It was a cold, wet evening in London. But that was not enough to dampen the enthusiasm of scores of Asian youth as they waited in a serpentine queue to enter the Empire Lounge, a trendy nightclub at Leicester Square.

Katy Mirza, possibly Bombay’s hottest pin-up model in the seventies, earned notoriety as India’s first Playboy bunny.

During a recent confabulation between close mates which centred on relationships with women (who else?), a close friend of mine made one telling statement when the discussion veered around the attitude of the fairer sex.

British Asian lesbians have never had it easy. Things are getting better though.

Bharti Vyas took mineral therapy, ayurveda, magneto therapy, added a dash of home-grown philosophy and voila! all of London — from Cherie Blair to Cher, is asking for her beauty recipes