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Gujranwala, Where British PM Sunak’s Ancestors Witnessed an Orgy of Colonial Violence

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Shyam Bhatia London, April 15, 2023 Rishi Sunak’s ancestors were born in a Punjabi town that was savagely attacked by British colonial forces, leaving at least nine dead and 27 others wounded, according to official colonial sources. Indians at the time said the true rate of casualties was substantially higher. The British Prime Minister’s paternal… Continue reading Gujranwala, Where British PM Sunak’s Ancestors Witnessed an Orgy of Colonial Violence

Fighting back or letting go: South Asians and their colonial past

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From Shyam Bhatia London, January 2022 Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq is more fortunate than Black British footballers who have to cope with ‘ooh, ooh, ooh’ sounds hurled at them every time they emerge from their changing rooms.  Pakistan-born Rafiq has also had to endure his share of racist taunts, but at the comparatively young age of… Continue reading Fighting back or letting go: South Asians and their colonial past

How North London borough helped build V bombers

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Barnet's role in building V bombers during World War 2 From Shyam Bhatia London, December 12, 2021 A North London borough’s role  in supporting the country’s strategic defences has been highlighted by a senior engineer who used to work for leading aerospace manufacturer Handley Page in Cricklewood. Victor bombers built by the company at their Cricklewood… Continue reading How North London borough helped build V bombers

Little Tehran takes root in Finchley

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“Little Tehran” is an affectionate epithet used to describe a fast changing corner of North London formerly identified with East European Jews, Japanese and South Asians living cheek by jowl with the majority community of white English locals. Minorities in Finchley are traditionally associated with local synagogues and Jewish schools, along with Japanese letting agents… Continue reading Little Tehran takes root in Finchley

India Should Ask China for Surplus COVID Vaccine Supply: Global Vaccine Expert 

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Delhi and Beijing would benefit from recalling how the US and Soviet Union set aside their differences during the Cold War to successfully eradicate small pox and polio, says Dr Jerome Kim, director general of the International Vaccine Institute. Apr 26, 2021 | Shyam Bhatia      Could vaccines do for India-China relations what Dr D.S. Kotnis did… Continue reading India Should Ask China for Surplus COVID Vaccine Supply: Global Vaccine Expert 

Remembering Benazir

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   E-paper … but I have to return, Benazir said about going back to Pakistan  A journalist recalls how he and the former prime minister stayed friends  Benazir Bhutto Twitter Shyam Bhatia   |     |   Published 30.12.20, 07:04 PM Politicians and journalists don’t always stay good friends and even if they do get close, those ties rarely last. Of course, there… Continue reading Remembering Benazir

Wuhan

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Interest in the wet markets of Wuhan reminds me of a story my late father used to tell about what happened when he visited China in the early 1950s as a journalist covering the visit of Prime Minister Jawharlal Nehru. At one state banquet the most memorable item on the menu was a whole cooked… Continue reading Wuhan

Why Boris Johnson will be the next British Prime Minister

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Visiting US President Donald Trump’s public endorsement of politician Boris Johnson means there can be no doubt at all about who will succeed Teresa May as the next British Prime Minister.   Some 13 Conservative Party politicians have declared themselves as candidates for the top job, but Trump’s unexpected intervention on the eve of his… Continue reading Why Boris Johnson will be the next British Prime Minister