Greetings Curry Lovers!

As we rapidly approach the Easter Holiday (eh? wot holiday?), it occurred to me that it would be a wonderful sign of multicultural Britain if, instead of Bank Holidays, we had a day off for all the various cultural holidays (like Vaisakhi, Eid, Passover, Diwali etc.). However, trying to suggest this to Her Majesty's Government seems a little difficult given that the Queen's lunch for women high-flyers sparked one guest to comment that there was "too high a proportion of white faces and the lunch should have been more multicultural"!

This has inspired me to compile a list of Britain's Leading South Asian Women - your thoughts on this list are welcome, as always. Revinder Johal, earlier this week, became the first Asian Woman Magistrate to be elected after taking part in the pilot Operation Black Vote and Department for Constitutional Affairs Magistrates Shadowing Scheme. Meanwhile, Black presenter, Henry Bonsu, has been sacked by BBC Radio London for being "too intellectual". One wonders if there should be a rider to that statement that reads..."too intellectual for an ethnic minority audience"? This opinion piece considers the state of diversity in Broadcasting where only Asian Programming seems to thrive - "dumbed down" as it is, presumably.

The annual money fest, otherwise known as the Asian Rich List has just been published - it features few surprises other than the 66% increase in wealth of the 300 individuals listed, quite a huge chunk of which can be attributed to the Top 10 Mega rich.

BRITAIN'S LEADING SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN	FIRST ASIAN WOMAN MAGISTRATE
Here is a list of Britain's Leading South Asian Women. There are no gongs for being included in this list and no awards to collect. Indeed many of the women may consider it a curse at being so singled out! read more	Revinder Johal has become the first Asian woman to be appointed as a magistrate after taking part in the pilot Operation Black Vote and Government Shadowing Scheme. Her appointment ceremony was held on Monday 5th April 2004. read more
SACKED FOR BEING "TOO INTELLECTUAL"	ASIAN RICH LIST 2004
BBC Radio London presenter Henry Bonsu has been axed because his bosses said he was 'too intellectual'. Is this in the name of 'multiculturalism', or 'diversity'? read more	Compiled by Dr Philip Beresford - author of the Sunday Times Rich List - the Asian Rich List finds the combined wealth of these 300 millionaires is £14.3 billion, an overall increase of an astounding £6 billion from last year. read more
CRE GIVES SPECIAL VOICE TO BRITISH MUSLIMS The Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality today welcomed the Muslim Council of Britain's latest initiative to help counteract terrorism and announced the appointment of the CRE's own special ambassador for Britain's Muslim communities. read more HOLY COW! PETA TAKES INDIAN GOVERNMENT TO COURT At a press conference today, multiple Grammy Award-winner Pandit Ravi Shankar announced his support for PETA India’s initiative to file a case in the Supreme Court against the Indian government for failing to alleviate the suffering of animals used for leather and meat. read more HINDU FORUM OF BRITAIN LAUNCHED Over 100 Hindu organisations from different regions of Britain united together to form the Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB) on 20th March 2004. Member organisations include regional Hindu Councils of Brent, Harrow, Birmingham, Leicester and the North, and Temples. read more NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR WINDRUSH ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Nominations are sought for the Windrush Achievement Awards 2004, a unique celebration of members of Britain's African Caribbean, Asian and Oriental communities who have outstanding achievements or made unique individual contributions. read more IT WORKERS WANT MORE WORK-LIFE SUPPORT IT workers are demanding a better work-life balance but over half do not believe that senior managers are leading by example, according to a new report out today. The study was carried out among 1,000 male and female IT professionals. read more

Cash has also been flowing into the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME), although I have stoically resisted the "Cat that got the CREME" headline! A Bollywood Fund, that allows people to invest in the Mumbai-based Film Industry, has opened and an innovative project called 'Her Business' has also been launched.

The disadvantage of doing a monthly e-newsletter is the sheer volume of news one has to get through. So for the sake of brevity, I shall restrict my comments (...Thank Goodness did I hear you say?) and leave you to digest the remainder of the stories unaided.

CASH BOOST FOR CREME	IMPROVED BUSINESS LINK PERFORMANCE
A new centre of expertise which aims to develop research into ethnic entrepreneurship has been boosted by a £115,000 grant from the East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA). read more	The Secretary of State today spoke at the Federation of Small Business (FSB) conference in Blackpool where she welcomed new figures showing improved performance in the Business Link network. read more
BOLLYWOOD FUND LAUNCHED	'HER BUSINESS' PROJECT LAUNCHED
'The Bollywood Media & Entertainment Fund offers opportunities to invest in film production read more	The Her Business project was launched in East London and offers a child-friendly networking environment, inspirational speakers and opportunities to speak to a business advisor. read more
SMALL BUSINESSES SHOULD BE AWARE OF EQUALITY LAWS The Commission for Racial Equality today emphasised that being positive about racial equality makes good business sense. Addressing the annual Federation of Small Businesses conference, CRE Chair, Trevor Phillips, stressed the CRE's desire to help small businesses become prosperous. read more RACIAL EQUALITY AND THE SMALL BUSINESS - A GUIDE The CRE has launched a new CD-ROM guide for small businesses. 'Racial equality and the smaller business - a guide' offers clear, practical advice to help businesses develop policies and procedures that avoid unlawful discrimination and ensure equality. read more ASIAN BUSINESSES ARE MOST ENTERPRISING Members of the Asian community are twice as likely as mainstream Londoners to start up their own businesses in the next three years according to a new survey conducted by Business Link for London. 'The 2004 Londoneur's Survey', is an opinion poll of 250 Londoners, building a picture of where people seek business advice, how they plan to raise money for starting up, as well as their recipes for success. read more BRITS TO CAPTURE 10% OF INDIAN TRACTOR MARKET Trantor(r) Vehicles Ltd, a small tractor manufacturer in Lancashire, has signed a deal with one of the leading tractor manufacturers in India . Under the agreement, HMT will manufacture Trantor Vehicles' tractors in its 850-acres Pinjore-Haryana factory complex in India and sell them through its 400 dealers across the subcontinent. read more

Of course, when it comes to food, I can barely refrain...

ITV LONDON RESTAURANT AWARDS 2004	CYRUS TODIWALA RECOGNISED
The Painted Heron is celebrating after winning the Indian Restaurant category at this year's ITV London Restaurant Awards. It fought off competition from Chowki, New Tayyab, Zaika and Chutney Mary. read more	Cyrus Todiwala MBE, executive chef and proprietor of the Café Spice Namasté Restaurant Group, was last night honoured with the prestigious ‘Outstanding Contribution’ award for his extensive services to the London Restaurant Industry and the Tio Pepe ITV Awards. read more
"FISHY" AWARD FOR RESTAURATEUR	INDIAN CHEF OF THE YEAR 2004
Tommy Miah of the Raj Restaurant in Edinburgh is the first Indian restaurateur to be honoured by Britain's Seafish Authority with its "Pride in Seafood" award. read more	A Delhi chef, Kapil Kaushik, who works in the city's upmarket Oloroso restaurant, beat off a challenge from six other top quality chefs to win the coveted title and £1,000 prize. "This is such an achievement for me," said Kaushik. read more

But when it comes to Entertainment, I really cannot stop from butting in. The 2004 Tongues on Fire South Asian Women's Festival comes to a close on 16 April, but there is still time to catch a few of their screenings and the grand finale on 16 May too. Rani Moorthy's theatrical release 'Pooja' is on tour until 5 June 2004 and Art Voyage brings you 'Scenes from a Voyage' from 19-24 April.

The V&A's major Autumn exhibition (yes, you did read that correctly) is 'Encounters - The Meeting of Asia & Europe 1500 - 1800' and runs from 25 September until 5 December. Now, that really gives a new meaning to the phrase "you heard it here first"!

'TONGUES ON FIRE' FILM FESTIVAL 2004	POOJA: UK TOUR, 11 MAR - 5 JUN 2004
Tongues on Fire, the annual South Asian Women's Film festival, now in its sixth year, is aimed at enhancing the cinematic experience. This year’s festival runs from 5 March - 16 May 2004. read more	A mistimed birth. A miscalculated horoscope. Welcome to the crazy world of being born at the wrong time! Since everything in an Indian woman's life depends on the stars, there is drama, hysteria and absurd comedy everywhere. read more
ART VOYAGE 19 - 24 APRIL 2004	ART FROM ISLAMIC LANDS, 25 MAR-22 AUG
'Artvoyage' launches 'Scenes From A Voyage', a six-day show of works by some of the top artists of India, from 19 to 24 April at the Nehru Centre in London. read more	From 25 March to 22 August, the Hermitage Rooms at Somerset House will host the exhibition 'Heaven on Earth' which comprises masterpieces of Islamic Art. read more
NEW ISLAMIC GALLERY AT THE V&A	A BUDDHA FOR THE NATION
Hartwell plc, part of the Abdul Latif Jameel Group, has given the V&A a substantial donation for the Museum’s superb collection of Islamic art from the Middle East. The total value of the gift is £5.4 million. read more	The British Museum and the V&A have joined together to acquire a rare, exquisite gold-toned Indian 7th century metal statue of a standing figure of the Buddha Sakyamuni, the first to enter a public European collection, for £850,000. read more
EAST IS EAST AT THE FCO, 24 APRIL	ENCOUNTERS: 23 SEP - 5 DEC
On 24 April, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will host a celebration of the new Europe. Described as the 'jewel in the crown' the Grade I Listed building features an Indian Durbar Court. read more	The V&A’s autumn exhibition, 'Encounters: The Meeting of Asia and Europe', will bring together a range of fascinating objects from Asia and Europe from the period 1500 –1800 after Europeans first discovered the sea route to the Indies. read more

Advance notice too for the launch of 'Rani & Sukh', Bali Rai's new Asian Teen novel which is published on 6 May 2004. South Asian Women shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2004 include Monica Ali ('Brick Lane'), Rupa Bajwa ('The Sari Shop') and Jhumpa Lahiri ('The Namesake'). 'While There is Light' by Tariq Mehmood touches on issues of disenfranchisement that young Asian men feel towards "this bitch of a country called England" which is a quote from the book, rather than my own perspective!

RANI & SUKH BY BALI RAI, 6 MAY 2004	ORANGE PRIZE FOR FICTION 2004 LONGLIST
Sukh Bains, a teenager falls in love with Rani Sandhu in a fairly typical boy-meets-girl scenario. Little do they know, that their love story reflects a similar tale in their families in 1960s Punjab - One that ended in tragedy. read more	Orange Prize for Fiction, the UK's only annual book award for women, has announced the 2004 longlist. Asian Authors longlisted include Monica Ali for 'Brick Lane'; Rupa Bajwa for 'The Sari Shop' & Jhumpa Lahiri for 'The Namesake'. read more
THE SARI SHOP BY RUPA BAJWA	WHILE THERE IS LIGHT BY TARIQ MEHMOOD
Ramchand, a shop assistant in Sevak sari House in Amritsar, spends his days patiently showing yards of fabric to the women of 'Status families', and to the giggling girls who dream of dressing up in silk. read more	On bail for charges of suspected terrorism, Saleem decides he must travel back to Pakistan to visit his ailing mother. It is not a trip home, exactly, as 'home' is a hard concept for a man who was exiled as a boy into "this bitch of a country called England". read more

Now, as the light dims over this particular writer's scribbling (..was it ever bright one wonders?), I shall leave with 'Vaisakhi Greetings' to all those who celebrate.

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.