Author: admin

What is the point?

I do not know where I come from, or will go to, Is my time here  only once?

If so do I make the best of everything now?

Is it a legacy? Or it it living life?

Is it about now, today or tomorrow?

Is it about health wealth and happiness? If so, is it to make, create and innovate? What is the point?

Is it about effort, passion and so on?

What is the point, if one cannot stand still, reflect at the beauty and complexity of nature, of hills and valleys, of sunshine and rain, 

Is it harmony and balance? 

Of nature, day and night, external and internal

Of the soul, intellect, mind, speech and action

What is the point?

Is it right to assume that I think therefore I am

Can you remember the ‘I’ at the age 10? Or 5 years ago?

Did you look different? So are you what you think?

What is the point?

Is it about that urge, hankering, or desire that is permanent ? To satisfy? Does it?

What is the point?

Or about ego often enveloping the mind and intellect? Or tearing down that ego though forgiveness, connection, humility, love, and compassion 

What is the point ?

Or regrets about the past and anxieties about the future , or just living in the moment ?

What is the point?

Forgivenes

On a crisp October Sunday morning last year, Councillor Bill Hartnett, the Redditch Council leader, Meena and myself, drove across to the Moseley Buddhist Centre. Don’t worry we did not go out to change our faith or belief system, although I could easily have done with a dose of yoga!

This is merely the place where we start our annual multi-faith walk where we walk, and talk with people from different backgrounds and visit their place of worship, if any. 

So on this one we had a lady in Birmingham who joined us partway and left part way, and had exchanged contact with Meena. She organises an annual event at her home and gathers women from different backgrounds at her home for sharing their reflections. This year there were women from four three countries!  So she says.

Getting a word in edge ways must be difficult, so I imagine there must be special reflections, and there were a handful this year. One poignant one was of a South African white woman whose nineteen year daughter was killed by a black young man, just before the end of apartheid, during the era of Pik Botha.

The mother asked to meet this man to ask him why he killed her daughter. He said that when he did what he did he was only thinking of the cause, and nothing else. The mother then forgave him. And her instant feeling was freedom from the shackles of her thoughts about this mans action. She was unlikely to meet him again, but her thoughts were freed to focus on more positive aspects of life.

This is not, of course an isolated story, and killings were from both sides. Nelson Mandela, was not just known for his fight against oppression and the many years in jail. His greatest legacy was that he did not bring South Africa into the abyss of a war against  former minority rulers. Instead he bought in a peaceful transition. 

And one method  was through the truth and reconciliation mission. Hundreds of victims families and adversaries, black v white, white v black met, wept, and moved on. The reconciliation was personal and in the mind, rather than meeting the adversary again.

In our small ways we need to release from our own mind those same trappings so that we can occupy it with more positive issues. Persistent hate is a pressurised balloon of anger that needs to be dissipated and make space. The victims mother required a lot of courage, and most of us require just a tiny fraction of that to sort those negative balloons in our minds and be free. 

I attended Church three times in the last three months, once in Birmingham (St Martins..beautiful) on our faith walk, and twice near Studley Castle, a near Redditch. The Church is in set off a narrow country lane and is a few hundred years old. Some months ago it was for a wedding of a colleague, and a couple of months thereafter  it was for the funeral service and burial of his mother. Matthew 6:12 ,which asks ‘And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us’  was another reminder of forgiveness at the best and worst of times. 

The idea of the multi-faith walk came when I went to a Charity Walk  in Leicester about three years ago organised by the Friends of the Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies. We walked to each of the seventeen Hindu temples in Leicester, saying a  prayer, with maybe a prasadam and walking on. A sort of a pilgrimage!  I did not need to just go to India. 

In Birmingham,we do not have so many temples, so somehow with a  group we organise and attend Sikh, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist temples, and ask them to talk for a few minutes about a specific topic…this year peace. To me it’s the walking with different people which is incredibly enriching, as the experience Meena had with this lady. The peace message was virtually the same, dressed in different ways.

As for the Cllr Bill Hartnett , after the walk he was so excited, and called this experience a myth buster.  He wants to organise one in Redditch as an annual event. As we have mostly Churches, I am relishing the thought of understanding the variety of Christian denominations and we intend to attend a Sikh service and Hindu discussion.

On that note, it seems to me that debate and discussion about all our beliefs is a healthy development of common values.

Nairobi To Kericho

Let me take you through the most amazing panoramic and changing landscape in Africa. We are heading from Nairobi to Kericho in Kenya. Nairobi is busy with lots of traffic, but it’s nice and sunny around 25 degrees. We are in a 4 by 4, heading for the Escarpment. The soil is red, and the areas around are lush. Throw any seed and it grows in this wonderful soil, and food is plentiful, despite the modest lifestyle for most Africans.

As we drive along you see magnolia trees, proudly displaying their white or sometimes pink flowers in large gardens. Hibiscus plants strut their long stamens amongst graceful petals. The external walls are ornamentally dressed with bougainvillea showing off their purple and pink flowers. 

The Africans, mostly of the Kikuyu tribe, are busy going about their business, and you see a lot of men walking briskly towards the city as you head out. Most of them are probably doing house work or working in offices doing menial tasks. Amongst them you see some with ties, on bicycles, and lots of Matatu’s  heavily laden with passengers.

Heading to the Escarpment you see signs for Limuru, Naivasha and Gilgil and memories start coming back. The sight is awe inspiring and can only be appreciated if you see it. The Rift Valley below stretches all the way from Ethiopia and has various National Parks housing it, most notably Tsavo in Kenya and Serengeti in Tanzania. This geographical trench is 6000 km long!

As we drive down though a windy road with lots of trucks etc, memories remind us that this road was built by Italian POWs, with the landmark Church on the way built in 1942. The sight of those wonderful acacia trees with flat and shady branches with vast spaces of open plains is mesmerising.

You see Mount Longonot in the distance, in the valley standing majestically.

And within an hour you are on the plains, initially seeing Lake Naivasha, with the crescent Island within it, where part of the movie, Out of Africa, was shot. And then come the remnant signs of the still existing British presence, Lord Delamere’s farm and businesses after Naivasha. 

Amongst all this relative African hustle and bustle, I am told there is an amazing golf club… was referred to as the  European Golf Club…a legacy of the comfortable classes during the British colonial era!

There are the hills around Nakuru where the Hyrax live, an animal the size of a dachshund, and I think they thrive on the termite hills. 

You see herds, farms, goats, children and truckers going about their business. Then you might see warthogs often mistaken for pigs. 

And then comes the Gilgil toll, reminding us of the Mau Mau freedom fighters and the presence of the army garrison. The first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, was a Kikuyu, and one of the Mau Mau leaders. 

Kenya got its Independence from the British on the 12th December, 1963, and it National Anthem in Kiswahili ( the National Language), is about a prayer of fairness, welcome and humanity.8

Road Services, as in the Western sense, do not exist, but there are many places to stop as you get into the plains. You might stop at the Roadside Jalaram Mandir, which continually feeds travellers for free. This was built by Gujarati’s and reminds me of a Sikh Temple that does the same on the road from Nairobi to Mombasa in Makindu.

You then head toward Nakuru, in the flat plains , a place where Richard Leakey discovered the oldest human remains, and was, for years regarded as  the place the first man existed..the Neanderthal Man! Since then, there have been more discoveries of earlier ‘man’ around Central and West Africa.  

So I am proud to say that where we come from,  the cradle of civilisation began. Actually that word ‘civilisation’ is often used wrongly  by the West, for the west in a superiority and condescending sense.

My grandfather , Bhurabhai Tulsi Sodha, came from India at the turn of the 20th century looking for better prospects. India, those days, was very poor and there were frequent famines if the monsoons failed.

The sight of Lake Nakuru is just incredible . You see the mirrored water in the distance , with tens of thousands of Flamingo birds, a memory that I have etched in my mind. It’s like a pink silvery lake.

African shops line the  main road as we go toward Nakuru. They sell or serve kahawa (coffee), Nyama ya choma ( butchers), kinyozi ( barbers) and a host of little stores all specialising in everything… surely learnt from the Indian traders that were here in years gone by. You see tin roofs, and occasional mud huts in the distance. 

And then we come past Lake Elemetaita, with hundreds of Jacaranda Trees…. Wonderful! You see many missionary schools, and the Church has done a lot for education and basic necessities for the local communities. 

Christianity is the predominant religion of most of the Kenyans. You see mission schools, and one that comes to mind is the Little Sisters of Saint Therese. 

Memories come back of my uncle Pratapfua and aunt Kanchanben Raja who lived in Nakuru, the capital of Rift Valley Province. They originally lived in Gilgil, followed by Camp ya Moto, Nakuru and finally settled in Kericho. Bless them, they are still there in Bolton, when they came to the UK in 1972.

As you pass though Nakuru you are going uphill toward the other side of the Rift Valley, with more greenery, flora and even occasional Chincona trees with their classical white peeling bark, used for extracting quinine or I stand corrected. The temperature is cooler , and soon we go past signs of Molo, and take a turn for Kericho, as the road carries onto Kitale.

The people of the Rift Valley and beyond are the Kalenjin, taller and slimmer than the Kikuyu, and the second President, Daniel Arap Moi, came from these parts. 

Molo,  a small trading town, is surrounded by green fertile land, and arable farms. You see miles and miles of corn, and occasional posho mills. The soil is turning from dusty to pink and is richer. The temperatures are much more bearable. The road is great, with trucks, buses, now all heading uphill toward Kedowa, my mothers maternal home (Liladher Narbheram Tejura clan), my birthplace, and where we lost our mother. 

Kedowa is still a half a dozen houses, off the main road by the railway station. We go and see the house, where I have memories of school holidays, at my grandmothers. Both my Mamie’s, my mothers sisters-in-law , showered upon us a lot of TLC. And so my Mami, in Leicester, is  a legend…..She tells me that she hid Jomo Kenyatta when the British were looking for him during the fights for Independence!

I am ambivalent about Kedowa, because of the sad loss on Kantaben, my beloved mother,  when I was around 9 years old, so quickly move on toward Kericho. We sees signs of Londiani, where memories come back of time spent with my uncle Baludas Chandarana and aunt Kasifai Chandarana  during some holidays.

The main tribe that lives  around here is the Kipsigis, tall, lanky, and soft. In my opinion, their language, Kipsigis , is also the most pleasant, soft language that I know. ‘I am fine’ in Kipsigis is ‘Me Sing’! And ‘what are you up to’ is Yamune with a long stretch!

Kavita, my daughter initially sees miles of a vista of green and calls it the Green Carpet of Kericho. And this is the home of the best tea in the world, Brooke Bond Tea.

Kericho is also known as the Kashmir of Kenya, a place of outstanding natural beauty. 

The sun is out, although most outsiders would say its unusual, it always rains in Kericho!  It’s temperature is around 20 degrees and the air feels like natural air conditioning.  The place is around 6000 feet above sea level, higher than Ben Nevis, the highest in the UK! 

This side of the Rift Valley has produced some of the greatest ling distance runners, notably, Kipchoge Keino, the first African to win a gold medal in his category in the Olympics in 1968. Another notable one was Ben Jipcho.

I think of Joginder Singh, the famous international rally driver also came from these parts.

Being near the Equator, the weather here is almost perfect all the year around, and am proud that I spent the first 19 years of my life in this wonderful place. Kericho’s population has grown from around 10000 in the early 1970,s to perhaps ten times as much. There are new housing developments, the town is buzzing, and I visited familiar places, like Puran Singh Square, named after one of the founders of this town, and one who is revered by many Sikhs around the world. The Gurudwara in his name has visitors from all over, doing service to local communities in the best tradition of the faith.

My grandfather, Bhurabhai Tulsi Sodha, was an early settler, and set up with his sons B Tulshi and Sons after moving from nearby Lumbhwa and Sondho.  Our shop where I worked every school holidays and weekends is still called Tulsi’s. The African owner tells me that his grandfather, before he died, said call your shop Tulsi as it has a lot of luck attached to it.

I visit my primary school, Highland Primary, and the headmaster allows me to do an assembly, and we tell the children to aim high and build aspirations. And they show eagerness and all ( nearly 200) want to shake hands, and in uniform.

We innocently ask the Head whether they do their homework, and about ten per cent do not, mostly because they are street children , possibly of single parents, and those with HIV, and they have not had any food! Don’t worry that has been now been partly resolved. I feel proud that I taught here as a voluntary teacher before coming to the UK, and remember the transistor radio the school gave me as a gift.

There are many memories of Kericho, but one that stands out most is the perfect social cohesion that existed between all communities and religions. The clans that I can remember were the Morzeria family,  G M Mistry who owned a hardware store, CC Rupa, HL Sodha, Chandarana, Mohan Singh Chadha ( I think the famous film director, Gurinder Chadha, of ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ fame, is connected here). I could go on…

I wish somebody can articulate or reinvent their shared values that created this heaven on earth.

For me the  fondest memory is the natural air conditioned air, and the surrounding landscape. And, of course,  the amazing work and contributions that the Sikh Community, under the observance and vision of Sant Puran Singh and Bhai Sahib ji, and followers from

Birmingham and all over the world. 

has done to the local African Community

All this which belongs to the last person who feels and sees it.

Mr. Popaat

Around 2005, I was working as a community pharmacist in Banbury, a small town in Oxfordshire. 

It was a normal bustling day with lots of clinical checks on prescriptions, and advice for over the counter medicines.

One afternoon, an English care worker from a local peoples home came in and asked for a prescription for Mr Popat, which she pronounced as Popaat.    I spontaneously and politely corrected the care worker that the name should be correctly pronounced as Mr Pop-ut. Fortunately, she was understanding, and pleased that she had finally found somebody who could maybe communicate and find out more about this quiet elderly resident.

She said that Mr Popat , around 75 years,  did not understand English, and none of the staff knew his language. He was reclusive and mostly stayed in bed, and had written some words on his wall. He was referred to them by the local Council  as he could not manage on his own in the accommodation provided.  He was often seen walking as a ‘down and out’  in scruffy clothes  and given food by the local Pakistani community. His mobility  had got worse due to his diabetes, with ulcers etc, and eventually was provided a room in the Care Home. 

She asked whether I would visit Mr Popat, as there was very little information about him and whether he had any relatives. I explained that I was from the same Indian subgroup in Gujarat called Lohanas, and maybe able to help.  That evening after closing the pharmacy , I went across to visit Mr Popat. 

In his tiny room was a small desk, sink, and Mr Popat was curled up in the bed. My first words with him were Jay Shree Krishna…and he responded immediately with the same words.  The next words were ‘Habari Yako’, and he responded with ‘Muzuri Sana’. 

The care workers were delighted that he could understand and respond. With those four words, I knew he was an Indian, Gujarati, Lohana, and Hindu originating from East Africa, as he understood Kiswahili.  He eyes had brightened and he was delighted that he could reach out. The care workers were all excited and all this quickly went around the home.

The workers and even the local council wanted me to delve more, and I started visiting him more, despite being around 35 miles from where I lived. Very little was known about Mr Popat. He was clearly traumatised and perhaps slow, and gently in our conversations I pieced together that he has brought as a child to Uganda, (around 1940) from India and lived with a Popat family in Jinja. All his life he had worked in the family shop, and had never been married but remembered that he had a sister in India. 

In 1972, the president of Uganda, Idi Amin, expelled Asians  to leave the Uganda without any possessions, within three months, or they would be forcibly removed or killed. A few did get killed including a cousin of mine.  Many thousands of Ugandan Asians decided to exercise their  British nationality, on account of having been in Uganda since the colonial days.

On arrival at Heathrow, Mr Popat, according to him, lost his family/employer.  The UK government provided families with accommodation in various camps and eventually found them housing. Mr Popat , ended up somewhere in Oxford, and was subsequently Banbury. 

So for the next few years I would visit him from time to time, and one Christmas took my children to visit him with some Indian food and sweetmeats (rationed of course as he was diabetic). I kept an eye on his medication and saw various carers looking after him. And I would often get called to translate what he was saying, and he became much more cheerful. On one occasion he said he had not been to an Indian Temple since he had arrived to the UK more than 35 years ago. Neither Oxford or Banbury had a Hindu Temple, so I arranged for him to visit the Hindu Community Centre in Birmingham. He was by then in a wheel chair but was determined to visit the temple.

On another occasion he said he would like to meet or get in contact with his sister in Gujarat,  who he had not seen since childhood days. This was difficult call as he could not remember his town, although he said somewhere around Porbander, in Gujarat, India. I knew it would be impossible to find out, as this was many years ago, and would require visiting India and places to find out further information about his family. However, I knew there were Popat families in the UK, mostly around London and Leicester . I made many calls and nobody could remember him. I suppose this was about an event 35 years ago, and most of the fist generation would have passed away by then.

Around 2009, I was told that Mr Popat was ill and had to be admitted to hospital. I visited him and was told he would be out in a few days. Sadly, I got a call one early morning at about 4 am that he would not survive, so I drove the 35 miles to the then Horton Hospital in Banbury. Mr Popat had passed away peacefully. The nurses were very supportive. I set by the bed, said some prayers and after a while started to take my leave, at which stage the nurse in charge asked me what arrangements was I going to make, and that I should take his suitcase.

It was then that it first dawned on me that I was assumed to be his next of kin, and that I would be responsible for his funeral, I phoned some Lohana elders in Birmingham about the matter, not knowing what to do. They said that according to tradition, I would have to find a priest, 5 witnesses one of whom would have to a male with the Sir name Popat!  I then called on some Lohana friends and they agreed, and even found someone from Coventry with the Popat Surname.

We arranged a crematorium, did the full Hindu ceremony for Mr Popat, with a priest, and a few weeks later, with some elders, spread his ashes in a flowing river, where my own fathers had been spread. I then distributed his meagre council savings to local causes in Banbury.

Redditch Pledge

In January 2001, I had travelled with my young family to US for a conference and a small vacation.  Our first destination was Boston, where we visited Harvard University and walked the Boston Mile to the Boston harbour. It was here, in 1773, that demonstrators, boarded the East India Company ship and threw off the chests of tea from China , as the Company was exempt from local taxes giving it an unfair advantage. The British government considered this as treason and responded harshly with the event escalating into the American Revolution. And within a few years, in 1788, the US Constitution was written in 1778, starting with the famous three words “We the people”.

We then went took the American Airlines flight to New York, and walked around Manhattan, saw Central Park, Times Square, the United Nations Buildings and even caught a glimpse of Bill Clinton passing in a motorcade! We went up the Empire State Building , and one of the Twin Towers, where on one of the top floors saw a movie, and the children had a “coin’’ imprinted. I particularly remember  a young person working in the cinema serving us ice-cream.  I have often wondered whatever happened to her, was she working when the terrorist planes crashed into the Twin Towers that same year on 9/11?

We all often wonder how we can all live harmoniously, despite having laws (local and international) education, family, friends and peer influences. And in the worst case disharmony can lead to wars where there is always suffering on all sides.

They usually start with some negative thoughts, that lead to arguments, escalating to bigger differences, involving more people and are usually about race, assets, and or values and ethics that vary. And despite the huge progress mankind has made in the world, with developments in democracies, technologies, and economies, wars keep happening!

The bombing of the Twin Towers escalated into world wide events, of the fight against terrorism, and some countries almost being decimated notably Afghanistan. And the Islamic radicalism impacted not only on communities around the world with terror acts in countries around the world, but also caused a lot negative feeing on ordinary Muslim families.

My own town of Redditch, of 70000 people, we had and have had a lot of harmony throughout my 40 years in the town. Many different types of immigrants have moved here, from the Polish, Caribbean’s, Pakistanis, Indians, Syrians and Ukrainians. True and just leadership has been shown by the local Council and senior stakeholders in town. However, external issues such as some terrorist act used to worry us that negative issues would spread into our town. A couple of particular events were a march by the  racist English Defence League, and the damaging of a local mosque that was being built in town.

Most Redditch people were aghast by these events, and somehow, with a local Council leader, faith leaders from the Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish Community got together to see whether we can proactively work on preventing any flares ups. I represented the Hindu Community, having been a previous Chair. In the early days, these meetings at night would be nebulous, flaky and lacked clarity, but thanks to the lead Councillor, Bill Barnett, he managed to get us on track and eventually we started working on what mattered to all the people of Redditch.

And from there we went on to debate and write the Redditch Pledge.

I was tasked to work on the wording , and this was huge challenge, as we wanted to avoid the pledge to not become just an inter-faith pledge. I had spent many hours on what mattered to us, and started with fundamentals on what mattered to us as a society, and I even remember a ‘word’ progress one week, and dropping the following week, with many iterations, and contributions, including from my Malaysian friend, Boon, and my son, Anand, a philosophy student. My Sikh friend in one passionate debate came up emphatically saying the words “Everyone Matters”, and the final version was agreed.

We, as people of Redditch 

pledge ourselves as one united community,

respecting all races, faiths and beliefs,

to build on our common values 

to achieve happiness and progress 

for all. Everyone matters.

We Launched the pledge with a walk from St Stephens Church Redditch to the Redditch Mosque, with over 200 stakeholders from schools, police, and faiths, and for me it was one of the proudest moments of my life.

I say that because I have often felt that differences are often perceived and we celebrate diversity. But underneath all that are some common values and that was what I had started with in trying to build consensus on the  Redditch Pledge.

The below values have been taken from the Inter Faith Network, comments made at our meetings, iterations and e-mails. This list is not exhaustive

Communication and Trust

Listening, and Openness

Courtesy and mutual respect

Respecting dissent and other people’s right to express this

Accountability and Responsibility

Diversity

Inclusiveness

Mutual Respect and fellowship 

Democracy (based on equality and justice)

Harmony, safety, dispel fear, safety, compassion

Confidence, enterprise, vibrancy and skills….. Redditch Economic themes

HOW THE VALUES ARE INCORPORATED

REDDITCH PLEDGE                                                     VALUES                     

We, as people of Redditch             …fellowship

pledge ourselves as one united community …unity ,community

with respect to all races and faiths or none          …tolerance,mutual respect

to build on our common values …democracy, equality, justice

…communication and listening

…debate, openness,  

…respecting dissent

  …accountability

to achieve …objective

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       happiness, and progress …love, care, harmony, safety, compassion,

…good health, education, environment  

…confidence, enterprise, vibrancy, skills                                                                                                                                                

for all, …common good, responsibility,

…citizenship

…diversity and inclusion

…age, gender, 

Everyone matters…                                                … individually and collectively

Mayor Civic Event, September 2011, Redditch Town Hall

The Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Honoured guests, and Friends

In this year of the Queens 90th Birthday, we  also remember 100 years after the 1st World War  when 420 000 British and Commonwealth service men and women lost their lives and more than 60000 on the first day alone in July 1916!

I recently attended the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and on watching the bands from Nepal, Jordan, and various commonwealth countries I had reminders of the contributions for peace, democracy and individual freedom that we all take so for granted.

And reflect on the verse from the National Anthem

“Lord. Make the nations see, that men should brothers be, and form one family, the wide world over” 

I would like to commend those that have make a huge contributions to a caring, fairer and better Redditch.

Starting with the Church, for its blessings, spiritual support and harmony. Then there is the voluntary sector.

 In all these areas we have numerous self-effacing and humble people going about their daily business of a lot of good for others.                                               

One notable person has been own Ida Parkinson, our first Macmillan Nurse who sadly passed away recently. Ida came over from Ireland and gave so much to our town as a Cancer Nurse and help to found the Primrose Hospice in our sister town Bromsgrove. As a Rotarian she continued to support those in need, wherever.

I would also commend our current town councillors and leaders who work tirelessly to make our town an even better place to live.

SO LET’S PAUSE AND REFLECT

Society has developed a mind-set that speed is a measure of success. In the 1930’s it was to do with the land speed record for cars, now it’s the fastest computer, fastest broadband and information etc. 

This speed is increasing demands and we are becoming immune to appalling acts such as that of Lee Rigby, Jo Cox, the attacks in Paris and Nice, and that little boy washed up on a Turkish Beach….and the next day we move on!  

We need to pause and reflect. Let’s all be thankful for our lot, be progressive, but also think what is good for the bigger picture.

So, Mr Mayor and honoured guests, what do I think about my town, Redditch?

It’s in the centre of the country

In the town there is easy access, rare traffic jams and around 10 traffic lights! 

It has more parks, open spaces, walking and cycle paths then buildings or roads, and certainly more than most other towns….it is a planned town!  All this is important for our Health and Wellbeing.

We have, Alders Marsh in Winyates Green, nominated last December as one of the top nature reserves in the country by BBC Country-file. 

We have our wonderful Churches and our our heritage buildings in Ipsley and the Needle Museum.

 And of course great Council amenities, including those in sports and leisure.

 And now we have the Jinnah Mosque, a beautiful architectural building, and a place of worship for our Muslim Community. 

We have significant Polish and Indian/ Keralan communities that contribute significantly to our workforce. And we are twinned with Mtwara in Tanzania with which the  Redditch One World Link retains strong affinities. 

Reflections on Golf ..If Only…By Nitin Sodha

Bunta or marbles was my first exposure to any sport of relative seriousness, and failure. This was probably when I was about six years old and played in the courtyard of our family home in Kericho, where my uncle Pratap Raja, Kunchan Fai, Patu, Kirit and Raju lived.

Now their son, Kirit (and possibly all future sporting competitors) have some sort genetic advantage over me. Kirit was a tall eight year old who could flex his fingers to get maximal projectile advantage with the marbles, such that the force of the hit on my (bunta) almost broke them, and sent them shooting beyond normal human capacity.

I have since graduated into different sports mostly to do with balls from hockey, football, squash, and tennis. And recently retired from WPBC, the Winter Pansies Badminton Club after receiving my ‘invisible man’ T-shirt. In all these sports I have always attended the Christmas party, and made my presence felt, such that I secured the next game, even as a back-up.

So fifty years on from marbles, and with such a sporting pedigree, I felt that as my knees could get worse with tennis, I will have a go at golf. Looks so easy I thought, especially because I see golfers or mostly older people hitting the ball. Thought I would never play this sport, as there is no aerobic component, apart from hitting the ball, and perhaps it’s a good walk spoilt.

My first foray was in Marbella, after getting invited to play by a pharmaceutical company. So my nephew, Pritesh, gave me some clubs, and a little lesson (always use the seven iron, he said and if somebody asks you your handicap say 28), and I bought some black and white golf shoes from the local golf club. Oh, the pro there sold me five lessons, and I took one the day before.

So the first lesson was about the different clubs, and some are made of iron, and some I think wood. Then there are the wedges. Like the first car driving lesson, I did not hit a ball.

I ensured I had the best looking golf looking cap for my initiation in Spain. Got to look the part! Like tennis, there is an initial politeness, that golfers proffer, until you play, when the lower handicappers, go silently mental, and do quite disappearing acts.

In Spain, for some strange reason, I was asked to hit my ball first, so I placed the ball on the T, and somehow it fell off. I lined up like Ronaldo the Portuguese footballer, with a little puff and knee bend, took my stance, took a practice shot without hitting the ball. However, the wind made the ball fall off. I replaced the ball on the T, and took a shot, and the ball almost got scalped and fell a few feet ahead, in full view of an industry audience. I turned around, but Pritesh could not be seen despite his prominent frame.

I was asked to drive the buggy, and somehow went backwards. Ever since this episode of Mr Bean, I took a sabbatical from golf.

Only recently have I made made a re-entry, with encouragement from my brother Naval. I have always paid due respect to my older brothers, and he rightfully said that as I live near a golf course I should play, and so would he…I think that was his ulterior motive.  He brought me a PING bag, some Callaway Clubs ( for a while I used to call Galloway), an Ericsson hat, and surely my golf has to improve. It has improved, well sort of, sometimes, and and mostly when alone.

My first improvement was that the ability to find one’s ball when you hit it in the bush. I learnt the term line, and soon, if I did not find mine, I would find somebody else’s. The second improvement was that the zig-zags became bigger, or somehow I was getting closer to the green, with a relatively smaller ‘tour-de-France’.

Now golf is not just about playing. It’s also about etiquette, much like ball room dancing. Cardinal sins, never walk on somebody’s line, do not talk and release even the tiniest wind when somebody is hitting the ball. And take your turn on the ‘dance’ floor. And ladies have grace in terms of the distance they hit, and can do a little elf flick on hitting.

Though major levels of polite bribery, and connections, I have recently been admitted to the Birmingham Pharmacists Golf Society (BPGS), and it has long standing members from lots of places outside Birmingham. And also the Friends Golf Society, which was kindly introduced to me by my brother Pankaj, who is a career golfer.

The other aspect of golf is banter, and the frequency of this is inversely
proportional to the level of acquaintance. But, this requires a robust enough understanding of the language, and despite being multilingual, this is like learning Sanskrit on the side. Perhaps it’s my age, or embarrassment in asking questions.

I have had some flattering comments, regarding dog-legs to the left, where I draw the ball. Only recently, somebody told me that means you tend hit the ball to the left if the fairway goes that way! I do not think I will ever be able to fade the ball, that is hit it to the right on T-off, but at least I will be able to make the courteous (and jealous) comment when somebody else does.

Golfers also talk to the ball, like go go go! And well out!  My hearing is poor, so recently when I pitched a ball onto the green, I spoke to mine, saying shit, shit, shit, having listened to others say it. It’s actually sit, sit, sit. I wonder whether this game formally involved having a dog!

So I have recently played with my brother-in-law Subodh, lads from the Friends Society who have mastered the art of 24/7 banter including on What’s App, BPGS (some new people and friends…until they get to know my golf) , and abroad.

A couple of weeks ago it was Portugal for a whole week of Golf with pharmacists from all around the UK. The weather was lovely, hotel was great, the food was excellent, and the golf was well….. if only it went in!

I was however, on the last day, matched up with three lovely ladies, and we nearly had a picnic. I discovered one thing in common with them, I can multitask, and recently I have taken up philosophical thinking alongside golfing! The journey carries on.

Good Day!  It does have a lot of meanings.

Episodical Memory – 18 May 2014

Most of us remember where we were when 9/11 happened. If you are drunk and  think of some key words, you are unlikely to remember  them sober
unless you are drunk. These are two random examples of episodical memory.

So since the US I have been to one shok sabah, one funeral, one wedding, a Gurudwara, a couple of golf sessions, a talk on faith, and cannot remember what I have done the rest of the time, except one specific occasion of an award ceremony.

I was not really aware of what the event was about, but was invited by my accountant, and it’s always best to catch them for advice when they cannot charge you. The dress code was black tie, and I did not have one, so quickly bought one, went to the event, and half way into the event discovered that the security tag was not removed from my jacket. Lexon won the Healthcare Business Award ( or something like that) for the Midlands. Anup and Pritesh collected it, and duly thanked their good accountant and solicitor. Funny, how you remember trivia, particularly when it’s got some sort of association.

An award by its nature is an association to superiority, and this differentiation often leads celebrations  of Oge, Oge Oge…..some of you may not remember the usage of the expression of victory….particularly when inebriated. When you write Oge backwards it becomes ego. But surely recognition is a necessity for set an example of best practice, improvement, an aim. So taken with humility it was, and I congratulate the team that achieved all this. And well done Arsenal and Arsene for the FA Cup Victory.

As I write, India has been Modi..fied. His first tweet was ‘ accche  din ayenge’ . I sincerely hope so for the 100’s of millions of Indians who are living in abject poverty. And his first job should be to declare war on those that do not pay tax ( according to some well informed sources, Indians have the highest amounts in Swiss Banks), and establish an upla wala jail. Then create trust amongst the investment community both local and international. Immediate focus should be in infrastructure projects with reach in healthcare , education, and transportation.

I hope he delivers as he has done so in Gujarat, although must say that whilst Gujarat wealth has increased whilst modi has been Chief Minister, it does not rate well in education and healthcare. If he does not, I will still visit him for a cup of tea in Vadnagar!

Today I am at another wedding in London for Anisha and Shillen wedding sitting proudly next to my nephews, Dr Kiran Sodha, his wee brother Dhiren, gorgeous niece Anaeka and her Honewala…Ravi. Both the latter are studiously watching the wedding. Anisha is the granddaughter of my Masi from Mombasa in the Ruparelia  family. Both look great, and it’s amazing how connected Lohana wedding guests are…the early version of internet.

I have met my Nairobi Faibas son, Raju, an ex employee, and the son of shorty provision store, even shorter…Nathubhai. Then all the Mamis side, Shilpa, our Sudha Gauri…etc etc .  Then Dipakbhai from Varodara, Raj and his fiancée, a wedding that I intend to attend in Nairobi. Everybody’s says words like Kem Che, Tu Kya khovaigyo Che, chokoro moto thi gyo……

The parents of Anisha, Neeta and Harshad, are delighted that the groom has guaranteed that she will happy and well looked after. Every parents dream.

San Francisco – 26 Feb 2014

There has so much been said about San Fran…that anymore would surely be a challenge but for it’s myriad characteristics. This is a microcosm of all that is great about the USA.

So Meena and myself went to visit this great city after the AA  family wedding in Los Angeles. Immediately on arrival, one notices a much greener city, with Victorian Buildings and streets that a giant would think are carved as steps on hills. My history says that Captain Cook ‘discovered’ America. So the first place for homage would be Coit Tower to get a panoramic view of the City, from which you can see Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Area, Docks, Bay Bridge, bits of China Town, and even the Golden Gate Park.

My last visit was in 1980 as students who had barely made it to this place from Reno delivering a car from the east coast. We were broke and had a foray acting as guides, to survive almost hand to mouth. But we were not scared or frightened, particularly as this was probably the best place to land in….the place with so much diversity and tolerance.

We stayed in the Fishermans Wharf area in a boutique hotel overlooking the lots of bars, etc but it was mainly with tourist shops selling many versions of the SF dream. The best part for me was an early morning run from there towards the Golden Gate. And of course a favourite hobby …..food.

First meal , Thai, massive, with huge soup, green curry, papaya salads., and good value. Always under order! Then Boudins ….famous for its sour bread…..amazing. Onto a Vietnamese (hot), of course morning Bagels, so much choice, with regular coffees. Americans probably are the best at coffee. Most of all the service in each of these places was exceptional. For once, I felt that the vendors genuinely cared. Almost everybody is or was an immigrant, and a proud American!. And so civil.

We also took time to go to Yosemite National Park, about a five hour journey from SF, by bus,  and train (Amtrak). Must go to this place at least once, we stayed over a day, and spent most of the time outdoors walking and hiking. A most memorable walk up misty trail… The rocks are some go the biggest in the world. Here I learn that this great state boasts the tallest waterfall, trees, mountain (?), and lowest point below sea level in Death Valley. We stayed at the Ahwamee, which has a historical significance, and overrated. It was also where the film Shining was shot…remember Redrum, REDrum, !REDRUM ……..write this backwards in red!

Back in SF, we enjoyed travelling on the tram ( a train on the step streets), street car ( an electric bus on the normal streets), and a normal bus on normal streets. Walked into Chinatown, and toward the commercial district. Clean beautiful city, with cafés of every type from Italian to Mexican. There was an interesting street dancer doing a step dance (feel guilty…did not drop a dollar for him), an African American on the street hiding behind some cut branches and scaring everybody, and on Union Square young student dancers. Overall we barely scared the surface.

No wonder Google, Facebook, Amazon, Silicon Valley are all in the vicinity…inspiration in a quality, temperate coast line.

On the last day we succumbed to some shopping in Union Square, and of course Anand’s special shaving liquid for the best shave in the world.

The best part on our way back home was when we went to see our Trina, and children. Also met her wonderful in-laws. Trina lives in an absolutely idyllic neighbourhood, and she is a busy busy mum, and Sanjiv is working and studying very hard.

Thank you America, California and SF….enjoyed staying ….and will come back, and leave you with what Herb Caen said

One day if I go to heaven…I’ll look around and say, ‘ It ain’t bad, but it ain’t San Francisco’.

Ashish and Amee Wedding Day – 24 Feb 2014

No superlatives can easily describe such a glorious day for the beautiful couple about to get married. On this sunny Saturday morning the friends and families were all getting ready in their best outfits . As is tradition, the extended families ,friends and guests of the bride were all out to receive the bridegroom.

There was so much colour, excitement, traditional Gujrati songs, children and adults all close together waiting for the bridegroom to arrive. We were all taken aback that Ashish was arriving in an elephant. Hey, n this is The US of A, and surely this was unreal. But lo and behold there he was, with a turban, veil, a decorated elephant, coming across as a prince to get married, fronted by his dancing retinue,singing traditional punjabi songs amongst loud dholki!

This is not easy for photographers ( so many flashing) as everybody is so excited, trying to get closer to the action. As the groom dismounts, and the elephant gracefully retreats, the formal welcoming starts with the respective elders from each side. There is plenty of singing, and Vinu welcomes Ashish’s father, and they have the traditional cuddling competition with with by an elder couple from each side. So much fun. I was to mind  Saya, and she was so focused on the event, she forgot who was carrying her….that was a special!

So all onto the ceremony at the top of the Marriot, wedding in open air, in a spectacular setting, with the mandvo in the far end, a setting to capture  the feel of a perfect day, and so it was. Plenty of flowers, garlands, colour, amidst a blue, fresh, cool, Californian morning.

After the usual Nasta, and masala tea, the witnesses to this ceremony were called to settle down, and the Sodha brothers, walk onto the ‘Mehdan’ in twos and unison, and stand aside for our beautiful princess Amee being surrounded by her bridesmaids and escorted and given away by her maternal uncle, Vinubhai.

There was plenty of cheering, and the grand finale started in earnest with the hindu priest getting everybody to settle down. The bride and the bridegroom are of course the focus, with the priest working them though the relevant feras, and symbolism.
My sister, Niru sang  though each of the feras in Gujarati, and the song probably is still ringing in most ears. The meaning of each of the feras were explained, and this is an incredibly personal, and wise meaning that has stood the test of time for thousands of years. For all that are married, they probably reflect on the same when they did.

There are of course the fun events such as the stealing of the bridegrooms shoe, and three or four galant youngsters, including Nimesh, Maya and our Driren mastermind the ‘theft’. There is a handsome reward and the opposite ‘army of defeated youngsters’ are planning a recovery by to no avial. Then there  is the ‘dominant partner test’ …who sits down first and whilst I missed it, the answer is obvious, Amee. Many a women have occupied this seat, whatever her husband thinks!

Now for the congratulations, photos, photos, and photos of all the families with Dr Ashish Kapoor and his bride, Dr Amee Kapoor. Then we all get downstairs for the farewell, Vidai. Kleenex is a must on these occasions, and after the traditional ‘goodbyes’, the bride is carried away on a carriage by her cousins to the awaiting transportation befitting the occasion…..a Roller. There is the coconut breaking ceremony on the wheel of the car, and the holding it back tradition for a kings ransom which was making the cousins excitable and depleting the groom of his last reserves. Off they go…….and we all relax and retire for the reception!

The evening event was in the grand hotel ball room, with Ashishs family making a singing and dancing entrance followed a Rikshawala, with a bride. That was classic. Then the speeches, all thanking everybody, and without much ado, after Vinus speech, Amee’s. She captured all her thoughts and feelings in a deeply emotional way for her wonderful sister, friend, and confidante.

Finally it was a party….fortunately stayed sober….and remember all the dances, the dancing, the dancing competition, the food, and drink.  Man….the Bhangra styles and variations were in full swing after the beautiful dances by the bridesmaids, and friends, and of course the newly weds.

This great state, California, has witnessed the marriage of our beautiful daughter to her handsome husband, and the Sodha parivar wish them the very best always.
I want to personally thank Vinu, Ushabhabi, Sanjeev, Trina, and of course Amee for this fantastic family occasion that brought us all together in harmony.

Amee  and Ashish ,well done, and our blessings to a long and happy marriage.

Me Kai Khoto Kithu Hoi, ka Kairu Hoi to maf Karjo!

Jay Shree Krishna