Akaash Bhatia is a rising star of British boxing and Britain’s only professional Sikh fighter. Writer and broadcaster Munira Mirza follows his progress as he prepares for his next big fight and explores the changing ethnic face of boxing in Britain.

On Monday 14th May at 11am - 11:30am on BBC Radio 4. Listen after here.

Some upcoming television and radio programmes of interest

Hindi Urdu Bol Chaal 1-10
Ten-part language series teaching basic spoken Hindi and Urdu for beginners. The course is ideal for all who work with the Asian community in Britain.
Time: 2am - 6am; Tuesday 15th May on BBC 2

A Family in Lahore
The Khawaja family represents a growing number of successful professional Pakistani families, living in the suburb of Lahore with servants, and children at private school. The programme interlinks their day with a look at the busy and historic city of Lahore.
Time: 10:50am to 11:10am; Tuesday 15th May on BBC 2

Dispatches: Afghanistan Unveiled
Five years ago, Dispatches revealed the plight of women living under the Taliban in Afghanistan. Beneath the Veil uncovered evidence of women being denied employment, education and any kind of freedom, imprisoned in their own homes. In this film, journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy returns to Afghanistan to find out how life has changed for women in the five years since the invasion by America and its allies and to investigate whether women have been “liberated” as President Bush has claimed.
Time: 9pm - 10pm; Thursday 17th May on Channel 4

Poppy Seeds
By Rachel McGill. An aid worker in Afghanistan decides that the fight to contain the opium trade is not working and that a fresh approach is needed. She starts buying opium direct from the farmers, ensuring not only that they obtain a fair price for their crop but also that the product is not bought by drug cartels. Directed by Graham Frost.
Time: 2:15pm to 3pm; Friday 18th May on BBC Radio Four

The Bedouin Of Israel
The ancient culture of the Bedouin Arabs of Israel is rooted in a life on the plains of the Negev Desert. These proud people have become Israel’s new underclass. As Jon Leyne reports, the Bedouin have become the poorest of the Jewish state.
Time: 9:30pm - 10pm; Saturday 19th May on BBC News 24

Have you dreamed of being a BBC journalist but thought “the BBC’s not for people like me?” Do you believe you have what it takes to write the news fast, fairly and accurately? Do you think you have the creative flair to make great radio?

BBC Radio News is offering 12-month training contracts to two aspiring broadcast journalists. myChance is designed to help us find talented and creative people who might have been put off the idea of a career as a broadcast journalist because of the costs involved. To seize your chance of a training contract with BBC Radio News, please go to www.bbc.co.uk/jobs/myChance

The self styled Guru of Westgate, wise-man, healer and community leader, Bharat, is coming to BBC Radio 4 this Spring in a new show, The Spiritual Centre.

Be part of the audience for this brand new comedy from the writer of such classic comedies as Goodness, Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 42, Suk Pannu and starring Vincent Ebrahim (The Kumars at No. 42) as Bharat and Tim Key (Cowards) as his disciple Henry. This is an inspiring character driven comedy emphasising the richness and texture of our Asian community through its interaction with Bharat and his followers.

Recording on 2nd & 5th May 2007 at The Drill Hall
To request free tickets to this recording go online at www.bbc.co.uk/tickets.

For nearly two million Muslims living in Britain the legacy of the 9/11 and July 7 terrorist attacks has been one of continuing public suspicion and distrust. The intense media spotlight has led many to question whether their future here is secure, even those who have professional middle class jobs and previously felt well-integrated.

In I’m a Muslim, Get me out of here! reporter Navid Akhtar meets such families who are contemplating leaving the UK and visits others who have already left for greener Islamic pastures abroad.
BBC Radio 4 at 5pm Sunday 29th April.
You can also listen online for a week after broadcast.

Slough based Asian Star Community Radio Ltd went on air from last week with a five-year community radio license. The station will broadcast on 101.6FM and on the internet 24 hours a day.

Station founders Ray Siddique and Pritam Chaggar said they were “overwhelmed” by the success of their efforts in getting it off the ground. Their presenters will include the eponymous Pedro Carvalho, of F-NIK PR, who is going back into radio after 15 years. We wish them well.
www.asianstar1016.co.uk

Channel 4 Radio and 4Talent are launching the first ever commercial radio nationwide search for new radio playwrights as part of the channel’s The Play’s The Thing initiative. The competition will give four aspiring writers the opportunity to have their words brought to life, with their scripts professionally produced and broadcast on Channel 4 Radio.

With radio drama an ideal arena for honing writing talent, this year the search is on to discover fresh radio talent by inviting previously un-produced writers to submit their scripts for a 15-minute radio drama. The scripts can cover any genre and users can submit their entries via www.channel4.com/theplay. Individuals and writing teams of up to three people have until Monday 26 March, 2007, to submit excerpts and character sketches from their radio script, which will then be assessed by a judging panel.

On 20th June this year, 3 intrepid DJs from Awaz FM, Glasgow’s leading Asian radio station, travel to Tanzania to undertake a gruelling 12-day trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Revive Scotland, the Multiple Sclerosis charity based in Glasgow.

At 5,895m, Mt. Kilimanjaro is one of the largest volcanoes on Earth and Africa’s highest peak, making this a hugely demanding challenge for Awaz Fm’s Ali Malik; Javaid Ullah and Shoket Aski. Summit day is as tough as it gets, with 1,000m of ascent and over 2,000m of descent. During the day, temperatures will rise to a warm 30°C but drop at night to a chilly -15°C. Altitude sickness is a very common problem.

They are hoping people will pledge their support for Ali, Javaid and Shoket by making a secure online donation at justgiving.com/awazfm
www.awazfm.co.uk

Last month, London based Panjab Radio celebrated three years broadcasting on DAB digital radio. To commemorate the anniversary, Panjab Radio has a special offer on a selection of its DAB digital radios for readers to purchase. The station has been around for around six years in total.

BBC Asian Network radio kick off their first ever university tour from 10th November.

The station was also pleased with itself for getting an exclusive interview with Mirza Tahir Hussain, the Leeds man on death row for allegedly committing murder in Pakistan. It was picked up and featured across all the BBC Radio stations and the wider news media, with the Asian Network credited throughout.