‘Racism no longer exists in Britain’ - Really?

By Lopa Patel, 23 March 2010

Many successful British Asians have told me that, in their opinion, racism no longer exists in the UK and that the immigrant masses would do better to focus on being competitive rather than complaining about colour, gender and disability barriers. The terms used are often revealing: “I’ve never felt discriminated against” or “I’ve always been able to argue my case based on my abilities” or “I’ve never felt anyone holding me back” or even “I’ve not noticed a glass ceiling here, it’s all about how much you are prepared to do to get to the top”. Which always beg the question “How do you know that you haven’t been discriminated against”?

That last job that you didn’t get, was it really because they had 25 candidates better than you? The City of London is full of thousands of ambitious, hard-working, intelligent Asian people – yet the boards of FTSE Companies are predominantly white. Is this down to mere statistics? Perhaps the Asian population hasn’t been here long enough - after all major Asian immigration into Britain didn’t start until the 1950s, some sixty years ago! Indeed, the boards of all major corporations, public sector bodies, government departments, local authorities and educational establishments are ALL predominantly white. Try this little exercise for yourself: name an Asian Police Chief Superintendent, an Asian CEO of a FTSE 100 Company, an Asian who chairs a Public Sector Body, an Asian Cabinet Member and an Asian who heads a major Educational Establishment. If you manage a score of 5 out of 5, congratulations, you are probably a member of The Hindu Council Public Appointments Taskforce who recently spent a week trying to find the answer!

The Asian community, predominantly entrepreneurial due to their nomadic roots, has been successful in business in the UK. The stable economic environment has allowed companies, run by Asian entrepreneurs, to thrive. This has allowed second-generation Asians to adopt the “Education, Education, Education” mantra because you need skills to become a professional: an accountant, doctor, lawyer etc. But, even then, armed with a full skill set of qualifications, you suddenly find the role of Consultant elusive and a full partnership in a major firm doesn’t seem to be as readily available as you may have initially thought. Perhaps, to paraphrase a friend “you look ahead instead of looking up”, focusing on global opportunities rather than a seat on the board?

A fairer society for all

But has this really improved “the lot” of the Asian communities in Britain? Most would say that it hasn’t. Indeed the class divide between the socially aspiring middle-class and working-class* Asians is as wide as ever. The real life changing aspect of life in Britain is our collective aim to be a fairer society: to spend public money in a fair manner for the good of all. Witness the back-lash to the MPs expenses saga, banker bonuses and privileges enjoyed by our non-dom Peers. The ferocity of anger has been equal across all community groups in Britain! This is because everyone, except the culprits perhaps, recognise that this is an unfair distribution.

Public Duty should come first

In a recent blog an Asian friend argued that he had no political ambitions because civic duty and civic participation was far more important to him. The Hindus even have a term called “sewa” (selfless good works) to describe this form of civic participation, or, as my friend describes it “public service is in my community’s DNA”. While I have no argument with this observation, this alone is not going to lead to a fairer society. Asian communities must actively encourage public duty over mere civic participation. Public duty involves listening, speaking up, standing up and ensuring you are being heard, and most importantly making changes for the benefit your constituents – be they local residents, voters or the public at large.

Apathy towards Public Life

The level of apathy towards Public Life among Asian communities is staggering. Most Asians I know have unhealthy disregard for Politicians, Local Councillors and Community Activists; there is distrust of the legal system starting at Police Officers and rising to include Magistrates and Judges; there is paranoia about spend-thrift Public Sector bosses and Civil Servants and total derision for Peers who are all deemed to “have purchased their peerages for personal gain”. So why has this situation arisen and what can be done to improve the Asian community’s participation in Public Life?

The HCUK Public Appointments Taskforce did just that for a niche sector - Appointments to Public Sector bodies, like the NHS. The taskforce identified the following steps to greater Public engagement with the Hindu community:

1. Research under-representation.
2. Define the problem
3. Develop a better understanding of Asian communities
4. Focus on identifying paths in Public life
5. Initiate open debate, give advice and adopt clear communications
6. Build a mentoring network
7. Monitor progress
8. Convince Public sector bodies to take part

The Taskforce has progressed to about step (3) and is making some headway in step (5), but it knows that there is a long way to go. Step (8) may yet prove to be the hardest of all until the Equality Bill comes into effect in Autumn 2010. The aim of the Equality Bill is to ensure that by 2011, 50% of new appointments will be women, 14% will be disabled people and 11% will be ethnic minorities, almost doubling of the current rate of 5.7% of appointments from ethnic minority groups.

The Equality Bill will not lessen racism in British society, but, by trying to ensure ‘fairness for all’ it might just mitigate the claims of the successful few.

For further information, visit:
UK Government launches 'Public Leaders' development courses
http://www.redhotcurry.com/news/2009/public-appointments-courses.htm

Too many re-appointments in Public Sector discriminating against British Asians
http://www.redhotcurry.com/news/2009/hcuk-public-reappointments.htm

Hindu Public Appointees in Britain
http://www.redhotcurry.com/news/2009/hcuk-hindu-public-appointees.htm

Hindu Council UK launches its Public Appointments Strategy
http://www.redhotcurry.com/news/2009/hcuk-public-appointments-strategy.htm

* Middle Class and Working Class as defined in the 1911 UK Registrar-General's report.

Lessons in Back-Seat Cooking

By Lopa Patel, 12 March 2010

A few days ago I posted a tweet about how back-seat cooking was leading to food rage in my house and was swamped by a number of DMs claiming the same! I refer to ‘back-seat’ cooking as the art of a non-cook conferring advice on the one doing the actual cooking. If you inferred anything else….well, this isn’t that kind of post.

I am amazed by the number of men, particularly the Asian pot-bellied kind, who share insider cooking tips with their mates over a pint of whisky or two. So to really make these bizarre ‘Smith-n-Jones’ conversations truly edifying, I thought I’d compile a few easy curry cooking lessons for back-seat cooks. No experience is required to master the art of back-seat cooking and no skills either. Just start talking “off the top of your head” and neither you nor the listener will be “any the wiser”. Given that you are unlikely to ever have to use these lessons in a practical manner, feel free to add a dash of your own genius to the pot!

Lesson 1: Coriander

Coriander (Cilantro), my dear friends, is a herb. Featuring lovely, soft green petals, you simply chop up a few leaves and garnish your dishes, especially curry, to give them a delicious taste and aroma. Coriander, my Gujarati friends, is not a green vegetable that you make ‘shaak’ (curry) with - chutney, yes, but a ‘shaak’, no. If all you can taste is coriander, then you’ve put too much and forgotten to add the real vegetables.

And no, fenugreek (methi), dill, parsley, mint, basil and lemon grass are not the same as coriander. And no, they don’t look the same either.

Lesson 2: Spinach

Spinach is a great vegetable, packed full of iron you can steam, sauté it, puree, mash or eat it raw if so desired. However, Kale is not the same as spinach and if you go into a Sri Lankan shop and are confronted with a variety of spinach, I suggest you don’t buy any. And don’t ask the shopkeeper either, because a-la-Monty-Python all varieties are called spinach, so you could be in the shop a long time. Indeed the Hindi word for spinach ‘bhaji’ literally means green vegetable.

Lesson 3: Vegetables

I know that it is difficult to go into an Indian vegetable shop and buy the right thing, particularly as the Hinglish product descriptions are about as useful as ‘Exit’ signs in Mandarin. However, persevere. Don’t “bottle it” and buy frozen veg just because it’s got a label. Buying frozen vegetables and then announcing to the cook that you only like fresh is going to leave you with a very bad taste in your mouth.

Lesson 4: Chillies

Eating chillies is almost a sport among certain types of Asian men. There are several variety of chillies; the most common dried variety is red and the most common fresh variety is green. Beware the thin green chilli. I do not recommend that you test the freshness of a chilli by piercing it with your thumbnail – the reason is that 20 seconds later you’ll have forgotten you did that and you’ll be tearful for the rest of the day.

The ‘heat’ factor of chilli is measured on the Scoville index and the hottest chillies are reportedly the ‘Dorset Naga’ or ‘Scotch Bonnet’ varieties. It is true that the chemical capsaicin, which gives the chilli its heat, is considered to have some cancer preventative properties. However, until an authoritative scientific paper on the subject is published, I advise caution. A little chilli goes a long way. If the backs of your eye-balls are perspiring and you feel light-headed and faint, then you’ve probably had too much chilli. And if the top of your head is like a pool of sweaty water, then you’ve definitely had too much chilli.

Lesson 5: Bhindi & Drumsticks

Sounding like a Gurinder Chadha movie title ‘Bhindi & Drumsticks’ deserve an entire lesson of their own, so listen up. Bhindi has several common names including ‘Okra’ and ‘Ladies Fingers’. The humble bhindi is usually no more than 4 inches long and a little hairy (no wait this isn’t that kind of post!).Usually its hairyness is removed by wiping the bhindi with a damp cloth before slicing or chopping it for cooking.

The drumstick, known as Saragwa (Moringa Oleifera), on the other hand, is typically about half a metre long, thin and firm (no I didn’t say hard, this isn’t that kind of post). It has a ridged, leathery outer skin that usually isn’t eaten - most drumsticks are chopped and added to a dhal or curry mix whole. It is the soft flesh on the inside that is sucked out (no this really isn’t that kind of post) leaving the leathery, outer skin to be discarded.

So how anyone can confuse a bhindi with a drumstick defies logic. Study the pictures, feel the vegetables: hairy v non-hairy, soft v firm, smooth v ridged, short v long. Indeed, the only similarity between bhindi and drumsticks are that they are both GREEN!

If you’re still not sure, ask the oldest looking Indian lady in the shop – at least you won’t understand the expletives!

Lesson 6: Dhals (lentils)

Dhals are a very complicated topic and a subject that should be avoided at all costs. Just consider for a moment the basic varieties: chana dhal (split chick peas as opposed to whole chick peas that are commonly referred to as chana), kala chana dhal which is small, black chick peas, moong dhal which comes as whole green dhal, split green dhal and de-skinned yellow dhal, tuvar dhal which is yellow split pigeon peas, masoor dhal which comes as whole red lentils or a pinkish de-skinned split variety, urad dhal which comes as whole black dhal or as de-skinned white dhal and rajma dhal which refers to kidney beans - dhals are a veritable minefield for experienced cooks, never mind back-seat cooks.

However, I will tell you that Tarka Dhal is not really a dhal variety – ‘Tarka’ (Tadka) means a popping oil-based spice garnish added to the dhal. Tarka dhal is typically made of four varieties of dhal, although many restaurants will serve any kind of dhal with a ‘tarka’ (tadka) garnish!

And yes, even though most dhals are cooked in a soupy-stew kind of fashion, dhals can also be used to make fried bhajias (bhajees if you must); chana dhal, urad dhal and rice are soaked and ground together to make the steamed ‘dhokla’ dish, just as urad dhal is used to make the steamed ‘idli’ dish. Chana (chick peas) themselves are used to make ‘Gram’ flour which forms the coating for bhajias (or onion bhajees if you must) and a host of other recipes.

So before you start discussing dhals with a real cook, just ask yourself if you’re ready for ‘Dhal M for Murder’ (sorry, couldn’t resist that one!)

Next week, I will be discussing ‘Fun with Fenugreek’, why fetid asafoetida is used to control flatulence and whether potatoes are a vegetable or a demon-starch golfball sent to make your life miserable. Hope you can join me for more ‘Lessons in Back-Seat Cooking’.

Anil Ambani's Reliance Co. should buy ITV

By Lopa Patel, 8 March 2010

Indian business mogul Anil Ambani and his Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG) should buy British television channel ITV. This revelation, which came to me in a ‘Working Girl’ Trask-Radio kind of moment, would fulfill not only Anil Ambani’s dream to be a global media baron, but also deliver Indians in Britain the “presence” they have long craved. The fact the Rupert Murdoch’s Sky TV has been forced by UK regulator Ofcom to divest part of its 17.9% in ITV leaves the field clear for Reliance. The ‘fit’ is almost perfect, although analysts craving detailed figures will be sadly disappointed by this post. I have no idea how much it would cost. Given that Sky TV acquired 696m shares (17.9%) in ITV in November 2006 for £940m at 135p a share - a price that has plunged to a low of less than 20p, but has since rallied to around 52p per share today - the cost would probably still be a lot. But then, Reliance has deep pockets. The reasons why Reliance should buy ITV are entirely practical and emotional.

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Why the BBC is right to close Asian Network

By Lopa Patel, 28 February 2010

In a post that is likely to ‘lose me friends and alienate people’*, I agree that the BBC should close its digital radio station BBC Asian Network. The station has been losing listeners, now down below 360,000 per quarter according to Q4 2009 Rajar statistics, despite an increase in sales of digital radios and a growing global audience. The Asian market, especially in the UK is already well served with a commercial radio and TV stations – many of whom are increasingly serving sub-communities like Sikh or Sri Lankan audiences. Print and online media publishers will also probably breathe a sigh of relief that the BBC is out of this market and no longer distorts pay scales or market sectors.

Asian Market is well-served with TV & Radio Stations

The internet offers younger, more technically–literate readers & listeners the opportunity to consume media at their leisure and older listeners are comforted by more ‘clued-up’ presenters like Ravi Sharma of Sunrise Radio who live and work among the community they serve. And the reported £90 million invested in BBC Asian Network – well that represents about £40 each for the 2.3 million Asians in the UK. Would you pay £40 to listen to a digital radio station for half an hour a day? I thought not.

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