Sonia is currently presenting BBC Asian Network Gold on BBC’s Red Button until Sunday 29 January – iconic Asian music from over four decades . For more information - www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork <http://www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork>

A new mid-morning presenter will be announced in due course.

“May Vaheguru bestow blessings on all,” it says, continuing: “The directors, staff and volunteers of United Sikhs would like to express their gratitude to the community for the continued support to all its projects: without your support, we would not have been able to undertake the many projects we do. We will continue to work on these important issues that most affect our community and those in need, exemplifying the most fundamental principles of Sikhi.

It goes on: “United Sikhs wishes prosperity and peace for all on the pious occasion of Vaisakhi, which commemorates the inauguration of the Khalsa panth at Anandpur Sahib in 1699. Khalsa, which means ‘sovereign’, is the name given by the 10th Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, to all Sikhs who have been baptised or initiated by taking Amrit.

“Based on the teachings of the Ten Gurus, Khalsa believes in one Supreme Omnipresent God. The Sikh religion teaches us equality, tolerance and respect for all of humanity. It teaches us modesty and instils within us the resolve to stand against any injustice and tyranny.

“Today, Sikhs are facing an unprecedented attack on their faith and dignity across the world – whether it is through xenophobia, unfair policies during air travel, racial and religious profiling, hate and bias crimes, school bullying or employment discrimination, the Sikh identity and articles of faith are constantly being threatened.

“Our legal advocacy team continues to work on individual cases, on advocacy for policies that protect religious freedom of Sikhs at national and international airports, on bringing awareness to issues such as the mass graves in Haryana and the unfair treatment of wearing of the Dastaar in Europe and Panjab (India), and on participating in education efforts for law enforcement in Australia and United States.”

United Sikhs urges: “Join us in our advocacy efforts to bring the many important community issues to light.”

In the USA, it says, “you can join United Sikhs at our 2011 Sikh Summit from May 3rd to 6th on Capitol Hill, Washington DC where participating community members will meet with US Congressmen and Senators from different regions and share community concerns with our lawmakers.

“This Vaisakhi, to meet the challenges, help us to fill out this simple community information form to ensure that the concerns of your community are represented at this national forum, the 2011 Sikh Summit.”

Internationally, the organisation is proud that it stands strong in the service of humanitarian relief, bringing aid to those most in need, notably in Japan and through its continuing work in Haiti.

In all, United Sikhs has served in over 16 disasters throughout the world. distributing more than 500,000 hot meals and emergency relief and shelters to thousands.

It remains “ready to respond quickly and effectively to any call for help, small or large. Our community projects such as health education and awareness programs and the Feed the Hungry (FTH) program would not benefit the many people they do without the support of generous community members like you.”

At Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Southall, London, the United Sikhs Help Desk has helped hundreds of immigrants into the UK since the service was started a year ago.

In New York, the Educare Centre provides services to enrich and inspire the local Sikh and Punjabi communities, especially women, youths and the elderly. However, in keeping with the Sikh principle of sarbat da bhala – service for the good of all – anyone in need is welcome.

After the New York centre, a second base is opening in Freemont California and the goal is to open such centres across the globe where need is prevalent.

United Sikhs encourages the Sikh community to vigorously practise their faith and report any issues in their respective areas that burden the ability to practise their faith. US Sikhs should call 1-888-243-1690 or email law-global@unitedsikhs.org to report any concerns.

Through its global conference and civil rights endeavours, the organisation continues to shed light on the most pressing issues of the global Sikh nation and to fight for the free practice of thefaith.

To continue these efforts it needs your assistance and financial support. You may donate online at www.unitedsikhs.org/donate or post a cheque or make a bank transfer to a United Sikhs chapter near you. For chapter details see http://unitedsikhs.org/contact.php

Young boy amonst the flood

Vast sums of money have been donated by governments and private donors worldwide but there can be no let-up in the fund-raising for those whose lives have been ravaged by the floods in Pakistan.

UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, now has the support in the UK of the British Pakistan Foundation Children’s Emergency Appeal, led  by TV celebrity James Caan. It aims to raise £100,00 to support UNICEF’s life-saving work.

UNICEF says the people of Pakistan are facing the largest humanitarian crisis in their history from floods that have affected more lives than the Boxing Day Tsunami and Haiti earthquake combined.

It is estimated that around 17 million people have been affected, with six million of them now homeless altogether.  And the total includes ten million children – more than the entire population of Greater London, says UNICEF’s UK organisation.

Despite an international effort by government agencies and charities, large numbers of children have not yet been reached. Stagnating water and sweltering temperatures are creating perfect conditions for life-threatening diseases including malaria, acute diarrhoea and cholera.

The floods are receding now in the southern reaches of the Indus river but they have left in their wake not only destroyed homes and business, but ruined crops. Millions of people in the rural areas are now in a desperate plight.

If you would like to use UNICEF to help save the lives of Pakistani children you can do so online by logging onto http://www.unicef.org.uk/give/index.asp?page=102&thesource=bpf

The British Pakistan Foundation wants to raise £100,000 to support UNICEF in vaccinating children and providing clean water and sanitation including water purification tablets.  This will help up to 10,000 families.

£1,000 can provide water kits for 100 families which includes buckets, collapsible water containers, and water purification tablets.

A hygiene kit containing items including soap, toothpaste, shampoo and environmentally friendly detergent costs just £9.

Medical kits cost £241 and will cater for the basic medical needs of 1,000 people for three months.

UNICEF’s midwifery kits will help to ensure maternal and child survival.  £173 will support 50 normal childbirth deliveries.

James Caan

The Foundation’s chairman, James Caan, a celebrity panelist on the BBC TV show, The Dragons’ Den, has visited devastated areas of Pakistan. He says: “It will take months to rebuild what these floods have destroyed, but if enough of us can support the efforts that the families affected have to go through, we can make sure as many children as possible come through this trauma.”

If you prefer, donations can also be made through the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) online at http://www.dec.org.uk/ where you will also find recent information on appeal progress in the UK.

The Koh-I-noor diamond once owned by a Sikh maharajah was at the centre of an embarrassing episode for new UK prime minister David Cameron on a goodwill visit to India this week.

The 105-carat gem has long been the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels collection in the Tower of London – but Mr Cameron was unexpectedly confronted by a challenge for its return to the sub-continent.

The challenge came during an interview on India’s NDTV channel, when Mr Cameron first hesitated then replied that it could not be returned.

The Koh-i-noor was acquired by the East India Company after the capture of  the Punjab in 1849, shipped to Britain, and gifted to Queen Victoria.

Its previous owner was the Sikh Maharajah of Lahore but before that it had been in the possession of Mughal emperors. Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper reported that it was discovered in India at least 700 years ago but possibly thousands of years before that, according to some Hindu scholars.

India MPs have demanded its return on a number of occasions.

Mr Cameron said returning the legendary diamond would set a dangerous precedent for other artefacts held in British museums. ( Notably, Greece has demanded the return of the Elgin Marbles, looted from the Parthenon some 200 years ago and taken to London by the Earl of Elgin).

The TV response was the second major surprise of the week  from Britain’s new premier, who headed a large delegation of politicians and business people to India in a move aimed at strengthening UK-India links.

Mr Cameron made headlines in the UK, India and neighbouring Pakistan when he spoke out against Pakistan allowing Islamic fundamentalists to export terror from Pakistan.

That’s what the leaders of the Sikh community in Waltham Forest in London are telling their people anyway, according to the local newspaper.

The Waltham Forest Guardian reports that Board members of the Gurdwara Sikh Sanjat London East temple in Francis Road, Leyton, have taken the unprecedented step of staging political discussions and urging community members to vote.

L-R: Narinder Singh Matharoo, Gurbakash Singh Sethi, Gurdial Singh and Satpal Singh

Because there are no Sikh candidates this time, there is concern that people will not turn out for the polls.

Narinder Singh Matharoo, a former councillor and mayor, said: “We are very concerned that the Sikhs, who have traditionally supported Labour, are not being represented this year.”

The temple board has passed a resolution to try to encourage Sikhs to vote sensibly, considering each candidate on their merit and past. “We are not telling people how to vote, but creating awareness so they can decide how to vote,” Mr Matharoo told the Guardian.

He said past turnouts by Sikhs had been low because they were not sure of the importance of their vote.

This was misguided. The Sikh community did not want to be isolated and had to take an active part n the life of the borough. “Although we are in the minority, we still have a say,” he declared.

A Sikh-owned dairy faces legal costs thought to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds after losing an attempt in the Court of Appeal to overthrow a High Court conviction in the so-called Black Country “milk wars” case.

A High Court judge heard last year how Johal Dairies of Wigston, Wolverhampton, paid a milkman sacked by a rival firm in the Midlands city – JN Dairies – to steal confidential documents from JND for use in poaching their customers.

Judge David Cooke heard that Johal paid illegal immigrant Gurbir Singh £40,000 to steal wallets full of delivery invoices from JND – taken on November 10, 2008, two days after he was sacked because he could not prove his legal status in the UK.

He sneaked into the firm’s Millfields Road distribution centre in the early hours and removed invoices which detailed customers’ addresses, volumes sold and prices charged by the dairy. The files were passed to Johal director Surbjit Johal and JND customers later testified they had been offered cheap or free milk by Johal Dairies.

Surbjit Johal and fellow director Gurnek Johal claimed the witnesses were lying, but the judge did not accept their evidence. Johal Dairies were found to have breached confidentiality laws.

Judge Cooke concluded the theft of the invoices was a pre-arranged plan, called Johal’s denials implausible and found against the company and Gurbir Singh, who had travelled back to India – fare paid by Johal – and took no part in the case.

The story of the “undercover spy” and the milk wars in the Black Country and Birmingham was revealed at the Birmingham Civil Justice Centre in an eight-day trial in March last year, with judgement reserved until June. Judge Cooke ordered the company to pay JN Dairies’ legal costs, starting with a payment of £200,000 prior to further decisions on costs and compensation.

Johal Dairies claimed in their appeal against conviction that the judge did not give enough weight to their evidence.

But three Appeal Court judges rejected the appeal and a request for a retrial. The judge’s reasoning had been “long and careful” and objective they said.

JN Dairies’ directors said they were delighted that justice had prevailed again. “Johal Dairies did not compete fairly and resorted to unlawful activity in an attempt to sabotage our hard-earned business.”

Surbjit Johal told the Birmingham Mail his firm were disappointed they had not been granted a retrial but would put the case behind them and concentrate on growing their business.

Breaking all Bollywood box office sales, Singh is Kinng has been a major success and undoubtedly one of the best films released this year. Before viewing this film, I had no idea what to expect, and to begin with the fast paced narrative and switching of location had lost me. However, from the opening scene the hilarious sketches and unusual character of Happy Singh enticed me to continue watching.

Akshay delivered an outstanding performance, playing a role of the village idiot to a Don running the underground world of Australia. Despite the change in roles Happy Singh had to maintain his character of a good and honourable person. Happy reminds the gangsters how to be selfless and caring as he compromises his own happiness for Sonia (Katrina Kaif).

The stunts and special effects introduced an action genre, which contributed to making the film more exciting. Some of the fight scenes were intense, however Bazmee found a way to create humour within the sequences, reintroducing the light hearted element to the film.
Singh is Kinng is truly an inspiring film, as it conveys the message that everyone with a good heart is a King. I highly recommend this film as it has something everyone can enjoy and relate to, not forgetting the witty humour and slap stick comedy.

–

Article courtesy of…

Arif Lohar’s management contacted me and wanted to know if there was a possibility of us collaborating together. I had always been into Arif Lohar and grew up listening to his father, ‘Alam Lohar’, as my father was a huge fan of his. It was a pleasure for me to work with Arif as he is a very talented vocalist and seems to be underestimated. An advantage with Arif was that his vocal range works a treat with heavy metal music over a lot of other vocalists.

What were your views about another Record label releasing a rival Arif Lohar album, at the same time as 21st Century Jugni?

The album ‘21st Century Jugni’ that I did with ‘Arif Lohar’ was released back in October 2006, under my own Record Label, ‘Internalmusic’, and another Record Label released an album at the same time by the title, ‘Jugni’ using Arif Lohar’s old vocals and tried to pass it off as my legitimate album in an attempt to cash in. Trading Standards around the country have been removing their album off the shelves and my lawyers are currently dealing with this matter. Just when you thought piracy was an issue!!!!

What do you think of the ongoing politics involved in the Bhangra industry, and how difficult is it to collaborate with an artist who is signed to another label, do you think these petty differences are holding back the growth of both artists and the industry?

The word ‘politics’ is an under estimation for the Bhangra Market today. ‘Record labels’ are stabbing each other in the back by releasing albums with similar titles and vocalists, ‘Distributors’ who are also Record Labels are too busy pushing their own products to the retail outlets and holding back others, ‘Radio Presenters’ (mentioning no names) think they are superstars and it’s about them and not the artist or the music, and if one Radio presenter is playing your music then the rival isn’t interested, ‘Bhangra Websites’ are having their own conflicts as to whom has got the exclusive first, I could go on forever!!!!! I don’t think collaborating with other artists from different Record Labels is that difficult today, as we are seeing more of it. These politics will always hold back our industry from going forward. Piracy, File sharing and free downloading sites are just as much to blame.

What do you think about the massive influx of so called producers entering the Bhangra scene, with little experience of producing but years of djing experience?

What worries me is the state of our Music Industry today. We need to see more vocal talent in the UK and those who are producing need to pay more attention on how instruments work together including the way vocals sit with the backing track.

There are ongoing rumours about a possible Sahotas comeback, can you shed any light on this, and are you guys planning to release another album?

With regards to ‘The Sahotas’…………..watch this space………..

Keeping inline with the days you were in the Sahotas band, the song ‘Hass Hogia’ has gone down as one of the greatest Punjabi, if not Bhangra songs ever, do you think you are able to ever recreate this success you had with Hass Hogia?

Every artist and every band has a particular track that they get noticed for by its success. You could never predict what will be the next successful track. As an artist I can only do my best to produce good music and it depends purely on the public acceptance for its success.

After the release and success of your first album ‘21st Century Jugni’ on your own label, ‘Internalmusic’, you now are bringing your second album with Lakhwinder Wadali’. He is in his Mid Twenties and you have to give it to him for his vocals which sound like Hans Raj Hans. Tell us more about this and why you chose him?

Lakhwinder Wadali is from Amritsar, India, and is the son of Puran Chand Wadali, from the legendary duo known as the ‘Wadali Brothers’. Having received vocal training from his father, Lakhwinder’s vocal ability ranges from Classical, to Folk and traditional songs. After hearing some of my work, Lakhwinder approached me to produce his album. I was very impressed with his vocal ability and the rest is history.

Do you prefer being in the studio or performing live?

I do prefer both, as they are very different to each other. The studio allows me to perfect the recording, and I like the fact that I have full control of what I am working on. The stage gives me a great buzz. Performing live in front of an audience allows me to see the response to my music, which motivates me to produce more albums.

Looks like an exciting year ahead for you. What do you think is the best and worst thing about being in the music scene/business?

The worst thing about being in this industry has to be the politics and the piracy. The best thing about being in the Music Industry is the appreciation and support I get for my work worldwide.

Tell us something not everyone knows about Mukhtar Sahota?

Everyone knows as much as I want them to know about me. The rest is for me to know and you to find out…To be honest, it’s not really all that interesting…

You have now established yourself as a solo producer, and also as a member of a band, how hard was it for you to go solo without the backing and the ideas of other band members when producing songs?

All the ideas, and the Music Production on the ‘Sahotas’ albums were done by me, so it wasn’t difficult for me to do my solo projects.

What sets you apart from every other Bhangra producer out there?

I don’t really class myself as a Bhangra Producer. If you listen to my music you will notice that I don’t really produce many Bhangra tracks on my albums, and to answer you’re question about being apart from every other Producer, I will let your readers be the judge of that.

How important do you think it is for a Music Producer to play instruments on his own tracks, or have a general knowledge on the instrumentation process?

Firstly, I would like to stress how important it is to learn about music, vocal techniques, learn how to play a few instruments, and to understand how music is arranged. Put your own ideas together and don’t work off other producers’ music by sampling. Everything I have learnt to date has been by studying music from around the world, and I am still learning. Music is an art that can never be mastered and it is a continuous cycle. You should pursue music because you’re passionate about it and not for the wrong reasons.

Now we’ve all heard about artists going to certain studios in and around the midlands to ‘produce’ there album, is Ghost production as rife as is claimed within the industry?

I feel many producers out there today are in it for the ‘5 minutes of fame’, and there are a handful of producers that are passionate about their work. A ‘Music Producer’ is a title or a job description given to someone who physically ‘writes’ and ‘arranges’ music, not to someone who pays a Producer (Ghost Producer) to produce the work and then sticks his own name on the cover of a CD sleeve. It is becoming a widespread problem.

What are your views on the individuals who produce work, which in many cases is at a sub standard level but do not put there name to it?

It’s all about the MONEY!!! I personally would never do that.

You’re seen as a producer who does not go with the norm, being the first Bhangra Producer to use Lehmber Hussainpuri in the UK Market, do you think it is essential for other producers to stay away from using the same vocalists in order to keep Bhangra moving forward?

There are so many vocalists out there but our industry in the UK seems to think lets all jump on the same band wagon and use the same vocalist because he’s been tried and tested by someone else and it’s an easy way to sell. What they don’t realise is that this is not always guaranteed.

In the past you were signed to EnvyRoma label, did you feel that they allowed you to have the creative freedom on your tracks, and was this the reason in you leaving them?

I have always had full artistic control over my music whether it was with the Sahotas or my solo projects. Oh, and no, that’s not the reason I left them…

Tell us about some of the great musicians that you’ve played with in your time or the ones you would like to?

I have had the privilege to work with some great artists like A R Rahman, Shaan, Jaspinder Narula, Sukhwinder Singh, Channi Singh (Alaap), Dhami (Heera) etc….. I am currently working with some great artists (mentioning no names), but I’ll keep you informed……

And finally any messages to all our readers at SimplyBhangra?

Please always buy the original album as piracy is killing the Asian Music Industry in the UK faster than the Ozone Layer is being destroyed. That is no joke. Stop downloading the albums illegally and ‘File Sharing’ as it is not cool to say ‘I can get it free’. It is only a matter of time that there will be no new material for you to download or to buy for that matter as you are destroying the artists, labels and your music outlets. Say ‘no’ to the pirate copies. We are a small Music Industry and not as big as the Mainstream who make millions. This is our job and we would like to get paid, only then can we continue to provide new material. How would you feel if you went to work for a whole year and not get paid for it?

The latest album has now been released, so do get your copy and enjoy yet another good album…

Interview courtesy of…

Trainee lawyer Suleman Mirza and sidekick Madhu Singh had the crowds at the Hackney Empire cheering when they performed at the auditions for Britain’s Got Talent. Mirza and Singh are part of the well established Signature dance troupe, and are no strangers to performing live in front of large crowds.

The dance-off to the track; Tigerstyle’s “Nachna Onda Nei” featuring Kaka Bhainiwala from the album ‘The Rising’ , delighted the judges as well as the crowds!