“The passing away of Sir Roger Moore was received in Udaipur with deep shock, sadness and disbelief,” he said. “He will always have a special place in the heart of Udaipur and has left an indelible imprint in the imagination of the local people.

“He will always be remembered here in Udaipur with affection, deep respect and great fondness. The only James Bond Udaipur recognises is Sir Roger Moore.”

Moore, who died from cancer on May 23, spent much of 1982 in Udaipur while filming Octopussy. Filming took place in several locations around the city, most notably Maharana’s City Palace, the Taj Lake Palace and Jag Mandir Palace.

The decision to film in Udaipur was made after Mewar’s father, Maharana Bhagwat Singh, invited producers Albert Broccoli and Michael Wilson to the city, recognising the potential tourism benefit of bringing Udaipur to the silver screen.

Mewar said: “My father was the moving force behind EON Productions’ decision to film Octopussy in Udaipur. It was the first of a number of Indian and international films to be shot here.

“The impact of Octopussy on the economy of the city both then and continuing through today has been immense. Udaipur has managed to sustain its position as a paradise for filmmakers for 80 years which is a big tribute to people of the city.”

The post Udaipur mourns Roger Moore, who helped turn the Indian city into a ‘film paradise’ appeared first on Bangladesh Weekly.

A British Asian surgeon faced a slew of racially-charged harassment moments after finishing a 48-hour shift treating victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.

Naveed Yasin, 38, who practices as a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, told The Sunday Times that he was driving back to Salford Royal Hospital following two straight days of fighting to save the lives of terror attack victims when a “white, middle-aged van driver” pulled up next to him and blasted his horn.

The man proceeded to unleash a racist tirade on the doctor, according to Yasin, calling him a “brown P*** bastard” and shouting: “Go back to your own country, you terrorist! We don’t want you people here; f*** off!”

Yasin, who was raised in Keighley, West Yorkshire and now lives in Manchester with his wife and their two daughters, noted that neither terrorism – nor people like the one who shouted at him – discriminate against race or religion.

“I can’t take away the hatred he had for me because of my skin colour… and the prejudices he had associated with this,” he said. “Manchester is better than this. We Mancunians will rebuild, we will rebuild the fallen buildings, the broken lives and the social cohesion we once had.”

Yasin went on to describe the effect that treating the victims of the Manchester Arena bombings had on him and his colleagues.

“Many of my colleagues and I had never experienced injuries from a bomb blast and the effect it has, seeing these, is extremely profound and traumatising,” he said.

The number of hate crimes reported across Manchester doubled on last Wednesday (24), two days following the terror attack, from 28 to 56, according to the Greater Manchester Police. Reports have ranged from racist graffiti to harassment and violence.

Local Muslim leaders have claimed that the true number of incidents is much higher, though fear is stopping many from coming forward and reporting them.

Chief constable Ian Hopkins said: “It is important that we continue to stand together here in Greater Manchester, particularly against some of the hateful views that we’ve seen from a very small minority of the community that have no place here.”

Last Thursday (25), a 16-year-old boy was attacked by a man with a knife while studying for his GCSE exams at the Arcadia Sports Centre in Manchester, receiving only minor injuries before managing to escape.

Chief inspector Dave Gilbride commented that Greater Manchester Police believe the incident was a hate crime and that they are “treating (it) very seriously”.

“Despite this man’s attempts, the boy received only minor injuries, however he is understandably very shaken up by his ordeal.”

The post Manchester surgeon faces racial abuse after 48-hour shift treating bombing victims appeared first on Bangladesh Weekly.

Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Jewish and Buddhist faith groups will be joining together to organise over 10,000 street parties, barbecues, picnics and iftars across the UK from June 16 to 18.

The events fall on the first anniversary of Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox’s death, after she was assassinated by a right-wing activist on her way to a constituency surgery. Brendan Cox, Jo Cox’s widower, explained that he wanted to commemorate the anniversary of his late wife’s death with a “joyous occasion” that would “bring communities together”.

Noting its timing shortly after the June 8 general election, he said: “We need to get a better balance. We spend way too much time fixated on the areas we disagree with each other and need to create more moments where we come together as a country. That’s what I’m focused on and after polling day, I am sure that’s exactly what people all over the UK will be crying out for.”

Julie Siddiqi, national coordinator of the Great Iftar, added: “Hospitality and friendship are key to breaking barriers and getting to know people as friends. We must keep away from the divisive narrative that some are spreading and instead reach out to each other more, not less. It will be a great weekend which will leave a lasting legacy that we can all work with long into the future.”

For more information, visit www.greatgettogether.org.

The post Faith groups unite on anniversary of Jo Cox assassination appeared first on Bangladesh Weekly.

The duo is comprised of Diverse and Paradise, who is often billed as Afghanistan’s first female rapper. Their next project will be a collaboration with London MC Paigey Cakey, which will be featured at the upcoming Beats Without Boundaries event at the Southbank Centre, part of Alchemy, on Friday (26) at 9pm.

Is there a specific message that you would like to send to the world?

There are many national and international NGOs working on projects to empower women, which is fine, but only half the solution. We need to teach both men and women about their rights. That’s why we are working as a pair and a couple – to show people in Afghan society and around the world that men and women are equal and what is important is the love between them.

What makes hip-hop so effective at spreading this message?

In most genres of music we need to use fewer words and speak indirectly to the audience, which is especially true in Persian poetry. But hip-hop is the direct language of streets; it comes from daily conversations, is easy to understand and gives you three to five minutes to express yourself and talk as much as you want. Because it is easy to understand, listeners can easily share it, which is how it gets more spread out.

You have both lived in several countries and toured many more. Has this affected the way you approach music? Has it given you a different outlook on life?

It is always great to experience new things, of course. People are isolated in Afghanistan due to visa policies; there are not many countries that Afghans do not need a visa to visit.

Therefore, most Afghans are only seeing the same culture – Afghan culture – and the mind is less open to accepting anything other than what they grew up with. Touring and being in several countries has definitely had a positive effect on our personal lives as well as on our music because it has inspired us to produce new music and change our style and get closer to what we always wanted to do.

What aspects of Afghan culture do you wish more people were aware of?

It is really important to us to let the world know that what they see on the news is not the true Afghanistan. Of course, we are suffering from suicide attacks and terrorism everyday and we are losing our family and friends everyday because of these stupid attacks, but this is not what we want or who we are. This is because of political policies between leaders from different parts of the world.

When we are among our people and we feel that even those who hate us – usually due to a lack of education – are still flexible and can become more positive. We have realised that the most dire problem in Afghanistan is the lack of education, particularly for girls.

Education can change the mentality of people a lot. The body is commanded by the brain, but when the brain is not well educated, the commands are not appropriate. We hope that we will have a higher level of education in Afghanistan for everyone.

Many of your lyrics are about the importance of education for girls. What must be done to ensure all girls are able to go to school and succeed?

Three factors are playing an important role: parents, government and NGOs. Education is not compulsory in Afghanistan, therefore most parent do not send their daughters to school and sons are often sent to help their dad at work from the age of nine or ten. We think that the government should pay close attention to the quality of education and make sure that everyone is attending school.

Security is another problem, especially for the girls. On the way going back home from school, we hear about a lot of attacks from random people who are threatening girls with knives or pouring acid on their faces. Also, NGOs need to know where they are investing and where their funds end up. Many of these organisations claim money to help schools, but unfortunately, in some cases more than 90 per cent of the funds end up in private purses. That’s a testament to the weak government that we have.

How did you get involved with Beats Without Boundaries? How does collaborating with other artists from around the world affect your own approach to music?

The Southbank Centre contacted us and they asked us if we were interested. We were very excited to accept it. We have collaborated with artists from various countries and found that music isn’t restricted by borders or languages; you just need to explain what the plan and purpose is and that’s it. For Beats Without Boundaries, we met our partner artist Paigey Cakey the day of performing, and we rehearsed just once and we do believe that we had a great show! We all enjoyed the show and when the artists enjoy it, most definitely the audience will enjoy it too.

The post How 143 Band Music is using hip-hop to change Afghanistan appeared first on Bangladesh Weekly.

Conservative Reena Ranger is standing in Birmingham Hall Green on the promise of holding “jobs and apprenticeship fairs to boost employment” in the constituency.

Ranger currently sits on Three Rivers District Council, northwest of London and is the founder and chair of advocacy group Women Empowered.

In an interview with Eastern Eye, she said: “Birmingham is the second largest city and some substantial businesses are opening up here… We need to make sure these new opportunities are available to all residents. I would like to hold job fairs to bring employers and job seekers together, to back plans to reopen Moseley and Kings Heath stations to help alleviate traffic congestion and help our high streets and businesses.”

She also said she hopes to lend support to prime minister Theresa May’s plan to leave the European Union in order to ensure “we get not only the best Brexit deal for the UK as a whole but also the residents of Birmingham Hall Green”.

Ranger will be running against Labour incumbent Roger Godsiff, who held on to his seat in 2015 with a vote share of 60 per cent.

Patrick Cox is standing for the Green party and Jerry Evans for the Liberal Democrats.

Labour has represented Birmingham Hall Green since 1997 and it was considered the 28th safest seat for the party following the 2015 general election.

Ranger, whose father Dr Rami Ranger founded the Sun Mark distribution company, said that she and her family decided to support the Conservative Party for what they saw as shared values: family, education, opportunity and enterprise.

“We need financial responsibility for a strong and healthy economy from which everything flows and flourishes,” she said. “I want to live in a calm, stable and fair UK. A Britain that looks after all its citizens with a strong rule of law and where there is equality of opportunity. One that ensures a good, meritocratic standard of education. I want everyone to have a chance of owning their own home. I believe that the Conservatives are the party for everyone.”

She also expressed the importance of women and minority groups being represented in politics.

“This is our country, our home, our world and our participation is crucial at all levels to ensure we look after it,” she said.

“(When my children grew up), I suddenly understood that we all had a role to play in shaping the world and the country around us and we all could genuinely make a difference by standing up, taking part and being prepared to be counted.”

The post Conservatives eye Birmingham Hall Green with promise of ’employment boost’ appeared first on Bangladesh Weekly.

Social care proposals in the Conservative Party manifesto drew criticism from pensioners as well as political opponents and one councillor cautioned that Asian families would be “hit particularly hard”.

In her biggest misstep of the campaign so far, prime minister Theresa May set out plans last Thursday (18) to make some elderly people pay a greater share of their care costs, before hastily announcing on Monday (22) that there would be a limit.

“We will make sure nobody has to sell their family home to pay for care,” May said in the Welsh city of Wrexham. “We will make sure there’s an absolute limit on what people need to pay.”

The proposal, a key Conservative pledge, will require elderly people with assets over £100,000, including their homes, to pay for their own social care.

The party manifesto clarified that those receiving social care would not be required to sell their home during their lifetime and that their families could maintain £100,000 equity in their home.

Presently, those with assets of over £23,500 are required to pay, though calculations do not include the value of one’s property. As a result, more homeowners are expected to be liable for covering the cost of carers and other services.

A Labour councillor in Brent, Krupesh Hirani noted that Asian communities, who “often live together across generations”, would face the brunt of the consequences if residences are included in social care calculations.

“In Brent and other areas, South Asian communities choose to live in the same family home and it is not uncommon for up to four generations of a family to be living in the same property,” he said.  “The housing crisis has also meant that families are even choosing to build and expand their home and live together rather than enter the housing market.

“When elderly relatives pass away after receiving social care, their children could find themselves homeless. The Tories say that families will be able to keep £100,000 of equity in the family home. The average price of a property in Brent is £535,803, meaning that their children will have to find on average £435,000 to try and keep their family home.”

Labour said the prime minister’s change of heart had thrown her campaign into “chaos and confusion”.

“This is weak and unstable leadership. You can’t trust the Tories – if this is how they handle their own manifesto, how will they cope with the Brexit negotiations?” said Andrew Gwynne, Labour’s election coordinator.

May said the proposed changes to elderly care were part of an attempt to reform the care system for an ageing society.

“Nothing has changed, nothing has changed, we are offering a long-term solution for the sustainability of social care for the future,” she said, shaking her head and raising her voice as it was described as a U-turn by journalists. “Nothing has changed.”

The Conservative manifesto, released last Thursday (18), also contained a number of pledges relating to immigration, including the renewal of a previous pledge to reduce net migration into the UK to under 100,000 per year.

As of September 2016, annual net migration stands at 273,000 per year, down from roughly 322,000 in 2015.

The Tories have also pledged to double the charge, from £1,000 to £2,000, for companies employing foreign workers and increase the fee that foreign workers must pay to access healthcare to £600 per year, or £450 for international students.

International students will also be included in the “tens of thousands” immigration target and will be required to leave the country upon finishing their studies, unless they meet new additional requirements to remain.

Additional pledges were made to “bear down on immigration from outside the EU” across all visa schemes and to reduce the total number of asylum claims made in Britain, while promising to help people in “the most troubled regions”.

Click here to read the full Conservative manifesto.

The post Tory manifesto will ‘hit Asian families particularly hard’ appeared first on Bangladesh Weekly.

Tara Arts artistic director Jatinder Verma took home the top prize at the Eastern Eye Arts, Culture and Theatre Awards (ACTAs) last Sunday (21).

Verma was selected for his four decades long contribution to British theatre, throughout which he has thrust many young writers, directors, actors and other professionals into the spotlight while maintaining a reputation for humility.

“People behind the curtain knew he was a remarkable and generous figure with his own talent and expertise,” compere Nihal Arthanayake said, “and that as a teacher and educator he had considerable gifts”.

Hosted by Eastern Eye and now in its second year, the ACTAs celebrate the best of British Asian arts and culture throughout the year.

Accepting the award, Verma expressed the importance of “celebrating the new” and supporting young and emerging talent, making a “simple plea” to those in attendance.

“What we have to face is the fact that Asian engagement in the arts in this country is lower than anyone else’s,” he said. “Yes, there are all sorts of reasons and all sorts of places we should go to raise a plea. But I want to raise a very simple one: let the artist be as valued, as important in our homes as the surgeon.

“Asian engagement in the arts in this country is lower than anyone else’s.”

“That’s the only message: we are the surgeons of the soul. That’s why we are so important. If your business is going to survive, it’s going to survive because the arts carry it forward. It’s going to develop because it is the artists that are fronting it.

“All of these fantastic artists we’ve seen today represent what is deeply important to us. Yes, we live in this country, but yes, we are also different and all art is based on differences. That’s what makes all art. My plea to you all is: let us all be the surgeons of the soul.”

Speaking at the event, culture minister Matt Hancock said: “(Tonight) is not just a celebration of those who are here and are nominated. It is a celebration of Asian arts and culture in all of its forms. It’s a celebration of the richness and vitality that you bring to this great nation through arts and culture.

“Let us hope that the strong foundation of the bonds which tie us together also allow us to have confidence in the celebration of our diversity as a nation. How each individual is beautifully unique and how we are at our finest when we are strong and open and looking out to the whole world.”

Seventeen awards were presented for categories spanning theatre, literature, film, music and comedy, among other mediums.

“everything is to fall in love with, nothing is to despair on.”

Presenting the Best Production award, Southbank Centre artistic director Jude Kelly commented: “If we really demonstrate the breadth, wealth, depth and imagination of the communities of south Asia and Britain, everything is to fall in love with, nothing is to despair on.”

Other artists performed as well, including dancer Aakash Odedra, hip-hop duo Hype and Fever and comedian Sindhu Vee, who was presented with the Eastern Eye Award for Comedy earlier in the evening.

This year’s ACTAs saw 200 guests flock to the May Fair Hotel in London, including musician Naughty Boy and Sukanya Shankar.

Readers of Eastern Eye chose Riz Ahmed as the recipient of the People’s Choice Award.

Those who received an award at the ACTAs included:

Eastern Eye Award for Arts: Nayan Kulkarni for Blade

Eastern Eye Award for Dance: Akram Khan

Eastern Eye Award for Literature: Abir Mukherjee for A Rising Man

Eastern Eye Award for Music: Anoushka Shankar

Eastern Eye Award for Photography: Amit and Naroop

Eastern Eye Award for Radio: Sangita Myska

Eastern Eye Award for Comedy: Sindhu Vee

Eastern Eye Award for Best Director: Gurinder Chadha for The Viceroy’s House

Eastern Eye award for Best Production: Tamasha Theatre for Made in India

Eastern Eye Emerging Artist Award: Ambreen Razia

Eastern Eye Award for Film, Best Actress: Sanam Saeed for Rahm

Eastern Eye Award for Theatre, Best Actress: Rina Fatania for Love N Stuff

Eastern Eye Award for Theatre, Best Actor: Emilio Doorgasingh for The Kite Runner

Eastern Eye Award for TV, Best Actress: Manjinder Virk for Midsomer Murders

Eastern Eye Award for TV, Best Actor: Adeel Akhtar for Murdered By My Father

Eastern Eye People’s Choice Award: Riz Ahmed

Eastern Eye Editor’s Special Award: Tate Modern for the Bhupen Khakhar exhibition

Eastern Eye Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts: Jatinder Verma

The post ‘Artists are surgeons of the soul’: ACTA winner Jatinder Verma appeared first on Bangladesh Weekly.

Speaking at the event, cultural minister Matt Hancock said: “(Tonight) is not just a celebration of those who are here and are nominated. It is a celebration of Asian arts and culture in all of its forms. It’s a celebration of the richness and vitality that you bring to this great nation with through arts and culture.

“Let us hope that the strong foundation of the bonds which tie us together also allow us to have confidence in the celebration of our diversity as a nation. How each individual is beautifully unique and how we are at our finest when we are strong and open and looking out to the whole world.”

Hosted by Eastern Eye and now in its second year, the ACTAs celebrate the best of British Asian arts and culture throughout the former year.

17 awards were presented throughout the evening for categories spanning theatre, literature, film, music and comedy, among other mediums.

Other artists performed as well, including dancer Aakash Odedra, hip-hop duo Hype and Fever and comedian Sindhu Vee, who was presented with the Eastern Eye Award for Comedy earlier in the evening.

Those who received an award at the ACTAs included:

Eastern Eye Award for Arts: Nayan Kulkarni for Blade

Eastern Eye Award for Dance: Akram Khan

Eastern Eye Award for Literature: Abir Mukherjee for A Rising Man

Eastern Eye Award for Music: Anoushka Shankar

Eastern Eye Award for Photography: Amit and Naroop

Eastern Eye Award for Radio: Sangita Myska

Eastern Eye Award for Comedy: Sindhu Vee

Eastern Eye Award for Best Director: Gurinder Chadha for The Viceroy’s House

Eastern Eye award for Best Production: Tamasha Theatre for Made in India

Eastern Eye Emerging Artist Award: Ambreen Razia

Eastern Eye Award for Film, Best Actress: Sanam Saeed for Rahm

Eastern Eye Award for Theatre, Best Actress: Rina Fatania for Love N Stuff

Eastern Eye Award for Theatre, Best Actor: Emilio Doorgasingh for The Kite Runner

Eastern Eye Award for TV, Best Actress: Manjinder Virk for Midsomer Murders

Eastern Eye Award for TV, Best Actor: Adeel Akhtar for Murdered By My Father

Eastern Eye People’s Choice Award: Riz Ahmed

Eastern Eye Editor’s Special Award: Tate Modern for the Bhupen Khakhar exhibition

Eastern Eye Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts: Jatinder Verma

The post Jatinder Verma takes home top prize at ACTAs 2017 appeared first on Bangladesh Weekly.

When did you first get the acting bug?

Probably from having an overactive imagination as a kid and never quite losing it. I started to understand my passion for it through theatre studies at my high school in Norway. I had the most amazing tutor and was in a class full of talented and driven individuals – so there was a lot to feed off.

How did you feel landing a role in Game Of Thrones?

It’s always a buzz to get a great gig like that – as an actor I want to be constantly working and sinking my teeth into a new script. I felt very lucky to have that launchpad early on in my career.

You were there at the beginning of the series. Did you ever imagine it would become such a worldwide success?

I didn’t have a clue at the start, to be honest. I had a friend who was massively into the books and I loved reading them, so mainly I was just excited to be part of something that epic.

Then it blew up – so that was pretty awesome. I’m not surprised it is such a huge success because it ticks so many boxes. It is escapism at its best.

What are your fondest memories of the show?

The cast and being in amazing locations for the shoot… and the dragons.

What has the experience of acting in The Good Karma Hospital been like? 

It’s been absolutely brilliant, I loved being out in Sri Lanka and enjoyed Ruby as a character. It felt like an ensemble filming out there for three months; everyone was so invested so it was a joy to go to work every morning.

What was the biggest challenge of acting in the series?

Learning to ride the Royal Enfield was a challenge that I loved. The biggest challenges were getting the medical aspects of the show down. Although shows undeniably execute artistic licence, being a doctor’s daughter, I wanted to understand and get it as right as possible.

Why do you think that it has been so well received?

The Good Karma Hospital is more than just a medical show – it doesn’t shy away from reality and is very character driven, so people both relate to and invest in the characters.

They are all flawed and all face life the same way anyone else does – it just happens to be in India, which isn’t shabby viewing on grey winter nights.

Can you share a behind the scenes story from the show?

I had an allergic reaction to caterpillars and for most of the final bar scene, I was scratching between takes.

Did you learn anything new while working on the show?

A lot of medical jargon that I try to impress my dad with.

Do you believe in karma?

I believe what goes around comes around.

What would be your dream role?

I would love to play a villain. On a motorbike. Maybe with a mask. I love a character different to me; I find flawed characters that are misunderstood interesting to take on. I like outsiders.

Why do you love acting?

Because nothing beats the feeling of walking on set or on stage and telling stories that will reach out to people you will probably never meet.

The post Game of Thrones actress Amrita Acharia on success and karma appeared first on Bangladesh Weekly.

New research from the University of Huddersfield has unearthed details of India’s huge genetic diversity, with findings supporting the theory that local populations are descended from three major waves of ancient migration.

Led by PhD student Marina Soares Da Silva, the research used ancient and modern DNA samples to study migration patterns from 60,000 years ago to the Bronze Age, which ended roughly 3,000 years ago.

The first settlement in the Indian subcontinent, Da Silva explained, occurred shortly after humankind first left Africa, roughly 60,000 years ago, as hunter-gatherer societies began settling in the area.

The end of the most recent ice age, roughly 20,000 years ago, led to further waves of migration from Iran, along with the introduction of agriculture to the region.

Researchers also found evidence to support the theory that a third major wave of migration took place around 3,500 years ago, during the Bronze Age. This third wave originated from Central Asia, as mobile pastoralists from the area between the Black and Caspian seas headed further east.

This group are believed to have spoken what eventually became Sanskrit, the language of classical Hinduism, and were the first Indo-European speakers to settle in south Asia.

Details surrounding this third wave of migration, explained Da Silva, are “particularly controversial”, with many historians and linguists, “influenced by the long history of colonialism”, deny that immigration of Indo-European ever took place.

The lack of preserved skeletal remains, and therefore ancient DNA, from south Asia presents a major barrier to those studying these populations. As result, Da Silva and her team compared ancient DNA from central Asia, the Caucasus and eastern Europe with modern genetic patterns in south Asia, which were gathered from online repositories.

“Different genomes can be analysed in different ways, so in this study we compared different genetic systems,” Da Silva explained, “mitochondrial DNA for the maternal line of descent, the Y-chromosome for the paternal lineage and recombining nuclear DNA to give us a broader view of the genome (genetic material).”

There has been a “great deal of work” studying genetics in south Asia, Da Silva said, though this research has reached “contradictory conclusions”.

Further research into Y-chromosome variation, which tracks the male line of descent, provided strong evidence for this more recent wave of migration into India, one of the key takeaways of the research, Da Silva said.

“We were able to identify sex-specific genetic patterns and date the different dispersals into the (Indian) subcontinent. We have developed a chronology for the region’s settlement from the earliest Paleolithic arrivals, around 60,000 years ago, to the Bronze Age.

“The earlier arrivals have left a strong signal primarily in the mitochondrial lineages tracing the female line of descent, whereas the male line of descent is disproportionately represented in more recent episodes, especially the arrival of Indo-European speakers around 3,500 years ago.

“What is very interesting is that this scenario is very similar to what is known for Europe from the Paleolithic up until the Bronze Age, albeit with some differences in the time of some dispersals.”

The post UK archaeologists uncover India’s genetic origins appeared first on Bangladesh Weekly.