create the same buzz.

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

25

MUSIC

Kee moments in life BRIT artist KEE is ready to release her rendition of the beautiful classic Chandni Raatein.

With keeping the original tone and sound KEE teamed up with remix producer Kami K. The song has been sung keeping in mind the respected original singer, the Late Madam Noor Jehan, which KEE said was the toughest task “I wanted it to be perfect and do justice to Noor Jehan’s version, So we contacted legendary Mangal Singh to sit in the studio sessions to ensure my pronunciation and tone was correct” The video for Chandni Raatein has been set in the Enchanted City of Malaga – Spain. The video is set in the magical metropolis where you’ll see the views by night and Kee supporting a glamorous look.

Directed by Award Winner Luke Biggins the video will make you fall in love.

KEE is currently busy with new projects linked to Bollywood and her much awaited Debut Album! Watch this space for more news…

•STAR TURN Arjun performing

CREAM OF THE CROP THE cream of the music Asian music industry gathered at Wembley Arena for the 10th Lebara Mobile Asian Music Awards.

The music event of the decade saw live performances

by International Superstar and Bollywood legend Rahat Fateh Ali Khan who led the winners, taking home three awards for Best-Selling Download in association with Official Charts Company, Nokia Best International Act and Lebara Mobile Best International Act of the Decade.

Brit sensation, Jay Sean was hot on Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s heels with two awards for a

very special award - Lebara Mobile British Artist of the Decade and Lebara Mobile Best Male.

Hosts BBC Asian Network’s Tommy Sandhu and BBC One Extra’s Sarah-Jane Crawford oversaw proceedings and blistering performances by rising star Arjun, Mumzy Stranger, British Bollywoodaward winner Ash King, singer / songwriter Shide Boss, XFactor and YouTube sensation One Pound Fish, Malaysian Bhangra stars Goldkartz, the winner of this year’s Nokia Unsigned Award, Amanjot Sangha and smash hit artist •WINNER Dj Neev (Kiss 100) Imran Khan.

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Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

Hair: Jawaad • Make-up: Naveeda

WEDDINGS

Jewel Control

A first timer’s guide to Indian bridal jewellery, don’t get married without it AS an Asian bride it is your birthright to adorn yourself with the most extravagant jewels on your wedding day.

Anything less would just be a waste of time, not to mention take away some of the most fun and girly moments of your wedding preparations!

Whether you’re Hindu, Sikh or Muslim the bride often wears a variety of accessories before and after marriage making the giving and wearing of jewellery one of the most complex and time-honoured processes of marriage. In fact ours is the only culture to attach so much significance to our bridal jewellery.

Traditional bridal jewellery entailed wearing cumbersome ornate gold items. But today that standard has relaxed, meaning that brides have access to a plethora of stunning pieces of different colours, shapes and textures.

It all looks pretty enough that brides enter upon the full works without really knowing why.

Before they know it, the idea of parading about in every single beautiful piece, each weighing almost a tonne, starts to daunt them.

So to make it a little better on yourself, it is well worth reading up on why we wear them and what bejewelled item goes where and how. Thankfully for you, we’ve put it all together to ensure that whether your bridal look is radiantly traditional or laced with a more westernised

theme, the jewellery you wear will proudly proclaim it.

HEAD:

Tikka The tikka is normally clipped into the head’s crown with a chain ending in the shape of a delicate symbol that dangles neatly on the forehead. Hair is usually styled with a middle parting to keep the tikka in place. This item is one of the most attractive items of bridal jewellery and is often seen as an extravagant version of the bindi.

Today they come in all sorts of designs that are embellished with a variety of precious and semi precious stones.

Jhummar The jhummar is a jewelled hair ornament that hangs over one side of the head. Often worn in accompaniment to the tikka, the pendant’s design is often more elaborate and showy as it serves to complement the face. But be sure that its shape is similar to the tikka to make the look more uniform.

Sahara An elaborate hair accessory that takes part of its shape from the tikka and the jhummar. In its most simplest of forms, the sahara has a central piece running down the head’s centre with an attachment on either side that runs along the front part of the hairline and clipped into the sides. But today the sahara can have many strands that run from the centre, with beads hanging off them.

ESSENTIAL JEWELLERY ADVICE When you walk into a jewellery store, you’re guaranteed to be dazzled. But bear in mind that the pieces are strategically placed on deep velvet to enhance their colour and softly bathed in light to add a sparkle and gleam the piece simply doesn’t possess.

To get a good idea of any piece you buy, insist on handling all jewellery and inspect them in natural light, to see how they look against your skin. It’s always a good idea to take a swatch of your wedding outfit to see how well they offset against them.

If you’re buying your jewellery abroad, be warned that they are unlikely to be carrying the Hallmark stamp of approval all jewellers in Britain have to adhere to. And just because a family member has given you jewellery as a gift – if it doesn’t match your look – don’t wear it.

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

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WEDDINGS Nathni The nath is a nosepiece in the shape of a ring with a chain, which normally hooks onto the ear. Traditionally a bride who doesn’t have her nose pierced, would be obliged to have it done especially for the wedding.

Thankfully for those dead set against the pain of piercing their noses times have changed where jewellers are creating painless pieces, that can be conveniently clipped inside the nostril – it’s as easy as that!

Earrings The earrings tend to be quite large, largely made of heavy gold accompanied by an adornment of precious stones.

Another popular type of earring is the jhumka which is bell shaped and made of solid gold.

If you are sensitive when it comes to heavy earrings sometimes they are attached to a string of pearls which can be held behind the ear lobe to support the weight and allow you to continue to look impressively elegant in manner and extravagant in taste.

HANDS AND ARMS:

Pancha The pancha is a bracelet with up to five chains running down the back of the hand ending in rings. These days, with convenience playing a big factor, many brides opt to wear a pancha with just one ring, as it looks more elegant as well as a little more manageable.

Kalireh The Kalireh is one of the items with a deeper meaning. It consists of a variety of bracelets, which have decorated coconut shapes and metal pieces hanging off them. It is meant to symbolise the bride travelling to

the new marital home, the coconuts showing that her stomach would never be empty and the jewels symbolising that she would always have money for himself.

Churha The churha is a set of dozen bangles in both red and cream given to the bride by her uncles.

Tradition says that they should be worn for as long as possible but the bride may remove them three days after the wedding if desired.

Kangaan Better known as bangles, the kangaan has become the most desired item of Indian jewellery to have made an impact among our western contemporaries.

These bangles come in a variety of colours mostly made of glass and tend to be worn not just by the bride but also by most of the women on auspicious occasions like a wedding. Many modern bangles have been turned into bracelets, made of gold and in some cases studded with precious stones. They are sold in sets of 24 but the gold bracelets can be worn individually depending on the desired look.

Rings The ring is not solely an Indian tradition; it is the most traditional and well-recognised form of wedding jewellery in any culture. The continuous circle is a symbol of continuous and never-ending love and fidelity. If your wedding is all about going traditional, you might want to consider wearing an arsi, a lavish thumb ring with a mirrored front. Suffice to say it’s not one for modern service, but it exudes exotic antiquity that would sway any traditional brides.

NECK:

Rani haar As its name suggests, the rani haar is one of the most majestic and stunning pieces of bridal jewellery. It comprises of a long necklace with a pendant attached that tends to be heavy and elaborate. Traditionally worn by queens and princesses to convey their important status, it is now available to all brides who want to look and feel like a dignified queen on their wedding day!

Mangalsutra One of the most important items of jewellery is the mangalsutra or ‘thread of goodwill’ which can be seen as an additional representative of the marriage union to the ring. It is usually a chain of black beads strung onto a black thread along with a gold pendant. Many women feel that there is a lot of prestige attached to the offering of the mangalsutra as it represents the love offered to them by their husbands. The black beads are seen to protect against evil, and so due to this significance, the mangalsutra remains the one piece that hasn’t been changed by modern trends.

FEET:

Payaal As the bride tends to be bare foot during the ceremony, the most popular item of jewellery worn is the payaal, a delicate anklet sometimes set with a variety of spherical balls that jingle with every movement.

However small rings can be worn around the toes known as bichua. These are silver and joined to the payaal with a chain.

• For a beautiful selection of jewellery designed to match your outfit, visit Variety Silk House, 148-152, Ealing Road, London HA0. www.varietysilkhouse.com

Friendly and affordable service for all occasions.

Book Sara A bridal hair and make up in December for only £250 (London only) For more information check my website www.saraa.co.uk or call 07579 111 222/07961 809 764 E: hsaraaziz@hotmail.com LIKE Sara A (Hair and Make-up)

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Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

BEAUTY

25 STEPS TO PERFECT SKIN We all want a clear and radiant complexion… it’s easy with our 25 supereffective skin care tips, expert tricks and essential buys, says Anjana Gosai 17

WINTER-PROOF YOUR BEAUTY ROUTINE The extreme change in temperature, moving from centrally heated offices to the cold outdoor chills, all contribute to making skin feel dry, flaky and sore.

Give tired skin a pep up with a fast-acting facemask. Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask, £38. The DIY facial in a jar works quickly to boost drained, dull or sluggish skin.

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It’s tempting to take long, hot baths and showers during the chilly winter mornings and evenings, but try not to. Bathing in hot water strips skin of its natural acid mantel, which leaves it prone to dryness.

Elizabeth King Principal of The Dr Haushcka Training School says: ‘After a party, the skin can look tired, grey and in many cases a little sensitive and blotchy. Start the next day by applying a warm face cloth to the skin and holding for a few seconds. The warmth relaxes and deep cleanses the pores. It also stimulates the skin’s functions and increases blood circulation allowing oxygen and vital nutrients to be delivered to the surface of the skin.’

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Winter means it’s time to switch to a richer moisturiser, but be wise when choosing your skincare products. What truly matters is not the price of your cream, but whether it’s right for your skin type. An expensive cream is not right for everyone, no matter how glamorous it looks on your dressing table. E45 Facial Enriching Day Cream (£4.99) and E45 Facial Renewing Night Cream (£5.99), are loved by savvy beauty types.

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Fake ‘awake-skin’ by treating your complexion to a specially formulated ice pack. Holistic facialist Ole Henriksen suggests making up some ice-cubes from a blend of cooled down rosehip tea, peppermint tea and red tea.

Wrap the ice in a flannel and stroke against cleansed skin for a healthy glow.

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‘During Winter’s low humidity, water is drawn out from the skin’, says Sally Penford of the International Dermal Institute. ‘To protect the skin’s natural barrier layer, avoid using soaps and alkaline-based products that can break it down. Try to avoid heavy, overly rich moisturisers, which can clog the skin. Instead, choose a product that will offer deep-down hydration as well as an SPF protection.’

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‘Late nights mean the body’s repairing process is disturbed therefore tiredness is obvious,’ says holistic skincare expert Bharti Vyas.

‘I would recommend a professional body massage – as it helps circulation (which also helps lymphatic drainage)’.

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Use Equazen’s Qarma (£7.99 for a month’s supply). The organic evening primrose oil supplement contains sources of GLA (Gamma Linoleic Acid), an essential fatty acid that helps keep the skin smooth, hydrated and strong enough to cope with the hazards of the English winter.

‘Everything slows down in winter, even our circulation. For healthy, radiant looking skin start the day with warm and cool compressing,’ advises Elizabeth King, Principal of The Dr Haushcka Training School. ‘Adding a few drops of the Dr Haushcka Lemon Bath, (£14) to your warm cleansing water not only gives you a fresh start but also energises your skin.’

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Dr Patrick Bowler, Medical Director of Court House Clinics and author of The Nervous Girls Guide to Nip & Tuck says, ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder also affects our skin because if we feel bad, we look bad! Regular use of a super moisturiser containing potent antioxidants help to

Take a long soak using Aromatherapy Associates Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil, £28. It contains a refreshing and stimulating wake-up blend of orange, grapefruit and rosemary – the perfect antidote for over indulgence the night before.

Frankincense Oil, £6.99 (available at Boots). The two-in-one exfoliator and moisturiser is created by fusing nutrient rich dead sea salts with frankincense aromatherapy oil.

Give puffy eyes some extra special TLC by using a refreshing eye gel. Avoid using creams, as the eyes can’t tolerate their richness.

Use Skin Wisdom Double Action Plumping Serum (£7.97), which helps tired eyes drain the build-up of toxicity caused by overindulgence on alcohol and late nights.

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Wear an SPF of at least 15 all year round – yes, even during the winter! It will help prevent sun damage and pigmentation.

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PREVENT MORNING-AFTER-SKIN Ah, life’s excesses! Late night partying may seem fun at the time, but you’re bound to feel the toll taken on our skin the next day.

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AVOID LACKLUSTRE & SEASONAL PROBLEMATIC SKIN ‘Tis the season to be lazy! Dull, lifeless skin is prone to problems and is especially common during the colder months. Don’t wait for spring for it to sort itself out.

keep the skin hydrated and balanced.’ Try Vitage Age Defense Hydrator SPF 15 (£36) during the day and Age Defense Repairer (£40) at night.

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Use an exfoliator at least twice a week followed by a rich and comforting moisturiser. A weekly application of facemasks is a great way to give the skin a surge of moisture.

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Warm caffeinated drinks are tempting during the winter, but are extremely dehydrating. Cut down your intake as much as possible.

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Invest time in yourself. Your skin reflects your overall wellbeing, so if you enjoy a healthy lifestyle, it will show.

Our skin relies on lipids for the retention of water, without which it dries and eventually wrinkles. But lipid levels decline with age. Use Dr Denese HydroShield Ultra Moisturising Serum (£69.95 - 0870 1900 003), which contains a perfect replica of the skin’s own lipids that works to quench dehydrated skin and dramatically soften the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

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Central heated rooms are extremely dehydrating for the skin. If you don’t have a humidifying system, consider buying one. These will help keep skin and nasal passages from drying out.

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The skin cannot breathe under clothes which causes dead, dry skin cells to build up.

Exfoliate regularly to help shed dead skin build up.

Try the Malki Dead Sea Body Scrub with

Latest research by Vaseline Intensive Care found that 60 per cent of us are suffering from a ‘skin drought’ and have chronically dehydrated skin, which is dull, rough and sensitive.

By moisturising daily we can significantly increase the water content in our skin and keep it in optimum condition. This is particularly important for skin that is constantly being dried out by central-heated offices and extreme changes in weather.

Alcohol is a nightmare for the skin. Try not to drink more than 15 units a week, as excess alcohol is extremely dehydrating. Take preventative measures to avoid hangovers and the dreaded morning-after skin by keeping moisture levels boosted. Drink a glass of water after each glass of alcohol, as well as before going to bed.

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Dump the fags. Some smells can’t be washed away. Our skin holds onto the chemicals in tobacco smoke, so you’ll still smell like an ashtray long after you finish your cigarette. On top of that, sucking on a cigarette requires constant pursing of the lips, which can bring on wrinkles around the mouth line. The good news is that when you stop smoking, your body starts to repair itself and you’ll notice the difference within a week. For information on how to stop, log onto www.uglysmoking.info

‘The latest skin biology finding is inflammation is the root of the problem for dark circles’, says Maleka Dattu, General Manager for Origins UK. ‘The area around the eye is the most delicate skin on the face. Because of this, dark circles, puffiness, bagginess and fluid retention are more visible.’ She recommends using Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Eye Serum (£35), designed to address eye area inflammation.

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Get great skin from within, by investing in a daily supplement such VegEPA, £11.95. It includes omega-3 fatty acids and evening primrose oil, to help nourish the skin, hair and nails. Daily use will also help to boost brain function, so you feel healthier too.

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‘Use products containing mild AHA formulas as they can help to eradicate dead skin cells from the skin’s surface,’ advises Bharti Vyas, holistic expert and creator of the Skin Wisdom range. Try the Skin Wisdom Instant Benefits Revitalising Peel Off Mask (£7.97), which also contains witchazel that works to strengthen the small blood vessels under the skin that are prone to burst and cause redness – especially when the skin is exposed to changing temperatures.

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

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BEAUTY

FESTIVAL BEAUTY TREATS 1. THE LUCKY BOYFRIEND With Skyfall fever sweeping the nation, you’ve probably noticed changes in your boyfriend’s behaviour – more of a swagger, the need for speed and perhaps he’s drinking more Martinis? Well wait until he sets his eyes on this 007 Limited Edition Gold perfume (£24.50) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the greatest spy on the planet. A scent and gadget in one, the cap rotates like a secret weapon…it’s almost too fun to spray! (www.theperfumeshop.com)

MODEL WATCH:: STUTTEE MEHRA

How did you get into modelling?

I’ve always admired the world of fashion through fashion magazine but it was never something I saw myself doing... However when I went on to take a year out from my studies after college I was recommended and subsequently introduced in to the world of promotional and commercial modeling by a friend.

This then led to me developing my portfolio in fashion, beauty, editorial &commercial modeling and as a result being signed by some of the best agencies and getting a a 10 page fashion editorial and 2 page beauty spread in one of the leading fashion magazines in the UK. What struggles did you initially go through to become a model?

As I said I never really believed in myself to become a model, and so my disbelief in my credibility was possibly my greatest struggle in become a model. But the people I have worked with have been very nurturing, whether that would be a compliment or a criticism- I always try and better myself which has helped me progress and better myself as a model in the long run.

Modelling highlights?

Although I have done modeling jobs that are more “credible” than other my favorite jobs are always the most natural and creative. I find I have done some of my best work when I’ve just spent the day giggling on set!

Model stereotype that frustrates you the most?

People always have a preconceived notion about models being very beautiful and living a very rock and roll life style. And although that may be true for some models, this really isn’t applicable to the majority. In my opinion the most successful models lead a more disciplined and balanced life style and may not necessarily be beautiful but are always comfortable in their own skin.

You seem to prefer the moody look…

My job as a model is to deliver “the look” this admittedly is often the moody look- but it’s not a matter of preference per se.

Is there pressure to be a size zero in the industry?

I think it depends on the field of modeling you want to go into- in fashion modeling I would say there is pressure to remain relatively slim (not necessarily a size zero), however in commercial modeling a slightly curvier figure is better received by clients. I do think it’s a shame

How do you keep fit?

I’m very lucky in that I am naturally very slim, but I do lead a very active lifestyle and am constantly on the move. In fact, living and commuting in London, I have a habit of never standing still on escalators and so chose to walk.

I also like to be careful with what I eat, and try to ensure I have my five a day, minimize on carbs, maximize on proteins and rarely eat oily/fatty foods.

How image-conscious are you?

I do think it is important to portray yourself in a particular/ professional manner. In the words of Shakespeare “ All the world’s a stage...” So I do think I am conscious of the way I project myself and always try to be a good role model.

Dream modelling job?

I would love to grace the cover of Vogue India, I love their trends and styles and having grown up in India, this was my fashion bible (after my mum had read it of course)!

Wardrobe essentials?

Blazers, Blazers and more blazers! Anyone who knows me, knows I live, breathe and sleep in blazers! I feel like they grace the female figure so perfectly. A well tailored blazer can perfect any outfit- whether that be a casual denim look, a dressed up look or office wear- a nice blazer is just my go to!

2. MAKE MUM’S DAY Giving someone a gift that says ‘antiageing’ on it may not sound like a good thing but it is, when it’s by SriVectin.

After all, it’s the brand celebrities flock to, young and old, from fresh-faced Kelly Osbourne to the flawless Kylie Minogue. Inside the StriVectin Healthy Skin Blockbuster Kit (£89) your mum will be treated to six intensive products that will banish signs of looking weary, giving her a radiant, beautifying boost.

Containing six goodies including a concentrate for stretch marks and wrinkles, power serum, sculpting face and neck cream and a volumising hand treatment - skin is left, firm and fabulous. Expect a top up request for Mother’s Day. (www.debenhams.com) 3. DAD’S DELIGHT Don’t let your pa feel left out when it comes to giving out beauty products – after all, he deserves some pampering too! The sleek Jetset Travel Collection from Elemis (£48) contains a deep cleanse face wash, shave gel, scrub, moisture boost and body wash and with its elegant packaging and smart wash bag, you can guarantee it will get your dad’s thumbs up. (www.elemis.com) 4. TEENAGE SISTER’S WISH LIST When we heard there was an eyeshadow called Eid Moon, we knew we had to get our hands on one! Part of the collection by Samina Pure Make-Up, The Warm Natural Make-Up Kit (£23)

is a great introduction to make-up newbie’s (i.e. teenagers) as the products are natural, and come in classic shades.

The brand is the first Halal approved beauty one in Europe and the kits include lipgloss, instant glow blush and crushed mineral eyeshadow. (www.saminapuremakeup.co.uk) 5. BIG BRO SORTED Lots of lovely goodies and a tin to keep them in, (which your brother can later keep ‘man things’ in afterwards - every boy has a tin for that sort of thing). The Bulldog range is the UK’s largest skincare brand for men and they know exactly what men like and need for their skin. The range is packed with natural ingredients like green tea, aloe vera and jojoba and no chemical nasties.

Wash bags and mugs are also available but we love the Expert Skincare Tin (£20). (www.boots.com and Sainsbury’s) 6. THE SPECIAL GIRLFRIEND The gift every girl deserves; a luxury suitcase filled with full size versions of all Elemis’s best-loved products (£195).

Inside are their award-winning favourites Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, Oxygenating Night Cream, Quartz Lift Mask, Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser and Soothing Apricot Toner. Treat yourself if you’ve got no one to buy this for you! (www.elemis.com) 7. BEST FRIEND FOREVER If you’re missing nights in with your besties watching Sex & The City, fear not, the new series (the younger years – in case you’ve ever wondered what Carrie wore when she was a teenager) is about to hit the screens. Get in the mood with one of these decadent new fragrance gift sets (£29.95) – one for day and one for night. Inside is a gorgeous crystal topped eau de parfum body and deodorant body spray. With hints of pear blossom, vanilla orchid and fruity pomegranate…it’s a scent that for sharing (hopefully she’ll get this for you too). (www.hbouk.com/store)

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DRIFT AWAY TO DISTANT SHORES Shine like the stars NOT everyone has the time or money to get their locks regularly tended to. Which is why hair expert Scott Cornwall came up with an idea...one that were pleased to report actually works! Shine On Original is a professional conditioning hair glaze that gives your hair a lustrous look that lasts for up to 24 washes. In each kit you’ll find three bottles, a cleansing shampoo, developer cream and collogen shine cream (the secret ingredient!) These are applied to the hair then washed out. Your hair can then be dried and styled as normal.

The results? You’ll have seriously satisfying shiny hair that feels like you really have stepped out of a salon - and all for just £12.99.

Shine On is available from Boots and www.keepmeinspired.co.uk

SUMMER may be a distant memory but thankfully you can still bring a touch of the tropics to your bathroom with the Distant Shores range by Champneys. Combining exotic scents with bright, summery packaging, just one shower with these treats will help you smile in the face of grey skies.

The range starts from £8 and you can also purchase the set as a travel sized collection for £12. For the ultimate blissful bathtime, start your regime in the bathtub by pouring a cap of Distant Shores Bubble Heaven (£12) into running water for a decadent – ideal after a stressful day at work – retreat. It’s uplifting blend of fruity extracts with

warming cedarwood creates a relaxing, warming cocoon for a bath experience that feels more like you’re on an island spa. Polish your skin with a squirt of Shower Mousse, (£8) and exfoliate with the nourishing Body Scrub (£10).

The delicious extracts of grapefruit, lemon and orange peel oils blended with scrummy mango really will make you feel like you’re on a tropical island. Finally let the scent stay with you all day and moisturise at the same time by smoothing on the rich Body Butter (£10) or Dry Body Oil (£10). All you need now is a swimsuit…and a few palm trees!

• www.champneys.com

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Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

HEALTH

BROKEN CYCLE

An estimated 40% of asian women suffer from the menstrual condition polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

It takes many women years of suffering to find out about it RUPAL KOTECHA’S STORY

The first time I realised there was something not quite right physically with me was when I was 15 years old. After four years of irregular and absent periods (the most unreliable menstrual cycle possible), being overweight (even though I ate less than anyone else at school and at home) and feeling like something furry enough to belong in a zoo – I decided to approach my doctor.

active and didn’t eat much), very irregular, and when they did arrive, extremely heavy periods (which led to many a humiliating ‘leaking’ situation). I kept it all a well guarded secret by putting on a brave and confident face, removing all signs of unwanted body hair every day – which included shaving my arms, legs and what provided the most unfeminine feeling of all: shaving my face. Even though I had relationships, once guys realised I wasn’t as confident as I seemed and was quite non committal they soon backed away. Added to that were jibes from aunties who said I’d He suggested it was just puberty never find a nice boy if I didn’t lose weight.

My breakthrough came in 2002. I was affecting me more than my teenage peers and to leave it a few years and it would reading a weekly magazine when I noticed ‘settle’. I knew deep down that he didn’t an article on a syndrome called Polycystic have a clue what was wrong with me, but I Ovaries. Looking through the symptoms knew there was something definitely ‘not and seeing them match my own, made me quite right’. The following seven years I feel like crying with relief that I knew what went through periods of low self esteem, was wrong with me. All these years of my mood swings, putting on a further four GP not knowing what was wrong with me stone in weight (even though I was quite and here it was in a woman’s weekly magazine. I decided to get a proper diagnosis from a new GP and after a scan she confirmed that I did indeed have cysts on my ovaries and put me onto the Contraceptive Pill called Dianette to The cysts are not harmful. But regulate my menstrual cycle. But even the hormonal imbalances which though I knew the name that was causing cause PCOS can make women the abnormalities, I did not receive any susceptible to certain health more advice from my new GP about what problems later in life.

I could do, apart from take Dianette, to • Women who have very alleviate my symptoms. infrequent periods – less than I found myself searching the internet four a year – have an increased and found a vast amount of information risk of a type of cancer of the (most of which required medical training womb lining. Fortunately, this to understand). cancer is quite rare and the risk Finally, I came across Verity, a self-help can be greatly minimised by group for women with Polycystic Ovary having regular periods which can Syndrome (PCOS). Using their userbe made possible by taking the friendly information, I have managed to oral contraceptive pill. shed a total of four stone in weight and • As we have said above women although it has been a struggle, the wealth who have PCOS also have an of information Verity provided me about insulin resistance, which can Polycystic Ovary Syndrome made it increase the risk of type 2 possible. They explained about all the diabetes. This is more likely to symptoms, ways to alleviate them and occur with women who are gave me information about a whole host overweight. This insulin of other treatments. I would like to share resistance can also cause heart some of the most crucial parts of this disease later in life. information with you:

What are the health risks?

Why PCOS effects Asian women more than those from other ethnic backgrounds Dr Shirine Boardman, Consultant Diabetologist and Endocrinologist (Hormonal Disorders) at Warwick Hospital explains: ‘35 - 40% of Asian women have PCOS. It is thought to be a hereditary as well as a genetic factor. Asian women are known to be more insulin resistant which can lead to being up to six times more likely to develop diabetes later in life. Therefore Asian women are also more disposed to developing PCOS.’ Is PCOS treatable?

Medical treatments can only help manage the symptoms of PCOS, such as hirsutism, weight loss and so on. The good news is that many of the symptoms and health risks related to PCOS can be managed successfully without medical help through good nutrition, exercise, and adopting generally healthy lifestyle.

Dr Shireen Boardman, Consultant Diabetologist and Endocrinologist (Hormonal Disorders), Warwick Hospital tells us: ‘Exercise and diet are key areas PCOS sufferers should be concentrating on. Losing weight through regular exercise alleviates many of the symptoms. This along with a Low GI diet (which means minimising refined carbohydrates such as sugar, biscuits, crisps, white bread, soft drinks, chocolate etc) can greatly improve a PCOS sufferer’s lifestyle and reduce health risks.

‘There are various drugs on the market that can control insulin levels such as Metformin a drug traditionally used for diabetics, as well as weight loss drugs called Reductil. Vaniqa is a new cream on the market (prescription only) to combat hirsutism, and I have found it to work immensely well with my Asian and nonAsian patients. To regulate periods and reduce the male hormone I usually prescribe oral contraceptives such as Dianette or Yasmin. There are many other drugs on the market, but I find it’s better to assess the individual patient and their needs.

‘Some women prefer to take a holistic

WHAT IS POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS)?

•IN CYST ON TRUTH Rupal is happier now that she knows about PCOS but urges other women to become more informed approach and will concentrate on diet, exercise and wellbeing. Women with PCOS find that they have higher stress levels and many women have alternative therapies to alleviate this stress such as acupuncture, reflexology and homeopathy.

Currently GPs do not have a great deal of knowledge about PCOS. Verity and consultants around the country are trying to raise awareness of PCOS through conferences and increasing the availability of information on the syndrome. Verity’s aim is provide PCOS sufferers with the basic information to educate themselves before they go to their GP and so that they can ask to be referred to a specialist.

Verity’s discussion boards, conferences and user organised self help groups all provide a supportive and educational function for all their members.’

• For further details on Verity, log onto www.verity-pcos.org.uk

SONAL PATEL’S STORY

•ALL CLEAR NOW Sonal realises it was PCOS and ignorance that made her suffer such humilation

I’m Asian and have suffered from PCOS since I was 18 (well it was diagnosed then). I spent years being fat, spotty and hairy and do feel that I wasted/lost a huge part of my 20’s due to the symptoms.

My mum used to make me cry when I was younger when hairs starting developing. She used to tell me it was because I didn’t wash properly or because I was a bad girl. Fairly typical comments from the Asian community I think who don’t really acknowledge how many Asian women are deeply affected by PCOS. When I went to India and went to have my face threaded, the therapist made me cry by calling me a man and laughing and completely humiliating me in front of a room full of people.

When I first developed PCOS, I gained two stone in two months and developed lots of stretch marks because of the rapid weight gain. I hated my body and would never wear a sari. My family used to say that I was too fat and ugly to get married which

really upset me. Now they leave me alone (partly as I have distanced myself from them and their jibes), but the comments have left a scar.

When I was 25, I moved to London to work in cosmetic surgery. I had to put up with lots of horrid comments from patients about my skin and hair and it really got me down. I really wanted laser hair removal but there was no way I could afford it. The only way I could afford it was when I got a job as a laser hair therapist in the hope I could get treated.

However, I had to wait a few years until the company bought a laser that was suitable for Asian skin types. As I was the only Asian in the company, the laser became my ‘baby’ as it were, and I was responsible for treating all Asian patients and then eventually training other nurses.

I also took Metformin for about a year and lost a stone in weight. Weight loss coupled with the hair free skin really improved my looks and confidence.

The ailment is still there but the humilation is over.

Polycystic Ovaries (PCO) is the term that describes ovaries that contain many small cysts (which are no bigger than 8mm each) which sit just below the surface of the ovaries.

These cysts contain eggs that have not developed properly because of hormonal imbalances.

Polycystic Ovaries Syndrome (PCOS) is the name give to a condition when women who have Polycystic Ovaries (PCO) as well one or more of the following additional symptoms.

What are the symptoms of PCOS? • Irregular periods on no periods at all • Unwanted facial and/or body hair (which is known as hirsutism) • Oily skin, acne • Thinning hair or loss of hair from the scalp (alopecia) • Weight problems which can range from being overweight, rapid weight gain, difficulty in losing weight (especially around the stomach area) • Depression and mood changes • Reduced fertility, difficulty in becoming pregnant and recurrent miscarriages Not all women will experience all of these symptoms, some women may only have mild symptoms and others will have more severe symptoms. These symptoms usually start during puberty but some women develop them in their early to mid-twenties.

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

31

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Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

BLOGGED ON

The think tank Our regular spotlight on a blog to log onto Name: Shraddha Gurung Name of Blog: Shraddha Thinks www.shraddhathinks.blogspot.co.uk

How long have you been blogging?

I have been blogging for about three and half months.

How did the idea of blogging come about?

I have always loved writing and used to write for my school magazines as well.

Although I never saw being a journalist as a career, I have always wanted to voice my opinions through articles. As an Editor In Chief for my school magazine, I used to encourage juniors and seniors to write. After writing reports on London Fashion Week for a media company, my love for writing grew even more. I think the power of a pen is incomparable. Therefore, when one writes on topical issues, it normally gives people a second thought and an initiation of discussion. All I needed was a medium to voice my thoughts and that’s how ‘Shraddha thinks’ was born.

What is your blog about?

My blog doesn’t have a set theme. I write on issues from pop culture to politics. It is in human nature to follow the crowd on the basis of what they hear be it true or false. My blog post views on the same argument but from a different side and in that way it avoids everyone following the Pied Piper.

How many hours a week do you spend blogging?

Being a full time student and working alongside for charity organisations, I rarely get time to blog. But when I do get time, I give myself plenty of time to write an article that is worth reading.

How often do you update your blog?

My aim is to update my blog at least three times a week.

What is your greatest accomplishment in Blogging?

The comments I receive from my readers. When I first started writing, my only aim was to change people’s one way thinking and inform them about on-going issues. Despite living in a modern era, I often find that people are still prejudiced and base their judgment on past. When I was able to remark on such issues and received positive feedback, I was overjoyed.

What has been your greatest challenge?

Giving my blog the time it deserves. I can write an article in a short period time but it wouldn’t be a good read. I appreciate that people spend time and read my blog and share amongst their friends so I feel it is my duty to give my full attention to the blog when I can.

How many people read your blog?

I don’t count the number of views daily but I was surprised to find that I have readers from USA to Hong Kong.

Do you get upset if you don’t get any feedback on your blogs?

I have always gotten feedback for my blog even if it’s via tweet or email. I wouldn’t get upset but it’s always good to hear what people have to say.

Do you have a personal favourite blog or blogger?

I am a bit old fashioned when it comes to reading blog online. I read The Times on weekends as they tend to cover varied topics from entertainment to travel. But if I had to pick an aspiring blogger it will have to Lex Limbu. (www.lexlimbu.com). It’s the easiest way to get updated with news relating to my homeland, Nepal.

What do you do that is considered unconventional in the blogging world?

We all find it easy to express our opinions in a group rather than standing out from the crowd. Some people may be afraid of people’s preconceived notions and nasty comments so they keep their ideas and beliefs to themselves. I consider people’s feelings and sensitivity when I write but voice my opinions freely. In future I would like to explore and write about things that are taboo in our society.

Why do some people start a blog and then give up after a while?

Blogging takes times and patience. You have to keep your readers interested and it can be difficult to do so at times.

I think when people lack commitment or feedback from their readers; they give up after a while.

Who is your biggest influence?

My Grandfather. He used to encourage me towards learning new things. This led me into discovering new ideas and achieving greater experience.

What advice would you like to share with fellow bloggers?

I am still learning myself but if I had to give advice it would be to be patient and read all your feedback.

If someone was interested in blogging, what would you suggest?

Read extensively. It can be journals or editorials. It helps improve your writing style and that way you learn something new every day.

What do you do when you aren’t blogging?

I work with Asian Mahila Association as an Online Marketing Co-ordinator and help them organise and market their events and work. Apart from that I enjoy Bollywood dance and have been dancing since I was three. So in my spare time I perform at charity shows.

HOROSCOPES ARIES

March 21 - April 20

It’s time to pay attention to all those relationships outside of your usual comfort zone. It’s easy to ignore them under the assumption that you simply cam’t be bothered, but in reality, a lot of it is to do with cowardice. Opening yourself up to people who will welcome you in brings greater opportunities, plus, if you carry on holding tightly to your existing circle, someone might well start feeling suffocated.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

You’re not the only one worrying about money, but that doesn’t mean you should accept things are hard all over. You need to think carefully about a financial transaction this week. Panicing won’t help, but nor will throwing caution to the wind. It’s time to start thinking like an accountant and balance your expectations against possibilities in a realistic way. Play your cards right and this gloom should pass in time for the big freeze.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

The short term has a habit of working out, but it can often take up valuable time and energy you need to invest in your long term goals.

You know more than anyone that your career isn’t where it should be, but it pays the bills right? True, but if you want fulfilment and better prospect, now is the right time to broaden your interests and considering a wider range of possibilities.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

The key word to sum up your state of mind at the moment is ‘stress’.

You’re feeling both physically and spiritually drained, and what’s making matters worse is the negative thinking that’s going with it. You can’t hope to feel better when you’ve convinced yourself everything is working against you. Take some time out to unwind, and focus on what needs to be done and how you can achieve them with positive outcomes.

LEO

July 23 – August 23

It’s the old battle between ‘need’ and ‘want’, and need seems to winning hands down. This has been causing you a great deal of frustration, but that doesn’t mean you have to feel like you must forego the things you crave. A lot of the things you need, dull as they may seem when compared to your desires, but don’t forget: if you didn’t have those things you need, you’d almost certainly want them!

VIRGO

August 24 - September 22

Pride gets you every time. You don’t want to back down, but in your sense of righteousness, you’ve forgotten that actually, you want everything to be okay. At the end of the day, a little apology on your part might seem hard to swallow, but the end result in happiness for all involved. It’s understandable not to cave in when dealing with an enemy, but this is someone who loves you. Say the magic words!

LIBRA

September 23 - October 23

Your confidence is one of the most charming things about you, but on the downside, your overestimation of your abilities are far from endearing - especially when it’s likely to let other people down. There’s nothing wrong with accepting your limits. You will be far more respected if you say ‘this is as much as I can do’, than if you promise the world and fail to deliver. Your best is always good enough.

SCORPIO

October 24 - November 22

How creative do you feel right now? Don’t let all that pent-up energy go to waste. Find your outlet and express yourself. Whatever your artistic leaning, remember to do it for passion, not validation. On the romantic front, you will find it easier to work out the differences with your partner and not allow your temper to get the better of you. After all, this is your time to express yourself. Use truth as your main tool.

SAGITTARIUS

November 23 - December 21

The communication breakdown that’s been affecting your love life needs fixing and fast. The longer you maintain the fault lies elsewhere, the harder it will be to resolve the issue. Perhaps you’re not ready to admit to yourelf that a lot of this has to do with your own insecurities.

You don’t have to admit as much to the other half, but you need to recognise it so you can offer a solid solution before it all falls apart.

CAPRICORN

December 22 - January 20

The thing with ignoring issues is that it actually works - if it’s out of your mind, it can’t be a big deal. Only it is. And the problem isn’t going to go away, in fact, it will only get worse the longer you leave it. The issue with your family, for instance. What you’re reading as apprehension is being seen by them as a lack of consideration. Allow words that need to be said to be spoken and it’s problem solved!

AQUARIUS

January 21 – February 18

Not sure whether you should let your hair down and play? Go for it.

What’s holding you back is that you don’t have a longing to do any one thing in particular, and the options that are open don’t seem exactly party time. Take the responsibility for deciding what constitutes as a fun time out of your hands and let your friends show you a good time. Pick up the phone and let them be your playground guide...

PISCES

February 19 - March 20

You suddenly have more work on your plate than ever before and your confidence is beginning to be affected. Sometimes you feel like you’re simply not up to it, as though you’re a charlatan who has been tricking others into believing you’re up to the job. Instead of letting it bring you down, hone in on the skills you think could be bettered, and apply yourself. The only way to be better is to be open to learning.

ask Neelam

Should I keep paying while I’m jobless?

Dear Neelam,

I’VE just got together with my girlfriend and she thinks it’s really gentlemanly that I insist on paying for everything.

However, I’ve recently lost my job and don’t have enough funds to keep doing this. I’m worried she’ll think I was only pretending to be generous to reel her in.

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

33

GOT SOMETHING ON YOUR MIND? SHARE IT, HALVE IT, LET NEELAM SORT IT e: neelam@asiancity.co.uk

‘A BODY TO CRY FOR’ Dear Neelam,

WHEN I fell for him, I loved that my boyfriend worked out, but now I know this means him spending four hours in the gym everyday. I don’t know where I fit in!

Neelam says..

I’ve heard so many men complain of the opposite (‘she’s so sexy, but we have nothing in common’), that I have to ask you the same thing I ask them: if you went for someone purely on looks, aren’t you the shallow one? Personally, I believe women make themselves look good to keep a partner, while men do it to get a few more, but let’s assume he has eyes for you alone and that you two have a solid connection. I’m sure you’ve told him that his constant pumping leaves you feeling lonely and insecure, but have you checked whether he thinks you only find him attractive because of his body?

Have you assured him you’ll fancy him even if he put on a few pounds? Tell him the relationship can only grow if he gives you quality time (that means fresh and not tired and sweaty post-gym). Also, does he really need to spend four hours in the gym every day? If so, that's a lot of time working out! We all need time off from each other now and then, but four hours every day does seem a little excessive.

Maybe talk to him and see if he could cut down how many hours he does at the gym. Four hours a day equates to more than a whole day every week.

That's a lot of time for pumping iron and not a lot of time for anything else! And if you can’t beat him, you can always join him. Once he sees you get hot and sweaty in skimpy gym clothes, he’ll probably have other things on his mind anyway!

Neelam says..

You should be more worried about what she’ll think when she realises you’ve already mentally branded her a gold digger, even though you’re sure you haven’t. Any self-respecting woman will be horrified at the notion of being thought of being someone who won’t pay her own way. The key word in your letter is that you ‘insist’ on paying – she hasn’t demanded you do so I’m afraid this situation is all your doing. Now, if she really is someone you can see yourself building a relationship with, money shouldn’t be an issue. If you ask me where I’d like to dine, I’ll say Nobu, but if you tell me that’s out of your budget, I’ll happily settle for Nando’s. She’s agreed to be your girlfriend, so she will clearly care that you lost your job. It’s the only way you can work out a solution together.

And if she rejects you because you’re poor, then she isn’t worth it. But promise me this. Do not, under any circumstance, ask her to lend you money. Ever.

NEELAM’S COMMANDMENTS

Thou shalt be confident within thyself

CAN FRIENDSHIP TURN INTO REAL LOVE? Dear Neelam,

WHEN I first met my male friend, I fancied him something rotten, but he was in a relationship so I put it out of my mind. Two years down the line, he’s single and I’ve been helping through his break-up and I’ve started fancying him again. But now we are in the ‘friend zone’, I’m afraid if I get it wrong we’ll ruin what we have…

Neelam says..

THE ‘friend zone’ is a tricky place to be for potential daters, but sexist as it may sound, it’s often more problematic when it’s the male friend who suddenly claims to have fallen for the female. When it happens to us, we think ‘here we go again, my friends warned me this would happen’, but

you’re lucky because the opposite isn’t generally considered a classic irritation.

You don’t want the ‘what if’ to forever plague you, so personally, I’d take the risk. The first thing to do is assess whether he might feel the same about you. He clearly likes and trusts you, and a simple question about what kind of girls he’d like to go out with next should give you the right indication. Then, after mentally preparing for not getting the answer you want, choose a moment to tell him how you feel.

Just remember, he’s vulnerable and lonely, so might go along with the idea for some comfort or esteem boost. This isn’t always the best start to a relationship, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about rebounds. Tread carefully, for the sake of both your hearts.

Testament: A woman happy being herself is always more attractive than one on a constant mission to impress. Stop projecting an image of what you think a man would like and instead concentrate on letting your best qualities shine through your personality.

If you believe a guy is too good for you, so will he.

Absolution: If going to the gym makes you feel happy, go for it. But ultimately, you’re more likely to pull a suitable boy if you sharpen your wit, widen your interests and brush up on your intelligence. The more you know about the world, the more secure you feel and the less you fear other people.

Redemption: You have to believe in yourself. Because if you don’t think you’ve got what it takes, don’t expect other people to find it for you.

LOVE FACT

Roses are a traditional symbol of love and, depending on their colour, can suggest different nuances of love. For example, red roses indicate passion and true love. Light pink suggests desire, passion, and energy; dark pink suggests gratitude. Yellow roses can mean friendship or jealousy. A lavender or thornless rose can mean love at first sight. White roses mean virtue or devotion.

34

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

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Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

35

FOOD GOSHT KI TAHAREE

•COOK Sherin Jos Payyappilly

Home style WE ALL know that the best curries are homemade, but it’s rare that you’ll get anyone outside of your family complimenting your cuisine, unless you’re Sherin Jos Payyappilly. The Keralan born doctor, who lives in Bourneville had her speciality dish spotted by the experts and included in a new book, that showcases the tastiest, home-cooked dishes in the country.

Sherin’s Keralan Prawn Biryani has long been a family favourite, she explains: ‘This biriyani recipe has been in my family for years as we use a lot of fish in cooking in my native Kerala. As well as using prawns instead of fish when I came to the UK, I also decided to use a microwave to help speed up the cooking time, something no one would ever do in India’! Sherin knew that her Keralan prawn biryani was popular as everyone who tasted it at her house has requested second helpings, but she was surprised when she heard it had been picked up by Flora.

The brand recently conducted research into eating habits and discovered that most people don’t use the recipe books they own as they are too complicated, so they decided to bring out a new style of book, where every dish is quick and easy. The team tested over 100 family recipes and chose people from around the country selecting the ‘best’ dishes that everyone can enjoy Sherin’s biriyani was one of the few selected Indian dishes. Edited by top chef Jean-Christope Novelli, Sherin’s dish was awarded best biriyani for its simplicity, creative and Sherin Jos Payyappilly taste!

Flora Cuisine’s new cook book is out soon.

PUDINA AUR DHANIYA CHAWAL MINT AND CORIANDERFLAVOURED RICE Ingredients: Serves four-six

RICE DREAMS You’ve made your bed of rice, lay into it!

LAMB AND RICE COOKED TOGETHER IN MILD SPICES

• 1 tsp / 1 1/2 gm coriander powder • 1 tsp / 1 1/2 gm cumin powder • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder Ingredients: • 1 tsp/ 2 gm red chilli powder Serves four • 1/2 tbsp/ 12 gm ginger, chopped • 2 cups/ 400 gm basmati rice, washed in a number of changes of water, soaked in • 1/2 tbsp/ 12 gm garlic, chopped • 1/2 tbsp/ 2 gm green coriander, chopped water cover for 30 minutes, drained • 2 green chillies, slit • 250 gm lamb, cut into 1 inch cubes • 1/2 cup/ 100 ml refined oil Preparation: • 1 1/2 cups/ 180 gm onions, sliced Heat the oil in a deep pan; add the • Salt to taste onions and sauté until light brown.

• Grind to a paste and mix with 1/2 cup Reduce heat to low and add the yoghurt yoghurt: and spice mixture.

Mix well and continue to fry until the yoghurt is absorbed. Add the lamb and salt.

Add enough water so that all is absorbed when the lamb is tender.

Cook on low heat until the lamb is tender.Add the drained rice and stir slowly to mix well.

Add 4 cups of water and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat and cook until the rice is tender and fluffy and all the water is absorbed.

Mix very carefully and serve garnished with green coriander and green chillies.

MEWA KA ZARDA RICE PUDDING ENRICHED WITH DRIED FRUIT Ingredients: Serves four • 2 cups basmati rice, soaked in water for 1 hour • 1 cup/ 200 ml refined oil • 4 cups/800 ml milk • 1 1/2 tsp/ 3 gm powdered green cardamom seeds • 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder • 1/2 tsp mace powder • 1/2 tsp saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp hot milk • 1/2 cup/50 gm coarsely ground charoli seeds • 16/20 gm almonds, blanched, peeled & sliced • 20/25 gm cashew nuts, sliced • 2 1/2 cups / 375 gm sugar

• 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in water for 15 minutes, drained Preparation: Heat the oil in a deep pan until it becomes hot.

Add the drained rice, stir gently before slowly adding the milk – continuously stirring to ensure a smooth mix.

Cover the rice until it is cooked and the milk is fully absorbed.

Mix in the green cardamom, nutmeg and mace powders with the saffron milk. Add the saffron mixture, charoli seeds, almonds, cashew nuts, raisin and the sugar to the rice. Mix well.

Cover the pan with a tight lid and place in a preheated oven (100 °C/212°F) for 10-12 minutes.

• 2 cups basmati rice • 1/2 tsp saffron • 1/2 cup ghee/ refined oil • 1 cinnamon stick, 2” piece • 1 clove • 2 tsp ginger, minced • 1 1/2 cups/ 300 gm yoghurt, whisked • 1 onion, large, finely chopped • 3 tbsp green coriander, finely chopped • 1 tbsp mint leaves, finely chopped • 2 tsp white pepper powder • Salt to taste Preparation: Put the drained rice in a pan and add water to just about cover it. Add saffron and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain all the excess water. Keep aside.

Heat the ghee / oil in a wok (kadhai); add the cinnamon stick and cloves. Sauté until they crackle. Add the ginger and stir. Add the drained rice and stir until it is well coated with the oil. Add the yoghurt, onion, green coriander, mint leaves, white pepper powder and salt. Cook, covered, on very low heat until the rice is cooked and the yoghurt is absorbed.

36

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

TRAVEL

DIVE INTO MALDIVES

SUN, sand and sea, a thousand islands to inspire a thousand Robinson Crusoe stories, massive lagoons with different depths and infinite shades of blue and turquoise, dazzling underwater coral gardens; a perfect natural combination for the ideal tropical honeymoon destination. Maldives is all that and more.

A string of pearls scattered over the deep blue Indian Ocean – the first glimpse you get of this fascinating atollformation confirms two unique aspects of the Republic of Maldives. Not only does it consist of the most beautiful tropical islands, but 99% of its 90,000 km² is covered by the sea. 1190 islands are spread over 26 atolls, ringlike coral formations enclosing a lagoon, which gives the Maldives its unique paradiselike appearance. No more than 200 islands are inhabited, the rest includes the 87 tourist resorts and uninhabited islands, some of which are used for drying fish or other agricultural activities. The capital Malé, the seat of government and the centre of trade, commerce, business, health and education, is located in the middle of the atoll chain, a small island buzzing with the sounds and activities of about 75.000 people which is about one third of the population.

The atolls of the Maldives are formed from coral structures, separated by lagoons. The atolls are in fact part of a greater structure known as the Laccadives-Chagos Ridge, which stretches over 2000 kilometres. The islands are low lying with the highest point at approximately 8 feet above sea level. Faru or ring-shaped reef structures form the atolls and these reefs provide natural defence against wind and wave action, on these delicate islands. If magic had a home to call its own, Maldives would be it.

MALÉ PRIDE Male’ would certainly count as one of the smallest capitals in the world in terms of its physical size. A third of the country’s population, about 75,000 live in Male’.

Different from any other island in the country, Male’ is a city of high-rise buildings and paved roads. While the government offices are located in one area, the main streets are lined with shops and offices. In the old bazaar area which still houses the country’s hub of wholesale and retail trade, the lanes are so narrow that a single vehicle would find it difficult to navigate through, especially with its throngs of busy people.

There are no beaches on Male’; instead seawalls surround all its sides. However, a newly landscaped artificial beach area and adjoining breakwater stretching all the way round to the harbour in the southwest of the island provide a walking route to truly romance for, especially in the evenings when it is cooler.

Everywhere you turn, there are sites and

Dip into a waterworld of dreams

‘As well as consisting of the world’s most beautiful tropical islands. 99% of the Maldives is covered by the sea’ MALDIVES FACTS

• Climate Sun shines all year through. Average temperature around 29 - 32 degrees Celsius.

• What to wear Casual. In Male’ and other inhabited islands it is recommended that women wear modest clothing without baring too much.

• Locals Population is around 270,000. Inherently warm, friendly and hospitable by nature.

• Culture The Maldives has been a melting pot of different cultures fusing African and Asian traditions.

• Language Dhivehi but English is widely spoken.

• Currency The Rufiyaa and Laaree.

The economy is currently booming. www.visitmaldives.com

shots designed memories; the fish market and the local market at the northern waterfront, the new harbour in the southwest corner and the 400-year old Friday Mosque, to name a few. A stroll around the residential areas or shopping streets would provide an insight into the life and livelihood of the residents of the capital.

Or simply sit down and relax at one of the small parks dotted around the capital and just observe the pace of life.

THINGS TO DO The Maldives is famed for its rare underwater beauty. The profusion of psychedelic colours and the abundance and variety of life underwater have fascinated divers and snorkellers since Maldives was discovered as a diving destination. The highest level of visibility that one could expect – sometimes exceeding 50 metres – and warm temperatures throughout the year makes diving in the Maldives you’ll want to dip into time and time again.

Scuba Diving Every resort in the Maldives caters for scuba divers and international certificates of all types are accepted. The dive schools are well equipped, and regulators, BCDs, computers, masks, snorkels and fins are available for hire daily all year round. For beginners, resorts offer a variety of dive courses conducted in several languages, with all resorts conducting open water and advanced courses such as night diving, rescue diving, underwater photography. Courses such as naturalist and shark specialist courses have proved Whale & dolphin watching most popular due to the growing interest Maldives ranks among the top five places in the marine environment. on Earth for watching whales and dolphins – over 20 different species (a Snorkelling quarter of the world’s total) call the Snorkeling over the shallow reefs of the Maldives home. These range from the islands is an ideal way to explore the mighty Blue Whale (the largest animal underwater world. The house reefs of alive) to the diminutive but highly most of the islands are just a few strokes acrobatic Spinner Dolphin. away from the beach. Snorkeling While nothing with wildlife can be equipment is available at all the resorts. absolutely guaranteed, you will never have a better chance to watch wild Submarine dolphins playing in their natural With the introduction of the German environment than right here in the built Whale Submarine, divers and nonMaldives. If you think of a better way to divers alike can enjoy the enchanting spend a holiday with the man of your beautiful coral reefs and magnificent dreams than watching nature’s most tropical fish from the comfort of an airbeautiful creatures swimming in God’s conditioned submarine with friends, bluest sees, do let us know! family or loved ones, all aboard the

world’s deep diving largest passenger submarine! Descend to 100 feet below the ocean surface and witness ocean life and other treasures, sights once only seen by scuba divers.

Surfing Maldives is fast establishing itself as a destination for surfers. Surfing is relatively new to the Maldives, especially compared to more established activities such as scuba diving. However, the recent O’Neil Deep Blue Contest held this year has placed Maldives firmly on the world’s surf map. While most of the recognized surf breaks are in Male’ Atoll, there is certainly more to be discovered.

For resort based surfing it is advisable to choose one of the resorts on the eastern side of North Male’ Atoll where you could get access to a number of excellent breaks.

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

37

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38

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

CAREERS

THE HIT WOMAN

HOW TO FIND A GOOD AGENCY IT’S NOT easy to find a recruitment agency to do all the hard work for you.

And it can often feel like you’re the one doing all the work, particularly if you have to keep chasing them for updates. If you’re currently working, time-wasting is not a luxury you have. Here’s a few things to look out for when trying to find a good agency:

Record sales may be at an all time low, but music downloads is big business. Anjula Acharia-Bath explains how she came to capitalise on it through Desihits.com NO-ONE finds my career path more unexpected than me. I spent years embarrassed about my Asian background and now I’m the co-founder and CEO of Desihits.com, an online podcast that currently showcases the best in Asian music to 68 countries amassing audiences from all walks of life.

• Check the agency’s screening process. You don’t want your CV to be sent in a batch that is not applicable to the job specification. If your agency is bombarding a potential employer with unsuitable CVs, yours is likely to be binned along with all the others.

Quite frankly I’m astounded.

Since it’s conception, it has snowballed and manifested into a major media contender. Out of all my career moments, it’s my biggest highlight.

I grew up in Buckinghamshire completely alien to Asian culture.

Unlike most second generation British Asians, I was into arts and didn’t really understand the big deal about watching Zee TV. With dreams of being an actress, I came out of drama school only to find an industry lacking in opportunities for Asians. It didn’t help that my parents kept reminding me that I’d be forever poor!

So suffer life as a povertystricken actress, or become a rich businesswoman? For someone as determined as me to make it big before hitting 30, the choice was simple.

I landed a graduate training scheme in advertising and sales at a publishing firm. After seeing my potential, I was headhunted by a competitor to recruit senior executives into the companies’ IT sector and assist in advertising campaigns. Working with some big names, such as Universal and Disney was brilliant, yet something didn’t feel quite right.

I’m quite short and petite and

• Don’t just send an email – talk to the consultants. If they are really interested they should ask you lots of questions to determine what kind of job you are looking for.

• Check if previous clients left testimonials in praise of the agency. Good recruitment agencies often have glowing recommendations and praise from satisfied customers.

• Be professional.Treat your first meeting with the consultant like a job interview. Don’t be fooled by the fact that the interview seems fairly casual.

• Look for recruiters with industry qualifications and choose agencies that reflect your level of experience and seniority.

• Don’t sign up to agencies willy-nilly. Choose no more than five agencies, that way when you need to do a progress report at the end of the month you can be more strategic.

CAREER ADVICE Q

I’ve long tired of my teaching job and long for a career change. I am considering re-training or setting up my own business, but I don't know how to go about this.

With possibilities of retraining and the huge government support behind small businesses, career changes are becoming easier than ever. Just make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. To cope with the changes, you need to do an assessment of what you have achieved and want to do in the future. Figure out how flexible you are and whether you are financially solvent enough to start your own business. To start you off, log onto www.hmrc.gov.uk/startingup

A

despite my very senior position, workmates, including those below me, repeatedly referred to me as ‘that little Asian girl’. For someone who was second in command to the CEO, it was patronising and demeaning to say the least.

Then one of my clients suggested I start to recruit executives under my own steam, adding that if I did they’d give me their business. So I left and cofounded Merchant McKenzie, recruiting for major names in new media.

The company developed at great speed, but sure enough, things took a new tangent. In 2001, my husband was offered a job in the US that meant moving across the Atlantic and having to sell Merchant McKenzie to a top entrepreneur.

But I didn’t stay out of action for long. After years of denying my desi identity, I had begun to warm to my Asian roots, I was distressed to see so many secondgeneration Asian kids completely removed from their heritage; especially seeing as in America the population is ten times that of the UK. So my husband and I went about to set up a podcast of Asian fusion music. Due to my background in new media, the podcast was an obvious choice because it lets you view programmes on your own terms.

It was an instant success and much bigger than we could have anticipated. We road-tested it to a mere 20 people, mainly friends’ kids and then within a month our audiences hit 100,000! People were calling up wanting to hear more and music artists sprang up from all corners wanting to put their stuff on the show. We even

Q

I am in the process of applying for jobs and I have registered with lots of different agencies. Recently lots of posts I am interested in have asked for ‘transferable skills’.

I’m not quite sure what this actually means.

More than ever before, employers are looking for flexibility and, when employers refer to transferable skills, they want you to have abilities that you can apply to a range of different jobs.

This could mean problem solving, managing yourself and your work. Other transferable skills include numeracy, teamwork, flexibility, networking, time management and handling conflict.

I left my last place of work but they still haven’t paid me the remainder of my basic pay. I have a feeling they’re trying to fob me off – is there anything I can do?

If your employer refuses to pay you money you are owed, they are breaking the law. You should write to your employer explaining what money is owed, and why it is owing, including details of the period for which the money is owed. This letter will count as a written grievance, if and when you need to take the matter to an employment tribunal. Visit www.adviceguide.org.uk

A

Q

A

www.futuretraining4jobs.com

Q

managed to get Jay Sean, which was perfect because he’s the ideal type of role model for young desis out there caught between two worlds.

There was no doubt that Desihits.com was a success, but we wanted to push its boundaries.

After consulting some top media moguls who established that our product was at the top of its game, we searched for investors and they weren’t hard to find.

Desihits.com ticked all the boxes, it was digital media drawn from Asian culture, two things that were hot in the market. Within a week we had major investors like Trident putting money into the pot and together we raised one million dollars.

Since then we’ve never looked back and, to show just how well we’re doing, we had 50 Cent on the show speaking Hindi, wearing the Indian cricket uniform and trying rasmulai! It wasn’t a media stunt, the Indian market is thriving and artists in the west want to hit that area. And what better way to do than on Desihits.com? At the moment our traffic exceeds MTV India, we’re the most popular show on iTunes.

The pressure is on and as its leading lady I’m determined to take Desihits.com even further.

That often means I spend more time in the air flying between New York, LA, and London, rather than kicking back and enjoying my success. My husband thinks I should take a holiday, but I’m just too much of a big believer in all that’s great about the desi scene. It’s a great way to allow Asian kids all over the world to keep in touch with their roots. If music brings people together, Desihits brings music together!

After an inept Probation Officer’s mistake cost someone close to me dearly, I’ve decided I want to pursue this as a career to ensure a similar mishap never occurs. I want to know as much about it before I apply for a job.

Firstly, I don’t recommend choosing a career to reap vengeance, but if you’re serious about it, you’ll already be aware that being a Probation Officer involves the continuous assessment of offenders and the management of risk to the general public. You have be able to cope with extremely challenging situations. It’s a tough job with a lot of responsibility because you have to be firm and clear about what is expected of offenders while in probation supervision, while developing your self discipline and self respect at the same time. You might even have to assist with accommodation, work, developing skills, getting treatment for a psychiatric problem or social adjustment. The qualification for probation officers is the Diploma in Probation Studies, which is a demanding two-year programme combining work-based training towards a level NVQ in community justice with academic study for a degree in community justice. For further information, visit www.probation.homeoffice.gov.uk

A

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

•PAY DAY Gaganjeet Bhullar

Bhullar earns top 20 place GAGANJEET Bhullar was unable to find his magic touch in the third round and signed off with an even-par 72, that still earned him a top-20 finish at the WGCHSBC Champions in China.

He finished in a tie for 18th place and took home $75,000, which put alongside his top-10 at CIMB Classic last week.

His senior teammate Jeev Milkha Singh closed with a 71 to finish tied 46th on 287.

Bhullar confessed that the key difference from winning at the highest level was simply selfbelief.

“I think it’s self-belief.

It’s the only difference.

Today and the past few weeks, I’ve been playing with the PGA Tour players and I’ve been pumping my three woods past their drivers,” said Bhullar.

LANKA’S WET WIN Kiwis defeated in rain-stained tour SRI LANKA beat New Zealand by 14 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method to finally achieve a positive result on a rain-scarred tour.

When the players and umpires were driven from the field by heavy drizzle for the second time at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka were for 118 for three off 22.5 overs.

Their score placed them ahead of the par score of 104 after New Zealand had totaled 250 for six from their 50 overs.

It was a frustrating end to proceedings but at least it meant one side secured victory after the first two matches of the tour were abandoned because of rain.

Thursday’s first scheduled ODI, also in Pallekele, was called off without a ball being bowled and before that the two sides took part in a Twenty20 International in which only 16 overs were completed.

In the play that was possible on Sunday, New Zealand captain Ross

AFTER weeks of speculation, it has been confirmed that Nico Hulkenberg will leave Indian Formula One side Sahara Force India to join its closest rival Sauber for the 2013 season.

The 25-year-old German made his Formula One debut in 2010 with the Williams F1 Team and captured a pole position in his maiden year.

He joined Force India as a reserve and test driver in 2011 and was elevated to racing seat this year in place of Adrian Sutil.

“We’ve been observing Nico for some time now and his performances have been very persuasive. That was the case in GP2 and has continued into Formula One. An obvious highlight was how he scored pole at Interlagos in 2010.

Ali banks on Lancs for career revival

•ON FORM Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene’s tactics paid dividends Taylor top-scored in his side’s total with a hard-hit 72 from 62 balls despite not feeling well either before or during his innings.

“I vomited before I batted and I’m

•LANDMARK Tillakaratne Dilshan reached 1,000 ODI runs for 2012

still not feeling 100 percent but, hopefully, I’ll get back to the hotel and get right for Tuesday,” he told broadcasters at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“We knew it was the case that Duckworth-Lewis tends to favor the side batting second and we gave it a good show but we just weren’t quite good enough.”

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena anchored his side’s response with an unbeaten 43 from 49 balls including five fours.

He added 59 for the third wicket with former captain Tillakaratne Dilshan (37) who became the third player to reach 1,000 ODI runs for 2012 after team mate Kumar Sangakarra and India’s Virat Kohli.

“It was probably a good toss to lose,” said Jayawardena. “After the first shower we had a chat inside the dressing rooms and said we should stay ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis mark.”

Lasith Malinga was man-of-thematch after taking two for 39.

PAKISTAN TO TOUR INDIA

INDIA’S home ministry has cleared the way for Pakistan to play its first cricket series in India for five years.

It has given permission for a short limited-overs tour in December and January. Officials say the move takes the series one step closer to reality.

The last series between India and Pakistan in either country was in 20072008 when Pakistan visited India.

Ties between the two countries’ cricket authorities were hit by the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which 175 people died.

The attack was blamed on a Pakistanbased militant group.

The South Asian rivals continued to play each other on overseas grounds, with their last match taking place in the ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka last month.

The forthcoming series in India will feature three ODIs and two Twenty20s.

The clearance was given at a meeting between Indian ministry officials and senior cricket representatives from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Correspondents say that final government approval for the tour should now be a formality.

Pakistan’s cricket board earlier this

SPORT

•ON THE MOVE Kabir Ali hopes to put injury woes behind him

•SWITCH Nico Hulkenberg

Hulkenberg to leave SFI

39

•BATTLE The two teams played each other last month in the ICC T20 World Cup year welcomed proposals to play the games, saying that millions of fans would be delighted.

Pakistan’s cricketers are scheduled to arrive in India on 22 December.

The venues are Chennai, Delhi, Calcutta, Ahmedabad and Bangalore but the detailed schedule is yet to be announced.

Correspondents say the move to resume cricketing ties is a sign of improving relations between the two countries.

In July, the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan met in Delhi and the two sides discussed their willingness to have more sporting contact.

KABIR Ali, the former England fast bowler, has joined Lancashire on a two-year deal, attempting to revive a career recently blighted by injury. The signing is the latest change at Old Trafford as Lancashire prepare for life in Division Two of the County Championship.

Kabir, 31, moved to Hampshire in 2010 but has managed just 33 appearances in three years following a serious knee injury and a further ankle problem. A previous ankle injury also prevented him from touring India with England Lions in 2008.

The tour would have been Kabir’s comeback into the England set up after 25 wickets in 14 ODI appearances and a solitary Test cap between 2003 and 2006 - an international record that fails to reflect his ability to bowl with pace and his impressive return of 483 first-class wickets at 27.35.

He was initially tipped as a one of the brightest prospects on and off the field - as a part-time model, he was once named among the 50 most eligible bachelors in Britain - and his 11 successful years at Worcestershire included an England ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 2003, with a Test cap following later that summer, but he gradually drifted out of the England selector’s thoughts as injury took over his career.

A tough three-years at Hampshire ended in triumph as he held his nerve to secure a dramatic last-ball win in the final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 League in September.

Lancashire will hope his injury problems are behind him. “We are pleased to bring in Kabir whose experience and proven track record in all forms of the game will be of great benefit to our bowling unit,” Mike Watkinson, Lancashire director of cricket, said.

Kabir added: “Lancashire is a fantastic Club with a proud history. I am excited at the prospect of working under Peter Moores and his coaching team as well as playing alongside Glen Chapple who is still one of the best in the country. “

40

Asian City November 8 - November 21, 2012

AsianCity PANKAJ ON CUE

SPORT BRITAIN’S BEST ASIAN NEWSPAPER

www.asiancity.co.uk

•VICTORY Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna

PARIS MATCH WIN MAHESH Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna clinched the Paris Master, their second title of the year, after scoring a hard-fought win over Aisamul-haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer on Sunday.

The fifth seed Indian pair, playing their fourth final of the season, struggled past the PakistanDutch combination 7-6 (6) 6-3 in the summit clash, lasting one hour and 24 minutes.

Bhupathi and Bopanna had won the Dubai ATP event and ended runners-up at Cincinnati and Shanghai.

The Indians could not convert a single breakpoint of the six chances in the opening set but held nerves in the tie-breaker to take the lead.

They saved a crucial break chance in the second set and cashed in on both the chances on opponents’ serve to seal the win.

The Indians have already qualified for the season-ending finale, where they will make debut as a pair.

The 38-year-old Bhupathi is a four-time runnerup at the event, losing the final in 2010 with Max Mirnyi and 1997, ‘99 and 2000 with Leander Paes.

Bopanna, 32, had made his debut at the yearend championships last year with Qureshi.

PANKAJ Advani said there’s nothing bigger than the World Billiards Championship, which he won after defeating reigning champion and seasoned Englishman Mike Russell in the Time format final.

“The world billiards is held once in a year and there is no bigger event than that. As I said in the beginning of the year, I wanted to play both billiards and snooker equally.

If I didn’t play billiards, I would have been only concentrating on snooker this year and not given myself a chance to manage billiards as well,” said Advani.

The 27-year-old Bangalorean became the youngest Indian sportsperson to win eight world titles when he outclassed the local favourite Russell 1895-1216 in the final in Leeds.

Advani and Rupesh Shah, who clinched the World Billiards title in Point Format after beating Australia’s Matthew Bolton 6-2, were hosted by Billiards and Snooker Federation of

India (BSFI) and Karnataka State Billiards Association (KSBA).

The only active player to compete at the highest level in both billiards and snooker, Advani had made a tough choice of picking the World Billiards over International Snooker Championships in China due to a clash in the dates of the two tournaments.

And the celebrated cueist said the personal decisions of athletes should be respected just as nobody questions senior India batsman Sachin Tendulkar for not playing in the T20s.

“When Tendulkar doesn’t play T20s for India, nobody questions him. It is his personal decision and we respect that, and I think we should respect athletes when they make such important decisions in their career because they have been playing the sport for 15 years.

“No one else has been in their shoes for that long, so let’s respect their decisions,” he said.

SINGHS ARE IN! •HERO Yuvraj Singh and Abhinav Mukund

•FINAL FAREWELL Sourav Ganguly will lay down his bat

GANGULY BOWS OUT SOURAV Ganguly has announced his retirement from cricket. The former India captain who earned great success throughout his 21 year career led India to the World cup in 2003.

Although he retired from international cricket four years ago, he continued to play home games, but has now decided not to appear at the next IPL. Speaking about his decision, he said: ‘I will be almost 41 by the time IPL-6 ends.

Twenty20 is a very demanding format. It would be very tough for the body.’

He added: ‘I had a wonderful time playing in the IPL for five seasons. It gave me a chance to keep playing top-class cricket even after quitting international cricket. But I can’t go on forever.’ Ganguly had also continued to play for the Ranji Trophy in his native state of West Bengal but announced that if he was not playing for the Pune Warriors, he would play anywhere else on the field.

•CHAMP Pankaj Advani

India name squad for England tests YUVRAJ Singh on Monday staged a remarkable comeback to the Test fold, while struggling offspinner Harbhajan Singh also returned from wilderness as India named a 15-member squad for the first two Tests against England starting November 15.

The 30-year-old, who fought back after being diagnosed with a rare germ cell cancer last year, forced his way back into the squad after commendable performances in the domestic circuit.

Harbhajan also got the nod from the new selection panel headed by former Test cricketer Sandeep Patil more than a year after his last appearance in a fiveday game.

There were no major surprises by the selectors, who dropped Suresh Raina to accommodate Yuvraj while Harbhajan made his way at the expense of injured leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.

Sachin Tendulkar, the senior most member of the squad, will provide

•NEW CALL Harbhajan gets another chance solidity in an otherwise inexperienced middle-order line-up which will also have the in form Virat Kohli.

Tamil Nadu opener Murali Vijay was also named in the squad as a reserve opener though the selectors retained the experienced duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir despite both of them going through a form slump for a long time.

Harbhajan, on the other hand, went wicketless in his 21 overs for Punjab against Hyderabad in Mohali but did reasonably well during a county stint for Surrey before this.