AV 15th November 2014

15th November to 21st November 2014VOL 43. ISSUE 27 80pLet noble thoughts come to us from every side

Continued on page 13

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe SEE INSIDE ....FBI puts ‘Lady Taliban’

diplomat undersurveillance

Modi in Myanmar forASEAN, East Asia

summits

Campaigners urge for£600,000 to install

Mahatma Gandhi statue

See Page 7

See Page 26

See Page 23

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Rupanjana Dutta

On Tuesday as Britainobserved the Armsticeday, special tributes werepaid to those who sacri-ficed their lives in WorldWar One (WWI).Ceremonies took place allacross Britain. Serviceswere held in militarybases, churches andschools, and a two-minutesilence was observed at11am GMT. In London a13 year old army cadetreportedly planted thefinal symbolic ceramicpoppy in the art installa-tion of the Tower ofLondon. This was fol-lowed from a nationwideRemembrance Sunday cel-ebrations on 9 November.

Britain's Hindus, Sikhsand Muslims also paidhomage to the fallenheroes over the last few

weeks. The poignant lastwords of thousands ofbrave World War I soldierswho died for their countrywere also revealed.

The ceramic poppies

that had become a compli-cated political issue, withallegations that they donot represent theCommonwealth soldierswho lay their lives for an

unknown country-Britain-in the end turned outsomething very simple andemotional.

WE SHALL NOT FORGET

Nine candidates wonthe electoral race out ofmore than two dozenI nd i a n -Ame r i c a n sentered the electoralfray for the mid-termelections in the UnitedStates which saw theRepublicans gaining con-trol of the Senate for the

first time in eight years.The polls range from


Indian PrimeMinister NarendraModi on Sunday expand-ed his union council of

ministers, inducting21 new faces,

including four with

Modi inducts 21 new facesin ministry expansion


Kamala Harris, Niraj Ataniand Nikki Haley

9 Indian-Americans winUS election

See alsopages16-17

UK

1) What is your current posi-tion?In professional life, I amretired. In social life, I am a

Director and Deputy Chair ofthe Institute of Jainology.

2) What are your proudest

achievements?I took early retirement at age 53to dedicate time to the commu-nity. I went to SOAS and gotmy masters in Indian Religions,followed by a Doctorate inJainism from the Netherlands.

3) What inspires you?People dedicated to the goodcauses of helping community,eliminating poverty, compas-sion towards all life.

4) What has been the biggestobstacle in your career?

I thought it was lack of educa-tion in my younger days.However, in later life I realisedthat even without higher edu-cation I could achieve morethan those who were qualified.5) Who has been the biggestinfluence on your career todate?People I have worked with.

6) What is the best aspectabout your current role?Satisfaction. To be able to giveback to the community.

7) And the worst?Not able to inspire people todivert their finances from tem-ple building to education.

8) What are your long termgoals?Just carry on.

9) If you were Prime Minister,what one aspect would youchange?Create wealth through efficien-cy and reduction of waste in allaspects of life.

10) If you were marooned on adesert island, which historicalfigure would you like to spendyour time with and why?Lord Mahaveer because he canlead me to liberation.

Harshadray Nandlal SanghrajkaHe was born in India in 1941but brought up and educated inKenya. In 1958, at the age of17, Harshad started working foran international oil companyand in his 11 years of servicemoved up to Executive post inManagement. In 1968, Harshadjoined IBM Corporation inNairobi. He worked in manycountries on assignment:United Kingdom, Trinidad, USAand Germany in diverse fieldsof ITC as well as in professionaland managerial positions.Harshad took voluntary earlyretirement from IBM in 1994 atthe age of 53.

Harshad was an activemember in the community inKenya since the late 60’s andserved as Hon. Secretary ofSthanakvasi Jain Sangh for over8 years. He was a member ofthe Asian Advisory Board to theBritish High Commissioner in

Nairobi.Having accepted the post of

a Trustee of the Institute ofJainology in 2001, he was Hon.Secretary to the Board ofDirectors for 10 years and iscurrently the Deputy Chair.

Having taken early retire-ment, Harshad decided to studyreligions at the School ofOriental and African Studies(SOAS), University of London,for post-graduate study leadingto Masters in Indian Religions.Harshad served as a Director ofthe Religious Education Councilof England and Wales. Heworked as a consultant to theQualifications and CurriculumDevelopment Agency (QCDA)to review the Non-statutoryGuidelines for ReligiousEducation. He represents theInstitute at the Inter FaithNetwork of UK and other organ-isations.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 20142

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 2014 3

Remembering Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira GandhiNovember 14, 1889 was the day and year India’sfirst prime minister was born; his daughter Indira,India’s third prime minister was born on 19November 1917. Father and daughter guidedIndia through the turbulent early decades of itsIndependence when it faced existential chal-lenges. Many observers in Britain and Americawere sceptical of the country’s ability to survive.The prevailing wisdom in the West was that Indiawas unsuited to democracy and lacked the steel tosurmount the vicissitudes of multiple ethnicities,faiths and the babble of tongues. These peopleweren’t convinced that Nehru was the right manto be at the helm, but Mahatma Gandhi, a superbjudge of character, thought otherwise. Early on inNehru’s career, Gandhi said: “Those who know[our] relations know that he being in the [presi-dential] chair [of the Indian National Congress]is as good as my being in it….In bravery he is notto be surpassed. Who can excel him in the love ofthe country…..He is pure as crystal, he is truthfulbeyond suspicion.” This expression of faith fromthe Father of the Nation was justified in the full-ness of time. Rabindranath Tagore describedNehru as “Rituraj” [Lord of the Seasons]. Theburden of expectation he carried was exceededonly by the burdens of office. The surgery of India’s Partition took its toll in

human lives and weakened the fabric of society.Chaos and uncertainty had drained national con-fidence. This was compounded by the Pakistan-sponsored Pathan invasion of the Kashmir valleywithin two months of Independence. This andother crises were surmounted by Nehru and hislifelong comrade Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who,alas, died in December 1950, having performedthe yeoman service of forging the Indian Unionfrom a patchwork of princely states. In his next 15years in office, Nehru helped fashion the demo-cratic platform of the Indian state based on therule of law and buttressed by a secularConstitution whose architect was the Dalit leaderB.R. Ambedkar. India’s first general election was

held in 1952 on the basis of universal adult fran-chise. It was a daunting exercise for a poor coun-try with a largely illiterate population, but thisleap of faith has been amply justified by history.Under Nehru’s direction the Indian economy wasreleased from its colonial fetters and the founda-tions were laid for industrialization. That eco-nomic management has inevitably had to undergoreforms to bring into kilter with the needs of achanging domestic and global economic environ-ment. It is significant that such reforms were onlypossible because there was something substantialin place that could be reformed. Industrial devel-opment could only be sustained in the long-termby science and technology and Nehru’s visionaryinvestment in science under the guidance of a dis-tinguished scientist, Dr Homi Bhabha, has paidoff wonderfully well. Nehru’s foreign policy ofnonalignment in the Cold War was designed topreserve India’s strategic autonomy. It has beenjustified by international events. Along the way,mistakes were made, which was inevitable giventhe uncharted nature of the journey. But Indiatoday is stronger than it has been in two millen-nia, and it will surely grow stronger with the pas-sage of time.Indira Gandhi built on the platform

bequeathed by her father. She kept true to his pol-icy of investing and encouraging India’s scientificendeavours. Her finest hour was undoubtedly thecourage and resolution she displayed in facing upto the military challenge of the Pakistan dictator-ship, backed by the Nixon-Kissinger duo inWashington acting in concert with their newlyfound allies in Beijing, Chairman Mao Dzedongand Premier Zhou Enlai. They aimed to containIndia within the Subcontinent. To counter this,Indira Gandhi played the Russian card, and Indiatriumphed. None of her failings, including theemergency, can obscure Mrs Gandhi’s historicachievement. A grateful nation has much cause toremember a remarkable man and his remarkabledaughter.

Message of the US Congressional elections The much hyped mid-term US Congressional elec-tions are over. The results as predicted by numerousopinion polls ended with a swing to the Republicanparty which now controls both the Senate and theHouse of Representatives. Barack Obama is likelyto be a lame-duck President for his remaining twoyears in office. His poll ratings, already low at 40per cent, are poised to plumb the depths. Congressgets an all-time low rating of 15 per cent The cost ofthese was the largest ever at $4 billion. PresidentObama’s domestic legislation is likely to be stalled;on foreign affairs he will face less opposition sinceAmerica’s overseas record under his administrationhas borne a strong likeness to that of the previousBush administration. George W. Bush reduced Iraqto a desolation, President Obama, with ISIL aid,has made it a nightmare. The adjoining state ofSyria is a parallel nightmare, with contending jiha-di groups jostling for power. The entire region isplagued by anarchy, by death and destruction.President Obama, meanwhile, has compoundedthis dismal record with massive surveillance meas-ures of ordinary American citizens, citizens andleaders of other countries like the GermanChancellor, Angela Merkel. When BrazilianPresident Dilma Rousseff’s telephoned was tappedby America’s top spying agency, she promptly can-celled her state visit to Washington. The United

States is now a national security state. Its politicalclass has two solutions to every foreign crisis: sendin the Marines or bomb. The looming spectre of aThird World War has every chance of becoming areality. The dysfunctional American political sys-tem is in desperate of an overhaul. The two-partystate on the ground is a one-party state with twofactions, one Republican, the other Democrat, inother words, of Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Thelow voter turnout is clear evidence of the Americanpublic’s loss of faith in the political system. Aninfusion of independent candidates and thosebelonging to a multitude of parties seeking to breakthe mould with enlightened domestic and foreignpolicies should be given their head rather thanignored, as they presently are, by the mainstreammedia. Time is running out for America. Everydaygun crime continues to rise, the widening black-white racial divide grows ever wider, a crumblinginfrastructure needs urgent attention and money,even as defence spending keeps moving upward. Asick society needs a healing and compassionatetouch, not the barrel of a gun, the warhead of a mis-sile or a hovering Drone. The blowback from pastAmerican follies is taking a heavy toll in lives andproperty. How long can failed American policies berepackaged and sold to a gullible public? Now isthe time for change.

Salute to a brave girlAnoyara Khatun was a full 13 year-old when sheled an army of children across a canal in aSunderbans district of West Bengal and nailed achild trafficker whose victim was destined to besold for a bogus marriage. She has till now foiled85 trafficking attempts and helped rescue andreunite 200 children torn from their families.Anoyara is not one to waste time and effort onbureaucratic inertia. She believes in direct action.Time was when she and her compatriots waylaidthe state education minister, Kanti Biswas, whowas on tour, and forced him out of his car to accedeto their demand for more schools in the area.Today, they have 84 schools. Militant feminism ofsuch tender years can surmount obstacles thatappear immovable to some of their seniors. Now abright 18 Anoyara Khatun’s work has created

waves at home and abroad. Nobel Peace laureateMalala Yousefzai has opened a fund in her name topromote education among deprived girls. Anoyarahas received a grant to help her extend her activi-ties. It all began when 13 year-old Anoyara wastrafficked to Delhi and escaped after a year of thishell. Her experience drove her to do the work shehas been doing ever since. She is one of four sib-lings born into a poor family. When her father died,her mother took work as a cook in a local school.Anoyara Khatun is reluctant to dwell on herunhappy past. It is the present and future she likestalking about. A lively, pretty young woman of 18,her enthusiasm is infectious and inspiring. A localnewspaper carried a feature on her and her work.Restoring missing children to their families is herpassion. More power to her elbow.

COMMENT

We gather to remember thefallen every November, butthis time was special. Thisyear marked the centenaryof the outbreak of the FirstWorld War, as well as thelast of the British troopshaving just withdrawnfrom Afghanistan.

It was referred to asthe ‘Great War’. The Warthat would end all wars.But sadly we know thatwas not the case.

World War Oneengulfed not just Europe,but the entire world. Apartfrom Western Europe andRussia, the the-atre of war alsoincluded the for-mer OttomanEmpire andthose patches ofAfrica whereG e r m a ncolonies werelocated.

India’s con-tribution to thewar effort wasparticularly sig-n i f i c a n t .Although thebattlefields ofthe Great Wardidn’t extendinto India, mil-lions of Indianswere postedacross theEuropean battlelines. Some 1.27million men,i n c l u d i n g827,000 combat-ants, were involved. Ofthese, 47,756 were killedand 65,000 wounded.

Indian soldiers wonnearly 13,000 gallantryawards, including 12Victoria Cross. It wasIndia and the Empire as awhole that providedBritain its strategic depth,something the Kaiser andhis allies lacked.Consequently, India Gate,one of the iconic symbolsof Delhi, was built as a WarMemorial to the soldiers ofthe Indian Army who diedin the Great War.

The centenary wasmarked in a grand andhonourable way acrossEurope earlier this sum-mer. However, given thetremendous contributionof the Indian Army inFrance, Iraq, Palestine andEast Africa in the 1914-18war, it was surprising thatthe centenary went largelyunobserved in India itself.

However, I was

pleased to see that BritishIndians were wearing theirpoppies with pride andplaying an active role inservices across the coun-try. The RemembranceService I attended inHarrow was very well rep-resented.

This has not alwaysbeen the case and twoyears ago I led a campaignto encourage HinduTemples to distribute andpromote poppies, whilstalso arrangingRemembrance Day servic-es. Today I know that the

BAPS Shri SwaminarayanMandir in Neasden, theShri Sanathan Mandir inAlperton, the AnoopamMission Mandir inDenham as well as manyothers all actively promptRemembrance Day.

We must never forgetthe tremendous sacrificesmade by the servicemenand women who gave theirlives for the freedom weenjoy today. It is our dutyto ensure that the new gen-eration are aware of theimportance and significantof Remembrance Day.

Let us all wear ourpoppies with pride thisyear to remember the sac-rifices of our service menand women both past andpresent. The words of thefamous Kohima Epitaphhave never been so rele-vant;

“When you go home –tell them of us and say foryour tomorrow we gaveour today.”

Wear your poppy with pride

Lord Dolar Popatof Harrow,

Conservative peer

Do the things you know, and you shalllearn the truth you need to know

- Louisa May Alcott

Lord Popat of Harrow at Harrow’sCivic Centre Memorial during this

year’s Remembrance Sunday Paradeand Service

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 20144 MIDLANDS VOICE

Keith Vaz, MP forLeicester East, wasawarded Labour MP ofthe year 2014.He was given the hon-

our by the PatchworkFoundation for all hiswork with minority andunderrepresented com-munities in the area: '“Forall groups to be betterrepresented inParliament, and the widerpolitical process, is a pos-itive and necessary aim inour multicultural society”Vaz commented. “I amvery proud to be viewedas positively contributing

to this process.”Being chosen out of

the 257 Labour represen-tatives in parliament, theMP was commended byparty leader Ed Miliband:“offer my warmest con-gratulate to Keith Vaz onhis awards this evening.Keith broke the glass ceil-ing when he entered intoParliament as one of thefour first BAME MPs in1987. Every time I visithim in Leicester East Isee just how hard heworks, and just how big adifference he makes to hiscity.”

Keith Vaz dubbedLabour MP of the year

Black magic in thecourtroom

26 year-old Bharat Somahas testified that blackmagic made him attack hisformer fiancee and herlover at East Park Road,Spinney Hills. DarshanaNarotam, 17, cut off anarranged marriage toSoma to be with loveinterest PrashantGovinde, 22 before thestabbing.“As a Hindu, we

believe sometimes some-one does magic to us'Soma said in court, whenquestioned about theassault. He said hebecame ill when Darshanabroke away from him: “Iwasn’t able to eat properly,I was being sick and I washaving nightmares aboutghosts.” The prosecutionclaims Soma deliberately

committed a revengeattack where a fifteenyear-old boy was also hurttrying to protect the cou-ple.Soma claims he

bought the paring knifeused to commit the stab-bing for his cooking andforgot it was still in hispocket. He also stated that“someone has done somemagic on me” in his offi-cial police statement.

Father Kishor Chauhan,explained how remem-brance day was a time ofrecent grief for him andhis family: “We’re justgoing to use the day toremember our son” hesaid. His 29 year-old boyFlight Lieutenant RakeshChauhan was an intelli-gence officer in the RAFwho died in April of thisyear when the Lynx heli-copter in which he wasbeing transported camedown in Afghanistan.

“He used to watchRemembrance Sundaycommemorations on theTV” father Kishor stated.“We used to watch it withhim but we didn’t knowwhat it meant to him. It’svery different this year, theday has a whole newmeaning for us.” Kishorsaid that he had talkedwith the families of Britishsoldiers who died in theFirst World War: “It’samazing how much wehad in common, yet our

relatives were from com-pletely different genera-tions.”Kishor has accepted

awards on behalf of hisson Lieutenant RakeshChauhan who was hon-oured for his bravery byABPL's Asian AchieversAwards, and given theGG2 Pride of BritainAward in November: “Iam so proud that his mem-ory lives on, he hasachieved so much” theemotional father said.

Family remembers RAF sonon Remembrance Day

Lieutenant Chauhan

Protest for murdered Christiancouple held in Centenary Square A protest was held inCentenary Square after aChristian couple weremurdered by fanatics in avillage near Lahore.People of Bradford,

including Labour coun-cillor for Bradford MoorGhazanfer Khaliq, gath-ered to call attention tothe vulnerable position ofreligious minority groupsin the predominantlyMuslim country: “thePakistani governmentneeds to make sure thatthe minorities are pro-tected” the councillorsaid in an interview withTelegraph & Argus.“They should have equalrights – the same rightspeople have in this coun-

try (…) we wanted toshow symbolically thatwe stand with that fami-ly."The demonstration

was organised by theBradford branch of theSouth Asian People'sForum after details of thehorrific deaths ofShehzad Masin, 26, andhis five months pregnantwife Shaman, 24. Thecouple were beaten todeath and burnt in a kiln,reportedly for “blasphe-my against the Prophet.”Councillor Khaliq added:“It is important for us,living in an open andcivilised society, to showhow disgusted we arewith the recent events.”

Bharat Soma

Channel 4's much antici-pated cultural documen-tary 'Make LeicesterBritish' took 8 denizens ofdifferent backgrounds andasked them to spend aweek in a group setting,but the show has sparkedcontroversy as it asserted'the city was divided' fromits findings.

Suleman Nagdi,spokesman for theLeicestershire Federationof Muslim Organisationssaid: “Leicester is not adivided city (…) noteverything is perfect ofcourse, but it is regardedacross Europe as a suc-cessful multicultural city.”The show featured

four British citizens,Sukiy, Kit, John and Jen,

two of whom were ofAsian origin a SomaliSagal and three EasternEuropeans Kamil, Olaand Eduardas.Interestingly, there

was a notable anti-immi-

gration sentimentamongst Sukiy and Kit,where the latter's familycame over from India. Thetwo said they did not seethe hard-working ethicwhich had helped their

families settle and grow inthe current immigrationpopulace. This opinionwas echoed by theLeicester public, thoughmany believe it gave aninaccurate account to theviewers. For example oneinterview was conductedduring an Asian religiousparade but looked as if itwas in the middle of aneveryday bustling street.Other white British

interviewees were shownsporting such statementsas it is like playing a game'of spot the white face' inLeicester city.Channel 4 have stated

that the documentary is acrucial source of informa-tion for the upcominggeneral election.

Channel 4 documentary disappoints Leicester city

'Make Leicester British'

Zahra Latif, Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP & John O’Brien

Muslim mother fired from faith school for opposing veil policy

Former vice principal andmother of one GhazalaKhan, 37, was fired afterobjecting to theMohiuddin InternationalCollege's rule that girlsmust wear veils in classes,a tribunal heard.At a Manchester

employment tribunal, MrsKhan said a fellow teacherstopped speaking to herbecause she did not wantto wear a niqab and thatthis was the same tutorwho ordered all his femalestudents to wear a veil inhis lessons: "There werequite a few times I didn'tagree with the way hewould make children wearveils across their facesjust so he could teachthem. I said, 'nowhere inIslam does it say theymust wear a veil to come

to classes.' He said, 'youhave no knowledge ofanything and have noright to talk with some-body not related to you.”This stringent attitude

was traced back to thePrincipal of theLancashire-based all girls

College, Amjad Bashir.Khan said she felt reli-giously discriminatedagainst on more than oneoccasion at a schoolwhose masthead is'inspiring the girls oftoday to become our lead-ers of the future.'Appointed to the post ofVice Principal in 2011Khan claimed that shewas branded an outsiderand told to wait outsideassemblies because “therewere a few things shewouldn't understand”.She has said she feltpatronised as a womanand that despite being aqualified and experiencedteacher she was neverrespected as a “scholar.”Events reached the

boiling point after the pri-vate school, previously

heralded as the 'MuslimEton', came under scruti-ny following a rigorousinstitutional inspection.Khan alleges that Bashircalled a meeting in whichhe blamed her for every-thing and called her a“stupid outsider” beforedismissing her from hisstaff.This particular allega-

tion was corroborated bya former student FoziaYasin, 19, who had beenexpelled from the college:"Mrs Khan was called anoutsider by Mr Bashir. Ionly heard it once. Therewas a group of girls, itwasn't just me. Mrs Khanwas there.”Bashir was reported to

be in an agitated state anddenied many of MrsKhan's claims.The school is run by

the Birmingham-basedMohuiddin Trust and wasestablished under theSheikh Hazrat PirAlaudin Siddiqui Sahibwho is an Islamic scholarbased in Pakistan. MrsKhan has also stated thatshe did not agree with thelocally circulated teachingthat 'the Sheik, thefounder of the college, isgoing to take them toheaven and everyone whodoes not believe in him isgoing to hell."

Ghazala Khan

Derby-based Jihadi KabirAhmed died in a suicide bomb-ing carried out in Iraq, claim-ing that 'I am prepared to sacri-fice my children 100 times forAllah.' Ahmed was serving outa fifteen-year jail sentence for ahomophobic hate crime wherehe shouted 'I hope you all dieof aids' during a gay parade.The radical created a videopodcast in which hedenounced all western lifeshortly before the mission.

Jailed Jihadi dies in suicide bombing

Kabir Ahmed


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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 20146 UK

He starts his day with acup of tea and then takesit from there. He spendstime reading, writing,travelling with his familyand catching up with oldfriends. He is India’sfavourite sportspersonand the best cricketer inthe world – SachinTendulkar.

Last week, SachinTendulkar addressedmembers of the media atLord's Cricket Ground todiscuss his latest bookPlaying It My Way. Beingan ardent Sachin fan Ileft no stone unturned toget myself an invite forthis press conference andprepared my camera andmy questions for Sachin.

It’s amazing how weall admire SachinTendulkar so much.While sitting at the pressconference, waiting forthe little master to arrive,I kept thinking howthis man broughtthe entire nationtogether at so manytimes. He has madeus laugh, made uscry and instilled thepride with which wesaid “we belong tothe India whereSachin lives.”Emotions werealways high whenSachin played. Fansaround the worldfollowed supersti-tions such as wear-ing the same shirt,eating the samefood as they did forhis last game just sothat nothingchanges this timetoo.

Our heartsbounced when hehit the ball wanting nofielder to come inbetween the shot and theboundary. We jumpedwhen he made a century,we cried when he got outand we sat there holdingthe Indian flag for hours.How could I have missedthe press conference?

The press conferencewas hosted by Hodder &Stoughton at a suite inthe Lord’s stadium.Attended by senior sportsjournalists, publishersand photographers, thepress conference gaveevery journalist anopportunity to askSachin a question andget a copy of his book.

The Q&A was hostedby former EnglishCaptain Nasser Hussain,who, as Sachin says inhis book, was the bestEnglish Captain heplayed with. Also presentat the event was Sachin’swife Anjali Tendulkar.

Sachin said his bookhas everything that healways wanted to say butdidn't get a chance to -his childhood, earlymatches, his courtshipdays with his wife Anjali,his later career, the WorldCup win for India and hisplans to retire.

"I've covered most ofmy life I would say. Thetoughest bit for me tocover was my personal

life with Anjali, whichnobody knew about. Thatwas really difficult,"Tendulkar said.

Sachin went on tomention how he celebrat-ed India’s victory in 2011World Cup, “I had aflower in my ear as Idanced with my wife witha bottle of champagne inhand," he said.

Po s t - r e t i r em e n t ,Sachin has spent most ofhis time writing thisbook, with his family andconcentrating on charita-ble activities. Asked howhe spends his retired life,he said - "I get up andhave a cup of tea unlikemy cricketing days andthen think what to donext."

Having said that,Sachin has tons on hisplate at the moment. Tostart with, the book haskept him busy ever sincehis retirement. He alsorecently submitted a

major proposal to PrimeMinister Narendra Modiwhich will be unveiledsoon. He ruled out anyplans to join politics butconfirmed that he per-sonally met PrimeMinister Modi andshared his vision withhim. He said he is awarethat being a recipient ofthe Bharat Ratna – thehighest civilian award ofIndia has put some

responsibilities onhim and he willensure he fulfillsthem.

On his plans tocoach the IndianCricket team in thefuture, Sachin saidhe is in touch withmost of the playersand talks and dis-cusses strategy withthem regularly. Afterhaving spent twentyfour years away fromfamily playingCricket, he nowwants to stay closeto them. “I feel play-ers are approachableto me and I amapproachable tothem,” he said.

The book hasalready broken allrecords in India,

according to the publish-er but Tendulkar says hisintention of writing thebook was not to createany controversies but totell his journey to every-one.

“During my playingdays….I honestly didn'thave the time or energyfor anything else. Butnow my career is over Ithought it was only fair Ibrought this out and letpeople know what I havebeen through," Tendulkarsaid.

The press conferencecame to a close withSachin posing for pho-tographers with a copy ofhis book in his hand. Ashe made his way outsideI managed to grab himfor two minutes to shakehands. He asked me myname. “Nice name, allthe best” he said andmade his way to a booksigning event at CanaryWharf.

Let us know what you think. Email Spriha at [email protected]

When God asked me my nameSpriha Srivastava

Nasser Hussain with Sachin Tendulkar

Breaking Bad case makes crime historyThe sensational trial ofKuntal Patel, 37, pictured,who fantasised aboutkilling her mother with atv-show inspired poisonwas brought to an equallyarresting close when thejury convicted the accusedunder the BiologicalWarfare Act.

This is the first timethis legislation has beenexercised, sentencingPatel to three years in jail.Though Patel was clearedof the attempted murderof her mother MeenaPatel, she was foundguilty of acquiring a bio-logical toxin similar toricin. The drug is used bya drug-lord in the cultdrama 'Breaking-Bad' tolace someone's glass and

kill them.S t r i n g - w a t c h i n g

episodes of the show, adejected Patel said sheused dark fantasy as acoping mechanism againsther “controlling” and“selfish” mother and alsoclaimed in court that thepoison was in reality

meant to be for suicideafter her mother interferedwith her potential engage-ment plans to anAmerican citizen.

Presiding judge,Justice Rabinder Singhsaid today at theSouthward Crown Courtthat Kuntal had under-gone “a prolonged periodof severe stress” and hadacted desperately becauseshe saw "no way out."Kuntal was brought tocourt after FBI forcestraced her illegal toxinpurchases on the 'darkweb'. In messages to anAmerican dealer she hadsaid she needed a 'taste-less' and 'deadly toxin' toget someone 'out of theway'.

Top City Brokers branded racist33 year-old KishoreKansal has called out topcity broker Tullett Prebonfor cultivating a racist andgenerally prejudicedatmosphere in the work-place. Kansal stated thatthe department head NeilCampbell and much of hisstaff, almost 100% ofwhom are white middle-aged males, dealt in racistbanter and practical jokesas well as different curren-cies.

Campbell is a “racistfool” Kansal told the tri-bunal. Claiming £1.5 mil-lion for racial harassment,the former Prebon bankersaid he was unfairly dis-missed when he broughthis concerns about thederogatory culture to thehead. Campbell wasalleged to have called hima “brown boy”, forcinghim to take sick-leavebefore promptly sackinghim afterwards.

Kansal elaborated onthe mean-spiritedness thatwas endemic at the firm.He said he was “surprisedby how the others in the

office took this(Campbell's) behaviour –often laughing and evencontributing to the jokes’.The content of his com-ments can be inferredfrom some of the causticemails dredged up on hiscomputer. One read 'Ispent a couple of hoursdefrosting the fridge lastnight, or foreplay as shelikes to call it.' Kansal alsosaid staff stuck a picture ofa terrorist on the desk ofHindu employee MaulikPatel saying that it resem-bled him while bossCampbell performedstereotypical impressionsof Pakistani employee MrVahidy: ‘Neil Campbellstood up with a large grinon his face and said “Youspeak like this”, and thenproceeded to do animpression of a Pakistaniaccent, saying ‘bud-li,bud-li, bud-li.’

The situation is alsodisturbing because thestaff felt the need to con-form to such behaviour tofit in, or indeed avoidredundancy. Kansal told

how he had joined in atone point, sending imagesof Kim Jong to a colleagueafter talking to a South-Asian client. Vahidy toowas said to often refer tohimself as “the terrorist.”

Kansal has said thatout of 800 staff on hisfloor there were no blackpeople, only a few Asiansand even less women.

Campbell has alsobeen accused of makingfun of the gay community,black people, women andthe French and Dutch.

Tullett Prebon hasdenied all allegations butthe trial continues.

Kishore Kansal

On 27th October, 2014the Rang De UK ChapterPresident Rohit Parakhand key member of theUK Chapter andLambeth LabourCouncillor NeilSabharwal, met LordDholakia, the DeputyLeader of the LiberalDemocrats in the Houseof Lords and a seniorIndian Diaspora leader inUK.

Lord Dholakia hasagreed to become thePatron of Rang De’s UKChapter and had a veryfruitful discussion withNeil and Rohit as to wayson increasing Rang De’svisibility in UK with afocus on media engage-ment and connecting tothe wider IndianDiaspora amongst othertopics.

Rang De is a non-profit organization com-

mitted to fighting povertyby providing access toaffordable micro loans tounderserved communi-ties in India working on amodel of microcredit,peer-to-peer lending andcrowdfunding. It has sofar facilitated £2.52Million of loan to micro-entrepreneurs in Indiawith loan sizes generallyranging between £50-£150 with a maximum

loan interest rate of 10%.Each individual can con-tribute my making a loanof Rs 100 onwards(~£1). The loan repay-ment rate so far on theloans has been 99.75%.

Rang De UK Chapteris performing a majoroutreach program in thenext few months tospread awareness on itsgoals. To know more seewww.rangde.org.

Lord Dholakia becomes a Patron ofthe Rang De UK Chapter

Lord Dholakia with Rohit Parakh

UKwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 2014 7

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The prestigious statue ofMahatma Gandhi, to be placedat Parliament Square, inLondon, is fast nearing comple-tion. However, to pay for thisnew bronze statue, campaignersneed to raise £600,000 in thecoming three months. They wantthe statue to be unveiled byIndia's Prime Minister ShriNarendra Modi early next year,to mark 100th anniversary ofGandhi’s return to India fromSouth Africa. The foreign officehas confirmed that an invitationfor a visit has been sent.

The statue will stand a fewyards to the right of Mandela'sstatue as you look at it, withLincoln and the Supreme Courtbuilding in the background. Itwill be a 9 feet bronze statuemodelled on a photograph of theMahatma Gandhi standing out-side 10 Downing Street duringhis last visit to London inSeptember 1931. The sculptor isPhilip Jackson, who is knownfor his remarkable sculpture ofQueen Elizabeth the QueenMother, among others. Thearchitect is Anthony Dyson. Thetotal expenditure of the projectis estimated to be £750,000.

All the statues in Parliamentsquare are paid by public sub-scription. While the governmentof the day arranges sculptor,architect and gets the planningpermission, the money for thestatue has to be collected fromdonations by the public.

Following the success of its

planning applica-tion, the charitybehind the sculp-ture, GandhiStatue MemorialTrust, was set upby Lord MeghnadDesai. Thetrustees of thecharity currentlyincludes LordDesai himself andhis journalist andauthor wife LadyKishwar Desai.They are also inthe process to ropein some veryprominent Indianleaders as addi-tional trustees, toattract the atten-tion of Britain'saffluent Asiancommunity.

The charity hasrecently releasedimages of the fullsized clay sculp-ture that will beused to cast thestatue. Lord Desai,founder of theGandhi StatueMemorial Trust,said: "Gandhi isadmired by peopleacross the globewho are contribut-ing small and largeamounts to be partof this historicmonument. I

appeal to all who admireGandhi to join me in this icon-ic enterprise by giving whatthey can for the Gandhi statue.Our website is www.gandhis-tatue.org."

Sajid Javid, Secretary ofState for Culture, Media andSport and Chair of the GandhiStatue Special Advisory Panelsaid: “I’m delighted planningpermission has been given forthis wonderful monument tothe father of the world’s largestdemocracy. Britain has a proudhistory of great figures beinghonoured with statues paid forby public subscription.”

After viewing the claysculpture, along with othermembers of the advisory coun-cil, including Lord MeghnadDesai and Lord NavnitDholakia, the Indian HighCommissioner, HE RanjanMathai said: “We are reallylooking forward to having thesculpture of MahatmaGandhiji in ParliamentSquare.”

Speaking of the statue,award winning sculptorJackson said he chose theimage of Mahatma Gandhistanding outside DowningStreet in 1931, as he thoughtthat would be most appropriate

for Parliament Square. Itdepicts the Mahatma contem-plative, determined yet compas-sionate, without a stick, drapedin a heavy shawl against theBritish climate, but bare legged.

Jackson says he wentthrough a number of photo-graphs and then made 'an amal-gam of them to create a timelessimage.'

Anyone wishing to donatetowards the sculpture can visitthe website www.gandhistatue.org

Campaigners urge for £600,000 to install Mahatma Gandhi statue First images of full size Mahatma Gandhi Statue for Parliament Square released

Gandhi statueas it will appearin ParliamentSquare

Mahatma Gandhi outside 10 Downing Street

EXCLUSIVE


Recently we celebrated the 139th birthanniversary of Sardar VallabhbhaiPatel. The celebrations happened notjust in India but all over the world. Forthe first time the Indian Central andState Government organised projects,seminars and programmes and otherevents to highlight the life and work ofSardar Patel.

The greatest gift this great man gaveto all the residents of a free India was its‘Unification’. Two thousand five hun-dred years ago Chakravarti SamratChandra Gupta Maurya created‘Bharat Varsh’ under the guidance ofthe great Chanakya. Sardar Patel wentabout the same task but in a non violentway. He tirelessly went from one prince-ly state to the other, using his persua-sive powers to convince the rulers. Allthe Rajas, Maharajas and Nawabs(except 3 out of 550) willingly came for-ward and handed over their powers,wealth and property to Sardar Patel.

Sri Dinkar Joshi, a Mumbai basedformer banker and renowned writerwho has previously written books onGandhiji and Jinnah, has now written abook on Sardar Patel after three and ahalf years of intensive research. Thewell documented and well writtenbook, 'Mahanav Sardar' has been pub-lished simultaneously in Gujarati,Hindi and English by Pravin Prakashanof Rajkot. The focus of this book is pri-marily on the period between 31October’1945 to 15 December’1950 (ietill his last days).

In this short period of five years andone and a half month Sardar Patel leftfor us a monumental edifice. He notonly brought togetherover 550 statesbut also made a crucial and importantcontribution to the formation of theIndian Constitution. Through meticu-lous planning he transformed the thenBritish India Civil Service into the wellorganised Indian Civil Service we knowtoday. The preliminary ground work forthe Centre-State relationship was alsodone by Sardar Patel. The descriptionof this is vast and beyond the scope ofthis short narration.

Sardar Patel carried on theHerculean task of unifying and creatingIndia even in spite of his failing health.Sadly most of this has not beenacknowledged or received its due appre-ciations until now. Thankfully, now thepresent Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and his Governmentare attempting to follow the path ofSardar Patel and move towards the bet-terment of the Indian Nation.

Sardar Patel did not carry any illfeelings even against his arch enemiesor harsh critics. Those who createdobstacles in his path soon realised theirshortfalls and limitations. They weredealt with not with animosity but withforgiveness and were soon engaged inthe most important task of nation build-ing.

In 'Mahamanav Sardar' there aremany incidents which illustrate theenormous pressure and stress thatSardar had to face due to his colleaguesin the Cabinet and the public life. Onlya few could understand his great vision,most were busy creating hurdles forhim. Ultimately these people wereexposed as misguided individuals.Some of them were big enough to admittheir faults and expressed their remorseand regret. Amongst them wereMaulana Azad, Jai Prakash Narain,Ram Manohar Lohia and PunditJawaharlal Nehru.

Those who are in any way engagedor remotely connected to this great leg-end should learn from the life and workof this Son of the Soil. He focused allhis attention on building the nation andhad no time for self glorification orpropaganda. In his life and work thisgreat humble man humbled one and all,but without gossiping, spitefulness,shallow and hypocratic behaviour andwith total selfless devotion and steelydetermination. He was honest and hon-ourable all the time. Sardar VallabhaiPatel made proper use of time, energyand resources in the service of thecountry without any wastage in dirtypolitics.

Can we learn anything from him?

- CB

As I See It

The Legacy of Sardar Patel

New study reveals proximity to fastfood outlets linked to Type-2 diabetes

With November 14thmarked as the WorldDiabetes Day, a new studyled by the University ofLeicester has discoveredthat your proximity to thefast-food outlets may belinked to your risk ofType-2 diabetes and obesi-ty.

The research foundthat there was a highernumber of fast-food out-lets within 500 meters ofinner-city neighborhoodsdescribed as non-white aswell as in sociallydeprived areas.

The researchers warnthat their findings, basedon a study of over 10,000people, have importantimplications for diabetesprevention and for thosegranting planning permis-sion for fast-food outlets.

“Our study suggeststhat for every additionaltwo outlets per neigh-bourhood, we wouldexpect one additional dia-betes case, assuming acasual relationshipbetween the fast-food out-let and diabetes,” thestudy authors write in thestudy published in PublicHealth Nutrition.

The research was car-ried out by a team fromthe University ofLeicester’s DiabetesResearch Centre,Department of HealthSciences and Department

of Geography in collabo-ration with the LeicesterDiabetes Centre based atLeicester GeneralHospital. The LeicesterDiabetes Centre is analliance between theUniversity Hospitals ofLeicester NHS Trust(Leicester’s Hospitals),the University ofLeicester, the local com-munity and Primary Care.

Professor MelanieDavies and ProfessorKamlesh Khunti, Co-Directors of theDepartment have beenconducting one of thelargest screening studieswith south Asian patients.The data from this studyhas also helped with rec-ommendations for theNHS Health ChecksProgramme.

Professor KamleshKhunti, Professor ofPrimary Care Diabetes &Vascular Medicine at theUniversity of Leicester,said: “In a multi-ethnicregion of the UK, individ-uals had on average twofast-food outlets within500m of their home.

“This number differedsubstantially by keydemographics, includingethnicity; people of non-white ethnicity had morethan twice the number offast-food outlets in theirneighbourhood comparedwith White Europeans.

We found that the numberof fast-food outlets in aperson’s neighbourhoodwas associated with anincreased risk of screen-detected type 2 diabetesand obesity.

“We found a muchhigher number of fastfood outlets in moredeprived areas where ahigher number of blackand minority ethnic popu-lations resided. This inturn was associated withhigher prevalence of obe-sity and diabetes. Theresults are quite alarmingand have major implica-tions for public healthinterventions to limit thenumber of fast food out-lets in more deprivedareas.”

The research was sup-ported by the NationalInstitute for HealthResearch Collaborationfor Leadership in AppliedHealth Research and CareEast Midlands (NIHRCLAHRC EM), theLeicester Clinical TrialsUnit and the NIHRLeicester–LoughboroughDiet, Lifestyle andPhysical ActivityBiomedical ResearchUnit, which is a partner-ship between UniversityHospitals of LeicesterNHS Trust,Loughborough Universityand the University ofLeicester.

It was my first time of being on a planewhen the two minute silence forRemembrance occurs. On a plane, youcannot stand of course. Instead theCaptain makes the announcement. Youshould, as I did, turn off the in flightentertainment, put down the paper, stopsnoozing, and all the other things we doon a plane, and instead, remember thefallen.

But as I recalled the fallen, I alsothought of community of humanity thatcomes together at this time. Communitycohesion.

The two key complaints Hindus makeabout each other - first that we do nothelp each other, secondly we actively putobstacles in the path of each other. Ofcourse these are generalisations and likeall communities we could do more.

Hindu’s often point to the Jewishcommunity as a role model for co-opera-tion. And indeed when I worked inCongress I studies the Israeli lobbygroup, AIPAC, as the admirable rolemodel on how a community workingtogether can effectively influenceGovernment policy.

A while ago a friend of a friend cameto see me. He had been out of work for7 years. He was Jewish. He was beatenby rejections. His attitude smelt ofdefeat. Every time I gave him advice onfinding a job, he would interrupt abouthow it wouldn’t work.

I told him, he is sucking the energyout of the room. Why would anybodyemploy him? But I also remembered the

words from the week before I had read inNew Delhi, at Birla House, the placewhere Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated– ‘the job of a leader is to inspire fear-lessness’.

And so it was for one hour I sat withthis stranger and gave him idea uponidea on getting a job. But the best idea Ihad – I told him that I would write tosome wealthy Jewish friends of mine,and say to them, ‘My Indian communityholds your Jewish community up as a rolemodel for co-operation. I met someonefrom your Jewish community.

He’s a good man. I’m going to helphim. But I want you to prove me right,and meet him and help him too. Andthen, when you do, I am going to writeabout it, and give my own community aspecific example of the role models youare and indeed an example that if weIndians and Hindus do not help eachother, then those that do will ensure weare left behind.

So prove yourselves to be the rolemodels we believe you to be, and moti-vate the best in my Indian community tobe like the best in yours.’

How does this story end? My Jewishfriends did indeed write back. Theycouldn’t offer jobs – which is fair enough.But they made the effort. Just as with theact of remembrance, we make the effort.We can’t stop bad things from happen-ing, or helping everyone, but at least wemake the effort, the reply, the call back…we give some thought. That’s how com-munities are built.

Remembrance - One Community

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

IJA member passes away Rafiq Ahmad, manager ofthe Press Trust of India’soffice in London, passedaway on Thursday 6thNovember, after a brief ill-ness. Ahmad, 61, wasposted to London in the1980s from New Delhi to

take administrative chargeof PTI operations in theUK. He also served asTreasurer of the IndianJournalists’ Association(IJA). He is survived byhis wife, two sons and adaughter.

British police have arrest-ed four men on suspect ofpreparing terrorist acts onBritain. The men range inage from 19 to 27. Moresearches are continuing.

Police reportedly saidthat the arrests andsearches of several prop-erties in west Londonand the Thames Valleyare part of an ongoinginvestigation into"Islamist related terror-ism."

Officials have classi-

fied that the threat levelin Britain as "severe,"meaning a terroristattack is viewed as highlylikely. Police have beenwarned to be vigilantagainst attacks on offi-cers. There have beennumerous arrests inrecent weeks as policehave taken action againstsome Britons who havereturned from fighting inSyria and are feared to beplanning attacks inBritain.

Four men arrested onsuspicion of terrorism

Anjem Choudary, the rad-ical cleric in Britain hasclaimed that he wouldrenounce his British citi-zenship and live under therule of ISIS, if the govern-ment would grant himsafe passage. In an inter-view with the Times hereportedly said that if hehad his passport he wouldhave already travelled toareas in Syria or Iraqpresently controlled bythe militant Islamicorganization ISIS, alsoknown as the IslamicState. In response KeithVaz, chairman of theCommon home affairsselect committee, report-edly said: "If he wants togo, he should be allowedto go. I think that wouldbe a much better scenariothan having him stay.”

Choudary wants tobecome an Islamic

State citizen


Mr. Munjal is the JointManaging Director ofHero Motocorp Ltd, theworld's largest motorcyclemanufacturing company.He is also Chairman ofHero Corporate Service,the Corporate andBusiness Expansion armof the $ 4 billion HeroGroup.He was the past presi-

dent of the Confederationof Indian Industry (CII),India's premier businessassociation, and heads theNational Council forEconomic Policy.He spoke with The

Asian Voice during arecent CII conference inLondon, and started outby talking about the ongo-ing transformation atHero Motocorp. inIndiaarm of the $.

“Ours used to be ajoint venture with Hondafor 27 years. Three yearsago, we bought them outof the company as part ofour vision to become aglobal company” MrMunjal told us. He said his company

was executing its globalvision in various ways,including: setting newstandards in cost and effi-ciency, future- proofing itstechnology, strengtheningfootprint and capacity, fos-tering innovation acrossthe value chain, and bring-ing in good talent.“We built one of the

world’s largest greenrooves on top of one ofour factories. Our gardenfactory in the arid state ofRajasthan uses sustain-able technologies tobecome resource-neutral,”he added. Hero Motocorp is

present in more than 20countries, and hopes topenetrate more markets inthe coming months. Thecompany assembles itsproducts in Africa andBangladesh, and is settingup its own manufacturingfacility in Latin America.In addition to the

motorcycle and scooterbusiness, the Hero Grouphas other interests in themanufacturing and theservices sector. There is asteel business, and an alu-minium foundry, whichdoes automotive compo-nents. There is also insur-ance, training, real estate,financial services andclean energy.Mr Munjal told us that

many of these businesses,which are privately-held—are being scaled up, andsome have the potential ofgoing global.“We also support edu-

cation and healthcare in abig way,’’ Mr Munjal said.The Hero Group man-

ages not-for-profit medicalinstitutions, colleges andschools in North India. “We have our own

manufacturing schoolunder the aegis of theIndian School of Business,and a deemed Universitythat has been set up inpartnership with theImperial College ofLondon,’’ he added.Hero also promotes

sporting events. It hasbeen involved in superbikeracing in the US, and isnow supporting variousgolfing events around theworld. It sponsors India’ssoccer and hockey leaguestoo. On India and the UK,

Mr Munjal stressed thatIndia has grown frombeing the seventh oreighth biggest investor inthe UK 15 years ago, tobeing the second largest. Under his leadership,

his group grew a Scottishbusiness, HeroTSC, tobecome amongst thelargest Call Centre compa-nies in the UnitedKingdom. The workforcewent from 1400 to 6,500.“We have provided valueand created jobs in atough environment,’’ MrMunjal said.On the improved eco-

nomic outlook in India,Mr Munjal said it wasbecause of a combination

of strong political leader-ship, the rise in aspira-tions, and the gradualuptick in the businesscycle.“After a few years of

slow growth, expectationsare high... this is a chal-lenge, and a huge opportu-nity—perhaps the best wehave had in 30 years—tomake our economy a gen-uine powerhouse.’’We asked Sunil Munjal

about his expectationsfrom the new government,

and he welcomed thesense of urgency.“I like the focus on

project management;growth comes from execu-tion and development, notannouncements,’’ he said. Mr Munjal praised

attempts to spring-cleanarchaic rules and regula-tions. “Many of themcame from British timeswhen a minority was try-ing to run a country thatwas primarily against it.So the rules are based onmistrust. They automati-cally assume that the citi-zen will do the wrongthing. Their interest andthat of the government

was misaligned,’’ he point-ed out.The government needs

to believe that people willdo the right thing with theright environment.Industry will do the rightthing too because Indianindustry wants to stand upand be counted globally. The physical interface

is where friction, delaysand corruption take place.If these are eliminated,there is enough energy tomove the economy for-ward dramatically andalso addresses our biggestchallenge; the 250 millionin poverty. Minimise the interface

between the government,industry and the citizen.Whatever interface is nec-essary, get it automated,”he said.

“Part of the Indiangenetic code comes fromdoing business- we’vebeen doing business for8,000 years. But over thepast 250 years, we steppedback. We need to own thatspace again, allow individ-ual enterprise to flourish;we need to release theenergy which alreadyexists in the country andpeople of India.Just like companies are

about customers, govern-ments are about people.Once we have a govern-ment that is people-cen-tric, we will get leadershipin all walks of life,” hesaid.

Leading LightsRani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Sunil Munjal

Sunil Munjal; The Hero of Hero Corp

“Release the energythat already existsin the country andpeople of India.”

GnErgy to be officially launchedOn Monday 24thNovember 2014, localenergy supplier GnERGYwill officially be launchedby Amber Rudd MP theParliamentary UnderSecretary of State forClimate Change. Theevent will take place atGnERGY’s headquartersin Farnborough. GnERGYis a new breed of commu-nity energy suppliers inthe UK. Providing Gasand Electric in an openand honest way. Theyoffer their customers easy,hassle free switching withno contracts to sign orconfusing small print tounderstand. All this plus,transparent billing and

extremely competitiveprices make them anattractive choice com-pared to the big six energysuppliers. With a UKbased customer serviceteam who speak English,Nepali and Hindi, they arehappy to answer calls orwelcome visitors whowish to drop in and dis-cuss their gas and electric-ity. Managed by exGurkhas, you can beassured that they run theircompany the same waythey approach life, withefficiency, commitment,simplicity and honesty.One can find out more

about GnERGY by visitingwww.gnergy.co.uk.

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An excellent opportunity for someone with great communication skills, lots ofenthusiasm and creativity to lead on the transformation of advice and informationservices. The person we are looking for will have:� Practical experience of Information Management and an understanding andawareness of information management.� An understanding of information security, records management and the legislationthat underpins this.� A working knowledge of the Data Protection and Freedom of Information acts.� A high level of computer literacy including experience of using a wide range ofcomputer programs to record, retrieve and process information.� Effective communication skills both verbal and written.� The ability to work as part of a team.� Good analytical skills and the ability to impart detailed data to team members andstakeholders alike.� Excellent organisational / administration skills.

Be methodical with a strong attention to detail.Salary: £22,220 (Pro-rata) Closing date: 26th November 2014

Interviews: 1st – 5th December 2014 *In view of the nature of role, the Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9

(part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies. This post is restricted to women under theEquality Act 2010*

Application Pack, email to [email protected] or call Enfield Saheli on 020 8373 6218

Reg. Charity No. 1129308 Company No: 6663604

A third of all entrepre-neurs benefiting from agovernment scheme tohelp businesses with noaccess to finance are fromethnic minorities, figuresshow.The Start Up Loans

programme is designed tohelp solve the problem ofsupporting people whohave a feasible businessidea but no access to cap-ital. In 2012, £151 millionwas made available to thescheme by the govern-ment to aid entrepreneurswith a target to start30,000 new businesses by2016. More than 20,000loans have now beenissued under the scheme,amounting to a value ofmore than £100 Million.Start Up Loans are

available to businesses yetto launch or those thathave been trading for upto 12 months.Figures from the

Department of Business,Innovation and Skillsshow in the past year athird of all businesses setup through the initiativehave been by BAMEentrepreneurs.Since being set up the

scheme has made avail-able 20,000 loans to busi-

Government start up loan initiative hailed a successness-savvy entrepreneurs.Commenting, the

Business Secretary VinceCable said: “The stereo-type of Asian businesses ischanging rapidly; whilethat stereotype is stillthere – 30% are in theretail sector – it’s rapidlydiversifying.“The communities

growth is essential to jobcreation and national eco-nomic recovery, as is theemergence of a new gener-

ation of Asian entrepre-neurs.“Helping more small

businesses to get startedand thrive is a key part ofthe government’s drive tocreate a more entrepre-neurial society.”“In 2010 Vince Cable

also launched a BusinessMentoring project whichhas attracted 15,000 men-tors, 11% of which arefrom Black, Asian orMinority Ethnic groups.”


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Malala’s unrealisticambition

Congratulations to Malala, bright,brave, ambitious girl who at 17 becomesyoungest Noble laureate and KailashSatyarthi, seasoned Indian social workerbattling to abolish child labour are wor-thy winners of this prestigious award,putting them on par with US PresidentObama who was awarded such honour insomewhat haste!

Malala who operated anonymous blogexposing Taliban’s anti girl education pol-icy, was catapulted on international stageby Taliban who shot her but failed tosilence her. It proved to be blessing in dis-guise, enabling her to move to UK, a free,liberal, democratic country, in sharp con-trast to medieval Pakistan an anti-demo-cratic, violent, religiously narrow mindednation, where minorities and women arebrutalized.

Naïve Malala’s odyssey with an earlyambition to become doctor she shouldadhere to rather than entering politics,her new found passion, lion’s den.Sceptic Pakistanis even consider her asWest’s stooge. She would not last longenough to make difference, will meet thesame gruesome end as much shrewder,clever seasoned, born politician BenazirBhutto. It would be a tragedy if the worldloses brave Malala, earnestly needed asroll-model in Muslim world.

Let us hope that both Indian andPakistani PM with lamentable, fossilizedpolitical attitude would attend Nobleaward ceremony that may lead to longoverdue peace juggernaut and prosperityfor both nations suffering from neglect,corruption and mistrust.

Kumudini ValambiaVia Email

Remembrance Day The entire world on Sunday 9

November remembered the UnknownSoldier who died during World War Iwhich ended on 11th day, 11th monthand 11th hour in 1918.

It was a war between the TripleAlliance and the Triple Entente.

We remember and respect these sol-diers who sacrificed their lives for theworld because of whom the worldbecome a better place. The ceremony lastnight at The Royal Albert Hall was verymoving.

But has it become a better place?While we are remembering this day,America and Europe are solemnly payingrespect to this Unknown Soldier but onthe same day bombing Iraqi and Syriancitizens who are members of ISIS bydropping bombs on them from the skies.

Many others armed conflicts aregoing on in many parts of the world.

Like my father, I do find that there issome deep conflict in my conscienceabout what is right and what is wrong.

My father had passed away holding acup of tea in his hand on Monday, 9November 1970 in Rajkot, Gujarat,India. My mother never drank tea untilshe passed away on 2 February 2010.

As a businessman he never lied. Hisword was his bond. Businesses now sel-dom operate that way.

Nagindas KhajuriaVia Email

Kapil’s column with a punch Kapil could not have chosen better,

more controversial subject than to high-light Labour Party’s attitude in generaland Ed Milibend’s in particular towardsIndian/Hindu communities with in-depthresearch. (Is Labour going Sharia?) Nowonder Labour’s membership is plum-meting fast, as well as placebo Ed’s pop-ularity amongst Labour voters with just34% approval rate, as widely publicizedin national papers, even lower than NickClegg’s!

Back-bench rebellion is fermentingfor some time. Only lack of creditablealternative and Ed’s perseverance iskeeping Ed in his post, although there isno shortage of credible alternatives, withYvette Cooper, Douglas Alexander, AndyBurnham are all experienced politiciansbut media’s favourite is Alan Johnson,ex-postman who has ruled himself out. IfEd goes, Conservatives will lose theirmost winnable asset?

My choice is young, intelligent ChukaUmunna, Shadow Business Secretarywho comes out well on TV but whetherBritain is ready to have its first black PMis a million dollar question. But ifAmerica can have Obama, why notUmunna for Britain?

Vote bank politics imported fromIndia is cementing fast. Has Labourlearnt nothing from Ken’s fiasco to winMayoral election on such tactics, handingit over on a plate to Boris?

Bhupendra M GandhiVia Email

Cheerful celebrations After cheerful celebrations of

Navratri/Diwali/Tulsi Vivah, it is time tocogitate about communities’ annual cele-brations. Devotees celebrate anniversaryof victory of Ram and divine energies(Matajees) thousands of years ago. Butthey banished evil forces of darkness tem-porarily. From then till now, negative andpositive forces have evolved, struggledagainst each other and survived, due toshifting of values as more knowledge isrevealed. Victories relate to clash of cul-tures, supremacy and power struggleamong human beings (manav, danav anddevatas) of those days.

These festivals acknowledge energiesare inherent in devotees which is a matterto be happy. It is reminder that armedwith these energies all have to strugglecontinuously against negative forces.Whatever success is achieved is also amatter to be cheerful. All devotees mustparticipate, by lighting a small lamp, indi-vidually to be effective collectively.

Negative forces can also be fought byones physical health via healthy foods,and good mental health via cheerfulness,meditation and prayers. This can lead toindividual’s inner cleansing, generateenvironment for positive forces to strikeroots in an individual and collectively insociety.

Vigorous festivities during Navratriand Diwali revivifies ones physical andspiritual resources till next year.

Ramesh JhallaVia Email

Royal British LegionFestival of Remembrance

The Royal British Legion Festival ofRemembrance at the Royal Festival Halllast Saturday had more than usual signif-icance; it marked the historic Centenaryof the start of the First World War. Themomentousness was also true for thewreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaphthe following morning. Except for a pass-ing remark at the Cenotaph about theIndian soldiers in the war , absence ofany mention of the contributions of theIndian soldiers ( India before partitionincludes Pakistan and Bangladesh) wasas unbelievable as it was unacceptable. Infact, it was hurtful that there was noteven an acknowledgement of Indian con-tribution to the British war efforts. TheRoyal Albert Hall presentation was allabout the English, the Irish, the Scottishand the Welsh soldiers and rightfully so,but did not over 60 thousand Indians toomake the supreme sacrifice for the coun-try not theirs? Was no Indian, with director indirect family connection with thewar, was worth interviewing? Was thereno Indian war widow to take part in theparade? Why was the memorial to thefallen heroes of the First World War onthe Brighton Downs or the graves of theMuslim soldiers at Brrokwood Cemeterynot shown? As never before, it was anideal opportunity, in this centenary com-memorations services, to acknowledgethe significant Indian contribution to thewars. If the Indians fought shoulder toshoulder with the British in the war, thenthey also have a right to share the trib-utes for their courage and sacrifices. Butonce again, Indian war efforts are still nomore than just a footnote to war history.And these memorial services continue tobe the painful reminders of the forgottenIndian army. The wars may be over butthe battle to draw the attention of theBritish to do justice to the Indian soldierscontinues.

Kusoom VadgamaLondon

Involving common sense In Asian Voice dated 13th September,

Mr Dharam Sahdev from Ilford undertitle 'Involving common sense' mentionedthat Dayanandji created a different reli-gion- Arya Samaj.

Well that is not true. The meaning ofArya Samaj is a society of civilised, cul-tured and noble people. Dayanandjireminded Hindus of Bharat of that theera about Vedic religion- Vedic way oflife, the knowledge which ancient Rishisof Bharat had discovered after years ofdeep meditation, strict self discipline andinward spiritual thinking. So Arya Samajis not a religion.

Savita Dolatray ShuklaBerks

Swarcch Bharat Abhiyan I refer to my letter on Mr Modi’s

“Swarcch Bharat Abhiyan”, which waspublished under the above title in AsianVoice, Vol 43, Issue 24, dated 18thOctober to 24th October 2014.

My letter also mentioned the plight ofkaramcharis, and noted that no one,including the Indian politicians or yourpaper have taken this as a serious matter,which you show fit to edit and omit.

I mentioned that, in some areas, eventhough this is illegal due to health con-cerns, they are still engaged or employedfor manually carrying human excreta, andon the construction and maintenance ofdry latrines. Apart from being employedby individual households, many are alsoemployed by the government for cleaningthe community dry latrines, Railway sta-tions, government hospitals, etc. Theirjob frowned upon as it is degrading, filthyand full of health hazards. For theirlabour they are paid pittance, and insome cases, a bottle of booze.

Readers may be interested in a pub-lished article from the UK NationalPaper, the Daily Mail, http://www.daily-mail.co.uk/news/article-2190251/And-thought-bad-job-Indian-sewer-diver-paid-just-3-50-day-plus-bottle-booze-unclog-Delhis-drains.html

Since 1993 this hazardous occupationwas made illegal, it takes a UK nationalpaper in 2012 to bring this to the forefrom the very heart of the Government ofIndia.

Mohindra MasterVia Email

International Yoga Day Since independence in 1947 Mr

Narendrabhai Modi is the first IndianPrime Minister with complete and trueunderstanding, appreciation and respectfor Indian culture, tradition, heritage andideals. His call at the UN forInternational Yoga Day to be observed allover the world every year on June 21 is abrilliant idea. As reported in AV on Nov8, the Indian Mission at the UN is takingsteps to submit a resolution for its adop-tion by the UN Secretariat. Consideringthe number and stature of countries lin-ing up to co-sponsor the resolution it isquite safe to assume that the resolutionwill be adopted by the secretariat. It willthen naturally come into effect from2015.

Yoga is Hinduism’s gift to the human-ity. It is a universal philosophy based ondeveloping a harmonizing system for thebody, mind and spirit. Its effect is naturalstilling of mind that promotes healthybody, positive thinking and spiritualenlightenment. Being universal in con-cept and scope it can be practised by any-one and everyone and hence it is nowpractised almost everywhere in theworld. Mr. Modi’s call for its recognitionis the right way forward for the humani-ty.

Dr Jatindra Saha Via Email

Have something to say about thestories featured in Asian Voice?Letters are welcome at: [email protected] Word limit: 200 words.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 201412 MEDIA WATCH

The inept Trinamool adminis-tration in West Bengal chose toignore these alerts, preferringinstead to concentrate time andmoney on its vote bank politics- which appears to back firingwith large numbers of Muslimpeasants in parts of the ruralhinterland joining the BJPbecause of the intimidation andviolence of TrinamoolCongress goons.( TelegraphNovember 4). Returning to thewarnings emanating fromDhaka, the Centre in Delhi wastoo laid back in its responses.The cooperation between Delhiand Dhaka is now exemplary,but valuable time has been lost.We are thus witnessing a moremenacing level of threat. Thefront pages of the localTelegraph newspaper andTimes of India (November 5)reveal that two Indian Navywarships left their berths at theKolkata port for the open seasas a precautionary moveagainst a terrorist attack, TheResearch & Analysis Wing,India’s external intelligenceagency, having warned of itspossible occurrence. Theagency pinpointed Pakistan’sInter Services Intelligencedirectorate as the mastermindof the operation, with the likelytimeline of such an attack given

as November 4-7. The Indianwarships had arrived for thenational Navy Day celebra-tions. “Warships are safest onthe open seas, [where they are]capable of defending them-selves. The Corvette INSKhukri and offshore patrol ves-sel INS Sumatra had docked atthe port” for public visitors aspart of Navy Day, said an offi-cial in a briefing to the media.“We received information thata strike has been planned onKolkata to try and destroy orcripple the warships.” Haldiaport, too, has been put underalert.

Wagah bombing

The massive suicide bombblast, close to the Pakistan sideof the Wagah border crossingwith India, has led to the lossof 60 Pakistani lives, with over100 injured. Two Taliban out-fits have claimed responsibilityfor the dastardly deed, which

the Indian government hascondemned. Trouble is thatPakistan is now an auctionhouse of terror groups. Someamong them are now in conflictwith their former handlers.The Americans would call this“blowback,” a term that fits thePakistan predicament perfectly.

Pentagon charge

Blowback is what the US is fac-ing in Syrian and Iraq from theIslamic State, whose weaponryof American origin, and whosemurderous Jihadi levies wereonce America’s regionalclients. Washington has been aslow learner on such matters.The Pentagon has issued areport charging Pakistan withusing jihadi terror groups as“proxies” against India. (Timesof India November 6)

Japan’s highesthonour for Singh

Former Prime MinisterManmohan Singh may havepilloried by the Indian media,unfairly most of the time, butmost foreign leaders respectedhis intellect, dignifieddemeanour and his quiet pur-suit of India’s interests. Japan’s

Emperor Akihito has awardedhis country’s highest honour,Paulownia Flowers, the firstIndian to be so honoured.Prime Minister Narendra Modisaid it was a “matter of prideand joy” for him and thenation. He rose above partisanpolitics in uttering these splen-did words. He has set a stan-dard for decency in publicwhich should be emulated byone and all.

Institutions

India had invested wisely inworld class institutions fromIndependence to tap the coun-try’s extraordinary talent. Thisinvestment must continue withthe expansion of such institu-tions, whose numbers exceedthose of most emerging mar-kets combined, said ProfessorNarayan Das. (Business LineNovember 5)

Juggernaut ready to roll

Das Narayandas, James HillProfessor of BusinessAdministration at the HarvardBusiness School, speaking to areporter on the sidelines of afunction in his honour at theIndian Institute of ManagementBangalore, said that PrimeMinister Modi’s visit to theUnited States had been morethan a routine goodwill visit, thatthe country’s business communi-ty, as prospective investors, werenow seriously interested in Indiagoing forward. He describedIndia as a global brand “which isthe first step for an emergingmarket to establish itself on aglobal platform….the countrywould do well to find specificsectors….faster than others likeIT did, followed by hospitalityand medical tourism. To me,India is a juggernaut ready toroll.”

Export hub

Spanish wind turbine company,Gamesa, is bullish on India’swind energy sector. The companyexpects to sell turbines adding upto 850 MW in India this year, thecountry being its largest overseasmarket. Speaking to Indian jour-nalists at the company headquar-ters in Pamplona, Spain,Executive Chairman IgnacioMartin, said: “India as a countryis very encouraging for us…. Wecan say that Gamesa is today themarket leader in India.” India’senergy would double over the 15years, of which 10 per cent wouldbe renewals, he said (HinduOctober 20)

Destination Oman

“Indian businessmen should lookat IT opportunities in Oman,”said Ali bin Masoud Sunaidy,Minister for Commerce andIndustry, Oman. He was recentlyin India heading a delegation ofCEOs in talks with ministers andprivate sector companies toincrease trade and investment.While the Oman minister wasreasonably satisfied with the

steady growth in trade andinvestment, he made a specialpitch for the Indian IT sector to

deepen its interest in hiscountry.

IT capability

“India is extremely capablein IT and we are alreadyextending our cooperationto the sector. However, ifwe could add to the dimen-sion of content manage-ment and content develop-ment there could be mani-fold growth as we couldtarget the entire Arab

market, which is growing rapid-ly…..I would like young anddynamic Indian businessmen to

look carefully at the opportuni-ties,” he said. (Business LineNovember 3)

Danfoss facilitycommissioned

Danfoss, the Denmark-basedmechanical and electronic com-ponents company has opened afacility near Chennai for manu-facturing and research. Set upwith an investment of Rs 500crore, it has a 1MW solar pow-

ered plant, which will generatesufficient electricity to meet 10per cent of its energy require-ments on a 50 acre campus. Thecompany has plans to transformthe Chennai facility into a manu-facturing-cum export hub for theAsia Pacific region. Danfoss willalso source products from local

suppliers, thereby creat-ing ancillary industriesthat provide new jobs.

Right place, righttime

“We kick-started our‘Make in India’ initiativetwo years ago, after hav-ing assessed the tremen-dous potential for growthin India’s manufacturingsector. We are pleased tocommence our manufac-turing at the right placeat the right time,” said

Niels Christiansen, President andCEO, Danfoss Global. (BusinessLine November 6)

Rogozin comescalling

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister,with special responsibility forrelations with India, was in Indiaon a day-long visit during whichhe co-chaired a meeting, withExternal Affairs MinisterSushma Swaraj, of the 20th ses-sion of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission onTrade, Economics and Scientific,Technological and CulturalCorporation. Rogozin happens tobe the Chairman of Russia’s mili-tary-industrial complex, hence

issues pertaining to defenceassumed special significance.Deals here will be under wrapsuntil President Putin arrives forthe annual India-Russia summitin New Delhi in December.

Free Trade talks

What appeared in the publicdomain in the aftermath of theRogozin visit was the agreementto commence talks on a free tradeagreement between the two sidesthat already includes Belarus,Kazakhstan and Russia. TheIndia Russia talks covered spaceand energy cooperation andother deliverables for President’sconsideration. India pressed forgreater access to the Russianmarket, particularly in pharma-ceuticals, automotives, textilesand valued added farm products,said India’s Commerce MinisterNirmala Sitharaman. “We wouldlike to invite investments fromRussia. Come to India, make ithere and sell it to us,” she said.Minister Rogozin called onNational Security Adviser AjitDoval, Finance Minister ArunJaitley and Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. (HinduNovember5,6)

Kerala’s free cancertreatment

Advanced cancer care is not nor-mally an affordable item for thepoor in most parts of the world.Kerala is an exception to the gen-eral rule, with the launch of its‘Sukrutham’ initiative, whichseeks to make the treatment freefor the poorest of the poor. Thefree treatment already availablein five government medical col-lege hospitals and three otherhospitals, is to be extended to all14 district hospitals. Praising theinitiative the Union Minister ofHealth Harsh Vardhan said theKerala example would be repli-cated across India through the13th five year plan. (BusinessLine November 1).

Professor Das Narayandas in Bangalore

Manmohan Singh in group photo with Japanese awardees of thePaulownia Flowers

CEO Niels Christiansen

The Union Home Minister, Mr. Rajnath Singhand the Minister of Commerce and Industry,Sultanate of Oman, Dr. Ali Masoud Sunaidy

Russian Minister Rogozin with Sushma Swaraj

The fortuitous discovery of the Burdwan jihadi network acrossWest Bengal and beyond, into Bangladesh, may well turn outto be the tip of something more menacing. What has jolted andshamed the Indian authorities is the revelation thatBangladesh intelligence had been warning the West Bengalgovernment and the Union government in Delhi of the activi-ties of the Jamaat-ul- Mujahideen in India.

Continued from page 1 As Ben Macintyre

writes in The Times: 'mil-lions of ordinary,unnamed people comingto pay tribute to hundredsand thousands of ordinary,anonymous dead' through888,246 poppies- one forevery British andCommonwealth soldierkilled in the Great War.

Hindu, Sikh and Muslimcommunities celebratethe centenary of WWI

Volunteers from Sikh,Muslim and Hindu com-munities came together tocommemorate the fallen ofWorld War One and toraise money for the RoyalBritish Legion.

Awareness of the con-tribution of pre-partitionIndians to the British wareffort was previously notwell known by the majori-ty of the British public butover the past 2 years thishas increased by 24%,with 68% of the publicnow aware.

Poppy stalls collectingfor the Royal BritishLegion were set up bymulti-faith groups acrossLondon and in Derby,Redbridge, Leeds andNottingham with volun-teers drawn from church-es, synagogues, mosques,gurdwaras and temples.Communities Ministersalso attended events inLondon.

Speaking after attend-ing a We Remember Tooevent outside WestminsterCathedral on 5 November,Secretary of State forCommunities and Local

Government Eric Picklessaid:

World War Onetouched the lives of mil-lions of people across gen-erations and across conti-nents – from every cornerof the world people unitedto fight for Britain. Thelegacy of their sacrificecan be felt in the freedomsthat we all now enjoytoday. 100 years on, it’sonly right that Briton’sfrom every backgroundcome together to remem-ber their service.

Events to markCommonwealth contributions

There were a number ofCommonwealth soldierswho participated in theWWI- amongst them wereat least 1.5mn Indians.

To commemorate theSikh contribution to theGreat War on Monday 10November, ConservativeMP Paul Uppal welcomedthe Sikh Discover Inspire -The G T 1588 initiative inthe Parliament, that wasattended by the Secretaryof State for Culture Media& Sport Rt Hon SajidJavid MP

As well as marking theSikh role, it rememberedall those who contributedfrom British India - a totalof close to 1.5 million per-sonnel, all of who werevolunteers. Sikhs made upjust 2% of the populationof India but made up 20%of those who chose toserve.

There was a specialmusical performance of aPunjabi wartime folksong, and a moment ofremembrance after a

unique rendition of thelast post.

On 6th November, DrOnkar Sahota AssemblyMember for Ealing andHillingdon organised areception for the UKPunjab HeritageAssociation (UKPHA) incommemorating the Sikhcontribution to the GreatWar in this centenary ofthe outbreak of hostilities.UKPHA have commencedon a three-year project tomark the Sikh and Indiancontribution which willsee them collect and sharestories of those who wentto war, as well as thosewho were left behind.

Speaking at the eventin City Hall, Dr Sahotasaid, “If you gaze over theThames towards TowerBridge you will catch aglimpse of the 888,246

ceramic poppies. Each ofthem represent a life losttop war. As we mark thecentenary of the WWI, wealso remember the quartermillion soldiers who gavetheir lives...

“The concept ofDharam Yudh (in

Sikhism) explains: thatwar- if necessary- after a;peaceful means have beenexhausted- and if conduct-ed with discipline andhonour, where ceasefireare honoured and placesof worship not harmed-can be just.

“Discipline, integrityand courage are part ofSikh religion. These arealso essential for a goodsoldier. That is why Sikhsmake good soldier.”

The governmentrevealed that all Victoria

Cross recipients thatwere born overseaswill be commemorat-ed with a pavingstone in the NationalM e m o r i a lArboretum inStaffordshire.

The Foreign andC omm o nw e a l t hOffice will also placec ommemo r a t i v eplaques in countriesaround the world formen from overseaswho received theVictoria Cross, forservice in the FirstWorld War. On 9March on

Commonwealth Day amajor event is beingplanned at the Nationalarboretum to commemo-rate those from theCommonwealth nationswho received VictoriaCrosses

A tribute will be paidto the contributions of theIndian troupe (includingIndia, Pakistan andBangladesh) in the secondbattle of Neuve Chapelleat an event on 10th March2015 in the Imperial WarMuseum North, Salford.

Rt Hon Sadiq Khan,Shadow Secretary of Statefor Justice told AsianVoice, “In recent days, wehave seen special servicesheld, and wreaths laid atwar memorials throughoutthe country and atLondon’s Cenotaph.Millions of people havetaken the time to honour

those who made the ulti-mate sacrifice to protectour country and ourBritish values...

“In the early months ofthe First World War, with-out the brave efforts of thevolunteer Indian armymany miles from home,

the Germans might havebroken through and takencontrol of the ChannelPorts. “History could havebeen very different and weowe those men andwomen a great debt.Memorials across north-ern France and Belgiumare littered with nameslike Muhammad, Aslam,Abdul and even Khan,who died fighting for ourcountry.

“As we honour theirsacrifice, and the memoryof the fallen, we think ofthose who still give somuch for our liberty andprotection today. This andeach Remembrance Day,we pay tribute to ourbravest, and we reaffirmthat they will never be for-gotten.”

WWI Commemorativeplaque unveiled in

Islamabad

On 10th November, theBritish HighCommissioner toPakistan, Mr Philip

Barton CMG OBE,unveiled a plaque in hon-our of three soldiers frommodern day Pakistan, whowere awarded VictoriaCrosses during the FirstWorld War.

The ceremony formedpart of the UK

Government’s programmeof events to commemoratethe Centenary of the FirstWorld War, during which175 men from 11 countrieswere awarded the VictoriaCross.

Following the unveilingof the plaque, the HighCommissioner and hisChief Guest, Pakistan’sDefence Secretary Lt.General (Rtd) AlamKhattak, laid a wreath inremembrance of all thosewho had lost their lives inthe First World War andthose who have fallen inconflicts since.

The plaque honours thebravery of SepoyKhudadad Khan - the firstSouth Asian and Muslimrecipient of the VictoriaCross - Jemadar Mir Dastand Naik Shahamad Khan,who were all awardedBritain’s highest award forgallantry during the FirstWorld War.

A descendant ofKhudadad Khan wasamong those present at the

ceremony. Other guestsincluded serving and for-mer members of armedforces from across theCommonwealth and othercountries as well as repre-sentatives from the interna-tional community.Community members fromDulmial Village, Punjab, alsoattended the event. Over 450soldiers from this villagefought in the First WorldWar, the largest numberfrom any village in SouthAsia.

The plaque will eventu-

ally be placed in a promi-nent public area inIslamabad, so that the sto-ries of these heroes willbecome better known andenable younger generationsto learn about our sharedhistory and the extraordi-nary courage and heroism

of those from their owncountry who fought dur-ing the First World War.

Final words of fallenheroes unearthed

The poignant last words ofthousands of brave WWI sol-diers who died for theircountry were revealed as aremembrance to their ulti-mate sacrifice. The ProbateOffice’s huge archive of278,000 soldiers’ wills wasreleased in the run-up to thecentenary of the start of theGreat War, which began onJuly 28, 1914, as part of theGovernment’s wider drive tomodernise and open up itsservices.

The digitised documentsare part of the huge archiveof 41 million wills preservedby Iron Mountain on behalfof HM Courts & TribunalsService.

The private messages ofthose soldiers who diedfighting for the country arepart of the England andWales online archive of

278,000 soldiers’ wills. Thewills, which were carriedaround by soldiers at alltimes in a pocket booktucked into their uniform,represent their last ever per-sonally written record.

These documents, detail-ing soldiers’ last wishes wereput online last year by HMCourts & Tribunals Serviceto enable people to searchfor what may have been thefinal messages sent home bytheir relatives. More thanone million searches havealready been made.

In one handwritten mes-sage available in the data-base, a soldier writes: “…Iam only sorry that I did notsee you all before I wentbut…mother dear do notlose heart I may come backagain...”

Justice Minister ShaileshVara said: “On this day it isimportant we rememberthose who laid down theirlives for our country.

“We should never forgetthe sacrifices these men andwomen made and this valu-able archive of wills helpspreserve the memories of ourfallen soldiers for genera-tions to come.

“Every soldier had tocomplete a will before theyheaded to the front line sotheir estate could be dealtwith if they lost their life.Often they used their will towrite letters to their lovedones. Many of these historicdocuments show the terribledamage suffered during thewar."

WE SHALL NOT FORGET


Asian community with Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon trying to raisemoney for the Royal Legion

Gurkhas at the Remembrance day celebration

Unveiling of a plaque in honour of three soldiers from modernday Pakistan, who were awarded Victoria Crosses during WWI

MP Paul Uppal with the Secretary of State for CultureMedia & Sport Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP


Behind the Beautiful Forevers Exclusive:Mumbai’s undercity comes to London

Sunetra Senior

Last week, Asian Voicehad the pleasure of pre-viewing the NationalTheatre’s production ofBehind the BeautifulForevers. Based on theNational Book Award-winning novel byKatherine Boo, the playpresents globalisationfrom the perspective ofthe Mumbai slumdweller, particularly, asdirector Rufus Norrisexpressed, with thethinking that “these peo-ple have every strand ofcomplexity that” we pos-sess as westerners.Indeed, the assortment ofdynamic characters that

drives the story forwardsoriginates from Boo’sthree years of intimateresearch in the poverty-stricken area ofAnnawadi, behindMumbai airport. In thisway, Behind the BeautifulForevers does not somuch tell of economicinequality as actuallyshow it.As we see in the ambi-

tion underlying the bol-shiness of ZehrunisaHusain (played by MeeraSyal), or the intellectualcuriosity of wannabe stu-dent Manju Waghekar(Anjana Vasan), personalconflict and yearning arewhat emphasise the ideo-logical gap. The blind-spot of capitalism as aglobally beneficial systemhits home through theemotional landscape ofthe slum as well as thephysical one. This is whatmakes the narrative soperfect for the proximatemedium of theatre andwhat struck me in therehearsal room. Thoughwe are overwhelmed by ashiny stage strewn withrubbish and various con-tainers- bottles, card-board crates, buckets- the

characters move aroundin a homely manner.People wash clothes andchat casually in groups as

if there isn’t a care in theworld. Because, ofcourse, this is their home,their place to dream andthat is the bitter-sweetpoint. We are both dis-comfited and heart-warmed because we cansee the whole metaphysi-cal picture; that, again asdirector Norris sum-marised, “these people

are just like us, just in adifferent situation.” Oneour first-world lives areinevitably complicit in:“we can’t live the way we

do without somebody onthe other end balancing itout.”It would almost be as

if we were gazing at theslum from one of the five-star hotels lining the air-port were it not for theholistic beaut. The ideathat in an alternate reali-ty, these vibrant inhabi-tants could have just aseasily been us, creates ashared feeling of humani-ty so that in the momentwe are the Annawadipeople. The bit whereManju and her protégémake fun of the Englishword ‘gallants’ for sound-ing too posh, was a saluteto this porous culturalspace. As Pal Aron whoplays The Master in theproduction told us ‘thesepeople have pride too.’Elaborating from a child-hood memory in India hesaid “I remember seeingtwo ‘beggars’ who weresharing a plate of rice inthe candlelight, and theywere laughing and joking.They had integrity.”

The comedy of theplay also reflects ourmutual spiritual exis-tence: “We did not needto plan the humour,”

explained the cast. “Itarises from the situationsthemselves: it’s funnyand sad because that isthe human condition.”Seeing Chook Sibtain’sfrightful yet somehowspirited appearance asthe sub-inspector YankaSheram certainly con-vinced me. In fact, addedcomedy/drama writerand actress Meera Syal,“perhaps these peopleare so witty because oftheir oppression. Theyhave to think on theirfeet to survive and sothey are quick- witted.As the author KatherineBoo said, ‘this may begallows humour, but it isstill humour.”The commitment to

three-dimensional char-acters carries a truly dem-ocratic message. We areable to value those on theother side of capitalismbecause we feel connect-ed to them through timeand space. The debris ofthe set also reflects thepolitical reconcilinggoing on in the audience;the containers representtransition, while the litteris the emotional residuefrom linking the spheresof consumerism and pro-duction in the conscious-ness. As the writer of theplay David Hare hassaid, in an age of fastinformation and coldnumbers, theatre cansometimes deliver where‘journalism fails.’ In thecase of the NationalTheatre's Behind theBeautiful Forevers twoseemingly differentworlds collide to jolt,

excite and motivate usinto action. Previewsstart from 10th ofNovember. Get yourexperience now!

Armed Forces Hindu networklaunched at Diwali celebrationA celebration of Diwali,the festival of lights, pro-vided the ideal opportuni-ty to launch the ArmedForces Hindu Network.The festival is the high-light of the Hindu reli-gious calendar, and marksthe New Year. Serving per-sonnel, Lord Astor andother invited guests gath-ered in MOD’s Whitehallheadquarters for theArmed Forces DiwaliCelebration onWednesday.According to Hindu

tradition, Lord Rama, therightful heir to the throneof Ayodhya, returned fromhis 14-year exile on amoonless night. To wel-come him back, the peoplelit rows of candles and setoff fireworks in celebra-tion and to light his way,lending the festival itsname.

The story of LordRama’s triumph empha-sises the messages ofcourage, commitment, dis-cipline, respect, integrityand loyalty – themesreflected by UK ArmedForces core values. This made Diwali an

especially appropriatetime to launch the Hindunetwork, established torepresent and support theentire Armed ForcesHindu community, includ-ing 900 regular Servicepersonnel, reservists, vet-erans and families, andsome 4,000 Gurkhas. Lord Astor said:

"Diwali carries core mes-sages that resonate closelywith today’s ArmedForces. I am certain thatwith these values as astarting point, the ArmedForces Hindu Network,launched at this event,

will grow to furtherstrengthen the naturalbonds between the ArmedForces and British Hinducommunity."The launch of the net-

work is especiallypoignant in 2014, as wemark the centenary of theFirst World War, in which800,000 Hindus fought forBritain. This year alsomarks the 70th anniver-sary of key battles of theSecond World War, inwhich Hindus againfought by Britain’s side. The network will

inform members of devel-opments in the widerArmed Forces and providean inclusive platform fordiscussions for servingHindus."Surgeon Lieutenant

Commander ManishTayal, Chairman of thenetwork, said: “Diwali,the key festival of theHindu religious calendar,carries core messages thatresonate with today’sArmed Forces. The Armed

Forces Hindu Network,launched at this event,will strengthen naturalbonds between ArmedForces and British Hinducommunity.”

Lord Astor

In his highly informativenew expose, 'Letters tothe Editor' (published byAuthorHouse UK),author NagindasKhajuria covers almostall topics that are con-stantly in the newsevery day as currentaffairs. From ISIS,Syria, terrorism, educa-tion reform, NHS fund-ing crisis to welfare ben-efits, he elaborates onevents that will steer thereader into reflectingmore deeply about theissues that surround theworld today.

He explains howhumanity is constantlypreoccupied by historyand how past eventsshape the enormity ofeveryone’s life. Thisbook goes back 17 yearsand analyses the eventof that day; providinginsight from experi-ences, hindsight andlogical judgment.E y e - o p e n i n g ,

insightful and easy-to-grasp, 'Letters to theEditor' reveals what,when, why, how, whereand which way policiesshould be formulated so

Book Review: Letters to the Editor

that inequality is reducedgradually and notincreased in a world thatis being torn by everybodyfighting for a larger pieceof a finite cake.Nagindas Khajuria is a

businessman with experi-ence over five decadesacross four continents inthe oil industry, financialservices, and diplomaticmissions. He lives in

London with his wife andhas two children and fourgrandchildren. He wasborn in Sudan of Indianparents. He was educatedin an Italian-run Catholicmissionary school inKhartoum, Sudan.Khajuria is qualified as

a chartered certifiedaccountant in the UK. Hewas awarded a meritori-ous citation for outstand-

ing service at the UnitedStates Agency forI n t e r n a t i o n a lDevelopment inKhartoum, Sudan. Duringthe next twelve years, heworked in the finance andtax departments of oil andgas multinational andnational companies inLondon, Libreville andTripoli. He later set up hisprofessional accountancy

practice and has guidedand nurtured small- andmedium-size family busi-nesses in business devel-opment and tax compli-ance.

Hardcover- ISBN9781496991300 orSoftcover- ISBN9781496991263Available at Amazon andBarnes & Noble


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Shahnaz Husain isChairperson & ManagingDirector of the ShahnazHusain Group ofCompanies.Q1. IN THE BOOK YOUSAY “HIS CHARISMAALONE COULD FUELTHE PLANET” YOUHAVE GIVEN HIM THEULTIMATE COMPLI-MENT!A. I have. And I meanevery word of it. Andstand by it.Q2. AS A MUSLIM ININDIA – DO YOU FEELSAFE? AND UNDERMODI? A. In your eyes I am aMuslim first and Indianafterwards. In my mind Iam an Indian first andMuslim much afterwards.With Modi at the helm weare safe. India is a countrybased on the rule of law-and governed by a consti-tution and we abide by it.He says he does not differ-entiate between people ofdifferent castes and faithsand is concerned aboutthe wellbeing of 1.25 bil-lion Indians.Q3. YOU SOUNDLIKE A BRANDAMBASSADOR FORMODI. IN YOURRECENT INTERVIEWWITH ZEE TV, YOURADMIRATION FOR HIMWAS OBVIOUS.A. I am an admirer ofBrand Modi. His enigma isa great case study forfuture generations to fol-low. How a man from themasses can become a rolemodel- transform Indiaand reinvent the politicalscenario of the country.

His style of changing thedestiny of the nation &vision of a high tech digitalIndia with industrialgrowth & skill develop-ment targeting the com-mon man is exemplary. If Isound like a BrandAmbassador why not! Iam proud- I am!Q4. WHAT MADE YOUWRITE A FOREWORDFOR ‘BEING MODI’,THE COFFEE TABLEBOOK ON THE PRIMEMINISTER.A. My admiration andrespect for Mr. Modi wasthe driving force behindwriting the Foreword. Iadmire his belief of “thinkbig and lead from thefront.” He has provided adirection to the countryand all his efforts aredirected at the progress ofIndia. I believe Indiaunder Modi will lead theworld as a Power to reck-on with. Q5. HOW DIFFICULTWAS IT FOR YOU TOWRITE ON PRIME MIN-ISTER NARENDRAMODI?A. My involvement withthe cosmetic industry didnot make it difficult at allto write about him,because as a citizen, I amconcerned about thefuture of our country. Mr.Modi’s blue print for theprogress of India and thebetterment of the massesmakes him a man on amission, who wants tochange the life of 1.25 bil-lion Indians, esp. the com-mon man. I believe thatall the people of the coun-try have to work hard and

give maximum co-opera-tion to the Government toachieve the PrimeMinister’s vision for India.His concern for the girlchild , women safety andempowerment & genderequality are closest to hisheart. We must all struggleto make his dreams a real-ity.Q6. WHAT STEPS DOYOU THINK HIS GOV-ERNMENT SHOULDTAKE IN ORDER TOPROMOTE AYURVEDA?A. As far as the economyis concerned, heritageindustries, like Ayurveda,also play an important rolein the economy of devel-oping nations, not only interms of economic growth,but also to achieve socialstability, generate employ-ment, create wealth andalso preserve an ancientcivilization. With govt

help, India can lead thebillion dollar cosmeticmarket as an investmenthub & industrial tool.Medicinal plants can alsobe grown & processed forexport to supply ayurvedicfactories internationallywith India as a worldleader generating employ-ment. Press conferencescan be held in everyIndian mission abroad,regularly highlighting thedangers of deadly chemi-cals & healing power ofplants. Ayurvedic indus-tries can be developed forthe international market.Medicinal plants can alsobe grown and processedfor export. In fact, Indiacan be a leader in the field.Prime Minister Modi’slove for ayurveda and forpromoting all thingsIndian is well known andhe is also an ardent natur-

opathy follower. The west-ern world has seen thedangerous side effects ofsynthetics. It is lookingtowards India withenlightened eyes. TheWest has no options, it isfighting with its back tothe wall. It is going back tonature – and to Ayurveda& India. Q7. YOU WERE INVIT-ED TO ATTEND THEEVENT AT NEW YORK’SMADISON SQUARE TOFELICITATE MR. MODI.WHAT DO YOU FEELABOUT THE EVENT?A. Modi’s visit to the USgalvanized the Indiandiaspora in the UnitedStates and created excite-ment, a sense of anticipa-tion and hope for a betterIndia and better U.S. Indiarelations. It was historicevent in the IndianAmerican community. Itserved to highlight thestrong bonds between theU.S. and India. Q8. AS AN ENTREPRE-NEUR, WHAT DO YOUFEEL ABOUT MR.MODI’S POLICIES? A. As an entrepreneur, I’mhappy with the policy ofencouraging entrepre-neurs and innovations.This will certainly help theeconomy and progress. Inhis speech onIndependence Day, PrimeMinister Modi highlightedthe importance of develop-ment of skills, in order toincrease employment andproductivity. Mr. Modi’s“Make in India” conceptreally shows the way for-ward. It is so important toincrease productivity for

economic progress.Serving India is the solepurpose of his existence.Q9. I HEARD YOU PRE-SENTED A COPY OF“BEING MODI” BOOKTO THE UK PRIMEMINISTER DAVIDCAMERON?A. Yes I have.Q10. ACCORDING TOWASHINGTON POST“SHAHNAZ HUSAIN ISA NAME TO RECKONWITH. TO HER EXCLU-SIVELY GOES THECREDIT OF BRINGINGTHE THERAPEUTICVALUES OF HERBSOUT OF THE MIST OFANTIQUITY AND COM-BINING THEM WITHSCIENTIFIC RESEARCHAND PRACTICE.SHAHNAZ HUSAINHAS DONE SO MUCHFOR INDIA’S IMAGE INTHE WEST THAT SHEHAS EARNED THESOBRIQUET OF THECOUNRTY’S – BEAUTYAMBASSADOR” ANDAN ARTICLE IN DAILYMAIL “AYURVEDICHYSTERIA GRIPS THEWEST”. YOU ARE THEFIRST TO PUTAYURVEDA ON THEWORLD MAP. WHAT DOYOU HAVE TO SAY?A. All I can say is that forothers promotingAyurveda maybe a career.For me it has been the solepurpose of my existence. Ihave dedicated my life toselling India’s ancient civi-lization in a jar. Fightingfor India’s rights & recog-nition, I have held pressconferences all over theworld.

Shahnaz Husain: “Modi’s charisma alone could fuel the planet”

Shahnaz Husain seen receiving the Golden Peacock Awardfor Ayurvedic Innovation & Outstanding Leadership fromthe Home Minister Theresa May at the Global Conventionheld at Hotel Millenium, Mayfair London, 29th October, 2014

Interview with Shahnaz Husain

Sign the pledge to beatleprosy – a curable diseaseAsian Voice readers areurged to join a campaignto combat the effects of aneglected disease whichaffects some of theworld’s poorest peopleand causes disability.Lepra, a 90-year-old char-ity whose patron is HerMajesty the Queen,works in Bangladesh andIndia. They want every-one to sign a pledge to“Beat Leprosy”(http://www.lepra.org.uk/beat-leprosy).

Nearly 216,000 peopleworldwide were newlydiagnosed last year. Sixtyper cent of those peoplelive in India orBangladesh and nearlyten per cent of them arechildren. There are mil-lions more people who donot yet know that theyhave this disease becausethey are afraid to comeforward.

“We will not allow lep-rosy and those affected byit to be forgotten. Some ofthe poorest people aredriven further into pover-ty by the effects of lep-rosy. We need to ensurethat detection and diag-nosis happen as early aspossible, to prevent dis-

ability so that peopleaffected by the diseasecan live a full life.Expanding our communi-ty surveys to find newcases and increasing ouroutreach clinics andhealth education pro-grammes could make ahuge difference.” SarahNancollas, ChiefExecutive

The charity is spear-heading three steps whichcan make a differencenow: early detection,removing the stigma sur-rounding the disease anddealing with the disabili-ties. Last year, Leprahelped 1.2 million peopledirectly and reachedanother 1.2 millionthrough health awarenessand outreach activities.Through health educationin remote villages andschools, prejudice againstpeople affected by leprosywill be reduced and theywill seek help in time toavoid disability.

Afaroz was cured ofleprosy but was alarmedwhen he noticed a palepatch of skin on his five-year-old son’s arm. Hetook Aadil to Lepra’s cen-tre for a test. After a chil-

dren’s dose of multi-drugtherapy, Aadil was curedand now has only a fewscars on his body. Histhree-year-old brotherSohail is now monitoredand will receive the freetreatment if patches orother symptoms appear.

These children areamongst the lucky ones.Many more are not founduntil the disease hascaused permanent, visibledamage and disability andthey feel the sting of stig-ma and isolation fromtheir community.

The recount ofthousands ofvotes by a HighCourt inBritain thatwere cast forTower HamletsMayor LutfurRahman inMay's electionhas uncovered' s i g n i f i c a n tirregularities', that may besufficient to over turn theresult, a UK daily hasreported.

The official scrutiny instrict secrecy before ajudge last week was a partof the legal challenge tothe election results, whichwas alleged to be rigged.

This is the latest andpotentially most seriousblow to Mr Rahman, manyof whose functions werelast week taken over bygovernment commission-ers, after an official report

found he had presidedover serious abuses ofpublic money and proper-ty.

The Telegraph report-ed that Eric Pickles, theCommunities Secretary,described Tower Hamletsas a “rotten borough”infected by a “culture ofcronyism”, and said MrRahman was like a“medieval monarch” whohad “misused” his“unchecked” personalpower to favour ethnicand political allies.

However Mr Rahman's

High court recountsRahman's votes

supporters have criticisedthis an 'Islamophobicwitch hunt' and haveclaimed that “there is no

basis for this in fact. Itcomes from rumours fromright wing commenta-tors.”

Over a month ago,Railway MinisterSadananda Gowda select-ed an Indian RailwayPersonnel Service officerto head the crucial‘Confidential’ branch ofthe Railway Board.Despite a written order,the rail bureaucracy didnot move, and the postremains vacant.The months in office

of the first RailwayMinister of the NarendraModi government isreplete with instances ofthe ever-smiling, “niceman” Gowda not beingable to assert himself.Several Railway officialssaid this could never havebeen said about Gowda’spredecessors Lalu Prasador Mamata Banerjee.The Railways are big

in Modi’s scheme ofthings. The PM has giventhe Railways a list of 30-odd tasks needed to beperformed for an overallturnaround. The PMOmonitors progress month-ly. A majority of thesehave made no tangibleprogress.At the meeting on con-

nectivity-related infra-structure targets con-vened by the PM lastweek, the Railways got atongue-lashing as thingsdid not seem to havemoved as desired, sourcessaid.Gowda did, in fact, try.

He called meetings of theentire Railway Board toreview PM-monitoredprojects regularly. One ofthese meetings took placeon a national holiday lastweek. He also invoked theSwachh Bharat campaignwherever he could.But things did not

move. Devoid of any bigidea to lead the ministrythat has the biggest peo-ple connect, Gowda wasincreasingly being seen assomeone out of his depth,

unable to get work done.Suresh Prabhu, a man

with a big reformist repu-tation and enjoyingModi’s trust, is expectedto be a tactful leader whowill be able to galvanisethe Railways bureaucracy,be more in sync with thedeliverables and outside-the-box ideas the PMO isinterested in, and overallbe a more impressive“brand ambassador” forthe Railways.Prabhu was quick off

the blocks on Sunday:tweeting, within minutesof the portfolios beingannounced, “Railwayscould be the engine ofgrowth if driven properly.Now in the drivers seat”,and “All those who workfor the Railways mustwork towards realisingHonourable PM’s dream”.By contrast, Gowda’s

official handle continuedto describe him as“Minister for Railways”,his last tweet having beenon November 8, wishing LK Advani a happy birth-day.Gowda failed to find a

way to untangle the knotof big infra projects likethe locomotive factoriesin Madhepura andMarhaura, to bring out aroadmap for FDI inRailways, and to showprogress in apparentlysimpler tasks like makingWifi available on trainsand stations - somethingthe PMO has been want-ing since June.Officials said the for-

mer Karnataka chief min-ister was also over-whelmed by the complexways of the Rail Bhavanbureaucracy. For the pastfour months, the min-istry’s proposal to fillposts of seven generalmanagers across India hasbeen getting rejected bythe PM-led AppointmentsCommittee of the Cabinet,which has been findingfaults with the file. TheACC has recently givenscathing remarks on theway the Railways hasbeen handling high-levelappointments. Gowda’s contribution

to the Railway Boardbureaucracy - a post ofDirector (New Initiativesand Projects) - has nopower to get work done.Arvind Gupta, appointedby Modi as an Adviser tothe Minister for Railways,has become less and lessvisible at Rail Bhavanover the past few months.Sources said this was oneindication that Gowdawas going out of sync withhis leadership as far asrunning the ministry wasconcerned. Gowda’s lacklustre

performance in steeringan amendment to theRailway Act in the LokSabha, which led to evenallies joining the opposi-tion to criticize the gov-ernment, and forced thegovernment to refer theBill to the StandingCommittee, did not gounnoticed in the partyleadership, sources said.

16 17

Opposition leaders,including Congresschief Sonia Gandhiand ex-PMManmohan Singh,gave the oath-tak-ing ceremony amiss, making it anexclusively NDAaffair. The absenceof national leadersfrom Congress andLeft parties wasmade up by region-al satraps who wit-nessed the swearing-in of21 ministers in the packed

Durbar Hall ofRashtrapati Bhavan.“Both Sonia and

Manmohan wereinvited to the cere-mony,” power minis-ter Piyush Goyalsaid whileRashtrapati Bhavansources confirmedthat leaders of oppo-sition had been invit-ed as per protocol.Rajya Sabha deputychairman andCongress leader P JKurien and SP'sRam Gopal Yadav

were the only oppositionleaders present.

Sonia, Manmohan stay away

1716

After picking a non-Jat RSSman Manohar Lal Khattar asHaryana's chief minister, BJPwants to do a balancing act byinducting a Jat leader,Birender Singh, into theUnion cabinet. With thismove, the saffron party is try-ing to project Birender, who isthe grandson of towering Jatleader Sir Chhotu Ram, asBJP's Jat face in the country.Although Haryana already hastwo ministers of state - RaoInderjit Singh and KrishanPal Gujjar - in the Centre,turncoat Birender's elevationhas sent out a message thatthe BJP has recognized him asone of the top leaders in thestate - even above former BJPspokesperson and another Jatleader Capt AbhimanyuSingh, who was recently madea minister in Khattar govern-ment.Sources said that BJP had

decided to promote Birender,who was in Congress foralmost 42 years before joiningBJP this year, after his wifewon the Uchana assemblyseat, which was earlier held byformer chief minister andHaryana's most influential Jatleader Om Prakash Chautala.As O P Chautala could notcontest this time following hisconviction in the teachers'recruitment scam, his grand-

son and youngest MPDushyant fought the electionsbut lost to Birender's wifePrem Lata.Even though Birender is

not a member of Parliament atpresent, he is likely to be elect-ed to the Rajya Sabha as twoHaryana seats are vacant.Birender would also help

BJP gain ground in Rohtak,bastion of former CMBhupinder Singh Hooda, andin the coming Delhi assemblyelections. While Birender hashis maternal house in Rohtak,Delhi has a substantial num-ber of Jats who could be adeciding factor in the polls.Besides, Birender's vast politi-cal experience could alsocome in handy for BJP. Heserved as AICC national gen-eral secretary and was alsoparty in-charge ofUttarakhand and HimachalPradesh.

Jat leader Birender rewarded

Goa gets two ministers at CentreWith the induction of formerchief minister of GoaManohar Parrikar in theUnion Cabinet on Sunday,Goa's representation at theCentre has gained weight. It'sfor the first time that a smallstate like Goa has got twoministers in the central gov-ernment. Also, this is the firsttime that a Goan has gone onto become a cabinet minister.North Goa MP Shripad

Naik is the union minister ofstate for tourism, whileParrikar who was sworn-inon Sunday got the coveteddefence portfolio in PrimeMinister Narendra Modi'sCabinet. Parrikar will be inthe top four in the cabinet byvirtue of being the defenceminister, the other importantministers are finance ArunJaitley, home ministerRajnath Singh and externalaffairs minister SushmaSwaraj.Eduardo Faleiro after get-

ting elected for the third timein 1984, went to becomeunion minister of state forexternal affairs in May 1986and was the first Goan MP toget a berth in the central gov-ernment albeit as a juniorminister.

Faleiro also became a jun-ior minister in the Congressgovernment in June 1991. Hewas MoS for external affairstill January 1993. Thereafterhe was appointed MoS forchemicals and fertilizers,ocean development, electron-ics and parliamentary affairs.He remained in office tillApril 1996.Second Goan MP to get a

portfolio in central govern-ment was Ramakant Khalapunder the United Front gov-ernment led by H D DeveGowda in 1996. He was min-ister of state for law and jus-tice for a brief period of tenmonths.After the dry spell of five

years, BJP MP Shripad Naikbecame a MoS in Atal Behari

Vajpayee government in2002-2004. Under Vajpayee'sgovernment, Naik was minis-ter for agriculture, shipping,civil aviation, road transportand highways and finance(revenue).Churchill Alemao repre-

sented Goa twice in theParliament, in 1996 and2004. He resigned in 2007 asCongress MP to contestassembly election by forminga separate front, Save GoaFront.In November 2007 by-

election, Francisco Sardinhawas elected MP from SouthGoa on Congress ticket andre-elected again in 2009 butcentral ministerial postsremained elusive to the MPsuntil May 2014.

Vijay Sampla - plumber to minister

Babul Supriyo - Bengali face in cabinet

About two-and-a-halfdecades ago, a bereaved andyoung dalit Vijay Sampla,then 27, was trying to find hisfeet against the oppressivelandlords of Jalandhar's SofiPind. His brother and hewere left to fend for them-selves after their father'sdeath and Sampla went off toSaudi Arabia in 1979 to workfor a plumbing company.On his swearing-in as

BJP's first minister fromPunjab in NDA-II, he says, "Ioften recall one incident thatshaped my life. While I was inSaudi Arabian city ofDamam, I was asked to cleanhuman excreta and repair abathroom. I was young andflatly refused to do the clean-ing part while telling thebuilding owner that I was aplumber. On my insistence,the man put on plastic gloves

and cleaned the muck him-self. It taught me the differ-ence between oppressionagainst dalits and the will towork," Sampla recalled.From plugging leaks to

putting together valve assem-blies in toilet sinks, hescrimped and saved barely Rs2,500 a month till 1987. "It isthe same gutsy courage thattook our PM Modi ji from amodest background to thislevel," he says.In the last three years of

his stay in Damam, he foughthis way from being a modestplumber to become partnerwith his employer firm AlAmar. However, the urge tofight for the dalit rights soonbrought him back toJalandhar in 1991 and he fre-quently started attending theRSS meetings.Fortunately for him, the

status of his village, whichwas until 1997 in general cat-egory, changed to reservedcategory. He decided to takea plunge into village politics,fought the panchayat elec-tions and was elected as thefirst dalit sarpanch of Sofi.There was no looking

back for him as he went on tofight against RanganathMishra Commission reportand became chairman ofPunjab Khadi Board andBJP's state vice-presidentalso. On Saturday, as he andhis supporters camped atPunjab Bhawan for a meetingwith senior BJP leaders, his20-year-old daughter Sneh,student of a fashion technolo-gy institute in Chandigarh,took a bus to reach thenational capital to witnessher father's swearing-in cere-mony.

The induction of singer-turned politician BabulSupriyo in the Modi cabinethas opened the door for BJP'sbid to grab the principalopposition seat in next year'scivic elections and its bid forgreater glory in the 2016assembly polls in WestBengal.BJP national secretary

and Bengal-in-chargeSidharth Nath Singh reflect-ed the party mood. "I'mdelighted that an energeticyouth like Babul has beeninducted in the ministry," hesaid. "It'll help us in the fightin 2016." State party presi-dent Rahul Sinha was moreblunt. "This is a huge moralebooster for party workers," hesaid. Babul sent the samemessage. "The people ofBengal had put their faith inModi," he told a televisionchannel. "Year 2016 will be agame-changer for Bengal.We'll collectively worktowards achieving it. Muchlike the (erstwhile) Left Frontgovernment, the TrinamoolCongress too has been whin-ing about the Centre depriv-ing the state. But the fact isit's the ruling party that hasdeprived the state to serve itspolitical interests."Babul said he was com-

mitted towards working forthe people and being a part ofthe Centre's developmentagenda, and "will try todebunk the Trinamool'sclaims". The Asansol MP saidhis promotion to the councilof ministers was an acknowl-edgement by Modi aboutBJP's rise in Bengal.Babul cited a statement

by former cricketer SachinTendulkar to explain thechanges he had undergonesince he won the Asansolparliamentary seat by 70,000votes, defeating Trinamoolheavyweight Dola Sen andsitting MP BansagopalChowdhury (CPM), sixmonths ago. "Sachin had saidearlier he used to step intothe field with a belief that hecan strike a hundred everytime," he said. "But experi-ence made him weigh thepros and cons before setting atarget. Likewise, six monthsback I was optimistic andhopeful about everything. Istill am. But the difference isI understand the issues andtheir complexity better."To a question whether

minister Babul will be a dif-ferent person than MP Babul,he said: "Only time will tellwhether or not I change.Whether my resolve (to work

for people) gets strengthenedwith time. I can only tell youI'm very excited at thismoment. I'm very excitedabout the new responsibili-ties coming my way. I willlearn and try to work."About the expectations

riding on his shoulders,Babul said: "The state hasdeprived its own people. Butthis will change in 2016. Thesupport for the BJP in Bengalis increasing with every pass-ing day." Talking about hishome seat, Babul said:"Asansol has seven MLAs,including a cabinet minister.I've repeatedly said if we - allMLAs and MPs - put ourweight behind the stalleddevelopment works, it is pos-sible. It didn't happen. I did-n't get their support.... I willfind a way out. I've to side-step this maze of problemsand achieve. In Asansol, allyou get to see now is the sil-houette of closed factories asdusk falls. And to think statelabour minister MoloyGhatak is an Asansol MLAhimself."The Asansol MP has been

given Urban Development,Housing and Urban PovertyAlleviation. He said that hewould fulfil the responsibili-ties with utmost sincerity.

Two MPs from Gujarat inductedTwo MPs from Gujarat -Mohan Kundariya fromRajkot and HariChaudhari fromBanaskantha -made thecut.The duo was sworn inas ministers of state. BJPMP from Rajkot,Mohanbhai KalyanjibhaiKundariya is a prominentindustrialist and alsoknown for his social work.Kundariya, 63, was a for-mer minister of state forrural development and is aKadva Patel leader whorepresented the Tankaraconstituency in Rajkot. Heis also a former RSSpracharak. He was electedto the 16th Lok Sabha inMay 2014, and became amember of theParliamentary StandingCommittee on chemicalsand fertilizers onSeptember 1, 2014.Known as an industrialist-cum-politician-cum-socialworker, Kundariya has anagro-based business. He lives in Gujarat's

Morbi district and hasstudied up to Class 8. Hiswife is a homemaker.Earlier this year, Kundariyawas caught in a controver-sy over a video showing

him walking over gurukulstudents at a yoga functionin Rajkot.Kundariya was seen

walking on the chests ofaround 10 children -between ages 15 and 25years -with the support oftwo people to showcasethe yoga skills of theyoungsters. He had said atthe time that it was the stu-dents who had requestedhim to walk on their backs.The former MLA from

Tankara is considered to bea close associate of GujaratChief Minister AnandibenPatel, BJP president AmitShah and other ministersin the state. Riding the`Modi wave', Kundariyawrested the Rajkot LokSabha seat from sittingCongress MP KunwarjiBavalia in the polls earlierthis year. Four-time MPHaribhai ParthibhaiChaudhari, who stormedthe traditional Congressbastion of Banaskantha 16years ago and maintained astrong hold over it sincethen, also bagged a minis-terial berth at the Centreon Sunday. An activemember of RSS, the four-time MP joined BJP during

late 1980s and held severalkey positions in the partyunit in Gujarat, includingthe post of Vice Presidentin 2005. The 60-year-oldChaudhari, who will be aminister of state in theNarendra Modi govern-ment, did his post-gradua-tion in commerce andstarted working as a dia-mond trader at an earlyage. Later, he shifted toBanaskantha to start hisown business. Chaudharifirst came into limelightafter winning the 1998 LokSabha polls for the veryfirst time on a BJP ticket.He was again elected in

1999 from Banaskantha. In2013, he won the by-elec-tions from this seat afterthe death of sittingCongress MP MukeshGadhvi. He defeatedCongress veteran JoitaPatel in the Lok Sabhapolls earlier this year, cor-nering almost 58 per centof the total votes. InParliament, he was a mem-ber of several panels,including the StandingCommittees on Finance,Chemicals and Fertilizer,Agriculture andCommerce.

Shiv Sena recalls its nomineefrom cabinet expansion

In a dramatic develop-ment, the Shiv Sena onSunday abstained fromPrime MinisterNarendra Modi's cabi-net expansion, askingits nominee Anil YDesai to return toMumbai. Desai's namewas mooted for a berthin the union ministryand he rushed to NewDelhi for the swearing-inceremony. But barely minutes

before the ceremony wasslated to start atRashtrapati Bhavan, sen-ior Sena MP AnandraoAdsul said in Mumbai thatthe party has decidedagainst proceeding withDesai's inclusion in Modi'scabinet. The Sena's primegrouse stems from BJP'sdecision to induct formerminister Suresh Prabhuas a cabinet minister andrelegate Desai, the party'sofficial nominee, to theminister of state rank.Peeved by what party offi-cials alleged "completenon-cooperation" by theBharatiya Janata Party(BJP) bigwigs in address-ing its concerns, Desaireturned to Mumbai fromthe New Delhi airportitself. With the Sena's

rejection of a centralberth, speculation is rifewhether the party willremain in the central gov-ernment. Union MinisterAnant Geete, its lone rep-resentative, was sum-moned to Mumbai onSaturday after he failed toget an appointment tomeet Modi. The latestdevelopments have raisedquestions about the fate ofthe fledgling DevendraFadnavis ministry whichwill seek a vote of confi-dence on Wednesday.Chief Minister

Fadnavis was sworn-inOct 31 as the head of aminority government anddirected by MaharashtraGovernor C V Rao to passa floor test within twoweeks. The BJP has aneffective strength of 121legislators, plus one mem-ber from pre-poll allyRashtriya Samaj Paksha

and the support of afew independents andsmaller parties in the288-seat state legisla-ture. The Nationalist

Congress Party, with41 MLAs, has decidedto abstain from thehouse during the trustvote. In case the Sena,

with 63 legislators,decides to sit in the oppo-sition and vote against thegovernment, it could be aclose call for the BJP asthe Congress has 42MLAs and some inde-pendents and smaller par-ties could also follow suit.In fact, Sena leaders

have been demanding thatthe BJP clarify its standvis-a-vis the NCP and alsothe Sena's status if itjoined the government.On its part, the BJP hasmade it abundantly clearthat it would not toleratethe Sena tantrums since itdoes not require theparty's support either inthe state or at the Centre.The BJP snapped its

25-year-old ties with theSena on September 25,just three weeks beforethe Oct 15 elections whichthrew up a sharply frac-tured verdict.

The cabinet expansion onSunday saw many profes-sionals joining the Modi min-istry. They include an engi-neer, a doctor, CA and aHarvard Business Schoolalumnus. The PM has pre-ferred to have a fair numberof professionals in his min-istry as he gets into the taskof repairing the economy andthe governance structure.

Among the four cabinet min-isters, Manohar Parikar is anengineer from the prestigiousIIT, Mumbai. He is expectedto bring his experience andbe a crucial player in therevamped Modi team. Suresh Prabhu is a char-

tered accountant and consid-ered a policy guru. Modi isexpected to rely on his adviceon crucial issues. Among

ministers of state with inde-pendent charge, GautamBuddha Nagar MP MaheshSharma is a renowned doctorand runs hospitals in Noidaand Greater Noida. Health minister

Harshvardhan is a well-known ENT specialist,already providing policyinputs for the health sector.

Jayant Sinha, son of for-

mer finance ministerYashwant Sinha, is an experi-enced professional from theworld of financial servicesand business strategy. He hasa sterling education recordhaving studied at IIT Delhi,Harvard Business School andthe University ofPennsylvania. "I am an engi-neer and I have a broad expe-rience in many sectors

including telecom and ITapart from finance. Whereverthe party and governmentdepute me, I will do my bestto serve the interest of thenation," Sinha said. He isexpected to serve as a linkwith global investors andprovide strong support toModi and finance ministerArun Jaitley prepare a blue-print for economic revival.

He counts RBI governorRaghuram Rajan as a closefriend. Modi's team already has

well known lawyers such asArun Jaitley, RavishankarPrasad as well investmentbanker Piyush Goyal guidingpolicy in key segments ofgovernance. MoS, railways,Manoj Sinha is an engineerfrom IIT BHU in Varanasi.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 201416 MODI’S NEW MINISTERS MODI’S NEW MINISTERSwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 2014 17

Manohar Parrikar Shripad Naik

Uddhav Thackeray

Professionals join Modi ministry

The 21 New Ministers

Manohar ParrikarDefence

Suresh PrabhuRailways

Jagat PrakashNadda: Health

Birender SinghRural Development

Sanwar LaljatWater Resouces

Mohan KundariyaAgriculture

Giriraj Singh Micro,Small & MediumEnterprises

Hansraj G AhirChemicals

Ram ShankarKatheria: HRD

Y S ChowdaryScience & Tech

Jayant SinhaFinance

Rajyavardhan SRathore: I&B

Babul SupriyoBaral: UD,Housing

Sadhvi NiranjanJyoti FoodProcessing

Vijay SamplaSocial Justice

Bandaru DattatreyaLabour

Rajiv Pratap RudySkill development

Ram Kripal YadavDrinking Water

Haribhai ChaudharyHome

Mahesh SharmaCulture, Tourism,

Aviation

Mukhtar Abbas NaqviMinority Affairs

Why Sadananda Gowda wasshunted out

Birender Singh


Dear Financial Voice Reader,

Speaking to 400 business people at the invitation of myhosts, Doha Bank in Qatar, I pointed out to the CEOmy lack of faith in the financial industry.

Not only the legendary investor Warren Buffett butalso Nobel Prize winners, and indeed UK fund research,argue against the ‘past-performance approach’ to pick-ing funds.

Research by independent performance analysts, theWM Company, shows the chances of picking a fund ontop past performance and seeing it repeat that perform-ance was no better than chance.

Indeed all the top 10 performing funds in any yeardrop from 1st place to nearly last place among all fundswithin 2 to 4 years according to a 26 year study byresearchers DALBAR. The reverse, unfortunately, is notas certain. Losers carry on losing; winner do not neces-sarily continue to win.

Even Nobel Laureates agree on the hopelessness ofpicking top performing fund managers. PrizewinnerMerton Miller observed in a documentary in 2000 aboutfunds, “If there's 10,000 people looking at the stocksand trying to pick winners, one in 10,000 is going toscore, by chance alone, a great coup, and that's all that'sgoing on. It's a game, it's a chance operation, and peo-ples think they are doing something purposeful... butthey're really not.”

Yet despite this, we private investors are lemming-like. Seventy-five percent of fund inflows follow lastyears "winners", according to fund researcherwww.morningstar.com.

But poorly performing funds do not experience out-flows of funds at the same rate. A Charles Rivers Reportfound investors ‘spend a disproportionate amount oftime considering top funds where past performance is aweak predictor. At the same time, consumers tend tokeep their losing funds when in fact they should not.’

I prefer exchange traded funds, which track indicesmore closely because of how they are constructed.Would you prefer your pension fund to be in a tracker?If the choice is that or in the hands of a twenty-some-thing manager with questionable consistency of per-formance, I know what I would choose.

It would be logical to think there is a direct correla-tion between fund performance and portfolio managerexperience. When investors are making their invest-ment decisions, should manager tenure be considered?No, there is no overall relationship between fund man-ager tenure and positive performance, says research.

So are there any persistent out-performers and howdo we access them? There are, but it doesn’t have muchto do with the manager.

The then Financial Services Authority (FSA), theUK regulator, published analysis several years ago find-ing where persistent out-performance occurs it is onlyin the sense that greater risk-taking funds persistentlyoutperform lower risk ones over long time frames.

That is of little use to private investors because youcan replicate it, says the FSA, at lower cost by avoidingactive management fees and using geared strategy basedon index tracker funds.

For instance, with £5,000 cash and borrowing£5,000 and getting, say a 10% return tracking the FTSE100, on the total £10,000 gives you a 20% return onyour initial £5,000 capital, before borrowing costs.That’s without a manager, just greater performance overtime with greater risk.

But the FSA could not find active funds consistentlyperforming well once you allowed for the risk they weretaking.

For fund managers who have done well this pastyear on the back of the FTSE 100 having its best yearsince 1999, I caution them not to mistake a bull marketfor skill.

India's finance ministerArun Jaitley told investorsthe government was opento the idea of privatizingloss making state-run com-panies and promised topursue economic reformsand ensure a corruptionfree and fair business envi-ronment.

Jaitley also said thegovernment was hopefulthat long pendingInsurance Bill would beapproved by Parliament inthe Winter Session and thegovernment is examiningchanges to the stringentland acquisition law.“There are still a largenumber of companieswhich are almost on theverge of closure where peo-ple are going to loseemployment,” Jaitley toldthe World EconomicForum's India EconomicSummit. “Given a choicebetween them continuingin the present state andgetting them privatized,the second would be apreferable option.Currently, they are beingsustained merely on a gov-ernment support. That isnot a long-term solution.Taxpayers cannot pay forloss-making businesses.”

On July 22, Jaitley hadtold Parliament that thegovernment plans to shutdown four public sectorcompanies and was tryingto revive seven ailing com-panies through disinvest-ment and joint ventureroute. Since then, heavyindustry minister AnantGeete has announcedplans to shut down sixstate-run firms, includingHMT watches, HMTBearings, HMT ChinarWatch, HindustanPhotfilms, HindustanCables and TungabhadraSteel. Making it clear thatthe government would notstop only at r a few “bigbang” reforms, Jaitley saidthe effort would be toimprove governance andend crony capitalism.“There is a lot that has to

be done ... I am quite satis-fied with the beginning wehave made but it's a longjourney,” he said, addingthat “reform is the art ofthe possible.” Since com-ing to power in May thegovernment has taken sev-eral steps, including dereg-ulation of diesel prices, toboost growth and revivesentiment. But it has facedcriticism for the slow paceof reforms and its cautiousapproach. “Some peopleexpect that the second gen-eration of reforms in Indiareally needs one or two bigbang ideas that probably isnot the answer.” The min-ister said the governmentwill take a fresh look atLand Acquisition law andsome of its “illogical provi-sions.” “There are someillogical provisions (inLand Acquisition Act) likeland cannot be used oracquired under this law forprivate hospitals andschools... There are somefactors in it, which certain-ly require a re-look.”

Jaitley indicated thatafter coal and spectrum,other natural resourceswould be allocated in a fairand transparent mannerthrough the auction route.

Rajesh Agrawal, aLondon-based Indian-ori-gin entrepreneur, haslaunched a unique "pay-what-you-want" moneyremittance service thatabolishes compulsoryfees. India-born Agrawalbelieves his Xendpayonline platform will savecustomers in the develop-ing world 60 pounds mil-lion over the next fiveyears.

India is the largestrecipient of remittancesin the world, with $ 71billion sent last year.World Bank figures showglobal migrants last yearsent home 250 billionpounds in remittances todeveloping countries -with an eight per centincrease predicted for2014.

"It is a social impera-tive that the cost of send-ing money abroad is sig-

nificantly reduced," saidAgrawal. "The remittanceindustry takes far morethan it needs to in profitand in doing so drainsaway a lot of money thatwould otherwise reachthose in developingnations. By launching ano fees, best rate transferservice I hope to chal-lenge and change this," headded.

Under the Xendpaymodel, customers cansend anything from 1 to100,000 pounds and willbe asked to "tip" whatthey want for the service -even if it's nothing - andwill also be given the bestexchange rates usuallyreserved for multinationalcorporations.

"I set up Xendpay notto be the biggest or tomake money but to makemoney transfer better andcheaper. I believe people

will recognise the value inwhat we are doing bothfinancially and sociallyand that as a result thediscretionary 'tips' modelwill work," explainsAgrawal.

The Xendpay modelhas been accepted as aClinton Global Initiative(CGI) Commitment toAction, with an objectiveto save people sendingmoney through the plat-form. Established by BillClinton in 2005, the CGIconvenes global leadersto create and implementinnovative solutions tothe world's most pressingchallenges.

Xendpay is part of theRational Group of compa-nies, which offers low-cost money transfer serv-ices which has madetransfers worth over USD5 billion of transfers sinceinception in 2005.

World's first 'pay-what-you-want'remittance service launched

The Bombay StockExchange and theNational StockExchange of India Ltd.,India's two main stockexchanges, will suspendtrading of shares ofgrounded KingfisherAirlines Ltd fromDecember 1 for failingto comply with rules onreporting financialresults, the boursessaid. Kingfisher, found-ed by liqour baron VijayMallya and once India'sNo.2 carrier, has notflown for more thantwo years for want ofcash. The company lastreported its financialresults for the threemonths endedDecember 2013. Theexchanges will also sus-pend trading of UBEngineering Ltd, part ofMallya's UB Group,from Dec. 1, they saidciting the company'sfailure to report finan-cial results for two con-secutive quarters toend-June. Several othersmaller companies arealso facing trading sus-pension for the samereason.

Kingfisherfaces tradingsuspension

US fast food chain BurgerKing Worldwide will openabout 12 outlets in Indiaover the next 60-90 days,Rajeev Varman, chiefexecutive of the ham-burger chain's India unitsaid. The chainannounced last year a tie-up with the EverstoneGroup to develop theBurger King brand pres-ence in the country. InIndia, the hamburgerchain has changed itsmenu to sell mutton,chicken and veggie sand-wiches. "In the long run,India is going to be one ofthe largest markets glob-ally. Burger King mostcertainly sees India asone of the biggest oppor-tunities in the future,"Varman said ahead of thechain's first store openingin New Delhi. BurgerKing is a late entrant inthe country.

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REAL ESTATE VOICEwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 2014 19

Suresh VagjianiSow & Reap

A Property InvestmentCompany

Last week we managed to complete a deal we have been workingon for months. It had its ups and downs but we finally managed toget the deal over the line.

The property was 17 Portland Place, W1. It is in a very presti-gious location, only doors away from both the Chinese and RussianEmbassies and near the famous Landmark Hotel.

The property comprises of 13,000 sq. ft. and comes with aGrade 2* listing, meaning the outside is listed and so are manyparts of the internals. Translated this means we cannot touch theoutside and many of the bits on the inside, including the grandwinding staircase which greets you when you enter the building.

It has many beautiful features typical of a period London prop-erty, the ceiling heights, especially on the first floor, are huge withthe ceiling hand painted with pictures and intricate coving. Thesquare footage of the building doesn't justify the grandeur whenyou enter the building, it has to be seen to be appreciated.

The property was exchanged at £14.75m which represents£1,134 per sq. ft., it came with a tenant who was using the buildingas serviced offices. The lease allows the occupier to use the build-ing for both office and residential.

Finding the right valuer isn't always easy, many - believe it ornot - do not want to value the building instead they want to coverthemselves from future litigation. They take the most pessimisticview point possible. If the building is repossessed and the banks donot recover their money which is typically 65% to 70% of thebuilding’s value, where will that leave the valuer? It is with thismindset many set out to conduct a valuation.

Indeed we have a valuation for £3.1m for a 6,700 sq. ft. free-hold building we purchased for £5.2m in South Kensington nextdoor to the French Embassy. This valuation was conducted by asupposedly highly reputable Agency in 2012. This implies we haveover paid for the building, not only us but the party who purchasedfrom us at £6m and not only them but someone else who is lookingto buy the building for £8m. It is ridiculous to claim a freeholdbuilding in this location values at only £462 per sq. ft.

In the current market where there is a nervousness this isoccurring more and more, especially for higher value propertieswhere the potential liability increases. Valuers do not have a com-mercial mindset and therefore cannot always see the wider picture,if they did perhaps they would not be in a salaried role and insteadbe dealing in properties.

We had set a completion date at the point of exchange, as thecompletion came closer, all our ducks were not lined up, we there-fore requested a longer completion. The selling party was knownto us and we had done many deals with them in the past. In theinterest of maintaining a long term relationship he agreed to theextension, but in exchange the price was to be increased by £250kand they wanted the princely sum of £5m in total to be transferred

Over the finishing line

Once we exchanged on the bui lding we managed to ge t the tenant to ag ree tovacate the bui ld ing f or an agreed premium. Thi s means the prope rty has aninstant upl i f t , a recent Savi l l s valuat ion values i t a t £18m.

across to the sellers’ group. We agreed this on the basis we wouldget a further two months. We were pushing for 3 months but underthe circumstances we agreed and got busy with the building.

Even at the inc reased pr ic e of £15m the pounds pe r sq .f t . came to £1 ,153 which s t i l l r epresents great valuegiven s imilar res i dentia l prope r t ie s on the road havesold f o r £2 ,500 per sq . f t . upwards . Of cours e the bui ld -ing would s ti l l need to ge t p lanning to conver t into res -ident ia l f rom the counc i l but no t f rom the freeho lde r.

With completion now out of the way the question of what to dowith the building needs to be addressed. The theme of office con-version to residential has become a fad at the moment. Everyone isat it. We have been at the brunt of this policy, as we were givennotice from our offices in Westbourne Grove, from which we hadno intention of moving; hence we shifted premises to Marble ArchTower, and guess what we will be homeless again, they are turningthe whole building into residential apartments!

Companies in thei r a tt empt to secure decent o f f ic espaces are gazump ing each o ther and going in at ask ingpri ces o r highe r as this s pace is sh r inking fas t .

There may be much merit in keeping this space as office spaceas there is so little of it around, it is an avenue that is at leastworth exploring. Of course there is always the potential to convertinto a house and flats, and variations of this, e.g. to convert intoserviced apartments for which there is a huge demand for. Thisgives the tenants the comfort of a hotel but at a lower price and yetthey would be in an apartment which many prefer as an alterna-tive.

We are in the process of gathering a team and exploring theoptions going forward on the project. Intuitively I’m feeling some-how or another we should arrange to keep this building long term;it’s in one of those locations where prices will not really drop, asthere is so little stock available in this location. I can see the priceshere nudging higher and higher up purely driven by the sheer lackof quality space of this size in this location. This does not mean wewill look to keep the money trapped in the property, once we havedecided and done what we need to do to increase the value, we canextract the initial funds by way of a remortgage - again of course atthe mercy of the valuers.

Dropping a building like this may mean you will never haveanother chance to get another trophy building in this location.

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l Do consider the projects which arehappening in and around the borough you’repurchasing in, this will ensure strong capitalgrowth into the future. The trick of makingmoney in property development is learningto spot up and coming locations.

l Always have in mind who you are aimingto sell to once you have refurbished theproperty. It isn't about your taste, it is aboutwhat the market wants. Follow us online:


After being in deep freezefor over three months, aglobal trade deal is finallyin sight with the US andthe European Unionshowing signs of accept-ing India's demand forproviding flexibility todeveloping countries infixing minimum supportprice for farm products.In return, India will signthe stalled internationaltreaty on easier customsrules once an agreementon the contentious foodsecurity issue is reachedat the World TradeOrganization (WTO).

"India, US and EU areclose to some under-standing and based onthis understanding theywill work for a final solu-tion at the WTO," said asource. Senior commercedepartment officials areengaged in consultationsin Geneva. There areindications that thedeveloped countries willagree not to challengeany breach in food sub-sidy caps till the calcula-tion formula is reworked.

Global trade talkshave been deadlockedafter India refused toagree to a trade facilita-tion agreement to usherin easier rules for goodsto flow through ports andairports without its con-cerns on food securitybeing addressed. Basedon current rules, severaldeveloping countries areclose to breaching thecap on 10% value of pro-duction and face thethreat of punitive actionat WTO. India hasargued that the calcula-

tion is flawed as it isbased on outdated pricesand has demanded thatformula be reworked.

At the Bali ministeri-al meeting lastDecember, WTO mem-bers had agreed toaddress India's concernsover a four year period,during which no disputeswould be raised at themultilateral body even ifthe subsidy cap wasbreached. At theIndonesian island theministers had also agreedto sign the agreement oncustoms rules by July 31.The developed world hadargued that the ruleswould provide a $1 tril-lion boost to a sluggishglobal economy and pavethe way for reviving the13-year-old Doha dia-logue.

Despite being blamedfor "blocking" a globaltrade deal, India hasstuck to its stand. But inrecent weeks, officialshave indicated that Indiais willing to settle for aclause that extends thefour year "peace clause"to perpetuity - somethingthat is learnt to havebeen discussed during ameeting between PrimeMinister Narendra Modiand US President BarackObama.

The reports of a set-tlement at WTO cometwo days after Modi metministers and top com-merce department offi-cials. Sources had thendescribed it as a "reviewmeeting" and had sug-gested that no firm offerswere on the table.

WTO talks set forrevival as India nearsdeal with US, EU

BUSINESS

Former FT journalistRoger Aitken and contrib-utor to Asian Voice’s busi-ness sections and theannual Finance, Banking& Insurace (FBI) maga-zine,has won the CzechTourism’s press prize for2014 at a special ceremo-ny during the World TravelMarket (WTM) industryshow this November atLondon’s ExCel centre.Czech Tourism, who

exhibited at the annualWTM event along withCity of Pilsen representa-tives and other partners,said the award was inrecognition of Aitken’s“significant contribution”to the promotion of theCzech Republic as atourist destination,according to a certificatesigned by RostislavVondruska, CzechTourism’s GeneralDirector.Asian Voice has over thepast year run travel fea-tures on several destina-tions in the CzechRepublic - includingPrague, the capital, andOstrava, the third biggest

city. Aitken said he was“immensely touched” toreceive the award on theeve of the 25th anniver-sary of the VelvetRevolution and the histor-ical events that took placein Prague.The trade prize was pre-sented to Thomas Rast,Product Manager atLondon-based VoyagesJules Verne(www.vjv.com), whichspecialises in providingcultural tours around theworld. For the CzechRepublic the operatorarranges week-long pack-ages taking in Prague fol-lowed by several nights inMarienbad, Pilsen, theEuropean Capital ofCulture for 2015, andCeske Krumlov. For moreinformation on CzechTourism see: www.czech-tourism.com.

Asian Voice contributorwins Czech press prize

FICCI president SidharthBirla is leading a 10-mem-ber CEOs’ delegation toGermany, one of India’slargest investment andtrading partner, fromNovember 11-14. The visitis being timed to coincidewith the all-out efforts bythe central governmentunder the Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, in send-ing assuring signals forattracting businesses andinvestments into the coun-try.

To showcase the num-ber and range of businessand investment opportuni-ties that are emerging inthe country under the newleadership, the high-pow-ered delegation comprisesthree FICCI past presi-dents, namely, KK Modi,Harshpati Singhani andR.V Kanoria. They wouldbe interacting withGerman policy makers ,BDI (Federation of

German Industries) indus-try leaders, think-tanks,intelligentsia and some ofthe most important tradeand investment promotionagencies in Berlin andFrankfurt.

The visit would alsogive top Indian CEOs anopportunity to showcaseand highlight the new pol-icy measures recentlyannounced by IndianGovernment, namely, the‘Make in India’ initiativeand steps taken forenhancing ease of doingbusiness in India. Thiswould be the first CEOs'delegation after the

announcement of India asa partner country forHannover Messe 2015.

FICCI CEOs will alsomeet Wolfgang Schäuble,Federal Minister ofFinance, Germany,Matthias Machnig, StateSecretary, FederalMinistry for EconomicAffairs and Energy,Stephan Steinlein, StateSecretary of the FederalForeign Office, PeterRamsauer, Chairman ofthe German ParliamentaryCommittee on Economicsand Energy, Helen Winter,Director General forInternational EconomicPolicies, FederalChancellery and PhilippMißfelder, Member ofGerman Parliament inBerlin.

The delegation willalso participate at the 3rdIndo-German InvestmentSummit, jointly organisedby Indian Embassy in

Germany with otherGerman associations onNovember 12.

The CEOs will travelto Frankfurt on November13. In Frankfurt, FICCI,jointly with IndianConsulate General,Frankfurt will organise abusiness session on ‘Makein India’ and a panel dis-cussion on ‘Doing busi-ness with India: A CEOsperspective’.

The visit is expected toopen newer vistas forIndian businesses to pro-actively raise their pres-ence in the country. Withits highly developed mar-ket providing world-classservices and infrastruc-ture, the visit would pro-vide an ideal opportunityto FICCI delegation to fur-ther assess the market andopportunities for Indiangoods and services toreach rest of the regionand beyond.

European consortiumAirbus Defence and Spacehas made a joint bid withTata Advanced SystemsLtd (TASL) for a 56 medi-um transport aircraft orderof the Indian Air Force(IAF) valued at Rs 200 bil-lion ($3 billion).

"We have submitted ajoint bid on October 22 forsupplying Airbus C295medium transports to theIAF, which plans to replaceits fleet of Avro aircraft," anAirbus Defence officialsaid. The euro 14 billion($17.8-billion) AirbusDefence has tied up withTata Sons' subsidiary(TASL) as its Indian pro-duction partner for theorder. The bid is for 56twin-turboprop tacticalmilitary aircraft, including16 in fly-away conditionfrom the Airbus Defencefinal assembly line and theremaining 40 to be builtand assembled by TASL inHyderabad.

"Under the terms of therequest for proposal (RFP),the first 16 aircraft, assem-bled at Seville in Spain, areto be delivered in 24-48

moths after signing thecontract. The remaining 40aircraft, to be assembled inIndia, are to be delivered in60-120 months thereafter,"Airbus official Kieran Dalysaid.

As part of the technolo-gy tie-up, TASL will under-take structural assembly,final aircraft assembly, sys-tems integration and test-ing and management of theindigenous supply chain."We believe that C295 isthe best aircraft to replacethe IAF's Avro fleet. InTata Advanced Systems,we have the cream of theIndian private aerospacesector as our partner forthis project," Airbus

Defence and Space vice-president Domingo UrenaRaso said in a statement.The aircraft is in the six-eight tonne class, with acruise speed of 800 km perhour and a range of 2,500-2,800 km. The IAF hadfloated the tender after theDefence AcquisitionCouncil (DAC) on July 19cleared the proposal formanufacturing the 56transport aircraft in the pri-vate sector, excludingstate-run defence behe-moth HindustanAeronautics Ltd (HAL),which built the Avro air-craft. "Our selection byAirbus Defence as itsIndian partner for the

IAF's Avro replacementprogramme demonstratesthe confidence that hasbeen built in our ability toundertake this complexproject," TASL chairman S.Ramadorai said. The IAFproposal was held up dur-ing the previous UPA gov-ernment after its heavyindustries minister, PrafulPatel, wrote to the defenceministry against keepingHAL from the project. Thedefence ministry referredPatel's objection to the lawministry, which favouredthe proposal for capacity-building in the domesticaerospace sector.

After DAC cleared theproposal, Defence MinisterArun Jaitley said in NewDelhi that the significantproject would lead tocapacity-building in theprivate sector. Asked if theIAF bid has an offsetclause, Daly said AirbusDefence would supportTASL in creating a modernand efficient aircraft finalassembly line and in initiat-ing the production of amarket-leader militarytransport.

Airbus-Tatas bid for IAF transport aircraft order

Consumer confidence inthe United States jumpedin the third quarter andimproved globally,although people weremore optimistic about jobprospects than their per-sonal finances, a surveyshowed. India remainedthe most bullish consumermarket, while Italybecame the most pes-simistic, according to thesurvey by global informa-tion and insights companyNielsen.

The survey showedthat concerns about theeconomy and jobprospects had eased glob-ally from the second quar-ter, but in North America

and Europe that had beenreplaced by rising worriesabout war and terrorism.

European countriesgenerally were the mostpessimistic, reflecting theconflict in Ukraine, falter-ing growth and the risk ofdeflation in the euro zone.

Britain and Germany,however, saw consumerconfidence improve.

The Nielsen GlobalConsumer ConfidenceIndex rose 1 point in thethird quarter to 98,according to the survey,conducted between Aug

13 and Sept 5. The indexhas been steadily risingsince the first quarter of2012 and the latest read-ing headed closer to the100 mark that signals opti-mism among consumers.

US consumers werethe seventh most upbeatglobally, with their scorerising 4 points to 108 asoptimism about jobprospects continued tosurge. Americans werealso slightly more upbeatabout the outlook for theirpersonal finances thanthey were in the secondquarter, unlike Europeans,who were more pes-simistic, reflecting persist-ently low wage growth.

India remains most bullish consumer market

FICCI president to lead CEOs’ delegation to Germany

CURRENCY VOICEwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 2014 21

Foreign Exchange

Economists have warned thatBritain’s economy is slowingdown after the service sectorshowed its weakest growth in 17months. Services companiessuch as banks, hotels and hair-dressers which make up thebulk of Britain's private sectorsaw growth slip to the lowestlevel since May 2013, causingthe pound to fall to a one-yearlow against the dollar.

The Bank of England, oncewidely expected to start wean-ing Britain off near-zero interestrates this month, now looks setto signal no rise in interestrates until the middle of nextyear. The BoE kept rates at 0.5percent, their level since thedepths of the financial crisis in2009.

The Bank of England willproduce its quarterly inflationreport on Wednesday which willhave an impact on the poundstrength. With wage growth stilllargely absent and inflationdropping to just 1.2 percent inSeptember, noises from withinthe BoE suggest that the timingof a first interest rate rise couldbe heading further over the hori-zon.

U.S. job growth increased at

a steady rate in October and theunemployment rate fell to afresh six-year low, underscoringthe economy's resilience in theface of slowing global demand.Despite the strengthening jobsmarket, wage growth remainedtepid, suggesting little need forthe Federal Reserve to hurry tostart lifting interest rates.

Productivity rose more thanprojected in the third quarter,helping to contain labour costseven as employment picks up.The US Labour Department’s

measurement of employee out-put per hour also increased 2percent year on year.

Employers added 214,000new jobs to their payrolls lastmonth, the Labour Departmentsaid on Friday. The unemploy-ment rate fell to 5.8 percentfrom 5.9 percent giving a furthersign of strength. The jobless ratehas dropped by 0.8 percentagepoint since January, andemployment gains have nowtopped 200,000 for nine straightmonths, the longest stretch

since 1994.European Central

Bank chief MarioDraghi got his col-leagues to sign up to atarget for pumpingmoney into the ailingeuro zone economy, araft of GDP reports arelikely to show just whymore help may be need-ed. The ECB did notadd to its arsenal ofmeasures last week andis expected to wait andsee the take-up of a sec-ond round of cheaploans being offered tobanks in Decemberbefore considering any-

thing further.But after signs of discord,

Draghi did secure unanimousagreement that the ECB balancesheet would "move towards thedimensions it had at the begin-ning of 2012" when it was about1 trillion euros higher than now.Economists seized on the word"towards", which casts somedoubt over whether it amountsto a hard target. And the abilityof the ECB to swallow its objec-tions to full quantitative easingremains in question.

Service Sector Slowing Down Economy

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Islamabad: Spokesman forTehreek-e-Taliban PakistanJamaat Ahrar, EhsanullahEhsan said he had warnedPrime Minister NarendraModi that attacks in Indiawere in the pipeline.Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP)behind recent devastatingsuicide bombing on thePakistani-Indian bordersaid the attack was asmuch aimed at India asPakistan, suggesting thatIndian targets might benext.At least 57 Pakistanis

were killed during a popu-lar flag-lowering ceremonywhen a bomber tried to getas close as possible to theborder in a possibleattempt to cause casual-ties on the Indian side aswell. “If our suicidebombers can carry outattacks on this side of theborder, they can easily doit on other side of the bor-der in India.” EhsanullahEhsan, a prominent mili-tant and spokesman forthe group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan JamaatAhrar (TTP-JA), said he

had warned Indian PrimeMinister that attacks inIndia were in the pipeline."I have already con-

veyed it to Modi ... that ifour suicide bombers cancarry out attacks on thisside of the border, they caneasily do it on other side ofthe border in India," hesaid from an undisclosedlocation."I told him that his

hands are red with theblood of Kashmirimujahideen (fighters) andinnocent people ofGujarat for which hewould have to pay theprice." He earlier tweetedin English: "You (Modi)are the killer of hundredsof Muslims. We wl (will)

take the revenge of inno-cent people of Kashmirand Gugrat" (sic). AnIndian intelligence officialsaid the account appearedgenuine.India has long accused

Pakistani militants of try-ing to attack its targets,particularly after the 2008Mumbai attacks in which166 people were killedwhen Pakistani gunmenwent on a three-day ram-page in India's financialcapital. Ehsan said, how-ever, that the borderattack was specificallyaimed at the Pakistani mil-itary. The elaborate borderparade, which draws hun-dreds of people every day,is conducted by the mili-

tary of both sides, makingit a target for Taliban mili-tants fighting to topple thePakistani government andestablish an Islamic theoc-racy. "We have proudlystated that our target wasthe Pakistani securityforces and their installa-tions in which we succeed-ed," Ehsan said.The central Pakistani

Taliban group, known asthe TTP, has effectivelydisintegrated this year andsplit into a range of small-er groups such as TTP-JAwho appear to be exploit-ing their ties to al Qaedato broaden their missionbeyond Pakistan. Ehsansaid that unlike the TTP'snarrow focus on war in thetribal areas on the Afghanborder, his outfit sought toattack countries aroundthe region."The TTP focuses on

Pakistan only, while wehave a global agenda ofjihad and therefore wehave people from all overthe world including theArab and Western worldfor this mission."

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 201422 WORLDPak Taliban threaten to attack India

Gunmen kill Mombasa’s imamMombasa: Masked gunmen killed imam SheikhSalim Bakari Mwarangi outside a mosque inMombasa. The imam had taken barely two stepsoutside the mosque where he preached whenmasked gunmen on a motorbike opened fire. One ofthe bullets tore through the imam's hand as he triedin vain to defend himself. Two others hit his stomach,leaving the preacher to a slow and painful death.Police said that Mwarangi, 57, was a pro-governmentpeace activist, an ideological moderate who wasmost likely killed by extremists in the battle forMombasa’s soul.

10 policemen killed in Afghan blastsKabul: Bombs struck three Afghan cities, includingthe capital Kabul, killing at least 10 police personnel,officials said, a day after a Taliban suicide bomberpenetrated police headquarters in Kabul killing atleast one person. In Kabul, a magnetic bomb plantedin a flower bed near a university wounded threepeople, while seven police personnel were killed ineastern Logar province when a suicide bomber blewhimself up at the provincial police headquarters,echoing Sunday's attack in the capital. In easternNangarhar province, three policemen were killed by abomb planted in a rickshaw, officials said.

Haley heads to India on 10-daybusiness tripWashington: Nikki Haley, the 42-year-old Governorof South Carolina and a rising star in the Republicanleadership firmament, will be embarking on a 10-dayvisit to India, the land of her parents. Haley isheaded to India some 40 years after she last visitedas child of two. She will visit New Delhi, Mumbai,Bangalore, and her parents home state of Punjab,trying to gin up investment and create jobs in a statethat has been somewhat of a laggard in US becauseof its agro base, but whose automotive andaerospace industries are attractive.

Pak Hindus urge Sharif to preventatrocities Islamabad: The Pakistan Hindu Council hasproposed the establishment of an active committeeunder Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to preventatrocities against minorities. They condemned thebrutal killing of a Christian couple in Punjab provinceand the kidnapping of Hindu citizens, particularlyminor girls. The council demanded that the primeminister and provincial chief ministers implementeffective and practical legislations to protectminorities, and added that inter-faith harmony andHindu marriage laws were needed. "Minorities arevulnerable and to add to their misery, the land mafiais actively engaged in illegally occupying the religiousplaces of minorities," a council official said."Kidnapping of innocent Hindu girls, forcedconversions and marriages are issues regularly facedby Hindus, mainly due to the absence of a Hindumarriage registration act," the official added.

Imran Khan lauds Modi for anti-blackmoney initiativesIslamabad: Pakistan's opposition leader Imran Khanis all praise for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modifor his efforts to bring back black money stashed inforeign banks. "Whatever you say about him, he is afaithful man," said the cricketer-turned politician, whohas been demanding for similar initiatives in Pakistan.He has also been protesting since August againstNawaz Sharif government over alleged rigging in the2013 polls. It is rare praise by a Pakistani politicianfor Prime Minister Modi who has been criticised hereafter the recent border clashes.

Iran dog lovers face 74 lashesTehran: Dog lovers in Iran could face up to 74lashes under plans by hardline lawmakers that wouldban keeping the pets at home or walking them inpublic. A draft bill, signed by 32 members of thecountry's conservative-dominated Parliament, wouldalso authorise heavy fines for offenders, the reformistShargh newspaper reported. Dogs are regarded asunclean under Islamic custom and they are notcommon in Iran, although some families do keepthem behind closed doors and, especially in moreaffluent areas, walk them outside. Iran's moralitypolice, who deploy in public places, have previouslystopped dog walkers and either cautioned them orconfiscated the animals. But if the new bill is passedby Parliament then those guilty of dog-relatedoffences could face lashes or fines ranging from 10million rials to 100 million rials (US $370 to $3,700).Patting dogs or coming into contact with their salivais seen as "najis" - direct contact and behaviour thatleaves the body unclean - in the Islamic republic.

In Brief

Islamabad: Police inPakistan arrested dozensof people after a mob beata Christian couple todeath and burned theirbodies for allegedly dese-crating a copy of HolyQur’an. Blasphemy is aserious offence inPakistan. Local mediareported the Christiancouple were accused ofburning a copy of theQur’an and throwing it ina rubbish bin in theprovince of Punjab. Policesaid their bodies were seton fire in a brick kiln. “We have arrested 44

people, it was a local issueincited by the mullah of alocal mosque,” JawadQamar, a regional policechief, said. “No particularsectarian group or reli-gious outfit was behindthe attack.”Meanwhile, relatives

said that the couple waslocked inside a brick-mak-ing factory before theirmurder to prevent themfrom fleeing. ShehzadMasih and Shama Bibi,who was four months

pregnant and a mother tothree children, were laterbeaten by a crowd of up to1,500 villagers and thenthrow them on top of a litfurnace, witnesses said. By the time the mob

left, only charred bonesand their discarded shoesremained. Jawad Qamarsaid according to initialreports events began tounfold more than a weekearlier with the death ofShehzad’s father, a localreligious healer. “When hedied, Shehzad’s wife wentto his room and cleanedup the mess. There was atrunk in his room,Shehzad’s wife took thethings that could be usefuland threw the trash in

front of her house,” saidQamar. “The garbage collector

collected the trash thenext day and told a localcleric that he had collectedpages of the Qur’anthrown in front ofShehzad’s house from thetrash.” Iqbal Masih,Shehzad’s older bother,said that he and his wholefamily were bonded work-ers paying off their debtsto the brick kiln owner, aman named MohamedYousuf. “We take advancemoney from the ownerand work for him, it hasbeen going on for years.On November 3, theowner had called Iqbaland detained him sensing

that he might run away tosave his life,” he said tear-fully.

Policeman kills blas-phemy suspect with axeLahore: In another

tragic case, a policemanused an axe to kill a manarrested on blasphemyallegations. Tufail Haider,a 50-year-old from theminority Shiite sect ofIslam, was arrested forallegedly making deroga-tory remarks about thecompanions of theProphet Mohammed andbrought to the Civil Linespolice station in the east-ern city of Gujrat."Tufail was kept in the

lock-up but he continueduttering derogatoryremarks and hurled abuseat policemen. He lookedlike a malang (wanderingpreacher) and seemedmentally imbalanced,"duty officer Ali Raza said.Assistant Sub-InspectorFaraz Naveed became veryangry on hearing thederogatory remarks andkilled the detainee with anaxe in the lock-up.

Beijing: Chinese authori-ties have pledged to pun-ish officials who followTibetan spiritual leader,the Dalai Lama, and "sup-port activities of splittingthe country'', the officialmedia reported, citing theCommunist Party'sCentral Commission forDiscipline Inspection(CCDI). This is the firsttime China has admittedthat there are officials whosupport the Dalai Lamadespite decades of a con-centrated campaigndescribing him as a "trai-tor" and "a wolf in monk'sclothing." The task ofpurging them has beengiven to anti-graft inspec-

tors. ''Some officials havefailed to take a firm politi-cal stand and some grass-root officials in the regionwere found to have seriouscorruption issues,'' saidCCDI chief Ye Dongsong.Beijing's Minzu Universityprofessor Xiong Kunxinechoed authorities sayingsome officials in Tibetindeed sympathize with

the Dalai Lama. "Theycontinue to support theDalai Lama out of theirreligious beliefs. Such offi-cials also supported hisseparatist activities.'' Xiong said people in

Tibet should be encour-aged to report about thiskind of "dangerous trend"among officials. "Suchofficials should not be tol-erated," he said. He notedthe Tibetan leader'srenewed push for highdegree of autonomy inTibet aims to drive awaythe majority Han people. Tibetan-speaking offi-

cials are likely to be close-ly watched to determinetheir allegiance to the

Dalai Lama, who lives inIndia. They have played akey role in the govern-ment's efforts to maintaincontrol in Tibet. The movecomes amid China's risingconcerns about increasingtrend of officials andCommunist Party mem-bers taking to religion,include Tibetan Buddhismand Christianity. The government has

sent 13 inspection teamsto 10 provinces andregions including Tibet,Zhejiang, Sichuan andJiangsu, to weed out cor-ruption and "close loop-holes in the Party and gov-ernment work", theXinhua reported.

44 held for lynching Pak Christian couple

Beijing vows to punish Dalai Lama supporters

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 2014 23WORLD

Washington: The FBI hasbeen investigating a veter-an US diplomat RobinRaphel nicknamed “LadyTaliban” for her outspokenpro-Pakistan views andwho once met the Talibanleader, Mullah Omar.The Washington home

and office of Raphel'shome and offices inWashington were searchedas part of counter-intelli-gence investigation. Theretired foreign service offi-cer was serving as anadviser to the US StateDepartment on Pakistan.But no charges werebrought against her.Raphel, 67, is the for-

mer wife of Arnold LewisRaphel, the US ambassa-dor to Pakistan who waskilled with the country’smilitary dictator, Zia ul-Haq, in a plane crash inAugust 1988. Her contractas an adviser to the StateDepartment’s special rep-resentative forAfghanistan and Pakistanwas terminated. Her secu-rity clearance for the StateDepartment was also

dropped after the searcheson October 21. Raphel, who visited

Pakistan last month tomeet Sartaj Aziz, thecountry’s national securityadviser, began her careeras a CIA analyst. She hada 30-year career in the USforeign service, where shewas assistant secretary ofstate for South Asia underthe Clinton presidencyand then US ambassadorto Tunisia. After her retire-ment from government in2005, she worked as a lob-byist for Cassidy &Associates, a Washingtoncompany whose clientsincluded the military

administration of GeneralPervez Musharraf.Officials said that the

FBI investigation involvedquestions about access toclassified materials. JenPsaki, a spokeswoman forthe State Department,said it was aware of a “lawenforcement matter”,adding that officials hadbeen co-operating with theFBI. A spokesman for theRaphel family said thatshe was aware of theinvestigation but declinedto comment further.Critics of Raphel’s pro-

Pakistan views welcomedthe news. Tarek Fatah, aPakistani-born writer and

fellow at the Middle EastForum, tweeted that her“hatred of India & luv forTaliban could not hv comefrom any other sourcethan ISI”, a reference toPakistan’s powerful spyagency.However, it was

unclear whether the inves-tigation into Raphel waslinked to alleged espi-onage by Pakistan oranother country. HasanAskari Rizvi, a Lahore-based security expert, dis-missed speculation aboutRaphel’s Pakistan links.He said:“Being a knownfriend of Pakistan does notmean that she should havebeen spying.” In the 1990sRaphel was an advocate ofengagement with theTaliban and backed plansfor a US company to buildan oil and gas pipelinefrom Turkmenistan toPakistan via Afghanistan.According toBahukutumbi Raman, aformer Indian anti-terror-ism chief, she met MullahOmar to discuss the project.

FBI puts ‘Lady Taliban’ diplomatunder surveillance

Lusaka: Lord Dolar Popattravelled to Lusaka earlierthis week to represent HerMajesty’s Government atthe funeral of the latePresident of Zambia, HisExcellency MichaelChilufya Sata.Her Royal Highness the

Countess of Wessex (thewife of the Queen’syoungest son Edward) wasalso present at the funeralto represent the Queen andthe Royal Family. PresidentSata passed away inLondon recently whilstreceiving treatment for anundisclosed illness. As HerMajesty’s Lord in Waiting,Lord Popat also represent-

ed the Royal Household atthe Repatriation Ceremonyat Heathrow Airport onFriday 31 October.The State funeral was

attended by a number ofAfrican leaders, includingKenyan President Uhuru

Kenyatta, UgandanPresident YoweriMuseveni, DemocraticRepublic of CongoPresident Joseph Kabila,Namibia PresidentHifikepunye Pohamba,Malawi’s Vice PresidentSaulos Chilima and SouthAfrica’s Deputy PresidentCyril Ramaphosa.Sata hasbeen President since 2011,following an active politi-cal career in Zambia sincethe 1970s. The latePresident is famous forhaving worked as a BritishRail porter and sweeper atVictoria Station, as well asa laundry man and factoryworker whilst in London in

the 1970s when studyingfor his degree.Following the funeral,

Lord Popat said, “TheBritish Government wasdeeply saddened by thedeath of President Sataand I am honoured to rep-resent Her Majesty’sGovernment at thePresident’s funeral. He wasa well-respected leaderwho championed socialreform in Zambia. As achild of theCommonwealth, havingbeen born in Uganda, I’mvery passionate aboutbuilding our relations withZambia who Britain areproud to work with.”

Islamabad: PakistaniPrime Minister NawazSharif said that the coun-try would be polio-free insix months. Addressingthe anti-polio steeringcommittee meeting, Sharifsaid negligence in eradicat-ing polio would be consid-ered a crime, Geo Newsreported. The prime minis-ter directed provinces totake effective measures forthe elimination of thedeadly disease. Sharifformed the anti-polio com-mittee of the federal cabi-net comprising thedefence, health and interi-or ministers. He stressedthe elimination of poliowas a national responsibil-ity and the fight againstthe virus had to be won atall costs. A focus groupwas also formed during themeeting which will presenta report to Sharif in every15 days regarding thedevelopments.

ISIS spreading tentacles in Pakistan Islamabad: Pakistani security agencies have warnedthe government about the increasing threat from theISIS militant group, a media report said. A classifiedreport by the provincial government of Balochistanconveyed to the federal government and lawenforcement agencies warning of increased footprintsof the Middle Eastern terrorist group, also known by itsArabic acronym of “Daish.” The Dawn reported on itswebsite that the `secret information report' datedOctober 31 states that ISIS has claimed to haverecruited a massive 10,000 to 12,000 followers fromthe Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kurramtribal district. “It has been reliably learnt that Daish hasoffered some elements of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) andAhl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamat (ASWJ) to join hands inPakistan. Daish has also formed a 10-member StrategicPlanning Wing,” the report from the Home and TribalAffairs Department of Balochistan says. LeJ and ASWJare anti-Shia groups of Sunni Muslims. The reportstates that the ISIS plans to attack military installationsand government buildings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa inretaliation to the army-led Operation Zarb-i-Azb inNorth Waziristan and also plans to target members ofthe minority Shia community. The Balochistangovernment called for heightened vigilance and securitymeasures in the province as well as the north westernprovince of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to prevent andprevent such attacks.

Bank, businessman suedKampala: Crown Converters and Kego Investmentshave sued Bank of Baroda for allegedly conniving witha senior company official to fraudulently transactbusiness using forged documents. In the case beforethe Commercial Court in Kampala, the Bank of Barodahas been accused of alleged breach of duty to exercise,care and skills in carrying out banking business in theirrespective accounts. It is alleged that in the exercise ofits duty, the bank transactions led to unauthorisedlending transactions, wrongful debts, and interest andbank charges on the respective accounts of thecomplaining companies. The bank is jointly sued withthe companies’ former managing director, Aniket Patel,who is accused of fraudulent practice by way ofpresenting forged documents on which the bank lentthe two companies an unauthorised Shs450m.However, in defence, the bank denied any wrongdoing, insisting that Patel held the powers of attorneyfor the companies to operate the accounts alone.

Iraqi officials say ISIS chief wounded inair strike Baghdad: Iraqi officials said that an air strikewounded the leader of the Islamic State group, AbuBakr al-Baghdadi. Pentagon officials said they had noimmediate information on such a strike or al-Baghdadibeing wounded. Iraq's defense and interior ministriesissued statements saying al-Baghdadi had beenwounded, without elaborating. An interior ministryintelligence official said that al-Baghdadi was hit duringa meeting with militants in the town of Qaim in Iraq'swestern Anbar province. The official, citing informantswithin the militant group, said the strikes wounded al-Baghdadi. A senior Iraqi military official also said helearned in operational meetings that al-Baghdadi hadbeen wounded. Al-Baghdadi, an ambitious Iraqi militantbelieved to be in his early 40s, has a $10 million USbounty on his head.

PIA took Indian passengers to Pakhotel without visa Islamabad: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)allegedly took 34 Indian transit passengers to a hotel inLahore to stay for a night though they did not have aPakistani visa, prompting authorities to launch a probe.The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said in a reportthat Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) crew allegedlytook the Indians out of the airport bypassing the checkpoints manned by FIA. The Indian passengers flewfrom New Delhi on a PIA flight to Saudi Arabia with astopover in Pakistani city of Lahore, an official said. FIAalleged that PIA quietly transported them to a localhotel where they spent a night.

South Korea's doomed ferry captainjailed for 36 yearsGwangju (South Korea): A South Korean courtfound the captain of a ferry that capsized in April killingmore than 300 passengers guilty of negligence andsentenced him to 36 years in jail, but acquitted him ofthe homicide charge for which prosecutors had soughtthe death penalty. The ship's chief engineer was foundguilty of homicide for not aiding two injured fellowcrew members and sentenced him to 30 years inprison. The overloaded ferry Sewol had capsized whilemaking a turn on a routine voyage to the holiday islandof Jeju.

In Brief

Lord Popat represents UK Govt atPresident Sata’s funeral

Jalandhar: The PakistanAustralia BusinessCouncil (PACB), a bodyfor businessmen ofPakistani origin DownUnder, has become areception partner forIndian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s com-munity reception inSydney on November17. PACB will be amongthe 200 reception part-ners of the event, whichincludes Hindu CouncilAustralia, HinduSwayamsewak Sangh,Vishwa Hindu ParishadAustralia, OverseasFriends of BJP Australia,Yuva For Modi andKashmiri PanditProfessionals apart fromother Hindu organiza-tions.“Yes, we are going to

attend Modi’s communityreception. AustralianPakistanis and Australian

Indians have been livinghere as friends and thereare no hostilities at all. Wewant better relationsamong India, Pakistanand Australia,” PACBpresident Iftikhar Ranasaid.The stated mission of

PABC is to encourage net-working within Australia

and to improve tradebetween Pakistan andAustralia. “People topeople contact and con-fidence building meas-ures (CBMs) are crucialfor the people of theneighbouring countriesand we consider our par-ticipation in the functionas a CBM,” he added.PACB senior vice-presi-dent Kashif Amjad saidhe would be attendingthe reception. “We don’tknow if we will get anopportunity to interactwith the Indian PrimeMinister, but we will try tomeet a senior Indian offi-cial and urge that busi-ness among the threecountries sees anincrease,” he said.Rana, who has family

roots in Lahore, said hisgrandfather migratedfrom Tehsil Garhshankarin Hoshiarpur.

Pak bizmen are reception partnersfor Modi's Australia visit

Pak PM vows toeliminate polio

Robin Raphel

Lord Dolar Popat

Narendra Modi

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 201424 INDIA

India’s first Disneyland likely inAndhraHyderabad: If the Andhra Pradeshgovernment has its way, the State couldbecome home to India’s first Disneyland.The State government has soughtinformation on land and other requirementsfrom a private investor who evinced interestin setting up Disneyland on the lines of theone in Paris. With talks still in initial stages,details are yet to emerge but thegovernment is said to be actively pursuingthe proposal. A similar proposal was floatedto the government of undivided AndhraPradesh in the past without anydevelopment.

HC query over Jaya's portraitsat govt officesMadurai: The Madurai bench of theMadras high court sought the response ofTamil Nadu chief secretary to a publicinterest litigation that prayed for the court'sdirection to remove the portraits of formerchief minister J Jayalalithaa fromgovernment offices and her name andphotos from welfare schemes. The divisionbench of justices V Dhanapalan and V MVelumani directed the government side toreceive chief secretary's response to thepetition filed by S Karunanidhi, jointsecretary of the Madurai Bar Association.

Over Rs 1,000 bn maidenbudget for TelanganaHyderabad: Telangana finance ministerEtela Rajender presented the maidenbudget of the new state in the assemblywith an outlay of Rs 1,006.38 billion. Ofthis, Rs 519.89 billion is for non-planexpenditure and Rs 486.48 billion for planexpenditure. Sticking to the conventionfollowed by the previous regimes, Rajenderopted not to propose any additional taxes inhis budget that is for ten months beginningJune 2014. While the full budget waspresented, the state was utilizing financesas per a vote-on-account budget passedearlier.

South Brief

Babbar Khalsa chief brought toChandigarhChandigarh: The Chandigarh police broughtRatandeep Singh - the de facto chief of Lahore-based terrorist outfit Babbar KhalsaInternational (BKI) to Chandigarh on aproduction warrant. The top BKI terrorist is aprime accused in the sensational bomb blastthat occurred in the parking area of Sector 34-A market complex on June 30, 1999.Ratandeep had recently been arrested by thePunjab police from the eastern Uttar Pradeshtown of Gorakhpur. "We have brought theaccused for eight days on a productionwarrant, and will start interrogating him in ourcase of the blast in Sector 34," said a seniorofficer.

China's Jiangsu province tocollaborate with PunjabChandigarh: Jiangsu province of China hasprincipally agreed to collaborate with Punjab fora 'Twin Province' project for promoting freshwater fisheries in the state as a part of stategovernment's crop diversification programme.Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal met withGovernor of Jiangsu province Li Xueyong andpointed out that currently the production of fishin Punjab was six tons per hectare whereas thestate government aspires to the double thisproduction in the coming three years.

Chandigarh youths light upremote Ladakhi villageChandigarh: A group of youth fromChandigarh region lit up a remote Ladakhivillage of Sumda Chenmo, which had not seena light bulb ever. But now the village'sproductivity has gone up, neighbouring villagestoo are keen on these solar panels and it hasdrastically cut the consumption of keroseneoil," says Jaideep Bansal known for his cyclingexpeditions, marathons and work on Educationand Electricity in Leh.

North Brief

Chennai: The chief ministerof Sri Lanka's NorthernProvince, C V Wigneswaran,accused the Rajapaksaregime of arresting andintimidating those trying tocollect evidence for theUnited Nations' investiga-tion into the violations ofhumanitarian and humanrights laws.

"The basis appears to bethat the evidence is false - isthat not a decision to bemade at the stage of evalua-tion? If we had proof thatevidence was false, is it notthe best course of action toforward proof of such falsityto the office of the high com-missioner of human rights?"he said while delivering theKG Kannabiran memoriallecture on safeguarding secu-

rity and sovereignty onSunday.

Wigneswaran became theCM of the NorthernProvince last year after along and distinguished legalcareer which culminated inhis becoming the judge ofthe Sri Lankan Supreme

Court in 2001. "The statedoes not want to allow theevidence to leave the coun-try; just as in the incarcera-tion of 350,000 Tamils, theprimary aim was to let noevidence leave the shores,"he said.

Coming down heavily onthe Lankan government forits attempts to canvass glob-al opinion against UNHRCresolutions, Wigneswaransaid that if Sri Lankathought that such a proce-dure undermined its sover-eignty and was illegal, itcould request the UNGeneral Assembly or theSecurity Council to refer thematter to the InternationalCourt of Justice for an advi-sory opinion.

"It could even withdraw

from the UN, even thoughthere are no formal provi-sions in the UN charter forwithdrawal," he said, addingthat the militarisation ofnorthern Sri Lanka was notdue to a real security threat,but to maintain a strangle-hold over the populace.

Thanking India onwhose insistence the elec-tions were held in theNorthern Province,Wigneswaran said NewDelhi had legal and moralobligations to ensure thewelfare of Sri Lankan citi-zens.

He said the Tamils werenot the only ones affected byviolence in Sri Lanka, andadded that other minoritieslike Muslims and Christiansare also targeted.

Chennai: Sri Lanka willtransfer all the five fisher-men, who had been sen-tenced to death on thecharge of drug trafficking, toIndia, a report said quotingBJP leader SubramanianSwamy. This will come as ahuge relief to the fishermenand their families. Televisionreports said that the dead-lock was broken after PrimeMinister Narendra Modispoke with Sri LankanPresident MahindaRajapaksa on the issue,according to a tweet fromSwamy. "Namo andRajapaksa spoke on thephone and agreed to processpapers and transfer 5 fisher-men convicted to Indian jail.I am vindicated!" the tweetread. The case dates back to2011 when the five fisher-men set out to fish fromRameswaram and wereapprehended by the SriLankan Navy on the chargeof possessing narcotics. A

Sri Lankan court had recent-ly sentenced the five fisher-men to death in the case.

The Indian fishermenwere arrested by the SriLankan navy in 2011. Thefishermen have time tillNovember 11 to appeal atthe Lankan Supreme Court.India's Ministry of ExternalAffairs had said that theIndian government will chal-lenge the order in the uppercourt. Spokesperson SyedAkbaruddin was quoted assaying, "We will take up thismatter. Judgment is passedby the lower court. We willchallenge this case in theupper court."

Earlier, the executivedirector of Sri Lanka'sInstitute of Policy Studies,Saman Kelegama, had calledfor a bilateral settlementbetween New Delhi andColombo on the issue of thedeath penalty given to fiveIndian fishermen in a drugsmuggling case.

Nalgonda (Andhra): A six-year-old boy studying inClass I of a private schooldied after he was allegedlybeaten up and banged hishead on the wall by his classteacher for not speaking inEnglish. The incident tookplace at Tirumalagiri villageof Anumula mandal inNalgonda district. A heavyposse of policemen was post-ed in the village as scores ofpeople laid siege to the pri-vate school demandingaction against the manage-ment. Senior police officialsrushed to the village even asthe angry parents and vil-lagers kept the body of thetribal boy, identified asChandu, outside the schoolmain gate, and refused tomove out until the arrest ofthe school principal and theclass teacher. According toreports, Chandu was severe-ly beaten up by his teacherSumathi. She allegedlybanged Chandu's head

against the wall resulting ininternal head injuries. Theboy fell ill soon after return-ing home and his conditiondeteriorated. He was admit-ted to a hospital inHyderabad where he died.

"The teacher deservesnothing less than life impris-onment. She hit the boy'shead against the wall for notspeaking in English. As theboy was talking in Telugu,the teacher became angryand severely beat him up,"said Child Rights ProtectionCommittee presidentAnuradha Rao. She demand-ed de-recognition of theschool and compensation tothe family of the victim.

Chandigarh: Haryana gov-ernment said it was workingon a new policy to checkcorruption during immov-able property registration atrevenue offices in the state.Under the new policy, abuyer or seller wanting toget property registered ortransferred will just have todeposit requisite stamp dutyin the tehsil (revenue office)while the owner will get reg-istry at home.

Revealing this informa-tion, state chief ministerManohar Lal Khattar saidthat there were lots of com-plaints regarding registry ofimmovable property intehsils. "Work has alreadystarted on the new arrange-ment under which peoplewill get registry at theirdoorsteps. Concerned offi-cers have assured me that itwill be in place after amonth."

"If any discrepancy isfound in the new system ofdelivery of registry at peo-ple's doorsteps, it would beaddressed. If any mistake isfound in the registry deliv-ered at the house of theproperty owner, it would be

rectified," he said. Concerned officers will

be held responsible for anyfault in implementation ofthe programmes beinglaunched by the state gov-ernment, he said.

"We went to people withthe promise of developmentand elimination of corrup-tion from its roots. Now, allworks will be carried out inkeeping with the wishes ofthe people. It is my first visitto Rohtak. I know peoplehave high expectations fromthe government and weshall work to meet them.Action will be taken onevery complaint posted onthe Chief Minister Windowto be started at the districtlevel," Khattar said.

Chandigarh: CanadianSprott Shaw College (SSC)from Vancouver, BritishColumbia, Canada hasjoined hands withChandigarh's AryansGroup of Colleges (AGC).The two colleges willengage in updating curricu-la, student and facultyexchange programmes. AMemorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) wassigned by Peter Lee, execu-tive director of SSC andAnshu Kataria, chairman ofAryans, at Vancouver,British Columbia. RahulBahel, SSC assistant advi-sor was also present on theoccasion. Lee said thatCanadian Universities andcolleges keep on updatingtheir course curriculum on aregular basis according toneeds of the industry.

He further added thatthis MoU would help thestudents of Aryans toupdate themselves withrapid growth in the technol-ogy. Kataria added thatsince SSC was one of therenowned colleges of BritishColumbia, the collaborationwill help Aryans students

get international education-al exposure. He added thatthis type of collaborationshelp to organize studentexchange programmes thatare beneficial to both thestudents as well as colleges.

SSC, established in1903, is a private Canadiancareer training institution,headquartered in BritishColumbia, Canada. It offersover 100 college pro-grammes in 13 campus loca-tions across the BritishColumbia. Sprott Shawoffers a different optionbeyond what is currentlyexpected of the private andpublic sectors within theeducational system. It offersvarious full time, part timeand post graduate coursesto the students to help themacquire professional skills.

Lanka to transfer deathrow fishermen to India

Chandigarh college joinshands with Canadian college

Boy dies as teacher 'bangshis head against wall'

Haryana to deliver propertyregistry at home

Lankan Tamil CM hits out at Rajapaksa govt

C V Wigneswaran

INDIA - UKwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 2014 25

Kamal Rao

What I wrote in AsianVoice and GujaratSamachar on 11thOctober was with a heavyheart. For ten weeks Iobserved that CB’s pleaswere falling on deaf ears. Ipersuaded CB thatSPMS, which claims tospread the message ofthat great Son of India,should maintain certainmimimum standards ofdecency and decorum.The values of Sardar wereso meticulously main-tained by him thatincreasingly more andmore Indians admire hispermanent legacy toIndia. If SPMS canbehave in such an uncon-stitutional and cavaliermanner to someone likeCB then what would hap-pen to an ordinary mem-ber of the community ororganisation.

I would like the read-ers to know that theassertion by Mr PG Patel,chairman of SPMS, in hisfirst communicationdated 21st July was factu-ally incorrect. What heclaims to be unanimousvote was misleading tosay the least. One of thetrustees (Jitubhai) hadsaid no to such a step ofremoving a life member insuch a manner withoutany show cause notice.Another trustee (JFPatel) had said that nosuch letters should bewritten to CB but if needbe we should sit downtogether to discuss anddeliberate the situationand thereby remove anymisunderstanding.

What is also very sadis that no writtenresponse from any of theExecutive Committeemembers was received upuntil the 5th November.

The EC members ofSPMS should be wellaware of the respon-sibilities. some claimto be accountants,others claim to be aformer local authori-ty councillor, whilstothers claim to bevery well educatedand involved withsome public serviceorganisations. Noneof them have sup-plied any informa-tion which wasrequested by CB wayback on 30th July viza viz the minutes ofthe meeting and acopy of the constitu-tion as well as some otherrelevant details whichshould have been easilyavailable to all the com-mittee members and espe-cially its Chairman PGPatel.

I have come to knownow that at that meetingon 24th June no commit-tee member present (sev-eral where not presentalso) asked for the consti-tution itself which wasnot produced at the meet-ing. Now I also know thatthe committee membershad not been privy to thecommunication writtenby PG Patel. Why? Whatis also very mind-bogglingis that the esteemed com-mittee members of suchan organisation werebehaving in such a cava-lier fashion.

Dear readers after myarticle in AsianVoice/Gujarat Samacharon 11th October severalreaders wrote letters andwe were able to publishsome of those that camein including those fromLalubhai Parekh,Chunilal Chavda,Ballubhai Patel,Bharatbhai Sachania,Jagdish Ganatra and

some others. I am alsoaware that Mr CJRabheru wrote a detailedletter to chairman PJPatel explaining how agreat injustice was beingdone through an uncon-stitutional and ill motivat-ed action to terminatemembership of a foundingmember. SimilarlyKantibhai Nagda,Dhirubhai Vadera,Pravinbhai Amin andsome others wrote to thechairman PG Patel to rec-tify the injustice he andhis committee have doneand to salvage the goodname of SPMS.

Eventually under suchan onslaught of publicopinion an emergencymeeting of SPMS washeld on Sunday 26thOctober (some fourmonths after the die wascast) to form a mandatedcommittee of six membersnamely Mahendrabhai CJadega (Chairman of thes u b - c o m m i t t e e ) ,Krishnaben Pujara,Jitubhai Patel, JF Patel,GP Desai and AnjanabenPatel with the sole remitto look into the whole sit-uation to resolve this mat-ter and offer the apology.

This Committeewrote to CB Patelon the following5th November:‘Having gonethrough all thecorrespondencewe, the MandatedCommittee, con-sider that theM e m b e r s h i pT e r m i n a t i o nNotice sent to youis not valid as perthe Constitutionof SPMS hencethe email ofChairman’s on21st July 2014 wasunconstitutional.We, the Mandated

Committee, hereby offerour sincere apology onbehalf of the Sardar PatelMemorial Society (UK)for the unconstitutionaland drastic action takento terminate yourMembership by ourSPMS ECs which waswrong. Notice ofMembership Terminationis withdrawn hereby withprofound regret. We alsodeeply regret EC’s inabili-ty to supply you the infor-mation required by you asper your email dated 30thJuly 2014. We hope thiswould now conclude thismatter and no furtheraction would be initiatedby you.

This was signed by allthe six afore-mentionedmembers of the MandatedCommittee and was hand-ed over to CB Patel on 8thNovember in the presenceof the six members as wellas CJ Rabheru andKantibhai Nagda. CB andthese eight friends dis-cussed how the Societyshould work to honourthe obligations enteredinto the aims and objectsof the Constitution. CBsaid this apology was notthe defeat of anybody but

a win win for all and a vic-tory for common sense.This should have hap-pened much much earlierbut let’s now worktogether to do our utmostto serve the legacy ofSardar Patel.

In the meantime on5th November itself thechairman PG Patel for-warded a separate apolo-gy: Dear CB, Further toyour recent communica-tion regarding terminationof your membership, Ihave now been advised bySPMS subcommittee thatthe decision taken by ECCouncil regarding yourtermination was not fol-lowed constitutionally. Iapologise on behalf ofSPMS as I was led by theExecutive Council. I amsorry for the inconven-ience this may havecaused. I would like toapologise personally andwith your guidance moveforward into the nextphase of SPMS develop-ment. Let me assure youthat you are still a foundermember of SPMS andlook forward to workingwith you in the nearfuture.

I fail to understandwhy the chairman PGPatel sent a separate apol-ogy which now apportionsthe main blame to theExecutive Council. Thissounds confusing and notvery honourable but nev-ertheless it is a fact of lifeand one has to live with it.Even now the Society hasfailed to give CB the prop-er minutes of that fatefulmeeting of 30th June.Why? What is there forthem to hide? Every com-mittee member shouldremember their obliga-tions and act according totheir conscience. If I hadnot published the story on11th October the commu-

nity would not know whatis being done under theauspicious of SPMS andperhaps some ordinarymembers would have beenvictimised forever.

Several complaintshave been made regardingalcohol/wine being servedon 31st October celebra-tion of the 139th birthdayof Sardar Patel. ChairmanPG Patel was sent a lettera week earlier by DrSubramanian Swamy thathe would not come toLondon to participate inthe SPMS event on 31stOctober. The EC was notfrankly and properlyinformed by Mr PG Patel.Even at 11am on Friday31st October, a LondonAsian radio broadcastrepeated that Dr Swamywill attend the SPMSevent that evening. Butwhy?

Let me end with asmall plea to the leaders ofall organisations includingSPMS. You should havethe time, energy, intelli-gence and sense of yourrole and responsibility toperform your public dutyproperly. The leadershipshould not behave in ashallow, stupid or spitefulmanner as has beenobserved in the letter fromCJ Rabheru to chairmanPG Patel dated 4thNovember about how hewas treated at the event of31st October. Very sadlyno committee member hasresponded to the cry in thewilderness from CJRabheru who I believe hasbeen treated with vindic-tiveness for raising hisvoice in the interest ofcommon sense and jus-tice.

I wish that no suchincident happens in thecommunity in the futureagain.

At last an apology from PG Patel and SPMS but …

PG Patel

Bhopal gas victims families still await for justiceThirty years after morethan 5,000 people, somesay 20,000, died after thedeadly gas leaked fromthe Union Carbide'splant in Bhopal, the fam-ily members of the vic-tims still await for jus-tice. The horrifyingevents of the night ofDecember 2-3 1984haunt the residents ofBhopal even this day.Pressure groups say halfa million people sufferedvarying degrees of healthproblems.

After three decadesthe site has yet to beproperly cleaned orsecured, and four legalbattles are still beingfought in Indian and UScourts with no sign of animminent resolution.Bhopal residents, as wellas those seeking addi-tional compensation forgas deaths and injuries,say toxic waste from theplant in their midst con-taminated the water theydrank for more than 20years.

The quiet death in a

Florida nursinghome inSeptember of 92-year-old WarrenAnderson, UnionCarbide’s chiefexecutive at thetime, has donenothing torelieve the bitter-ness among vic-tims and theirdescendants. Inthe next round ofthe judicialwrangles overthe disaster, Dow

Chemical has been sum-moned to appear in acourt in Bhopal onNovember 12 to explainwhy it has not obligedUnion Carbide to attendthe criminal case begunin 1991.

Dow bought UnionCarbide in 2001 – morethan 16 years after thegas leak – and saysattempts to link it to aplant it never owned oroperated are “misguidedand wrong”.

Indian children born

with congenital disease,second generation vic-tims of the1984 Bhopalgas tragedy, participatein a candle light vigil topay homage to the peoplekilled in the tragedy inBhopal on December 2,2013.

One advocacy group,the InternationalCampaign for Justice inBhopal, is demanding $8.1bn in compensationfor the victims, comparedwith the $1.2 bn nowsought by the govern-ment of India and the $470m that was paid toIndia in 1989 in an out-of-court settlement byUnion Carbide and itsthen Indian subsidiary.

Meanwhile, the aban-doned and scarcelyguarded Union Carbidesite in the middle ofBhopal remains a poten-tial source of contamina-tion for the city’s watertable, although the com-pany says it used andremoved the remainingmethyl isocyanate shortlyafter the disaster.

On Friday 21 November,Navin Shah AM hasorganised an eventfocussing on raisingawareness about thehumanitarian disaster inBhopal along with mediapartner Asian Voice andGujarat Samachar, sup-ported by the BhopalMedical Appeal andBoris Johnson – theMayor of London- whohas kindly allowed theorganisers free use of theGLA venue. The event is

also supported byAmnesty Internationaland some major busi-nesses and communitygroups.

The event will focuson raising awareness ofthe current humanitari-an disaster situation inBhopal which sees tensof thousands of familiesstill using water contam-inated with highly toxicchemicals. The chemi-cals have leached intotheir water from waste

left at the abandoneddisaster site and cause arange of illnesses, can-cers, and birth defects.

This will look at waysof helping the existingcharities in Bhopal tocontinue the work theydo for children and fami-lies suffering from thecontamination.

Whilst these charitiesdo remarkable work theyare starved of funds, lim-iting their ability to pro-vide support for the

majority of the victimsand hindering theirefforts to provide a widerrange of much-neededservices.

There is no chargefor this RSVP onlyevent, but you are wel-come to make any dona-tion you might able tomake to help enhancethe ongoing work inBhopal and help the vic-tims- many of which arechildren from severelydeprived families.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 201426 INDIA - LONDON

Modi in Myanmar forASEAN, East Asia summits

Continued from page 1cabinet rank, giving widerepresentation to severalnorthern and central statesand keeping the age limitwell under 68.The much-anticipated

first ministry expansionwas marred with ally ShivSena calling off participa-tion in the government atthe last minute - exacerbat-ing their already strainedties.Former Shiv Sena

leader Suresh Prabhu wassworn-in as a cabinet min-ister. Prabhu, who is theprime minister's interlocu-tor for the G20, has joinedthe Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and is expected tobecome a Rajya Sabhamember.The Sena at the last

minute recalled Anil Desai,who it had nominated forinduction in the unionministry. According toreports, Desai arrived inDelhi for the oath-takingceremony but was orderedto return. With the new induc-

tion, Modi's 45-memberministry now totals 66. Heinducted four cabinet min-isters, three ministers ofstate with independentcharge, and 14 ministers ofstate (MoS).Former Goa chief min-

ister Manohar Parrikar wasthe first to take oath at theDurbar Hall of Rashtrapati

Bhavan. BJP general secre-tary J.P. Nadda, who isknown to be close to Modiand party chief Amit Shah,and Birender Singh, wholeft the Congress ahead ofthe recent Haryana assem-bly elections to join theBJP, were administeredoath as cabinet ministersby President PranabMukherjee.Modi also brought into

his ministry the party'sknown Muslim face inMukhtar Abbas Naqvi,adding to NajmaHeptullah, who is minorityaffairs minister. Naqvi is anMoS. He also added to therepresentation of womenby inducting SadhviNiranjan Jyoti, BJP MPfrom Fatehpur in UttarPradesh, taking the num-ber to eight. Giriraj Singh, 61, who

courted controversy withhis comment while cam-paigning for the nationalelections that "those whooppose Narendra Modishould go to Pakistan" andwas also booked for thehate speech, also got aplace as minister of state.The new ministry has

most people in their 50s,with the oldest beingBandaru Dattatreya, MoSindependent charge, at 68.The youngest is well-

known singer BabulSupriyo, the only face inthe ministry from West

Bengal. The Asansol MP,who was inducted as MoS,is 43, while Olympianshooter Col. RajyavardhanSingh Rathore is 44.The only National

Democratic Alliance(NDA) ally to get a berth inSunday's expansion wasTelugu Desam Party (TDP)Rajya Sabha MP, Y.S.Chowdary as an MoS.Among those who were

widely tipped to get a berthand were inducted areRajiv Pratap Rudy, MoSindependent charge, RamKirpal Yadav, a former LaluPrasad aide who quit theRashtriya Janata Dal,Jayant Sinha, son of BJPveteran Yashwant Sinha,and Vijay Sampla, BJPHoshiarpur MP.Sinha's entry into the

government marks thecoming in of the secondgeneration of BJP politi-cians. The IIT-Delhi andH a r v a r d - e d u c a t e dHazaribagh MP is aninvestment fund managerand management consult-ant. His entry is likely togive a fillip to the BJP'schances in Jharkhandwhich goes to the polls inNovember-December.Another new face is

Hansraj Ahir, BJP MP fromMaharashtra. Ahir is well-known for havingunearthed the coal miningscam. He took oath as anMoS.

The states to get widerepresentation areMaharashtra, where theBJP has formed govern-ment for the first time, withtwo ministers - SureshPrabhu and Ahir, adding tothe prominent namesalready in the cabinet,including Nitin Gadkariand Prakash Javadekar. In Haryana, where it

won in the recent assemblyelections and formed thegovernment, has a newminister in Birender Singh.Keeping in mind the

forthcoming elections inBihar, the council has threenew faces from the state -Rajiv Pratap Rudy, RamKirpal Yadav and GirirajSingh. Union ministersRam Vilas Paswan andRavi Shankar Prasad arefrom Bihar.Uttar Pradesh got the

largest representation, withfour new faces - MaheshSharma, a doctor whoowns Kailash Hospital andis an MP from GautamBuddh Nagar (Noida);Naqvi, who is a RajyaSabha member; RamShankar Katheria, AgraMP; and Sadhvi NiranjanJyoti.Gujarat, where Modi

was the chief minister forthree terms, got two newfaces in HaribhaiParthibhai Chaudhary, andMohanbhai KalyanjibhaiKundarya.

Continued from page 1state governorship to theHouse of Representativesand state legislatures tocity council seats.

Here’s a list of thoseIndian-Americans whowon.

Nikki Haley - Haley,the first woman governorof the state of SouthCarolina, won a secondconsecutive term in theelections. She defeatedDemocrat candidateVincent Sheheen, anAmerican attorney andpolitician. Haley, 42, is thesecond Indian-Americangovernor in the UnitedStates, the other beingRepublican Bobby Jindalof Louisiana.

Kamala Harris –California’s Indian-American AttorneyGeneral Kamala Harris,the first woman as well asthe first African Americanand South Asian to holdthe job, was re-elected fora second consecutiveterm. She beat Republicanchallenger Ronald Gold.She previously served twoterms as San Francisco’sdistrict attorney beforebeing sworn in as theAttorney general of thestate of California.

Janak Joshi – In

Colorado, RepublicanJoshi won from the House16 District defeating hisDemocrat challengerRyan Macoubrie. The 31-year resident of Coloradois a retired physician andpresently runs a smallmedical clinic and fewdialysis centers. He stud-ied medicine at theGujarat University.

Prasad Srinivasan –Srinivasan,a retiredphys i c i anwas electedunopposedon aRepublican

ticket from ConnecticutHouse 31 District.Srinivasan is a graduateof Baroda MedicalCollege. He was chief pae-diatric resident atBrookdale Hospital inBrooklyn, New York.

Sam Singh – TheDemocrat state represen-tative was re-elected toMichigan House 69District. He previously served

10 years on the EastLansing City Council andone term as mayor beforebecoming part of the statelegislature.

Aruna Miller – Miller,who repre-s e n t e dMaryland’sLegislativeDistrict 15in theHouse of

Delegates, retained herseat in the election. She isa Democrat. Born in the

south Indian city ofHyderabad, Miller hasbeen in the MarylandHouse since 2010.

Kumar Barve –B h a r v e ,53, theDemocratMa j o r i t yLeader oft h eMarylandHouse of

Delegates, also retainedhis seat. Before becomingMajority Leader, Barvewas elected as chairmanof the MontgomeryCounty Delegation duringwhich he was the legisla-tive leader of the largestcounty in the state ofMaryland.

Pramila Jayapal – Inthe Washington state,

J a y a p a lwas elect-ed to theS t a t eS e n a t eseat fromthe 37thLegislative

District. Born in India,Jayapal went to the USwhen she was 16 yearsold. A leading nationaladvocate for immigrant,civil, and human rights,Jayapal has been livingand working in the 37thLegislative District foralmost 20 years.

Niraj Antani – Hiswas a surprise winner.The 23-year-old Indian-American law studentwas elected to the OhioHouse of Representatives,becoming one of the

youngest state lawmakersin the US. He defeated62-year-old PatrickMorris of the Democraticparty.

Ami Bera – DemocratAmi Berais lockedin a toughelectora lc o n t e s ta g a i n s th i s

Republican opponentDoug Ose. A spokes-woman for the CaliforniaSecretary of State’s officesaid that 100 per cent ofballots from variouspolling places around thestate had been counted.All absentee ballotsturned in before ElectionDay have also been count-ed. Remaining to be tal-lied are absentee ballotsdropped off at precinctpolling places on Nov. 4,as well as provisional bal-lots. Each county has upto 28 days to tabulatevotes.Ro Khanna concedes

defeat - Indian-AmericanRo Khanna concededdefeat after giving theseven-term Congressmanand incumbent MikeHonda the toughest fightof his life for the SiliconValley Congressional seat.The 38-year-old patentattorney, Khanna, con-ceded to his opponentfrom Democratic party,Honda, acknowledgingthe 73-year-old lawmakerhas an insurmountablelead in a race that gainednational attention. Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi arrived atNay Pyi Taw in theMyanmarese capital onTuesday to attend theASEAN and the East Asiasummits on the first leg ofhis three-nation tour thatwill also take him toAustralia and Fiji.Modi arrived by a spe-

cial Air India plane, start-ing his 10-day tour duringwhich he will also attendthe G-20 meet in Brisbane,Australia. “ASEAN is at thecore of our Act East Policyand at the centre of ourdream of an Asian century,characterised by coopera-tion and integration,” thePrime Minister said beforehis departure.Modi said he was look-

ing forward to discussingwith ASEAN leaders howto take “our relationship toa new level, which will sup-plement our deepeningbilateral ties with eachmember.”The Prime Minister will

meet over 40 leaders fromcountries in Asia, Africa,Europe, North America,South America and PacificRegion during the India-Asean and East Asia sum-mits on November 12-13 inMyanmar's capital Nay PyiTaw, the G20 summit inBrisbane and the visit toFiji Islands.Noting that no other

region in the world embod-ies so much dynamism orfaces so many challenges asthe region spanning theIndian Ocean, continentalAsia and Pacific Ocean, he

said the East Asia Summithas the potential to shapethis region and the world'sfuture."At the East Asia

Summit, I look forward todiscussing with Asean andseven global leaders howwe can strengthen regionalinstitutions, internationalnorms and regional cooper-ation in pursuit of peace,stability and prosperity,"the Prime Minister said ina statement.On the sidelines of the

international summits inMyanmar, Modi is slated tomeet Russian PrimeMinister DmitryMedvedev, South KoreanPresident Park Geun-hyeand Singapore PresidentTony Tan, besides the hostPresident Thein Sein.The Asean members

are Brunei, Cambodia,Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,Myanmar, Singapore,Thailand, Philippines andVietnam, while the EASmembers 10 Asean nationsand Australia, China,Japan, New Zealand,South Korea, Russia andthe US.At the G20 summit, the

Prime Minister said, high-lighting the importance ofinternational cooperationagainst black money wouldbe a key issue.He will also discuss

with other leaders ways toaccelerate the creation ofnext generation infrastruc-ture, which also includesdigital infrastructure, andensure access to clean andaffordable energy.

Modi inducts 21 new faces in ministry expansion

9 Indian-Americans win US electionIn Loving Memory

Our mother’s soul left for God’s abode on Sunday 9thNovember 2014 at 10:45am at Northwick ParkHospital, after suffering from Bowel Cancer. Shejoins my father Devraj Govind Bhudia who passedaway earlier this year on 26th April 2014 from mouthcancer.Both were strong characters, who lived through

adversity and struggle and brought up their familywith strong values and ethics. They both spent muchof their time involved in charitable work raisingmoney with their friends by taking part in satsangsand prayers on weekends at people’s houses. Themoney was used directly to assist the underprivilegedchildren and goshala’s in Kutch. Both were devout Hindus and walked to Ealing

Road mandir daily, where they were well known andliked and had many friends. They had a robust repu-tation for being pillars of the community, and will bemissed by many, and most of all by their family.

May their souls rest in peace – love from the Bhudia family.

Funeral will take place on Saturday 15th November2014 at Hendon Crematorium, Holders Hill Road,

Mill Hill NW7 1NB.

Prayers will be held at Kenton SwaminarayanMandir, Westfield Lane, Kenton on Saturday 15th November at 4:30pm.

Obituary

Shambai Devraj Bhudia Devraj Govind Bhudia

Cancer is a disease weall fear, yet according

to new figures there's beena steep rise in rates of typesthat are caused by lifestylefactors -triggered by excessalcohol, smoking, obesityand exposure to sun.

Instances of the diseaseaffecting the liver, mouth,womb, kidney and skinhave risen. While the num-bers are shocking, the goodnews is these are cancerswe can do something posi-tive to try to prevent.Experts suggest that a goodchunk of cancer cases canbe prevented if people sim-ply ate better, kept to ahealthy weight and exer-cised more.

But knowing where tostart can be hard. Beloware some specific tips fromthe latest research. Somemay seem small and simplebut taken together as partof a healthy lifestyle, theycould help lower your riskof a variety of cancers.

Have a beer..but makesure it's one: Beer may helpprotect against the bacteri-um Helicobacter pylori,which is known to causeulcers and possibly linkedto stomach cancer, so whenconsumed in strict modera-tion it could have somehealth benefits. But, drink-ing more than one or twoalcoholic drinks a day willincrease your risk ofmouth, throat, oesophagealand liver cancer. Andwomen should take extracare, as even one drink aday has been found toincrease breast cancer riskby 10%. Experts now rec-ommend aiming for twobooze-free days a week.

Move every two hours:Scientists last monthwarned we should all sitless to avoid cancer.Indeed, the risk of develop-ing cancers, especiallywomb, bowel and lung,rises by up to 10% forevery extra two hours sit-ting, according to a newreview of studies by theUniversity of Regensburgin Germany. The effectappeared to be unrelated tohow much exercise peopletook when they were not ina chair or sofa, suggestingthat even people who arephysically active mayincrease their cancer riskby staying immobile for toolong at a time.

Keep fruit out of thefridge: Studies show thatchilled fruit contains fewercancer-fighting nutrients

than fruit kept at roomtemperature. For example,tomatoes and peppersstored in a bowl ratherthan the fridge can containdouble the betacaroteneand up to 20 times morelycopene -both of whichhave been linked to lower-ing rates of cancers.

Don't microwave veg-gies: If you are in the habitof blitzing veggies in themicrowave while trying toraise your intake, youmight want to switch tosteaming instead. Whilestudies show microwavingvegetables won't lowertheir vitamin C content,one Spanish study found itcould destroy 97% of broc-coli's cancer-protectiveflavonoids.

Ditch your scentedcandle: Believe it or not,the air in your home can

often be more pollutedthan outdoors. But whiletobacco smoke is by far theworst pollutant, expertssay that the volatile organiccompounds released bycertain cleaning products,air fresheners and somescented candles could becarcinogenic. While thejury is still out on howmuch of a threat this poses

to human health, it's easyto limit exposure to thesesources by opening win-dows and doors often tokeep your home well venti-lated.

Pass on the salt (anddon't add extra): Salt islinked to 14% of stomachcancer cases in the UK.Our daily intake should beless than 6g (2.4g sodium)so don't add any to food,and check the sodium con-tent of shop-bought foods.

Sleep in total darkness:Many studies have linkedprolonged exposure to arti-ficial light at night, as expe-rienced by long-term shiftworkers, to a higher risk ofseveral cancers, includingbreast and prostate.


HEALTHWATCH

To Our ReadersWe are publishing these

items in good faith,kindly consult your

Doctor before you try toimplement it. We do nothold any responsibility

for its efficacy...

This week, the CoolherbalsTeam ran Nutrigro HairLoss Road Shows inHarrow and Ilford. Packedaudiences asked burningquestions regarding theirhair problems.

Who do you think werein the majority in the audi-ence - men or women?Answer: women. Arewomen more concernedabout their hair than men?Is it peer pressure thatmakes women moreinclined to do somethingabout their hair? Men areless willing to discuss theirhair loss issues and some

go to the extent of shaving all theirs off, perhaps tolook more macho, or to hide their hair loss problems.

Benidita asked: Ihave afro type hairthat is dry andbreaks easily. Whatcan I do?

The simplestanswer to dry hair isuse a Hair Oil if youwant a sleek glossylook or a Serum ifyou want water based finish. Use a shampoo for dryhair as well. If the hair is breaking it is probably tooweak. Try this:

Wet the hair with warm water to open the poresand to increase blood circulation to the scalp. Applyshampoo to the tips and then rub into the scalp.Don’t apply the shampoo directly to the scalp. Excessshampoo can strip vital minerals like calcium andiron from the hair. Also excess shampoo in one spotcan promote build up in one particular patch.Shampoo with warm water to remove dirt and grease.Then rinse hair with cold water to shrink the poresback to normal size. Run your hands through the hairin a to and fro movement, particularly to the thinninghair to generate heat. This activates the sebaceousglands and energizes blood flow increasing thechances of healthier hair.

Pat dry hair by blotting with a towel rather thanrubbing it. This will pull hair when it is already in aweakened state due to the wetness.

Brush your hair only after drying it. Wetting hairhelps straighten and detangle hair much better how-ever the stress on the hair shaft is increased. Use abrush that has stiff and long bristles to increase theblood circulation in the scalp.

Use a non harsh non SLS shampoo that does notweaken hair. Sodium Lauryl sulphate (SLS) has beenassociated with hair loss problems.

Give hair food to strengthen hair. Hair is 97% pro-tein. Get this from your diet ensuring you get all the22 amino acid building blocks hair needs or from asupplement. Try some hair protein, vitamin and min-eral capsules such as vegetarian based proteinNutrigro capsules or fish based protein Noukrin forthree months and see if they make a difference.

Along with this follow the Nutrigro Plan. It is aplan that Professor Gupta of Bolton University calls“a revolutionary way to keep your hair for longer andcombat hair loss”. Email me for more details on thisor visit www.coolherbals.com. Email us your prob-lems at [email protected] or ring 020 85979039.

Sushma’s Health & Beauty Blog

Sushma BhanotPharmacist, Ayurvedic andHomeopathic Consultant,

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'Kill Dil'

It is a Hindi romantic action film directed by Shaad Aliand produced by Aditya Chopra under the banner ofYash Raj Films. The film stars Ranveer Singh, ParineetiChopra and Ali Zafar in the lead roles, alongsideGovinda who is going to play a negative role in the film.Two killers - Dev (Ranveer Singh) and Tutu (Ali Zafar)were nurtured by Bhaiyaji (Govinda) who trained themto be killers. Dev falls in love with Disha (ParineetiChopra). But Bhaiyaji does not accept the relationshipbetween Dev and Disha. Around this evolves a story ofdefiance.

The makers of a horrorflick have claimed that

they had completed theshooting of the film in 12hours, saying it was a first-of-its kind initiative in 60 yearsof Tamil cinema. “It wastough to complete the shoot-ing starting at 6 pm and fin-ishing at 6 am the next day,”the film’s director, PuthugaiMarisa, was quoted as say-ing. The horror script,involving the adventures ofthree couples staying at ahaunted bungalow enrouteto a wedding is titled ‘NaduIravu’ (Midnight). Earlier, amulti star cast Tamil filmtitled ‘Suyamvaram’ wasshot in 24 hours by varioustechnical teams in 1999.

At a time when actressesalmost fade out or get

ready to do character rolesafter just 5 years in the indus-try, one actress is making oth-ers feel envious of her bygrabbing big chances evenafter being nearly a decade inthe showbiz. She is the one ofthe first choices, when itcomes to historical films andis still one of the best choicesfor romantic entertainers ormass masala flicks.

She is none other thanAnushka Shetty. She has mes-merized the audiences withher beauty and the variety ofcharacters she plays. Her'Arundathi' is the best exam-ple that a film need not have abig hero to get huge collec-tions and redefined calcula-tions in the industry. She haseven surprised the audienceswith her ultra glamorous rolesin some big films. Her dedica-tion and hard work has madeher one of most sought after

heroines in Telugu and Tamilfilm industries.

Next few months aregoing to be special for her assome big films of her aregoing to be released. The first

is “Lingaa,” in which she ispaired opposite Super StarRajinikanth, followed by Ajith- Gautam Menon film andthen the most anticipatedfilms 'Rudramadevi' and'Baahubali'. Recently therewas a buzz that she is goingto make her Bollywood debutwith the film, 'Juvenile',directed by E Niwas. But itwas not confirmed byAnushka.

Gunasekhar, the directorof 'Rudhramadevi', praisedAnushka for the hard workshe has put in for the film andsaid that he couldn't havemade the film withoutAnushka. It tells the dedica-tion of this Sweety. EvenRajamouli praised Anushkafor her efforts for the film,'Baahuabali'.With 'Baahubali',Anushka is all set to garnernational and internationalattention as the film is goingto be released even in othercountries.

Nayanthara'sNew Role

Jeyam Ravi is actingalongside Nayanthara

for the first time in'Thaniyoruvan'. The film isdirected by Jeyam Rajaand is expected to hit thescreens by January. This isthe sixth time the brothersRaja and Ravi join hands;further, this is the firstdirect Tamil film for Raja,who has helmed onlyremakes in Tamil, thus far.And now news on whatNayan is up to in the film,has come out. The filmwill have Nayantharasporting a cop look! Sheplays an IPC officer andthere are interestingscenes for the actress toflaunt her action skills. Aspart of her role, she willride a horse, for which shehas been taking training toclimb the horse swiftlyclad in cop attire. We hearthat the team is in awewith Nayan's attitude as acop and horse ridingskills. So, we can definite-ly look forward to havinganother classy police inthe tinsel town.

Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi's cleanliness drive pro-gramme, the Swachh Bharat cam-paign, received more star powerwith veteran Tamil actor KamalHaasan wielding the broom tomark his 60th birthday at a lakenear Chennai on November 7. Theactor had been nominated byModi when he had launched theprogramme in October. Haasanwielded the broom at theRajakilpakkam lake and wasjoined by scores of his fans. Theself-confessed atheist starexpressed joy over being 'recog-nised' by the Prime Minister andsaid, "We are religion-free andcolourless as far as politics is con-cerned. We hope this movement isstrengthened." He reiterated hisearlier statement that today'seffort was nothing new for him orhis supporters as "we have beendoing this for a long time." Suchan effort was part of nation-build-ing exercise, he said, welcomingmore people to join him.

After Modi, Salmaninvites SRK for

sister's weddingAc t r e s s

NandanaSen has gonebold on thescreen to playr e n o w n e dpainter RajaRavi Varma’smuse in“ R a n gRasiya.” Sheadmits doing nude scenes is a hugeresponsibility and she had talked itout with her parents before givingher nod. After remaining in the cansfor more than five years, the perioddrama, based on Ranjit Desai’s noveltitled ‘Raja Ravi Varma,’ unfoldedriots of colours and passion on thescreen with Randeep Hooda in therole of the father of modern Indianart, and Nandana as his creativeinspiration. The film is set to revisitan era that was revolutionised by thepainter who not only gave faces togods and goddesses in his work, butalso painted nudes.

Acting nude is a bigresponsibility:Nandana Sen

Bollywood actress SonakshiSinha has joined the names

like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan,Amitabh Bachchan, JayaBachchan, R Madhavan, AamirKhan and Kiran Rao and pledgedto donate her eyes. She made thepledge to a Haryana-based founda-tion which works towards theeradication of corneal blindness.Speaking about the same,Sonakshi said that she wasextremely proud and humbled tobe associated with the founda-tion’s cause. She also appealed toher fans and friends to pledge todonate their eyes too and givesomebody the gift of sight.

Sonakshi pledgesto donate her eyes

Anushka makes others feel envious

Tamil film ‘Nadu Iravu’ shot in 12 hours

Kamal Haasanturns 60,

wields broomfor Swachh

Bharat

Salman Khan seems to have keptaside all old differences and invited

friend-turned-foe Shah Rukh Khan forhis sister Arpita Khan's wedding recep-tion to Aayush Sharma later inNovember. The two Khans have notbeen speaking to each other since amajor tiff a few years ago. But now ifreports are to be believed, Salman hashimself gone and invited King Khan forthe mega event. The guest list alsoincludes big names from the industry.The actor who was in Delhi has alsoinvited Prime Minister Narendra Modipersonally.


In Dharma Productions' “Ungali,”five vigilantes take justice in theirhands. The film which is beingreleased on 28th November is set in asprawling metropolis, where corrup-tion, intimidation and violence are away of life. The underworld led by asinister mob demands obedience andrespect. Enter five rebels, who decidethat they have had enough of the cor-ruption that has blighted their city,and so decide to unite and expose thecorrupt through whatever means nec-essary. The only thing that stands intheir path is a tenacious police officernamed ‘Kale’, portrayed by veteranactor Sanjay Dutt.

The cast includes Emraan Hashmi,taking the helm as the rebel leader‘Nikhil,’ award-winning actressKangana Ranaut and Randeep Hooda.The film also boasts of a terrific sup-porting cast comprising of NeilBhoopalam, Neha Dupia andArunoday Singh. Shraddha Kapoormakes a special appearance in an itemnumber. It is directed by RensilD’Silva..

Capturing the current mood in

India of curbing corruption, briberyand intimidation in the upper eche-lons of power and authority, “Ungli” isa beautifully acted and directed narra-tive that conveys in an effective andhumorous manner how five ordinarycitizens can make a difference in a cityblighted by dark forces, as they literal-ly give the proverbial ‘finger’ to thecorrupt and dishonest.

Pr i y a n k aChopra who

made everyoneproud singinginternationallywill finally singfor her own film.After singing asmall portion ofa lullaby in MaryKom, PeeCee isgearing up to fullfledged croon for

her upcoming film, “Dil DhadakneDo.” With her contract getting overwith internal music label, Priyanka isfree and has lent her voice for the titletrack of the film. "In her upcomingfilm, she has sung a song that will bepart of end credits. It is a fun compo-sition and she really loved singing it.This is the first time that she has doneplayback singing for a Bollywoodfilm," said a source.

Priyanka makessinging debut

AnushkaSharma,

who will get busywith the promo-tions of “PK,”wanted the tran-sistor which wasseen on theposters of the filmas a souvenir.Confirming thesame, filmmaker

Rajkumar Hirani revealed that Anushkahas requested for it. The first look of thefilm which was released in August hadAamir Khan posing nude holding atransistor. While this one garnered eye-balls and led to many controversies, afew weeks later, Anushka had revealedon Twitter that she too would be posingwith the transistor. So, the other posterof the film not only had Anushka in anew avatar but also she was seen fulfill-ing her promise.

Anushka wants transistor as a memento

Aamir Khan is known in theindustry for his perfection andthere is nothing that can come inbetween. The requirement of thescript has been his priority even ifthat means romancing actresseswho are taller than him. Aamireven said at an event that he lovedtall women. So here is the list oftaller actresses Aamir has workedwith in his films. Anushka Sharmain “PK,” Katrina Kaif in“Dhoom:3,” Sonali Bendre in“Sarfarosh” and Pooja Bedi in “JoJeeta Wohi Sikandar:”

Five vigilantes take justice intheir hands in 'Ungali'

After wrap-ping up

the eighth edi-tion of gameshow ‘KaunB a n e g aC r o r e p a t i ’(KBC), megas-tar AmitabhBachchan nowawaits the“verdict of masses” onhis forthcoming films setfor a 2015 release.

The 72-year-old iscurrently shooting forthree projects –‘Shamitabh’, ‘Piku’ and‘Wazir’. Director RBalakrishnan, fondlycalled Balki, is helming‘Shamitabh’ that also fea-tures Dhanush andmarks the Bollywooddebut of southern super-star actor KamalHaasan’s daughterAkshara. FilmmakerShoojit Sircar’s ‘Piku’will see Amitabh alongwith Deepika Padukoneand Irrfan, while ‘Wazir’is Bejoy Nambiar’s direc-torial venture, which is

written andproduced byVidhu VinodChopra. Thefilm also starsFarhan Akhtarand Aditi RaoHyadri.

“KBC overshall meangreater con-

centration on the filmson hand .. with‘Shamitabh’ and ‘Piku’and ‘Wazir’ the VinodChopra produced BijoyNambiar directed film onthe floors now …,” hesaid in his blog post.

“All to be released bythe year of 2015…and Iawait the verdict, as domany that are involved init, when it shall reach themasses… the masses …the final answer, the finalquestion, the final out-come…”

The grand finaleepisode of the eighth edi-tion of KBC was aired onNov 9 on SonyE n t e r t a i n m e n tTelevision.

Amitabh to nowfocus on movies

I don't believe in Love Jihad: KareenaKareena Kapoor, who is mar-

ried to actor filmmaker SaifAli Khan, says that she doesn'tbelieve in Love Jihad. "Feeling oflove" which, she says, can happenbetween two people regardless ofcaste, creed, or religion. "I believeonly in the feeling of love,"Kareena said.

"Saif has a very broad per-spective and he also sharedhis perspective on 'LoveJihad' (via an open let-ter). He married aHindu, which is me,and we had a civilmarriage," said theactress. "I feel thatlove is somethingthat you can't term.There is passion, thereis lust... there are somany things. It can hap-

pen between two humanbeings," said Kareena."Now if somebody is Hindu and

he or she starts loving a Muslim per-son, you can't stop them. You cannotask somebody, 'Are you a Muslim ora Hindu?' and then fall in love. Love

is a feeling, it's an emotion. That'swhy I don't believe in Love Jihad. Ibelieve in the feeling of love," addedthe 34-year-old.

Co-incidentally her next filmwith Salman Khan "BajrangiBhaijan" is also about a Brahmin girland Muslim boy. The "BajrangiBhaijan" team started shooting inthe bylanes of Chandni Chowk,Delhi. "I am looking forward toworking with Salman. We are likefamily. Before my marriage, heworked with me and now he isworking with me after my marriage,so I am excited," said the actresswho was seen with Salman in"Bodyguard".

With over a decade's experience,Kareena is now ready to experimentwith new talent and she has as manyas 25 scripts from new directors,"which I have not even started read-ing. I am going to read each andevery script." "I have always workedwith big directors and I am stillworking with big directors like RohitShetty and Kabir Khan, but now Iwant to work with somebody who isfresh.

Asian Voice / Gujarat Samachar is offering 1 luckywinner, 2 tickets to the Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanuconcert on 22nd November when you answer thequestion below.

Where will the Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanuconcert take place on 22nd November, 2014 ?

a) O2 Arenab) Hammersmith Apolloc) Wembley Arena

Choose your answer and email it [email protected] by 18th November, 2014 (12pm).

Please send us the details in the following format:Answer, Full name, Contact number, Postal Address.Winner will be chosen by a lucky draw and will be

contacted directly by our staff.

AV & GS COMPETITION

Win Two tickets tothe Alka Yagnik andKumar Sanu Concert

Aamir Khan loves tall women!


The fiery planetMars, continues to occu-

py your Solar 10th house for some time to come.Its influence will help you to maintain a high ener-gy level and achieve positive results in anythingthat requires drive and initiative. If you areinvolved in a fairly competitive field of activity,you will be the one who comes out on top.

The prevailing pat-tern of planets gives you a marvellous opportuni-ty. Take time out to strengthen close ties of affec-tion, sort out emotional differences and profferthe olive branch to anyone who may have causedyou pain in recent months. Venus throws an easylight on affairs of the heart - prime time forengagements and weddings.

Health is an impor-tant area that you will take seriously. It is likely

that you may embark on a course of physical exer-cise and diet. It could be quite a difficult weekpsychologically with increased danger of misun-derstandings arising and not being able to see thewood from the trees. Try to be diplomatic.

Jupiter is transitingyour solar second

house for some time to come. During this transit,you have the chance to make lots of money andimprove your standard of living. You are likely tofeel more confident and enthusiastic about life.Your personal relationships are still going througha period of re-assessment.

The prevailing astro-logical trend indicates

increasing vigour and stamina. At an ordinaryeveryday level you can expect this to be a pleas-ant time, indulging in the good things of life. At adeeper level, there does appear to be a new ener-gy stirring within you. This will urge you towardscreating greater independence in your lifestyle.

Your communica-tions are at their peak

and any initiatives you take now will be wellreceived by people in authority. An exchange ofopinions ought to prove very enlivening at thistime. Although the very practical affairs of lifecontinue to be highlighted, you will still be verymuch in demand socially.

The focus is onfinances this week, but that doesn’t mean you

should worry yourself sick. Rather, it is about find-ing new and improved ways to boost your earningspotential. Don’t let nebulous tendencies interferewith your plans. It’s fine to consider severaloptions but don’t get caught up in indecision.Schedule networking opportunities later this week.

You will find addedscope and greater incentive to push full steam

ahead with your cherished aims. You must becareful not to tread on other people's toes. Thisis the right time to talk things over with yourloved one - especially anything that has been wor-rying you or making you feel insecure.

You may findyourself hard at work behind the scenes,

although that may not be apparent to others. Youmay find yourself caught up in a whirlwind ofactivity, with opportunities to advance on both theinner and outer level. There’s a sparkle to yoursocial life and you will have fun communicatingwith others.

Business partner-ships are tested,

some of them could challenge your authority. Themore you live up to your own set of principles themore you will gain. Now is the time to cultivate aneasier relationship with life, get out and about,explore fresh possibilities. Once you set your mindon a goal you must go for it.

Although all kinds ofopportunities are coming your way, there aremany obstacles between you and the fulfilment ofany of these. You’re likely to find yourself weigh-ing practical considerations with long–term goals.Some of you will try to get away from the routine

chores.

Your horizons aremost certainly expanding. Your philosophicalthoughts will make your mind run wild. With Suntransiting your Solar 9th House, there will bemany opportunities. Your financial affairs arelooking up. Do not miss out on ways to betteryourself in the coming weeks.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

��

��

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Coming Eventsl Chorna Haathma Chaavi- Marriage is a Gamble,Sun 23 Nov, 4pm, £10 tickets, by Shivam Theatre,The Drum. Contact 01213332444l Sampad South Asian arts and British CouncilIndia are announcing the launch of a newcollection of short stories, poems and reportagewhich form the winning entries to theirinternational writing competition, “Inspired by mymuseum”. A similar publication “Inspired byTagore” was brought out by Sampad and BritishCouncil India in 2011-12. To mark the publicationof the anthology, the High Commission of India isorganising a discussion forum which will featureguest speakers and readings by select winners. Itwould be my pleasure to invite you to India Houseon November 19, 2014 at 5 pm for the event tocommence at 5:30pm. The discussion is expectedto last for about an hour followed byrefreshments. Venue: Gandhi Hall, India House,High Commission of India, Aldwych, WC2B 4NA

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Pat McFadden, MP for South East sent greetings to his constituents at the Diwalicelebrations at the Bilston Community Centre on 8 November 2014. Mr McFadden said,“It is a great honour to join the Ek Onkar Group and the Ekta Sangat Group in their

Diwali celebrations this year. Diwali means a great deal to thousands of myconstituents and it has become an important part of Wolverhampton’s annual calendar.I send my warmest Diwali greetings to all my constituents. I also want to congratulatethe Ek Onkar Group and the Ekta Sangat Group on raising £850 for local charity the

Divine Onkar Mission which will be used to build a well in India.”

Pat McFadden MP joins Diwali celebrations Great Britain has about40,000 people ofKutchi origin, mainly ofPatel community. Theirachievement ineducation, profession,e n t e r t a i n m e n t ,community service andother positive aspectsof life will be includedin the forthcomingspecial issues.Publication date: 29November 2014. Forfurther detail, pleasecontact Daxa Gami,Special ProjectCoordinator at07875 229 111 orKishor Parmar at07875 229 088or Kokila Patel at07875 229 177Kamal Rao at 07875 229 211

British KutchiSpecial

Diwali on the Parade A Diwali market, Asianarts talent show andIndian cultural workshopswill be held in celebrationof the Hindu festival oflights in Watford,Hertfordshire. This will befree and open to all mem-bers of the public from 12-4:30pm as part of 'Diwalion the Parade'. At 4:20pm,a light procession , formedof attendees, performersand community groups,armed with their owndivas (lanterns), willaccompany an impressiveilluminated Lord Ganesh,mobile peacocks and dholdrums up the parade,which will be a sight tobehold! Later, 'Diwali atthe Palace' will see theWatford Palace Theatreshowcase a specialevening of spectacularclassical Indian dance anddrama, featuring a largecast of performers, stun-ning costumes, multime-dia projections andEnglish narration. Thiswill be followed by a com-plimentary post-showIndian snack. Talentedhosts Harman Singh andNimi Mehta will be host-ing the community per-formance stage all dayfrom 12 noon to 4.30pmwhich will include:

Workshops taking place aspart of Diwali on theParade include:The Culture of India TentTake part in a traditionalIndian music or danceworkshopGet dressed up in a beau-tiful sari and imagineyourself in a Bollywoodfilm (continuouslythrough the day)Get your face painted

with Gopi Dots – tradi-tional Indian designs thatare used to decoratearound the eyes, brow andcheeks. (continuouslythroughout the day)Indulge in some beau-

tiful Mendi designs –(continuously throughoutthe day - charges applica-ble) Or just come alongand ask about any of theactivities displayed hereand collect a free informa-tion booklet to take away.

Join the InternationalSociety for KrishnaConsciousness for medita-tion workshops (on thehour from 1pm to 4pm.Sessions last 15 – 20 min-utes). Listen to a talk on'Spirituality: An EasternPerspective'. (1.20pm,2.20pm, 3.20pm and4.20pm – talks lastapproximately 20 min-utes). Visit mini Diwali

Market will have a greatselection of Indian foods,clothing, accessories,crafts, homeware andmore. For more:www.watfordpalacethe-atre.co.uk

Virat Kohli will lead Indiain the first test againstAustralia in Brisbane nextmonth in the absence ofinjured regular skipperMahendra Singh Dhoni,the Indian cricket boardsaid on Monday."M.S. Dhoni has been

rested for the first test as aprophylactic measure toensure optimum recovery,"board secretary SanjayPatel said in a statement,without elaborating onwhat the local mediadescribed as a right handinjury."He will join the team

from the second testonwards, and will lead theteam for the rest of the testseries," added Patel,announcing a 19-membersquad for the four-matchseries starting in Brisbaneon Dec 4.

In Dhoni's absence,Wriddhiman Saha isexpected to keep wicket inBrisbane, althoughNaman Ojha will alsofancy his chances of beinghanded the role.Karnataka opener K.L.Rahul was rewarded forhis rich vein of form indomestic cricket by forc-ing his way into the squad

but Shikhar Dhawan islikely to partner MuraliVijay at the top of the bat-ting order.O f f - s p i n n e r

Ravichandran Ashwin willlead India's slow bowlingdepartment, while leg-spinner Karn Sharma wasalso included.Umesh Yadav, who

played the last of his ninetests against England inlate 2012, returns to joinIshant Sharma in the paceattack, which alsoincludes Varun Aaron andMohammed Shami.Left-handed batsman

Suresh Raina, an auto-matic limited over choice,was also recalled in theside after a two-yearabsence.India, reigning 50-over

world champions, haveslipped to sixth in test

rankings and will take on asecond-ranked Australiaside still smarting from a2-0 series defeat byPakistan in the UnitedArab Emirates earlier thismonth.Brisbane hosts the first

test, followed by matchesin Adelaide (Dec. 12-16),Melbourne (Dec. 26-30)and Sydney (Jan. 3-7).Team: Mahendra Singh

Dhoni, Virat Kohli,Shikhar Dhawan, MuraliVijay, K.L. Rahul,Cheteshwar Pujara,Ajinkya Rahane, RohitSharma, Suresh Raina,Wriddhiman Saha, NamanOjha, RavichandranAshwin, Karn Sharma,Ravindra Jadeja,Bhuvaneshwar Kumar,Mohammed Shami, IshantSharma, Umesh Yadav,Varun Aaron.

SPORT WORLDwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 2014 31

Injured Dhoni to miss Brisbanetest, Kohli to captain

Mahendra Singh DhoniIndian batsman ViratKohli was nominated forthe ICC One-DayInternational (ODI)Cricketer of the yearwhile India women's cap-tain Mithali Raj wasnominated for twoawards -the ICCWomen's ODI as well asT20I Cricketer of theYear. However, no otherIndian was selected forany of the other majoraward categories of theInternational CricketCouncil (ICC). Kohli willbe competing for theaward against SouthAfricans Quinton deKock, AB de Villiers andDale Steyn, who havealso been shortlisted. DeVilliers won the award in2010 while Kohli won itin 2012. For the Women'sODI Cricketer of the Yearaward, two former win-ners have been shortlist-ed -England captainCharlotte Edwards, win-ner in 2008, and two-time winner StafanieTaylor of the West Indies.They are joined by No.1ranked batter Mithali Rajand England wicketkeep-er-batter Sarah Taylor.There will be a new

winner of the Women'sT20I Cricketer of theYear after the previoustwo awards were won byEngland's Taylor. Theplayers shortlisted thisyear are Edwards ofEngland, Meg Lanning ofAustralia, India's Mithaliand West Indies' Taylor.Mithali is one of the

seven cricketers whohave been nominated fortwo awards. The othersare de Villiers, Edwards,Mitchell Johnson, AngeloMathews, Kumar

Sangakkara and Taylor.Dhoni, Kohli, Shami

in ICC ODI TeamIndia captain

Mahendra Singh Dhoni,Kohli and pacerMohammed Shami wereincluded in the presti-gious ICC One-DayInternational (ODI)Team of the Year 2014while Rohit Sharma alsogot into the list as the12th man.However, Indian

cricketers also had toface disappointment asnone were named in theICC Test Team of the Year2014. Dhoni has beenselected in the ODI Teamfor the eighth time, sev-enth year in a row, andthe fifth year that he hasbeen appointed captain.Players previously select-ed in the team are AB deVilliers (2010, 2011 and2013), Kohli (2012) andAjantha Mendis (2009).Meanwhile, Sri

Lanka's Angelo Mathewshas been named captainof the Test side that alsoincludes two more SriLankans in KumarSangakkara and RanganaHerath. This is the sev-enth time since 2006 thatSangakkara has beenselected in the Test team.He missed out in 2009and 2013. Dale Steyn hasalso been selected for arecord seventh succes-sive year while teammatede Villiers has beenselected for the fifth time(2009, 2010, 2011, 2013and 2014). Stuart Broad(2009, 2011 and 2012)and Mitchell Johnson(2009) are the other play-ers who have previouslybeen included in the Testteam..

The Indian men's hockeyteam delivered a fantasticperformance to defeatWorld ChampionsAustralia 3-1 to win theirthird successive match andclinch the four-match Testseries 3-1 at the PerthHockey Stadium onSunday. Upbeat about theirlast two triumphs againstthe World No.1 side, whohave fielded an experimen-tal team, India opened thefirst quarter with allstrength and dynamism, asa result of which the initialgoal came in the 13thminute from the stick ofAkashdeep Singh, whoperfectly converted apenalty corner. However,Australia made a comebackin the third quarter asThomas Craig converted apenalty corner (36thminute) to level the scores1-1. The game strength-ened after the equaliser asboth teams looked for cre-ating chances. In the finalquarter, it was Akashdeepagain who scored a stun-ning field goal (50th). In notime S.K. Uthappa fault-lessly scored another fieldgoal (53rd) to put India 3-1ahead.

India downAustralia, clinch

series 3-1

Talented Asian footballerRaj Vijayarajah has wonthe nationwide Search ForAn Asian Football Starcompetition. Central mid-fielder Raj, 16, from Ilford,Essex, beat more than 500young players to lift theSFAAFS Winner’s Cup -and a series of great prizesthat could change hiscareer in football.Raj said: “To win

Search For An AsianFootball Star really is adream come true. Theprizes are amazing. I willbe going to a Trials Day infront of scouts fromPremier League andFootball League clubs. I

will train at the FootballAssociation’s St George’sPark Centre of Excellence.And I get a week with thetop coaches at the

TradeNext FootballCVAcademy. At the moment Ijust train at school. I don’tplay for a team. I wasshocked when my name

was announced as thewinner. But I think thejudges saw my hunger andpassion during the Final. Iwant to say thank you tomy dad who brought mehere today. He has sup-ported me all the waythrough SFAAFS.”Arsenal Football Club

scout Tony Day, topfreestyler Abbas Farid,BBC Asian Network pre-senter Noreen Khan andTradeNext Chief ExecutiveOfficer Mohsin Jameelformed the judging panelat Wembley Powerleagueon Saturday November 8.Abbas said: “Raj stood

out in his age group during

the Final. But it wasn’t aneasy decision. “The stan-dard of football was excep-tionally high. It took us awhile to agree that Rajdeserved to be crownedthe SFAAFS winner.”Raj entered the

SFAAFS at the LondonDocklands event lastmonth [October], andimmediately caught theeye of the FA-qualifiedcoaches. In the Final hestood out in the Under-16category against nineother top players fromacross the country. Raj received his

Under-16 Winner’s Cupand the SFAAFS Overall

Winner’s Cup fromTradeNext CEO MohsinJameel. Mohsin said: “This has

been an exceptional suc-cess as a first-time sport-ing event for our company.We are already enjoying aPreferred Partnership withDerby County FootballClub. “We are enormouslyproud of our Search ForAn Asian Football Starcompetition – and veryimpressed by the standardof the players we haveseen.”For more info on

Search For An AsianFootball Star, please visit:www.tradenextsport.com

Midfield ace Raj wins search for an Asian football star

Terming the controver-sial pull out by WestIndies midway theirIndia tour as “unac-ceptable,” theInternational CricketCouncil warned play-ers against taking con-tractual matters intotheir own hands andhinted that they couldbe penalised by disal-lowing them to play indomestic tournamentslike the IndianPremier League if theyrepeat such acts infuture.The West Indies team

left India four matchesinto a five-game ODIseries after a pay disputebetween the players andthe West Indies CricketBoard, with a Twenty20international and threeTests to play. As a result,the Board of Control forCricket in India havedemanded $42 million incompensation and dam-ages. ICC said in a state-ment that the pull out bythe West Indies teamdamaged cricket's integri-ty and reputation.“It was undoubtedly a

sad chapter in our sport.It damaged cricket'sintegrity and reputationas well as affecting confi-

dence within cricket com-munity, especially that offans,” said ICC chairmanN Srinivasan after the cri-sis was discussed duringthe world body's two-dayboard meeting. “ICC andall of its Member Boardsnoted with deep disap-pointment the recentdecision of the WestIndies players to abandonan international tourwithout fulfilling the con-tractually agreed playingobligations betweenWICB and BCCI,” saidICC, which has previouslystated it cannot intervenein disputes over bilateralseries unless it receives acomplaint.“Putting aside the

legitimacy or otherwise of

any grievances of partiesinvolved (and which arenow the subject of adomestic Task Forceprobe), ICC and allMember Boards notedthat players abandoningtours have the potentialto cause irrevocable dam-age to the sport. `It canalso damage in jurisdic-tion of relevant MemberBoard concerned, as wellas enormous financialdamage, which mightadversely affect financialviability of sport itself.”All Member Boards

collectively expressed theview that they considersuch player action to beextremely disruptive,damaging and unaccept-able,” ICC said.

ICC slams WI for pull out of India tour

Raj Vijayarajah

Virat, Mithali on ICCawards list

Indian team consigned SriLanka to their third defeatin the five-match serieswith Shikhar Dhawan's91complementing the fineshow of the bowlers andensuring a six-wicket winon a day of milestones.

A full house at theRajiv GandhiInternational Stadium inHyderabad had plenty tocheer as Virat Kohli, whoduring his 53 became thefastest in the world toreach 6000-run club inODIs, and team-matesasserted their superiorityover the Lankans in allfacets of the game despitethe visiting side recoveringwell in the middle oversthrough MahelaJayawardene's 17th ton inOne-day Internationals.

The former Lankanskipper was a picture ofcalm during his 118, butapart from his knock andthe 105-run stand for thethird wicket withTillakaratne Dilshan, theLankans had little to showby way of spirit or enter-prise. The poor record ofteams chasing down a tar-get here might have beenat the back of Angelo

Mathews' mind when hedecided to bat first, butthey were soon fishing introubled waters.

Umesh Yadav madethe initial inroads, AmbatiRayudu got rid of Dilshancourtesy Ajinkya Rahane'sbrilliance at extra coverand left-arm spinner AxarPatel's second spell (3-1-11-3) wrecked the Lankanhopes in the secondPowerplay, during which

they scored 16 runs andlost three wickets.

Jayawardene wasunfazed by the chaosaround him, but the factthat the Lankans couldn'tmake the most of the sixovers bowled by SureshRaina and Rayudu wasindicative of their struggleon a day the Indiansclaimed all the wicketsfrom the Northern endand 11 wides notwith-

standing, can look backwith satisfaction at theirbowling effort.

The 12,000-run markin ODIs was another mile-stone that the 426-matchveteran Jayawardenecrossed - the third Lankanand fifth overall to achievethe feat - during his 67-runstand for the eighth wicketwith Seekkuge Prasannabefore Ashwin ended theresistance withWriddhiman Saha alert tothe opportunity behindthe sticks.

Rahane and Rayudufailed to make good thestarts, the latter findinghimself a handshake awayfrom Dhawan at the non-striker's end attempting asingle. Kohli, too, fell onthe threshold of victorybut by then India weresure they'd travel toKolkata with the series inthe bag and the skipperhappy in the knowledgethat he has maintained thetrend of being the quickestto 6,000 like he was to3,000, 4,000 and 5,000.He reached the 6000-runmark in just his 136thinnings (144 matches). SirViv Richards did it in 156

matches and 141 innings.IRayudu century puts

India 2-0 up: AmbatiRayudu hit a chancelessmaiden ODI ton, as Indiaran down Sri Lanka's 275for 8 with six wickets inhand and 33 balls to spare.Rayudu and ShikharDhawan put on 122 runsfor the second wicket toset up the chase, and hav-ing come to bat in the sev-enth over, Rayudu was atthe crease to hit the win-ning runs and finish on121 off 118 balls.

Sri Lanka's bowlerswere short on menace, butit had been the batsmenwho erred first in thegame. Early wickets intheir innings made for ameasured recovery, andthough Angelo Mathews'unbeaten 92 pushed thescore towards credibility,he lacked support from themiddle order, as the teamfinished at least 30 runslight on a flat Motera sur-face in Ahmedabad, andwith dew set to form laterin the evening.

Rayudu arrived just asthe Sri Lanka seamersappeared to be hitting arhythm, but like they had

done in the previous ODI,the India batsmen soughtto lay low until the seamgrew soft and the changeswere rung in. Dhawan washanded had a life in theeighth over, when he wason 10. Lahiru Gamageseamed a length ball awayand collected his outsideedge, but the sound andthe clear deviationescaped the umpire'snotice, to Sri Lanka's dis-belief.

Once the new-ballbowlers had finished theiropening spells, the bats-men eased out of theirvigil and gradually tight-ened their grip on thechase. The first accelera-tion came just as the ask-ing rate clicked over sixper over. Rayudu strodedown the track to launchSuraj Randiv over long onin the 17th over, establish-ing what would becomeone of the major themes ofhis hundred: the effectiveuse of his feet against thespinners.

By the 20th over, thepair had raised the runrate to above four an over,and the boundaries beganto flow more easily.

SSPPOORRTTwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th November 201432

Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan take India to series win

AV 15th November 2014

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