After his career was shattered by a massive head injury and memory loss, Irshad Ashraf began a recovery that is coming to fruition this month.
Nominated for next month’s Penguin muslim writers awards for his story The Drowners, his photography exhibition No Pork features abstract depictions of New York.

The Exhibition opens on May 18 in London. A film he made for The South Bank Show, with Melvyn Bragg, transmits in May.
To attend, email: vulvana.williams@irshad.tv.
www.irshad.tv

London based Asia House is launching its ‘Festival of Asian Literature’ this month, hosting an array of writers including Ziauddin Sardar, Kenan Malik, Pankaj Mishra and Hardeep Singh Kohli.
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Trafalgar Square is hosting its annual Vaisakhi In The Square this Sunday, 3rd May. The event will feature religious hymns (Shabad Kirtan) as well as Bhangra performances by Veronica, H-Dhami, Shekie ‘n’ Sham, Navin, 3Mix, D-Boy & Des-C.

Sunrise Radio is the main media partner. This year the event also commemorates 300 years of the consecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal Guru. The free event, organised by the GLA, will be held from 12pm to 5:30pm.

The International Buddhist Film Festival comes to London in May, offering films from across the world with a Buddhist touch – from documentaries to Hollywood blockbusters.
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The BBC will showcase this year’s Proms 2009 Season with a first-ever Bollywood Prom performance.

The 2009 Season will be the biggest ever, according to the BBC, featuring a 100 concerts and 70 further Proms Plus events.
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by Kuljit Bhamra
Artistic director

The Southall Story is a project in celebration of a town that has welcomed new communities throughout the last century, enabling them to excel and influence both the social and political structures of this country.

Southall is also a place that has come to be affectionately known as Little India, but for many it is much more than that. Being a port, (Heathrow is a stones throw away), Southall has been a home to such diverse groups as the West Indians, Indians and Pakistanis in the 50’s through to the Ugandan Asians in the 70’s. Most recently, new arrivals include Sikhs from Afghanistan and Somalians.
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Last Mango in Paris, aka spoken word artist Shane Solanki, releases his first single ‘Manbag!!’ on 20th April through Soundeasy Records. That will be followed up by his debut album ‘Broken English’, featuring Birmingham grime artist RT.
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Baroness Sayeeda Warsi was named the most powerful British Muslim woman last night at an event hosted by the Equalities and Human Rights Comission.

Picking up the award at the Manchester event, the shadow minister for Community Cohesion said: “I personally come from a family of all girls and was brought up to believe that anything was possible and being a Muslim woman should in no way be seen as a barrier but as an asset to achievement.”
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Have you had documentary commissions or some other success on Asian and Muslim channels? Are you ready to get onto mainstream TV? Then this opportunity is for you.

The Cineforum on Muslim Women: Visibility and Leadership is a one day film festival and conference on the 30th March 2009 in London. They are offering 10 people the chance to pitch to a panel of commissioners from mainstream broadcast channels.
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The third annual Muslim Writers award will take place on the 27th of May at the Hilton on Park Lane, organisers announced this week. The event aims to recognise the very best of British Muslim literary talent.

Project director Irfan Akram said: “[Our] staggering growth reflects a growing desire for good quality literature amongst what’s expected to be the fastest growing sector of the book buying public over the coming months and years.”

Theatre group Tamasha launches its latest production – Wuthering Heights – this week in Oldham. The Bollywood adaptation of the classic novel will then tour around the UK, including the Lyric Hammersmith at the end of April.

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Last week author Hema Macherla (pictured, left) from Hornchurch has won the accolade of ‘Reading Hero’ for her outstanding reading achievements following a nationwide hunt for heroes. The award was presented by the Prime Minister’s wife, Sarah Brown.

Hema spoke very little English when she arrived in England decades ago. Determined to fit in, she decided to learn to read. Last year she became a published author, in English, and her novel, Breeze from The River Manjeera, reached the top 26 out of 44,000 entries for the Richard & Judy Novel writing competition in 2005.

A major event held at the end of the month will examine how Muslim women in the UK are doing, and aim to equip media professionals to get ahead in the industry.

Titled ‘Cineforum on Muslim Women: Visibility and Leadership’, the one day event will showcase documentary films, hear from commentators from across the world, feature media industry trainers and debates on a range of issues.

Event director Jobeda Ali told AIM magazine: “We believe that Muslim women’s voices, once mainstreamed, have a particular capacity for creating deep and lasting social change. I came up with this event as an independent venture, just because of my own experiences as a Muslim woman trying to get ahead in a mainstream career.”
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Communications agency Sterling Media was honoured at the annual Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards last week for the Media Company of the Year Award.

The event is organised by publisher of the west London based Asian Voice newspaper and took place at the House of Commons. Actress Nina Wadia (Eastenders) was awarded TV Personality of the Year.

“My kids are too old to remember this now but, when they were much younger, I swore to them if this miracle ever happened, I would receive it in the spirit of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, and that’s what that was.”
Danny Boyle, explaining why he was bouncing up and down, when accepting his award.

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“There are certain places you never imagine standing – the moon, the South Pole, the Miss World podium and here.”
From writer Simon Beaufoy’s acceptance speech.

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The Slumdog Millionaire cast were not afraid to strut their stuff on the Oscars red carpet. More pictures…

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With an eight Oscar haul, the Slumdog Milionaire cast was constantly making journeys to the podium to receive their Oscars. Here are some pictures from the award ceremony itself.

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The annual UK Asian Music Awards (UKAMAs) will be held next week at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

The award ceremony aims to recognise and reward music talent from across the British Asian music industry.

It will take place on 5th March and is hosted by singer and actress Karen David alongside B4U’s Mumbai based presenter Salil.
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An anthology of literary pieces tackling the controversial topic of ‘the veil’ will be launched in March, in London. Behind the Hijab has contributions from both Muslim and Non-Muslim women in the UK.

Monsoon Press, which is partly behind the event, say the aim of the book is to enlighten those who have preconceived ideas about women who wear the hijab and perhaps encourage a greater level of understanding and mutual respect.
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The UK Film Council, supported by UK Trade and Investment, (UKTI) is taking the first ever UK export delegation to Mumbai from 16-21 February to meet with Mumbai companies and attend the FICCI Frames Entertainment Conference from 16-19 February.

It is also organising a seminar at Frames on co-production between the UK and India, making best use of the new treaty, and promoting the UK’s strength within international film sales.
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What would you give up to be famous? Bad Karma: My Life Through a Lens, follows the struggles of 4 young adults from Southall, West London, desperate to make it big in a dark insight into the entertainment industry.

The series uncovers the lengths an aspiring actress, a film and TV director, a Bollywood Hero, and rapper/comic book artist will go to fulfil their ambitions. Along the way they encounter scandals, blackmail and even murder.
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by Jaspreet Pandohar
Freelance journalist

Jai Ho! That was the triumphant sound ringing out across London’s Covent Garden on Sunday afternoon as I stepped onto the red carpet outside the Royal Opera House.

It was a song I’d literally been dancing to the evening before at one of London’s newest Bollywood club nights, it seemed almost surreal watching the likes of Hollywood A-listers Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep and Sharon Stone glide past to the rhythm of A R Rahman’s award-winning anthem.

But somehow the melodious tune didn’t seem out of place reverberating around the prestigious venue in the cold winter air. Like the Indian maestro’s legendary scores, it formed the perfect soundtrack to the Orange British Academy Film Awards. Not only the most prominent event in the British movie calendar, the glitzy occasion turned out to be a great night for Anglo-Indian relations and world cinema.
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Not only did the Slumdog Millionaire cast scoop most of the awards, but they also spent more than their share of time on the red carpet talking to the international media.
Jaspeet Pandohar has exclusive pictures from the red carpet for AIM magazine.
(more below the fold)

Anil Kapoor, Freida Pinto and Dev Patel

Slumdog Millionaire took the Bafta awards by storm yesterday, winning an incredible seven awards, including Best Film.

The results were not unexpected, however it was a surprise the British/Indian film managed to soundly beat the critically acclaimed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt.
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Zee TV will host its annual Zee Carnival from 13th to 15th February at Olympia, London, despite worries that the recession will hold back Asian visitors.
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