Ahead of the poll resultsof India’s 16th generalelections, the exit polls arealready projecting top BJPleader Narendra Modi asIndia’s next PrimeMinister. Four exit pollsshowed BJP to win highestnumber of seats with itsallies and reach to a parlia-mentary majority onFriday, 16th May. Thepolls also indicatethat the BJPwould get itshighest tallyever - ther a n g ev a r y i n gfrom al i t t l eover 200to justu n d e r340.

The world's biggestever election processended on Monday 12thMay, with BJP led NDAexpected to form a newgovernment. However,much depends on Modiwinning enough seats toform a stable governmentthat can push throughpromised reforms thatinclude creation of newjobs. A majority of 272seats in parliament isneeded to form a govern-

ment, although that isoften achieved with out-side support from region-al parties. India's stag-gered voting, spread overfive weeks to reach thecountry's 815 million vot-ers and move securityforces around its variedterrain.

Most polls also pre-dicted that the Congresswould be reduced to itslowest ever tally, thoughone of them, the Times

Now-ORG poll, put theparty's tally at between111 and 138 seats, whichmeans it could do betterthan the 114 seats it gotin 1999. Another com-mon factor in the pollswas that the AIADMKand Trinamool Congressare likely to emerge as thetwo largest regional par-ties with 20 or more seatseach.

17th May to 23rd May 2014VOL 43. ISSUE 02 80pLet noble thoughts come to us from every side

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

Community payshomage to fallen patriot

See Page 4

Have your say inthis local election

See Page 13-15

Hindujas topBillionaires' List

in Britain

See Page 4

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Modi, Modi, All The WayExit Polls say NDA to form next govt in Delhi

Party/ Times Cnn-IBN- Headlines ABP News- News24- Cvoter-front Now-ORG CSDS Today-Cicero Nielsen Today’s India TV

ChanakyaBJP NA 236 NA NA 291 249NDA 257 276 272 281 340 289Cong NA 77 NA NA 57 78UPA 135 97 115 97 70 101Others 151 170 156 165 133 153

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 20142 UK

1) Please tell me about yourcurrent position?I am a consultant for the fami-ly business, Fruity Fresh(Western) Ltd, Importer,Wholesaler and Retailer offruits and vegetables. I am alsoa Senior Lecturer in Law at aLondon University.

2) What are your proudestachievements?At the moment, the achieve-ments relating to raising theprofile of the ban on mangoimports from India into the EUis certainly my proudestachievement. With the activecampaigning of our small fami-ly (my brother Neil, sister-in-law Preeti and husband

Parminder), we started an e-petition, which made it intothe press worldwide, on theBBC (TV and radio) and sever-al national publications. We arefortunate that our hard workhas won MPs such as SeemaMalhotra and of course KeithVaz on side to support ourcause and take it to the nextlevel in order to push forchange.

3) What inspires you?I am inspired by my father,Ashok, who came to this coun-try with so little and has built abusiness empire which sup-ports not only his own, butother families. I am inspired bymy mother, Rashmi, who gave

my father every support heneeded to build his businessand who really brought us upon her own in order to allow myfather to achieve what he has.And I am inspired by my chil-dren, Svara and Yaavi, whoremind me of the importantthings in life, which I often for-get.

4) What has been the biggestobstacle in your career?Regulation in the import busi-ness is a major obstacle, oftenregulation which does not take

account of individualcircumstances orchanges which canhappen very quicklyin our business. Werecognise the needfor regulation, but wealso believe thatthose who complyshould be allowed tocontinue with theirbusinesses and notbe held back due tothe actions of thosewho do not comply.

5) Who has been thebiggest influence onyour career to date?Again I would haveto say my parents.They have taught methat you have towork hard to achieveand that withouthard work, achieve-ments do not fulfil

your potential.

6) What is the best aspectabout your current role?I am fortunate enough to havea great deal of variety in thebusiness, yet I am given theflexibility to work around myyoung family and I think forevery working mother, that is acrucial aspect to any role.

7) And the worst?Working with family has itschallenges!8) What are your long term

goals?My brother, Neil, and I wish totake the business to the heightsthat it deserves and build onthe legacy my father has creat-ed. This will mean bringing thebusiness into the modern era,using technology to take thebusiness forward and alsoexpanding to other productlines and business areas. In thefuture I also hope to combinemy interest in education with adesire to create a thriving busi-ness of my own.

9) If you were Prime Minister,what one aspect would youchange?Access to those who run thecountry on our behalf – I thinkthe communication channelsbetween citizens and the gov-ernment need to be opened upso that everyone truly feels thatthey have a voice. Whilst a votefor government is a vote forrunning the country on yourbehalf, I do not think thatabsolves the government ofresponsibility for taking onboard changing trends andsocial beliefs over its term.

10) If you were marooned on adesert island, which historicalfigure would you like to spendyour time with and why?Shakespeare – if we are there along time, I would like to bewith an excellent storytellerwho could make me laugh.

Monica Bhandari

Monica Bhandari is a Consultant for Fruity Fresh(Western) Ltd and also a Senior Lecturer in Law at aLondon University. Born and bred in London, with fam-ily roots in India, she has a background in law, havinggained her LLB and LLM, and has been working in thefamily business since she was a teenager. Her roleshave changed over the years, but she is now able tobring her expertise in the legal arena as well as herwriting and public speaking skills to the business in herrole as consultant. She has been married for 6 yearsand is the mother of two young children.

Keith Vaz MP Keith Vaz MPwith

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 3

ASIAN VOICE is published by Asian Business Publications Ltd Karma Yoga House,12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW.Tel: 020 7749 4080 Fax: 020 7749 4081Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.comwww.abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications

Confident Modi ready for powerThe final stage of the Indian general election willbe completed on Monday and the result announcedat the weekend. The Sensex, which is in overdrive,points to a BJP victory, but there’s many a slipbetwixt cup and lip, so it would be wiser to awaitthe figures rather surrender prematurely to mediahype, remembering that the pollsters got it badlywrong in 2004 and 2009 when they predicted a BJPtriumph. That said, they may well have got it rightthe third time of asking. Indira Gandhi, with herpremonition of death had said that she was certainthat India would land on its feet, whatever hap-pened. Whoever wins, the democratic will of theIndian people must be respected by all sections ofdisappointed humanity. It has been a tough cam-paign with no quarter given and none expected.Narendra Modi has drawn the largest crowds andhis voice for change has risen above the din andbabble. The electoral exercise might usher in thebest of times or the worst of times for a very polar-ized country; calming influences may well comeinto their own at the appointed hour.Narendra Modi’s extensive interview to TV

anchor Arnab Goswami (reproduced substantiallyby the Telegraph of May 9) showed the mettle of aman at the top of his game. His answers to a widevariety of question – some particularly searching –were robust and challenging. Asked about his poli-cy on minorities, he said they had nothing to fearfrom a Modi government. He claimed to haveattracted significant support from Kerala’sChristian community. Without Modi’s command-ing presence, the BJP would have been on a wingand a prayer, said Raj Thackeray, in Mumbai.However, in the interests of balance, claims byModi and Modi admirers on the uniqueness of hisGujarat model of development need to be subject-ed to close critical scrutiny. Reading some of thepaeans of partisans one could be forgiven for think-ing that outside Gujarat’s milk and honey the restof India languished with little to showcase. This is

far from true. Gujarat is luminous when comparedto the abysmal performances of the formerBIMARU (sick) States of the country’s northernGangetic heartland. When one looks at socialindictors, investment and the like, Gujarat wouldappear to be a “middle state” in national ranking.If the Gujarat “model” of development is to be seenas an exemplar, then why shouldn’t the same besaid of, say, Haryana or Karnataka? NeighbouringMaharashtra does better than Gujarat on all sum-mary indexes, yet there is no touting of theMaharashtra “model.”The real Indian toppersTamil Nadu and Kerala should be dubbed ”supermodels,” surely. Not only do Tamil Nadu andKerala routinely come out on top or near the top insummary development indexes, they also surpassother States in the scale of their improvement, asshown in the Composite Development Index. Rounded development must, in this day and

age, include science and engineering and not mere-ly the fortunes of the country’s corporate housesand stock brokers. Making a fast buck can never bethe whole story. Whether in the civilian or defencesector, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the southern Statesgenerally, and a few others further afield, leaveGujarat in the shadows. Vikram Sarabhai, whodied in 1971, was the last Gujarati scientist with anational and international reputation. To point outthese facts is not to belittle Gujarat, whose entre-preneurial and commercial strengths need littleelucidation, But the Gujarat model deserves morelight and less heat.As India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi will

have his work cut out. He will have to makeinformed decisions not merely on economic mat-ters, as has been the case hitherto, but on space,nuclear energy, defence and foreign and securitypolicies based on the national interest. How hehandles these issues will be the true measure of aModi-led government and its place in India’s histo-ry.

Indians a pivotal force in UKAccording to a recently released Whitehall reportentitled “Portrait of Modern Britain,” the UK’sIndian community has been described as the mostprosperous among its peers, with 43 per cent work-ing in the most skilled professions.Which meansthat British Indians as a whole must be among thebest educated in the country. An appropriateobservation, culled from history, is surely inorder. The pre-partition All India MuslimLeague, led by Mohammed Ali Jinnah pitched itsdemand for a separate homeland for the subcon-tinent’s Muslim on the ground that perceivedHindu domination would discriminate againstthe faithful and keep them educationally back-ward. Well, the presiding dispensation in the UKis Christian by heritage and faith, hence presum-ably neutral in such matters, and determined onmaintaining a level playing field for all commu-nities irrespective of ethnicity or faith.Pakistanis perform as poorly in the UK as theydid previously in British India and do in Pakistanitself. The lances of the faithful tilt habitually atimaginary windmills of the mind and the price paidfor such weakness and continues to be high. British Indians are mainly from a Hindu, Sikhs

background, but the community includes also Jains,Christians, Zoroastrian Parsis and atheists et al.Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group,

who happens to be Parsi, was awarded an honoraryknighthood (Grand Cross of the Order of theBritish Empire), the first Indian to be so honoured,by the British Crown. He was presented with theaward at a ceremony in the British HighCommission in New Delhi by Sir James Bevan, theHigh Commissioner. Sir James said, “Ratan Tata’sleadership, vision and integrity will remain the goldstandard for generations of aspirational British andIndian business people. His contribution to thedeep ties that exist between the UK and India hasbeen invaluable.”In his reply, Ratan Tata said, “I am deeply

touched and honoured to receive the recognition sograciously bestowed on me by Her Majesty. It hasbeen a privilege to have our enterprises contributeto the growth of the UK. I am deeply appreciative ofthe support we have received from David Cameronand his government, through good times and badtimes. This support and faith have been of immeas-urable value.”Britain and India bring to the table their com-

plementary strengths, supplemented by their sharedvalues of democratic governance and the rule oflaw, of civil liberties, intellectual freedom andrespect for cultural pluralism. these constitute anenduring guarantee of a creative and lasting rela-tionship through the 21st century and beyond.

Vietnam’s call for India’s rise to counter ChinaVietnamese Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Presidentof the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, has called onIndia “to rise quickly” in the region. Reason? “We aredeeply concerned by China’s assertiveness in thesouth china sea where the Chinese navy is actingwithout provocation. These decisions are being takenat the highest possible level,” he said. the VietnameseAmbassador was also sceptical about Americanintentions in the region, saying that “PresidentObama’s policy lacked clarity,” he was speaking at around table meeting in Melbourne, Australia, whereforeign delegates interacted with their Australianpeers on regional security and Sino-American rela-tionship. While the US makes noises about Chinese ambi-

tions, it also courts Beijing as a hedge against Russia,a tradition going back to the days of President Nixonand his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger inthe 1970s. Then, India and Vietnam were targets ofthe Sino-US strategic alignment calibrated in

Washington and Beijing. The shrewd and experiencedVietnamese need no tutoring on the treacherouscross-currents of international politics. Reacting to Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy’s state-

ment, Australia-India Institute Director AmitabhMattoo said, “Chinese assertiveness is bordering onaggressiveness and there seems to be a pattern toChinese maritime behaviour. Clearly, Beijing believesthat its time has come and it wants to exercise hege-mony over the whole region. But this behaviour isshort-sighted and counterproductive.” Dr Mattoosaid that apart from North Korea and Pakistan, everynation in the region viewed China with increasingconcern.These were wake-up calls. The new government in

Delhi will have to address India’s foreign policystrategic interests in a volatile world. Vietnam, atime-tested friend of India, must be accorded poleposition within India’s counsels. This is no time forfaint hearts, but it is for stout hearts and clear minds.

COMMENT

First and foremost it’sbeen a privilege and anhonour representing theresidents of Kenton EastWard as their Councillorfor the last 20 years. Nowthat I’m standing downfrom being Kenton’sCouncillor I would liketo take this opportunityto thank residents forvesting their trust in me.I have strived to servethe community ofKenton East and Harrowwith total commitmentand if I’ve failed to pro-duce a satisfactory result,I apologise unreservedly. During my 20 years

on the Council, the suc-cessive Labour Groupshave made some majorstrides in in servingHarrow’s people and I’mproud of Labour’s recordover those years.However, I wish to takethis opportunity toreflect exclusively onequality and relatedaspects. Equality has always

been very high up ineverything I do. My firstelection address in 1993for Kenton East stated“Navin is active in thefields of Race Relation,Equal Opportunities andhe is opposed to anyforms of discrimination”.Nothing’s changed in thelast 21 years and nothingwill change as long as IIive as far as these princi-ples are concerned. I’mimmensely proud of myroots in the Anti-Apartheid Movementand the role I’ve playedin founding the HarrowAnti-Racist Alliance andmy active involvement inthe Harrow Council forRacial Equality and theHarrow EqualitiesCentre. I’ve alwaysregarded working withHarrow’s diverse com-munity as one of mymain priorities, so as topromote equality, com-munity cohesion and to

understand and deliverculturally specific servic-es. That is why I contin-ued to hold the‘Partnership’ portfoliowhen I was Leader ofHarrow Council. In 1994 when I

joined the Council, theworkforce of the councildid not reflect Harrow’sdemography. Since thenwe’ve changed that andnow the employees of theCouncil do reflect ourdiversity (though to myregret not at the middleor senior managementlevels). Well over adecade ago, long before‘community cohesion’and ‘big society’ werepromoted by govern-ment, Labour in Harrowpioneered the ethos ofworking in true partner-ship with diverse com-munities to genuinelysupport them, forge trueequality, tackle racismand meet the aspirationsof our people. It wasunder Labour leadershipthat Harrow Council wasawarded the prestigiousBeacon Award forPromoting RacialEquality. It was theLabour administrationwho successfullyobtained £10 Milliongovernment funding tobuild, in Harrow, the firstever voluntary aidedHindu School in thecountry. I’m proud of Labour’s

commitment to reflectingequality at the highestlevel on Harrow Council.This is demonstrated bythe actions of HarrowLabour Groups electing2 Leaders and a DeputyLeader of HarrowCouncil of BAME origin.Additionally, LabourGroups over the yearshave given Harrow 7Mayors of BAME originincluding 1 ConservativeMayor who was ignoredby her own party.

Thank you to the people ofKenton East and Harrow

Navin ShahGLA Member for Brent and Harrow

“Our London”

You cannot stop the birds of sorrow fromlanding on your shoulder, but you canprevent them nesting in your hair

- Chinese proverb

AsianVoiceNewsweeklyAsianVoiceNews

Continued on page 30

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 20144 UKHare Krishna, Hare Rama

Sounds for the Soul, the annual 24-hournon-stop spiritual event, took place inBirmingham last weekend. Organised bythe local branch of the Hare KrishnaMovement, the vibrant festival attractedscores of devotees from home and abroad.The event, now in its 15th year, wasstreamed live on Mayapur TV. Credit to thearmy of volunteers for their tireless effortsin ensuring, yet again, the success of thisgathering. Sacinandana Swami fromGermany delivered, as ever, an inspira-tional discourse. Compered beautifully asever by Ravi Prabhu, guest speakersincluded Mike Nattrass MEP and our sen-ior news editor Dhiren Katwa.Photo:Devotees immersed in devotion.

Leicester Business DiversityAwards

Dhiren Katwa & Dipak Joshi

Plaudits werebestowed on ordinarycitizens for their rolesin adding greatervalue to the localeconomy at the inau-gural LeicesterBusiness DiversityAwards. Over 100guests attended theevent at the SturgessJaguar showroom onNarborough Road.Organised by Business 2 Business (UK)Limited, run by Cllr Veejay and VarshaPatel, the round-table networking forumheard from Mr Jovan Donev, Ambassadorof Macedonia and other business leaders.

The evening featured karaoke, anIndian dance and a three-course meal.Among the 11 guests on the top table were:Jaffer Kapasi, Tim Parker, President ofDerbyshire, Nottinghamshire andLeicestershire Chamber, Ron Lynch, RD ofthe IoD, and Michael Nichol, Head ofApprenticeships at the NationalApprenticeship Service.

Award recipients included: AshwinMistry of Brokerability; Farouk Ali-Mahomed of Fara Estates, Mr SBKhandelwal of Saree Mandir Leicester,Karl Brown of Leicester Warriors, PetePatel of CoFresh, Sue Horner of LeicesterCollege, Emily Jones of Nottingham &Nottinghamshire Futures and AndrewHargreaves of A4E.

More than thousandpeople gathered at theGujarat AryaA s s o c i a t i o nCommunity Centre, inHildyard Road,Leicester, between 4-6pm on Saturday topay respect to FlightLieutenant RakeshC h a u h a n ,Leicestershire, whodied a premature death, when a Lynxhelicopter crashed in Afghanistan'sKandahar province on April 26th.

The 29 years old intelligence officer,simply known as Rak to his friends, wasbelieved to have been co passenger inthe helicopter with Intelligence Corpscolleague Lance Corporal OliverThomas and its three-man crew–Captain Thomas Clarke, WarrantOfficer Class 2 Spencer Faulkner andCorporal James Walters, of the Army AirCorps.

The servicemen's bodies were flowninto RAF Brize Norton, Carterton, inOxfordshire, last week, lunchtime,where a private ceremony was held forclose relatives. Flt Lt Chauhan's fatherKishor, mother Jyoti and his olderbrother Kesh, 31, were also present. FltLt Chauhan's family run Milan's Sarees,a shop in the Leicester's Golden Mile, in

Belgrave, that was founded by his grand-mother.

More than thousand mourners –including service personnel, school-children and relatives – lined the streetsto pay their respects as the cortegepassed the base's Memorial Garden. Abell tolled to mark the cortege's arrivaland flowers were thrown on to thehearses and some grieving relativestouched the glass of the cars as theywept.

The crowds then applauded as thecoffins, each draped in a Union flag,were driven away to the John Radcliffe

Hospital, in Oxford.Flt Lt Chauhan, who was on his

third tour of duty in Afghanistan, wasbased at RAF Odiham, in Hampshire.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) hasdenied claims by the Taliban that insur-gents shot the helicopter down, with ini-tial investigations indicating a "tragicaccident" rather than enemy action asthe cause of the crash.

The crash caused the third biggestsingle loss of life of British troops sincethe conflict in Afghanistan began andbrought the total number of service per-sonnel killed there to 453.

Community pays homage to fallen patriot

Flt Lt Rakesh Chauhan

Mourners pay their respects as the coffins pass the Memorial Garden in Carterton, Oxfordshire

Pictured aspiring magician Dilan Lodhiaentertaining guests

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Jayantibhai Chandarana

The number of billionaires living inthe UK have increased to 104 with acombined wealth of £301bn.According to the 2014 SundayTimes Rich List, Indian born broth-ers Srichand and GopichandHinduja, running the conglomerateHinduja group, have topped the listwith a fortune of £11.9bn. The num-ber of billionaires living in the UKhas jumped from 88 in 2013, withtheir combined wealth shooting upfrom £245bn last year.

It is the first time since 2008that the minimum wealth of the 50richest people in the UK has exceed-ed £1.5bn. A fortune of £1.7bn isnow required to make the top 50 -up from £700m, 10 years ago.London has more billionaires thanany other city in the world with 72 -far ahead of nearest rival Moscowwith 48.

Amongst the British Asians onthe list, Lakshmi Mittal has nowcome up to the 3rd position fromlast year's 4th, while Anil Agarwalhas slipped from 36th position to50th in 2014. For Sri Prakash Lohiathough the fortune is up by £220m,he has slipped from 40th position in

2013, to 46th in 2014, while LordPaul who was in 39th position lastyear, is now on the 48th. Simon,Bobby and Robin Arora who werein 76th position in 2013, is now upto 66th, Sir Anwar Pervez and fam-ily have come up to 74th positionfrom 84th in 2013, while AjayKhalsi and family has come down to102nd position from 57th in 2013.This list of course undermines thecommon argument that because ofhigher tax rates in Britain, superrich do not wan to settle here. Alarge population of them are per-haps non-doms, who pay little or noincome tax, though they now haveto pay a fee of £50,000, increasedfrom £30,000, to keep their tax-priv-ileged status if they had lived in theUK for more than 12 years. It alsoincludes around 10 women billion-aires, including actress SalmaHayek. Other notable figures on thelist include the Duke ofWestminster, Chelsea Football Clubowner Roman Abramovich andVirgin Group founder Sir RichardBranson. The full Sunday TimesRich List will be published in theSunday Times on 18 May.

Hindujas top Billionaires' List in Britain

1. Sri and Gopi Hinduja,£11.9bn, up £1.3bn,Industry, Finance

3. Lakshmi Mittal and fami-ly, £10.25bn, up £250m,Steel

46. Sri Prakash Lohia,£2110m, up £220m,Textiles, Plastics

48. Lord Swraj Paul andfamily, £2000m, No change,Industry

50. Anil Agarwal, £1700mn,down £500m, Mining

66. Simon (pictured),Bobby and Robin Arora,£1400mn, up £300m,Discount stores

74. Sir Anwar Pervez andfamily, £1310m, up £280m,Cash and Carry

102. Ajay Kalsi and family,£1000m, down £400m, Gas

Top Asian Billionaires in thelist, as per the order

Elections 2014: The Biggest Event in the WorldThe Indian Journalists' Associationand LSE South Asia Initiative havejointly organised a lively and infor-mal discussion in lights of theIndian Elections Results on Friday16 May at the Thai Theatre, NewAcademic Building, Lincoln InnFields, London School ofEconomics. The event known as'Elections 2014: The Biggest Eventin the World- The Results' will bechaired by Mukulika Banerjee,Associate Professor, Department of

Anthropology, LSE, PranabBardhan, Emertitus professor ofEconomics at University ofCalifornia, Berkeley, James Astillthe Political Editor and Bagehotcolumnist at The Economist,Mukul Devichand, a BBC journal-ist and Charul Shahane, SeniorBroadcast Journalist at the BBCWorld and a representative of theIJA. To attend this event, pleaseemail ijaeurope@hotmail.com.Admission strictly on RSVP.

UKwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 5

Rupanjana Dutta

Bangladeshis are con-cerned about some of thereferences toBangladeshis in Gujaratchief minister and theBharatiya Janata Party'schief campaignerNarendra Modi's speechesduring the Indian electioncampaign. This was indi-cated by Dr Dipu Moni,until recentlyBangladesh's foreign min-ister and now chair of theforeign affairs committeein the Bangladesh parlia-ment.

In London attendingan evening event to cele-brate women in globalpolitics, organised byBaroness Sayeeda Warsi,followed by tea with thejournalists and a lunchwith a few of them at thepopular Red Fort restau-rant in Soho, Moniemphasised: "It is entirelyfor the people of India todecide who they wish toelect. But some of MrModi's speeches in respectof Bangladeshis havecaused concerned amongpeople in Bangladesh."

On bilateral relationsbetween Bangladesh andIndia, she added "they'vemoved in the right direc-tion in recent years". Sheadded that the "economic

corridor" from Kolkata toChina via Bangladesh, theNorth-East of India andMyanmar was on track.

Asked about the inter-nal situation inBangladesh, Moni, whobelongs to the rulingAwami League, describedthis as "peaceful".Replying to a question,she stated the oppositionBangladesh NationalParty "must be regrettingnot taking part in the elec-tions" last winter. The cir-cumstances were full ofagitations and violence inthe pre-election period,generally perpetrated by

the BNP and itspart the Jamaat.

H o w e v e rspeaking on thewater issue,though Dr Monithinks that theIndian foreignpolicies do notchange muchwith a change ofgovernment, sheis hopeful thatpost this16th gen-eral election, itmay resolve thelong pending dis-pute over riverTeesta water shar-ing between Indiaand Bangladesh.The dispute hasremained under

knots following strongopposition of West BengalChief Minister, MsMamata Banerjee.Though Bangladesh andIndia have 54 rivers incommon, these 2 coun-tries have a water sharingtreaty only for riverGanga.

On being asked aboutthe treaty with RiverTeesta and its future, DrMoni indicated that muchof its decision still lies inthe hands of the BengalCM Mamta Banerjee. Shetold Asian Voice, “Thistime around we were try-ing to solve another river.

Both countries and its twogovernments have agreedon the terms, there wasinternal politics withinIndia for which it couldnot be signed.

“We have framed acooperation treatybetween two countries,talked about joint man-agement of commonrivers. There are 57 inter-national rivers we sharewith our neighbours. It isnot possible to do treatyfor each one of them. Ifwe have a common under-standing that these riversconnect us, bind us, bydoing joint basin wisemanagement, if we coop-erate on every aspect-economy, ecology or cul-ture, that would bringprosperity and peace, andthats the expectation ofthe people. We are work-ing with that goal.

“The attitude of shar-ing common resourceshave to be there and thatunderstanding is growing,everyone who has a right,must get that share. Theidea of going beyond bilat-eral relationship has beena great step, and the jour-ney has been an upwardtrend. Ms Banerjee in herpre election speeches hasindicated a shift in thedecision and I hope that itwould stay that way.”

Bangladesh hopes to resolve waterdisputes post Indian elections

Dr Dipu Moni

The head of the NHSSimon Stevens has urgedhospitals to take all com-plaints made by whistle-blowers seriously, asmore and more staff havebeen coming forward tocall for action.

A total of six whistle-blowers have asked fortheir cases to bereopened, which includesthe whistleblower RajMattu, who was suspend-ed and eventually sackedby the UniversityHospitals of Coventryand Warwickshire NHSTrust after complainingin 2001 about the stan-dard of care in a cardiacunit. Mr Stevens report-edly said that NHS man-agers often pushedwhistleblowers intoemployment disputesrather than listening totheir concerns.

Since then, a sourcehas reportedly said that

Mr Stevens hopes toreassure whistleblowersthat they can speak outsafely.

Two other whistle-blowers include NarinderKapur, a distinguishedneuropsychologist whowas sacked byAddenbrooke's Hospitalin Cambridge in 2010after he complainedrepeatedly over severalyears that unqualifiedstaff in some clinics wereendangering patients,and SharmilaChowdhury, a widowedradiographer who washead of her departmentwhen she raised thealarm over alleged moon-lighting b consultants atEaling hospital in 2007.

Both Mr Stevens andhealth secretary JeremyHunt, have recently metwith some of the whistle-blowers to discuss how totake this forward.

NHS Chief urges hospitalsto listen to whistleblowers

Dr Raj MattuSharmila Chowdhury

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 20146 UK

By L. George

Work, work and work. Ihadn’t taken a break forthe last 3 years. So thisyear I was determined totake my family along withme and the destinationwas Incredible India.

I wanted a holidaywhich will give me enoughtime to spend with mywife and kids and alsorejuvenate. Being a SouthIndian and having heard alot about Ayurveda andthe rejuvenation pro-grams, I decided toexplore that avenue. Itwas a sheer coincidencethat I receive an emailfrom Taj about their prop-erty in Calicut and theirAyurvedic centre. I hadmade my decision nowand included a week stayat The Gateway Hotel,Beach Road Calicut, intomy plan.

Having arrived inCalicut airport, a friendlylocal driver arranged bythe hotel receivedus and then droveus to the hotel. Iwas happy to seethat the airportwas relatively lessdisorganised thanother Indian air-ports, though stilla far cry from themoving walkwaysof western air-ports.

He took us throughcoconut fringed roads,fresh smell of the unpol-luted air and feeling like aSahib in the antiquated airconditioned taxi webumped and honkedthrough Calicut’s narrowstreets. Through the sepiatinged light, a bull withcoloured horns crossedour path. “Auspiciousomen” smiled the driver ashe swerved. “Lucky Bull”I sighed with relief. Ifound getting from A to Bon Calicut’s pot-holedroads was quite wearying.

Negotiating the oncomingtraffic, sharp turns andnarrow country roads, theconstant blaring of hornsis not for the faint hearted.

We finally reached thehotel Taj Gateway. Wewere welcomed by a guardwho opened the car doorswith a smile. As soon asthe we reached the recep-tion desk waiting therewas Head of sales, whowas very hospitable andkeen to explain the

process of the Ayurvedatreatment for the coming 7days.

We were then taken toour room which was veryspacious and clean. Wewere asked to rest forsometime before we visit-ed the Ayurvedic physi-cian. Approximately afteran hour's rest we headedto meet the physician. Shewent on to explain to usvarious courses of thetreatment that range from7 to 28 days in length,depending on the healthissues one wishes to

address. The most typical

course lasts for 7 days,which fits neatly into theholiday schedule of themany Europeans whoreturn, year after year, forcleansing, rejuvenation,and sunshine. The idealmonths for treatment areJune to September.

The doctor determinesour 'dosha'- 'mind-bodyconstitution' or 'mind-body personality' - as wellas discusses the issuesto be addressed. Allaspects of treatmentstrive to bring one backinto balance. Once aperson's dosha isknown, medications,food are determined.Doctor advises thetherapist to doDhinacharya- a specifictreatment in Ayurveda.

A typical Keralaweather is hot and humidfor most of the year.Traditionally, Ayurvedaused to be performed dur-ing the two monsoon sea-sons of the region. Thiswas the time when thefields would not beingtended and the workerscould afford to pamperthemselves. It is also prac-tically the cooler time ofthe year (though that is arelative term). Though ourvisit was in January it wasmilder than the usual cli-mate.

A typical day at the

hotel was with yoga, fol-lowed by a therapeuticmassage with appropriateherbs and oils, breakfast,lunch, rest, and dinner.Sunbathing by the pool isinterspersed regularly withthese activities, at the visi-tor's discretion. Althoughtours and shoppingexcursions can bearranged by thehotel, they are notheavily promotedsince rest is animportant aspect ofany detoxing regi-ment. Activity lev-els can plummetdue to the changein temperature andthe effects of thetreatments.

The idea ofreceiving a dailymassage can be quiteindulging, but they are, animportant part of the over-all treatment plan. Whileaspects are certainlydesigned to help one relax,massages are most defi-nitely curative in charac-ter, rather than leisurely.Clients may be anointedwith oil, scrubbed withherbal powder, or evenrubbed with bags of ricepudding. The therapistswork solo or in tandemwith an assistant depend-ing on the type of mas-sage. Men always work onmen, and women work onwomen.

Types of massage and

medication may change asthe program progresses.Our program includedwith a day of purgation -fasting with herbal supple-ments to cleanse the bow-els. Mood and energy fluc-tuate as unwanted sub-stances leave the body.

One of the most amaz-ing and best aspects of thetreatment is the food.Despite being locked intoa diet plan by one's 'dosha',typical Kerala dishes pro-vide an endless variety ofdelicious, frequentlyserved in fantastic curries.

On day two we weretaken to a cooking coursewhere the chef cooksAyurvedic food.Physician/doctor pre-scribes a vegetarian menu,but with the incredibleflavours available, most

carnivores like me will notmiss meat in the slightest -when the food is correctfor one's body type. Eatingfor body type and avoidingprocessed foods have won-derful effects on the body.

The massages lastedfor about an hour and wewere always left withample time for exploringthe local area. I was verykeen to visit a place thatteaches Kerala’s martialart, Kalarippayattu whichis India’s best kept secret.Believed by historians tobe one of the oldest mar-tial arts in the world it isfitting that it thrived inKerala. The speed, agility

and skill of its exponentsis astounding. Training foryears without weapons,once proficient enough,they learn to use a spear,sword, dagger, stick, shieldand deadly vital pointscalled marmas. They alsolearn the moral code ofYoga and the healing art ofAyurveda. With musclesshining from oil, jumpingmeters high, spinning andwielding weapons, aKalarippayattu display is amemorable spectacle.Seeing these healthy,robust bodies one will beinspired to address theirwithering body’s needs.

Kerala is famous for itsmagnificent natural envi-ronment, extending fromthe palm forests and back-waters to the tea planta-tions. Places to visit close

by are a ship build-ing yard, the famousbeach where Vascoda Gama once firstset his foot in Indiaand the state ownedhandicraft shop.

For many, Indiais a mysteriouscountry, thousandsof miles from home.It would be impossi-ble to describe infew words , theexperiences andimpressions await

you here. However, everyjourney begins with goodpreparation. Take yourtime, relax and enjoy thefirst impressions with TajGateway.

Relax, de-stress, detox,and rejuvenate yourself.Revitalize yourself likenever before!

For further informa-tion about Taj Gatewayyou can call ShikhaKataria, Taj Hotels,Resorts & Palaces on tel(0)207 834 6655 ext 3001 or to book yourholidays you can callHolidaymood on 020 3475 3130.

An Ayurvedic journey to remember

A UK think tank that has claimed thatBritain's ethnic population is set todouble, making up nearly a third ofcountry by 2050, has claimed thatIndians tend to cluster in the highestskilled professions in this country. Thestudy in the handbook A Portrait ofModern Britain, released portrayed adetailed picture of five largest minoritygroups in the country, Indians,Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, BlackAfricans and Black Caribbean. The sur-vey compiled by Indian originresearchers Rishi Sunak and SarathaRajeswaran reported that Indian com-munity that was most dispersed all overthe UK, predominatly lived in London,Manchester and Birmingham. It alsoemphasised that Indians stood out fortheir tendency to cluster in the highestskilled professions. The report found,“Almost all minority groups, except theIndian community, have unemploymentrates double the national average... 24%of Pakistani men are taxi drivers andhalf of all Bangladeshi men work inrestaurants. In contrast 43% of Indianswork in the highest skilled professions.”For more see comment on page 3.

Indians represent UK'shighest skilled professionals

A young Britishteenage girl, whoattacked an 80-year-old Sikh pensioner inCoventry city centrelast August, has beenjailed for two years byWarwick CrownCourt.

Coral Millerchip,20, attacked pensionerJoginder Singh on amain road in Coventryand walked away. Theact was captured oncamera and causedextreme anger amongthe Sikh community inthe country.

Millerchip kickedand punched JoginderSingh until he fell to theground and his Sikh tur-ban fell off. Mr Singhsuffered a scratched

nose in the attack andwas later dischargedafter being taken to thehospital.

On Friday 9 May, thejudge ruled that the girlhad reportedly "humili-ated" Singh and sen-tenced her to a two-yearjail term and 20 moremonths for an uncon-

nected burglary.Mr Singh was a

dementia patient anddied three months afterthe attack from an unre-lated health issue.

Millerchip pleadedguilty to a charge ofassault causing actualbodily harm, a reportreportedly said.

Jail for British girl whoattacked Sikh pensioner

Coral Millerchip

Twelve police offi-cers are beinginvestigated formisconduct afterchoosing to releasea man, who wasinitially arrested forthreatening to killhis wife, but twoweeks after hisrelease, went on tomurder his wife.

M o h a m m e dBadiuzzaman, 34,was arrested forthreatening to killhis pregnant wife,was released and then went on to murderher two weeks later. He pleaded guilty tomurdering mother-of-three Sabeen Thandiat the Old Bailey on Friday 6 May.

The couple had started dating inNovember 2012 and Badiuzzaman movedin with Ms Thandi two months later.Badiuzzaman forced his 37-year-old wife towear a hijab after pressuring her into anIslamic marriage. Badiuzzaman admittedmurder and was remanded in custodyahead of sentence on May 27.

Police investigated afterreleased murderer kills his wife

Sabeen Thandi

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 7

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 20148 UK

The 16th General Elections haveindeed become a historic mile-stone. Over 500 million voters, infree and fair elections (as the USspokesmen have described), in areasonable peaceful manner, haveexercised their democratic right.Youngsters have voted as neverbefore, as reported by an ABPChannel report. 80% of them havereportedly opted for NarendraModi. Most of them are not IIT orIIM graduates. But they are as wellinformed, perhaps if not more,about their national situation thansome hacks or so-called intellectu-als outside India.

In Tuesday's Financial Times,the banner headline was'Opposition leader Modi on coursefor victory.' The Times has pro-claimed, 'Modi poised for powerafter crushing BJP victory,' but theTelegraph cannot show any impar-tiality and have kept on the usualtone and said, 'Hindu NationalistModi on the verge of Victory.'Some individuals have problemsfacing the facts!!

Prime Minister David Cameronhas rightfully described Britain asa Christian Country. Anywhere inthe world, when a Briton is evenfacing a serious charge of nar-cotics, drugs, paedophilia or mur-der, the British government, again,is correctly concerned about them.Whenever Christians or Jews arebeing persecuted anywhere in theworld, the British to their credit,do not hesitate to express theirpain and disgust. The Indian gov-ernment, so far, have not followedthis honourable and justified tradi-tion.

On what basis, Narendra Modi,or for that purpose, BJP, can betermed as a Hindu nationalist?

Last Thursday, some formerstudents of Cambridge University,met to have a social interaction inLondon. One of them happened tobe a Financial Times reporter. Hetold his Indian friends, that mostof the Indians in the UK appear to

be supporters of Narendra Modi.He further added that he knows ofsome Indian publication which hasbeen supporting Modi for a verylong time. The publication hadwritten to the editors of the Britishmedia challenging their incorrectreporting or unacceptable namecalling. The Indian happened to bea close family member. The nameof the publication was named asAsian Voice by the journalist, butto his credit, he did clarify that

Asian Voice had been bold enoughto acknowledge when the BritishMedia is right. Surely, this willmake my esteemed readers, the let-ter writers, as well as me, thePublisher/Editor, happy and grati-fied.

The so-called intellectuals orpseudo-secularists have an excel-lent opportunity to closely monitorthe incoming Modi government onits omissions and commissions.They should make a special mis-sion to keep a close eye on the

manifesto and the per-formance all across thenational and internation-al issues. I know that asthey have not done thatin an objective and pro-fessional manner in thelast twelve years vis-a-visNarendra Modi, they areleast likely to embark ona really scholasticapproach to keep Modiunder the microscope.Perhaps the dogmaticattitude has blindedthem. We can't help it. It

appears that the Indian voters havemade their choice in a very boldand proper way. They have chosentheir future and they've givenNarendra Modi and BJP as well asother NDA allies an opportunity tobring a change India needs. Noapologies are enough for non-per-formers.

India has miles to go. It haschanged beyond recognition since1947. The loot, the exploitation ofthe previous two centuries underforeign Imperialism had almostruined the countries which was forthe previous 1500 years, the worldbiggest economy and its wealthand scholarship, heritage and his-tory, culture and arts had attractedinnumerable visitors and studentsto reach that far off land in thebygone days.

India will see a new beginningon the 16th May 2014. The predic-tion of the exit poll is likely to beconfirmed and Narendra Modi isalmost certain to be the next PM ofIndia. The mess of the last 10 yearswill require enormous effort tocleanse and embark on furtherprogress for all people of India,irrespective of class, religion orprovincial background. So farIndia has transformed by sheerguts and dedication of its people.She will march forward competent-ly and confidently without fear orfavour. Jai Hind, Jai Britain!

- CB

As I See It

If Modi is a Hindu Nationalist, how do we describe PM David Cameron?

For god’s sake it’s only thelargest realisation of thedemocratic dream

For god’s sake it’s onlythe largest realisation ofthe democratic dreamthat has ever happenedin history. For centurieswars have been foughtfor this, the Berlin wallcame down for this,Eastern Europe fell overthis, Vietnam War and ifthat was not enough theFirst and Second WorldWars happened for this –for democracy over everyother form ofGovernment. So wherethe heck is the mediacoverage in the self-pro-claimed home and pro-tectorate of democracy –the USA and Britain.

I mean, come on,only 800 million will beeligible to vote. That ismore in one electionthan all the British thathave ever voted. Ever!That is more than theentire population of theUnited States, man,woman and child – threetimes over! That meansmore Indians have votedin this Millennium thanall the humans in all theother countries – ever!

More Hindus havevoted in democratic elec-tions than people of anyother faith, ever. On thatmark, no religion is moredemocratic. And it raisesother faiths, for in Indiamore Muslims havevoted sinceIndependence than allthe Muslims in all theother countries of theworld put together. Youdecide – do you wantdemocracy or not. If youdo, then you want this.Then you cheer for this.Then you sigh a breath ofrelief for this because inthe history of the world Ibet you can’t name twodemocracies that havegone to war against eachother. Think of it. It’s notdemocracies that causewars. It’s the damn foolsin other political sys-

tems.Before you start criti-

cising democracy,remember the alterna-tives.

So how comeAmerica does not havewall to wall coverage ofthe Indian elections, thegreatest act of democra-cy? Far greater an act ofdemocracy than invadingIraq, Afghanistan. Howcome? Arrogance?Ignorance? Superiority?

Indian political lead-ers need to regain thepower they projected onthe world stage when atthe funeral of MahatmaGandhi an Americanjournalist wrote, ‘PopePius, the Archbishop ofCanterbury, PresidentTruman, Chiang Kai-shek, the ForeignMinister of Russia, thePresident of France areamong the millions hereand abroad who havelamented his passing. Inthe words of GeneralGeorge C. Marshall, theAmerican Secretary ofState, “Mahatma Gandhihad become thespokesman for the con-science of all mankind.” ‘

Never should anyleader of India aspire foranything less. EveryAmerican President,every British PrimeMinister, ever RussianPremier holds thoseaspirations of them-selves. Indian leadersmust have gravitas,stature, the projection ofpower backed by beingthe only country thatcan lead the world to thepeace that a democracypromises, to the politicalideal it encapsulates, tothe hope it gives in anage of clashing civilisa-tions. Only India can bethat leader, only anIndian Prime Ministercan deliver on thatpromise with any credi-bility.

The Hindu Council ofBrent have urged the localHindu communities tocome forward and vote inthe forthcoming local elec-tions, to stop being treatedlike 'second class citizens'.With local governmentgrants scrapped for Hindufestivals like Navratri andDiwali, some organisa-tions have stopped cele-brating them altogether,while some have reducedthe number of days theycelebrate it.

Speaking to the AsianVoice, Manubhai KMakwana, Chairman,Hindu Council (Brent)told the Asian Voice,“Hindus in Brent should

get equal benefits as othercommunities, We need theNavratri grant reinstatedand there should beDiwali lights on ealingRoad as in past.

“It is the community inBrent who promotedBrent by celebratingdiverse festivals and host-ing cultural events likeNavratri. The local Hinducommunity has been veryhurt by these cuts imposedby the current BrentCouncil Administration.

“Time has come toprotect community inter-est and festivals in Brentand get the Council tomake provision for suchgrants.

“The only way to stopHindu community beingused as second class citi-zens, is by making properuse of your vote in theforthcoming council elec-tions on 22 May.”

Hindus of Brent urged to vote in local elections

To celebrate NarendraModi's sweeping victory inthe Indian general elec-tions, the Indian diasporain Britain have decided toorganise a weekend full ofcelebratory events inLondon. Nachiket Joshi,who runs i4Unity, a groupconsisting of around 700professional Indians whocampaign for BJP leaderNarendra Modi and also apart of the NationalExecutive Committee ofOverseas Friends of BJP,has organised a processionin Ealing on Friday 16May, to celebrate Modi'svictory.

On Saturday 17 May at3pm, President MukeshPatel and Trust board ofSattavis Gam PatidarSamaj (Europe), alongwith Asian Voice andGujarat Samachar andBJP supporter RashmiAmin have organised a 'vi-jay utsav' (victory celebra-tion) in Forty Avenue,Wembley at SattavisPatidar Centre. Expectedto be attended by thou-sands of Modi and BJPsupporters, this event will

be open to all members ofthe community- withoutany bars. Attendees arefree to recite poems, singsongs and celebrate thisvictory, while enjoyinglight refreshments at rea-sonable prices. Popularsinger Arpan Kumar andMital Patel will also bepresent to sing some selec-tive patriotic numbers.

Nachiket Joshi told theAsian Voice, “After India'sindependence, it's the firsttime India will see such agreat leader, with suchvision, personality anddedication towards ourcountry. It is very fortu-nate that NDA will comewith clear majority. Indiawill surely become a superpower in the near future.

“Indian economy, agri-culture, IT industry willsurely boom under hisguidance, women'sempowerment and securi-ty will grow too.Youngsters abroad willnow fearlessly go back andsettle in India with a pros-perous future underModi's leadership.”

Mukesh Patel,

President of Sattavis GamPatidar Samaj said, “Weare very proud to learnthat our NarendrabhaiModi has become thePrime Minister of India.His vision will make sureall the discrepancies areresolved in India. Thecountry needs a changeand no one can bring apositive difference otherthan Modi.

“He has repeatedlyproved in the past thatwhere there is a will thereis a way, and he will surelyprove that in the futuretoo. We all hope there willbe direct internationalflights to go to Gujaratnow. NRIs in Britain havea soft spot for India.Under NaMo, trust andfaith in our country will bereinstated. It's the bestnews India ever had.”

Kokila Patel,Managing Editor, GujaratSamachar said, “The exitpolls clearly indicates thatIndians will have 'ab kibaar Modi sarkar' (Modigovernment, this time).This change of govern-ment has been our dream

since the last one decade.Shri Modi has proved tobe a visionary leader ofGujarat and we are sure hewill take India to a differ-ent echelon of success.”

Contact Kokila Patelat 07875229177 or koki-la.patel@abplgroup.comOr Rashmi Amin at07932790245

Communalism, Secularismas well as the term specially

used in South Asia,'Sectarianism'

Please refer to your dic-tionaries to understand thecorrect meaning and comparehow the terms are misused bycertain elements to justifytheir pre-judged assertions.

Indian diaspora to celebrate India's 'Modification'

A special bulletin onIndian Election Resultswill be available fromSaturday, 17 May,2014, afternoon on ourwebsite atwww.abplgroup.com

A celebratory special ofthe new governmentwill be published innext week’s issue (24May)

UKwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 9

Sujit S. Nair, FRSA has anM.B.A from LondonMetropolitan Universityand learnt most of hisbusiness lessons from itsincubator, Accelerator. Healso has an M.Sc(Biotechnology ) fromBangalore university.He is the only person

chosen to feature twice asa Leading Light to date,setting a record. Since he last appeared

here, he became a partnerand CEO of a 10 year oldweb applications companycalled EyeTechnologiessoftware solutions whichis headquartered at theWorld Trade Centre inBangalore, India. It hasdevelopment centresbased in Kerala and a salesoffice in London.EyeTechnologies offertechnology productswhich helps businesses indifferent sectors succeedin the market, has workedwith over 500 clients andemploys around 50 peo-ple. “I have been invitedas a keynote speaker tothe World HinduEconomic Forum, sched-uled to take place inDurban during the month

of July, alongside 20 otherlocal and internationalleaders includingAmbassador to BRICS,Ambassador to Asia andMiddle East, MEC forEconomic Developmentand prominent Indian andMauritian politicians andbusiness leaders,” Sujittold me. He went on, “There are two ven-

tures that I am currentlyinvolved in. One is a for-profit technology develop-ment company calledEyeTechnology softwaresolutions whereas the

other venture is a not forprofit independent tradebody called BSICC. EyeTechnologies has

developed a range of ITproducts for businessesfrom various sectors and isin discussion with interna-tional technology compa-nies to license innovativeIT products to India. Inaddition, we are currentlyworking on a model whichhas the potential to dis-rupt the outsourcingindustry in India. Indiaoffers a great value forcompanies looking to out-

source their web andmobile applications devel-opment work and we arehoping to take advantageof this opportunity. BSICC was set up to

address the lack of expo-sure for South IndiaStates in United Kingdomand other internationalmarkets. The organisationis trying to fill a gap in themarket whereby themajority of people outsideIndia are not aware of thepotential of South India.People are familiar withMumbai and Delhi andthe potential opportuni-ties there but less peopleare aware of South Indiancities, or about the oppor-tunities available there.Over the last two years,BSICC has been trying tocreate awareness amongUK companies and the UKpublic about the potentialof South India by success-fully hosting businessmeets focused on each ofthe South Indian statesand bringing in prominentdelegates including politi-cal and business leadersfrom respective SouthIndia states so as to talk tothe UK residents aboutthe opportunities there. Following the success-

ful hosting of the UKSouth India BusinessMeet, UK KarnatakaBusiness Meet, UK KeralaBusiness Meet and vari-ous other state BusinessMeets at the Houses ofParliament over the years,

BSICC, in partnershipwith UKTNCC, organisedthe UK Tamil Nadu &Puducherry BusinessMeet 2014 on 8th May atHouses of Parliament,Westminster, London.”The business meet waschaired by BSICC PatronMr Virendra Sharma MP(Ealing-Southall, UK).

We had around 140delegates from UK, TamilNadu, Puducherry, MiddleEast etc attending thebusiness meet. Mr.BharatJoshi, British Deputy HighCommissioner inChennai, started the meetby talking about UK/Tamil Nadu relationship.Mr. Hasmukh Vora,President of HindustanChamber of Commerce,Chennai offered his per-spective of pursuing busi-ness activities in TamilNadu & Puducherry. Mr.Christie Cherian,Chairman and Trustee ofBritish Business Group,Chennai, spoke about howgood an investment desti-nation is Tamil Nadu andPuducherry. Dr.R. Seetharaman, groupCEO of Doha Bank in

Qatar mentioned aboutsome of the Opportunitiesfor UK residents andGlobal Tamilians in theGulf. Mr.David Happy,who was till recently theVice President EU Affairsfor Samsung Electronics,spoke about India UK col-laborations and how theUK is a hugely effectivespringboard into the restof the EU-27 for Indiancompanies. Mr. VelouSingara of UKTNCCspoke about various busi-ness opportunities inPuducherry for UK com-panies whereas MrsKamala Sekar who was tillrecently the Head ofExport Finance at UKTIspoke about the channelsof support from UK publicsector and BSICC/ UKT-NCC. Sujit has a verystraightforward ambitionand I am sure he will reachhis goal. “All my efforts,

whether throughEyeTechnologies orthrough BSICC, are notonly directed towardsplaying a key role in bring-ing about growth anddevelopment in India, butalso in creating jobs formy people. I believe thatIndia has moved on frombeing a nation wherebyone has to be from aninfluential family or a fam-ily of means to succeed inlife. I sometimes joke tomy friends that I am not a"son" rise story but an"India" rise story.”

Leading LightsRani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Sujit S. Nair

An Indian leader working at theintersection of politics, foreign policy

and technology I believe that India hasmoved on from beinga nation whereby one

has to be from aninfluential family or a

family of means tosucceed in life

The British PrimeMinister is to discuss theMango issue with India’snew Prime Minister afterMay 16th.The British Prime

Minister David Cameronhas promised to speak tothe new Indian PrimeMinister about the ongo-ing mango issue, duringhis official phone call nextweek. Indian mangoeshave faced a temporaryban from May 1st, sup-ported by Defra, owing toconsignments beinginfested with fruit flies.The ban is expected toremain force till Dec2015.PM Cameron report-

edly confirmed that hewill speak to the IndianPM, during his interactionwith Senior Indian originLabour MP, Rt Hon KeithVaz in the House ofCommons. Mr Vaz hasbeen campaigning overthe issue and urged theBritish PM to reverse theban which would costfirms millions of pounds.Mr. Cameron thanked

the Leicester East MP forthe special delivery ofAlphonso mangoes atDowning street last weekas part of his efforts toraise awareness on theEU’s decision. He con-

Cameron to discuss mango banwith the new Indian PM

cluded say-ing, “Will hedo his best toreverse thisban so we cankeep the spe-cial relation-ship withIndia whichhis predeces-sors and wehave workedso hard to maintain, andso we can have our deli-

cious mangoes onceagain.”

Keith Vaz MP PM Cameron

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 201410 YOUR VOICEDelhi is not far now

All indicators and pointers tell us thatNarendra Modi is on his way to NewDelhi. If Gujarat’s dream to put aGujarati person from Vadnagar in thePrime Minister’s pedestal comes true, itwould be satisfying to know that againstmany odds, a Gujjubhai has made it toIndia’s capital.

While campaigning at Varanasi,Narendrabhai has stated that he hascleaned up Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati riverand will now clean up the Ganges atVaranasi. He has challenged his oppo-nents and doubters to go to Gujarat forjust one day and stand on the banks ofthe Sabarmati - the river which hadbecome a sewer, 10 years ago and seehow clean and tidy it has become today.

He has said however, that to clean upthe Ganga, he would need to clean-upDelhi and Lucknow. Till the shower thatis in power at present has been ousted,there is no possibility of the river beingcleaned up.

However, besides cleaning up theGanga, would he be able to eradicate thecountry of corruption, nepotism, violenceagainst women, poverty and many suchvices that are endemic in India?

Let’s hope he is successful in hisquest to become the next prime ministerof India and fulfil his promises.

Dinesh ShethNewbury Park, Ilford

Indian electionsI read with interest both Shri KapilDudakia's column and Shri Narsihbhai'sletter regarding the anti Modi westernforces (AV 10th May 14).

Kapilji mentions that the anti ModiLabour MP Mike Wood held a seminar onthe BJP PM candidate in the HoC. I havenever meet Mike Wood I am sure he isgenuine in his beliefs but he is badly mis-informed.

Both articles have one common wordand that is the word "Hindu".

Narendraji is a Hindu and that's whyhe is under constant attack. MahatmaGandhi was a staunch Hindu and wasjailed by the British for his stand. Thecurrent Christian Italian Gandhi family isvehemently anti Hindu whilst perverselyclaiming allegiance to the ideals ofMahatma Gandhi.

Last year I had a meeting with ShriModiji in Gandhinagar and I presentedhim with a 150th birth anniversarybrochure on Mahamana Madan MohanMalaviya the fourth Congress freedomfighter, his memory erased from Indianhistory.

Malaviyaji was a Sanskrit scholar andan expert on the Gita, he was constantlyat Gandiji's side and was his rock. Hefounded the Banaras Hindu University(BHU). We held a function in London2012 to mark this anniversary, chief guestwas Justice Giridhar Malaviya, his grand-son.

So a year on it was heartening for meto learn Shri Modiji flew to BHU gar-landed Malaviyaji statue and invitedJustice Giridhar to file his nominationpapers for the elections.

Jayesh A PatelWimbledon

India's HDIHuman Development Index (HDI) wascreated by the Pakistani economistMahbub ul Haq and the Indian econo-mist Amartya Sen in 1990.

HDI has been widely used by the UPAto try and challenge the success ofGujarat’s development model underModi. First and foremost, there is a para-dox in their reasoning. On the one handthe UPA spokespersons don’t miss anopportunity to point out that Gujarat hadalways been ahead of most other stateseven before Modi came to power in 2002.On the other hand they use the HDI todemonstrate that other states have per-formed a lot better than Gujarat in pover-ty reduction!

Superficially this may seem true, butscratch the surface and the story is differ-ent. The percentage of poverty reductionis less because there is less poverty to bereduced! This is assuming the HDI fig-ures actually reflect the truth and thatHDI does not take into account poormigrant workers coming to Gujarat fromother states distorting the figures.

The major flaws in calculating HDIfor individual states are:1) Metropolises of Mumbai and Chennaiare included for Maharashtra and TNrespectively, whereas New Delhi is a sep-arate entity. If New Delhi was part of UP,the HDI for UP would match that ofMaharashtra and TN!2) The Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)varies wildly from state to state. A mealat a restaurant in Mumbai can easily costRs 300. An equivalent meal inAhmedabad can cost about half thatamount or less.

Kiran MehtaBy email

Modiji’s 2014 electioncampaign

The story of Modiji’s 8 month electoralcampaign began in September 2013.

India’s election is a stupendous phe-nomenon. All competing parties, fromKashmir to West Bengal, have ganged upagainst Modiji. Having failed to punishhim for post Godhra imbroglio, thesedirty tricksters used the election platformto damage Modiji’s image.

These belligerent elements successful-ly influenced western powers to refusevisa and blackball Modiji. But Modiji suc-cessfully wooed investors from China andJapan. Western powers saw the light andhave reversed their anti Modi stance.

Sane leaders in the West and Muslimcountries have dismissed pro Hinduspeeches of Modiji as politicians’ routinerhetoric and not to adversely affect cor-dial relations with India, or discourage /oppose Modiji’s aspirations to be PrimeMinister.

Following facts about campaign byModi camp have emerged as undermen-tioned: 440 rallies covered 5800 locationsand 3 lakh kilometres; 12 rounds of 3Drallies covering 1350 locations; CreatingVolunteers’ portal where aspirants canclick in and serve online or on field.Fullest use of IT; “Whats app” for mes-sages, use of selfies and infographics;charchas at 4000 venues to hear peoples’views and answer queries. His main mes-sage was development, governance andinnovation.

Modiji has succinctly implementedSwami Vivekanand’s message to rise tooccasion, and create strong develop-ments, inclusive India and project Indiaas Jagad Guru.

Keeping in view, optimism andeuphoria, results after 12th May 2014will match public expectations for Modijito be next prime Minister.

Ramesh JhallaBy email

Jai Ho – GujaratI eagerly await Kapil’s column. I under-stand such hard hitting column requireschecking facts, figures, confirmation andresponse from politicians which is diffi-cult to come-by.

Since the caste discrimination legis-lation fiasco, the Hindu community haslost faith with Labour suffering from psy-chiatric disorder and subject to irrationalwhims with Napoleonic complex! Theyblur realities with half-baked truths andcomplete lies.

It is condemnable to hold an antiBJP/Modi conference on Gujarat Day,next to the main event celebrating 54thAnniversary of establishment of State ofGujarat, the birth-place of Gandhi andSardar, known as the pillars of “QuitIndia Movement.”

The local election on 22nd May is agolden opportunity for Hindus to showtheir displeasure at the ballot box. Butwithout unity, without a vote-bank andapathy on the part of Hindu voters, nowonder we are stooges, taken for granted.

This is not the time to show the dig-nity, saintliness, generosity or forgivenessthe Hindu community is blessed with butit is the time to teach lessons to thosewho dare to marginalize us. It is time for“Om Kranti” not “Om Shanti!”

Vote wisely. Vote for Hindu friends,irrespective of their party affiliation.There is no shortage of choice, as bothmain parties; particularly Conservativeshave put forward candidates who wouldprovide quantum improvement and moti-vation for Hindu community.

Bhupendra M GandhiBy email

Avanti HouseI am delighted by the news that theAvanti House secondary school is to belocated at the Whitchurch Playing Fieldssite. This school will expand choice forchildren and parents across Harrow, andwill provide much needed school placesat a time when some of our existingschools are close to bursting at theseams.

Everyone wants Harrow’s children tohave a good education, and the existingAvanti House primary school is rated asgood by OFSTED.

No doubt such standards will contin-ue at the new school, for the benefit of allpupils.

However, an unfortunate misconcep-

Have something to say about thestories featured in Asian Voice?Letters are welcome at: aveditorial@abplgroup.com Word limit: 200 words.

tion has arisen about this proposedschool, and I think it’s important to cor-rect it. Concerns have been raised that, asa faith school, Avanti House will only beof interest to Harrow’s Hindu popula-tion.

In fact, though all faith schools havecertain powers regarding staff appoint-ments, collective worship and admis-sions, Avanti House schools actuallywaive their right to apply faith criteria totheir admissions policy. This means theyare far more open to pupils from otherfaiths and other sections of our commu-nity than many other faith schools.

This school is a sizeable step for thefuture of education in Harrow, and onewhich can be welcomed across our bor-ough – irrespective of faith or belief.

Cllr. Vina MithaniKenton West Ward (Conservative)

Harrow Council

Indian business acumenAmul dairies: 173 milk producers' coop-eratives and 22 federations supply pas-teurised, packaged and branded milk tomore than 1000 cities across the country.11 million farmers earn more from whatthey produce (page 76).

Lijjat papadums, with 6 branches,employ 40,000 women and have over $60million turnover.

Rag packers, hawkers, constructionworkers and slum-dwelling weavers werehelped by by Ela Bhatt to form Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA).It has 71 cooperatives and 70, 000 mem-bers. Among their many activities, it runsa very successful micro-finance bank.

Subhash Chandra who set up the firstHindi language satellite channel is nowworth $2.5 billion dollars.

Karsanbhai Patel started makingdetergents in his back yard and madeNirma one of the world's largest-sellingdetergent powders. Karsanbhai inspiredC K Ranganathan to sell shampoo insachets at 1 Rupee per piece. It now hasa turnover of $40 million. Naresh Goyalwas an employee of LebanonInternational Airlines Jordanian andPhilippine national Airlines. Now his cre-ation Jet Airways increased its gross rev-enue from $43 million to $500 million inless than a decade. 5,000 dabawallasdeliver 150,000 lunch boxes to offices in

Mumbai. Only one mistake occurs in 8million transactions. Turnover is $ 20million, earning them $100 each. (BeingIndian by Pavan K Varma pages 75-90).

There are hundreds more. Most start-ed from humble background. If electedwith a firm majority, the BJP party mustnurture thousands of small scale indus-tries (SSI) by international standards. Ifit falls prey to takeovers by multination-als, it will destroy the creativity, enthusi-asm and entrepreneur spirit of millions ofIndians.

Nagindas KhajuriaVia Email

UKwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 11

University of Birminghamhas announced that one ofthe country’s leadinginternational entrepre-neurs has been appointedas its new Chancellorreflecting the University’sposition as a truly globalinstitution that attractsthe brightest and bestfrom across the world.

Lord Bilimoria, pic-tured, of Chelsea CBE, theIndia-born founder ofCobra Beer, will take uphis post at an InstallationCeremony in July, makinghim the seventhUniversity of BirminghamChancellor. He follows inthe footsteps ofChancellors including theRight Honorable JosephChamberlain and theRight Honorable AnthonyEden, the Earl of Avon,and succeeds Sir DominicCadbury, who steppeddown last December after11 years in the role.

Professor DavidEastwood, Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity ofBirmingham, said: “We

are absolutely delightedthat Lord Bilimoria will beour new Chancellor. He isa highly respected globalbusinessman andCrossbench Peer with aclear passion for highereducation and the value itbrings to society and tothe economy. He not onlyencapsulates theUniversity’s commitmentto internationalisation buthis appointment under-lines further the impor-tance we place on forgingstrong, mutually benefi-cial partnerships betweenbusiness and higher edu-cation.”The Chancelloracts as the ceremonial fig-

urehead of the Universityand has an importantambassadorial role, work-ing with the Vice-Chancellor and the Pro-Chancellor to raise theUniversity’s profile andadvance its interestsnationally and interna-tionally.

On accepting the post,Lord Bilimoria said: “I amhonoured and humbled tohave been asked to beChancellor of this interna-tionally renownedUniversity with itsvibrant, global communi-ty. I am also delighted tohave the opportunity totake on such a prominentrole at the Universitywhere both my mother,my uncle and my maternalgrandfather studied; theUniversity which instilledthe value of higher educa-tion in them, and in turndrove my own passion forlearning and discovery.”

Lord Bilimoria isalready a member of theUniversity of BirminghamBusiness School AdvisoryBoard.

Lord Bilimoria appointed as Chancellorof the University of Birmingham

A public interaction washeld at India House onMay 7, 2014 by the HighCommissioner HE RanjanMathai with the Indianand the British Indiancommunity to apprisethem of the steps taken bythe High Commission ofIndia in London toimprove the consular serv-ices offered by the HighCommission. A PublicResponse Unit has beencreated to coordinate theHigh Commission'sresponse to a large num-ber of queries received

from Indian nationals andPersons of Indian Originin the UK. The queries arereceived and respondedboth telephonically and e-mail. The initiative hasbeen very well received

and, on an average,around 600 enquiries areresponded every week bythe Unit. Contact detailsof the Unit have beenprominently put on theofficial website of theMission.

An Open House isheld every Wednesday topersonally hear the prob-lems/grievances of thepublic. Further, the offi-cers concerned are avail-able to meet the public inperson as and whenrequired. In addition, theHigh Commissioner has

decided to hold OpenHouse on a monthly basis.

Recently, respondingto the increasing demand,the Mission has launcheda system that allows book-ing of appointment online

for the submission of OCIapplications in person.This initiative has beenhighly appreciated by thepublic as it has reducedthe waiting time at theMission’s premises.

The Mission has re-started surgeries in differ-ent parts of the countrywhere services are provid-ed to them in their owncities. This also affords anopportunity to meet mem-bers of the Indian commu-nity to get a first-handfeedback. The first surgerywas undertaken in Belfastin April 2014. Further sur-geries are planned begin-ning with Cardiff followedby Manchester.

The website of theMission is updated regu-larly to inform the publicabout the procedures,guidelines and require-ments as well as anychanges in the regulations.

In order to facilitatefaster services to the pub-lic, the timings for differ-

The Indian High Commissionturns a new leaf

HE Ranjan Mathai

OCI-PIO merger stalledThe Indian High Commissioner, HE Ranjan Mathaireportedly said that the Overseas Citizen of India(OCI) card and Person of India Origin (PIO) cardmerger will not go ahead any soon.

A new Bill which sought to do away with the exist-ing OCI card & the PIO card and replace them with asingle OCI card was proposed by the IndianGovernment a few months ago. But this had causedimmense outrage amongst the Indian diaspora, espe-cially in Britain.

Mr Mathai in an address to the media reportedlysaid that the bill went through in Loksabha (LowerHouse in Indian Parliament) but did not pass throughRajya Sabha (Upper House in Indian Parliament). Headded that there would be no discussion on this mat-ter until a new government is formed in New Delhi. ent services have been

staggered in order to avoidovercrowding at the prem-ises.

The process for out-sourcing of collection anddelivery for various servic-es including passport,visa, OCI, PIO and vari-

ous other consular servic-es has been initiated.Presently, only visa serviceis outsourced. It is expect-ed that the whole processwill be completed by byNovember/December thisyear.

In order to avoid

inconvenience to the pub-lic, the Mission has sincecommenced delivery ofOCI cards by post. Thishas reduced crowd in thepremises and also hashelped in providing betterservices with a greater sat-isfaction to the public.

“On one hand, we seem to have the potential to move mountains, go to themoon, create huge cities and we try to alter nature. We seem to know so muchabout so many things. But when it comes to us, to our nature, we have no idea.Who are we?

I raise these questions because the answer, surprisingly enough, is beautiful.When we look for our truest nature, we will find that there is peace,understanding. There is the truest love.

Do you know that wherever you go, whatever you do, there is love in you andthere is hate in you? There is pain in you and there is joy in you. Do not beunder the misunderstanding that the love is in someone else. No, love is in you.

Have you searched for that which has always been within you? You havesearched outside, but have you searched inside?

Search. Whatever it takes, find peace in your life. This is what’s important. Ifyou cannot find peace, come to me. I can help. Understand your true nature.Understand this life. Understand what you have been given because it ismagnificent. Be in love with this life, which means see the good in this life ofyours.

If you want to be in love, begin by loving each breath. Begin by falling in lovewith understanding, with clarity, with the truest sincerity. These are the angelsin your life. When all is dark, they come-all lit, graceful, beautiful with clarity.One second of clarity and all the darkness vaporizes. Don’t try to remove thedarkness - it won’t work. All you have to do is usher in the light. Fall in lovewith living. Fall in love with that which is within you.”

~~ PPrreemm RRaawwaatt

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On: Sunday, 29th June 2014

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 201412 MEDIA WATCH

For the present, the violence inthe Bodo districts of Assam tar-geting Bengali Muslim immi-grants, which claimed 41 lives,and the rail crash in westernIndia, in which 21 passengersdied and scores more injured,dominated media headlines.Both events have tarnished thereputation of the country’sadministration. Enquiry com-mittees on these tragedies havebeen set up, and their findingsand implementation will beawaited with interest.Meanwhile, Prakash Karat,General Secretary of theCommunist Party of India(Marxist) “conceded that theLeft would not have a strongpresence in the next Lok Sabhato influence policy even if a thirdalternative government wasformed with Congress sup-port.”(Hindu May 4). And so toa temporary respite from elec-toral politics in preparation forthe deluge to come with theresults.

Company salespicking up

Fiscal fourth quarter earnings ofIndia’s top companies (endingMarch 31) have revealed posi-tive gains in profit resulting fromthe fastest growth in sales in thelast six quarters. Market ana-lysts view this as proof of thegreen shoots of economic recov-ery, something that should glad-den the country’s next govern-ment, provided it is stable. Theincreased sales of commercialvehicle s, in particular, are a reli-able benchmark of an economicupturn, say bankers, industrial-ists and transporters. Demandfor multi-axle tractor trailers ispicking up. Unsurprisingly thestock prices of Tata Motors,Mahindra & Mahindra, Eicherand Ashok Leyland have hit 52month highs in April. AdityaPuri, Managing Director andCEO of loan provider HousingFinance DevelopmentCorporation (HFDC) sad hesensed a change across the

entire economic growth cycle.(Mint, Times of India May 5)

Astra test-fired

India’s defence preparednessachieved a significant milestoneat the weekend with the firstsuccessful test of its indigenous-ly designed and developed air-to-air Beyond-Visual-Range 60-kilometre Astra missile over theArabian Sea. The missile wastest-fired from a Sukhoi 30MKIaircraft, the country’s mostlethal warplane. The test met allthe mission objectives, thelaunch captured on high speedcameras. Astra is an all-weathermissile with active radar termi-nal guidance, excellent electron-ic –counter features, smokeless

propulsion and high Single ShotKill Probability with a capabilityto operate in multi-range targetscenarios. Astra is the work ofIndia’s Defence Research andDevelopment Organization(DRDO). Congratulating theteam, DRDO Director Generaland Scientific Adviser AvinashChander said: “Many more trialsare planned and will be conduct-ed to clear the launch envelop.Weapon integration with TejasLight Combat Aircraft will alsobe done in the near future.”

Proud moment

V.G. Sekaran Director General(Missiles and Strategic Systems)described the test “as one of theproudest moments for DRDO

and the entire country.” ProjectDirector S.Venugopal said Astrawas comparable to the world’sbest missiles.Astra Mark II, with an

increased range of 100 kilo-mtres, is to be test-fired later thisyear. He said the Astra test wasthe culmination of a sustainedeffort by a team of dedicated ofscientists and engineers from theMissile Complex, Hyderabadand kindred bodies includingIndian Air Force (IAF) special-ists and private sector units toattain this level. India alsoplans to test its supersonic 290-kilometre BrahMos cruise mis-sile from a IAF Sukhoi 30 MKIaircraft at about the same time.The Indian Army and Navy arealready in possession of theirrespective versions of BrahMos(Hindu, Times of India May 5)

DRDO’s top secretK-4 missile tested

India’s top secret underwater K-4 3000 kilometre range missilewas test-fired in the last week ofMarch, the information beingreleased a week ago. The launch,from a 30-metre submerged pon-toon, took place offVisakhapatnam on the eastcoast. The missile, ejected by apowerful gas generator, splasheddown in the Indian Ocean. “Wewill do many more missions toprove the missile’s sub-systems

and increase theirreliability,” said aninformed source.Meanwhile,K-4’spredecessor the 700kilometre K-15missile, which hasbeen tested overthe last few years isnow under produc-tion for inductioninto the nuclear-powered subma-rine, INS Arihant.(Hindu May 7)

Vikramadityaoperational

India’s Russian-built aircraftcarrier, INS Vikramaditya, isoperational, announced the newChief of the Naval Staff AdmiralRobin Dhowan, the integrationof its MIG-29K fighters nowcompleted. After inspecting aceremonial guard of honour onboard the carrier, he addressedofficers and ratings of theSouthern Naval Command,Kochi. Admiral Dhowan, said,“We follow stringent proceed-ings, have taken serious note ofincidents and whatever recom-mendations for enhancement ofsafety thereon and continue tocarry out safety audit to ensurethat standard operational proce-

dures are notbypassed. Safetycheck of plat-forms is carriedout on a regularbasis,” he con-cluded (HinduMay 7)

Tata-AirAsiaready to fly

The Tata-AirAsiajoint venturecompany, to beknown as AirAsiaIndia, will be tak-

ing to the skies anytime in thenext three months after receiv-ing its licence from India’sDirectorate General of CivilAviation. This low-cost carrier,India’s seventh, will offer 35 percent “lower fares” from currentfare levels. The new airlinemarks the re-entry into the avia-tion business by Tata after threedecades out in the cold. Thecompany’s re-emergence in avia-tion was made possible by thegovernment’s decision to permitForeign Direct Investment

(FDI) in the airline industry.The company’s prime aim is toservice connectivity betweenIndia’s two-tier cities ratherthan doing the familiar roundsbetween metros. A jubilant AirAsia CEO, Malaysian-basedTony Fernandes, tweeted,“History has been made today inaviation…Proud day for me andall Air Asia stars.” His colleagueMittu Chandiliya, CEO AirAsiaIndia tweeted: “Boom! 1815 hrstoday AirAsia India was born.”(Hindu, Times of India, May 8)

Tata-Singapore Airline ready for takeoff

The full-service Tata- SingaporeAirline has also been fasttracked by India’s DirectorateGeneral of Civil Aviation and isis set to stretch its wings in Indiaand abroad. The company’s hubwill be Delhi and all majorroutes in the country, including

the metros. The Delhi-Mumbairoute will be serviced by twodaily fights, which will rise even-tually to seven per day. The sec-ond busiest route will be thebetween Delhi and Bangalore,with two daily flights initiallyrising to four (Times of India,May 9)

Cognizant profitup 20 per cent

Cognizant Technology Solutionsmet street expectations by post-ing a fourth quarter (endingMarch 31) of 20 per cent. Thecompany’s net income came to$348.9 million. Its incrementalrevenue addition stood at $67million from the previous quar-ter, with Tata ConsultancyServices (TCS) come nextamong Cognizant competitorswith $ 65 million. Cognizantsaid it had added a total of 7,200professionals to its staff duringthe quarter. On a geographicalbasis, income from the US rose16.1 per cent, in Europe by 35per cent, and in the rest of theworld by 28.4 per cent. Overall,year-on-year Cognizant earned$1 billion for the first time(Times of India May 7)

HCL Tech bagsNorway deal

HCL Technologies has won aseven-year contract worth $400million from Norway-basedbanking firm DNB Bank ASA toservice its IT infrastructure serv-ices and applications operationsacross the globe. This is thebiggest single deal the Indiantechnology firm has won in the2013-14 fiscal. Under the con-tract HCL Technologies will pro-vide IT support to the bank’s 2.5million retail banking customersand end-users across all DNB’sproducts, including retail andonline banking, cards, insur-ance, capital markets, paymentsand finance. As the prime serv-ices provider HCL will also beresponsible for managing theoperations and multiple vendorsacross the bank’s technologylandscape. (Business Line May8)

Adani Group inAustralian hit

Australia’s Queensland state hasapproved the Adani Group’s15.5-billion Australian dollarcoal project in the GGalileeBasin. The expected approval ofthe Federal government inCanberra will seal the deal.Adani is clearly playing it big.(Business Line May 9).

DRDO scientists Avinash Chander

Tony Fernandes CEO AirAsia

Last stage voting, Kolkata

Astra missile test-fired

Ratan Tata honoured by British high commissioner James Bevan (left)see comment page 3

By the time these words appear India’s general elections willbeen concluded and the result’s known. The campaign hasbeen rough for the most part, with personal insults and vitriolfreely traded and policy issues in deep freeze. Which couldmean a measure of continuity in policy in the event of a BJP-led government coming to power. One saving grace in thepresent situation - if the Times of India prediction (May 7)comes to pass – is that the voter turnout will be the largestsince India’s independence in August 1947, a sign surely thatthe broad mass of Indians have not lost faith in their country’spolitical system, warts and all. Two cheers for Indian democ-racy, the third to be withheld until we know more about theemergent government and its prospect of survival and the sta-bility thereof.

LOCAL ELECTIONSwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 13

BARNET COUNCIL

Burnt Oak Labour - Ammar NaqviChilds Hill Conservative - Rohit Roshyan GroverLabour - Nila Patel ColindaleLabour - Nagus Narenthira, Zakia ZubairiCoppetts Labour - Reema Patel East Finchley Labour - Arjun Kumar MittraFinchley Church End Green Party - Vedantha KumarUK Independence Party - Amir LatifMill Hill Conservative - Sury KhatriOakleigh Labour - Parmodh SharmaConservative - Sachin RajputUnderhill Conservative - Michael Subramaniyam Labour - Amy Trevethan West Finchley Conservative - Ajantha Tharindra KumariTennakoon West Hendon Conservative - Ansuya SodhaWoodhouse Conservative - Mukesh Harilal Depala UK Independence Party - Karl KhanGreen Party - Gardi Vaswani

CAMDEN COUNCIL

Hampstead Town Green Party - Prashant Bhaskar Vaze Belsize Labour - Harunur RashidGospel OakConservative - Sangita SinghKentish Town Liberal Democrats - Omar AliHaverstock Labour - Abdul QuadirRegents Park Conservative - Shahin AhmedLabour - Nash Ali, Nadia Shah Liberal Democrats - Daviyani RayshmaKothari St. Pancras and Somers Town Labour - Samata Khatoon Green Party - Koonal Kirit ShahKings Cross Labour - Abdul Hai Bloomsbury Labour - Rishi MadlaniGreen Party - Shana Tufail

BARKING AND DAGENHAM COUNCIL

AbbeyLabour - Laila Butt, Giasuddin MiahConservative - Emran HussainChowdhuryUKIP Local Residents - Tariq Saeed Albion Conservative - Jakir Hussain, Md.Neamat Ulla, Mohammed Sumsuz Zaman Becontree Labour - Faruk Choudary Chadwell Heath Jamil Miah Eastbury Pushpa ChoudhuryLabour - Hardial Singh Rai, FaraazShaukatGascoigne Labour - Saima Ashraf, Abdul AzizConservative - Krishan Kumar Kar GoresbrookConservative - Anjuna Hussain, NadiaKhatunHeathConservative - Mohammed MiahLongbridge WardLabour - Syed AhammedUKIP Local Residents - Ruma TahirLiberal Democrats - Mohammod JalalUddinMayesbrook Conservative - Sufia Begum Labour - Kashif Haroon Parsloes Conservative - Zahanara Ali, NumaunIslam Chowdhury, Goyas MiahRiverLabour - Amardeep Singh Jamu Conservative - Husneara MajidThames Conservative - Reba Begum, Bijan Dutta ValenceConservative - Ahia Ahmed ChowdhuryLabour - Syed Feroz GhaniWhalebone Conservative - Juhel Ahmed

BEXLEY COUNCIL

BelvedereConservative - Amandeep Singh Bhogal, Pardeep Kaur Bhogal Northumberland Heath Labour - Baljeet Singh Gill

BRENT COUNCIL

Alperton Borough Liberal Democrats - Samira Said Ahmed,Trusha Patel Green Party - Yusuf AkramLabour - Bhagwanji Hari Chohan, MiliPatelConservative - Shamim AhmedChowdhury, Ramila Mistry

Barnhill Borough Labour - Shafique Choudhary Conservative - Janu Kotecha, JahanMahmoodi, Kanta Ratna Pindoria Dollis Hill Borough Labour - Parvez Ahmed, ArshadMahmoodLiberal Democrats - Mohammad AnwarConservative - Rbee Mehmood, SureshPrajapati, Gopal SachdevDudden Hill Borough Labour - Aslam Choudry, Krupesh JadavjiHiraniConservative - Sanjay PatelFryent Borough Conservative - Mick Iqbal, Amit Lakhani,Bhavisha PanchalLiberal Democrats - Arvind Patel, MurariPrasad Sharma Labour - Shama Shilesh TatlerHarsledon Borough Conservative - Brindanand Dass,Camadoo Arthi Prajapati, Vijaya KhimjiRabadia Kenton Borough Labour - Nadhim Ahmed, Syed AlamConservative - Suresh LaxmidasKansagra, Bhiku Mani PatelMapesbury BoroughConservative - Samer Ahmedali Labour - Ahmad ShahzadNorthpick Ward Borough Conservative - Kishan Devani, Harihar Patel Preston Borough Conservative - Harshadbhai Patel, MonicaPatelQueensbury Borough Conservative - Jayanti Patel, SnehalMehta, Kanta MistryLabour - Ramesh Patel, KanaNaheerathan, Sandra KabirStonebridge BoroughConservative - Summer Jafferali, RohitNatverlal Patel, Pritul Rabadia Liberal Democrats - DineshkumarShantilal Shah Labour - Zaffar Van Kalwala, SabinaKhan Sudbury BoroughConservative - Jessica Bhardwaj, BadrulHaqueLabour - Aisha Saleha Hoda-BennGreen Party - Manish Patel Liberal Democrats - Deven Indulal Shah Tokyngton BoroughGreen Party - Khalid Akram Liberal Democrats - Vijya Parbat Bhudia,Naim Hasani, Chunilal Kalyanji HiraniLabour - Muhammed Asghar Butt, KetanShethConservative - Jimmy Desai, MesbahUddin

BROMLEY COUNCIL

Bromley Town UK Independence Party - RubinaBadrudin SuttonCray Valley East Labour - Marina Masuma Ahmad Orpington Labour - Md Golam Kabir BhuiyanPetts Wood & Knoll Labour - Mohammed Kamruz Zaman

EALING COUNCIL

Dormers WellsLiberal Democrat - Mojgan Ahmad Labour - Tej Ram Bagha, Tejinder SinghDhamiRanjit Dheer Ealing BroadwayGreen Party - Meena Hans Conservative - Seema Kumar East Acton Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition -Ravi Patel Labour - Hitesh TailorElthorne Liberal Democrat - Nigel Bakhai, HarjinderSingh Green Party - Suneil Basu Conservative - Anita Kapoor Greenford BroadwayConservative - Param Singh BhatiaLabour - Harbhajan Kaur DheerGreenford Green Conservative - Jamila Bibi-Sarwar Labour - Aysha RazaHanger Hill Labour - Amran Hussain Green Party - Ruby Visaria Lady Margaret Conservative - Chamkaur Singh Bhathal,Sarosh Khalil, Gurcharan Singh Labour - Mohinder Kaur Midha, KaramMohan, Swaran Singh Padda Liberal Democrat - Keshav NarayanSorathia North GreenfordConservative - Qazal Abbas, GurinderjitSingh KhairaLabour - Shital Ved Parkash ManroNorthfield Labour - Surinder NathNortholt MandevilleConservative - Paramjit Singh AnandNorwood Green Labour - Mohammad Aslam, Gurmit KaurMann, Rajinder Singh MannConservative - Neena Kapoor Liberal Democrat - Margaret AntheaSharmaPerivale Labour - Munir Ahmed, Tariq Mahmood,Charan SharmaConservative - Madhava Kumar TurumellaSouth Acton Conservative - Sara KumarSouthall BroadwayIndependent - Darshan Singh Bhinder Gurmail Singh Dokal Labour - Sarfraz Ahmed Khan, Sanjai Kohli,Kamaljit Kaur Nagpal Liberal Democrat - Gurpal Singh Kular Zahida Abbas Noori Manjit Singh Southall GreenConservative - Inderjit Anand, Avtar ChandLabour - Jasbir Kaur Anand, Kamaljit SinghDhindsa, Swarn Singh Kang Walpole Conservative - Ashok Kumar KapoorLabour - Binda RaiAddisonLabour - Khafi KareemAvonmore and Brook Green Labour - Zarar Qayyum College Park and Old Oak Liberal Democrats - Visuddha BowatteHammersmith Broadway Conservative - Asi Ahmed North End Labour - Ali Hashem Conservative - Nabil Najjar

CROYDON COUNCIL

Addiscombe Conservative - Partha ChatterjeeBensham Manor Labour - Humayun KabirConservative - Abdul Matin Talukdar Broad Green Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition -Ragesh Khakhira Conservative - Sophie Khan Green Party - Bimal MohananLiberal Democrats - Syed Arif MohiuddinLabour - Manju Shahul-HameedCoulsdon East Liberal Democrats - Arfan BhattiCoulsdon WestConservative - Jeet Bains Croham Green Party - Shasha Khan Fairfield Liberal Democrats - Sasha Konechni Conservative - Vidhi Moha Green Party - Saima RazaHeathfield Green Party - Yasmin Halai-CarterNorburyLabour - Sherwan Chowdhury, Shafi KhanGreen Party - Raj Mehta Conservative - Gurmit Singh Purley Conservative - Badsha Quadir Sanderstead Labour - Stella Nabukeera Selsdon and Ballards Labour - Chandra BabuShirley Conservative - Richard Rishi Chatterjee WaddonTrade Unionist and Socialist Coalition -Anindya Bhattacharya West Thornton Conservative - Samir Dwesar, PatrickRatnaraja Labour - Bernadette Khan Woodside Labour - Hamida Ali Conservative - Mustafa Tary

ENFIELD COUNCIL

Bowes Conservative - Atilla Arslan, DimpiDattaniLabour - Yasemin BrettEnfield HighwayLabour - Ahmet Hasan Conservative - Vijay Sujan Haselbury Labour - Suna HurmanJubileeLabour - Rohini SimbodyalConservative - Alok Agrawal Upper EdmontonConservative - Mel HusseinLabour - Ali Bakir

Every British Indian household is busy debating about the 'Modification' of India, almostover shadowing the upcoming local elections in Britain on 22 May 2014.

Participation in local election, whether as a candidate or as a voter, is very impor-tant, especially as they affect our lives on a day to day basis. Whether it's council tax,education, social services, waste collection, planning and regulation- one ultimately hasto turn to their local council.

This year there are many new candidates standing from different councils and wards.However, a common trend in London boroughs shows that there are much less Hinduor Sikh candidates, though there is a surprise increase in Muslim representations.

For your perusal, here is a comprehensive (though not exhaustive) list of candidatesfrom your community in your locality.

It is important that you vote and have your say in this upcoming elections. This isyour country, and it's future, even at the grass root level, is entirely in your hands.

Have Your Say In This Local ElectionWelsh Harp Borough Labour - Amer Agha Green Party - Jafar HassanUK Independence Party (UKIP) - SyedIliyas Hussain Liberal Democrats - Patricia Ratnayake Wembley Central BoroughConservative - Mohammed Faruk Ahmed,Abirami Senthilnathan, Jyotshna Patel Liberal Democrats - Dhiraj KatariaWillesden BoroughConservative - Shahin Chowdhury Liberal Democrats - Ibrahim Jahangir,Mayanthie Wijesuriya

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 201414 LOCAL ELECTIONS

LAMBETH COUNCIL

Clapham Common Liberal Democrats - Ruhi Hayat-Khan Gipsy Hill Labour - Niranjan Francis Conservative - Ali Kayikkiran Oval Ward Conservative - Pawan Sharma St Leonard's Labour - Saleha-BegumStreatham Hill Labour - Rezina Akhtar Chowdhury Streatham South Liberal Democrats - Nazir Ahmed, AhmadAli

KENSINGTON AND CHELSEACOUNCIL

Abingdon Labour - Tina Alkaff Earl's Court Labour - Junaed Khan

ISLINGTON COUNCIL

Barnsbury Labour - Jilani ChowdhuryBunhill Robert KhanCanonbury Liberal Democrats - Mihir Magudia ClerkenwellLiberal Democrats - Tahmid RahmanChowdhury, Alan Shan MuhammedHolloway Labour - Rakhia IsmailJunction Conservative - Riddhi Bhalla St Georges Labour - Satnam Gill

HILLINGDON COUNCIL

Barnhill Labour - Kanwal Dheer, Jasjot Singh Local Conservatives - Sarwan Singh Heer Brunel Labour - Laween Atroshi, Jagjit Kaur Brar Local Conservatives - Roy ChamdalLiberal Democrats - SuryakantBhavinchandra Purohit, HetalBhavindchandra Purohit Harefield Independent - Atul Sodha Heathrow Villages Labour - Manjit Kaur KhatraLocal Conservatives - Heena Makwana Hillingdon East Labour - Raheela Butool Ickenham Liberal Democrats - Kim Mathulla Mathen Manor Labour - Shashi Mathur Northwood Labour - Mahan Singh DhillonNorthwood Hills Northwood Hills Community Champions -Nilesh DodhiaUk Independence Party - Heidi Rao Pinkwell Labour - Jazz Dhillon, Kuldeep KaurLakhmanaTownfield Labour - Robin Sansarpuri

LEWISHAM COUNCIL

Whitefoot Liberal Democrats - Vijay Naidu

HARROW COUNCIL

Belmont Labour - Farhan Ahmed, Nishit PatelConservative - Manjibhai Kara, MinaParmarIndependent Labour Group - Smita Patel,Ashwin TrivediCanons Liberal Democrat - Natoo Bhana Labour - Yogalingam Dayanamby, AnjaliRavalConservative - Ameet Jogia, AmirMoshenson, Bharat Thakker Edgware Conservative - Akil Dhalla, Sima Halai Labour - Nitin ParekhIndependent Labour Group - Meghal PatelGreenhill Independent Labour Group - Kamal Mirza,Imran Iqbal Qureshi Conservative - Narinder Singh Mudhar,Ravi Sodha Harrow on the Hill Independent Labour Group - Jamal KhalifAhmed, Shivakuru Selvathurai Labour - Raj Pudasaini, Sadiqur Rahman Harrow WealdConservative - Ramji Chauhan, PriteshPatelLabour - Shohidul Choudhury

HAVERING COUNCIL

MawneysConservative - Dilip Patel

MERTON COUNCIL

Merton ParkLiberal Democrat - Nazir Ahmad Malik St Helier Labour - Imran UddinHillside Ward Liberal Democrat - Mohammed HasanPollards HillConservative - Imran KaliLongthornton Conservative - Hamna QureshiRaynes Park Labour - Praful NargundLower MordenLiberal Democrat - Ashraf AsifAbbey UK Independence Party - RathyAlagaratnamWhitefoot Liberal Democrats - Vijay Naidu

NEWHAM LONDON COUNCIL

BecktonConservative- Syed AhmedLabour- Ayesha ChowdhuryBoleynConservative- Yasir Asif, Yaseen Farmer,Jamal UddinLabour- Obaid Khan, Harvinder SinghVirdee

KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES COUNCIL

Alexandra Labour - Niranjan Ranil AntoineJayasunderaLiberal Democrat Focus Team - HaranKailasapillai Berrylands Liberal Democrat Focus Team - SushilaAbraham Labour - Amina Rasool Beverley Conservative - Raju Pandya Canbury Green Party - Tariq ShabbeerLabour - Nisha Ravindra Tailor Chessington SouthLiberal Democrat Focus Team - ShirazMirza Coombe Hill Conservative - Gaj Wallooppillai Coombe ValeConservative - Roy Arora Labour - Sushil Kumar PallenGrove Ward Liberal Democrat Focus Team - ShoaibBajwa St James Conservative - Priyen Patel St Marks Conservative - Jack Cheetham, PratikShah Liberal Democrat Focus Team - YoganYoganathanSurbiton Hill Conservative - Ronak Pandya Tolworth and Hook Rise Liberal Democrat Focus Team - ThayThayalan

HARINGEY COUNCIL

Alexandra Conservative - Ali Ismail, Mahi ParvinBounds Green Liberal Democrats - Sakina Chenot,Ashleena Deike Conservative - Mity RagnuthHarringay Liberal Democrats - Asha KaurTrade Unionists and Socialists AgainstCuts - Kan Patel Northumberland Park Labour - Kaushika AminGreen Party - Mridu ThankiSeven Sisters Labour - Dhiren Basu Stoud Green Labour - Raj SahotaTottenham Hale Liberal Democrats - Thuranie AruliahWest Green Liberal Democrats - Ramazan Alma Woodside Trade Unionists and Socialists AgainstCuts - Jack Gautami

GREENWICH COUNCIL

Eltham South Labour - Sekhon Jagir Kaur Glyndon Conservative - Bhaval Upendra Patel Labour - Radha RabadiaPlumstead Labour - Rajinder SehmarShooters Hill Conservative - Amit Tiwari Woolwich Common Labour - Ambreen Hisbani, Harry SinghWoolwich Riverside Independent - Hamsa Yusuf

HACKNEY COUNCIL

Hackney Downs Liberal Democrats - Mohammed Sadiq Hackney Wick Liberal Democrats - Ahmed IdrisHomertonIndependent - Shuruj Miah London Fields Green Party - Fatemeh Beyad Stoke NewingtonLiberal Democrats - Imtyaz LunatVictoria Conservative-Rumi Begum, Shahi Dewan

HAMMERSMITH AND FULHAM

Addison Labour - Khafi KareemAvonmore and Brook Green Labour - Zarar QayyumCollege Park and Old Oak Liberal Democrats - Visuddha Bowatte Hammersmith Broadway Conservative - Asi AhmedNorth End Labour - Ali Hashem

Independent Labour Group - Tahir AliHashmi Hatch End Labour - Samir Juthani Liberal Democrat - Dolly Nandhra Headstone South Independent Labour Group - DushkaAhmad Conservative - Prakash Chhotalal Raja,Pravin Kumar SeedherLabour - Sasi Suresh Kenton East Conservative - Viomini Amin, Anjana Patel Labour - Niraj Dattani, Aneka ShahIndependent Labour Group - KrishnaJames, Savitri Panwar, Manju Parmar, Kenton West Independent Labour Group - ManishBharadia, Kavita Patel, Adeel Umair RiazLabour - Mrinal Choudhury, Ajay Maru Conservative - Vina Vipin Mithani, KantiRabadia, Yogesh Ratilal Teli MarlboroughIndependent - Asif Iqbal Independent Labour Group - RehanaKhanum Labour - Varsha ParmarPinner Green Party - Karen Pillai Pinner South Conservative - Kam Chana Labour - Ash DharmasinghamQueensbury Independent Labour Group - Sanjay Karia Conservative - Bharat Mistri, Panna RajaLabour - Kiran Ramchandani, Sachin ShahRayners Lane Independent Labour Group - RatneswaryMuthukumar, Vaithilingam PathmanathanLiberal Democrat - Pash NandhraLabour - Krishna Suresh Roxborne Liberal Democrats - Marshel Amutharasan Independent Labour Group - ManoDharmarajah, Nilesh Jobanputra, SajidNavaid Khokher Roxeth Independent Labour Group - ThayaIdaikkadar, Zarina Khalid, Sukhi MukhalConservative - Mohammad Kaiserimam,Dinesh Babubhai SolankiLabour - Primesh Patel Wealdstone Independent Labour Group - Asrar Ahmad,Paresha PanchalLabour - Rekha Shah West Harrow Independent Labour Group - AnandaHapuarachchige Jay, Sudesh Sembukutti Conservative - Kanagasabaapathy Kuha-Kumaran Labour - Kareema Marikar

HOUNSLOW COUNCIL Bedfont Labour - Sachin Gupta Liberal Democrats - Jin Jhooto Conservative Party - Gursh Sandhu Brentford Liberal Democrats - Mona Zahra NaqviChiswick Riverside Green Party - Rachhpaul BediLabour Party - Rasheed Bhatti, Rakib RuhelCranford Conservative Party - Sarbjit Singh, JavaidIqbal Labour Party - Daanish Saeed, Sohan SinghSangha, Gurpal Singh Virdi Liberal Democrats - Ray Sekhon Feltham North Conservative Party - Gurbachan SinghAthwal, Abdul Majid Labour Party - Khulique Ahmed Malik, HinaMir Feltham West Conservative Party - Anand Kumar RaiHanworth Conservative Party - Shakil Ahmed, KoisorKhan, Nanda Kumara Ratnayake Labour Party - Samia Chaudhary Hanworth Park Labour Party - Bishnu Gurkha Gurung, HanifAhmad KhanConservative Party - Paul JabbalHeston Central Labour Party - Harleen Atwal Hear, ManjitSingh ButtarConservative Party - Amarjit Singh Dhillon,Radhesham Karwal, Karamat Ali Labour Party - Surinder Singh PurewalHeston East Conservative Party - Sati BansalLabour Party - Kamaljit Kaur, Gurmail SinghLall, Amrit Mann Conservative Party - Rehana Siddiqi Heston West Labour Party - Rajinder Singh Bath,Shantanu Singh Rajawat Conservative Party - Baljinder SinghPanesar, Harinder Singh Sahota, HerdeepSingh Hounslow Central Labour Party - Ajmer Grewal, Pritam SinghGrewal, Nisar Ahmed MalikConservative Party - Maneesh Singh, RajTangri Hounslow Heath Labour Party - Mukesh Malhotra Hounslow South Labour Party - Shaida MehrbanHounslow West Labour Party - Bandna Chopra, PuneetGrewal, Jagdish Rai Sharma Ajmer Singh Dhillon Conservative Party - Jagir Singh Sandhu,Mandip Singh ThindIsleworth Sana Jarche Osterley and Spring Grove Labour Party - Unsa Kausar ChaudriConservative Party - Ajoy Gosain Syon Conservative Party - Ranjit Gill

Uxbridge North Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition -Zahra Salman Asif Liberal Democrats - Nasim Aijaz Khan Uxbridge South Imran Khursheed – Labour West Drayton Naman Purewal – Local Conservatives Yeading Labour - Mohinder Singh Birah, NarinderKumari Garg, Jagjit Singh Yiewsley Labour - Parminder Kaur Local Conservatives - Shehryar Wallana

LOCAL ELECTIONSwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 15

WESTMINSTER COUNCIL

BayswaterLabour - Hussain AhmedConservative - Suhail Rahuja Harrow RoadLabour - Nilavra Mukerji Conservative - Hartej Singh Maida Vale Labour - Rita BegumRegent's ParkConservative - Gotz Mohindra WarwickNurul Islam Westbourne Labour - Papya Qureshi

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION

Election of eight members of theEuropean Parliament for the LondonRegion Statement of parties and individ-ual candidates nominated and Notice ofPoll List of Parties with Asian Candidates An Independence from Europe Munpreet Bhathal Animal Welfare Party Dimple PatelRanjan Kumar Joshi Christian Peoples Alliance Sharmilla Sundar Swarna Communities United Party Kamran Malik Humera Kamran Idris Aden Ali Sunita Kaur Singh Conservative Syed Salah Kamall Green Party Haroon Saad Shahrar Ali Labour Kamaljeet Jandu Liberal Democrats Anuja Prashar National Liberal Party – TrueLiberalismJagdeesh Singh Sockalingam Yogalingam Upkar Singh Rai

SUTTON COUNCIL Beddington NorthLabour-Nawaz Ahmad Conservative- Anusha VamadevaStonecotUnionist and Socialist Coalition- LivvyNajman Conservative Party- Sheena Munsami Sutton NorthConservative Party-Mukesh Rao Wallington SouthGreen Party-Rosa Rajendran

WALTHAM FOREST COUNCIL

CathallLabour Party - Naheed AsgharTrade Unionist and Socialist Coalition -Marijerla Ratnaseelan ForestLiberal Democrat Focus Team - ArfanAbrahim, Farooq Qureshi Labour - Shabana DhedhiGrove GreenLabour - Khevyn LimbajeeLiberal Democrat Focus Team - ImranKhan Mahmood, Naser Masood Hale End and Highams ParkConservative - Darshan Singh Sunger High Street Labour - Raja AnwarLiberal Democrat Focus Team- MahmoodAkhtar HussainTrade Unionist and Socialist Coalition -Senan Uthayasenan Hoe Street Liberal Democrat Focus Team - JahanaraAzimLabour - Ahsan Khan, Saima Mahmud Lea BridgeLabour - Masood Ahmad, MohammadAsgharLeytonstoneLiberal Democrat Focus Team - Suleman

WANDSWORTH COUNCIL GraveneyConservative - Rakesh Mazumdar TootingConservative - Shakeel Ahmed SyedWest HillLabour - Basheer Khan

SOUTHWARK COUNCIL

CathedralsLabour-Sirajul Islam ChaucerLabour-Vijay Luthra East DulwichLabour- Cassim Bakharia FaradayAll People's Party-Alhaji Kanumansa NunheadLabour- Sunil Chopra All People's Party- Mariam Yusuff The LaneConservative- Ami AupadhyayLabour Party- Jamille Mohammed

TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL

Bethnal Green Tower Hamlets First-Babu Chowdhury,Salim Ullah Labour-Shafiqul Haque, Sirajul IslamConservative- Taz Kha'lique, MeeraAmrish Patel Liberal Democrat- Kamrun ShahjahanBlackwall and Cubitt TownConservative-Geeta Mohan Kasanga Tower Hamlets First-Faruk Khan, HifzurRahmanLabour-Anisur RahmanBow EastLabour-Amina AliTower Hamlets First-Abdus SalamBow WestIndependent-Anwar Ahmed KhanConservative-SM Safiul Azam Labour-Asma Begum Tower Hamlets First-Jainal ChowdhuryLiberal Democrat-Altaf HussainBromley NorthLabour-Khales Uddin Ahmed, ZenithRahman Tower Hamlets First-Mohammed MuftiMiah, Syed MonirizzamanBromley SouthTower Hamlets First-Kobir Ali, SyedaChoudhuryConservative-Srikanth Rajgopal Labour- Helal UddinCanary WharfTower Hamlets First-Ahmed Hussain,Maium MiahLabour Party-Shubo HussainIsland GardensLabour-Raju Rahman Tower Hamlets First-Bellal UddinLansburyTower Hamlets First-Ohid Ahmed, ShuilyAkhtarLabour-Rajib Ahmed, Shiria KhatunConservative- Mohammed RiazLimehouseTower Hamlets First-Mashuk AhmedMile EndConservative-Mushtak Abdullah, JewelIslamTower Hamlets First-Shah Alam,

RICHMOND UPON THAMESCOUNCIL

BarnesLabour-Su Patel South RichmondLabour-Sachin Patel

REDBRIDGE COUNCIL

AldboroughConservative-Thane ThaneswaranBarkingsideLabour-Ayub Khan, Vinaya KumariSharmaBridgeLabour-Shushila PatelChadwellLabour- Aziz Ahmed ChoudhuryLiberal Democrats- Naren Dattani Conservative-Bharat Laljibhai Parmar,Mohammed Nazim Uddin ClayhallLabour: Shamshia Ali, Gurdial Bhamra,Sanjib BhattacharjeeConservative: Nathan PathmanathanLiberal Democrats: Harjinder SinghClementswoodConservative- Jahangir Ahmed, HabibRehman Liberal Democrats-Ajaz Akram, ZahidButt, Sanjeev Kumar PatelThe Green Party-Wilson Chowdhry Labour Party-Zulfiqar Hussain CranbrookLabour- Ahmed Mushtaq,Varinder SinghBola Conservative- Mahboob Chaudhary,Ashok KumarFairlopLabour-Davinder Singh Nijjar,MuhammadRazaFulwell Ward: Labour- Baljit KaurPanesar GoodmayesConservative-Mohammed Asif, ArvindBhadresa, Pradip SolankiLoxfordIndependent Loxford-Saima Butt,Virendra TewariConservative-Adnan Anward Chaudhary Labour-Taifur Rashid MayfieldLabour: Jas Athwal, Ayodhiya Parkash Conservative-Nisha PatelNewburyConservative- Afsor Hussain, VijayThurairajah Labour-Thavathuray Jeyaranjan

Custom HouseLabour- Rokhsana FiazCommunities United-Najma Saher Conservative- Naz UddinEast Ham CentralLabour: Unmesh DesaiConservative: Abdul MotinEast Ham North Conservative- Biju Gopinath, Ilyas SharifChristian Peoples Alliance- MoriamoSadiq Labour- Paul Duraisamy SathianesanTrade Unionist and Socilaist Coalition-Keerthikan ThennavanEast Ham SouthConservative- Kamal Hussain, NasimaKhatunForest Gate NorthConservative- Shaeb KhanForest Gate SouthConservative- Asif ChoudhuryLabour- Masihullah PatelGreen Street EastConservative- Ashfaq Ahmed, ShahanAhmed, Kamran QureshiLabour: Mukesh Patel, Rohima RahmanGreen Street WestConservative: Saiful ChoudhuryLabour Party: Tahmina Rahman Little IlfordAjab Khan – Conservative Farah Nazeer – Labour Attic Rahman – Conservative Manor ParkConservative- Rahima Khatun, AbdulRafizLabour - Salim Patel, Amarjit SinghPlaistow SouthLabour- Ahmed NoorConservative-Abdul Salam Stratford and New Town Conservative- Bilal Hassan, Jawad Khan,Biju Koshy Liberal Democrats-Gopinathan Benoy,Shakila Masih, Arunasalam PirapaharanChristian Peoples Alliance-Amal RajKakumanu, Sashir Raj Kakumanu,Sharmila Sundar SwarnaIndependent- Bob Singh Mudhar

RodingLabour Party-Rahman Siddique Sevin KingsConsevative- Mosheraf Ashraf Liberal Democrats-Sadiq Yakub Kothia Labour- Baldesh Kaur Nijjar ValentinesLabour- Khayer Chowdhury Liberal Democrats-Shoaib Patel Green- Gurdeep Sahota Conservative-Atul Sharma

Mohammed Shahid Ali, Mustak SyedTrade Unionist and Social Coalition-ArzooMiahLabour-Motin Un-Zaman Poplar WardTower Hamlets First-Kibria ChoudhuryLabour-Kahar ChoudhuryShadwellLiberal Democrat-Monowara BegumTower Hamlets First-Rabina Khan, HarunMiahLabour-Mamun Rashid, Farhana Zaman Spitafields and BanglatownLabour-Helal Uddin Abbas, Tarik KhanTower Hamlets First-Suluk Ahmed,Gulam RobbaniSt. Dunstan'sTower Hamlets First-Rofique Ahmed,Mahbub (mamun) AlamPeace party-Abdul Munim ChoudhuryLiberal Democrat-Koyes UzzamanChoudhuryLabour-Ayas Miah, Abdal Ullah St Katherine's and WappingTower Hamlets First-Ahad MiahSt Peter'sLiberal Democrat-Azizur Rahman KhanTower Hamlets First-Abjol Miah,Muhammad Ansar Mustaquim, AktaruzZamanLabour-Sanu Miah Stepney GreenLabour- Sabina AkhtarTower Hamlets First- Alibor Choudhury,Oliur RahmanWeaversTower Hamlets First-Kabir Ahmed,Yousef KhanLabour- Abdul Chunu MukitWhitechapelLabour-Faruque Mahfuz Ahmed ,Jamalur RahmanTower Hamlets First- Shahed Ali, AbulAsad, Aminur Khan

Naseem Ahmed, Sadia Mirza MarkhouseLabour Valley - Johar Khan, AsimMahmoodLabour - Akta Beg Liberal Democrats - Shahnaz Malik William MorrisLabour - Nadeem AliLiberal Democrats - Qaisar Iqbal Wood Street Liberal Democrats - Maqsood Akhtar,Sahar Masih

Mayuri Dave

With 40 Lok Sabha seats,Bihar is one of the bigstates in the country todecide the fate of rulingparty at the centre, whenit comes of India’s gener-al elections. However,after almost 67 years ofindependence majorissues in the state stillhovers around unemploy-ment, poverty and illiter-acy.

Located in the east-ern part of India, Bihar issurrounded by WestBengal in the east andUttar Pradesh in thewest. In the north,the state is bor-dered by Nepaland in thesouth byJharkhand. In2000, thesouthern partof Bihar was sub-dividedand the state of Jharkhandwas born.

All the major politicalparties are having pres-ence in the state. Apartfrom three major partiesBJP, Congress and JanataDal (United), regionalparties like RashtriyaJanata Dal (Lalu Yadav),Lok Janshakti Party,Bihar’s People’s Party,Bihar Vikas Party, KisanVikas Dal, Sampurna

Vikas Dal etc are active tohave their pie in the powergame.

The first election washeld in 1951 withCongress as the winningparty. It continued to bethe winning party in theLok Sabha elections till1989. In the twelfth andthe thirteenth Lok SabhaElections held in 1998 and1999, the NationalDemocratic Alliance

(NDA) formed the gov-ernment. In the four-teenth Lok Sabha elec-tions held in 2004, UnitedProgressive Alliance wasthe winning party, whileNDA took the lead in2009.

Major issues of thestate are declining GDPgrowth, Maoism, unem-ployment, poverty andilliteracy. As per recent

data, the state has

recorded aGDP growthof 8.82% in2013-14, while

in 2012-13 it was15.05%. This decline is acause of concern as Biharis still much below itspotential and can keepgrowing at a faster rate.

The state has wit-nessed a major attack bythe CPI (Maoist) whenthe insurgents lootedammunition and armsfrom the police of Bihar. Itwas the biggest loot of2013 in India by theMaoists.

Charusmita

The election fever in India istaking an unprecedentedgigantic form and is beingtouted as having the mostpolarised-voter base in thehistory of Indian elections.

Kailash Budhwar, formerhead of the BBC WorldService (Hindi and Tamil)and a regular commentatoron South Asian politics for

programmes such asNewsnight, spoke about theframework and activities ofthe Lok-Sabha elections2014 in India. Gracing theoccasion was the British MPVirendra Sharma as theChief Guest. The venue, the

Nehru Centre (Indian HighCommission’s cultural cen-tre), was thronged by Indiansand British Asians who wereeager to understand, contex-

tualise and make sense ofthe most anticipated politi-cal event of this year.

With around 814 millionpeople voting to elect thenation’s leader, India willwitness the largest electionever, in the world. A weekahead of the poll resultson 16th of May,Mr. Budhwar’s talkshed light on themajor players inthe electoralexercise, theimportance ofdemocracy andthe significance ofcoming out to vote. Animportant clarificationwas made regardingdemocracy in practice andthe voting process- abouthow voting alone does notguarantee a successfuldemocracy but is definitelythe first step towards achiev-ing a healthy one.

The talk began with theexplanation of the frameworkof these elections and he

BJP’s prime ministerial can-didate Narendra Modi hasaccused the Congress partyfor its alleged alliance withcrime tainted political par-ties. Congress, especially itsPresident Sonia Gandhi andVice-president Rahul Gandhiwere under fire for a seat-sharing deal with India’smost crime tainted politicalparty headed by Lalu PrasadYadav in their attempt to holdon to power in polls that con-cluded on12th May.

Modi highlighted thescale of alleged criminalityamong the Congress Party’sclosest ally, against which itdoes not field its own candi-dates. Yadav was previouslyjailed after being convictedfor his part in siphoning £200million in government fundsfor non-existent livestock, sois now personally bannedfrom running for office in thiselection. More than 70 percent of his party’s candidatesface unresolved criminalcharges against them, rangingfrom corruption and theft toextortion and murder.

At a rally in Bihar, thenorthern state that is Yadav’sstronghold, Modi taunted theCongress leaders for keepingLalu at arm’s length. “Do yousee Lalu sitting with them?Everything they do is behindcurtains,” he said. Most noto-rious of the RJD party’s can-didates is Pappu Yadav, a sen-ior figure unrelated to itsleader, who has been namedby an election watchdog asthe candidate facing the high-est number of criminal cases.

A four-time MP, he servedfive years of a life sentencefor the murder of a politicalrival until he was cleared onappeal. At his nomination, hedeclared he had been accused

in more than 80 criminalcases, including 24 for seri-ous offences includingattempted murder, kidnap-ping and extortion under thethreat to kill.

As he campaigned in hisSaharsa constituency in anopen top car garlanded withmarigolds, Yadav, in whitetrousers and a pink shirt,waved to voters and beck-oned them forward to receivehis “blessings”. During abreak from campaigning,flanked by burly members ofhis Yuva Shakti (YouthPower) bodyguard organisa-tion dressed in black safarisuits, he denied he had everkilled anyone, kidnapped orpractised extortion.

He said he had a bad rep-utation because he had beena youth leader who stood upfor his backward Yadav castewhen its members wereattacked by Brahmins overthe government’s introduc-tion of quotas for governmentjobs and college places forthem.

He said he was caught upin a “caste war” in the early1990s in which more than 12people, including a police-man, had been killed.Because of that involvement,

he had been branded as a“strongman”, an Indianeuphemism for a gangster.

He had no option but tofight, he said. “I regret thatand have remorse for that. Apoliceman was killed duringthat struggle ... I was on theverge of losing my life,” hesaid, adding that he had exer-cised leadership to “avoidbloodshed”.

“If everyone ran awayfrom the dirt and filth of poli-tics, how would people likeJesus be produced? I foughtfor the people’s cause andthat was why I was persecut-ed,” he said.

According to theAssociation for DemocraticReforms, which scrutinisescandidates’ personal andfinancial records, one in threeof BJP candidates and 27 percent of Congress contestantsalso face criminal charges.

Even the anti-corruptionAam Admi (Common Man)Party has chosen allegedcriminals as candidates inone in six constituencies. Inthe association’s analysis ofthe seventh of the nine phaseelection, which was held lastweek, it identified 222 of1292 candidates facing crimi-nal charges.

16 www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014

More than 500m peoplevoted in India’s vast gener-al election, and opinionpolls seem certain thatthere is a clear favourite towin. These formal surveyshave, however, repeatedlybeen proven wrong, andthose seeking additionaladvice could do worse thanask one of the country’sunofficial political pundits:the underground book-makers. In keeping withpopular sentiment, book-makers are predicting avictory for Narendra Modi,the prime ministerial can-didate for the oppositionBharatiya Janata party(BJP). They have stoppedtaking bets on RahulGandhi, after an unexpect-edly high volume of wagersagainst the ruling Congressparty hopeful upset theirfinancial calculations. “Ithas become big this yearbecause of the Modi feverthat’s running around,”one bookie says of gam-bling on the election. “Thescene has exploded.”Though gambling is largelyillegal in India a vast illicittrade exists, valued byKPMG at about $60bn. Itis unquestionably domi-nated by cricket, thenational obsession, butpolitical betting remainspopular – and tends to

command bigger wagers.“Sports betting is a com-mon man’s game,” saysone bookmaker, “the elec-tion betting is mainly mid-dle-class and people asso-ciated with politics directlyor indirectly.” Currently,bookmakers are offeringodds of 35 paise on Modi,which means a Rs100($1.67) bet would yieldjust Rs135 if the BJPfavourite is declared primeminister after results arerevealed on Friday. By con-trast, punters who placeRs100 on Arvind Kejriwal,leader of the fledgling AamAadmi party (AAP), willreceive a staggering Rs.50,100 in the highlyunlikely event he leadsIndia’s next government.

One bookmaker claimsthat he personally had aspread bet in which he soldBJP seats at 241 for Rs5,000 a seat. He stands tolose Rs 5,000 for every seatthe opposition party winsabove 241 seats, but hewill win Rs 5,000 per seatif the BJP wins 240 seats orless in the 545-memberparliament. They may beworking in an under-ground industry, butIndia’s illegal bookmakersare respected for their pre-dictions in both the sport-ing and political world.

Lucknow: BSP supremoMayawati ruled outextending any kind ofsupport to the BJP-ledNDA government in theevent of the party comingto power after the LokSabha polls. The formerUP chief minister alsosaid that the BJP hasrealised that it might notbe able to form the gov-ernment and that there isno Modi wave as claimedin the media.

"BJP leader NarendraModi in his recent inter-view had claimed that ifneeded he might seeksupport of AIADMKleader Jayalalithaa, TMC'sMamata Banerjee andBSP national president...Iwant to make it clear thatBSP will not extend anykind of support to NDA atany cost," Mayawati toldreporters.

"When elections start-ed, Modi was claimingthat NDA will not requiresupport of any otherparty. No party talksabout taking support ofany other party unless it isunsure of its victory...Theinterview of Modi is aploy to create confusionin the minds of minoritycommunity which are vot-ing for us," she said.

Voters put India’s political future in ballot

Maya rulesout support

to Modi

Unemployment, Poverty, andIlliteracy major issue in Bihar

GENERALELECTION 2014

ANALYSIS

Laloo PrasadYadav

Nitish Kumar

Ram VilasPaswan

ShatrughanSinha

Sushil KumarModi

Kailash Budhwar Virendra Sharma

India will remain sec

Narendra Modi jeers at Congress overpoll alliance with alleged criminal

gave someinteresting sta-tistics whichhad evaded pub-lic memory – likethe 2 seatsapart from the543 LokS a b h a

w h i c ha r e

reserved forAnglo-Indianmembers, incase they don’tget electedwithin the ini-tial 543 ones. He

highlighted the

geographical and infrastruc-tural complexities whichmake the election processhard to conduct but despitesuch challenges, India is allset to elect its 16th LokSabha (House of the Peoplein the Indian

Parliament)in May 2014.

Regarding theconcerns around the

anticipated threat of anti-secular sentiments aroundthe NDA’s Prime Ministerialcandidate, he said that itdoes not matter who comesto power in these elections asthey will not be able todestroy the sanctity of thepluralism that has alwaysexisted in India. Secularismas the political tool of com-munication, according to Mr.Budhwar will not be able todisturb the age old harmonyamong the Indian citizens.

Mr. Budhwar also talkedabout the role of the youth inthe current elections. Giventhe record breaking registra-tion of young voters this elec-tive season, he foresees asubstantial role of the youthin Indian elections. He seesthis as an indication of astronger youth connectionand awareness towards facili-tating development and animprovement in the standardof living. Stating that tech-nology has made it possibleto measure and comparesuch indicators across coun-tries, Mr. Budhwar conclud-ed by predicting that theseare the parameters that willmeasure and decide thefuture of India. This talk wasfollowed by a few words bythe British MP VirendraSharma who maintained thatthe British governmentwould be happy to be associ-ated with the elected leader-ship of the government ofIndia, irrespective of individ-ual party ideologies.

SPECIAL 17www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014

A strong BJP supporterCllr Dr. Neeraj Patilbecame the first Mayor ofAsian origin in theLondon Borough ofLambeth from 2010-2011.A consultant in Accidentand Emergency Medicine,Dr Patil spoke exclusivelyto Asian Voice aboutIndia's ongoing elections,in reference to his recentvisit to India. Commenting on the

need for a change of gov-ernment in India, Dr Patilsaid, “The economicgrowth in India has fallenfrom 10% to 5% in India.Partly perhaps because ofthe global economic slow-down, but when there is a50% reduction in growth,the government has totake some blame for it.Tackling unemploymentand inflation have been abig failure. Also, in partsof rural India, you havebasic problems such asdrinking water, electricity,and food to eat.”He also expressed his

concern that people havebecome hugely distrustfulof politicians in the last 10years, mainly due to thelarge scale corruption thattakes place. “People arevery disappointed becausethey see their hopes andaspirations have been letdown by all the govern-ments. Their trust in poli-tics has hit rock bottom,no matter what politicalparty you come from.There is a lot of corrup-tion everywhere, which isaffecting the growth andprosperity of the nation.People are fed up. Theywant to see things get bet-ter even if one step at atime. And Narendra Modihas been able to achieve

that in Gujarat and that iswhy he's been gettingelected.”Mr Patil suggested

that the only way theworld’s largest democracycan be restored is if thecommon man backs polit-ical parties that will makea difference. He said,“People in India are goodat judging politicians. Soif you can show even a lit-tle bit of difference, they'llgive you the benefit of thedoubt. In the UnitedProgressive Alliance(UPA) regime, no matterwho becomes the PrimeMinister, the remote con-trol is in the hands of theGandhi family. This won'thappen in NationalDemocratic Alliance(NDA). The new govern-ment that is likely to form,doesn't talk about religionor caste, it only talksabout business and devel-opment.”Addressing the mis-

conceptions surroundingthe notion of Hindutva,Dr Patil emphasised,“Hindutva presents the

BJP's conception ofIndian nationhood. It isnot a religious or theo-cratic concept. It's about“Indianness” orHindutva, about promot-ing Indian culture andheritage, including thenative Indian Muslim,Christian and Sikh cul-tures. There is a growingconcern amongst nativeIndians about the erosionof native Indian cultureand heritage. It is impor-tant that the native“Indianness” or Hindutvais preserved.”On his predictions, Mr

Patil said, “All the opinionpolls predict a BJP victory.The challenge is that if theNDA want to push for-ward its manifesto, itmust get 270 seats. If theyget any less than that,they will have a coalition.If this happens, their man-ifesto will dilute. Thechallenge is whether themagic figure of 270 will bereached, not whetherNDA is going to come topower, as they will surelycome to power.”

New Delhi: Finally thecurtain came down onmarathon Lok Sabhaelections with an all-timerecord high turnout of66.38 per cent as the finalphase of polling covering41 seats in three statesreplicated the trend ofincreased voters' partici-pation seen in the previ-ous 8 rounds. The overall turnout in

all the nine phases ofpolling this year stood at66.38 per cent, postingthe highest in the historyof LS elections, surpass-ing the previous best of64.01 per cent in1984inthewakeoftheas-sassinationof the thenprime minister IndiraGandhi. Turnout in 2009was 58.19 per cent. The polling on

Monday in 18 seats ofUttar Pradesh, 17 in WestBengal and six in Bihar

was by and large peacefulbarring stray violence.The highest polling onMonday was recorded inWest Bengal, wherestakes are high for TMChoping to retain all 14 of17 seats decided in thelast phase. Bihar registered the

second highest turnoutwith 58 per cent followedby Uttar Pradesh 55.29percent. The turnout inVaranasi, one of the themost high-profile con-stituencies whereNarendra Modi is pittedagainst AAP convenerArvind Kejriwal andCongress' Ajai Rai, waspegged at 55.34 per-cent.Overninecrorevoterswereeligible to seal thefate of 606 candidates,including Modi, Kejriwaland SP chief MulayamSingh Yadav in the ninthphase of polling.

Last phase wraps up LokSabha polls with 66%

NDA is about development,not religion or caste

Two Bihar BJP leadersfiled separate casesagainst Priyanka Vadrafor her neech rajniti (low-level politics) barb atNarendra Modi even asRahul Gandhi counteredthe saffron offensive overthe remark, saying peo-ple’s actions are low, nottheir caste. The contro-versy over the remarkalso refused to die downwith BJP and Congresssniping at each other. BJPBihar unit’s GeneralSecretary SurajnandanMehta filed a case inPatna alleging that theremarks would promoteenmity between groupsand lead to breach ofpeace. The head of stateBJP fishermen communi-ty cell Arjun Sahni filed acase in the court ofDarbhanga Chief JudicialMagistrate ShailendraPandey against her level-ling similar charges.

Cases againstPriyanka

cular and democratic

The 814 million eligibleIndian voters are largelydelivering a negative verdicton the Congress party gov-ernment, which they are inthe process of kicking out. Infact the corruption taintedcongress party is proving theadage of democratic electionsright – Lost by governmentsrather than won by opposi-tions. The final phase of voting

completed in Calcutta, a citywhere crumbling 19th centu-ry palaces rub up besidesprawling slums, will havethe final say. The result of thegreat Indian Poll will beannounced on 16th May. Nowhere in India lives

and breathes politics as doesCalcutta, where 22 per centof people live on less than 27rupees (27p) per day, forcingmany to rely on party linksfor access to basic servicesand handouts. Turnout isexpected to hit 80 per cent,compared with 53 per cent inMumbai and 65 per cent inDelhi. Six weeks after thefirst ballots were cast,Narendra Modi, the Hindunationalist leader of theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP),is favourite to become thenext prime minister.The promise of the

Congress party, ever sinceindependence in 1947, hasbeen that it would delivereconomic justice for allIndians. Progress on thatcount has been painfully slowand is likely to produce a ter-rible reckoning for Congress. Over the past two decades

India, despite a growth ratewell over 5 per cent a year,has fallen behind poorernations such as Bangladeshon measures such as childnutrition. Modi has made a

great deal of his plans forjobs. Growth has been above7 per cent for most of theCongress years but, inconve-niently, dipped below 5 percent just before the election.Investment levels have stalledand the historic Congresstendency to over regulate theeconomy has been in evi-dence.The voters also sponta-

neously voice the two othergreat failings of the Congressparty. The corruption that is

endemic in Indian democracyis the greatest threat to thecountry’s development. Thebarriers to India’s growth areinfrastructure, public healthand better education — all ofthem questions of public pol-icy. Corrupt government istherefore not just bad andillegitimate in itself. It is adirect economic problem.This is linked to the sec-

ond problem. The long rule ofthe Gandhi family has ceasedto be a virtue for Congressand has now become a bur-den. Deriving from India’sfirst prime minister, Nehru,rather than MahatmaGandhi, dynastic politics mayhave reached the end of thebloodline with the cata-strophic performance in thiselection campaign of the lat-est scion, Rahul Gandhi.Reports that the PrimeMinister, Manmohan Singh,

had become a puppet of hisparty’s president, SoniaGandhi, have diminishedSingh’s governing authorityat the same time as confirm-ing the untoward influence ofthe dynasty. Much of theattraction of Modi is that hestyles himself as an outsiderto this kind of Delhi elite pol-itics. Finally, there is anothersense in which the Congressparty no longer stands forIndia. Paradoxically,Congress has failed to come

to terms with an India that ithas had a big hand in creat-ing. India has myriad socialproblems but it has also seenhuge income growth and thecreation of a large class ofaspirational voters. In con-centrating its policies on sub-sidised work schemes andfood handout programmes,Congress is appealing to adwindling proportion of theelectorate.India is not yet, to recall

an old BJP election slogan,shining. It is, however, chang-ing rapidly and the Congressparty will have to changewith it. It needs to abandonhereditary politics, get aproper grip on corruption andmodernise its economicapproach. As the last votersgo to the polls in the world’slargest democracy, they aremaking it pay the price forstagnating.

Corruption tainted Congress set tolose the general election

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 201418

Right now, all eyes are onIndia and on the Indianelection results. The rea-son being, the new gov-ernment and its policieswill have a significantimpact on what role for-eign investors and thediaspora will play in thegrowth of India.

Dr Mohan Kaul,Emeritus Chairman,Commonwealth BusinessCouncil, says thatNarendra Modi, one of thethree main leaders of thecontending parties, willput the Indian economy atthe centre of his politicalagenda.Mohan Kaul explains

that what India needstoday is the creation of abusiness environment thatis conducive for trade –both domestic and interna-tional. He says that if Indiadoesn’t make regulatoryand structural changes, itwill fail to live up to its truepotential. To achieve thedesired economic growth,India will need substantialflow of FDIs.He adds that British

and foreign businesseshave confidence in Indiabut they need to see theright signals to increaseinvestment in the country.They want a governmentwhich will cut red tapeand increase liberalisa-tion. In order to attractforeign investment, Indiahas to remove retrospec-tive tax rules, pushing forfaster clearances and regu-lations, and a nationwideGoods and Services Tax.The single biggest fac-

tor causing India to lan-guish in 134th positionout of the 189 countries interms of ease of doingbusiness, according to TheWorld Bank report, is itsinconsistency in policymaking. To make Indiaattractive to foreigninvestors, the new govern-ment has to win the confi-dence of foreign businessby removing the red-tapeand easing bureaucratichurdles. If Modi becomesthe next Prime Minister ofIndia, he says, he (Modi)will stick to his pro-busi-ness agenda.

Mukesh Ambani-ledReliance Industries leadsthe pack of 54 Indian com-panies in Forbes' annuallist of the world's 2,000largest and most powerfulpublic companies, withChinese companies occu-pying the top three slots onthe list.The Forbes 'Global

2000' is a comprehensivelist of the world's largest,most powerful public com-panies, as measured by rev-enues, profits, assets andmarket value.China is home to the

world's top three biggestpublic companies and fiveof the top 10. The USretains its dominance asthe country with the mostGlobal 2000 companies at564. Japan trails the USwith 225 companies inaggregate.Reliance Industries is

ranked 135 on the list witha market value of 50.9 bil-lion dollars and 72.8 billiondollars in sales as on May2014. Reliance is followedby State Bank of Indiawhich is ranked 155 andhas a 23.6 billion dollarsmarket value.The other Indian com-

panies on the list are Oiland Natural Gas ranked176, ICICI Bank (304),Tata Motors (332), IndianOil (416), HDFC Bank(422), Coal India (428),Larsen & Toubro (500),Tata Consultancy Services(543), Bharti Airtel (625),Axis Bank (630), Infosys(727), Bank of Baroda(801), Mahindra &Mahindra (803), ITC(830), Wipro (849), BharatHeavy Electricals (873),GAIL India (955), TataSteel (983) and PowerGrid of India (1011).

World Bank has bannedtwo Indian entities for vio-lating its fraud and corrup-tion guidelines, makingthem ineligible to partici-pate in any projectsfinanced by the globallender for certain period. Savoir Soft Solutions,

based out of Noida, andone individualLaxminarayan Mallickfrom Cuttack have beenbarred from participating

in any bank-financed con-tract, according to latestinformation from theWorld Bank. The ban onSavoir Soft Solutions is forfour years starting fromMarch 19, 2014. As per the lender,

Mallick, who also doesbusiness under LaxmiNarayan Construction, hasbeen banned for threeyears. The ban has comeinto effect from March 25.

Foreign investors seekclear policies fromnew Indian govt

India home to 54 ofworld's biggest companies

World Bank bans twoIndian entities over fraud

Dear Financial Voice Reader,

India and Britain marching on together. I meanwith their stock markets hitting highs. I write to youfrom Delhi, after visiting the financial capital Mumbai.

These are the highlights:The FTSE 100 and the Bombay Sensex are at highs.In the UK giants such as AstraZeneca and Sage and

Barratt are leading the way. In India it is the giants likeHero, Infosys, TCS, Maruti, Bajaj Auto, Tata Steel.

In both countries the breadth and diversity of com-panies adding wealth is clear. In both countries growthis expected to rise (albeit for different reasons).

In both countries the Governments are well intotheir terms – and by the time you read this indeed inIndia the old Government will have gone.

In both countries the rising stocks are not all inter-national, but quite a few of them focus purely on theirdomestic markets – like Barratt in the UK and HeroHonda in India.

You may find this startling given all the criticism ofboth governments is that their economic policies havehurt growth, that the cost of living is increasing andpeople have less and less disposable incomes. Yet thefacts are that it will be under the Congress Governmentthat the Indian stock market will have hit its all timehighs.

So what is the outlook? Most definitely the expec-tations are so great on any new Indian governmentthat the market is bound to fall a month from now.Such a rate of rise cannot continue in the short term,such high expectations cannot ever be met.

Look at the US under Obama – as soon as he cameinto office the stock market just kept falling. When hewas getting ready for office, it kept rising. And this is acommon truth of the markets around the world; buythe rumour, sell the fact. Markets work on expecta-tions, they anticipate. They do not look backwards oreven at the present, they only ever look forwards.

This is also the reason that very often people willsee a companies profits rise and yet the share pricefall. To understand the market you have to think likethe other participants do – you have to outthink them,anticipate their move and of course understand thatthey are doing the same about your moves.

So what will happen with the UK market then? Ourexpectations I believe are beaten lower than the reali-ty. So when facts like company profits are announcedby companies, then they will be better than expecta-tions and the market will rise. So I remain till the endof the year optimistic about the UK market.

It is ironic then that the UK with far lower growththan India will outperform the Indian market in thenear term.

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Priti Patel, the PrimeMinister's UK IndianDiaspora Champion andan MP of Gujarati origin,hosted the first everGujarat foundation dayevent in UK Parliamentwith hundreds of guestsand dignitaries.This event took place

on the 1st of May - thesame day 54 years ago thatGujarat became an inde-pendent Indian state - andit was the first of its kind inthe UK. To mark this majormilestone his Excellency

Mr Ranjan Mathai, IndianHigh Commissioner inLondon; the Rt Hon HughRobertson MP, Minister ofState at the Foreign &Commonwealth Office;Alpesh Patel, a leadingexpert on UK-India busi-ness relations; and execu-tive members of theNCGO were present. Atthe event Bank Of Barodawas conferred“Outstanding Services tothe Community” award.The Function was

organized by NCGO.

Bank of Baroda receivesOutstanding Services tothe Community award

Mr Dhimant Trivedi, Chief Executive European Operations,UK receiving the Outstanding Services to the Community

award from Priti Patel MP.

REAL ESTATE VOICEwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 19

Suresh VagjianiSow & Reap

A Property InvestmentCompany

In the property game we require funding, and from time to time wehave to use bridging funds which are very expensive but in theright situation they can serve well.

There’s a Jewish family who has been lending for many manygenerations originally from Iraq. As well as lending they do theirown property developments as well. Whilst purchasing a proper-ty I got to know that they are the freeholders for a block that wewere buying in. Owning a freehold means you own the land theflats are built on. This entitles you to collect ground rents from theleaseholders. When the lease gets shorter you have the privilege ofcharging a large premium for the extension.

They’re old boys and so once we had done some business I satdown with them and asked them to level with me. Why on earthwould they be interested in earning 12% on their funds, whenclearly they are able to earn much more money on their develop-ments.

It was then I discovered this was a side business for them, themoney they were lending out was not even in the country, it wasoff shore. Off shore money earns a paltry rate of interest but theaim is to leave it off shore. The bank cross guarantees the fundsand then the loan is given. These are old school boys who like tolook you in the eye and also look at the projects themselves. Thefact they had been lending for generations made me think of thestory in the bible wherein Jesus enters the temple and throws outthe money lenders:

I’m pretty sure these were the same people whose ancestorshad been lending during the times of Jesus and quite possibly inthis temple!

Interestingly the charging of usury or interest is prohibited toother Jews but is allowed to non-Jews. Biblical law forbids takingor giving interest to “your brother” (a fellow Jew), whether moneyor food or “anything”.

In Islam charging interest is forbidden. They get around in twoways, one is very simply by calling it rent instead of calling it inter-est. So you carry on paying ‘rent’ until you pay the principal back.The other way is the bank purchases the property and resells it toyou at a higher price.

In both of these methods the prevailing interest rate is used inboth calculations. The change of name changes something fromHaram – forbidden, to Halal – permissible.

Going back to my meeting, in short they were engaged in twomain activities: money lending, and ground rents. Clearly I wasmissing a trick, I don’t have this ancestry; mine are famers.

This is a long term almost infinite formula, not the boom andbust the property wave which the masses engage in. So what’s thereasons for the focus on these two aspects?

Ground Rents are interesting. There is almost zero default onthe collection of this, if the leasee refuses to pay the ground rent,

Weathering the storm

12 Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the tem-ple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those whosold doves. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house ofprayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.”

the freeholder simply informs the lender, they will then pay thefreeholder the ground rent and then add it on to the outstandingmortgage along with an admin fee for doing so. You do not havethis level of security for rents. The level of ground rent payable isfixed in advance so it does not change with the market force, it ispredefined in the lease. Unlike rents which can change accordingto the season and market forces.

From a security point of view the ground rents top the rental forproperties. Furthermore when the lease gets smaller you cancharge a lump sum to extend the lease. Over a medium to longterm property prices will rise therefore the amount you charge willrise as time goes on. This is the cherry on the pie.

Looking at the second investment of money lending, the loan tovalue is 60%-70%, furthermore they lend only on prime assets.Meaning if the property is worth £1m the risk will be £600k to£700k. On a property downturn particularly in prime parts ofLondon the prices will rarely dip this low. Most of the loans aredone with personal guarantees, this means in the unlikely eventthey fail to recover the money loaned they have the right to claimthe rest from the borrower.

These investments are designed to weather a storm and to sur-vive for generations, unlike those surfers who surf a rising wave,which of course you can do only whilst the wave is rising.

The practise of money lending has been around for thousandsof years, and has been frowned upon by most of the Abrahamicreligions.

Language can be very revealing if you decipher the true mean-ing of the words we use.

The simple definition of mortgage is: A financial instrument bywhich the deed to real property is held in lieu of payment.

However in this article we want to examine the root meaning ofthe word mortgage, which is ‘death grip’. Upon closer examinationwe find that mortgage is made up from two words: ‘mort’ and’gage’. Mort comes from the Latin word mortuus from which weget ‘mortuary, mortal, death’. Gage means ‘hold or grip’.Therefore, mortgage is a death grip!!

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 201420 LEGAL VOICE

maria@abplgroup.comMaria Fernandes

There are a number ofchanges of procedure, lawand practice. The judg-ment of the case on thelawfulness of Britishspouses and the minimumsalary requirement isawaiting a decision hav-ing been argued at theCourt of Appeal.

Tier 2 Applicants who are

applying for permanentsettlement will now havetheir passports returnedand will be able to travelabroad whilst their appli-cation is pending.Passports will be returnedautomatically after theapplication has been reg-istered. It is not clearwhat will happen if theapplication is consideredand refused whilst theapplicant is abroad espe-cially with regard to rightsof appeal which are deter-mined by statute.

Ping PongThe House of Lords

has now passed the thirdreading of theImmigration Bill and thenext stage of theImmigration Bill is calledping pong, so calledbecause the Bill goes fromthe House of Commons tothe Lords to agree thefinal set of amendmentsbefore the Bill becomeslaw. This Bill, when itbecomes law, will have a

significant impact on thepractice of Immigration ina number of areas includ-ing housing, employmentand healthcare.

Increase inMaintenanceThe required mainte-

nance for Tier 4 studentsis to increase for applica-tions made after 1st July2014. The increases arenot huge but neverthelessneed to be carefully con-sidered. For example forthose studying in innerLondon the figure will goup from £1000 to £1020.

Venezuela They join the list of

visa national countriesand will require visas toenter the UK as of the 5thMay 2014.

Call for AmnestyIn the meantime Boris

Johnson, the Mayor ofLondon, has repeated hiscall for an amnesty of ille-gal migrants who havelived in the UK for 10years or more. He believesthat doing so will enablethem to contribute lawful-ly to the Exchequer. Hehas also criticised theGovernment for restrict-ing legal immigration. Heis the only mainstreampolitician willing to makesuch a bold statementespecially as the drumbeat of the elections getscloser.

Changes to immigrationas at May 2014

BSE Sensex breaches24,000 level for first time

India’s manufacturingPMI remains unchanged

The benchmark Sensexcrossed 24,000 mark forthe first time on sustainedFII buying in power, con-sumer durables, PSUs,banking and capital goodsstocks after exit pollsshowed the BJP-led NDAwill form the next govern-ment at the Centre. The 30-share BSE

barometer, after openingon a strong note, breached24,000 level to trade at anall-time high of 24,068.94by surging 517.94 points,or 2.19 per cent. The rally was led by

stocks of Coal India,Reliance Industries, SBI,ICICI Bank, NTPC,ONGC, Larsen andToubro, ITC, Maruti

Suzuki and Infosys. TheSensex had gained over1,206 points in the lasttwo trading sessions. The broad-based Nifty

of the National StockExchange zoomed by151.50 points, or 2.16 percent, to hit a new high of7,165.75. Stocks of PSUs,oil and gas and capitalgoods sectors turnedinvestors' fancy, helpingthe key indices to touchhistoric highs. Besides, positive global

cues too triggered buyingby foreign funds. Thepower sector index gainedthe most by rising 4.45 percent to 1,875.41, followedby capital goods index by4.17 per cent to 13,450.52.

India’s manufacturing sec-tor growth remained“steady” in April as aslowdown in export orderswas countered by firmerdomestic demand duringthe month, an HSBC sur-vey said. The HSBC IndiaManufacturing PurchasingManagers’ Index (PMI), a

measure of factory produc-tion, stood at 51.3 inApril, unchanged from51.3 in March, amid mod-erate expansion of incom-ing new business orders. Activity in the sector

expanded for the sixthconsecutive month inMarch.

Following the successfulhosting of the UK SouthIndia Business Meet, UKKarnataka Business Meet,UK Kerala Business Meetand various other stateBusiness Meets at theHouses of Parliament overthe years, BSICC, in part-nership with UKTNCC,organised the UK TamilNadu & PuducherryBusiness Meet 2014 on8th May 2014 at Housesof Parliament,Westminster, London.This business meet waschaired by Mr VirendraSharma MP. The audienceincluded representativesfrom Tamil Nadu,Puducherry, Members ofHouse of Lords & Houseof Commons, representa-tives from other Indianstates/other countries andbusinessmen from Indiawho are successful in UK.One of the notable atten-dees for the business meetwas Mr. Bharat Joshi,British Deputy HighCommissioner in Chennai,who was also the chiefguest of the day.The event started with

a formal welcome byBSICC Patron MP,Virendra Sharma. Thiswas followed by a briefoverview of UK TamilNadu & PuducherryBusiness Meet by JacobRavibalan, BSICC ViceChair for Tamil Nadu and

Puducherry and Founderof UKTNCC. Bharat Joshi, British

Deputy HighCommissioner based inChennai, spoke about thehistorical relationshipbetween UK and TamilNadu. Following this,Hasmukh Vora, Presidentof Hindustan Chamber ofCommerce, based out ofChennai, offered his per-spective of pursuing busi-ness activities in TamilNadu & Puducherry.

Christie Cherian, whois the Chairman andTrustee of British BusinessGroup, Chennai, spokeabout how good an invest-ment destination is TamilNadu and Puducherry.

R Seetharaman who is

the Group Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Doha Bank inQatar mentioned aboutsome of the opportunitiesfor UK residents andGlobal Tamilians in theGulf.

David Happy, whowas till recently the VicePresident EU Affairs forSamsung Electronics,spoke about India UK col-laborations and how theUK is a hugely effectivespringboard into the restof the EU-27 for Indiancompanies and twice asbig as the USA and awealthy region.

Velou Singara of UKT-NCC spoke about variousbusiness opportunities inPuducherry for UK com-panies. Kamala Sekar who

was till recently the Headof Export Finance atUKTI spoke about thechannels of support fromUK public sector andBSICC/ UKTNCC. UKT-NCC Founder DirectorSundar Subbiah offeredthe strategy and roadmapfor UKTNCCJacob Ravibalan told

Asian Voice, "The busi-ness meet was a huge suc-cess and we had participa-tion of more than 150 del-egates from Tamil Nadu,Puducherry, UK and theMiddle East. Followingthe business meet, we arehopeful that few UKbased companies will startexploring opportunities toinvest in Tamil Nadu andPuducherrry.”

Conciliation talks betweenthe government andVodafone over a Rs 200billion tax dispute havefailed as the British tele-com giant has decided toserve an arbitration noticeto the government, a movewhich shuts out any possi-bility of a resolutionthrough talks. The government had

decided to withdraw itsconciliation offer made tothe telecom major for set-tling the nagging taxdemand that arose from its2007 acquisition ofHutchison Whampoa’sstake in Hutchison Essar.“Vodafone confirms thatVodafone InternationalHoldings BV (VIHBV) has

commenced an interna-tional investment arbitra-tion against the Indiangovernment under theBilateral InvestmentTreaty (BIT) betweenIndia and theNetherlands,” aspokesperson for VodafonePlc said in a statementfrom the company’s head-quarter in London. “SinceVodafone and the Indiangovernment have beenunable to find an amicablemeans of resolving the dis-pute, Vodafone has com-menced an internationalinvestment arbitration as away to achieve resolu-tion,” the spokespersonsaid. The arbitrationnotice was served on April

17, and Vodafone is under-stood to have settled forLondon as the venue forpursuing the case. Reportssaid the finance ministryhad already moved aCabinet note for withdraw-al of the non-binding con-ciliation offer it had madeto Vodafone in June lastyear. The telecom compa-ny has been given twomonths for response,which effectively meansthat arbitration wouldhave to be handled by thenew government. The Cabinet had on

February 28 decided to puton hold the proposal towithdraw the conciliationoffer, pending settlementof Vodafone’s transfer-

pricing case at the IncomeTax Appellate Tribunal(ITAT). Vodafone, in itsnotice, however, said itwants to move ahead withthe arbitration withoutwaiting for the ITAT deci-sion on the Rs 37 billiontransfer-pricing case. The Supreme Court

had ruled in Vodafone’sfavour on the capital gainstax issue in 2012, saying itwas not liable to pay anytax over the acquisition ofassets in India from theHong Kong-basedHutchison. However, thegovernment went aheadwith its plans to collectthe tax by changing therules to claim tax retro-spectively.

Congratulations to MiteshPatel who has been nomi-nated for the "Best in LegalServices" award at the inau-gural British IndianAwards on 16th May. Theawards seek to serve, recog-nise, reward and highlightthe achievements of Peopleof Indian heritage.The evening will show-

case the determination,hard work and personal tar-gets achieved by BritishIndians. The award cere-mony will be a colourfulcelebration outlining thesignificant role played byBritish Indians at the fore-front of their businessesand wider communities.

The awardsembody the con-tinuing strengthof the BritishIndian communi-ty, recognisingthose who con-tinue to thrive,evolve and makeGreat Britain abetter place.Mitesh’s hard work in

the Asian community hasseen him become a house-hold name, a regular faceon Asian TV and rise upthrough the ranks atLevenes to become one ofour youngest ever partners.Mitesh, speaking on his

nomination told Asian

Voice, "I am hon-oured to be nom-inated for theBritish IndianAwards in the“Best legal” cat-egory. I considerthe nominationfor this award asa clear reflectionof our fabulous

and dedicated legal teamwho have been serving theAsian community acrossEngland and Wales since1999." Mitesh is all tooaware that the members ofthe Indian community donot have the same access tojustice as others on accountof language barriers and he

has therefore forged astrong presence in the legalfield to facilitate access tothose who need it the most.He frequently holds freelegal advice clinics and haswritten numerous articlesin many Asian newspapers,including Asian Voice andvarious magazines.The awards ceremony

will be held on the 16th ofMay at the St. Johns Hotelin Birmingham, and it is setto be a fantastic eveningcelebrating Indian cul-ture.Further informationabout the event be foundon the awards websitehttp://thediversityawards.info/britishindian

BSICC and UKTNCC hosts UK TamilNadu & Puducherry Business Meet

Vodafone to serve notice to Indian govt

Virendra Sharma MP, Jacob Ravibalan, Bharat Joshi, Hasmukh Vora, ChristieCherian, R Seetharaman, David Happy, Velou Singara, Kamla Sekar, Siv

Matchendran and other guests

All the best to finalist Mitesh Patel

CURRENCY VOICEwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 21

Foreign Exchange

The US dollar managed to clawback its losses from the previ-ous week following commentsmade by Federal Reserve ChairJanet Yellen.

Yellen told the panel thatdata shows “solid growth” forthe economy in the secondquarter, supporting the case forfaster expansion this year. She was incredibly cautious

in her language in regards tofuture rate hikes but It isnotable that she discussed fis-cal policy to more a degree thanshe has done.It was said that work would

be needed in regards to fiscalsustainability and that in thecontext of riding rates,Congress should address fiscal

policy accordingly. She also commented that

labour market conditions arefar from satisfactory and thatinflation persisting below 2%‘could pose risks’Whilst the US dollar

strengthened marginally follow-ing the speech, the longer termdowntrend for the US dollarremains intact as the low inter-est rates in the US are morethan likely to prompt investorsto reach for return in higheryielding currencies.The euro approached a 52-

week low versus the pound lastweek, whilst also falling to 4-week lows against the US dol-lar.Although the European

Central Bank (ECB) announcedno new policy changes in itsmeeting on Thursday 8th May,the euro fell after ECB PresidentMario Draghi signalled action tostimulate the economy as earlyas June. The ECB remains waryof a prolonged period of lowinflation and action next monthwould coincide with the centralbank's updated economic fore-casts.

Data from theUK continued toshow that the recov-ery in the UK ispicking up pace. UKconstruction datashowed the 12thconsecutive monthof growth, withhouse builders driv-ing the sector. ThePMI figure came in60.8 which is downfrom 62.5 in March,however, still showsconsiderable growthas it is well abovethe 50 level.The UK’s service

sector grew at itsstrongest pace in2014, with approxi-mately 100,000 newjobs added in April.Data from Markit revealed

that the sector expandedbeyond expectations from 57.6in March to 58.7 in April. UKfirms reported a sharp increasein new orders suggesting anincrease in business confi-dence.Whilst the Bank of England,

for the month of May, decidedto hold interest rates at 0.5%;the improving economic funda-mental outlook has incitedinvestors to speculate onceagain the possibility of a ratehike occurring sooner than thefirst quarter of 2015. This ofcourse would drive the poundhigher should this rate hikeoccur.

Interest rate hike Possibility sooner

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

GBP - INR = 100.12

USD - INR = 59.47

EUR - INR = 81.56

GBP - USD = 1.68

GBP - EUR = 1.23

EUR - USD = 1.37

GBP - AED = 6.18

GBP - CAD = 1.83

GBP - NZD = 1.95

GBP - AUD = 1.80

GBP - ZAR = 17.850

GBP - HUF = 372.85

www.rationalfx.comInformation provided by RationalFX.None of the information on this pageconstitutes, nor should be construedas financial advice. The exchangerates used are the commercial foreignexchange rates provided byRationalFX. For a live quote or to findout more about how RationalFX canhelp you, call us on 0207 220 8181.

WeeklyCurrenciesAs of Tuesday

13th May 2014 @ 4pm

Janet Yellen

Maiduguri (Nigeria): Theleader of the NigerianIslamist rebel group BokoHaram has offered to releasemore than 200 schoolgirlsabducted by his fighters lastmonth in exchange for itsmembers being held in deten-tion, according to a videoposted on YouTube onMonday.

The search for the girlsintensified as a senior USadministration official saidthe United States deployedmanned surveillance aircraftover Nigeria and was sharingsatellite imagery with theNigerian government.

About 100 girls wearingfull veils and praying areshown in an undisclosedlocation in a part of the 17-minute video in which BokoHaram leader AbubakarShekau speaks.

Boko Haram militants,who are fighting for anIslamist state, stormed a sec-ondary school in the north-eastern village of Chibok onApril 14 and seized 276 girlswho were taking exams.

Some have managed toescape, but about 200 remainmissing.

A government officialsaid "all options" were beingconsidered to secure the girls'release.

Nigeria has deployed twoarmy divisions to hunt forthe girls, while several coun-tries, including the UnitedStates, Britain, Israel andFrance, have offered help orsent experts.

Nigerian authorities metwith some of the experts onMonday and plan furthermeetings with the WestAfrican country's defenceand security agencies, a gov-ernment statement said.

"We have shared commer-

cial satelliteimagery withthe Nigeriansand are flyingmanned ISR(intelligence,survei l lanceand reconnais-sance) assetsover Nigeriawith the gov-

ernment's permission," thesenior US official said. In a1.25-minute segment of theYouTube video, scores of girlsin black and grey veils sit onthe ground, chant and sing.Shekau, wearing militaryfatigues and holding an AK-47, then addresses the cam-era. He appears confidentand at one point even laughs.

"All I am saying is that ifyou want us to release thegirls that we have kidnapped,those who have not acceptedIslam will be treated as theProphet (Mohammad) treat-ed infidels and they will staywith us," he said, accordingto a translation of his wordsoriginally spoken in aNigerian language.

"We will not release themwhile you detain our broth-ers," he said, before naming aseries of Nigerian cities. Itwas not clear if he was in thesame location as the girls,although the release of thevideo appeared to signal awillingness on his part tonegotiate.

Mike Omeri, a seniorMinistry of Information offi-cial, told a news conferencethe government had seen thevideo. "The government ofNigeria is considering alloptions towards freeing thegirls and reuniting them withtheir parents," he said.

The governor of Bornostate, where the girls wereabducted, said in a statementthe video had been distrib-uted to families and localschools in an effort to identi-fy the girls shown.

Security officials said onMonday five militants sus-pected in two car bombs thatkilled at least 90 people onApril 14 and May 1 in a sub-urb of the capital, Abuja, hadbeen arrested.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 201422 WORLD

Protestant church in ChinademolishedBeijing: The communist leaders in China aredoing everything to arrest the spread of religionin the country. On April 28th they havedemolished a large Protestant church in the cityknown as “China’s Jerusalem.”The Sanjiangchurch, in the eastern city of Wenzhou, took sixyears and 30m yuan ($4.8m) to build, butofficials said it had violated building codes. LocalChristians who gathered at the church could notstop the demolition.

Call to improve diabetes careLondon: Experts said that The NHS is wastingbillions of pounds of public money by nottackling diabetes at the early stage of itsdetection. The charity Diabetes UK accusedhealth bosses of “failing to learn” that earlyintervention can save taxpayers’ money andimprove the lives of millions of Britons livingwith the illness. Diabetes UK said that the NHSneeds to quickly improve its care before the billto the public purse becomes unmanageable.

Negligence costing asthma victimsdearlyLondon: Many asthma sufferers are dyingbecause of the negligence of British medicalstaff. The shocking conclusion came after theRoyal College of Physicians conducted an in-depth review of asthma-linked deaths. Twothirds of fatalities could have been avoided, theyfound. More than five million people in Britainhave asthma and 1,200 a year die, of whomabout 20 are children.

In BriefBoko Haram offers to swap kidnappedNigerian girls for prisoners

London: A new researchhas found that chemicalsfound in products such astoothpaste, soap and evenplastic toys are having adirect impact on male fer-tility. It is thought that thechemicals affect the poten-cy of sperm, altering theirswimming behaviour andcausing them to prema-turely release enzymeswhich are needed to pene-trate egg cells.

Chemicals ineveryday productscan cause infertility

London: There is somegood news for shortermen. A study of 8,000 menhas found that those of alesser height lived longerthan their taller peers –with those below 5ft 2inliving longest. Theresearch, conducted by USscientists, suggested shortstature may be related to agene that is linked tolongevity. A protectiveform of the gene, calledFOXO3, leads to smallerbody size during earlydevelopment but is alsolikely to mean a longer lifespan.

Shorter men livelonger

London: If you are anapplicant for mortgage,then get ready to answersome bizarre questions.Some of the applicantswere asked whether theyplay golf or eat steak, orbeing quizzed over theprice of their haircuts,their plans for more chil-dren and their hopes of apay rise. The questions areasked to prevent a returnto the reckless lendingbehind the financial melt-down of 2008.

Mortgage applicantsasked strangequestions

Entrepreneur of the Year ....................................................Awarded to an entrepreneur with a proven track record of operatinga successful business enterprise.Achievement in Media, Arts and Culture ....................Someone who has made a mark in media including print andbroadcast media; cinema, art and culture.Achievement in Community Service................................In recognition for an individuals service to community.Sports Personality of the Year............................................Awarded for excellence in sports.Woman of the Year ................................................................The award will recognise and honour a woman who has made asignificant mark in any chosen field.Business Person of the Year ..............................................Awarded to a business person who is a success in every sense of theword and can demonstrate a genuine passion for social issues.

Uniformed and Civil Services ............................................For outstanding achievements in uniformed and civil services orcontribution to the community through any of the above services.

Professional of the Year ......................................................Professionals in the field of medicine, law, education, banking, financeand others, who have scaled the heights of their chosen profession.

International Personality of the Year ............................Awarded to those who have acclaimed popularity internationally forhis/her contribution in any particular sector and is recognised for theirtimeless philanthropic activities.

Lifetime Achievement Award ............................................To honour those individuals, who during their lifetime, have madeimmense contributions in any given field. This remarkable individualcan be marked as an example for the younger generation.

Please tick the appropriate category

� Name of the Person you are Nominating: __________________________________________________________________________

� Contact Details of the Nominee (Tel & email):_______________________________________________________________________

� Present Occupation of the Nominee:_______________________________________________________________________________

� Please attach the Nominees's CV which includes the following information (Please do not exceed a limit of 1000 words)(1) Personal background (2) Most important career achievements till date.(3) Nominee's contribution to the community and nation. (4) Future Plans, ambitions and visions.(5) Any notable obstacles in the Nominee's career that has helped him/her to reach where they are today.

� Summary- (Please include a summary in not more than 150 words why the nominee is worthy of winning the particular award in a separate sheet)

� Nominator’s name and contact details: ____________________________________________________________________________� Nominator’s current Occupation/Company: _________________________________________________________________________� Tel/Mobile: _________________________________ � Email: __________________________________________________________

NOMINATION AND SELECTION PROCESS� This is a unique event where readers nominate and an independent panel of judges comprising of eminent personalities selects the winner. � Judges’ decision is final. ABPL Group will not entertain any dialogue withmembers of the public regarding the judging process. � In order to ensure a high degree of transparency and fairness, the management and members of the staff of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar will play no rolein the nomination or judging process. � You may use an additional sheet if the space provided is insufficient. � The winners will be announced at the AAA Awards ceremony on 19th September, 2014. � Asian Voice, GujaratSamachar will publish the names of the short listed candidates and winners after the event. The winners names will also appear in our e-edition www.abplgroup.com � You can nominate yourself if you wish to. � Nominations and entries must follow the prescribed format. � All nomination forms must reach our offices on or before 14th July, 2014

NOMINATION FORM

Application Form

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The prestigious Asian Achievers Awards is hosted every year by UK’s leading news weeklies Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar tohonour British Asians par excellence. If there is someone you know who has broken boundaries and deserves recognition for theirunique contribution to the community and the nation then please nominate them for one of the awards listed below.Make sure that you fill in this application form and send it on or before 14th July, 2014 by post, fax or email to Mr. L George, Tel: 020 7749 4013, Fax 020 7749 4081, Email: aaa@abplgroup.com. If you are sending it by post the address is Mr. L George, ABPL Group, Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HW.

LONDONwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 23

Nagging wives bewareLondon: Nagging wives beware. Yourconstant demands on your husbands canresult in early death of your partner.Researchers have found that hundreds ofextra male deaths are because of the burdenof a demanding partner. Men who hadconstant demands and worries placed onthem by their partners were two and a halftimes more likely to die within 10 years thanthose with less stressful relationships, thestudy found.

Woman claiming to be a‘shaman’ cheated her victimsLondon: A con woman who claimed to havesupernatural power has cheated at least 11people, including cancer sufferers, of 1million pounds. The incident came to knowwhen one of the victims went to the courtwhen Juliette D’Souza, claimed to be a"shaman,” cheated her of £ £170,000 to helpher get pregnant. Her modus operandi is firstto make you believe that she hassupernatural powers and then starteddemanding money so that you can get yourwish fulfiled.

Rape charges against Oxfordunion presidentLondon: Ben Sullivan, 21, the Oxford unionpresident has been replaced by his deputy,Mayank Banerjee, following his arrest onsuspicion of rape and attempted rape.Sullivan, a history and politics student atChrist Church, Oxford, was absent from acrucial meeting of the historic debatingsociety. Mayank Banerjee, who is studyingpolitics, philosophy and economics at StJohn's College, instead took his seat at thehead of the Union chamber.

33 million tourists visit Britain in2013 London: The pleasant weather had attractednearly 33 million tourists to Britain last yearand made 2013 as a record year forinternational visitors. Museums and royalpalaces enjoyed unprecedented number ofvisitors, while sporting events, festivals,concerts and a myriad of cultural activities allreaped the benefits.

The Great Recession is overLondon: Britain’s six-year Great Recessionhas finally be over as the monthly estimate ofgrowth from the National Institute ofEconomic and Social Research shows thatGDP is back at, or just fractionally short of,its March 2008 record.

In BriefLondon: The First World Warwas the most written aboutwars in the history. MostBritish families have anancestor who fought in thewar. For many of us these sol-diers are just a name.

Yet their stories survive:in letters, diaries, postcardsand photographs; in regimen-tal histories and the accountsof fellow soldiers; on yel-lowed paper in attics all overBritain. Our grandfathers andgreat-grandfathers oftenavoided talking about thewar, but they did write aboutit. I remember my GreatUncle Tim as a pair of bris-tling moustaches and piercingblue eyes. In my memory hesmelt deliciously of tobacco,leather and gin; a bony, slightman of seemingly impossibleage, rather terrifying andapparently indestructible. Iknew he had fought in bothwars, but I would never havedared to question him.

It was not until manyyears after Tim’s death that Ibecame interested in the FirstWorld War and discovered hisextraordinary past - a story ofresilience, laconic humour,incredible good fortune, light-ly worn bravery and a bloody-minded determination to sur-vive. In 1915, Tim turned 19,officially old enough to fight,and was deployed to theWestern Front as a machine-gun officer with the 3rdBattalion of the Rifle Brigade.“I became ripe for cannonfodder,” he later wrote.Lieutenant Tristram (Tim)Massy-Beresford had been inFrance only a few monthswhen he was sent to take overa section of the front at StEloi. Here the British linesincluded a steep hill intowhich sappers had tunnelledto create a machinegunemplacement directly facingthe German trenches. Theofficer he was relieving invit-ed Tim to look down thesights of the gun and take “a

quick glance at the field offire”.

A sergeant whipped awaythe flap of sacking that cam-ouflaged the opening, and asTim bent to look down thebarrel, a German sniper,awaiting precisely thatmoment, pulled the trigger.The bullet pierced Tim’s lungin two places and passed outof his back without touching

a bone. Tim, in a way, waslucky. The other officer wasnot. “The bullet,” Tim wrote,“having passed right throughme with bad enough results,had continued straight intohis head, killing him instant-ly.”

Tim was rushed to a clear-ing station, and was stillbreathing when he arrived,“much to everyone’s surprise. . . I was the only casualty inthat particular ambulance toreach its destination still

alive.”Months of

recuperation fol-lowed, both fromhis wound andan ensuing bloodclot in his leg,leaving him witha permanentlimp he referred

to ever afterwards as “Gertiethe Groggy Leg”. Slowlyrecuperating in London in aprivate house off the Mall,Tim and other injured sol-diers watched from a terraceas the great men organisingthe Great War passed by onthe way to their clubs:Kitchener, Asquith and LloydGeorge. “We dropped nuts ontheir hats and had an elabo-rate system of scoring,depending on the importanceof the target.” He had alreadyseen enough horror for a life-time, but Tim was still only aboy. Some time later, stillunfit for active duty, Tim fellinto conversation with anoth-er officer who described howhis closest friend had beenkilled at the front by a bulletto the head that had passedthrough the body of anotherofficer. Tim immediatelyrealised that the man wasdescribing his own strangeinjury. Should he explain thatthe body through which thatbullet had passed, killing theman’s best friend, was hisown? “What does one say insuch a situation?” he later

wrote, as if it were the sort ofsituation anyone might face.“I did not know what to say,so I said nothing, rightly, Ithink, looking back.” For me,this odd incident captures thepeculiar spirit of that war:stoical, sensitive and darklyhumorous.

Tim was determined toreturn to battle, but it was notuntil 1918 that he was con-sidered fit - he passed themedial examination by avoid-ing any reference to Gertiethe Groggy Leg. Back at thefront, he briefly met up withhis younger brother Jack, anartillery officer. They wentriding together. A photographshows the two young men,their pipes set at the sameangle, Jack with an adoptedterrier mongrel in his arms. Aweek later Jack was killed bya stray shell splinter to thehead. He was 21.

In September 1918, Timled his men over a hill duringthe Battle of Cambrai. It was,he wrote, “an almost com-plete disaster”. Within min-utes of the advance, Tim “felta blow like that of hammer onmy left thigh” and tumbledover. “I was able to pickmyself up. Closer inspectionrevealed that a bullet hadgone right through my thighwithout touching the bone.There was a neat hole at thefront and quite a mess at theback, but I was able to hobblealong and keep up.”

Snipers, shells & surviving Great War

Anand Mela7th & 8th June 2014

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There are occasion we would like to share with our love ones. Some ofthem may have moved on. Our address book may not be accurate. Suchacquaintance may be from our ancestral home, residence in India or EastAfrica or some other places we have resided earlier. In the UK.Information regarding Birth of a child, Engagement of family member,

Wedding or Sad occasions like Bereavement can be quickly shared throughthe pages of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar.As you are aware our total number of subscribers are 25,000, and they

may be reached through the pages of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar.We are able to serve the purpose either no cost or minimum charge.

Both our newsweeklies provide the following services:1. Birth, weddings and bereavement: Up to 25 words free of charge withoutphoto.2. Birth, birthday, weddings, anniversary, bereavement notices and otheroccasion: Up to 150 words and a photograph £120 including VAT.The written message has to be in English and the photograph will have tobe provided by the sender, with their relevant contact details and need tobe emailed to Saroj Patel by Monday 5pm atsaroj.patel@abplgroup.com. Phone: 020 7749 4006 / 4080

Hatch-Match-Dispatch

To our readersIf any of your ancestorshad joined the First WorldWar please contact AsianVoice with history

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 201424 INDIA

SC quashes Karnataka order onmother tongueNew Delhi: The Supreme Court has struckdown a decision of the Karnataka governmentand directed that it cannot make it mandatoryfor all primary schools in the state to teach inKannada language. In July last year, a two-judge bench of the apex court had said itsConstitution Bench will examine whether thegovernment can impose mother tongue orregional language as the medium of instructionat the primary education stage as it has a far-reaching significance on the development ofchildren.

SC bans Jallikattu bull fights in TNNew Delhi: The Supreme Court has bannedTamil Nadu's centuries-old Jallikattu bull fights.A bench of Justice KS Radhakrishnan andJustice Pinaki Chandra Ghose also asked thecentre to amend the law on preventing crueltyto animals to bring bulls within its ambit. Thecourt also struck down a 2011 Tamil Nadu lawregulating the conduct of Jallikattu. The law wasenacted in the wake of a large number ofdeaths and injuries that took place during thesport.

Two nabbed for making bombthreat callsChennai: A 23-year-old man and a collegestudent were arrested for making bomb threatcalls to authorities. The first caller, SShivakumar, made three calls to the policecontrol room, railway station and ambulanceservice, saying a bomb would go off at ChennaiCentral station. Police found that Shivakumarhad been making such prank calls for morethan three years since he enjoys creating panicin the minds of the people. In the case ofcollege student, she made the call as shewanted a day’s leave to attend a wedding.

South Brief

30 villagers booked for attack onSGPC teamBathinda: Tension prevailed at Bhairupavillage after police registered attempt tomurder cases against 30 people for beating upa Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee(SGPC) team and stopping it from takingpossession of 161 acres land in the village.Three members of the team, including theMuktsar gurdwara manager, were injured instone-pelting by villagers. Sukhdev Singh, avillager, said they were protecting the landbelonging to their forefathers and police sidedwith the SGPC. "We will protest if casesagainst us are not withdrawn," he said.

Punjab minister undergoesreligious punishmentAmritsar/Bathinda: Punjab cabinet ministerBikram Singh Majithia, brother-in-law of deputychief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, began his'tankhah' (religious punishment) by dustingshoes and washing utensils at Takht KesgarhSahib in Anandpur Sahib and Takht DamdamaSahib in Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda). Majithialistened to 'gurbani' (holy scriptures) at TakhtKesgarh Sahib, dusted shoes and washedutensils. Majithia said he would follow thedirections of the "supreme" Takht and thus wasdoing 'sewa' (voluntary service) as instructed.

SGPC for Anand Marriage Actacross IndiaChandigarh: Shiromani Gurdwara ParbandhakCommittee (SGPC) president Avtar SinghMakkar has demanded implementation ofAnand Marriage Act for Sikhs in entire India. Ina statement, Makkar said required changesshould be made in the Act and it should beimplemented across India.

Poison suicides in ChandigarhChandigarh: A PGI study has claimed thatthe city has the highest number of peoplecommitting suicide by consuming poison ascompared to Panchkula and Mohali, citingdejection in love as the dominant causeamong men and prolonged illness as that forwomen. The survey found that 657 Tricityresidents had consumed poison. Out of these,251 were from Chandigarh, 117 from Mohaliand 38 from Panchkula.

North Brief

Municipal elections: TDP winsSeemandhra, Cong in Telangana

Counting of votes: ECrejects DMK plea

Hyderabad: The TeluguDesam Party (TDP) onMonday swept the municipalelections in Seemandhra,generating hope among itscadre of a return to the polit-ical centrestage after adecade in virtual oblivion. Asexpected, the Congress,which initiated AndhraPradesh's bifurcation, drew ablank in Seemandhra, butsurprised the TelanganaRashtra Samithi (TRS) bybagging a majority of munic-ipalities in Telangana. Of the 92 municipalities

and corporations inSeemandhra, the TDP got

majority in 62 civic bodies.The YSR Congress, touted tosweep the elections inSeemandhra, could get only18, while no party was a clearwinner in nine municipali-ties. In Telangana, of the 53

municipalities, the Congressemerged the winner in 23.The TRS surprisingly baggedonly nine, TDP seven and theBJP two municipalities.However, since the newly-elected MP and MLA too willhave a say in the local polls,the final figure in the variousmunicipalities and corpora-tions can change when theyvote on June 2, said stateelection commissioner PRamakanth Reddy. Surprising, MIM and BJP

made inroads in Telangana.While MIM bagged themajority in Bhainsa munici-pality in Adilabad district,

the BJP won in Narayanpetmunicipality ofMahabubnagar district. Andin an embarrassment for theTRS, the TDP securedmajority in Gajwel munici-pality in Medak from whereits party chief KChandrasekhar Rao is theAssembly candidate. TheCPM got majority inMahabubabad municipality. Elections to 145 munici-

palities and corporationsacross the state were held onMarch 30 and the declarationof results was delayedbecause of the Assembly andLok Sabha elections.

Chennai: TheE l e c t i o nCommission hasrejected DMK'splea for live videocoverage of thecounting processon May 16, and hastold the Madrashigh court that it isnot necessary toinstall video cam-eras on everycounting table and assistantreturning officer's table. A submission to this

effect was made in a count-er-affidavit filed by the ECin response to former unionminister and DMK candi-date from Thanjavur T RBaalu, when the mattercame up for hearing before avacation bench comprisingJustice R Sudhakar andJustice KK Sasidharan. Special chief electoral

officer A Karthik said thecounting hall, not eachcounting table, would bevideographed. He said,"Candidates will haveagents at each table, andthey will be able to see votes

polled in each machine byeach candidate and canrecord it. A copy of thevotes recorded in each EVMwill have to be given to eachagent on the respectivecounting table. After com-pletion of each round ofcounting, the entire roundwill be tabulated and resultsgiven to each candidate'sagent at the head table. Itwill be displayed in the halland also uploaded on theelection commission web-site." The EC said it would be

difficult to install a cameraon each table, as it posedvarious problems, especiallywith regard to space.

Engineering colleges inTN wooing students nowChennai: With thousands ofmanagement seats goingvacant in engineering col-leges in Tamil Nadu, the col-leges are wooing studentsnow. The days of capitationfee are gone and the collegesare now offering to pay facul-ty and students to get stu-dents of their choice. In addi-tion to advertisements andscholarships, they now turnto their faculty and studentsto spread the word, and arewilling to reward theirefforts."The management has

said that it will pay us Rs15,000 for a student with acut-off of 185/200 or higher.For referring a student with acut-off between 160 and 185we get Rs10,000. It is offeredas an incentive. It is a win-win situation, as the studentwith such high marks canalso get scholarships andtuition fee waivers from thecollege," said a faculty mem-ber of an engineering collegein the city. Existing studentshave also been made theoffer. Students in their sec-ond, third and final years can

get Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000waived off their tuition feefor the next academic year."This is an admission tactic.Even if they offer a fulltuition fee waiver, collegesstand to benefit from fillingseats rather than let them goempty. They make do withhidden charges like trans-portation fee or books," saidan admission officer for agroup of engineering collegesin Erode. When they get goodstudents, the reputation ofthe college improves, andthey are able to attract com-panies for campus place-ments, he added. Collegesengage in such practices toget a high academic ranking,which is now looked at as anindicator of a good college."College managementsexpect faculty members to dothese kinds of jobs. I wasasked to approach schools,speak to the school principalabout the merits of the col-lege and ask her to give mycontact number to studentswho score high marks," said ateacher in a private engineer-ing college near Chennai.

Portal to offer meaningsof all words of Guru

Granth SahibPatiala: Meanings of allwords contained in GuruGranth Sahib - holy book ofSikhs - will be soon availableon the web portal punjabi-pedia.org, the first-of-its-kind online encyclopaedialaunched by PunjabiUniversity, Patiala, inFebruary. The two-volumeSri Guru Granth Kosh,which was edited byHarbhajan Singh ofDehradun, is so far availablein print edition only.Rajwinder Singh, editor

of the portal and assistantprofessor in Punjabi depart-ment of the university, said,"Once Sri Guru GranthKosh is uploaded on the por-tal, anyone can see meaningof any word mentioned inthe holy book. Our databaseis ready and we will upload iton the portal in the comingfew days. There are over17,000 entries of the Kosh."He said that these new set ofwords would increase num-ber of entries in punjabi-

pedia.org from 76,000 up to93,000. Regarding additionof Bhai Kahan SinghNabha's "Mahan Kosh", hav-ing over 62,000 entries andis considered as the firstencyclopaedia on Sikh histo-ry of Punjab, Rajwinder saidit would still take few moreweeks to upload the volumi-nous book on the portal."Compiled in 1930s, theencyclopaedia contains fewletters and words having pro-nunciation similar toSanskrit or Persian. Theseletters are not available inPunjabi fonts and are notsupported by Unicode fontformat. We are still in theprocess to filter these techni-cal aberrations, which maytake some time," saidRajwinder.

Canada Post releasesstamp on Komagata MaruBathinda: Eventhough the Punjabgovernment failedto commemoratethe centenary of theKomagata Maruincident, theCanadian postaldepartment hascome out with astamp dedicated to the inci-dent. The 100th anniversaryof Komagata Maru incidentis observed on May 23. TheCanada Post on May 6released the stamp onKomagata Maru with manyPunjabi origin politicianshailing the decision andgracing the occasion. Komagata Maru, a

Japanese steamship, washired by influential SikhBaba Gurdit Singh and setsail with 376 Indians aboardand reached Vancouver onMay 23 but they were notallowed to disembark. Theship was returned to Indiaand British troops hadgunned down several of theoccupants at Baj Baj, nearCalcutta.

"The incidentwas a black markon Canadian histo-ry. The issuance ofa stamp on this his-torical incident isabout recognizingthe mistakes madein the past. Weneed to move for-

ward as we have remem-bered and recognized theevent," said Devinder Shory,Punjabi origin MP of CalgaryNortheast. Shory, who waspresent at the stamp releaseceremony, said that it was abig incident in Canada's his-tory and the country hadtried to remember those whowere meted out injustice onCanadian soil 100 years ago.He said India and Punjabgovernments too need tocommemorate the centenaryof the incident. "After theKomagata Maru HeritageFoundation of Canada hadapproached the Canada Postin 2012, it had approved theissuance of a stamp inOctober 2013 and last weekit released the stamp.

K Chandrasekhar Rao

Devendra Patel

BJP’s Delhi headquarter isnow not an office of boringdhoti clan old leaders.Here one can see youngand dashing young peopleworking in corporate stylewearing jeans and tie withtight collar. Charts are infront of them as well asfacts and figures are attheir finger tips. Thisscene looks like a call-cen-tre, but in reality it is aheadquarter of theBhartiya Janata Party(BJP). They all are havinga computer screen right infront of them. They haveonly one goal – ‘MakeNarendra Modi, India’snext Prime Minister!’They all have one mission– mission 272 plus.

One man’s army There is one core team,which is working day andnight to make NarendraModi the next PrimeMinister of India. Thisteam is not only cen-tralised in Delhi, but it isspread right fromGandhinagar to Lucknow.The members of the teamare collectively known as‘one man’s army’. This isthe place where once upona time Govindacharya, L KAdavani, Atal BehariVajpayee and JaswantSingh used to discussparty’s strategy, now well-educated 20-30 - year- oldyoungsters are seen look-ing extremely busy for‘Mission Modi’. Let us seewho the strategists ofModi outside Delhi are.

Amit ShahShah is for-mer HomeMinister ofG u j a r a tand closeaide ofNarendra

Modi. He is also in-chargeof Uttar Pradesh (UP).The state houses 80 LokSabha seats. Shah is onmission mode to win atleast 40 seats for his partyfrom UP. He is also consid-ered as brain of NarendraModi. Chicago-born AmitShah had also workedclosely with RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh(RSS) as well as AkhilBhartiya VidyarthiParishad (ABVP). He is amaster strategist. Till nowhe used to manageAdvani’s elections. He didmicro planning of Modi’sManinagar assembly con-stituency as well as vari-ous elections of Gujarat.

Prashant Kishor He is the chief of Citizensfor AccountableGovernance (CAG).Earlier he was the chief ofStrategic Planning andSocial Policy Group ofUnited Nations. The 34-year-old Prashant Kishorhas created a team ofyoungsters, who passedfrom institutes like IITsand IIMs. His organisation

CAG had conducted a pro-gramme called ‘Manthan’at Tyagraja stadium inDelhi, in which 7,000 stu-dents participated. In thatprogramme, Modi sat forwhole day and listen toeveryone.

Piyush Goyal He hasyears ofassociationwith BJP.His fatherVedprakashwas treasur-

er of BJP and also ministerin Vajpayee government.Piyush Goyal is CharteredAccountant and also stud-ied law. He was alsoMember of Parliament inRajya Sabha and alsobecame treasurer of BJP.The 49-year-old Goyal wasamongst the first few with-in the saffron party whodared to opine that Modiwas fit for PM candidate.He is heading Party’s sub-committee pertaining toInformation Technologyand Communication. Inorder to make Modi thenext prime minister he isplaying key role in the warbeing played on cyberspace.

Arvind Gupta He is com-ing from ab u s i n e s sfamily. Heis headingBJP’s ITcell. In

order to bring changes inpolicies, politics is the besttool, he believes. “BJP isthe tool which can bringchanges and because ofthis reason I joined theparty”, he says. Guptastudied in Banaras HinduUniversity as well asUniversity of Illinois. Till2009 he used to own a soft-ware firm, now he is han-dling BJP’s websites. Heuploads videos of differentrallies and sends to mediaand also posts comments.

K KailasnathanHe is aretired IASofficer, butin GujaratSecretariatp e o p l eknown him

as KK. He is handlingadministrative work asprincipal secretary atGujarat Chief Minister’soffice and also handlesModi’s special assign-ments. Hailing from TamilNadu, he was instrumen-tal in arranging Modi’smeeting withAmrutanandmayi. He alsohas connections in Kerala.He also arranged Modi’smeeting at Shivgiri Math

in Kerala, which helpedGujarat’s chief minister towoo people in Dalit com-munities. There is animpression that KK is run-ning entire government.

Rajesh Jain & B GMahesh

Both these gentlemen arebrain behind Modi’s twopromotional websites –‘Niti Central’ and ‘India272’. They also handle var-ious websites related toModi. They are running acampaign to woo young-sters towards Modithrough cyber space.Rajesh Jain studied inColumbia University andas of now he is running aMobile Data company. BG Mahesh stays inBangalore. He is thefounder of GenianInformation Technology.Jain and Mahesh also runModi campaign throughFacebook and Twitter.They have more than 100experts.

Manoj Ladva He isB r i t i s hG u j a r a t is o l i c i t o r.He runs am a n a g e -

ment consultancy firm inLondon. He has also takenleadership of Modi fansresiding outside India. Healso runs a campaign tocreate support for Modifrom overseas Indians. Heis contributing to creatingawareness amongst NRIinvestors on Modi’s brain-child-

‘Vibrant Gujarat’events.

Ram Madhav He is aspokesmanof RSS andmember ofM o d i ’ sthink-tank.R a m

Madhav is the man whobrought technology inRSS. He is also director ofDelhi based IndiaFoundation which worksfor Strategic Studies andInternational think-tank.Recently it organised a dia-logue between CorporateWorld and Narendra Modi.

Suresh Prabhu Originallyhe wasmember ofShiv Sena.But now heis member

of Ram Madhav’s think-tank. Law degree holderSuresh Prabhu was alsomember of Vajpayee cabi-net and remained energyminister. Modi has givenprominence to power sec-tor on his agenda. Prabhuis a staunch supporter ofModi.

- They are allNarendra Modi’s ‘Oneman’s army’

(Courtesy: Red Rosecolumn “Sandesh”-

Gujarat based daily)

INDIA www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 25

The strategists behind NarendraModi’s poll campaign

Bureaucrats eye foreign postings New Delhi: With a weekto go for the declarationof election results andthere being little chanceof the ruling coalition get-ting a fresh term, UPAministers and their staffhave started winding up.Most offices wear adeserted look with minis-terial staff either lookingat foreign postings orstarting to scout for theirnext assignment withinthe country. The earlybirds have already takenup new assignments. Forinstance, Indu ShekharChaturvedi, who was pri-

vate secretary to PMManmohan Singh, hasmoved to Washington as asenior advisor in theInternational MonetaryFund. Similarly, AnjaliPrasad, who was the addi-tional secretary responsi-ble for FDI policy, hasjoined as India’s ambassa-dor to WTO in Geneva.

There are several oth-ers who are in contentionfor foreign assignments,starting with the govern-ment’s chief spokesper-son Neelam Kapoor, whois said to be headed forNehru Centre in London.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 201426 INDIA - WORLD

MP claimed condolence card expensesLondon: A record published by the IndependentParliamentary Standards Authority revealed that ToryMP Caroline Dinenage has claimed £3.95 she spentfor sending sympathy cards to families of deadconstituents. The Gosport MP filed the expense claimunder 'hospitality' and insisted the claim was fair.

Sweeping powers given to taxmen London: The government has given sweepingpowers to the taxmen and now the HM Revenue andCustoms officials can raid your bank accounts torecover the unpaid tax bills without a court order. Therules could even apply to couples with joint bankaccounts, even if there are no grounds for complaintagainst one of the partners.

Exercise just before meals to controlblood sugarLondon: A new study has suggested that a fewminutes of intense exercise Just before meals can control blood sugar levels. Thestudy says that people who did several one-minuteintense exercise 30 minutes before their daily mealssaw a 12 per cent reduction in their blood sugarlevels after their meals, compared with people whodid 30 minutes of moderate exercise once a day.

Justice sought for NHS whistleblowersLondon: Doctors, nurses and MPs united together toseek justice for NHS whistleblowers who were oustedfrom their jobs after raising the alarm over poor care.Meanwhile, the new head of the health service isunder pressure to reopen the cases of six former staffmembers who were removed after they speak outagainst the NHS authorities. They have also asked thegovernment to order an inquiry into their sacking.

Machines that read your mindLondon: Now scientist hope to quell the road rage orlure the frustrated technology users into sticking witha particular gadget for just a little longer by devicesdesigned to detect and even predict bad moods. Theurge to vent frustration at fellow road users, thumpcomputer keyboards or channel-hop televisionstations has become a familiar facet of our gadget-filled lives.

Families resorting to panic-buying ofhousesLondon: Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyorssaid that due to a shortage of two and three-bedroom houses, the buyers are panic-buying housesbefore prices rise beyond their reach. Some 23 homeswere sold per surveyor in the three months to April,the highest level since February 2008.

Wife’s taunt leads man to travel toSyrian terror campLondon: Following a taunt by his wife, MashudurChoudhury, 31 travelled to Syria to join a terroristtraining camp and to become a martyr. Choudhurysuggested to Kingston Crown Court that the grouphe was travelling with should be called the "Britanibrigade Bangladeshi bad boys". The Portsmouthman is accused of going to the Middle Easterncountry to undertake training in terrorism on orbefore October 25.

Sharing of household work leads tohappy married lifeLondon: Researchers said that couples who sharehousehold chores equally are more likely to live ahappy married life. Researchers at University of Illinoissaid that marital bliss for just-married couples is at riskof taking a knock when one partner is perceived as notbearing a fair share of household work.

Parents blamed for students’ poorperformanceLondon: Experts have blamed British parents forpoor performance of students in school. They saythat the parents believe that pupils will only succeedif they are born bright. The researchers say that theparents have to change their attitude and motivatethe children to work hard to succeed.

Cambridge beats Oxford againLondon: Oxford has lost out to Cambridge for thefourth year running in a new league table ofuniversities. Both Cambridge and Oxford took the toptwo places in the latest annual Complete UniversityGuide. In third place went to the London School ofEconomics and Political Science, followed by StAndrews in Fife, Scotland, which moved up twoplaces to fourth, and Durham, which holds on to fifthplace.

In BriefContinued from page 1An expected Modi victorywould be a blow for cam-paigners who have longmaintained he is an auto-cratic 'Hindu' supremacistresponsible for an out-break of religious riots inhis home state, Gujarat, in2002 in 800 people died.Modi, who rose from hum-ble roots as a tea vendor'sson, was shunned byWestern nations for yearsafter the bloodshed inGujarat, where he hasbeen chief minister since2001.Modi’s rise on the

national stage forced arethink among theEuropean Union and theUnited States, whoseambassadors have methim to patch up relations.Modi denies the accusa-tions against him and aSupreme Court inquiryfound no evidence to pros-ecute him.Meanwhile, the BJP-

led alliance is forecast towin 270-282 seats,according to a poll con-ducted by research groupCSDS for the CNN-IBNtelevision network. It fore-cast just 92-102 seats forthe coalition led by theCongress party, whichwould be worst ever result

for the ruling party led bythe Nehru-Gandhidynasty.Congress spearheaded

India's independencemovement and has gov-erned the country for over50 years since freedomfrom British rule in 1947.If the BJP and its pre-elec-tion allies can win an out-right majority, it will bethe best showing by a sin-gle group since Congressand its allies won 414seats in 1984, when theassassination of then-prime minister IndiraGandhi created a swell ofpublic sympathy for theparty.Several national exit

polls over-estimated theBJP's seat share in the lasttwo general elections in2004 and 2009. TheCongress party went on toform coalition govern-ments on both occasions.“We will only know if this'Modi wave' has reallyhappened after the elec-tion results,” said PraveenRai, a political analyst atCSDS who recently pub-lished a report on exitpolls. “It still might bemore of a media wave, amanufactured wave.”Uttar Pradesh, India's

most populous state and a

crucial political battle-ground, is particularlytricky for pollsters to fore-cast because it is a caste-sensitive state where somevoters are afraid to speakfrankly about who theychose, said Rai.Another poll released

by Nielsen for ABP News,showed the BJP-ledalliance hitting 281 seats.A third, by Cicero for theIndia Today group, pre-dicted Modi's alliancewould take between 261and 283 seats, and pollsterC-Voter forecast a tally of289. One outlier poll, byToday's Chanakya,showed the BJP emergingwith enough seats to ruleon its own.�The Congress'predicted tally too varieswidely from a mere 57 inthe News24 poll to a pos-sible 138 in the TimesNow poll. At 57, theCongress wouldn't just bereduced to a historic low,it would face its biggestcrisis in post-Independence history.Coming to the wide

variance among pollsters,in Bihar, for instance, theTimes Now-ORG pollgave the RJD no seats atall and the JD(U) 10 seats,while most other pollsprojected the RJD-

Congress alliance as theprimary challenge to theBJP and the JD(U) beingsqueezed out.Similarly, in

Karnataka, the HeadlineToday-Cicero poll suggest-ed the Congress had aclear lead over the BJPand would win between15 and 19 of the state's 28seats. The News24 pollprojected a diametricallyopposite outcome withthe BJP winning 20 seatsin the state.In Rajasthan, the

Headline Today andNews24 polls predictedthat the Congress could,at one end of the range oftheir projections, get com-pletely wiped out, but theTimes Now poll predictedthat party could win 14 ofthe 25 seats in the statewhere it faced a rout inthe assembly polls inDecember.On AAP, most polls

agreed that it would makeits presence felt, in Punjabin particular, but yet againthere was disagreement onjust how well it would do.The News24 poll said theparty could emerge as thesingle largest in Punjab,winning five of the 13seats while others gave itno seats at all.

Modi, Modi, All The Way

A 17-year-old boy slicedoff his tongue with a bluntblade in an extreme act ofdevotion at a temple inJharkhand. Lalmohan Soren was

sitting at MahedevgarhaTemple, in Dugda,Jharkhand, when worship-pers spotted blood splat-tered across the floor asthey came to the templefor their morning prayers.Lalmohan's tongue

was inside a bowl next tohis feet with a note saying:‘I have cut off my tongueand offered it to LordShiva. 'Please do notthrow me out of the tem-ple, I just want to sit here

at the feet of the Lord’.The temple leader was

informed and eventuallyhe managed to persuadeLalmohan to go to hospi-tal. Doctors tried stitchinghis tongue back togetherbut failed and eventuallyLalmohan was dischargedafter a few days.

Jharkhand boy cuts offhis tongue

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Aweekly yoga class canreduce stress among

people, especially amongpregnant women.According to a study, tak-ing up yoga in pregnancycan ease stress – andreduce women's fear andanxiety of childbirth by athird.

Professor John Aplin,who specialises in repro-ductive biomedicine,even suggested yogacould help women copewith the pain of child-birth and reduce thenumber of emergency C-sections. He added:“Perhaps we should belooking at providing yogaclasses on the NHS. Itwould be relatively cheapto implement, could helpmothers and their chil-dren be healthier, as wellas reducing the costs oflonger-term healthcare.”

Yoga is popular withmothers-to-be, but untilnow no one had studiedwhether it is actually ben-

eficial. The ManchesterUniversity researcherslooked at two groups ofwomen who were 22weeks pregnant. Half dida weekly yoga class fortwo months and the otherhalf attended antenatalclasses. The yoga ses-sions were adapted forpregnancy and includedrelaxation techniques, aswell as exercises tostrengthen the body andease pain.

There were concernsthat the weekly focus onchildbirth in classesmight actually make

women more nervous.But a single yoga classcut the amount of anxietythe women felt by a third.

Stress levels after thesession were even lowerthan when relaxing athome, according to thestudy published in thejournal Depression andAnxiety. And many of thewomen credited the tech-niques with keeping themcalm and making thebirth easier.

Lead researcher DrJames Newham, who isnow based at NewcastleUniversity, said: “We have

long believed that itworks but no research hasbeen done to back up thetheory. We have now gonesome way to prove that itcan help. It was no smalleffect. This has the poten-tial to really help motherswho are feeling anxiousabout their pregnancy.”

Jacqui Clinton frombaby charity Tommy's,which funded the study,said: “We already knowthat pregnancy yoga canhelp improve physicalhealth and strength onthe run up to having ababy, and this new evi-dence shows it may haveimportant benefits forwomen's emotionalhealth too.”

The NHS advisespregnant women to stayactive to help cope withlabour. But a Departmentof Health spokesman saidthat the decision to runfree yoga classes wouldneed to be taken by indi-vidual hospital trusts.

Weekly yoga class can helpease stress during pregnancy

Health&

Wellness

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014

Less or more sleep thannormal can cause

depression, a new study ofadult twins and adoles-cents has found. Onemajor cause of depressionis genetic, but the studyfound that short and longsleep durations activatedthe genes related todepressive symptoms.

"We were surprisedthat the heritability ofdepressive symptoms intwins with very shortsleep was nearly twice theheritability in twins sleep-ing normal amounts oftime," said principal inves-tigator Dr NathanielWatson, associate profes-sor of neurology and co-director of the Universityof Washington MedicineSleep Center in Seattle,Wash. "Both short andexcessively long sleepdurations appear to acti-vate genes related todepressive symptoms,"added Watson.

A study of 1,788 adult

twins is the first todemonstrate a gene byenvironment interactionbetween self-reportedhabitual sleep durationand depressive symptoms.Results suggest that sleepdurations outside the nor-mal range increase thegenetic risk for depressivesymptoms. Among twinswith a normal sleep dura-tion of seven to 8.9 hoursper night, the total heri-tability of depressivesymptoms was 27 percent. However, the geneticinfluence on depressivesymptoms increased to 53per cent among twins witha short sleep duration offive hours per night and49 per cent among thosewho reported sleeping 10hours per night.

Another study of 4,175individuals between 11and 17 years of age is thefirst to document recipro-cal effects for majordepression and short sleepduration among adoles-cents using prospectivedata. Results suggestsleeping six hours or lessper night increases therisk for major depression,which in turn increasesthe risk for decreasedsleep among adolescents.

"Healthy sleep is anecessity for physical,mental and emotionalwell-being," said AmericanAcademy of SleepMedicine President Dr MSafwan BaDr. "This newresearch emphasizes thatwe can make an invest-ment in our health by pri-oritizing sleep."

Excessive or less sleep cancause depression

To Our ReadersWe are publishing these

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Anew research hasfound that controlling

how much you eat anddoing lots of physicalactivity is not enoughwhen it comes to sheddingoff the kilos.

Dr. Claude Bouchard,Professor at the Texas Aand M University Institutefor Advanced Study(TIAS), said that whensomeone says of an obeseperson, “They should justeat less ande x e r c i s emore,” hesays if itwere thatsimple, obe-sity wouldn'tbe thewor ldwidee p i d e m i cthat it is.

Bouchard, director ofthe Human Genomics Labat Pennington BiomedicalResearch Center in BatonRouge, La., studies thegenetics of obesity andbelieves there are dozensof factors involved indetermining whether ornot a person becomesoverweight or obese.

Bouchard assertedthat obesity is a complexproblem because there areso many drivers andapproaches focus on onlya few and forget that whilewe control them there iscompensation takingplace elsewhere; there areother drivers that comeinto play.

He divides those driv-ers into four categories:social, environmental,behavioral and biological.

Social factors include lessaccess to nutritious foods,more recreational eating,powerful and constantadvertising, large foodportions, poor schoolmeals, eating on the run,food pricing and fewermeals cooked at home.

Our physical environ-ment affects eating habitsas well, said Bouchard,such as the absence ofsidewalks, reliance on

a u t o m o -biles, build-ing designand envi-ronmentalpollutants.Behavioralfactors suchas spendingless time ins t renuous

activity, taking medica-tions known to increasebody weight, the absenceof breast-feeding, eatingcorn fructose syrup, anincrease in sedentary jobsand high-fat diets.

And biological factorssuch as genetics, viruses,gut microbiota, adiposetissue (body fat) biology,and metabolic rates canall affect weight and manyare not within a person'scontrol. Bouchardexplained that the biologyis very complex and theresponse to environmen-tal, social and behavioralfactors is conditional onthe genotype of an indi-vidual. "Your adaptationto a diet or a givenamount of exercise isdetermined by yourgenes," he asserted.

Dieting and exercising notenough to lose weight

27

HEALTH STOP

Let’s sleep on it10 simple ways to fight sleeplessness

Do you struggle to sleepat night, wake up fre-quently during the nightor do you anxiouslywatch the clock until thetime you have to get up?

Why can’t I get to sleep?

Temporary insomniacan simply be because ofjet lag or not being tiredenough. However longterm insomnia could bedue to psychologicalproblems such as anxi-ety, depression, chronicstress, bipolar disorderor trauma. In someinstances it could evenbe sleep disorders thatare causing the insom-nia: conditions such assleep apnoea (shallow orinfrequent breathing),narcolepsy (brain'sinability to keep sleep-wake cycles normal), orrestless legs syndrome(irresistible urge to moveone's body).

It may sound obviousbut avoid naps, reducecaffeine intake, try tokeep to regular sleep pat-terns, sleep in a quietenvironment, avoid exer-cising within four hoursof bedtime, avoid eatinga late heavy meal and tryrelaxing – perhaps with aregular ayurvedic headmassage. Contact us foryour nearest therapist.If this has not workedthen try these ten solu-tions:1. Get out of bed to

break the cycle – perhapshave a glass of water.2. Read a book - hopeful-ly not one that is tooexciting that you wouldnot want to put down.3. Watch television.4. Have a warm bathwith relaxing herbs oroils.5. Do not keep looking atthe clock to see whenyou have to get up -remove the clock fromyour bedroom.6. Do not let negativethoughts takeover.Consider what good thisthought could mean andfocus on this. May be it isa test from God designedto make you a strongerperson? Someone oncesaid ‘God let me not haveproblems – instead let mebe a stronger person’.7. Simply breathe deeplyfor five minutes. Yawn torelax the jaw muscles.Roll your head in circularmotion to relax the neckmuscles. Roll the shoul-ders in a circular motionto relax the shouldermuscles. 8. Some oils are relaxing.Place a few drops of anyof these to your pillow:Valerian, Lavender,Sandalwood or ClarySage.9. Sleeping tablets. Yourdoctor could give yousome as a last resort, fora short period of time.However, doctors areusually reluctant to pre-scribe sleeping tablets asthey do not treat thecause and may cause sideeffects, such as a feelingof a hangover or daytimedrowsiness.10. Herbs such asValerian and Ginger. Forsome people a naturalherbal remedy withoutside effects is the solu-tion. Herbs such asValerian and Ginger havebeen used as a sleepingaide since the times ofAlexander the Great.Valerian containsValerenic acid andIridoids which act as amild sedative. Gingercontains Cineole whichhas a calming effect.

If you want moreinformation oninsomnia solutions orhave a health or beautyproblem emailravi@coolherbals.com,phone 020 8597 9039 orwrite to Ravi Bhanot orSushma Bhanot, 386Green Lane, Ilford,Essex IG3 9JU.

Ravi Bhanot JP MRPharmS Dip(Nutr)Dip(Hom) Dip(Ayurv)Dip(Stress Manag) Dip(Massage) Pharmacist,

Ayurvedic, ComplementaryHealth and NutritionConsultant, Lecturer,

Researcher and Author. He isa celebrity columnist for manymagazines and is Director ofThe Ayurveda Institute of

Europe and Coolherbals Ltd.

Valerian + Ginger Caps

Coolherbals Ltd. 386 Green Lane,

Ilford, Essex, IG3 9JU

www.coolherbals.comTel: 020 8597 9039

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 201428

Hansika,next toSuperstarRajinikanthThe year 2013 has

been an excitingyear for HansikaMotwani. And, she is allset to continue herdream run in the com-ing year as well. Shesays, “2014 is going tobe bigger and better forme. I see myself a cheer-ful person in 2014. Itwill be full of lights,camera and action.”She has two meaty proj-ects lined up –“Aranmanai” withSundar C and “MaanKarate” with SivaKarthikeyan. InAranmanai, she plays‘God’s Child’. Sourcesreveal that she will nothave a pair in thissupernatural psycholog-ical thriller. While for aMaan Karate song, shehad to drive five bikes.She said that she thor-oughly enjoyed every bitof her riding experience.

Priya Anand and Vemal in Kannan’s nextDirector Kannan of “Settai” fame is fine-

tuning his next script which stars Vemaland Priya Anand as the lead pair. This filmwill be produced by Michael Rayappan. Asper the reports going on, Kannan has appar-ently come with two titles for his film -Sakkarai and Kaadhal Konjam Kammi.When asked about the title of the film, hesaid, “Yes, I have zeroed in on two titles. Ihave asked the design team to come out withlogos and will compare the two and opt forthe best. But in most probability, it will beKaadhal Konjam Kammi as a film calledSakkarakatti is already released and thismight create some kind of confusion in theminds of the audience”

‘Kochadaiiyaan’ release postponed againTamil superstar Rajinikanth's long-

delayed and long-awaited“Kochadaiiyaan” will be delayed fur-ther. The film will not be released onMay 9 as scheduled. A new releasedate is expected to be announcedshortly.

This is the latest in a series ofdelays for the film, with the releasedate in the last two months beingshifted from April 11 to May 1 andfinally to May 9. The animated periodpiece, in which Rajinikanth plays atriple role, co-stars Deepika Padukoneand is directed by the superstar's

daughter Soundarya R Ashwin.On May 5, Soundarya tweeted:

“Post-production for the film, whichuses performance capture, was previ-ously blamed for the delays. Despiteour very best efforts, we're just notready. We need two more weeks andwe are not willing to speed up thepost-production just because we havebeen missing other deadlines in thepast."

In April, Rajinikanth's managersaid, "The release date has beenlocked as May 9. There will no furtherchanges in the film's release."

Rajnikanth nervous! Unbelievable! Well Rajnikanth‘s reason forgetting nervous is the fact that he would be acting opposite

Sonakshi Sinha, who is all set to make an entry down Southopposite the superstar Rajnikanth in “Lingaa.”

Rajnikanth expressed this sentiment since he is a good friendof Shatrughan Sinha and now he would be romancing hisdaughter on screen. It has been reported that Sonakshi tooexpressed her nervousness about working with Rajnikanth, “I’vemet Rajni Sir when I was younger. After coming to the set of‘Lingaa,’ I told him that I was pretty nervous aboutworking with him. But he surprised me by saying, Whyare you nervous? I am nervous to work with you sinceyou’re my friend’s daughter,” said Sonakshi.

Sonakshi Sinha is very thrilled about workingwith the legend of cinema since Shatrughan Sinha

and Rajnikanth are friends. “It is definitely aDabangg entry for me.”

says Sonakshi.

Singer Ankit Tiwari, who rose to fame with hisblockbuster hit song “Sun Raha Hai Na” from

“Aashiqui 2,” has been arrested by the Versovapolice station on rape charges. The singer's broth-er Ankur Tiwari too has been arrested for threat-ening the victim. According to a report, the victimis Ankit's girlfriend, an event management profes-sional, who the singer has decided not to marrydespite promising to marry her.

The report says that the victim is 28-years-oldand is not from the film industry. She was stay-ing with her sister in Mumbai and met the singerthrough common friends. Since then the twohave been in touch with each other and the twobrothers used to visit her house frequently.

‘Aashiqui 2' singerarrested on rape charges‘D Gangs of Mumbai’

The movieis abouttwo youngmen Avi( S a n j a yK a p o o r )and Shiva( A a r y aBabbar) ona missionto establishtheir namein Mumbaias dreadedcriminals.A series of

killing by both makes them cynosure ofthe police department who wants themdead or alive. ACP Hemant Jog’s(Sushil Singh) thinking is that eye foran eye is not a solution to control thecriminals and they should be given achance to reform. With permission fromauthorities the ACP releases them.Both Avi and Shiva leave the city andwere leading a peaceful life.

Unexpectedly, someone wanted to takerevenge on them for a murder they com-mitted earlier. Will Avi and Shiva returnto their old ways or how they circum-vent the situation is crux of the story.

‘The Xposé’

It is a musical film directed by AnantMahadevan and produced by VipinReshammiya under the banner of HRMusik. The film stars HimeshReshammiya as a detective named RaviKumar, who is investigating a murder.Zoya Afroz and Sonali Raut appear insupporting roles, whilst Irrfan Khan hasbeen roped in for a special appearance.Punjabi music artist Yo Yo Honey Singhalso appears in the film to play a role of

villain, thus making his Bollywood act-ing debut.

‘Midsummer MidnightMumbai’

It is a romantic movie directed by BrajBhushan and the music is by SujeetChaubey, Afroz Khan. The main acatorsare Sara Khan, Paras Chhabra, M AGuddu, Pooja Thakur, Kiran Kumar,Milind Gunaji, Pramod Mautho, RajuKher, Shiva Rindan, and MushtaqKhan.

Sonakshi makes Rajinikanth nervous!

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 29

Akshay Kumar is set to take onhis most iconic role in his

new film – “Holiday: A Soldier IsNever Off Duty,” releasing world-wide on 6th June 2014throughReliance Entertainment.

It is an intelligent, high-octane, edge-of-your-seat roman-tic thriller, which delves into thedark labyrinth of terror cells,bomb plots and internationalespionage. The film directed byA. R. Murugadoss has SonakshiSinha, Govinda and newcomerFreddie Daruwala in pivotalroles.

Akshay Kumar essays the role

of Virat Bakshi, a military officerwho is on holiday with his battal-ion in Mumbai. However,unknown to his fellow officers,Virat is also an undercover SecretDefence Intelligence Agent.Whilst on a family visit toMumbai, Virat is caught up in agruesome terror attack that sees acrowded bus blown to pieces.

But this is just the beginningof the story for Virat, as he getsdrawn into a sinister web of liesand deceit in his quest to bringthe very top echelons of the terrormafia to justice before they strikeagain in the heart of Mumbai.

Bollywood actressSonakshi Sinha

revealed her amazingnew svelte figure duringpromotions of the film“Holiday: A Soldier IsNever Off Duty’’ withco-star Akshay Kumar.She flaunted her super-toned midriff during aspecial appearance ontalent show DanceIndia Dance, inMumbai recently. She

was joined by Akshay Kumar, as the pairchatted to the young contestants and enter-tained the studio guests. She also showed offher slim-line physique on the green carpet atthe recent International Indian Film Awards(IIFA) in Florida.

Produced by Akshay Kumar and Vipul AShah, “Holiday” is an intelligent, high-octane, edge-of-your-seat romantic thriller,which delves into the dark labyrinth of terrorcells, bomb plots and international espi-onage.

The film is directed by A. R. Murugadoss,who made the blockbuster “Ghajini.”Veteran actor Govinda performs the role ofAkshay’s senior commanding officer.Newcomer Freddie Daruwala shines as theruthless and brutal leader of the terror cell.The music is by Pritam Chakraborty.

Sonakshi flaunts herfigure for ‘Holiday’

promotions

“Lakshmi,” a hard-hit-ting drama about

child trafficking in India,directed by NageshKukunoor, will open the2014 edition of the LondonAsian Film Festival (LAFF).

The film is based on thereal-life story of an impover-ished 14-year-old girl kid-napped from her village inAndhra Pradesh and forcedinto prostitution and whoeventually testified in courtagainst her traffickers.

Kukunoor will travel toLondon for the occasionand take part in an exclusivetete-a-tete following thescreening on 1 June at the

capital's historic TricycleTheatre.

“Lakshmi” stars new-comer Monali Thakur in thecentral role, as well asIndian TV stalwart RamKapoor and veteranBollywood star Satish

Kaushik whowas also part ofthe film's pro-duction team.

The filmhad its worldpremier inJanuary at thePalm SpringsInternationalFilm Festival2014 where it

won the Audience Awardfor “Best NarrativeFeature.”

Kukunoor has beenpraised by critics and audi-ences alike for his unflinch-ing portrayal of the horrorsof child trafficking and sexu-

al slavery in India wheremore than 50,000 abduc-tions and “disappearances”are recorded every year.“Lakshmi” kicks off a 12-day celebration of independ-ent South Asian arts andcinema across London asLAFF returns for a record16th year.

Among the other high-lights of this year's festivalare an exclusive appearanceby filmmaker VishalBhardwaj, Pam Chopra, thewife of the late Yash Chopra,Indian-American comedianNadia P Mansoor as well asfilms from Pakistan, Indiaand the UK.

Kukunoor’s 'Lakshmi' to open London Asian film festival

BollyGOOD 2014 in association with AsianVOICE are doing it again.

Thousands of people are coming together for one dance and raising tens of thousands pounds for Macmillan Cancer support.

In 2012 an amazing event took place. One song. One dance. Thousands of people raised tens of thousands of pounds for Macmillan cancer support.

Join us again this summer.

in association with

We know you want to make a difference.Do you want to laugh and dance AND break a world record doing just that?

Come celebrate the moment!

Sunday 6 July 2014 @ 12pmSpitalfields Market

www.spitalfields.co.uk

Akshay Kumar turns army intel officer in ‘Holiday’

All close ties of loveand affection will benefit

from the gentle influence of Venus. If you are mar-ried or have a well-founded relationship, it seemsthat the pattern of events will somehow draw youcloser together emotionally. Those who are not yettotally decided, this is a fine time to do some seri-ous thinking.

You should enjoy avery popular phase in your life where everyonewants to invite you to parties. This will give you achance to meet people and pursue any romanticliaisons that might present themselves. Your com-munications are extremely high making it easy toclose those lucrative deals.

You will be pleased tosee that your social life

livens up during this week. It is as if a lucky twistof events and something unexpected that will pro-vide you with a key to your heart's desire. There isa definite expansive trend where money is con-cerned, so do not be surprised if this turns out be atime of lucky breaks.

Give top priority toimportant written

work, official matters and vital communications. Ifyou can manage to get away from usual routines,this will not only prove to be highly enjoyable but itwill have a decidedly beneficial effect on your phys-ical and psychological well-being. Loved ones willbe looking after you.

It's a time of slow andsteady progress that can

set the stage for a long time to come. Of course,there are still challenging issues on both a personaland practical level. To get here you may have over-come obstacles by making important decision andchoices. You will achieve a lot more, by motivatingyour own desires.

You will feel ener-getic and confident as the week begins. New

beginnings are favoured around now. Your thinkingis inspired, so listen to your thoughts. This may bea time of expansion and it would be unwise to letyourself become complacent. Affairs of the heart arelikely to flourish.

The fiery planetMars, continues to occu-

py your Solar 1st house for some time to come. Itsinfluence will help you to maintain a high energylevel and achieve positive results in anything thatrequires drive and initiative. If you are involved in afairly competitive field of activity, you will be theone who comes out on top.

It is essential thatyou adopt a very open attitude now for this is a

time of lucky opportunity and a chance to greatlyenrich your working life and at home. New windowson the world are about to open and this will have amaturing effect on you. There is a rather secretiveaura surrounding new romance.

You may find your-self hard at work

behind the scenes, although that may not be appar-ent to others. You may find yourself caught up in awhirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advanceon both the inner and outer level. There’s a sparkleto your social life and much enjoyment from being intouch with other people.

Domestic andfamily matters are very much to the fore indicat-

ing increased harmony and feeling of contentmentin your home life. At a more practical level, proper-ty matters are under a highly encouraging trend,making this one of the best times for pushing aheadwith buying, selling or renovating your property.

You have everything togain by following creative

inclinations. If you have new ideas, now is the timeto put them into practice. Whatever your presentinterests you are likely to find that new doors openand the way ahead offers increased scope forexpressing your real self. A great time to meet andinteract with people.

There seems to besome pressure on finan-

cial affairs and maybe a problem to contend with inregard to a joint venture. If you feel that somethinghas been hanging in the balance, whatever happensyou will get a clearer picture of the situation even-tually. Allow matters to ride as impatience will notgive you the whole picture.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 201430 UK

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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Thank you to the people of KentonEast and Harrow

Continued from page 3 I’d also like to place on

record admiration for mycolleague and friend KeithToms, who declared him-self as the “Anti-RacistMayor of Harrow”.Harrow has come a longway from being a white,middle class leafy suburbto one of the most reli-giously and ethnicallydiverse Boroughs, withpeople living together inthe spirit of respect andharmony. There are manychallenges that lie aheadbut I’m proud of our mul-ticultural community andI know that our journeywill continue to build onour successes and ensureHarrow remains one ofthe top places to live andwork.Personally it’s been a

happy journey and I’vemade some friends fromall mainstream parties andgenuine independents.The low points have beenthe totally unnecessarypettiness and personalinsults I’ve faced from asmall quarter of Tories.I’ve stood firm againstthose individuals and I’mglad that people of

Harrow haven’t beenfooled by them either. MyLabour colleagues and Ihave been subjected to theallegations of institutionalracism by the so-calledILG. Their allegations areas bogus as the ILG itselfand they are nothing butimposters with no integri-ty or principles. I’m leastsurprised that the oppor-tunist UKIP has joined theILG in the bandwagon todiscredit the Labour Partyin Harrow by spreadingthe unfounded filth aboutracism. But, they cannotdisguise the fact that theyare simply a glossy versionof the BNP and fair mind-ed people know it. I bow out of local

council politics with atinge of sadness but makeno mistake I’m not retir-ing. I remain LondonAssembly Member forBrent and Harrow andwill be working even hard-er for and with our com-munities in Brent andHarrow. I’m always happyto assist, you can contactme by emailnavin.shah@london.gov.uk or by telephone on 0207983 4377.

The British millionairefrom Bristol, ShrienDewani, pictured,appeared briefly in aSouth African court,where his lawyers success-fully argued he was not fitto stand trial for the mur-der of his Swedish bride,Anni Dewani. MrDewani, 34, reportedlystared forward, emotion-less, as he appeared in thedock at a five minute longpre-trial hearing in theWestern Cape's HighCourt. Francois van Zyl,representing Mr Dewani,argued that he had "fullyco-operative" since hisextradition from Britain toSouth Africa last year.However, Mr van Zyl toldthe court that, "We havebeen told not to consult

with him for more than 30minutes at a time andeven that has proved frus-trating because of his lackof ability to concentrate",Mr van Zyl told the court.The lawyer proposed

that Mr Dewani's case bepostponed to June 20 thisyear and the SouthAfrican prosecution hasagreed the delay. JudgePresident John Hlopheagreed that Dewani beheld in custody atValkenberg until then.

Dewani hearingpostponed till June 20

l Wednesday 21 May 2014 – Exhibition: WWFTiger Talk Exhibition from 6.15pm at The NehruCentre, 8 South Audley Street, London, W!k 1HF. l Thursday 22nd May 2014 – A Path to Wisdom: 5Steps to a Heart Centred Approach to Leadershiphosted by City Hindus Network from 6.45pm –8.45pm at The Hub, Westminster, London. l Friday 23rd May 2014 – 'In Spotlight' at theCockpit Theatre from 7pm – 9pm. l Saturday 24th May 2014 – Indo-UK Theatre Artspresents A Gujlish Drama from 7.30pm at ShreeLohana Mahajan Hildyard Road, Leicester LE45GG. Contact: 01162664642. l Saturday 24th May 2014 – Hindu IntroductionsEvent from 6pm – 10.30pm at MyerscoughCollege, St Michael's Rd, Bilsborrow, Preston PR30RY. Contact: 07929329204.l Saturday 24th May 2014 – Sunday 1st June2014 - Shrimad Devi Bhagwat from 2.30pm –5.30pm at Shri Sanatan Hindu Mandir, EalingRoad, Alperton, Wembley, HA0 4TA. Contact: 0208 903 7737. l Sunday 25th May 2014 – Rock On Music pres-ents Shreya Ghoshal at The Royal Albert Hall.l Saturday 31st May – Shruti Arts in associationwith Shivan Theatre present Chorna HathmaChavi, a Gujarati Drama, directed by Kiran Purohitat Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 4a Castletown Road,London W14 9HE. Contact 0207 381 3086. l Sunday 1st June 2014 – Pankaj Sodha presents'Dikri Vahal No Dariye' at 7pm at Copland School,Cecil Avenue Wembley HA9 7DU. Contact: 07947561947

l Brent Indian Association in partnership with Sri SathyaSai Organisation UK has once again taken an initiative tohold a FREE walk-in health awareness day on Sunday18th May 2014, 9.30am-4:30pm at 116 Ealing Road. l Thursday 15th May 2014 - Quest Ensemble AlbumLaunch at 7.30pm at Wilton’s Music Hall, Graces Alley,London E1 8JB. l Wednesday 21 May 2014 - Talk on ‘India’s Contributionto the Great War’ with Lord Bhikhu Parekh, 6.45pm atAsia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 7LP.

SPORT WORLDwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 2014 31

Lendl Simmons andAmbati Rayudu hit solidhalf centuries as defendingchampions MumbaiIndians recorded a com-prehensive seven wicketwin over SunrisersHyderabad in an IPLmatch on Monday.Opener Simmons (68)

and Rayudu (68) frustrat-ed Hyderabad bowlers for14.3 overs during whichthey shared 130 runs forthe second wicket asMumbai chased down thetarget of 158 with eightballs to spare at the RajivGandhi InternationalCricket Stadium at Uppal.With this victory, their

third from nine matches,Mumbai, jumped to sixthspot with six points whileHyderabad remained onfifth position with eightpoints from nine matches.Mumbai though did

not have a good start intheir run chase as they lostopener ChidhambaramGautam (1) in the secondover off pacerBhuvneshwar Kumar butSimmons and Rayudusteadied the innings andthen set up an easy win forMI.They batted slow for a

while before Simmonstook 16 runs off IrfanPathan in the fifth overwith two sixes and a four.Pathan was the unfortu-nate bowler as he was alsopicked by Rayudu for spe-cial treatment later on andthe pacer conceded 29runs from his two overs.Leg-spinner Amit

Mishra was also expensiveas he conceded 33 runsfrom his three wicketlessovers to add to the woes ofHyderabad who were play-ing their first match athome in IPL-7.Rayudu, who hit seven

fours and two sixes off 46balls, and Simmons,whose 50-ball knockincluded five fours andfour sixes, batted sensiblyas they hit occasionalboundaries to keep theasking rate under controlwhile also preserving

wickets.From 32 for one at the

end of the fifth over,Mumbai reached 32 forone at the halfway stageand then raced away to125 for one at the end ofthe 15th over and the ask-ing rate had been broughtdown below seven an overby then. The duo, howev-er, were out in quick suc-cession - in the 16th and17th overs offBhuvneshwar (2/21) andMoises Henriques (1/23)respectively - as Mumbaifaced some jitterymoments towards the endbefore skipper RohitSharma (14 not out) andKieron Pollard (6 not out)took their side home.Rohit hit the winning

runs - a four - as Mumbaireached 160 for three in18.2 overs to notch up amuch-needed win to stayafloat in the tournament.Earlier, a late assault

by David Warner (55 not

out) after a solid battingshow by opener AaronFinch (68) tookHyderabad to 157 forthree after electing to bat.Hyderabad were tied

down for most part oftheir innings and itseemed they would fallshort of 150 before the lasttwo overs yielded 33 runsto take them to a fightingtotal.Finch played the role

of sheet-anchor as hestayed till the penultimateover of Hyderabadinnings, sharing 63 runsfor the third wicket withWarner from nine overs.He hit seven boundariesand two sixes in his 62-ball knock.The in-form Warner

was largely instrumentalin taking the score past150 as he smashed twosixes off Lasith Malinga inthe penultimate over andtwo boundaries off thefinal two balls of the

innings bowled by KieronPollar as Hyderabadscored 15 and 18 runs ofthe last two overs.Warner's 31-ball

unbeaten knock was stud-ded with six boundariesand two sixes. Opener andcaptain Shikhar continuedhis struggle and he couldcontribute just 11 from asmany balls in his side'sfirst match at home thisseason. He was out in thelast ball of the fifth overwith Malinga uprootinghis middle stump as hewent for a drive outsidethe line.One-down Lokesh

Rahul was run out in the10th over while going for anon-existent single. Hemade frantic return to thecrease after running half-way down the pitch, butnot before ChidhambaramGautam broke the stumps.For Mumbai, Malinga

took two wickets for 35runs off his four overs.

The Mumbai CricketAssociation got a jolt asthe IPL GoverningCouncil decided to shiftthe final of the high-pro-file event on June 1 fromWankhede Stadium toB a n g a l o r e ' sChinnaswamy Stadium.Although the BCCI

press release did notspecify the reason forshifting the final, a topofficial said that the anti-Srinivasan attitude ofsome of the MCA office-bearers had played a partin the decision.The official said since

MCA belongs to the anti -Srinivasan faction whichstill rules the roost, thisdecision was intended toget even with some topMCA officials who haveopenly expressed theirdispleasure at the TamilNadu strongman continu-

ing at the helm.However, those who

attended the GC meetingwere aware about the rea-sons given."The unofficial reason

given is the atrociousquality of the WankhedeStadium's HospitalityBox which is verycramped. The BCCI willbe having a clutch ofhigh-profile guests fromacross the globe, includ-ing senior ministers inthe UAE government.

That's one reason whysome of the decisionmakers felt thatWankhede will be inap-propriate as a venue," theofficial said.The second reason

given is "MCA havingproblems in dealing withMumbai Police.""There is always

shortage of VVIP carparking passes for theBCCI members. A lot ofthem have complainedthat they have to walkdown a fair distance fromthe allotted car parkingareas," the official said.When asked whether

Wankhede lost due toSrinivasan and MCAbeing at loggerheads,another senior officialsaid, "All I can say is thatthe final is shifted. Youare free to interpret thedevelopment."

Manchester City secureda second Premier Leaguetitle in three seasons bycomfortably defeatingWest Ham United 2-0 ata jubilant EtihadStadium on Sunday. Cityneeded only a point toclaim the championshipahead of Liverpool, butgoals in each half fromSamir Nasri and VincentKompany meant thatthey completed their mis-sion with room to spare.Victory took City's goalstally to 102 - one short ofChelsea’s PremierLeague record from2009-10 - and madeChilean ManuelPellegrini the first non-European manager towin an English top-flighttitle.

India will tour Bangladeshfor a 3-match ODI seriesbetween IPL and its depar-ture for England. The finalof IPL 7 will be played onJune 1 while the team willleave for England on June22. Now, 3 ODIs withBangladesh have beenscheduled in Dhaka onJune 15, 17 and 19.According to reports, bothskipper MS Dhoni and hisdeputy Virat Kohli will beunavailable for the shorttour. Dhoni has alreadyplanned a family vacationduring that period andBCCI also believe in rest-ing the captain before ahectic international sched-ule which ends with 2015World Cup. Dhoni missedthe Asia Cup due to injurybefore the World T20 inBangladesh and Kohli led

the team in his absence.But the ace batsman toohas indicated it to theBCCI hierarchy the need ofa break before the long andhectic international sea-son, and is likely to missthe tour. In absence ofthese two, it’s likely that anew captain will beannounced for the series.Suresh Raina, VirenderSehwag and GautamGambhir, the three playerswho have donned the skip-per’s hat apart from Dhoniand Kohli in recent past,weren’t part of the ODIsquad in Asia Cup, and anew face could probably bechosen by the selectors thistime. Rohit Sharma andRavichandran Ashwinseem to be the frontrun-ners for the temporaryrole.

IPL Results of 10 matchesplayed from 6th to 12th May

Match Date Teams1 6 May MI v/s RCB at Mumbai

MI won by 19 runsBrief scores: MI 187/5 (20 overs); RCB 168/8 (20 overs)

2 7 May DD v/s KKR at DelhiKKR won by 8 wicketsBrief scores: KKR 161/2 (18.2 overs); DD 160/5 (20 overs)

3 7 May KXIP v/s CSK at CuttackKXIP won by 44 runsBrief scores: KXIP 231/4 (20 overs); CSK 187/6 (20 overs)

4 8 May SRH v/s RR at MoteraSRH won by 32 runsBrief scores: SRH 134/9 (20 overs); RR 102/10 (19.5 overs)

5 9 May KXIP v/s RCB at BangaloreKXIP won by 32 runsBrief scores: KXIP 198/8 (20 overs); RCB 166/9 (20 overs)

6 10 May DD v/s SRH at DelhiSRH won by 8 wicketsBrief scores: SRH 44/2 (4.2 overs); DD 143/7 (20 overs)

7 10 May MI v/s CSK at MumbaiCSK won by 4 wicketsBrief scores: CSK 160/6 (19.3 overs); MI 157/6 (20 overs)7 10 May

8 11 May KXIP v/s KKR at CuttackKKR won by 9 wicketsBrief scores: KKR 150/1 (18 overs); KXIP 149/8 (20 overs)

9 11 May RCB v/s RR at BangaloreRR won by 5 wicketsBrief scores: RR 190/5 (20 overs); RCB 191/5 (18.5 overs)

10 12 May SRH v/s MI at HyderabadMI won by 7 wicketsBrief scores: MI 160/3 (18.4 overs); SRH 157/3 (20 overs)

Teams Match Won Lost Tied NRR PointsKXIP 9 7 2 0 1.03 14CSK 9 7 2 0 0.61 14RR 9 6 3 0 0.25 12KKR 9 4 5 0 0.01 8SRH 9 4 5 0 -0.26 8MI 9 3 6 0 -0.35 6RCB 9 3 6 0 -0.46 6DD 9 2 7 0 -0.95 4

Indian Premier League 2014 Points Table (12 / 05 / 2014)

MI beat Sunrisers by 7 wickets

IPL final shifted to Bangalore Man City bagPremier League

title again

India to play ODI seriesagainst Bangladesh

Ambati Rayudu

SPORTwww.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 17th May 201432

Jeetan Patel played a deci-sive role with the ball as wellas with the bat in the victoryof Warwickshire overMiddlesex by an innings and47 runs in the county cricketat Edgbaston. From 140 forsix, still 27 runs behind onfirst innings, Warwickshirereached 462 thanks largelyto a stand of 175 for the sev-enth wicket between Pateland Tim Ambrose. Bothscored hundreds, and by theend of the partnershipMiddlesex were beginning tolook slightly dispirited andeven more frustrated.

Patel averages 30 withthe bat and 27 with the ballfor the county he joined in2009. He is also a good slipfielder and recently under-lined his commitment byrejecting an invitation fromNew Zealand to tour WestIndies next month. He is eli-gible for all games in all for-mats. Warwickshire lostAteeq Javid and KeithBarker during an improvedfirst spell from Steven Finn.Ambrose and Patel startedwatchfully, a hooked six byPatel against Neil Dexter to

the shortest boundary was arare reminder of the tempohe prefers to impose. In mid-afternoon, Patel overcamecramp in his left hand withhelp from an electrolytedrink. Patel found spin to hisliking and reached his sec-ond first-class hundred from134 balls by hoisting OllieRayner over mid-wicket. Hefell a couple of minutes later,before Richard Jones keptAmbrose company for 12overs. Then Chris Wrighthelped Ambrose to add 112for the ninth wicket.Warwickshire scored 462runs. In reply Middlesex

could score only 167 in thefirst innings and 248 in thesecond innings. Patel took 4Middlesex wickets also.

Jeetan Shashi Patel (born7 May 1980) is a NewZealand cricketer of Indiandescent. Patel is a right armoff spin bowler. He playeddomestic cricket for theWellington Firebirds and hasrepresented the NewZealand Black Caps in OneDay Internationals,Twenty20 matches, and Testcricket. He played age groupcricket in Wellington atunder 15, under 17, andunder 19 levels. He playedfor the New Zealand CricketAcademy in a one-day matchagainst England A in 1999and made his debut forWellington in New Zealand's1999–2000 domestic season.Patel currently has a firstclass bowling average ofaround 40 and a List A bowl-ing average in the mid-30s.

Patel showed steadyimprovement as a bowlerduring the 2004-5 season,taking 26 first class wicketsat an average of 32.84. Heplayed two one-dayers

against South Africa A onthe 2004–5 New Zealand Atour of South Africa. He rep-resented the North Island inthe 2004 -5 State of Originmatch and played for theNew Zealand Academy inthe 2005 Cricket AustraliaEmerging PlayersTournament.

In the 2004 EnglishSeason, he representedBuckingham Town CricketClub, making a big impact inthe 1st Team as well as pro-gressing youngsters in localdevelopment schemes. Patelbecame the first player in 20years to take 50 league wick-ets during his spell at theBourton Road club and firstplayer ever to go on to playinternational cricket. Patelwas a member of the 2005–6New Zealand Black Capstour of Zimbabwe. He madehis ODI debut for NewZealand against Zimbabwein the 2005–6 Videocon Tri-Series. He toured Sri Lankawith New Zealand A later inthe season and played in theTriangular A TeamTournament at the conclu-sion of the tour.

Junior Cricketers relish anexclusive master class withMark Ramprakash

Several aspiring juniorplayers of HurstpierpointCC had the opportunity ofa lifetime last weekend,when they got toexperience a master classwith the professional,gifted and successful MarkRamprakash at Lords. Theexperience was part of anauction item, which wasoffered at the AsianAchievers Awards 2011.

Each year, the Awards, hosted by Asian Voiceand Gujarat Samachar, choose a designatedcharity to partner with and raise money. In2011, the chosen charity was Oxfam and allmoney made in the auction went to this charity.This once in a lifetime experience was relishedby the young players of Hurstpierpoint CC. Theclub, which was founded in 1717, has developedand sustained a junior section, which has nowgrown to in excess of 100 junior members andalso boasts a girls and women’s side.

Second set of twins born toFederer familyRoger Federer's wife Mirka has given birth to thecouple's second set of twins, boys named Leoand Lenny, the former world number one said."Mirka and I are so incredibly happy to sharethat Leo and Lenny were born this evening!#TwinsAgain," Federer, who already has four-year-old twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva,wrote on his Twitter feed. The Swiss announcedearlier he had withdrawn from this week'sMadrid Open Masters event to be at the birth.

Jeetan Patel plays crucial role inWarwickshire’s victory

Jeetan Patel

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