Prayer meeting for AMG founder
PRAYERS for Ramniklal Solanki CBE, the founding editor of the Asian Media Group (AMG) were held in India to mark a year since his passing.
His Holiness Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati (HH Pujya Muniji) led devotees in a prayer session on Monday (1) evening on the banks of the River Ganga at Rishikesh, India, to pay rich tributes to Mr Solanki, the editor-inchief of Garavi Gujarat and Eastern Eye news weeklies.
Paying tribute to Mr Solanki, HH Pujya Muniji said those who dedicate their life to the service of society, the nation, and the Almighty never die.
“Those who live for themselves, die; but those who live for the society, live on in the memory of the people. He is alive today in the hearts of the people. May the Lord grant him peace and strength to his family to bear the grief,” he said.
Mr Solanki founded Garavi Gujarat in April 1968 from his home in north London. Today, the Asian Media Group is Britain’s largest publishing house with a range of consumer and business titles.
LUNG CANCER symptoms should not be ignored, healthcare professionals have warned, as statistics showed many did not know the signs of the disease.
A number of south Asian experts are supporting the latest NHS and Public Health England campaign, urging people to contact their GP if they have a cough for three weeks or more and have tested negative for coronavirus. A persistent cough could be a sign of lung cancer, doctors have said.
However, new research revealed almost half of people do not know a persistent cough for more than three weeks can be a lung cancer symptom, with two-thirds saying they would not see their doctor despite having a cough lasting three weeks or more and testing negative for Covid.
Other symptoms of lung cancer include coughing up blood, persistent breathlessness, chest infections that keep coming back or unexplained weight loss.
Dr Sayyada Mawji, a north London-based GP, assured people the NHS can see patients safely. “If you or a loved one has had a cough for three weeks or more and it isn’t Covid-19, contact your GP practice,” Dr Mawji said.
“It’s probably nothing serious, but finding cancer early makes it more treatable and can save lives.”
Nafeesa Arshad’s sister Saima Thompson, 29, died from lung cancer last year. “Lung cancer was the last thing on my sister’s mind,” Arshad said.
“She had recently got engaged and was running two businesses. Cancer does not discriminate. It doesn’t care what ethnicity or gender you are.”
Around 39,300 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in England each year.
NOBEL Peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai said her dream is to see India and Pakistan become “good friends”.
Speaking at the Jaipur literature festival last Sunday (28), Malala said minorities needed protection in every country, adding that the issue was not related to religion but to the “exploitation of power” and must be taken seriously.
“It is my dream to see India and Pakistan become true good friends and that we can visit each other’s countries. You can continue to watch Pakistani dramas, we can continue to watch Bollywood movies and enjoy cricket matches,” she said on the concluding day of the event, which was held virtually due to the pandemic.
Malala also praised Indian girls and young women fighting for human rights, “speaking out” for farmers in India, climate change and protection of minority rights, calling their work “empowering and inspiring”.