A Journo's Diary

Labour leadership contender David Miliband says he doesn’t want to see the British community of Indian origins in the margins but in the mainstream. In a one-to-one interview with Asian Voice, the former Foreign Secretary of Britain comments on Prime Minister Cameron’s recent visit to India, coalition government’s immigration cap, Osborne’s budget and the contribution of British Indian community to Britain.

SS: What are the infrastructure opportunities that you see in UK and if you had to prioritise the sectors?

DM: We obviously have a blessing of a very old infrastructure and the burden of a very old infrastructure. Our railway infrastructure is 19th century which may ring some bells of its ancient and heritage. But our energy infrastructure, for example, is more of the post war period. So, the priorities for us are, I would say, over the next 20 years are one – energy, which I think is really important, including not just more energy efficient but carbon capturing energy with the upgrading of our electricity infrastructure is very very important.

Second, I think what is pretty important is our soft infrastructure which I think is good but could be better. We have very high digital and high speed penetration into the household market, pretty well into the commercial market. But I think we could do better, especially in the more far flung areas.

And thirdly – transport. Because I think that’s a big thing where the previous government committed to high speed rail which I think is very important.

SS: In the context of UK-India relations, what are your comments on Cameron’s visit to India where he has established an excellent political and business relation, which the Labour government have conspicuously failed to do?

DM: I am surprised they say that because I think David Cameron inherited a very very strong relationship. Prime Minister Singh and Prime Minister Brown were very closely together. We were very close to Foreign Minister Krishna and all the different levels where there was real cooperation but not just government. After all, British investments in India and Indian investments in Britain have both been going the right way. So I think Prime Minister Cameron inherited a very strong relationship and the fact that he wants to nurture it is a very very good thing.

SS: Is it not realistic to have a one to one relation with India rather than a cold war Indo Pak construction which has no relevance today?

DM: Of course, I mean I don’t recognize that India being clubbed with Pakistan at all. India is a success story of South Asia. It’s a bilateral partner but it’s also a multilateral partner. I mean we’ve argued very strongly for a stronger Indian role in wider International political system. That’s true through the G20, process in expansion through what is called the G-8. We are long champions since Tony Blair’s time for the Indian membership to the United Nations Security Council. So, I don’t think that India is seen through an India-Pakistan prism at all. Obviously, instability in Pakistan can be dangerous for all the countries in South Asia but that doesn’t mean that India is bracketed in that way.

SS: Mr Cameron spoke warmly of India’s business relations in the UK. How important is this for the re-generation of the UK economy?

DM: I think it is important. I mean something like Tata; they are big investors and have recently sold the Redcar steel to Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI), a Thai company. And the fact that now India has now bigger investments in Britain and Britain has in India is a remarkable testimony to how this is now a partnership of equals. I think we both have very strong shared interests in open global economy. And we have to forge new areas of cooperation, which I think is higher education, technology in respect of Green technology, there are big opportunities in the health sector as well as the more traditional services like insurance and so on.

SS: In the light of the immigration scenario, already the British government, especially Damien Green has agreed to have a special arrangement with the top companies for visas- any comment on that?

DM: Well I think that the new government’s approach to immigration is sending out very confused messages because they have isolated countries like India for a cap on immigration. That is completely the wrong approach in my view. Far from that sending the message that Britain is open for business, it sends the message that we are concerned about skilled, qualified people coming here to work and pay taxes. I think that’s a piece of populism that has gone wrong really. And so, we have taken the government to task about that because there are, I think, about 22,000-23,000 people from outside the EU, who come here every year. But then to pretend that a cap on non-EU skilled migrants is going to tackle that problem is ridiculous. So, I think Mr. Green has lot of answering to do to people who look at Britain as standing out for an open role in the global economy. I would stand up for Britain to have an open role in the global economy. I don’t think a cap on skilled non-EU migrants is a way to build a stronger Britain.

SS: But do you think that will affect India-UK relations in anyway?

DM: Well, I hope not. But I think it sends a very odd message. I don’t want to send an odd message. I want to send a message that we welcome Indians who come here to pay taxes and contribute to our society.

SS: George Osborne’s budget is supposedly going to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. What is your comment on that?

DM: Well, I believe in Robin Hood and not in the Sheriff of Nottingham. The worst thing obviously is that at a time of fiscal retrenchment, the poorest in the society are being asked the bear the greatest burden which is a typical Conservative approach. But equally bad is that he told the House of Commons it’s a budget that will help the poor and not the rich. And then it turns out that it wasn’t true. That’s was a very bad thing to do.

SS: And finally, there is a huge British Indian population in UK. If you have to send out a message to say how do you think their contribution has helped UK?

DM: Well, I think it has been a fantastic success story. I don’t see the British community of Indian origins in the margin; I see them in the mainstream. And we need to make sure that mainstream is strong and vibrant and growing.

The Britons of Indian origin, some of them I am going to meet when I open this new temple in West Bromwich, in the great towns and cities of Britain are doing well in business, education, health in the community. They are value members of the community. And I think it’s one of the great things actually that this is a country that has made itself home to millions of people.

And my message will be to thank them for their citizenship and their contribution in all walks of life. I am the first person from my family to be born in this country so I have some similar reason to recognise how this country has opened its arms from people around the world.

But I think the second message to the Britons of Indian origin is ‘Let’s build up on the progress we have made because we haven’t struggled this hard and worked this hard for a more equal opportunity only to see it thrown away.’ And that’s the central politics in the future.

Ever since I was a kid I had a fascination for the South Indian culture. I have always found it to be very different from the North Indian setting but still a striking resemblance in many ways. It is like a unique culture in itself and owing to India’s multi faceted society, we see diversity in attire, language, cuisine across the country. I have been to the southern part of India only twice – one as a ten month old when I could hardly understand the world around me and second was too short a trip to enjoy the beauty of the place.

Little did I know that Kerala, my favourite destination in the near future, will come looking for me in London. A two day carnival focussing on the Indian State of Kerala was exhibited at the South Bank along the Thames River last week. The event consisted of every aspect of Kerala that can come to your mind – Kathakali, Ayurveda, cuisine, handicrafts and much more.

Before going forward, I will give you a little outline of Kerala that is located in south-western part of India. The state is bordered by Karnataka to the north, Tamil Nadu to the south and Lakshadweep Sea towards the west. The capital of Kerala is Thiruvananthpuram and Malayalam is the dominant language. The State also known as “God’s own country” is a very popular destination for tourists from all over the world.

The two day carnival that took place on 7th-8th July at South Bank in Waterloo was flagged off by Mark Shand of the Elephant Family who engineered the entire Elephant Parade in order to create awareness with regards to Asian elephant conservation. Organised by UK’s leading multicultural specialist Here&Now365, supported by Bank of Baroda and partnered with many leading groups – Sony Entertainment Television, Incredible India, Kerala – God’s Own country, South bank and Think London, the festival was attended by highly respected personalities such as Smt. P K Sreemanthi Teacher – Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Govt. Of Kerala, Richard Barnes, Deputy Mayor of London and other prominent members from the British Parliament and Greater London Authority.

The event was a huge success not only because of the presence of prominent guests but also because it truly brought the essence of one of the most popular tourist destinations based in southern India to London. Londoners filled their bellies with dosa sambhar and vadas and quenched their thirsts with coconut water. Some even got beauty treatments and ayurvedic massages done; bought handicrafts for their homes. And all this was done not by spending hundreds of pounds on air tickets but on simply taking a bus to South Bank centre.

The organisers were extremely helpful and that made it easier for people to feel at home. When I reached the venue, I could hear some traditional music but could not understand the words as the song was sung in Malayalam but the experience was extremely enjoyable. There were traditional Kathakali dancers who lit the event on fire with their enthusiasm and passion while performing. I noticed that the crowd attending the carnival did not consist of only Indians; a great number of British and European viewers enjoyed the carnival.

I spoke to a French couple who were standing near the stage for a very long time looking at the Kathakali performance. I asked them what they thought of the event and the boy said, “Till now it was Turkey on our minds for our wedding holiday but now we know that it’s Kerala. It looks like heaven.”

Well, indeed it does and thanks to the organisers for bringing it to London. In today’s world when everything is commercialised and tourism is a huge sector, one needs to know the art of branding and marketing a particular product. In this case, it was a holiday destination. But I must say that a great job was done not only from the business point of view but also from an aesthetic point of view.

The only thing however I missed was idly sambhar and I will request the organisers to remember that the next time they plan a south Indian carnival.

Last week I was invited to the premier of a documentary titled “India’s Forgotten Women,” directed by Michael Lawson and presented by Anjali Guptara at the Vue cinemas in Leicester Square. Having spent almost my entire life in India, I was very curious to know what the documentary had to show. Somewhere in my mind, I knew that there will be a lot of poverty, some instances of domestic violence and some dowry deaths. However, the documentary was a little more than what I had expected – both in a positive and negative manner.

Let’s take up the positive instances first. The film was well shot, well edited and well described. Almost throughout the film one could follow the script and the events that were taking place. The film focussed on women suffering from “triple patriarchy” – their caste since they belong to the lowest in the ladder, i.e. Dalit, their class and the gender difference. This subjects them to a great deal of humiliation not only from their husband and their family but also from the society at large.

A very interesting finding that the documentary made was with regards to the issue of “devadasis.” To put it in context, the practice of devadasis (young girls married off to the temple) was abolished in 1988 by legal sanction. But this documentary shows that the practice still exists in a village in Belgaum. It is absolutely shocking to discover that such a grave situation actually exists and that too with or without the knowledge of the Indian government. Another interesting area covered well by the documentary was the issue of bonded labourers.

However I had certain reservations about this 45 minute documentary that left everyone shocked. To start with, a few things had been generalised so as to include the whole of India in it. Let us not forget the fact that India is a very big country with twenty eight states and seven union territories. Every state has a culture, language and cuisine of its own. And thus there is extreme diversity across the country. Life in villages is far more complex and difficult as compared to the metropolitan cities. Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and others have progressed and the concept of the girl child as a “burden” doesn’t exist in these societies.

I was extremely unhappy with one of the interviewees in the documentary who was a doctor. She gave a very stereotypical idea of the status of women in India. Gathering my memory from the film, she mentioned that the time a girl child is born in a family in India, parents start investing less money in her career because at the back of the mind they know that they will have to give a dowry. I mean how reasonable it is to generalise such a thought to the entire country? I know that such a thing happens in the villages or the more backward states but to look at it positively, things are far better in the cities. And when we talk about an issue such as dowry, it is always better to make a comparative analysis, especially when discussing about a vast country like India. I talk of this with my own personal experiences, interactions since I have lived in India for twenty three years before moving to London.

Another thing which caught my attention was the issue of domestic violence and sex-selective abortion. How right is it to say that every parent hopes for a baby boy and domestic violence is very common? Frankly, the doctor who was interviewed should have just confined herself to the issues of health and medical concerns. What she said was not very well supported with enough references and thus it fell weak on the script.

Apart from the fact that the documentary painted a rather bleak picture of the situation of women across the country, it was definitely an eye opener, especially because many of us in our busy and fancy lives forget that we are probably very lucky to have been brought up in a progressive atmosphere. There are many like us who plainly by virtue of being born in a poor and lower caste family are suffering a great deal every day. And luckily because the situation is not the same across India, the movie brought out the realities of what goes in the villages and some backward cities. But life in a metro is not the same.

He is one of those actors who started the trend of teenage romance. Before that, Indian cinema was a palette of love stories between those in their 20’s or even 30’s sometimes. But he brought the concept of “puppy love”, if I may say so – when the girl is 16 and the boy is 18. He is enigmatic, he is lively and even today he has the magic to sway the crowd with his lovely stories.

Chintu, as Rishi Kapoor is affectionately called, has completed a journey of forty years in Indian cinema. His first film – Mera Naam Joker, where he was a child artist was a start for his career as a successful and dynamic actor in the Indian bollywood industry. Today, many years later, Chintuji is still the fun loving boy we remember from Bobby or Karz. I am not going to go on talking about his films because he needs no introduction in terms of his work. But what I am going to focus upon are small little stories that Chintuji shared with us during his recent visit to The Nehru Centre last week.

A press meeting in the beginning and then a conversation with film historian Nasreen Munni Kabir, Rishi Kapoor gave his audience all the time they needed in getting to know their favourite actor better. When Nasreen Munni Kabir asked him what he remembered as a thirteen year old from his first film Mera Naam Joker, a witty Rishi Kapoor replied that immediately after overhearing his parents talk about casting him as a child actor, Rishi Kapoor rushed to his room, took out a pen and paper and started practicing his autograph. He also said that whenever his mother would scold him for something, he would cry and would not miss a chance to peep into the mirror to see how he looked.

During the press conference he talked about two movies that he is presently working on. He is presently in London for the shooting of Patiala House, a film about British Asian identity and the conflicts that arise between generations. The filming has been taking place at locations across UK, including Southall, Harrow, Covent Garden, Lords, Oval and Nottingham Trent Bridge cricket grounds.

Leading the cast is superstar Akshay Kumar in an on-screen avatar that’s never been presented to audiences before. An accomplished and leading actor, Kumar juggles the contradictory role of a shop keeper from Southall respecting his traditionalist father, played by Rishi Kapoor, while pursuing his dream to play cricket for England. Also to be seen in the movie is Anushka Sharma, Dimple Kapadia and British Asian Rapper, Hard Kaur.

The second movie is Do Dooni Char, a movie that brings back the “Ek main aur ek tu” couple – Rishi Kapoor and his beautiful wife Neetu Kapoor. Ever since we saw a glimpse of her in Love Aaj Kal, people seem to be going gaga over the couple’s return to Indian cinema.

On his relationship with his son Ranbir Kapoor, he maintained a somewhat proud father stand saying he hasn’t contributed to Ranbir’s success in anyway and whatever Ranbir has achieved today is on his own. He also said that the only thing that he keeps telling Ranbir and other aspiring actors is that one should never take success to head and failure to heart. That is the only way to go about in the film industry.

When asked what he thought about the present day romantic flicks, he said he liked them and had no favourites – “I have five fingers and I cannot be unfair to any of them,” he said. Although he found Rajneeti to be a very different sort of a movie, he felt that bollywood today faces lack of good and meaningful stories. He was seen to be quite diplomatic while answering questions so as to avoid any controversies, especially because two of his big films are underway. He also said that he cannot name one of his films as his favourite since he is extremely proud of his work and it is difficult to choose a favourite from the list.

Well said Mr. Kapoor, I am sure not even your fans can choose just one out of the box since you have been excellent in every role that you have taken up. No matter how many star kids make their way through to the bollywood industry, the audience still longs for their legendary heroes and heroines who will remain immortal forever.

Southall came into existence in as early as 19th century when in 1801, only 697 people lived and worked on the local farms in this area. It was later in the 1790s that the Grand Junction Canal was built and it linked London to the Midlands via Bull’s Bridge, Southall, one branch going to the Thames and one to Paddington. Later in 1838, Western Railway Company opened a railway line from London onwards that included a halt at Southall in 1839.

Today, Southall is a bustling neighbourhood with a multi-faceted culture. Today when the train stops at station, one can see Southall written in both English as well as Punjabi. This shows the niche that the community has created for itself.

As part of the Alchemy festival at the Southbank Centre, an exhibition has been set up to explore the story of Southall. The exhibition starts from the early days of settlement in Southall in 1801 to the very present times which consist of the entire hustle bustle that takes place everyday. The Southall exhibition was quite an interesting one to see since we tend to take the place for granted and epitomize it with our food and shopping tastes. But little did I know that there is so much more than that.

Even though it remains that Southall is known in the recent times as “Little India”, it is not just the Indian population that resides there. As much as I learnt at the exhibition, Southall has been a home for many from India, Pakistan, Ugandan Asians, and West Indians since the 1950’s and more recently for the Sikhs from Afghanistan and Somalians. These settlements have shaped the way Southall is today for us.

The exhibition also shed light on issues of gender and race quoting examples of the racist murder of teenager Gurdip Singh Chaggar in 1976 followed by the killing of teacher, Blair Peach in the Southall uprising in the 1979. These incidents spurred the community to act in defence to let others know that this community is not weak at any cost. Another group that has received wide recognition has been the Southall Black Sisters group that has been established to defend the human rights of Asian and African women who are victims of Domestic Violence.

A very interesting area that the exhibition brought out was the importance of Punjabi music in the community and how well the music grew from simple folklore to bhangra which is extremely famous in the UK now. The exhibition also explored the two sides of Southall – Old and New. As for the Old Southall, that is seen b man as “downmarket” there aren’t many posh shops or shops with décor. There is a clear difference in terms of economic positions. The new Southall is extremely vibrant, active with a sense of style and décor. I would say this difference can be seen everywhere, it not the difference of economic positions but of different generations and thus both sides of Southall are equally precious.

It is true that Southall is referred to as “Little India” but this so-called Little India has a British colour to it. Assimilated with the British culture, Southall offers a variety for all. There is probably the only pub in Southall where you can buy a pint of beer in Indian Rupees. That brings out the uniqueness of the Southall culture.

However in the past, there have been certain concerns over many homeless people who sleep either on the streets of Southall or are given shelter in the Gurudwaras. The exhibition failed to put any light on this issue. As reports suggest, there are man non profits that are helping these people with woollen wear and food from time to time. It would have been good to see this aspect of the community as well.

All in all, it was an interesting exhibition that informed me as an individual about the history of Southall. Till now, Southall was about food and Indian groceries, but now there is much more to it. It is home to so many people who are not just Indians but from other parts of the world. And this co-existence of so many nationalities together definitely makes the community very multi-faceted and unique.

Afghanistan: The London Conference – Friday 29th January, 2009

It’s been a year since Barack Obama took office as the President of United States of America. In this one year, how many promises has he fulfilled? Let us analyse Obama;s one year journey in three parts:-

I Obama & the World

II Obama & Africa

III Obama & the U.S economy & healthcare

Till now, it was always trade and investment or fighting terrorism that led India and UK to share the same path. But now, both the countries have joined hands to work in their education sector. During his high level visit to the UK last week, India’s Human Resource Development Minister, Mr. Kapil Sibal said that UK wants to “push forward” its relationship with India in the education sector and British universities are increasingly interested in coming to the country to collaborate like never before.

With Education as the key theme of his visit, the Minister gave a keynote address to an audience including dozens of education ministers from around the world at the Learning and Technology World Forum in London. He then also met the university vice chancellors and set out his vision for the expansion of India’s education sector.

On this issue of student visa laws being stringent, he said that the UK government has shown concern on this matter. He also said that the Indian delegation has been quite frank in putting their opinion on the visa case forward. He said that the UK government understands that if it doesn’t allow students to work in the UK, then it will lose its attractiveness.

On the issue of comparison between Indian and UK universities, Mr. Sibal said that it was very unfair to compare the Indian universities with that of UK. He said universities like Oxford and Cambridge were set up hundreds of years ago. Also, in India, premier institutions like IIT’s and IIM’s are government sponsored, whereas universities like Oxford and Cambridge have been set with private endowment. In context of the IIT’s, he said “Give it fifty years and it will be on top.”

The Minister also made a visit to the University of Surrey and the Imperial College of London. He said he felt both the institutions were ready to collaborate with India. He also ensured that UK universities will very much have a physical presence in India once they collaborate with their Indian counterparts. One thing that the Minister is keen on learning from the UK system is education for the disadvantaged. He made a special visit to the schools to understand better the school education system in the UK.

Ever since I started studying the Indian national movement, I have always believed that it was Muhammad Ali Jinnah who was instrumental in the partition of India and Pakistan. Well, why only me, I think everyone who might have grown up studying Indian history would agree with me on this. But former Indian Minister Jaswant Singh has a totally different philosophy. A former member of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), who had been expelled last year from his party for praising Muhammad Ali Jinnah, says it is wrong to demonise Jinnah.

Speaking about his recently published book titled “Jinnah – India, Partition, Independence” at the Houses of Parliament, at an event organised by the Indian Journalists Association, Mr. Singh said that the book comes from his heart and questions why the partition took place? It also analyses why the present situation exists? He described the journey made by Jinnah as a leader as an “epic journey.” In his book, he talks about the role of Congress party leader and the country’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and the first Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel in the partition of India in 1947.

However, he also pointed out that the transition of Jinnah from being an ambassador of hindu-muslim unity to Quaid-e-Azam of Pakistan is surprising. The seventy one year old politician also referred to the present state of affairs in South Asia as “Paralytic.” He pointed out to the trend of tensions moving from Europe to West Asia and now into South Asia. Well, indeed, India is surrounded by countries that are in a state of great turmoil. And, if we look at India, internally it is troubled too.

Infact, one of the endeavours of this book, according to Mr. Singh, was to find out where we stand today in terms of the world affairs. He emphasised on the unity among countries of South Asia and also said that he would contribute in every way possible towards peace in the region. However, on the issue of India-Pakistan, Mr. Singh said that dialogues between the two nations were the best way to resolve issues. He also said that the two countries must not hold on to past events.

Singh’s book has already been published in twenty three editions and the international edition of the book is expected to be launched in March. Meanwhile, he was also conferred with the title of “Ambassador of Peace” for South Asian region by Peace International, a London based organisation. Singh described it as a “rare honour” and said he was a “very ordinary citizen of South Asia. “

The term “Visa” is such that it can surely bring a frown on the face of any International traveller. I am sure that every individual who has ever applied for a visa to no matter whatever country will have an anecdote to share. I have been in UK for about a year and a half and have come across many British Indians who are very unhappy with the long waiting time and mountain load of paper work to get a visa to India. And at this moment, I always start wondering that why can’t travelling to your home country be simple enough?

Well, it surely isn’t as tough as we think it is. Especially for those who themselves or through their parents, grandparents or even spouse, trace their origin back to India. Once they apply for an OCI or a PIO card, depending on their eligibility, they don’t have to worry about those long queues at the VFS visa centres or making innumerable visits to the Indian High Commission. But in order to apply for this card, many of them will have to surrender their Indian passports. And that is what seems to be holding back many in this case.

In fact, sources from the High Commission of India have encouraged more and more British Indians to apply for the OCI and PIO card. One needs to plan their visit in advance, maybe like 3-4 months in advance so that there is enough time to carry out the paper work for the process. The High Commission of India has also suggested that it takes almost two months to get the cards processed and thus applicants should be ready for such a time. But it also gives you a lifelong visa to visit India in the case of OCI and fifteen years in case of PIO card.

A lot of times many of us get confused between both the cards. Well, to start with, there are differences in terms of eligibility, process, cost and benefits and restrictions of both the OCI and PIO card. Persons who belong to Indian origin either through parents, grandparents, great grandparents or spouse can apply under PIO category, while those overseas Indians who migrated from India after 26th January, 1950, except from Pakistan and Bangladesh come under the overseas citizen’s criteria. For them to be eligible under OCI category, they must belong to Indian origin through either their parents or grandparents. The clause of spouse does not exist in this case.

The Indian government has always been very sensitive towards the issues of the NRI community that is spread all across the globe. In fact the OCI and PIO card scheme is the cornerstone in its policy on Diaspora. The government actively encourages Indians settled abroad to apply under these schemes. This also helps lessen the burden of missions abroad that look into a number of visa issues every day. Frankly, if every person of Indian origin living in this country applies for an OCI or PIO card, imagine how easy it will be for the mission to deal with other matters.

But there are many Indians worldwide who have faced extremely tough situation in the hands of immigration officer even after having an OCI card. In fact just a couple of months back I had read about an Emeritus Professor from US who was travelling on his OCI card and had not carried his old passport with him because under the rules it states that if you have a OCI card, you don’t need a visa. But apparently the immigration officer at the counter asked for his passport and on the failure to produce the passport, the Professor was given a seven day temporary visa in India and was asked to produce his old passport at the earliest.

There have been similar cases that came to light regarding OCI and PIO card. This is not to baffle anyone but it is just to make people aware that there might be a gap between what the government decides and what the immigration officials know. At that moment, rules and policies of the government doesn’t work. It is the question of whether you can produce the asked document or not.

Well, there would always be such cases floating around in the newspapers and online portals. But that shouldn’t deter the fact that this scheme has been brought into action to benefit the Indian diasporic population that is settled worldwide. I think a lot of us are intimidated by any government policy till we actually pick up the rules and read it. Because we are afraid that if it is a government scheme it will need a lot of paper work and running around. But sometimes it is for a long term benefit as well. I think for the British Indian population, this scheme might just be worth a try.