London Diary: Happy Asians, sad Africans

The good news is that if you are a middle-aged Hindu living in the UK, chances are that any form of mid-life crisis might have simply passed you by. You are even likely to be happier than people belonging to most other communities. Who would have imagined this, because, within India, everyone, no matter which community, seems to be ridden with angst.

Or is it that we don’t have a system of measuring happiness? Why don’t we try to understand what gives us happiness? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a ministry of happiness?

The reason for the gloom in the middle years (according to the UK’s Office of National Statistics that measures these things) is that most people juggle joint responsibilities of looking after children as well as ageing parents. Thus many bowed down with the weight have less and less time to indulge themselves. So where are the chances for joyful exultation?

Yet, even during these difficult times it’s the score of the Asians — the Indian, Bangladeshi and Chinese communities — that remains high on the happiness index. But it is particularly the Hindu community who are truly happy! Hey Ram!

We talk about “Racism” with a capital “R” in India, and it is a battle that is being fought worldwide. Each country is struggling to give equal rights to all its citizens and also its transient population. And this can be particularly troublesome in universities.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has had a recent run-in with Oxbridge, pointing out that in 2014 Oxford only enrolled 27 black students out of 2,700. The universities, however, have hit back stating that remarks like these were detrimental. Oxford even stressed that it had actually taken in 64 students from the black community and 367 from ethnic communities last year.

So it seems things are improving, but Mr Cameron has further stressed that the imbalance is in every sphere, whether it be within the leadership of the business communities, (where only four per cent of the top honchos in the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, apparently, are from ethnic minorities) or in the top echelons of the Army or the police.

These inequities do not “represent” the UK’s changing face. The issue becomes even more complex because of the poverty among the white community, making it difficult for them to gain entry through the hallowed gates of Oxbridge. So should there be quotas, or should the universities, industries and armed forces just correct the imbalance themselves?

This is becoming a heated debate, as new rules are being put in place which will require the publication of data on the number of applicants to each course in universities by “gender, ethnicity and socio-economic background”.

Mr Cameron wrote his views in a leading newspaper — and now the furies have been unleashed, as many are blaming the “poor schooling” for children from certain backgrounds not being able to enter Oxbridge. But this discussion is much needed as it might encourage a government policy, which will be far-reaching and acceptable to all political parties.

Now this is something we could all do with! An enlightened British fashion house will only hire those models who promise to eat and are not less than size eight. It sounds like an April Fool joke, but it seems the leading brand Rose & Willard have declared that all their models need to sign contracts where “eating” will be part of the deal. This includes at least one meal, which will have to be consumed in the presence of someone from the company.

MPs are also examining the idea of banning models under 18 years of age from the catwalk. This would not only prevent designers from focusing on “skinny chic” fashion, but also prevent far too many models from becoming addicted to hunger and bulimia. Another step in the right direction — and one that we need to see both the fashion and the movie industry adapt in India. Besides, this would also mean that all of us might get dresses that we don’t have to squeeze into!

Talking about responsibilities that we all shoulder... here is one that the Duchess of Cambridge might get landed with... And this is definitely something all of us would be keen on! Except that it can only come your way if your mother-in-law happens to be the Queen. So when Her Majesty turns 90 in April, it is suggested that she will handover a few more of her royal duties to family members. Among the many and onerous tasks is that of being the patron of Wimbledon. She has already been the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club for 64 years. Perhaps it’s time now to bring in the next generation. And Kate, as of now, seems to be the main contender. Game, set and match?