Greetings Curry Lovers!

It is said that celebrity and infamy are two sides of the same coin (well, it ought to be said even if it isn't) and, of course, many Asians cannot tell the difference! So it was intriguing to see both the Rt. Hon Peter Mandelson MP and former US President Bill Clinton addressing the "great and the good" of the British Asian business community. Mr Mandelson was shrugging off recent controversies and solidifying links with the 'Labour Friends of India' (yes, indeed such a group does exist it seems). Meanwhile, Bill Clinton was urging Asians Businessmen not to shrug off their social responsibilities to their national and local communities.

PETER MANDELSON'S INDIA LINKS	BILL CLINTON TALKS TO ENTREPRENEURS
The Rt. Hon Peter Mandelson MP this week showed the Labour Party's firm and unwavering support for India at the annual Clement Attlee Lecture & Banquet, organised by the Labour Friends of India. read more	Former US President Bill Clinton challenged UK Asian entrepreneurs to use their success to make a difference in their local communities and in the Indian sub-continent. He was speaking at the ABi Annual luncheon. read more

The recent Asian Jewel Awards (Southern Region) applauded leading lights of the Asian business, professional and arts sectors whilst the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards also recognised Karan Bilimoria of Cobra Beer and Bharat Shah of Sigma Pharmaceuticals for excellence in business skills. Is it just me or do there seem to be rather a lot of Awards for Asianness these days? If it is looking a little empty in your trophy cabinet, why not take a moment to enter the Carlton Multicultural Achievement Awards 2003 which will be presented in October this year by the lovely T4 presenter June Sarpong (providing she can find someone to do something with her hair that is ....check out the photo, you'll see what I mean!).

Sardar Patel, one of the founding father's of Modern India, is to be commemorated by Gujarat's foremost University of the same name. The University has launched a £5 million Golden Jubilee Endowment Appeal, aimed specifically at Non-resident Indians, and Non-resident Gujaratis in particular. The appeal has until 2005 in which to raise all the necessary capital, the interest from which will be channelled into improving social and educational facilities at The Sardar Patel University. As one of only seventeen "Centers of Excellence" in higher education in India, we applaud their efforts and hope Redhotcurry.com users will contribute generously of their time and money.

ASIAN JEWEL AWARDS 2003	SARDAR PATEL APPEAL
A veritable Who's Who of Asian "movers and shakers" attended the Southern Region presentation of the Asian Jewel Awards 2003. The awards recognise and celebrate the endeavours and achievements of individuals from the UK Asian community. read more	Sardar Patel, one of the founding fathers of modern India, is to be commemorated by Gujarat's foremost University. To celebrate fifty years since its inception the Sardar Patel University has launched an appeal to raise five million pounds. read more
TWO 'ENTREPRENEURS OF THE YEAR'	CARLTON AWARDS 2003 - LAUNCH
Karan Bilimoria of Cobra Beer and Bharat Shah of Sigma Pharmaceuticals were among those recognised for their skills' at this year's Ernst & Young UK Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. read more	June Sarpong was at the Respect Festival to unveil CARLTON'S MULTICULTURAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS for 2003. She will once again host the annual event, to be held on 21 October 2003. read more

Of course, in Bollywood infamy and notoriety can all help considerably in the pursuit of "celebrity" status. This weekend, at London's Royal Festival Hall you too can experience the allure of a day of bosom-heaving, bangle-clashing 'filmi' dance workshops at the 'Bollywood Blast Off Big Workshop Day'. This event dovetails with 'Escapade', a urban dance and music extravaganza being performed from 9pm onwards at The South Bank. Later next week, Angika commence their short residency at London's South Bank with a performance of 'Urban Temple'.

Channel 4 has gone completely Bollywood this summer (again!) with a series of 20 hand-picked films dedicated to celebrated actors and directors of the Hindi Cinema. Co-ordinated by Bollywood anthologist, Nasreen Munni Kabir, the 'Summer of Bollywood' season is well worth watching. Learning how to program the VCR will help avoid a month-long "jagran" for Bolly fans because, unfortunately, most of the screenings start at midnight!

Soon-to-be published is what I would call the "Mother India of all Bollywood Books", The Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema. This weighty tome has over 650 pages bursting with glorious photos and nuggets of information about Hindi Cinema. We are doubly delighted to have THREE FREE copies of this £50 encyclopaedia to give away in our filmi competition (see details below).

BOLLYWOOD BLAST OFF, 2 AUG 2003	URBAN TEMPLE - ANGIKA, 4-8 AUGUST
Experience the allure of Bollywood through a day of bosom-heaving, bangle-clashing 'filmi' dance workshops at The 'Bollywood Blast Off Big Workshop Day' on Saturday 2nd August 2003 at London's Royal Festival Hall. read more	A unique opportunity to see one of the UK's most dynamic and imaginative British Indian dance companies at work. Angika are committed to evolving the art of Bharata Natyam without mixing it with other dance forms. read more
SUMMER OF BOLLYWOOD ON CHANNEL 4	ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HINDI CINEMA
Channel 4's ongoing celebration of Hindi cinema returns with a season of 20 picked films dedicated to Bollywood Celebrities, every Sunday & Monday from July 27. Each film in the season is introduced by its star or director. read more	A thoroughly delightful, vivid compendium about Indian Cinema! With over 650 pages bursting with glorious pictures & nuggets of information about Bollywood, I cannot see how anyone can top this homage to Hindi Cinema. read more
***** ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HINDI CINEMA COMPETITION *****
To win a FREE COPY of the ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HINDI CINEMA (worth £50) simple answer correctly the following questions: 1. For which song, taken from '1942- A Love Story', did Javed Akhtar win his first Filmfare Award as a lyricist? 2. Which notable actor carved out a career for himself as a villain in films like 'Azad', 'Madhumati', 'Adalat' and 'Majboor'? 3. Which two notable actresses starred with Amitabh Bachchan in the 1981 film 'Silsila', directed by Yash Chopra? HOW TO ENTER 1. Hit reply to this email with your answers. Ensure you provide your full name and address AND a DAYTIME DELIVERY address and TELEPHONE NUMBER as the encyclopaedia will be sent by courier and will require a signature. 2. If you are unable to reply to this email, send a separate email to webmaster@redhotcurry.com with your answers. Ensure you provide your full name and address AND a DAYTIME DELIVERY address and TELEPHONE NUMBER as the encyclopaedia will be sent by courier and will require a signature. TERMS AND CONDITIONS (ENCYCLOPAEDIA COMPETITION) 1. Competition is open to UK Residents over the age of 18 only. 2. You must be a registered member of Redhotcurry.com. Please take a moment to sign up. 3. All entries must be received by 12.00 noon on Friday 1st August 2003. Winners will be chosen at random from qualifying entries. The Editor's decision is final.

If it isn't Bollywood, then the topic is migration. South Asian migration into the the UK to be precise. This month has seen the National Archives go live with two websites. Black Presence tracks Asian history from the ancient civilisations of the Indus Valley to the formation of the British Raj. 'Moving Here' represents the last 200 years of South Asian migration into the UK, and offers for the very first time, over 150,000 sources of information online. If like me, your genealogy map disappears two branches up from you, then the National Archives may be a great place to start hunting for more information.

ASIAN HISTORY IN BRITAIN	SOUTH ASIAN HERITAGE WEBSITE LAUNCHED
Asian history, from the ancient civilisation of the Indus Valley to the creation of the British Raj, forms the focus a new website called "Black Presence" which explores the history of Asian & Black people in Britain from 1500 to 1850. read more	The last 200 years of South Asian migration to England are explored on a new interactive website, 'Moving Here', launched on 30 July 2003 at London's City Hall. 'Moving Here' makes over 150,000 digitised sources from 30 sources available online for the first time. read more

One closet Asian well-known to us all - Craig David - has just released a Punjabi remixed single of 'Spanish', taken from his album' Slicker than Your Average', on which Craig sings the Punjabi lyrics himself! To-be-launched later this month is the Teri Seva CD, compiled by The Experience Corps which is a Home Office backed organisation dedicated to encouraging those aged 50 and over, whatever their ethnic or faith background, to share their lifetime of skills, and time, for the good of their local community. It does this through a network of local Animators (advisers) whose job it is to match the needs of the community to the interests and talents of the volunteers in the area.

The Experience Corps is launching the Teri Seva CD on Wednesday 20th August 2003 at The Clay Oven in Ealing Road Wembley (7.00 - 10.30pm). Redhotcurry.com is delighted to have 8 pairs of FREE TICKETS to this "Ticket Only" launch party to be won in our second competition (see below).

CRAIG DAVID RELEASES 'SPANISH'	TERI SEVA - A MUSICAL CELEBRATION
Craig David has released a Punjabi remix of his brand new single 'Spanish'. Remixed by Rishi Rich, 'Spanish' features Punjabi lyrics sung by closet-Asian Craig himself! read more	On Wednesday 20 August 2003 The Experience Corps will be launching a specially commissioned CD which celebrates the concept of Seva within the Asian community. read more
***** TERI SEVA CD LAUNCH PARTY COMPETITION *****
To win a paid of FREE Tickets to the Teri Seva CD launch party on Wednesday 20th August 2003 at The Clay Oven, 197 Ealing Road, Wembley, simply answer the following question correctly: 1. What is the best English translation for the term "Seva"? HOW TO ENTER 1. Hit reply to this email with your answer. Please ensure you supply your full name and address. 2. If you are unable to reply to this email, send a separate email to webmaster@redhotcurry.com with your answer. Please ensure you supply your full name and address. TERMS AND CONDITIONS (TERI SEVA COMPETITION) 1. Competition is open to UK Residents over the age of 18 only. 2. You must be a registered member of Redhotcurry.com. Please take a moment to sign up. 3. Winners will be chosen from the first correct eight emails. The Editor's decision is final.

After all this competing and partying I am sure you'll want nothing more than you curl up with all those Bollywood movies you recorded over the summer. Now where did I put that remote control?

Until next time,
Lopa Patel (Editor - redhotcurry.com)

PS. Our special free gift offer for new users who sign-up is simmering nicely, so why not tell a friend to sign-up? They might be grateful for the suggestion.