Greetings Curry Lovers!

"I wondered lonely as a cloud,
that floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,"
...yep it was not a host of golden daffodils,
but the start of the party season. (Apologies to William Wordsworth for ruining his poem).

This week saw the announcement of the shortlists for both the EMMA Awards 2004 and the Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2004. The glitterati of the Asian community were out in force to celebrate. Meanwhile Home Secretary David Blunkett was too busy announcing measures to tackle student & sham marriages immigration abuse to celebrate, although the Senior Civil Service was congratulating itself on being more diverse. Pity then, that it took two white men to announce this wondrous statistic! Takes the shine off it somewhat.

EMMA AWARDS 2004 FINALISTS	AWA AWARDS 2004 FINALISTS
On May 24th Britain will come alive when the curtain rises on the NatWest EMMA (Ethnic Multicultural Media Achievement) Awards 2004. The ceremony will be hosted by Rageh Omar. read more	Finalists for the Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2004 were announced today. The awards celebrate Asian women within the commercial, professional, artistic and humanitarian sectors. read more
TACKLING IMMIGRATION ABUSE	SENIOR CIVIL SERVICE MORE DIVERSE
Measures to help prevent abuse of immigration routes to study or marry in the UK were announced by Home Secretary David Blunkett. They include an accreditation scheme & specialist register offices. read more	The Senior Civil Service continues to become more diverse according to new Civil Service staffing figures released today. Improvements have been made covering representation of staff from ethnic minority backgrounds. read more
LONDON LAUNCH OF THE MAGISTRATES SHADOWING SCHEME
David Lammy hosted the London launch of the Magistrates Shadowing Scheme which took place on 15 April 2004 at The Royal Society for the Arts. "This scheme was launched nationally almost 2 years ago and sent out a clear statement that the Lord Chancellor viewed the magistracy as a body in which all parts of our communities should be engaged." read more

Asian Business owners were celebrating last week at the Eastern Eye Asian Business Awards 2004. Those that were not might be pleased to note that Small Business Minister Nigel Griffiths unveiled £10.5m of funding to support....yep, you guessed it....women and ethnic minorities who want to set up in business. Somewhat ironic that this comes in the same week when lots of Asian entrepreneurs (male & female) have been bemoaning the lack of funding and business support.

ASIAN BUSINESS AWARDS 2004	MINISTER UNVEILS £10.5M FUNDING
Winners of the Asian Business Awards 2004, include food manufacturers: Sir Gulam Noon, Charan Gill and Shehzad Husain. The 'Business of the Year' went to Ramesh Sachdev. read more	Small Business Minister, Nigel Griffiths, announced £10.5 million funding for 25 schemes that will help to deliver investment to disadvantaged communities around the country. The finance, which comes from the Small Business Service's 'Phoenix Challenge Fund'. read more
FASHION'S UNSUNG HEROES	SATYA PAUL "COLOURS OF LIFE" SHOW
Over 250 representatives from the fashion industry attended a showcase event called 'The Source'. The fashion industry contributed £4.1 billion in output to London's economy in year 2000 and employs over 60,000 people. read more	The Satya Paul label, known for creating waves with its avant garde fashion shows created ripples with an exclusive showing of its irresistible and versatile collection of saris, kurtis and bridal wear, amidst the magnificent and eclectic interiors of the renowned attraction - Madame Tussauds. read more

Naturally we can always console ourselves with our cuisine. Dr S Kang's traditional North Indian eaterie 'Bukhara' has just opened at the Osterley Park Hotel in London.

'BUKHARA' OPENS AT THE OSTERLEY PARK HOTEL

Bukhara at the Conservatory has opened in West London's Osterley Park Hotel. A modern and innovative creation of hotelier Dr. Sash. S Kang, the restaurant boasts delectable North Indian cuisine in tranquil surroundings, offering a "Passage to India" without having to leave London! Set within the Tudor style hotel, Bukhara claims to offer a mouth-watering array of dishes and superior service. Hotelier and Director Dr. Kang places special emphasis on combining the freshest ingredients, subtly spiced and cooked in a traditional North Indian style. read more

Today is also the start of the Raindance East Film Festival. Wannabe filmmakers should make a beeline for the Masterclasses in music production, film direction and financing. 19 Princelet Street, a little known landmark in Spitalfields opens its doors on Sundays in May with the 'Suitcases & Sanctuary' exhibition. Subodh Gupta, a Delhi-based artist has been commissioned by The Showroom to produce a new work entitled 'I Go Home Every Single Day' that runs until 30 May.

Manchester will be home to the Commonwealth Film Festival 2004 that starts next weekend and runs until 9 May. Ashvin Gidwani's 'A Funny Thing Called Love' featuring Sholay actor Vijay Khote is on UK tour until the end of May. Dance enthusiasts will be pleased to learn that Akademi has teamed up with the London Contemporary Dance School to offer South Asian Dance as part of a degree in dance. Auditions for the three year course, which starts in September, are to be held on 8 May. Honey Kalaria's vast academy of dancers, young and old, are also to be congratulated. I hear that last Saturday's Indian Dance Contest was a sell-out.

RAINDANCE EAST FESTIVAL, 23-29 APRIL	SUITCASES & SANCTUARY, MAY/JUNE 2004
Budding filmmakers and film buffs will be in seventh heaven this month as the Raindance East Film Festival returns from 23-29 April. The festival kicks off with a Nitin Sawhney Masterclass - a workshop on music composition and production. read more	19 Princelet Street in Spitalfields is Europe's first and only museum of immigration. A Grade II* listed building, this unrestored 1719 Huguenot silk merchant's home plays host to the exhibition 'Suitcases and Sanctuary'. read more
COMMONWEALTH FESTIVAL, 30 APRIL	SUBODH GUPTA, 21 APR - 30 MAY
The Commonwealth Film Festival (30 April - 9 May) launches the largest showcase of Asian films. This year's screenings range from the surreal to the political. read more	The Showroom has commissioned artist Subodh Gupta to make a new body of work. The show runs from 21 April - 30 May. read more
FUNNY THING CALLED LOVE, TILL- 30 MAY	'BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE', OUT 26 APRIL
One of the infamous villains from the Bollywood movie classic Sholay, Vijay Khote, stars in 'Funny Thing Called Love' from 23 Apr- 30 May. read more	On April 26th Outcaste, the UK's leading label for British Asian and world music, launches 'Beats, Rhymes & Life', a compilation mixed by Danish hip hop outfit Outlandish. read more
SOUTH ASIAN DANCE DEGREE	UK INDIAN DANCE CONTEST 2004 - WINNERS
Starting this September, London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS) is introducing South Asian dance as part of its hugely popular BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance degree programme. Auditions will be held on 8 May 2004. read more	Students from all over the South of England joined hundreds of hopeful dancers to battle it out at the UK Indian Dance Contest on Saturday April 17 2004 at Harrow Arts Centre. All the students were from Honey's Dance Academy. read more

If you are looking for something soothing after all this hectic partying (I know I am) than Outlandish - a Danish trio, launch their new compilation album 'Beats, Rhymes & Life' on Monday 26 April 2004. It's more "happening" than soothing....but hey, where's the launch party?

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.