Greetings & Saal Mubarakh (Happy New Year) Curry Lovers!
Now that Diwali celebrations are drawing to a close, it is time to start celebrating the New Year! The great and the good of the Asian community have also been celebrating with Nasa Khan being named as the UK's Top Entrepreneur at the first ever National Business Awards. Indhu Rubasingham, the talent behind productions like 'The Ramayana' was recognised for her contribution to the performing arts at Carlton's Multicultural Achievement Awards, as was filmmaker Asif Kapadia, director of 'The Warrior'.

NASA KHAN NAMED UK's ENTREPRENEUR	CARLTON'S MULTICULTURAL AWARDS
Nasa Khan, the 30-year-old Chairman of The Accessory People plc, was crowned winner of The National Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year. read more	Asians were recognised for their talents at CARLTON'S MULTICULTURAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS. Winners included Asif Kapadia, Indhu Rubasingham, Dr Bela Arora, Mohammed Amran and Sir Gulam Noon. Read more

Londoners can meet Asif Kapadia on Sunday 17 November at the National Film Theatre (South Bank) where he will be on the Film Salon forum alongside Metin Huseyin, director of 'Anita & Me' . The forum is part of the 46th Regus London Film Festival that runs from 6 - 21 November. This year's festival highlights include the premiere of 'Anita & Me' which launches nationwide on 22nd November and Aparna Sen's 'Mr & Mrs Iyer', a contemporary reflection on a Hindu/Muslim relationship.

LONDON FILM FESTIVAL, 6-21 NOV	'ANITA & ME' BY MEERA SYAL
The 46th Regus London Film Festival has a dazzling & eclectic line-up of films including Shekhar Kapur's 'The Four Feathers' and Meera Syal's 'Anita & Me'. The festival takes place in London, 6 - 21 November. Read more	As the daughter of the only Punjabi family in a small English village in the early '70s, Meena is stuck with a foot in two worlds. 'Anita & Me' will premiere at this year's Regus London Film Festival and launches nationwide on 22nd November 2002. Read more

Another relationship being celebrated is our enduring affection for Asha Bhosle. 'Brumful of Asha' is a tribute being paid to the nightingale of Bollywood by the Birmingham Film & TV Festival which runs from 14 -23 November 2002. Apart from seeing her in conversation with Bollywood anthologist Nasreen Munni Kabir, you can also enjoy a nostalgic trip down memory lane with re-screenings of some great movies like 'Taal'. The year long ImagineAsia festival draws to a close in Birmingham with 'An Audience with Mira Nair', director of hit movie ' Monsoon Wedding'. It almost makes me want to race up the M1....I say almost, because of course, those with a passing interest in art should not miss 'Asian Art in London', now a major landmark in the International Art calendar.

'BRUMFUL OF ASHA', 14-23 NOV 2002	ASIAN ART IN LONDON 7 - 15 NOV 2002
The Birmingham Film and TV Festival presents 'Brumful of Asha': a Tribute to Asha Bhosle; a feast of South Asian films and welcomes Mira Nair director of 'Monsoon Wedding'. Read more	Now in its fifth year, Asian Art in London runs from 7th - 15th November. It differs from the other great international Asian art gatherings in that the event is centred in the galleries and show rooms of the specialist dealers. Read more

Those interested in traditional South Asian Arts still have the opportunity to see Kathakali, a performance of the great epic 'The Mahabaratha'. If modern dance is more to your taste, then the Imlata Dance Company's acclaimed 'Trans Avatar', a multimedia explosion of contemporary dance, is worth celebrating. Have you noticed how busy November has suddenly become?

KATHAKALI - UNTIL 30TH NOVEMBER	TRANS AVATAR - UNTIL 29TH NOVEMBER
The Kala Chethena Kathakali Company UK Tour 2002, which runs until 30th November, is a rare opportunity to see top international artists from India perform plays from the Great Hindu epic The Mahabaratha. read more	Imlata Dance Company presents the world premiere of TRANS AVATAR, a multimedia explosion of contemporary dance, martial arts and integrated sound and digital technology. Tours until 29th Nov 2002 read more

And the timing of events to coincide with major celebrations of the Hindu Calendar is an issue. How many events do you manage to go to in between the family celebrations, temple visits and firework parties?.....exactly. One event that I enjoyed immensely was the Hindu Youth Diwali Extravaganza called 'Get Connected'. Sensibly the organisers had kept in October which probably explains why 10,000 people streamed through their doors over the weekend. Over 30,000 visited Mela 2002 the weekend before, principally to see a stunning fashion show and the winners of the Mela Model contest.

HINDU RENAISSANCE?	MELA MANIA AT THE NEC
Practised with varying degrees of devotion, Hinduism is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. This was evident at the Hindu Youth Diwali Extravaganza, held at Alexandra Palace in North London. read more	Over 30,000 people flocked through the doors to attend MELA 2002. The fashion show saw Asian collections from Ajaz Designs, Arim Khaliq, Bisma Shoes, Gaby's, Maria B, Rani Fashions of Luton, RCKC, Redd London, Silons and Viraaj Collections. read more

Although partial to a gorgeous face and sexy body.......well ok, very partial......our prime focus is, of course, on the stomach. Not the six-pack variety of the average male model, but the kind catered for by the equally gorgeous Andy Varma of Vama who is just nearing the end of his autumn cookery classes. He intends to finish with the eternal favourite Chicken Tikka Masala.

MELA 2002 MODELS OF THE YEAR	VAMA SPICES UP AUTUMN IN THE KITCHEN
Manpreet Uppal from Wolverhampton and Imran Akhtar from London were awarded the coveted titles of the 'MELA 2002' Models of the Year. Each wins a fashion shoot with SNOOP magazine. read more	Back by popular demand the Vama cookery classes return for the Autumn term with dishes like seekh kebab and machli amrtisari (spicy fish fritters). The last class on 23 November will make eternal favourite Chicken Tikka Masala! read more

And talking of sex. Well I was talking about it....although I got side-tracked into thinking about curry....it appears that although 'free', 'please' and 'thank you' might be the most commonly used words in direct marketing, 'sex' is the principal search term on the Internet. Ironically, for a race that brought us the 'Kama Sutra', sex is pretty much a taboo subject in most Asian households. So much so that the Masala Trois Collective intend to publish a collection of risqué writings on South Asian sexual intimacy - appropriately titled 'Desilicious'! One author who has no problem depicting sex in her novels is Namita Gokhale. It is hard to know what to make of her 'Book of Shadows', but our advice is don't eat and read this book at the same time!

STEAMY, SEXY SOUTH ASIAN WRITING?	THE BOOK OF SHADOWS
The Masala Trois Collective, a body of editors, invites writers from around the world to share their prose, limericks and deepest thoughts around South Asian sexual intimacy. A first of its kind, this collection of risqué writings, titled Desilicious, will include narrative that challenges sexual stereotypes and tests cultural 'taboos' and 'norms'. Read more	Bitya, a young University lecturer from Delhi has been left permanently disfigured from an acid attack by her former lover's sister. Veiled to hide her disfigurement, she retreats to her childhood home in the Kumaon hills at the foot of the Himalayas to reflect on her life. Read more

Goodness! What a long meander through celebrations, films, dance, food and sex. Hardly leaves me with anything more to say, except to invite you to revisit redhotcurry.com. We have added some enhancements to the site and currently have a special free gift offer for new users who sign-up- so why not tell a friend? They might just thank you for the suggestion!