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June 2013 - Oshwal Centre

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In this edition:<br />

• Medical Camp Article<br />

• Life at City University<br />

• Tournament Report<br />

….and more!!


Editorial<br />

Ashish Jayantilal Patani<br />

Good Luck!!<br />

For those undertaking exams in <strong>June</strong>/July – wishing you<br />

the very best of luck. Study hard, revise harder and<br />

remember then you can chill and play the hardest!!<br />

After exams!<br />

So, what are your plans after your exams are finished? A<br />

summer of relaxation and travels? Or summer jobs and<br />

internships? Remember a balance of activities is<br />

important so be sure to blend in some travels and fun<br />

stuff with a summer job or internship. That will help your<br />

CV for when it comes to finding a full time job. Also, if<br />

your parents have a family business, go help out in the<br />

shop or the office! It will be valuable experience. Listen to<br />

what they can teach you, but don’t be afraid of teaching<br />

them a few new tricks from what you have learnt at<br />

school, college or university.<br />

Exploring yourself this Summer<br />

explore a new activity which you may have always<br />

wanted to do but never somehow found the time to do.<br />

Whether it is to try a new sport, a new hobbit, go sky<br />

diving, learning to drive…life is too short, so go out and<br />

just do it!!<br />

Ask them out!<br />

And for those of who are looking for a special partner the<br />

same applies to you! Life is really too short to be caught<br />

up in ‘what ifs’ and ‘buts’. If there is someone you like or<br />

have seen and would like to know better – just go and tell<br />

them! The worse that can happen is they is they will say<br />

no, but at least you’ll stop wondering and who knows<br />

maybe they will say yes and it could be the start of<br />

something great!!<br />

So this summer, live by the simple motto…live, laugh<br />

and love!!!<br />

Have a great summer and take care everyone,<br />

Ashish Patani<br />

For those of you who are slightly older and settled in your<br />

first jobs since university, perhaps this summer you can<br />

Contents<br />

Sierra Leone Medical Camp 4 Racquet Sports Tournament 10<br />

Interview with Kavita Shah 6 Tigers 12<br />

Life at City University 7 Samayik 13<br />

London <strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth 8 Word Search 14<br />

Disclaimer Notice:<br />

The Editor nor <strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the U.K. is not in anyway responsible for the goods and services<br />

rendered by its Advertisers. The <strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the U.K. accepts all advertisements in good faith and it<br />

is entirely up to readers to verify Advertisers products and services should they feel the need to do so.<br />

OSHWAL NEWS & OSHWAL YOUTH are magazines of the OSHWAL ASSOCIATION OF THE U.K.<br />

© : <strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the U.K. | Reg. Office: Coopers Lane Road, Northaw, Herts. EN6 4DG | Registered<br />

in accordance with the Charities Act 1960 | Charity Reg. No. 267037


Get involved!<br />

Here is a short summary of the various activities with which you can get involved. They are a great way to<br />

learn new things, gain new skills and make new friends.<br />

London <strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth<br />

Check out the report on the last London <strong>Oshwal</strong> event on page 8. These events in<br />

Central London are run by the youth for the youth – strictly no oldies!! The aim is<br />

to learn a few new skills, have fun and meet new people.<br />

If you would like to join the Team or have ideas for future events, or for more details,<br />

please get in touch with:<br />

Ashish – ashish.patani@oshwal.org or Anjali – anjali.gudhka@oshwal.org<br />

Media Team<br />

If you are an aspiring writer, graphic designer, movie director or just wanted to do<br />

something creative, the <strong>Oshwal</strong> Media and Communications Team could be just the<br />

place for you!<br />

Also remember if you are studying Media studies or want to get into the media<br />

industry, this could be a great way to build your media work portfolio. We are looking<br />

for people to join the team, so get in touch with the M&C team now:<br />

Ashish – ashish.patani@oshwal.org or Bini – bini.chandaria@oshwal.org<br />

‘University Life’ E-magazine – articles needed<br />

At university? About to go or just left? Then we need you!<br />

One of the upcoming projects that the Media Team is doing is an E-magazine with the<br />

theme of ‘University Life’. Tell us about how great your university and your course are,<br />

what worries you most about going to university or the most difficult thing you found<br />

about being at university, or anything else you would like to share about your<br />

university experience.<br />

For more info get in touch with the M&C team – oshwalweb@oshwal.org<br />

Sewa & Environment Team<br />

Introducing one of newest teams – the Sewa and Environment team! A new group has<br />

been formed to look at how as a community we can help those less fortunate than<br />

ourselves and how we can help protect the environment.<br />

If you are interested in sharing your ideas or joining the team, please contact:<br />

Bini – bini.chandaria@oshwal.org<br />

Special Note<br />

For those who are <strong>Oshwal</strong> Members and under 18 years of age, if you take part in the above<br />

activities, we can provide you with Volunteer Certifications to confirm your voluntary work. This<br />

can be very helpful for your CV in the long-term. Note T&C apply. For more details, contact the<br />

relevant people for the activities above.<br />

And finally…<br />

If you have other skills or other ideas for things you would like to do, that don’t fit in with the list<br />

above, get in touch. We are always willing to listen to new ideas – please contact Ashish –<br />

ashish.patani@oshwal.org<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Magazine of O.A.U.K. 3 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong> Edition


Sierra Leone<br />

Medical Camp<br />

Article by Sachin Shah<br />

SIERRA LEONE – MAY 2012 - It all started when I<br />

was sitting on a beach in Cambodia and I received<br />

an email from a friend about volunteering at a<br />

medical camp in Sierra Leone. The charity<br />

organising the trip, Better Lives Foundation, run<br />

three medical camps a year in a small purpose built<br />

hospital in Yonibana, 88 miles from the capital,<br />

Freetown. They were reaching out for pharmacists<br />

and other medical professionals, who were<br />

interested in going to Sierra Leone to volunteer in<br />

one of their medical camps. As a newly qualified<br />

pharmacist, I thought this would be a great<br />

opportunity to use my skills and give something<br />

back to the less fortunate.<br />

When agreeing to go on this trip, I didn’t know much<br />

about the charity, the medical camp or what I was<br />

going to do out there. Fortunately, the charity<br />

arranged a pre-camp meeting a month before we<br />

were set out to fly to Sierra Leone. This gave me a<br />

chance to learn more about the camp and meet<br />

some of the doctors, pharmacists, nurses and<br />

volunteers that I would be working with.<br />

To give a bit of background, Sierra Leone is located<br />

on the West Coast of Africa with a population of<br />

5.5million; it is roughly the same size as Scotland!<br />

Around 60% of the population live on less than a<br />

dollar a day and the country only has about 150<br />

doctors in total. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest<br />

countries in Africa in terms of infrastructure. It has<br />

been devastated by 10 years of civil war that only<br />

finished a decade ago. Electricity is scarce and<br />

there is virtually no clean water. Life expectancy<br />

stands at a shocking 42 years.<br />

Being a newly qualified pharmacist, I was worried<br />

that I would be completely out of my depth. I<br />

therefore did as much research as possible on some<br />

of the medical conditions and diseases (e.g.<br />

Malaria) that are commonly found in West Africa and<br />

the procedures for treatment.<br />

The day finally arrived for me to go to Heathrow<br />

airport with my little trolley bag and meet the other<br />

24 volunteers (including doctors, pharmacists,<br />

nurses, GPs, medical students, engineers, I.T.<br />

technicians and general assistants). I was both<br />

excited and nervous, not knowing what to expect on<br />

this once in a lifetime experience. We were not<br />

allowed to take suitcases as our weight allowance<br />

was used to transport medical supplies, food,<br />

clothes, books and equipment.<br />

After a 7 hour flight, we<br />

arrived in the capital,<br />

Freetown and then had<br />

a long, bumpy coach<br />

ride to the Yonibana Sai<br />

Hospital. Yonibana Sai<br />

Hospital is a permanent<br />

base hospital that has a<br />

guest-house for<br />

volunteers. The guesthouse<br />

was constructed<br />

in 2008 and the rooms<br />

were basic, each with 3<br />

or 4 mattresses on the<br />

floor.<br />

The next morning we<br />

woke up at 6am. After a<br />

cold shower and some breakfast we walked into the<br />

hospital to start unpacking and preparing for the<br />

medical camp. The hospital was only partially open<br />

on this day but there were still queues of people<br />

waiting outside for treatment. We were then<br />

introduced to the local volunteers, who are being<br />

funded by Better Lives Foundation to become<br />

qualified nurses and health-care assistants. I was<br />

buzzing with energy and could not wait to see how I<br />

could help these people.<br />

We unpacked all the medical supplies and began<br />

setting up the pharmacy and other medical rooms.<br />

We could see the urgent need for the medication as<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Magazine of O.A.U.K. 4 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong> Edition


~ Sierra Leone Medical Camp ~<br />

doctors were giving us prescriptions before we were<br />

even ready for them.<br />

As lunchtime approached, the sun was rising and it<br />

was becoming very hot and humid. We were very<br />

lucky to be given delicious meals that were cooked<br />

by the local volunteers and general volunteers from<br />

London, which included shak rotli, rice and dhal,<br />

pasta and soups. As soon as lunch was eaten we<br />

were back in the hospital, there was always<br />

something that needed to be done or someone that<br />

needed help.<br />

My job was to not only be in the pharmacy<br />

dispensary but also assist the various doctors in<br />

seeing patients, measuring blood pressure and<br />

testing children for Malaria. We came across so<br />

many malnourished babies in the hospital, where we<br />

began treatment with Oral Rehydration Salts. For<br />

one patient who was due to undergo surgery, I even<br />

had to formulate intravenous antibiotics. There was<br />

one occasion, where we went for a walk and came<br />

across a group of children playing, one of whom had<br />

fractured his arm. Being poor, his family could not<br />

afford for him to see a doctor so we took him back to<br />

this hospital to plaster cast his arm.<br />

It was inspirational to see the volume of patients<br />

who were suffering from various, life-threatening<br />

illnesses. They never complained, kept smiling and<br />

continued with their day-to-day lives. Even as the<br />

days became longer and more tiring as they went<br />

on, we were still ready as ever each morning to help<br />

the people of Sierra Leone. It was a pleasure to treat<br />

the patients and to also work with, and learn from<br />

the other healthcare professionals.<br />

My goal was to go to Sierra Leone to try and help<br />

find and implement life-saving solutions for the<br />

patients. I saw first-hand how the treatment made a<br />

difference to the patients and as a result, the<br />

patients were very appreciative towards us. This<br />

gave us the motivation to work together in often<br />

emotionally demanding situations where there were<br />

very limited resources.<br />

I couldn’t believe how fast our time went in Sierra<br />

Leone. On our last day, we left Yonibana early in the<br />

morning and drove to Freetown where we spent the<br />

afternoon looking around in the town and walking on<br />

the beach, before we got on our flight back to reality,<br />

back to life in London.<br />

In the space of just 8 days we saw over 3000<br />

patients whilst working in the hospital. Some of<br />

these patients had come from neighbouring villages,<br />

whilst others had travelled 88 miles from Freetown.<br />

They queued for hours in the heat without any<br />

complaints, just to have some time with a healthcare<br />

professional.<br />

My experience from Sierra Leone made me realise<br />

how fortunate I am to live in a house with such<br />

‘basic’ amenities like hot water and fresh food. The<br />

people of Yonibana had so little yet lived so happily.<br />

Reflecting back on the trip I am thankful to have met<br />

so many wonderful and inspirational people; not only<br />

the doctors and nurses but the courageous people<br />

of Sierra Leone. I would like to thank Better Lives<br />

Foundation for giving me the opportunity of going<br />

out there to give something back. It was definitely<br />

rewarding and is something I would recommend to<br />

anyone.<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Magazine of O.A.U.K. 5 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong> Edition


Kavita Shah, 27, is a Natural<br />

Health (North Finchley)<br />

Nutritionist, having studied BSc<br />

Nutrition at University of<br />

Nottingham and MSc Nutrition<br />

at King’s College London. She<br />

has been involved in a range of<br />

voluntary work within Harrow.<br />

Let’s hear what Kavita says<br />

about her voluntary work.<br />

Interview with<br />

Kavita Shah<br />

Harrow Heroes Award<br />

How did you get involved in volunteer work?<br />

While looking for work in 2010, I contacted the<br />

Nutritionist who works for the NHS Harrow Public<br />

Health team and she got me involved in the work<br />

that they do which involves helping to set up and run<br />

Cook & Eat sessions and Healthy Eating<br />

Workshops, providing nutritional support for families<br />

and providing staff training within the 16 Children’s<br />

<strong>Centre</strong>s in Harrow.<br />

What has been the best bit about working at<br />

Children’s <strong>Centre</strong>s in Harrow?<br />

Being able to make a difference to people’s health<br />

and wellbeing. Meeting new people and working<br />

with children.<br />

How did it feel to win the 2012 Harrow Heroes<br />

Award?<br />

I didn’t even know I had been nominated for the<br />

award so when I received the invite to the awards<br />

ceremony I was quite surprised. I felt very pleased<br />

and honoured to have won the award and I think it is<br />

fantastic that volunteers are shown appreciation with<br />

such awards.<br />

How can someone get involved in the volunteer<br />

work you do?<br />

They can contact me directly (you can provide my<br />

email address kavita-shah@hotmail.co.uk) or they<br />

can contact Lauren Hayes- Public Health Officer<br />

NHS Harrow (lauren.hayes@harrow.gov.uk)<br />

What advise / tips / guidance would you give to<br />

people to help understand the importance of<br />

healthy eating?<br />

Everything in moderation! Try and eat fruit and<br />

vegetables raw, as cooking / heating foods destroys<br />

many of their vital nutrients. Avoid eating deep fried<br />

foods which contain saturated fat as this type of fat<br />

increases the cholesterol in our blood and high<br />

levels of blood cholesterol increase our risk of heart<br />

disease and stroke. Exercise is also very important<br />

in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As little as 20<br />

minutes of walking a day can have benefits to your<br />

health.<br />

What would you like to see happen with regards<br />

to the Children’s <strong>Centre</strong>s in Harrow? i.e. what<br />

additional resources / support is required?<br />

Additional funding to help staff set up cooking/<br />

healthy eating workshops is always required.<br />

What would you like to see happen in terms of<br />

health and wellbeing within the <strong>Oshwal</strong><br />

community?<br />

A reduction in type 2 diabetes which is very common<br />

in the <strong>Oshwal</strong> Community. Also for the community to<br />

understand the importance of uncontrolled type 2<br />

diabetes, as in the long term this can lead to a<br />

variety of other health complications.<br />

Tell us about your experience<br />

If you or someone you know does voluntary work<br />

outside of our community, we would like to hear<br />

from you. Email us at oshwalnews@oshwal.org.<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Magazine of O.A.U.K. 6 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong> Edition


Life at City<br />

University<br />

Article by Aarti Rumeet Shah<br />

U<br />

niversity life has proven to be one of the most<br />

enjoyable times of my life. I’m a firm believer of<br />

pursuing things in life which you enjoy and help<br />

you grow as a person - this was one of the key reasons<br />

why I chose to study Mathematics.<br />

Why did I choose City?<br />

I knew that whatever I decided to do, that my parents and family<br />

would always be there to guide and support me. I was<br />

recommended City by both family and friends who had studied<br />

there. I also attended a few Open Days, both general and<br />

mathematical ones, to gain a better insight of the university.<br />

Aside from my choice of degree, one of the other aspects of City<br />

I had researched was what different activities the university had<br />

to offer. After speaking to a few current students at the Open<br />

Days, I decided that this was one university I definitely wanted<br />

to apply to.<br />

Student life at City<br />

City University offers a range of courses, from Business,<br />

Engineering, Law, Management and Mathematics through to the<br />

medical related degrees such as Midwifery and Optometry.<br />

Each course varies from the next, so it is goes without saying<br />

that you should to do a bit of research before you apply for your<br />

chosen course. Speaking to current students during the<br />

University’s Open Days is useful. This will give you an insight<br />

into what it would be like to study your course at City.<br />

Being in the heart of London, means that students are close to<br />

the capital’s leading financial, legal, media and medical<br />

institutions. Both professionally and personally, you will have the<br />

opportunity to benefit from all that London has to offer.<br />

There are numerous opportunities for volunteering at City, a<br />

great way to help others, while developing your skills for your<br />

future career. In my second year, I became a student<br />

ambassador for the University. This involved engaging with<br />

young people and employers in the local community – this is<br />

great for personal development and a bonus for your CV!<br />

Unlike many other universities, for many of its’ degree courses,<br />

City University offers its’ students Sandwich courses, where<br />

students get the opportunity after their second year, to work for<br />

a year in an industry relating to their degree. I saw this as a<br />

great opportunity to use everything I had learnt from my degree<br />

and apply it to the real world. My year in industry was fantastic.<br />

Aside from the gruelling hours and the immense workload, I<br />

found I was able to incorporate my degree into my daily life. The<br />

experience was invaluable, and I am glad that I did not let this<br />

opportunity pass me by. Work experience is key, for whatever<br />

your chosen field - it puts you one step ahead of many other<br />

applicants who may not have the required experience, and may<br />

even secure you the job!<br />

Sport at City<br />

If you enjoy a particular sport, you can join one of the many<br />

sports teams at City. Many of the sports teams compete in the<br />

British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) and London<br />

University Sports League (LUSL), and they also compete<br />

against teams from other universities on Wednesday<br />

afternoons. As well as playing a sport you love, you also have<br />

the opportunity to meet many different people!<br />

Societies and Clubs at City<br />

City University not only offers the academic side, but also offers<br />

a diverse range of extracurricular clubs and societies you may<br />

join in; covering a wide range of social, academic, political,<br />

sporting and cultural interests. Attending Freshers’ events in the<br />

first two weeks of university is a definite must. This will give you<br />

the chance to interact with other students and is an opportunity<br />

to make new friends, as well as joining different societies.<br />

City’s Careers and Skills Development Service<br />

The Career and Skills Development Service is great at City. It<br />

regularly hosts panel events, giving students the chance to<br />

investigate the career options available to them. Each event<br />

consists of a series of talks followed by a networking reception<br />

with employers and recent graduates.<br />

From going to school...to attending university<br />

– what was it like?<br />

The first few weeks can be daunting. I found that the hardest<br />

thing to adjust to was the atmosphere of university life. The<br />

working environment is totally different! There is plenty of<br />

freedom, and it is your personal responsibility that your work is<br />

completed and submitted on time. You may find the transition to<br />

university life particularly difficult, but remember that you are not<br />

alone - majority of the other students on your course will be in<br />

the same boat! ...Before you know it, you’ll be asking yourself<br />

what all the worrying was all about!<br />

Key Point: Go to the open days. Speak to the<br />

students. Who knows? City might just be the perfect<br />

university for you!<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Magazine of O.A.U.K. 7 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong> Edition


London <strong>Oshwal</strong><br />

Youth<br />

Invest in Africa Evening<br />

CENTRAL LONDON – THURSDAY 28 MARCH<br />

<strong>2013</strong> – The London <strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth team is an idea<br />

inspired from last year's Enterprise Programme,<br />

where UK university students went to Kenya to see<br />

a host of different businesses and industries.<br />

Thereafter there were suggestions of hosting regular<br />

events for the youth by the youth in Central London<br />

locations. With this in mind, the first event was held<br />

back in November 2012, called ‘An Enterprise<br />

Evening’. Following on from the success of this<br />

event, the 2012 Enterprise Programme students<br />

helped organised a second event on Thursday 28<br />

March <strong>2013</strong>, at Grand Connaught Room, Great<br />

Queen’s Street, WC2B 5DA. This time the theme<br />

was “Invest in Africa.”<br />

Importance of negotiation skills<br />

After a short welcome and introductions, Bhavik<br />

Jayendrakumar Shah, Co-founder and Director at<br />

Niveda Group gave a short talk on the importance of<br />

negotiation skills. Bhavik drew upon his own work<br />

experiences to outline some key tips about<br />

negotiations.<br />

CV Tip<br />

A key CV tip Bhavik<br />

outlined was that<br />

"Negotiation skills<br />

are of utmost<br />

importance to<br />

prospective<br />

employers, yet the<br />

least seen on CVs<br />

of prospective<br />

candidates." The<br />

reason is because<br />

negotiation skills<br />

are associated with<br />

decision makers of<br />

an organisation, who would normally be the<br />

senior/higher level members of the management.<br />

However, employers looking at the longer term<br />

potential of a candidate would like to see the<br />

candidate possessing negotiation skills from the<br />

early stages in order to be able to progress over<br />

time.<br />

What is Negotiation?<br />

Furthermore, Bhavik mentioned “often negotiation is<br />

defined incorrectly as reaching agreement, getting<br />

the best deal, or resolving a point of difference. It<br />

should be noted that negotiation is a 'process' and<br />

not a 'result'; it is an 'intention', not the 'outcome'.<br />

Successful negotiation is where the intended<br />

outcome is achieved. This helps distinguish<br />

successful negotiation from unsuccessful<br />

negotiation.”<br />

Obstacles to successful negotiations<br />

Bhavik went on to outline the main obstacles to<br />

achieving successful negotiations in Africa as<br />

follows:<br />

a) Limited access to accurate and reliable<br />

information.<br />

b) Limited mediums of communication and<br />

language barriers in some countries.<br />

c) Differences in cultures, ethnicities and tribalism.<br />

d) Poor financial services sector that restricts the<br />

scope to perform efficient transactions.<br />

e) Corruption and bureaucracy within the public<br />

and private sector.<br />

f) Low levels of skills and expertise of decision<br />

makers in some organisations.<br />

Bhavik then concluded that “these obstacles also<br />

present opportunity for investment purposes as<br />

entities (individuals or companies) that possess<br />

unique advantages within the business environment<br />

can capitalise on them comfortably with little<br />

competition.”<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Magazine of O.A.U.K. 8 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong> Edition


Business negotiation game<br />

After Bhavik’s talk, everyone was split into five<br />

teams and briefed on the Business Negotiation<br />

Game. Essentially, everyone had to take on the role<br />

of budding investment analysts who had to research<br />

five African countries and make recommendations<br />

on an investment strategy to invest £100 million.<br />

Everyone had to work in teams to come up with a<br />

winning investment strategy pitch to be presented.<br />

The five countries were Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria,<br />

Tanzania and Uganda – but each team were only<br />

provided with information for three<br />

countries. In order to obtain<br />

information about the other two<br />

countries, teams had buy and sell<br />

the information between each other<br />

at a price which they negotiated.<br />

Each team was given a budget of<br />

£1,000 and they had to negotiate a<br />

price for each piece of information<br />

between £50 and £250. All teams<br />

were give specially issued bank<br />

notes issued by the Bank of<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong>!!<br />

Teams had about 45 minutes to<br />

negotiate the purchase or selling of<br />

the information and come up with a<br />

winning investment strategy, which<br />

had to take into consideration all five countries.<br />

Teams engaged in an exciting round of negotiations<br />

and also were presented with a special edition of<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> News Online Business bulletin, which<br />

outlined some key developments in the five<br />

countries.<br />

Thereafter, each team prepared and presented their<br />

investment strategy to the “Dragons” (aka the 2012<br />

Enterprise Programme students - Aarti Rumeet<br />

Shah, Dhruman Piyush Shah, Priya Rajesh Shah,<br />

Rahul Jatish Malde). Teams also had an opportunity<br />

to ask questions on each other's presentations.<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Business & Professional<br />

Network (OBPN)<br />

A brief highlight of the OBPN was provided, an<br />

initiative seeking to create and maintain a support<br />

structure for all <strong>Oshwal</strong> members, specifically in<br />

areas of mentoring, career guidance, recruitment,<br />

business helpline, work experience, internships,<br />

personal development, post work-life activities, etc.<br />

This will develop, harness and increase the overall<br />

~ London <strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth ~<br />

wealth and intellectual capital of our community in<br />

the UK and globally.<br />

Youth & university co-ordinator<br />

Anjali Gudhka is the Youth and University Coordinator<br />

and outlined some of her thoughts about<br />

Youth involvement within the <strong>Oshwal</strong> community,<br />

outlining initiatives like university ambassadors and<br />

inclusive sports.<br />

Board of Advisors<br />

Minesh Kirtikumar Shah, is the<br />

youngest elected member of the<br />

Board of Advisors, and gave a<br />

short talk on getting more youth<br />

involved in the community. Minesh<br />

mentioned that "the Enterprise<br />

evening was another shining<br />

example of the depth of talent in<br />

our community. An insightful<br />

evening focusing on the skills<br />

required for a successful<br />

negotiation, organised by the 2012<br />

Enterprise students and including a<br />

presentation from Bhavik J Shah,<br />

and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.<br />

The evening gave everyone an<br />

opportunity to reconnect with old<br />

friends and make new ones."<br />

Future events<br />

Overall, feedback from the event has been excellent<br />

and very positive, and we are looking to host more<br />

events in Central London. If you have ideas and<br />

thoughts of the type of event you would like to see,<br />

or would like to join the London <strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth team,<br />

please get in touch with us.<br />

Contact details<br />

Ashish Patani – ashish.patani@oshwal.org<br />

Anjali Gudhka – anjali.gudhka@oshwal.org<br />

Or visit the <strong>Oshwal</strong> website:<br />

www.oshwal.co.uk/london<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Magazine of O.A.U.K. 9 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong> Edition


Racquet Sports<br />

Tournament<br />

The <strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Committee hosted a very successful Racquet<br />

Sports Tournament on Sunday 21st April at the Harrow Leisure<br />

<strong>Centre</strong>.<br />

With nearly 200 participants in total playing Table tennis, badminton<br />

and squash, the day was full of challenges not only for the participants<br />

but also for the organisers. The talent shown by players of all ages,<br />

especially those under 21 years of age was incredible and a great<br />

source of pride for our community.<br />

Badminton players were fully stretched to their limits as they played in<br />

their pools before advancing to the knockout stage. It was especially<br />

great to see so many ladies participating and everyone thoroughly<br />

enjoyed themselves.<br />

Squash saw some very intense games amongst the men with a very<br />

high standard of technique and skill. Although the younger age groups<br />

and the ladies categories were not very well represented, the<br />

individuals who did play showed great talent and potential.<br />

Table tennis saw some fantastic battles with the ball flying back forth<br />

at incredible speeds. The skills demonstrated in keeping the ball within<br />

the confines of the table and also the agility of the players in getting<br />

most shots back was truly inspiring to watch.<br />

All in all, the day was full of fun, challenges, competitiveness, great<br />

sportsmanship as well as nurturing social relations amongst players of<br />

various ages!<br />

The youth committee would like to specially thank all the participants<br />

who took up the challenge and to all the volunteers and helpers on the<br />

day.<br />

Badminton Prize Winner<br />

(Ricky Shah (R) – Squash<br />

Men’s Winner)<br />

(Table Tennis Prize<br />

Winners)<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Magazine of O.A.U.K. 10 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong> Edition


~ Racquet Sports Tournament ~<br />

Congratulations to the finalists for all the categories. The finalists are listed below for all the categories:<br />

BADMINTON<br />

EVENT WINNER RUNNER - UP<br />

BOYS U12 SINGLES Aaryan Haria Chaand Shah<br />

GIRLS U12 SINGLES Neha Shah Shaina Shah<br />

BOYS U12 DOUBLES Chaand Shah / Rohan Shah Anish Doshi / Aaryan Haria<br />

GIRLS U12 DOUBLES Symran Shah / Shaina Shah Neha Shah / Maya Shah<br />

BOYS U16 SINGLES Dillon Malde Punit Shah<br />

GIRLS U16 SINGLES Keya Amit Patani Jaina Shah<br />

BOYS U16 DOUBLES Punit Shah / Nirav Shah Meer Shah / Rahil Haria<br />

GIRLS U16 DOUBLES Darshi Shah / Ashni Shah Anjali Shah / Devina Shah<br />

BOYS U21 SINGLES Neil Malde Nirav Shah<br />

OPEN MENS SINGLES Neil Shah Khilan Shah<br />

OPEN LADIES SINGLES Keya Patani Anjali Gudhka<br />

OPEN MENS DOUBLES Nishil Shah / Jinesh Shah Mahendra Nagda / Punil Shah<br />

OPEN LADIES DOUBLES Neena Shah / Ridhi Shah Neena Patel / Rianka Shah<br />

OPEN MIXED DOUBLES Keya Patani / Amit Patani Jinesh Shah / Neena Patel<br />

VETERANS MENS SINGLES (45+) Kiran Shah Narendra Shah<br />

VETERANS MENS DOUBLES (45+) Mahendra Nagda / Punil Shah Nitin Shah / Pradip Shah<br />

TABLE TENNIS<br />

EVENT WINNER RUNNER - UP<br />

BOYS U12 SINGLES Nikhil Shah Akash Shah<br />

GIRLS U12 SINGLES Bhavini M Shah Tusli Sunil Shah<br />

BOYS U12 DOUBLES Rithik Popat / Rahil shah Rohan Shah / Sayam Shah<br />

BOYS U16 SINGLES Tej Shah Kush Shah<br />

BOYS U16 DOUBLES Kush Shah / Sarit Shah Akash Shah / Jaimin Shah<br />

BOYS U21 SINGLES Vishal Malde Tej Shah<br />

OPEN MENS SINGLES Miren Shah Sanjay Shah<br />

OPEN LADIES SINGLES Heena Shah Purvi Shah<br />

OPEN MENS DOUBLES Darshan Shah / Miren Shah Nimit Shah / Savan Shah<br />

VETERANS MENS SINGLES (45+) Mahesh Shah Anuj Shah<br />

SQUASH<br />

EVENT WINNER RUNNER - UP<br />

OPEN MENS SINGLES Ricky Shah Ronak Shah<br />

OPEN LADIES SINGLES Rupal Shah Anya Malde<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Magazine of O.A.U.K. 11 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong> Edition


Tigers<br />

By Meera Shah<br />

Author’s Note<br />

The below information is taken from a briefing pack issued to<br />

volunteers at the recent Tiger Tracks event held in London.<br />

Tigers are often described as majestic, dangerous and<br />

beautiful. Sadly though, these words do not reflect the<br />

current state of play with global wild tiger populations.<br />

Dangerous as they may be, wild tigers are actually<br />

endangered.<br />

What is the problem?<br />

In 1900, over 150,000 tigers roamed across 25 countries.<br />

Today, fewer than 3,500 remain and are found in only 13<br />

Asian countries. This represents a 97% decline and the<br />

extinction of three sub-species since the 1900s. The<br />

greatest population of tigers is in India.<br />

Why does this problem exist?<br />

1. Human encroachment<br />

The rapidly growing human population in many tiger<br />

range countries means that tigers are in direct<br />

competition for diminishing forest resources. Livestock<br />

and agriculture are shrinking tiger habitat fast, and their<br />

prey is poached by people living alongside tiger habitat.<br />

2. Poaching<br />

Tigers are illegally killed for their body parts, used for<br />

home decor, medicines and tonics. In some countries,<br />

tigers are farmed for their body parts. There are more<br />

tigers held in such farms, than exist in the wild the world<br />

over.<br />

3. Pollution<br />

In parks visited by tourists, tigers often ingest various<br />

forms of rubbish left behind by the visitors. Although this<br />

may not always be fatal, the long-term health and vitality<br />

of these remaining populations is severely threatened by<br />

this.<br />

Why should we save tigers?<br />

As top predators, tigers play a vital role in the ecosystems<br />

in which they live. The presence of a healthy population<br />

of tigers indicates healthy ecosystems. Conversely, if we<br />

lose tigers from the wild, ecosystems in those regions<br />

would suffer immensely. Where tigers are protected in<br />

parks, they provide a great source of employment and<br />

income for the tourist industry. The loss of tigers can<br />

therefore have a wide-ranging impact on livelihoods in<br />

these regions.<br />

Moreover, tigers have roamed the Earth for millions of<br />

years. It is our moral responsibility not to lose them, for<br />

ourselves as well as the generations to come.<br />

What can you do about it?<br />

1. Awareness<br />

Information is power. There are plenty of resources<br />

available on tiger conservation (see below). It is equally<br />

important to spread the message about tiger<br />

conservation. Claims of health benefits of tiger bone, etc<br />

are unfounded and have no scientific proof. Often the use<br />

of tiger body parts is connected with the killing of these<br />

animals or the devastation it causes within local<br />

ecosystems and communities.<br />

2. Shop wisely<br />

Don’t buy tiger products but buy forest friendly products.<br />

3. Donate<br />

There are various organisations that work to protect wild<br />

tiger populations. Below are some, in no particular order.<br />

WWF:<br />

wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/tigers/<br />

Environmental Investigation Agency: http://www.eiainternational.org/our-work/environmental-crime-andgovernance/illegal-wildlife-trade/tigers<br />

Save Wild Tigers: http://www.savewildtigers.org/<br />

Born Free: http://www.bornfree.org.uk/animals/tigers/<br />

4. Volunteer<br />

These organisations are often small and need help in<br />

their day to day running.<br />

5. Contact your local representatives<br />

Sometimes all it needs are the right people in the right<br />

place enforcing tiger protection with the right tools. Ask<br />

your local representatives to push for global treaties to<br />

protect the wild and where they are not, to introduce trade<br />

restrictions.<br />

Saving the tiger is a huge, complex but achievable<br />

undertaking, involving national and state governments,<br />

corporations, wildlife departments, international NGOs,<br />

grass roots organisations and local people.<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Magazine of O.A.U.K. 12 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong> Edition


Samayik is one of the most important ritual practices of Jainism during which we<br />

try to come closer to our soul. During samayik, we sit down in one place for fortyeight<br />

minutes isolating ourselves from our daily household, social, business, or<br />

school activities. In this time, we read religious books, pray, worship, recite navkar<br />

mantra using mara (string of beads), or do meditation. Before starting samayik,<br />

we remove our regular clothes and wear simple, but clean white cotton clothes<br />

which are reserved for samayik. We do not wear silk clothes or any leather<br />

articles which involve much violence to bugs or animals. White is the symbol of<br />

purity and calmness and that reminds us that we should stay pure and calm.<br />

Some of the items we need during samayik are an asan, muhapati, rajoharan,<br />

ghadi, anupurvi, mara and religious books that will help us to carry out some<br />

religious activities. After cleaning the ground with rajoharan, the asan is spread to<br />

sit. A muhapati is used to cover the mouth. Some people tie it to cover their<br />

mouth, while others hold it in their hand and use it to cover their mouth while<br />

speaking. A muhapati prevents small organisms from entering the mouth. It also<br />

becomes a buffer so that force of our voice and the hot air from our mouths would<br />

not kill many air beings. A muhapati also prevents spit falling on books. It also<br />

serves as a reminder to us that we should control what we say to others. A<br />

rajoharan is a kind of broom made of fine cotton or woolen threads used to clean<br />

the floor, and also to keep away the bugs coming towards us, so that they do not<br />

get hurt. If, for some reason someone has to walk during the samayik then the<br />

rajoharan is used to wipe the floor so that no bugs are crushed. A ghadi is a type<br />

of hourglass which helps us to know the time has reached 48 minutes. During the<br />

samayik some people read religious books, while others may recite Navkar<br />

mantra with mara or with the help of anupurvi or some may do meditation.<br />

During samayik, we should not talk or think of anything that involves any level of<br />

violence. Therefore, before starting the samayik we should stop our business<br />

activities, family affairs, and other matters, so that we do not get disturbed. We<br />

should inform our friends and family members to leave us alone from these<br />

matters during this time. During the samayik we should not discuss, read or talk<br />

about sensual things, or things related to worldly matters. During the samayik, our<br />

movements also should be limited so that we can observe ahimsa (non-violence)<br />

more easily. We should select a quiet, isolated place so that we are not disturbed<br />

by events going on around us. Because of such a detached atmosphere, and<br />

since we do not get involved in any worldly things for 48 minutes of samayik, we<br />

are like sadhus who live a detached life all throughout their life. Thus, this practice<br />

gives us some glimpse of monkhood and leads us in that direction.<br />

Just as we have to be careful about how we drive to avoid an accident, or get a<br />

speeding ticket, in the same way we have to be careful that we do not run into any<br />

trouble while performing our samayik. If we are not careful we can violate samayik<br />

by our mental, verbal and physical activities.<br />

Though it may look difficult, it is not impossible to do samayik the right way.<br />

This way samayik helps us in preventing the accumulation of new karmas and the<br />

penance we do during samayik helps us to remove some of our accumulated<br />

karmas.<br />

Article by, Varsha Dilip Harania<br />

There are ten MENTAL<br />

violations:<br />

1) to be disrespectful<br />

2) to be greedy for fame<br />

3) to be greedy for gains<br />

4) to be proud<br />

5) to be in fear<br />

6) to expect the rewards<br />

7) to doubt the rewards<br />

8) to be in anger<br />

9) to be rude<br />

10) to despise.<br />

There are ten VERBAL<br />

violations:<br />

1) to use abusive words<br />

2) to use alarming words<br />

3) to say non-religious words<br />

4) to speak inadequately<br />

5) to use words to incite fights<br />

6) to gossip<br />

7) to make fun<br />

8) to pronounce improperly<br />

9) to use irrational words<br />

10) to use jargon.<br />

There are twelve PHYSICAL<br />

violations:<br />

1) to sit at an unsuitable place<br />

2) not to sit steady<br />

3) to walk every now and then<br />

4) doing homework<br />

5) to stretch the body<br />

6) to lean against a support<br />

7) being lazy<br />

8) cracking knuckles<br />

9) to clean body dirt<br />

10) to scratch body<br />

11) to make vulgar postures<br />

12) to sleep.<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Magazine of O.A.U.K. 13 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong> Edition


Find all the words listed<br />

below in the grid.<br />

Word Search submitted<br />

by R. Shah<br />

J A I N I S M O M A L S<br />

AARTI<br />

I C N O Y O U T H H U P<br />

N C D R M U R T I I T Q<br />

A O I T N T E A M M O S<br />

L U A H W H V S I S N F<br />

A N F A S D W M S A S L<br />

Y T D M S R F E T E G P<br />

S A C P E D E R A S A R<br />

U N I T Y F S D N D F A<br />

A T A O M A G N A V A B<br />

S W G N W D F G N U T H<br />

D F A Z E I D A D D P U<br />

S H Y S A W E S T Q A B<br />

D G N A M A H A V I R A<br />

E M E W M L D D S I Y H<br />

C E K T A I F A G T U U<br />

I F G W N R V D T R S M<br />

F T H H D D B I G A H A<br />

F S F G I G B F B A A N<br />

O V I D R F A S T I N G<br />

ACCOUNTANT<br />

AHIMSA<br />

BAHUMAN<br />

BAVANGAM<br />

DERASAR<br />

DIVO<br />

DIWALI<br />

EAST<br />

EKTA<br />

FASTING<br />

INDIA<br />

JAIN<br />

JINALAY<br />

KENYA<br />

LUTON<br />

MAHAVIR<br />

MANDIR<br />

MISTAN<br />

MURTI<br />

NORTHAMPTON<br />

OFFICE<br />

OSHWAL<br />

PARYUSHAN<br />

PRABHU<br />

SADADI<br />

SOUTH<br />

TEAM<br />

UNITY<br />

WATER<br />

WEST<br />

YOUTH<br />

DID YOU KNOW?<br />

The longest non-technical, coined word in the English language in 29 letters long!!<br />

Floccinaucinihilipilification<br />

It means the act of estimating something as being worth so little as to be practically valueless, or the<br />

habit of doing so.<br />

<strong>Oshwal</strong> Youth Magazine of O.A.U.K. 14 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2013</strong> Edition


Activities<br />

• Abseiling<br />

• Archery<br />

• Climbing<br />

• Dragon Boat<br />

• Racing<br />

• Mountain Biking<br />

• Orienteering<br />

• Raft Building<br />

• Trapeze<br />

• Tunnel Trail<br />

Location<br />

Osmington Bay, near Weymouth in Dorset,<br />

Accommodation<br />

Chalets with en suite bathrooms. Your group<br />

will stay in en suite rooms sleeping 4-6.<br />

• Giant Swing • Zip Wire Facilities<br />

• Kayaking • And more Osmington Bay has a comprehensive<br />

programme of activities. The site includes allweather<br />

facilities.<br />

Price<br />

£195 – <strong>Oshwal</strong> Members<br />

£250 for Non-Members<br />

(Includes Full board – Vegetarian Meals).<br />

For further information please contact:<br />

Anjali Gudhka<br />

anjali.gudhka@oshwal.org<br />

Also, check out more details<br />

on the <strong>Oshwal</strong> Website:<br />

www.oshwal.co.uk/youth

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