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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s secret political agenda, at work since assuming national power in 2014: Empowerment of one lakh non-political dynasts across political spectrum of India from local self-bodies right up to the topmost constitutional post of President of India. Common man and Dalit Ramnath Kovind became India’s president followed by tribal BJP grassroots worker Draupadi Murmu in the last presidential elections. Latest entrant to big ticket politics is Navya Haridas, international software professional from Kerala, blooded for the Kozhikode civic elections in 2015, now fielded for prestigious Lok Sabha byelections from Wayanad relinquished by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. According to a BJP insider, “PM Modi consciously and overtly launched a broadside against the all prevalent dynastic politics on the Indian political landscape first. He covertly also launched his personal mission for introducing meritorious people into active politics having little or no prior political backgrounds to empower one lakh such candidates across the nation. Navya Haridas is only the latest candidate introduced into national politics to fulfil this endeavour.” Haridas has already served as a two-term civic councillor from Kozhikode and was pressed into service by PM Modi for relief efforts when floods and landslides visited the Wayanad region in Kerala recently. A humble RSS worker’s daughter, relative newcomer to politics, Navya is tasked with taking on Priyanka Gandhi, a political heavyweight ironically being tested for the first time in national politics herself. The result may be a foregone conclusion to many but, for Navya her national political journey has just begun.
Not being white washed — losing all Test matches of a 3-Test series — was a rare record India held for 91 years and that’s starting from the Douglas Jardine-led England in the winter of 1933. India had played 87 Test series at home, won 54, drawn 17 and lost 16 and played 293 Tests, won 120, lost 57, drawn 115 and tied 1. After winning the first two Tests in Bengaluru and Pune, New Zealand created a chance to inflict a first white wash on India. The home team has been led by 28 captains including Rohit Sharma and the outcome of the series against New Zealand on Sunday — third day of the concluding Test — confirmed the fears of a white wash for the first time at home in nine decades and Sharma became the first captain to get into the ‘bad’ book. India has lost Test matches in a series, but not all that was played in a particular series with a cap of three Tests. Almost 25 years ago India played a two Test series against South Africa and lost both in Mumbai and Bengaluru by four wickets and 71 runs. And in the last 25 years India lost a series 1-2 to England and Australia each. India was described as the last frontier by the Australian captain Steve Waugh. But he was not successful in India; that honour went to Ricky Ponting in 2004. Alastair Cook was the captain when England won a series 2-1. Tom Latham became the first New Zealand captain to win a series in India with a clean 3-0 sweep. Will heads roll?
The age-old trick of misrepresenting by displaying a similar name is rampant this time as well in the Maharashtra assembly electioneering. This charade had played havoc for some prominent leaders in the past. For instance, NCP (Ajit) leader Sunil Tatkare lost the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Raigad by a mere 2100 votes since another namesake, also Sunil Tatkare, polled over 9000 votes. Influential Congress leader and former chief minister AR Antulay, too, lost from Raigad in the past since another AR Antulay received more than 21000 votes. This time, such instances are quite a few in the district. In Panvel assembly constituency, there are three candidates with the same name, Balaram Patil and also three Prashant Thakur contestants. While the real Patil is in the fray for the Shiv Sena (UBT), sitting BJP MLA Thakur is testing his luck for a second time. Karjat’s present MLA Mahendra Thorve of the Sena (Shinde) has to take on an adversary of the same name. In Alibaug, Sena (Shinde) nominee Mahendra Dalvi is engaged in a battle with three more Mahendra Dalvi names. Moreover, an independent candidate in the constituency, Dilip Bhoir, is facing another opponent of the same name. The district was in the news in 2004 for the first time when Peasants and Workers Party leader Meenakshi Patil was poised against seven independents bearing the same name. Eventually, the PWP bagged the seat, but only after a bitter fight. How many of these aspirants remain in the ring will be clear only on 4 November, the last day for withdrawal.
King Charles along with his wife Queen Camilla were on a secret trip to Bengaluru around Diwali, and underwent a wellness treatment at Whitefield’s Soukya International Holistic Health Centre (SIHHC). According to media reports, the royal couple flew directly from Samoa after attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting between October 21 and 26. As the trip was subject to secrecy, the Karnataka government did not formally receive the royal couple when they landed at HAL airport. King Charles and Camilla had early morning yoga sessions and rejuvenation treatments at SIHHC. Although this was his first visit as a monarch, King Charles had visited the centre on nine earlier occasions in the past decade and celebrated Diwali on three occasions there. The health centre, founded by Dr Issac Mathai, is located in Samethanahalli, Whitefield on Bengaluru’s outskirts. This integrative medical facility combines traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurveda. This was Charles’s first international trip after being diagnosed with cancer. It also underscored his preference for integrative and eastern medicine approaches. SIHHC is touted as the world’s first integrative health destination, with many celebrities like Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson and royal families from the Middle East and Europe visiting it. Founded by Dr Issac Mathai and his wife in 2011, Soukya offers a package for holistic health. Dr Mathai, who has served as Charles’s holistic physician for years and attended his coronation, oversees the retreat.
The first phase of Rs 2203 crore Odisha’s Puri International Airport, a public-private partnership initiative which was supposed to start five months ago is delayed for a number of reasons. First, it is learnt that the state government is yet to collate 221 acres of private land for the airport project. Second, the three potential bidders Adani Airports, Fairfax and GMR group, who first expressed serious interest in the project did not bid for it on June 4. Reason: It seems the airport’s business viability model is not clear to the investors. Upon checking the ground situation the bidders found that its business model did not guarantee handsome returns. Besides, sources say, for a greenfield international airport at Puri there are no base case traffic numbers to start with, so quantifying investment return for the Puri airport project is an issue. Also, bidders were not comfortable with the Puri competing with next door Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneshwar. Aviation experts say traffic volume success lies in de-bottlenecking Bhubaneswar airport and progressively expanding passenger traffic at Puri airport to make it commercially viable. Contrary to this view, a source from the aviation sector said “A few days back the Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu declined permission to build a new terminal at Bhubaneswar airport thereby indicating that they are keen to develop the Puri project.” Industry watchers say in spite of Lord Jagannath temple attraction there is no immediate commercial viability for two airports — Bhubaneswar-Puri — to co-exist within a distance of 60 km radius unless the Union government makes a provision for viability gap funding.
Tamil Nadu political parties put up a brave face after watching the response to Vijay’s entry into their charmed circle. While some minor players were dismissive of the actor, the ruling DMK tried to convey the message that it was business as usual. Except that they too are worried not even about the zeitgeist of young people seemingly attracted to the fresh player on the scene. What bothers the DMK the most is its rival AIADMK would be able to tie up with Vijay, in which case they sense a more formidable rival may be at hand to threaten the future of the mostly family concern that the DMK is. The AIADMK, sensing an opportunity, has asked its leaders and cadre not to attack Vijay in the media as they sense a soulmate in the greenhorn who mostly toed the AIADMK line when Vijay spelt out some of his political ideologies and plans. In boldly putting forth his views on the corruption in the DMK, he has become most attractive to the AIADMK. They sense that Vijay, a Christian, may not fit the BJP plans and hence believe they are in a better position to woo him into an alliance for the 2026 Assembly polls. The DMK is, however, happy at the arrival of a new player who can further split the public vote if his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is to contest the polls alone and not in any alliance. The 2026 Assembly polls of Tamil Nadu are going to be fun and games.
Looks like the Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi is on a mission mode to attract big investment into his state. Majhi’s target is to secure a total investment of Rs 5 lakh crore in five years. He had already secured Rs 45,000 crore when his government completed 100 days in September 2024. Now, he has managed to convince South Korea steel major Posco to re-enter India via a joint venture with Sajjan Jindal’s JSW. It may be recalled that the Posco project was mired in red tape and was hanging fire that finally led the Korean major to pull out from Odisha. Now with 50:50 JV with JSW the chief minister has promised iron ore mine allotment for its 5 lakh MTPA Integrated steel plant at Keonjhar which also happens to be the hometown of the CM. Apart from this, both Posco and JSW will also be exploring synergies in battery manufacturing for the EV market and also renewable energy options to sustainably power the new steel plant. Analysts now view the JSW-Posco collaboration as a new power play and a win-win strategy bringing in fusion between JSW’s manufacturing expertise and Posco’s advance steel making technology supported by India’s growing market backed by the Odisha government. It is still early days now, sources say at JSW but a detailed stepwise action plan will surely evolve through a work-in-progress schedule.
The Eknath Shinde era marks the ushering in a cash-rich governance period in Maharashtra. Shinde’s term has been marked by huge disbursements from the state exchequer at a time when the state faces debts of Rs 7.8 lakh crore. His government rolled out social welfare schemes worth over Rs 90,000 crore including the flagship program of Ladki Bahin Yojana that is set to cost Rs 46,000 crore per annum. His government is also known for generous land allocations; be it of 1080 acres across Mumbai to the Adani group for Dharavi’s redevelopment, or even to random groups like Jain International Organization, who were allocated prime land near Mantralaya despite finance ministry objections. The huge cash seizures in this election needs to be viewed against this backdrop. Already, over Rs 180 crore worth of drugs, gold, liquor including cash have already been seized by the election department. Uddhav Sena’s Sanjay Raut, known for his daily morning commentary, claimed that the Maharashtra chief minister has committed to providing Rs 75 crore to each Shiv Sena candidate. Police seized cash of Rs 5 crore cash on October 21 from a car at Khalapur toll point (outskirt of Mumbai) which Raut alleges were meant for a Shinde legislator’s election campaign. Sharad Pawar claims that police vehicles are being used to distribute cash for election campaigns. In a state facing agrarian crisis and rising unemployment numbers, Shinde has launched a strong election pitch that his welfare schemes could be scrapped by the opposition if they get voted in. Will the pre-election carrots work in favour of the common man’s CM, as Shinde likes to be known, now remains to be seen!
He is a simple man. He commands respect across the spectrum. He follows Carnatic music. He loves mathematics. He has gone on to establish the Shriram Group which has now become a household name in Tamil Nadu, especially. R Thyagarajan, popularly known as RT, is a visionary. According to him, “all science converges into mathematics and it is now increasingly the language of science.” The Shriram Group is synonymous with RT. Recognising his tall stature, Shriram Group has established the Shriram Group RT Chair in Computational Mechanics at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. The establishment of the Chair is significant for the group, as it reiterates its resolve to make significant contributions to the society through academic excellence and research advancements. The Chair will be awarded to distinguished faculty conducting frontier research in computational mechanics, supporting cutting-edge research across various fields within mechanical, electrical, electronic and computational sciences. The appointed Chair, a distinguished faculty member at the associate or full professor level, will focus on pioneering research that applies computational methods to address real-world challenges. “Areas of research may include the development of novel numerical methods, data-driven modeling of physical phenomena and the exploration of emerging computing paradigms such as quantum computing,” says a note from the Shriram Group. Well, RT the thinker is cut above many.
It’s a tricky tightrope walk when a true life event and sacrifice is transferred on to the medium of cinema … .the creation has to more than match the extraordinary bravery of an army Major, his supreme sacrifice and the family’s sorrow filled pride in him. Kamal Haasan and his Raaj Kamal Films International production house has hit the high emotional spot with Sivakarthikeyan as Amaran. The film, applauded by both audience and critics, raked in Rs 42.3 crore worldwide on Day One. And deservingly. Amaran is the rendition of late Major Mukund Varadarajan leading the Rajasthan Rifles in Shopian, who fell to terrorist bullets while defending his team and the country –he was just 31. Even as people exited the cinemas, many were shedding tears and paying heartfelt emotional salaams to this brave son of India. Rajkumar Periasamy, trained in the creative environs of Kamal’s cinema, has done faithful research on the life of Major Mukund, and created his character for compelling screen performances. Sivakarthikeyan, according to Kamal has raised himself to a new cinematic level that is bound to leapfrog his status as an actor. But it is Sai Pallavi, as the hero’s wife Indu Rebecca who has garnered equal admiration as the “iron” army wife who does not shed tears of weakness but carries her head high, saluting her husband’s bravery. Good cinema is still appreciated amidst the cacophony and glitz of mindless offerings aimed at padding up jaded stars.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s secret political agenda, at work since assuming national power in 2014: Empowerment of one lakh non-political dynasts across political spectrum of India from local self-bodies right up to the topmost constitutional post of President of India. Common man and Dalit Ramnath Kovind became India’s president followed by tribal BJP grassroots worker Draupadi Murmu in the last presidential elections. Latest entrant to big ticket politics is Navya Haridas, international software professional from Kerala, blooded for the Kozhikode civic elections in 2015, now fielded for prestigious Lok Sabha byelections from Wayanad relinquished by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. According to a BJP insider, “PM Modi consciously and overtly launched a broadside against the all prevalent dynastic politics on the Indian political landscape first. He covertly also launched his personal mission for introducing meritorious people into active politics having little or no prior political backgrounds to empower one lakh such candidates across the nation. Navya Haridas is only the latest candidate introduced into national politics to fulfil this endeavour.” Haridas has already served as a two-term civic councillor from Kozhikode and was pressed into service by PM Modi for relief efforts when floods and landslides visited the Wayanad region in Kerala recently. A humble RSS worker’s daughter, relative newcomer to politics, Navya is tasked with taking on Priyanka Gandhi, a political heavyweight ironically being tested for the first time in national politics herself. The result may be a foregone conclusion to many but, for Navya her national political journey has just begun.
Not being white washed — losing all Test matches of a 3-Test series — was a rare record India held for 91 years and that’s starting from the Douglas Jardine-led England in the winter of 1933. India had played 87 Test series at home, won 54, drawn 17 and lost 16 and played 293 Tests, won 120, lost 57, drawn 115 and tied 1. After winning the first two Tests in Bengaluru and Pune, New Zealand created a chance to inflict a first white wash on India. The home team has been led by 28 captains including Rohit Sharma and the outcome of the series against New Zealand on Sunday — third day of the concluding Test — confirmed the fears of a white wash for the first time at home in nine decades and Sharma became the first captain to get into the ‘bad’ book. India has lost Test matches in a series, but not all that was played in a particular series with a cap of three Tests. Almost 25 years ago India played a two Test series against South Africa and lost both in Mumbai and Bengaluru by four wickets and 71 runs. And in the last 25 years India lost a series 1-2 to England and Australia each. India was described as the last frontier by the Australian captain Steve Waugh. But he was not successful in India; that honour went to Ricky Ponting in 2004. Alastair Cook was the captain when England won a series 2-1. Tom Latham became the first New Zealand captain to win a series in India with a clean 3-0 sweep. Will heads roll?
The age-old trick of misrepresenting by displaying a similar name is rampant this time as well in the Maharashtra assembly electioneering. This charade had played havoc for some prominent leaders in the past. For instance, NCP (Ajit) leader Sunil Tatkare lost the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Raigad by a mere 2100 votes since another namesake, also Sunil Tatkare, polled over 9000 votes. Influential Congress leader and former chief minister AR Antulay, too, lost from Raigad in the past since another AR Antulay received more than 21000 votes. This time, such instances are quite a few in the district. In Panvel assembly constituency, there are three candidates with the same name, Balaram Patil and also three Prashant Thakur contestants. While the real Patil is in the fray for the Shiv Sena (UBT), sitting BJP MLA Thakur is testing his luck for a second time. Karjat’s present MLA Mahendra Thorve of the Sena (Shinde) has to take on an adversary of the same name. In Alibaug, Sena (Shinde) nominee Mahendra Dalvi is engaged in a battle with three more Mahendra Dalvi names. Moreover, an independent candidate in the constituency, Dilip Bhoir, is facing another opponent of the same name. The district was in the news in 2004 for the first time when Peasants and Workers Party leader Meenakshi Patil was poised against seven independents bearing the same name. Eventually, the PWP bagged the seat, but only after a bitter fight. How many of these aspirants remain in the ring will be clear only on 4 November, the last day for withdrawal.
King Charles along with his wife Queen Camilla were on a secret trip to Bengaluru around Diwali, and underwent a wellness treatment at Whitefield’s Soukya International Holistic Health Centre (SIHHC). According to media reports, the royal couple flew directly from Samoa after attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting between October 21 and 26. As the trip was subject to secrecy, the Karnataka government did not formally receive the royal couple when they landed at HAL airport. King Charles and Camilla had early morning yoga sessions and rejuvenation treatments at SIHHC. Although this was his first visit as a monarch, King Charles had visited the centre on nine earlier occasions in the past decade and celebrated Diwali on three occasions there. The health centre, founded by Dr Issac Mathai, is located in Samethanahalli, Whitefield on Bengaluru’s outskirts. This integrative medical facility combines traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurveda. This was Charles’s first international trip after being diagnosed with cancer. It also underscored his preference for integrative and eastern medicine approaches. SIHHC is touted as the world’s first integrative health destination, with many celebrities like Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson and royal families from the Middle East and Europe visiting it. Founded by Dr Issac Mathai and his wife in 2011, Soukya offers a package for holistic health. Dr Mathai, who has served as Charles’s holistic physician for years and attended his coronation, oversees the retreat.
The first phase of Rs 2203 crore Odisha’s Puri International Airport, a public-private partnership initiative which was supposed to start five months ago is delayed for a number of reasons. First, it is learnt that the state government is yet to collate 221 acres of private land for the airport project. Second, the three potential bidders Adani Airports, Fairfax and GMR group, who first expressed serious interest in the project did not bid for it on June 4. Reason: It seems the airport’s business viability model is not clear to the investors. Upon checking the ground situation the bidders found that its business model did not guarantee handsome returns. Besides, sources say, for a greenfield international airport at Puri there are no base case traffic numbers to start with, so quantifying investment return for the Puri airport project is an issue. Also, bidders were not comfortable with the Puri competing with next door Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneshwar. Aviation experts say traffic volume success lies in de-bottlenecking Bhubaneswar airport and progressively expanding passenger traffic at Puri airport to make it commercially viable. Contrary to this view, a source from the aviation sector said “A few days back the Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu declined permission to build a new terminal at Bhubaneswar airport thereby indicating that they are keen to develop the Puri project.” Industry watchers say in spite of Lord Jagannath temple attraction there is no immediate commercial viability for two airports — Bhubaneswar-Puri — to co-exist within a distance of 60 km radius unless the Union government makes a provision for viability gap funding.
Tamil Nadu political parties put up a brave face after watching the response to Vijay’s entry into their charmed circle. While some minor players were dismissive of the actor, the ruling DMK tried to convey the message that it was business as usual. Except that they too are worried not even about the zeitgeist of young people seemingly attracted to the fresh player on the scene. What bothers the DMK the most is its rival AIADMK would be able to tie up with Vijay, in which case they sense a more formidable rival may be at hand to threaten the future of the mostly family concern that the DMK is. The AIADMK, sensing an opportunity, has asked its leaders and cadre not to attack Vijay in the media as they sense a soulmate in the greenhorn who mostly toed the AIADMK line when Vijay spelt out some of his political ideologies and plans. In boldly putting forth his views on the corruption in the DMK, he has become most attractive to the AIADMK. They sense that Vijay, a Christian, may not fit the BJP plans and hence believe they are in a better position to woo him into an alliance for the 2026 Assembly polls. The DMK is, however, happy at the arrival of a new player who can further split the public vote if his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is to contest the polls alone and not in any alliance. The 2026 Assembly polls of Tamil Nadu are going to be fun and games.
Looks like the Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi is on a mission mode to attract big investment into his state. Majhi’s target is to secure a total investment of Rs 5 lakh crore in five years. He had already secured Rs 45,000 crore when his government completed 100 days in September 2024. Now, he has managed to convince South Korea steel major Posco to re-enter India via a joint venture with Sajjan Jindal’s JSW. It may be recalled that the Posco project was mired in red tape and was hanging fire that finally led the Korean major to pull out from Odisha. Now with 50:50 JV with JSW the chief minister has promised iron ore mine allotment for its 5 lakh MTPA Integrated steel plant at Keonjhar which also happens to be the hometown of the CM. Apart from this, both Posco and JSW will also be exploring synergies in battery manufacturing for the EV market and also renewable energy options to sustainably power the new steel plant. Analysts now view the JSW-Posco collaboration as a new power play and a win-win strategy bringing in fusion between JSW’s manufacturing expertise and Posco’s advance steel making technology supported by India’s growing market backed by the Odisha government. It is still early days now, sources say at JSW but a detailed stepwise action plan will surely evolve through a work-in-progress schedule.
The Eknath Shinde era marks the ushering in a cash-rich governance period in Maharashtra. Shinde’s term has been marked by huge disbursements from the state exchequer at a time when the state faces debts of Rs 7.8 lakh crore. His government rolled out social welfare schemes worth over Rs 90,000 crore including the flagship program of Ladki Bahin Yojana that is set to cost Rs 46,000 crore per annum. His government is also known for generous land allocations; be it of 1080 acres across Mumbai to the Adani group for Dharavi’s redevelopment, or even to random groups like Jain International Organization, who were allocated prime land near Mantralaya despite finance ministry objections. The huge cash seizures in this election needs to be viewed against this backdrop. Already, over Rs 180 crore worth of drugs, gold, liquor including cash have already been seized by the election department. Uddhav Sena’s Sanjay Raut, known for his daily morning commentary, claimed that the Maharashtra chief minister has committed to providing Rs 75 crore to each Shiv Sena candidate. Police seized cash of Rs 5 crore cash on October 21 from a car at Khalapur toll point (outskirt of Mumbai) which Raut alleges were meant for a Shinde legislator’s election campaign. Sharad Pawar claims that police vehicles are being used to distribute cash for election campaigns. In a state facing agrarian crisis and rising unemployment numbers, Shinde has launched a strong election pitch that his welfare schemes could be scrapped by the opposition if they get voted in. Will the pre-election carrots work in favour of the common man’s CM, as Shinde likes to be known, now remains to be seen!
He is a simple man. He commands respect across the spectrum. He follows Carnatic music. He loves mathematics. He has gone on to establish the Shriram Group which has now become a household name in Tamil Nadu, especially. R Thyagarajan, popularly known as RT, is a visionary. According to him, “all science converges into mathematics and it is now increasingly the language of science.” The Shriram Group is synonymous with RT. Recognising his tall stature, Shriram Group has established the Shriram Group RT Chair in Computational Mechanics at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. The establishment of the Chair is significant for the group, as it reiterates its resolve to make significant contributions to the society through academic excellence and research advancements. The Chair will be awarded to distinguished faculty conducting frontier research in computational mechanics, supporting cutting-edge research across various fields within mechanical, electrical, electronic and computational sciences. The appointed Chair, a distinguished faculty member at the associate or full professor level, will focus on pioneering research that applies computational methods to address real-world challenges. “Areas of research may include the development of novel numerical methods, data-driven modeling of physical phenomena and the exploration of emerging computing paradigms such as quantum computing,” says a note from the Shriram Group. Well, RT the thinker is cut above many.
It’s a tricky tightrope walk when a true life event and sacrifice is transferred on to the medium of cinema … .the creation has to more than match the extraordinary bravery of an army Major, his supreme sacrifice and the family’s sorrow filled pride in him. Kamal Haasan and his Raaj Kamal Films International production house has hit the high emotional spot with Sivakarthikeyan as Amaran. The film, applauded by both audience and critics, raked in Rs 42.3 crore worldwide on Day One. And deservingly. Amaran is the rendition of late Major Mukund Varadarajan leading the Rajasthan Rifles in Shopian, who fell to terrorist bullets while defending his team and the country –he was just 31. Even as people exited the cinemas, many were shedding tears and paying heartfelt emotional salaams to this brave son of India. Rajkumar Periasamy, trained in the creative environs of Kamal’s cinema, has done faithful research on the life of Major Mukund, and created his character for compelling screen performances. Sivakarthikeyan, according to Kamal has raised himself to a new cinematic level that is bound to leapfrog his status as an actor. But it is Sai Pallavi, as the hero’s wife Indu Rebecca who has garnered equal admiration as the “iron” army wife who does not shed tears of weakness but carries her head high, saluting her husband’s bravery. Good cinema is still appreciated amidst the cacophony and glitz of mindless offerings aimed at padding up jaded stars.
The Congress party in Maharashtra is engaged in fire fighting over many thorny issues, among them the minority representation grievance since a sentiment is spreading that the party leadership has yielded too much to the Shiv Sena (UBT) in ticket distribution. In Mumbai, Thane and Konkan, the party has hardly a token presence among the 75 seats of the region. Here, the fight will be mainly between the two Sena factions, the other led by chief minister Eknath Shinde. Moreover, murmurs are heard that many loyal veterans and most Muslims aspirants are handed out a raw deal in ticket distribution. The decision of senior leader Ravi Raja to don the saffron garb has shaken the organization since Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad, MP, is under attack for this drastic step. She has been censured for getting a nomination for her sister. Among the vocal dissenters is Sufiyan Vanoo, a former Wadala corporator. He has questioned the party’s decision to hand over several Muslim-dominated assembly seats to the Sena (UBT). The areas he has named include Govandi, Anushakti Nagar, Versova, Bandra (East), Byculla, Kurla and Kalina. It has been alleged that there is a plan to minimize the Congress presence in Mumbai and adjoining areas. Another factor that is haunting the Congress is that just two Marathi-speaking candidates figure in the party’s list for Mumbai. It is argued that the aspirations of the areas having substantial Marathi population have been overlooked by the leaders. Efforts to mollify the disturbed elements have intensified over the weekend.
A day after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge reprimanded Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivkumar over statements suggesting a possible review of the Shakti scheme, which provides free bus travel for women, PM Modi through social media thread highlighted inability of Congress-ruled states like Himachal Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka to fulfil its guarantees. He took to X to warn people how the Grand Old Party is “realising the hard way that making unreal promises is easy but implementing them properly is tough or impossible.” Coming ahead of Maharashtra and Jharkhand polls, Modi’s warning that voters must check the fiscal health of the Congress governments in HP, Karnataka and Telangana urging people of the country to be vigilant against the Congress sponsored culture of fake promises. Modi pointed out how people in Haryana had rejected their lies. Taking full advantage of the public spat between Kharge and Karnataka Deputy CM over review of free bus ride for women that has now become unsustainable, Modi noted. “There is a growing realisation across India that a vote for Congress is a vote for non-governance, poor economics and unparalleled loot.” Accepting difficulties in fulfilling some guarantees Kharge highlighted the role of financial responsibility, saying that if the government is unable to deliver upon its guarantees, it will lead to bad reputations and hardships for the communities. “I advised Maharashtra Congress to make promises that align with your budget”. So now it seems the Congress has begun to talk about grounding its guarantees in the budget ever since BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis made it clear that their Ladki Bahin Yojana Scheme was not a shot in the dark. It was all provided for in the state budget!
In a perfect rebuff to the Centre that has been replying to Tamil MPs in Hindi, a DMK MP shot back in Tamil demanding that the Rail Ministry communicate with him in English. Articulating popular suspicion that the Centre was pushing use of Hindi in Tamil Nadu that did not accept it as official language, DMK leader and Rajya Sabha MP Pudukkottai MM Abdulla protested when he received a reply from Union Minister of State, Ravneet Singh Bittu in Hindi. It was in reference to a special mention he had raised about food quality and cleanliness in the railways in the Rajya Sabha in August. He shot back a note to Singh in Tamil that he did not understand the contents of his letter and suggested that he communicate to him in English. “This is not the first time that I’m receiving a letter in Hindi from the Rail Ministry. They have done it twice before –once responding to a zero hour mention and again to department related query”, pointed out the MP. Was he blaming the new MoS Bittu? Abdulla feels that the minister has no role. “Maybe it is the agenda of Modi-Shah to impose it on a state like Tamil Nadu where Hindi is not acceptable.” Abdullla shared copies of both the letters in social media sometime back. A first term MP, Abdulla says “I make it very clear to people that I do not know a word of Hindi”. He has been a MP since 2021.
A new political formation is shaping up in Maharashtra, indicating the possibility of a novel social engineering experiment. Maratha caste reservation’s chief proponent Manor Jarange Patil has roped in leaders from Dalit and Muslim communities to create this force, which he feels will impact the outcome in the coming assembly election. It is presumed that Dalit and Muslim voters had supported the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi for the Lok Sabha election, resulting in the ruling Mahayuti’s Waterloo. At the time, Jarange was given credit for this spectacular success of MVA in a few pockets in Marathwada. Now, he is trying to recreate the experiment on a larger scale. It will be called MMD, meaning Marathas, Muslims and Dalits. Jarange will declare the names of the candidates supported by MMD on Monday (Nov 3). Alarmed by this stance, his ardent opponents, the OBC leaders, have drawn up their own counter strategy. Their spokesman Lakshman Hake has announced that the OBCs, too, have prepared their own list and will reveal it soon after Jarange’s list is out. The list will identify Jarange’s supporter candidates and Hake will appeal to the voters to defeat them. The Marathas and the OBCs are two major vote banks in the state. The Muslims can decide the outcome in certain constituencies where their population exceeds 15%. On the other hand, the OBCs are considered sympathetic to the BJP. Jarange’s MMD equation was finalised after his meeting with Buddhist and Muslim clerics at his village in Beed district on October 31.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will sound the bugle in Maharashtra assembly electioneering on 8 November. Modi will hold a total of nine rallies across the state within a week’s time. The BJP strategists have decided not to take any chance this time after the drubbing received by the party for the Lok Sabha election. Accordingly, Modi’s rally route is meticulously planned. The first two public meetings of the PM will take place in Nashik and Dhule in north Maharashtra. The region is by and large favourable for the ruling saffron alliance and no efforts will be spared to exploit this sentiment. Senior minister Girish Mahajan is pulling out all stops to make both the rallies a grand success. The meeting venue in Nashik has been named as Modi Ground and Mahajan says it will be overflowing with lakhs of people. Modi’s blitzkrieg will be followed by visits of BJP’s star campaigners, many of whom are Union ministers. According to initial planning, Modi will be in Akola and Chimur in Vidarbha on 9 November. His next public meetings will be in Solapur and Kolhapur in western Maharashtra on 13 November. He will round off his whirlwind campaign on 14 November with rallies in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai. The six geographical regions have seat distribution as follows: Mumbai 36, Thane and Konkan 39, north Maharashtra 47, western Maharashtra 58, Marathwada 46 and Vidarbha 62.
Maharashtra’s state assembly elections will witness, for the first time, a third front of politicians predominantly comprising rebels and independent candidates in the fray after failing to secure official nominations from their respective parties. This third front of rebels will effectively ensure a triangular fight in around 25 assembly segments for Mahayuti and a higher number for Maha Vikas Aghadi and likely to impact government formation, post polls. The BJP indirectly settled the issue of its Chief Ministerial candidate taking over helm of Maharashtra’s political affairs post state assemblies by effectively fielding candidates in close to 170 constituencies. While 148 official BJP contestants sport the lotus, nine party MLA aspirants wield the bow-and-arrow (Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena) while another five sync time with the clock symbol (Ajit Pawar’s NCP). Another four smaller allies include RPI that fielded a BJP leader as its only candidate in Maharashtra. Ajit Pawar’s national spokesperson Brijmohan Srivastav rationalizes, says, “If 25 constituencies out of 288 witness rebel candidates, it is not a dire situation. Most will likely withdraw from the fray by November 4. Internal shopping of candidates within Mahayuti is based on winnability, exposing our sharp political coordination.” BJP’s Mahendra Jain says, “Our party always benefitted by triangular fighting in Maharashtra, securing 122 MLAs in 2014 and 105 MLAs in 2019. The large number of rebels, independent candidates has effectively created a similar circumstance for ensuing state assemblies even as 80% of our own rebels will be satiated enough to withdraw.”
Jasprit Bumrah did not appear in the team sheet for the third and final Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium. The BCCI issued a statement that the fast bowler with 173 wickets in 40 Test matches — 47 in India and 126 overseas — has not recovered from a viral illness. This bit of information surprised one and all because two senior members of the team — Head Coach Gautam Gambhir and Assistant Coach Abhishek Nayar — did not utter a word leading to the Test match that Bumrah had anything like being stricken by a bug. In fact Nayar said that Bumrah is important, he bowled only (he had sent down 41 overs) in the first two Tests, that the duration of the two Tests each was under five days, but workload will always be a factor with regard to Bumrah’s selection. On the eve of the match Gambhir said all players are available for selection. But when the team was made known at the toss, skipper Rohit Sharma said that Bumrah is not well and Mohammed Siraj comes into the playing XI. Bumrah has not featured in 25 Tests after his debut against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018, much of it because of an injury. There was an odd occasion when he was released from the squad because of his wedding. He has never been sidelined on the count of ability. Bumrah has played five series in India and his best (19 wickets) was against England early this year. In the ongoing series he played in Bengaluru (3 wickets) and Pune (none).
Kollywood has set the trend for many traditions, especially festivals. Diwali tops the list for the Tamilian film buff — crack of dawn oil baths, new clothes finery, gorging on sweets and savoury, crackers, and of course a must see “film”. Producers too play by this unstoppable sentiment and release their movies on Diwali Day with great expectations about audience storming cinemas and opening their wallets. This year’s line up — Amaran, Brother, Bloody Beggar and Lucky Baskhar are all set to sashay sassily on the ramp and raise hopes for which film gains the most …money wise. Starring Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi Amaran produced by Kamal Haasan and Sony Pictures International, directed by Rajkumar Periasamy has raised the expectations bar. Jeyam Ravi has not had much cinematic popularity to talk about after Ponniyin Selvan. His movie Brother directed by M Rajesh is touted as an all-round entertainer with comedy heading the mix…Harris Jeyaraj has scored the hit number Makkamishi. In the case of Bloody Beggar, an entertainer that hinges on a poor man as an impersonator in a rich man’s mansion. It is backed by Nelson the director of Jailer who has trusted his assistant M Sivabalan to bring the best of acting talent from Kavin seen as the millennial favourite. Perhaps all three films are at best seen as counterfoils to Dulquer Salmaan’s Lucky Baskhar, a Telugu film that has quickly turned out pan India in Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi. Vaathi fame director Venkat Atluri has directed this film as a period piece.
This one is intended to introduce a sense of transparency in price. Often, good intentions aren’t taken seriously. How else could one view the response of this particular industry? Farmers are upset that the tractor industry has chosen to disregard the stipulation to disclose MRP. The Consortium of Indian Farmers’ Association has sent several missives to the authorities in New Delhi. So far, its efforts have remained in the realm of futility. Non-disclosure of MRP by manufacturers, according to it, is leading to overcharging small farmers. No doubt, New Delhi has issued several directions to the manufacturers in the past. But this has not yielded any positive result. During 2022-23, an estimated 944,000 tractors have been sold. In 2023-24, the number reportedly stood around 874,504. There are over one-and-half-dozen domestic and four multinational companies. The price variation is reported to be between Rs150,000 and Rs175,000, depending on the horse power. The non-disclosure of MRP affects farmers in very many ways. What has upset the association more is the fact that the farm gear makers across the board don’t disclose MRP. A farmer-friendly approach calls for a quick policy decision on MRP disclosure for agriculture machinery. Is Delhi listening?
Will the ego clash destroy the fate of the two Big Diwali releases this year? So it seems. Singham Again, directed by Rohit Shetty, a multi-starrer starring Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar has been dragged to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for unfair business practice by the producers of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 alleging that they are not being allowed to take single screen as Singham Again producers have booked all screens. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 directed by Aneez Bazmee has also got a good star cast comprising Kartik Aaryan,Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri. It may be recalled that Ajay Devgn had dragged Shah Rukh Khan to CCI for unfair business practices during the release of his movie Son of Sardar which coincided with SRK’s Jab Tak Hain Jaan. Even then it was a Diwali clash. Here one can’t help but talk about Om Shanti Om which was released on Diwali along with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya. The clash between two titans almost sacrificed the careers of two newcomers Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor; it had Salman Khan who wasn’t on good terms with SRK. Similarly, SRK and Rakesh Roshan were locked in a release battle during the release of Kaabil and Raees and both films suffered. Both Shah Rukh and Hrithik Roshan have a history as when the latter became a superstar with Kaho Na Pyar Hai and SRK’s Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani flopped. Critics were talking about Hrithik replacing SRK. At that point in time SRK cleverly used a Pepsi Ad to mock Hrithik’s super star status.
The coming assembly election in Maharashtra will decide the fate of many money bags, spread across all major parties. A few notables of them are now talk of the town. BJP’s Ghatkopar (east) candidate Parag Shah has total assets of around Rs 3,383 crore. He is followed by state minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, whose declared wealth is exceeding Rs.440 crore. Lodha has been elected to the state assembly from the prestigious Malabar Hill constituency repeatedly. BJP’s Sameer Datta Meghe (Rs 159 crore) has been fielded from Hingana, Nagpur. His father Datta Meghe was a right hand associate of veteran Sharad Pawar for a long time. He then switched over to the BJP and the family has remained loyal to the saffron flag. BJP’s Prashant Ramsheth Thakur (Rs 183 crore) is the son of the then Lok Sabha member Ramsheth. A successful builder-developer-contractor, Ramsheth has been a handsome donor for various causes. Rajesh Sambhajirao Pawar (Rs 191 crore) from Naigaum in Nanded district is among the other high value contestants. Congress candidate Vishwajit Patangrao Kadam (Rs 216 crore), son of then education minister Patangrao, runs the Bharati Vidyapeeth, which has several engineering, medical and technical institutions in Maharashtra. Another Congress candidate, Sanjay Chandrakant Jagtap is testing his luck from Purandar in Pune district and has property worth Rs.245 crore. Controversial politician Abu Azmi of the Samajwadi Party has assets of over Rs 200 crore. There are a large number of candidates whose wealth is around Rs100 crore or less. Now they are vying for public mandate to become law makers.
New Zealand’s men cricket team — known as the Black Caps — is celebrating a victory of historical proportions in India. The Tasman country has been visiting India since 1955 but never tasted a series success, winning just two Tests in 36 before landing in Bengaluru as a no hoper for a three Test series. But in a matter of 11 days, the country that has presented to cricket world the great Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe, will arrive in Mumbai with a great desire to make a clean sweep of the series. And that’s because the team also known as Kiwis has thrashed India in the first two Tests. Under the stewardship of Tom Latham, who stepped into the shoes of fast bowler Tim Southee after New Zealand lost 0-2 to Sri Lanka in Galle this September, is probably a national hero now. A show of daredevilry by its batters who went after the Indian spinners — just like Kevin Pietersen in Mumbai Test of England’s 2012-13 series — delivered emphatic wins to hurt the Rohit Sharma led Indian team. New Zealand, a team that does not have a superstar, made the big splash with its fast bowling unit running roughshod on the Indian team in Bengaluru and then deployed the classic left arm spinner Mitchell Santner to debunk India’s supposed dominance against spin bowling. Undefeated at home since the 2012-13 series against England, India’s batters failed to find answers facing fast bowling and spin and are embarrassed, all happening before the five-Test series in Australia.
Is Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi who seems to be having a running battle with the DMK government headed by MK Stalin being replaced? Sources say he may be headed to The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), the foreign intelligence agency of India. This 1976 Kerala cadre IPS (hometown Bihar) wended his career path through the spooky labyrinths of the CBI and RAW as Additional Security Director, then did a brief stint in Nagaland before being appointed as the Governor of TN. Reams of news, views and ruse have been dedicated in writing about Ravi, his tempestuous relationship with Stalin, his talent for lighting fires when files were sent up for the Governors assent. Stalin’s strategy of “forgive and forget” saw him attending a Tea tete-a-tete at Raj Bhavan. The CM, making it clear hostilities to be contained, even conceded the prickly issue of K Ponmudi, Minister for Education and replaced him with Govindan Nedunchezhian popularly known as Govi Chezhiyan. Now comes the news that BJP’s big wig, former chief of staff VK Singh is on his way to TN as the new governor, to mend fences and sweeten the relationship with the DMK.
This one has been in the limelight since the early 90s when the Ruias of the Essar group bought a little over 65% shares, cashing in on the internecine feud between the four promoter groups. When Ruias found resistance to their entry into Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB), they exchanged the shares with the serial entrepreneur C Sivasankaran for telecom licence for Delhi circle. But the going was tough for Sivasankaran too who was forced to return the shares to the Nadar community members, who could buy back only a part of his shares. Subsequently, 43% of the shares were reportedly acquired by a New York-based organisation using various local and foreign firms as fronts. This acquisition has since been disallowed by the Reserve Bank of India which had asked the Enforcement Directorate to probe foreign exchange violations in this case. This lot of shares remains a disputed one. Since then, much water has flown under the bridge, and TMB has also become a listed organisation. Now, TMB is back in the news now for a different reason, though. An unrest is apparently brewing over a new HR (human resources) policy which seeks to introduce the concept of CTC (cost to company). Opposing the move, TMB Employees’ Union, affiliated to AIBEA, has warned the management of industrial action. With key office-bearers of the union placed under suspension, the face-off at TMB appears to be escalating. TMB just can’t be out of the limelight, it appears!
In a significant political development, the CPI(M) and CPI(ML) have formed an alliance ahead of the by-elections in six Assembly seats. The CPI(ML), known for its radical leftist stance and Naxalite roots, will contest the Naihati seat, which was left by CPI(M). This coalition marks a shift as CPI(M) has struggled in recent elections, seeing a steep decline in votes since 2011. In previous elections, CPI(M) had allied with Congress and ISF but has now partnered with CPI(ML) as Congress is contesting all six seats despite Biman Bose and former MP and Pradesh Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s plea to continue with the alliance. The Left Front, which includes other leftist parties like Forward Bloc and RSP, was consulted on this move, and Left Front Chairman Biman Bose approved it. Debajyoti Majumdar of CPI(ML) has been fielded for the Naihati seat, with support from CPI(M) leaders. This alliance signals an attempt to revive leftist politics in Bengal, which has been in decline since the Left’s ouster from power in 2011. The CPI(M)’s previous alliances with Congress for the 2016, 2021 Assembly, and 2024 Lok Sabha elections did not yield significant results. The CPI(M) has been advocating for greater left unity for years, but its ties with CPI(ML) have been strained due to differences, particularly over CPI(ML)’s softer stance on the Trinamool Congress, which it prioritized over the BJP as the “big enemy.” CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty emphasized the importance of assessing political realities in today’s context, stating that the revival of the Left is crucial to take forward the civil society-led movements.
Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal had promised before his first Delhi assembly elections that he would live an austere life as a CM. He had said a simple home of four to five rooms was enough for him. Revelations that Kejriwal spent Rs 45 crore on renovating his official home at 6, Flagstaff Road, Civil Lines in Delhi, had triggered a political row in 2023. The issue is back in the limelight with the Public Works Department (PWD) revealing an astonishing inventory of the infamous “Sheesh Mahal”, the luxurious bungalow occupied by him for nine years. The amenities are valued at over Rs 100 crore. The 21,000-square-foot residence features a range of opulent items that starkly contrast with the “aam aadmi” image that Kejriwal and his party AAP, have long sought to project. Among the extravagant features are: 16 Ultra Slim Smart 4K TVs costing Rs 64 lakh, motorised window curtains valued Rs 4-6 crore, luxurious recliner sofas priced at Rs 10 lakh, all highlighting a lifestyle of affluence that has drawn public ire and scrutiny. The inventory was compiled at the request of the Delhi Chief Minister’s Office as it prepares to transition the property to the new CM Atishi Marlena. Kejriwal first came under the scanner in May 2023 after the media leaked details of him splurging taxpayer’s money on personal luxury. However what takes the cake is the “fully automatic, sensor-equipped TOTO smart toilet seats with features like automatic open-close seat, heated seat, wireless remote deodoriser and automatic flushing”. These hi-tech toilet seats were found missing in the audit. One such toilet seat costs between Rs 10-12 lakh. Kejriwal has, however, chosen to maintain radio silence on the matter.
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” said Shakespeare. With due modification, sugar barons in Maharashtra have proved that whatever political party they may belong to, sugar is sweet for them and their peers. This is because many prominent candidates for the state assembly election own or control sugar cooperative or private sugar factories. If not themselves, their family members find a place in the lists declared so far. Expectedly, NCP president Ajit Pawar heads the list while his bete noire Jayant Patil of the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) is also among the top five. Pawar’s grandson Rohit Pawar, a bitter critic of uncle Ajit, also figures in the roll. BJP’s Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who has travelled to the saffron party via the Congress and the unified Shiv Sena, continues to be counted among the most powerful sugar barons for decades. The latest turncoat Harshvarrdhan Patil, now blessed by the NCP (SP) is another name. State Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, described as a dark horse, is indispensable for any such listing. Chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis or former CM Uddhav Thackeray don’t have any sugar connection directly though some of their close followers do have an interest in the sector. Shinde’s confidant Tanaji Sawant, public health minister, is among them. BJP’s Abhimanyu Pawar, once a private secretary to Fadnavis, finds a place as well. These are only a few examples. In unison, they have proved the dictum that sugar is a great sweetener which binds those holding the reins of power in Maharashtra.
The lure of number nine (9) is manifesting in different forms for the coming Maharashtra assembly election though the attraction is at least four decades old. At present, the BJP, the Shiv Sena (Shinde) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have chosen number nine for their initial lists of candidates. The BJP has declared 99 nominees so far while the Sena (Shinde) and MNS have announced 45 names each, achieving a total of nine. But the association of number nine and politics in the state goes back to the first Sena-BJP alliance formed by Balasaheb Thackeray and Pramod Mahajan. The division of the 288 constituencies was originally to be 168 (SS) and 120 (BJP). However, at Balasaheb’s suggestion, it was changed to 171 and 117, so as to make the total nine. Incidentally, Raj Thackeray has stuck to the numeral. His party was formed on the 9th, his cars bear the same number and all his important events are connected with nine. A little known fact is that even Union minister Nitin Gadkari chooses the number for his cars, which bear the numerals 27, 2727 or 81 on their number plates. Chief minister Eknath Shinde, too, seems a firm believer in the power of nine. The number of his car is 567, making a total of nine. In numerology, it is called the Cardinal Number, and is held to be very auspicious. How nine benefits which candidate, which party and which formation will become known on 23 November.
In an interesting political twist, Milind Deora, a two time Lok Sabha MP from South Mumbai and presently Rajya Sabha MP from Shiv Sena (Shinde) will be facing off with GenNext Shiv Sena (UBT ) leader Aaditya Thackeray in Worli assembly constituency. Milind is of course no stranger to the area as during the Lok Sabha polls, he was tasked to handle Worli and had managed to restrict the UBT lead in the assembly segment to 6, 500 votes. The idea of fielding a strong candidate is to take on Aaditya Thackeray and pin down the young UBT leader in his constituency who is seeking a second term. The decision to field Deora reportedly took place at NDA leaders meeting in Delhi attended by Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde. It may be recalled that the UBT has cornered CM Shinde by fielding Kedar Dighe, nephew of his mentor Anand Dighe in his assembly constituency . Looks like CM Shinde could be getting even with Thackerays. Acknowledging that he would be in the fray, Milind posted a cryptic “CM @mieknathshinde ji believes that justice for #Worli & Worlikars is long overdue. Together, we’re paving the way forward & will share our vision soon.It’s Worli NOW!” In the initial rounds, Shaina NC’s name was doing the rounds for the seat. But the battle for Worli now has only got bigger and better.
In what can be seen as part of PM Modi’s efforts to explain his latest foreign policy decision vis a vis Canada to people in the country, Sanjay Verma, Indian High Commissioner who was recalled from Canada, was seen across TV channels recounting the way he was treated in that country. Verma was not only sharing incidents of personal trauma — a frightening incident when Khalistani assailants attacked him with a sword in Alberta while he was with his wife. Verma described how the Khalistani “goons” came dangerously close to injuring him, noting that they wielded a sword — not a ‘kirpan’ religious symbol — but a weapon capable of causing harm. “When I was in Alberta a sword came around 2-2.5 inches close to my body…”he said. He also revealed how Canada was forcing students with valid visas to apply for asylum. “The Khalistanis have made Khalistan into a business in Canada. In the name of Khalistan, they do human trafficking, drug trafficking and gun-running. They earn a lot of money through that and also through gurudwaras”. He said that extreme hard-line Khalistanis are only about 10,000 in numbers, and supporters amount to perhaps 1 lakh in a Sikh population of about 8 lakhs. He also shared how gangster Goldy Brar who was put on the wanted list after India’s insistence has “disappeared”. “Canada has its gangs, and Goldy Brar is a name that we gave to them, Lawrence Bishnoi is a name that we gave to them. Verma, an IIT graduate and a nuclear scientist has previously served as India’s ambassador to Japan and Sudan.
Why has Congress backed out of fighting some of the 9 assembly by-elections in Uttar Pradesh? Is it because the Samajwadi Party offered fewer seats for the Congress? Or did Rahul Gandhi feel that Congress could not win them? After the Lok Sabha polls, there was an understanding that the alliance would fight together in all states. However, Congress was so confident of its victory in Haryana, that it rejected the SP’s request for seats in the Haryana assembly polls. For UP, the Congress demanded at least 4 of the 9 seats. The SP said it could not spare more than 3 seats. Also, the seats were not the ones the Congress could win easily. A day after, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav posted on X that all nine candidates would be contested on the symbol of SP. Apparently, Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav spoke twice to sort out the differences. He also reminded Rahul how he was initially reluctant to fight in the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat. It was Akhilesh who had convinced Rahul to fight, and he had won by a sizeable margin. Yadav explained that he was willing to give Phulpur to the Congress. But SP had announced its candidates for Phulpur because the Congress was delaying the talks. Besides, if the SP withdrew a Muslim candidate, Mujtaba Siddiqui from Phulpur to make way for the Congress, it would send a wrong signal in a seat with a sizable Muslim presence. Rahul felt that the Congress could not win the seats offered by the SP, so the Congress leader Avinash Pandey later informed SP leaders that the party had decided not to contest at all.
They think differently. And, they think out-of-box. Sometimes, such thinking throws up a practical solution. On many occasions, such an idea could remain in the realms of utopia. The wars in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran and Ukraine are stark reminders of the enduring instability and violence in the modern world. The human and economic costs of these conflicts are immense. They affect not just the countries involved but the entire globe. The escalating tension has put a pressure of an unusual magnitude on over-populated in these war zones. Is there a mechanism to mitigate this situation? At least Dr SK Prakash believes there is a possibility for this. This senior faculty in the Department of Economics of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College in the city of Chennai is of the view that ‘controlled migration’ could help bring the temperature down in an over-populated war zone. With a passion for articulating newer solutions in the emerging geo-political dynamics, Dr Prakash advocates the creation of a new global institution to address overpopulation in conflict and crisis zones. “Countries facing demographic decline such as Japan and certain European nations could benefit from controlled migration from over-populated regions. A well-regulated migration policy could relieve population pressure in conflict zones while addressing labour shortages in developed nations,” argues Dr Prakash. Any takers!
The Karnataka State Cricket Association must be given a big thumbs up for spending money on the innovative SubAir drainage system that gets the ground ready in under half an hour of the stoppage of rain. Installed at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium seven years ago the SubAir technology has the capacity to evacuate water into a storage area for use in summer days. More importantly, the system enables the ground staff to ready the ground in quick time for the umpires to resume the match. Many associations have gone in for sand-based outfields, but the SubAir guarantees play once rain stops. While the Noida Test exposed the local authorities from getting the facility ready for a Test match between New Zealand and Afghanistan, despite rain affecting a full day of the first Test between India and New Zealand, play resumed in Bengaluru and a result was obtained with two full sessions remaining on the fifth and final day. The authorities in Dharamshala and Mohali have installed modern drainage systems to ensure that the paying spectator is not short-changed. Heavy rains lashed in and around Pune city before the second Test, but the teams practiced the day before the start of the match at the Maharashtra International Cricket Stadium and the full quota of 90 overs was bowled on the first day. The subsidy from the BCCI to its member associations is now around Rs 100 crore a year and hence keeping the cricket fan in mind and also the competitive nature of Test cricket because of the ICC World Test Championship, associations must spend money on technology that will offset the damage caused by rain.
The BJP is scheduled to undertake an ambitious membership drive in West Bengal, aiming to strengthen its base ahead of the crucial 2026 State Assembly elections. This initiative, part of the party’s nationwide membership campaign, holds particular significance for the Bengal unit as it seeks to regain momentum after a disappointing performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It faced a similar setback in the 2021 State Assembly election. Insiders within the Bengal BJP unit reveal that the State BJP President Sukanta Majumder, along with the party’s 12 other MPs, has been tasked with enrolling at least 10,000 new members each. Meanwhile, all MLAs, including Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, have been asked to gather a minimum of 5,000 members each. This aggressive membership push is scheduled to be completed by November 15. Though the membership drive officially began on September 2, following an inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, progress in Bengal had stalled due to the civil society protests over the tragic RG Kar Medical College incident. Now, the party is set to resume its efforts with renewed vigor. The drive will take place in three phases — October 26-30, November 1-7 and November 9-15. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to visit West Bengal on October 27 to inaugurate this membership campaign. His visit will be crucial, as it marks his first public appearance in the state since the BJP’s disappointing results in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. His address to the party cadre is expected to reinvigorate the base and chart out a strategic path for the 2026 State Assembly election.
The Congress has bitten the bullet in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh by conceding parity to regional partners: UBT Sena, NCP (SP). In UP, Congress similarly left the field open for Samajwadi Party for 9 state assembly by-polls after refusing to play ball in Haryana with SP and AAP failing to come to power. High stakes play for Maharashtra state assemblies sees a wiser Congress high command establishing a direct link up with UBT Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray, who refused to continue seat sharing talks unless MPCC Chief Nana Patole was excluded. Sharad Pawar’s earlier political gambit, in tandem with Thackeray, has paid off big time for the Maratha leader. Pawar will now field 85 candidates just like UBT and the Congress, keeping hopes alive for assuming the helm of Maharashtra affairs as CM himself or, deputing party president Jayant Patil if SP NCP secures most seats among MVA partners while cumulatively crossing the 145 assembly seats mark for government formation. The Congress party has factored in the realization of regional alliance partners including DMK in TN, that Congress’ growth adversely impacted their own regional growth. A pragmatic Congress high command focussed attention on government formation in Maharashtra rather than sitting pretty over high Lok Sabha strike rate (17 MPs) in just concluded general elections. Congress’ Maharashtra observer Ramesh Chennitala forged an understanding with Thackeray ensuring seat sharing discussions excluded Patole, who was only authorized to announce the resultant formula ratio of 1:1:1 (85 seats each). For the remaining 33 seats the field is still open.
Are Hindu places of deep faith and devout worship soft targets for political pillage and desecration? Why are other faith places of worship not dared to be targeted? Secularism is a selective cash cow. After many other such instances of partisan interference, the sacred 9th century Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Temple built by the Chola kings at the foothills of the revered Thiruvannamalai has now become the target for yet another commercial exploitation. A shopping complex is the ambitious plan. Every year lakhs of pilgrims visit this Lord Shiva temple. The most famous being the full moon night Girivalam, a 13-km trek circumambulating the Hill. The coffers of this place overflow on the festival day of Karthigai Deepam, when the hilltop glows with a massive Jyothi seen for miles. This year, Rs 3.5 crore filled the Hundis in three months. In 2023, TN’s HR & CE ministry came up with a shocking plan to build a shopping complex right across from the Eastern Rajagopuram of the temple to house 150 shops on temple land, by using Rs 6. 4 crore of temple money. Activist TR Ramesh quickly filed a case to strike down this move to commercially exploit the temple land using temple funds. After a quick hearing the Madras HC Division Bench “directed that all construction activity should stop immediately”. Ramesh of the INDIC Collective Trust has got a reprieve from parties that profess atheism and malign Hindu religion for political mileage but want Hindu devotees’ largesse for their gain.
The once ruling Shiv Sena’s split has redrawn the political calculations in Maharashtra. Their impact will be tested in the coming assembly election as over two dozen constituencies will witness a pitched battle between the two Sena factions. The outcome can be decisive as the balance of power will depend on the ultimate political formation, which will happen by consigning the loyalty factor to the dustbin. Over the past few days, defections have been galore and every hour, turncoats declare their commitment for the party they join by deserting their original outfit. With the proliferation of candidates, each constituency’s fate is uncertain. The atmosphere is surcharged as the average Shiv Sena worker, belonging to either faction, is facing a dilemma of sorts. The prominent constituencies include chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Kopri-Pachpakhadi seat in Thane. The rival Sena (UBT) has fielded Kedar Dighe, who is a nephew of late Anand Dighe, the mentor of Shinde. Still, the most interesting fight will be in Dadar-Mahim since there will be three candidates, all of them loyal to the memory of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. His son Uddhav has selected Mahesh Sawant, who will take on sitting Sena MLA (Shinde) Sada Sarvankar and MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s son Amit. Firebrand leader Narayan Rane’s son Nilesh of Sena (Shinde) will be locked in a fight with Sena (UBT) candidate Vaibhav Naik, a traditional foe of the Rane family. In Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district, at least half a dozen fights between the two factions will take place. Strangely, several of the candidates from both sides were in other parties till yesterday. When it became evident that their party had overlooked their claim, they changed hats and obtained candidacy, too. The constituencies concerned are Sawantwadi, Kudal, Ratnagiri, Dapoli, Patan, Sangola, Paranda, Karjat, Malegaon, Nandgaon, Vaijapur, Sillod, Kalmanuri, Ramtek, Mehkar, Pachora, Ovla-Majivada, Magathane, Kurla, Mahad, Radhanaari and...
Acutely feeling the political pressure of abandoning Wayanad for Raebareli Lok Sabha seat, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi made a strong, sweet pitch for his sister Priyanka who filed her papers for the November 13 by-election as his replacement. “Priyanka has always been someone who would sacrifice anything for her family and friends, and this quality will make her an exceptional MP for Wayanad. To her, the people of Wayanad are family. As her brother, I ask you to support and protect her as you have done for me. I will always stand by Wayanad as your unofficial MP,” and then he went on to add that Wayanad would perhaps have two MPs– one official and the other unofficial in him. The Gandhi scion was aware that Wayanad had stood by him in most trying times. It sent him to Lok Sabha, when he had lost from Amethi during Modi’s first wave in 2014. That’s why Priyanka Vadra’s political debut was made a high profile event. Not only did CPP leader Sonia Gandhi put in an appearance to boost Kerala Congress but party leaders from outside like Karnataka CM Siddaramiah were also present. Deputy CM DK Shivkumar had to skip the event as he had to ensure that BJP leader CP Yogeshwar joined Congress to contest the Channapatna assembly by-election, a seat he had lost to JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy. Meanwhile, the BJP flayed the Gandhi family for fielding Priyanka from Wayand which had 30% Muslim voters. Party spokesperson Pradip Bhandari also charged the party of humiliating Dalit leader Mallikarjun Kharge as he could not be present when Priyanka was handing her papers to the Returning Officer as more than 5 people are not allowed in the room.
There are two more Tests to go against New Zealand in the ongoing three-Test series, but like against England — which won the first Test in Hyderabad before losing in Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamshala — the Rohit Sharma led home team will go to Pune 0-1 with a hope of causing a turnaround from the second Test. India has not lost a Test to New Zealand in 36 years and so the eight wicket defeat will hurt its players. New Zealand’s fast bowlers exposed the Indian batters’ vulnerability against speed and bounce on a pitch that was not really a deck for the fast bowlers. England chose rookie spinners left arm Tom Hartley and off-spinner Shoaib Bashir because of their height and skill and in Bengaluru — where India held a 3-0 record against New Zealand’s tall fast bowlers Tim Southee, Matt Henry and William O’ Rourke — brought down India to 46 in the first inning and took the last seven wickets in the second for a mere 54 runs. India has now lost one Test each to Australia, England and New Zealand at home in the last three years, it will be hard pressed to make the ICC World Test Championship final if it does not win the big points in Pune and Mumbai. Sharma made one mistake upon winning the toss and that was to bat. It has already cost India the first Test and if it does not show innovative ways to take wickets and some spunk while batting in the first inning, it may even face the prospect of going down in the series which will not be good augury travelling to Australia.
Not all is quiet in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) front, post its election defeat to BJP. Many within BJD put the blame on Naveen Patnaik for his blind faith reposed on his personal assistant VK Pandian, IAS officer from Tamil Nadu cadre. The man who was seen in every photo frame of Naveen Patnaik for over a decade now has gone off the grid post the election debacle. BJD insiders say though Pandian seems largely out of sight but he is not out of the picture. He continues to be Naveen babu’s eyes and ears and stealthily visits Naveen Nivas regularly. On his part, the former Odisha chief minister publicly acknowledged that “Pandian had served the state and party with utmost dedication, efficiency and integrity”. Sources say Pandian is like the late RK Dhawan, Indira Gandhi’s personal secretary, who knows too much and that perhaps explains why Patnaik continues to support him. Not surprisingly, his influence continued and led to more disgruntlement, dissensions and desertion within BJD. BJD’s former five time MP Prasanna Kumar Patasani who joined BJP says BJD has become a divided house because Pandian continues to guide BJD as he has Naveen babu’s protection. Patasani alleges that Pandian advised him not to raise the issue of conferring Bharat Ratna to Naveen’s father late Biju Patnaik in the Parliament earlier. Amidst all this finger pointing exercise many from BJD are crossing over to BJP.
For the first time in recent years, Tollywood has taken the Puja box office by storm in Bengal, outshining twin Bollywood releases. Three Bengali films — Srijit Mukherjee’s Tekka, starring and produced by superstar Dev, Shiboprasad Mukherjee-Nandita Roy’s Bahurupi, and Shastri, featuring veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty and Deboshree Roy—hit theatres on October 8 as a Durga Puja bonanza, and audiences flocked to cinemas, setting a new trend in festive box office dominance. Despite earlier scepticism, due to controversies and online trolls targeting Tollywood actors following the RG Kar incident, the three films delivered big time helping the industry recover from a difficult first half. It has been a tradition of releasing Bengali films during Durga Puja but RG Kar protests forced directors and producers to cancel trailer launches and promotions back in August. This led to disappointing collections for films like Raj Chakraborty’s Babli and Srijit’s Mrinal Sen’s biopic Padatik. The only notable box office success during that period was Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta’s 50th film, Ajogyo which crossed Rs 1 crore at national multiplexes. Bahurupi earned over Rs 3 crore in six days. In four days, Tekka achieved over 450 housefull shows making it the highest-grossing Puja release to date of Rs 2.75 crore. Trade analysts expect Tekka to surpass last year’s Puja hit, Dawshom Awbotaar which earned Rs3 crore in 10 days. Meanwhile, Shastri earned over Rs 1 crore. Bollywood’s two major releases Alia Bhatt’s Jigra and Rajkummar Rao’s Vicky Vidya Ka Woo Wala Video earned Rs 2.5 crore each, significantly less than their Bengali counterparts.
If there is one formula for the success of its third term in Haryana that the BJP would most likely use in Maharashtra assembly polls, it would be having a very limited campaign of its star campaigner PM Modi. Unlike the previous strategy of carpet bombing the poll-bound states and Lok Sabha constituencies with Modi’s rallies in the run upto 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party has begun to restrict the number of Modi’s rallies from Haryana elections. Party sources indicate that PM Modi would not be addressing more than half a dozen rallies and at best such rallies would be spread across different regions in the state. BJP sources pointed out that the CM face for Mahayuti was more or less settled at the Chandigarh NDA CMs meeting when PM Modi asked Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde to move the resolution lauding the return of the BJP in Haryana for a third term. Shinde was picked for the honour even as Devendra Fadnavis who represents the BJP in Maharashtra was present. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar also attended the Chandigarh meeting. The NDA CMs conclave started immediately after the swearing-in ceremony of Nayab Singh Saini on October 17 in Chandigarh. There were 13 Chief Ministers and 16 deputy CMs belonging to the BJP and other NDA allies in attendance. Besides CMs of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, states like Bihar, Sikkim, Nagaland and Meghalaya had also put in their attendance.
This year’s biggest grosser Stree 2 has found its place in the numbers book as pure entertainment riding a spooky plot. This film’s highlight is Tamannaah Bhatia enticing fans with her Aaj ki Raat item number, bringing in repeat audiences just to see her dance. Her earlier film Jailor item number Noovu kaavalaa is still rocking the audience. Tamannaah has her place as a saleable star who raises no controversies, does her work and moves on. But she may not have realised the deep trouble she was getting into by signing on as Brand ambassador for the Mahadev HPZ Token App, which has now become a legal nightmare for its owner Saurabh Chandrakar. His App and role in the alleged illegal broadcast of the IPL competition has turned into a Rs 5000 crore lawsuit, with Viacom claiming Rs 100 crore loss. Tamannaah is alleged to be part of the promos and events and now the ED is determined to question all those connected with the scam. Travelling to Guwahati with her parents, the ravishing film star was subjected to 5 hours of questioning. It is not known how this captivating lady withstood the ED grilling (or how the ED faced her voltage). But her visit to the famous Mahashakti’s Tantric power temple of Kamakhya, dressed in a white kurta accompanied by her parents, made more news.
National media attention over the Haryana/J&K state assembly elections blindsided the rest of India from political goings on in neighbourhood Punjab. Fully fit CM Bhagwant Mann quietly reshuffled his cabinet of ministers stamping his authority in Punjab notwithstanding changing intra-party dynamics. Chetan Singh Jauramajra with nine portfolios to include Defense Services Welfare, Freedom Fighters, Horticulture, mining and geology, water resources, conservation of soil and water got the pink slip. AAP’s Jalandhar MLA Mohinder Singh Bhagat (who had left AAP for BJP pastures) secured ministership and first three of these portfolios. Another newly inducted Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal got the remaining departments and a place in Punjab’s council of ministers. Another big loser in the political stakes was Anmol Gagan Maan who held Hospitality, Investment Promotion, Labour, Tourism & Cultural Affairs till CM Mann replaced him with another biggie, Tarunpreet Singh Sond allocating to him Gagan Maan’s portfolios and department of industries and commerce as well. In addition to these Sond also takes charge of rural development and panchayat departments that another downsized minister Lalit Singh Bhullar held till September 23. Local Government and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Balkar Singh lost his portfolios but not cabinet rank and will administer the Jails department of Punjab. Ravjot Singh became minister and took over his erstwhile portfolios. Hardeep Singh Mundian is another big new ministerial find for CM Mann and takes charge of housing and urban development (CM held portfolios) along with revenue, rehabilitation and Disaster Management (held by Brahm Shankar Jimpa, who also got the axe. Harjot Singh Bains also found induction as the new Information and Public Relations minister in last month’s reshuffle. Was CM Mann pre-empting a coup? Only time will tell.
Are we driven to autopilot mode? Encircled by artificial intelligence and social networks, it appears that we are pushed into autopilot mode. What is the way out? Mumbai-based Dwarakanath Soundararajan, who promoted Neurosymfony Technologies Ltd, has hit upon a unique solution. A software engineer with deep expertise in web application development and Machine Learning, he has launched a web app that offers much-needed pause — a space for intentional reflection and cultivating a healthy information diet. He has launched www.sphatika.cloud, a structured spiritual journal and deep-thinking web app. It is designed to help one track his/her life’s goals based on yogic principles, specifically the pancha kosha theory, focusing primarily on the Vijnanamaya kosha — The Wisdom Sheath. The app also encourages cultivation of other koshas through spiritual practices. Designed for individuals seeking personal growth and self-awareness, the app serves both as a tool for structured reflection and a guide for pursuing life’s dreams. Its unique blend of spiritual principles and goal-oriented journaling makes it an ideal companion for those who value introspection while striving to achieve tangible results in their lives. Graduated with a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from University of Texas at San Antonio, Soundararajan is now focused on creating a social network for spiritual health management.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has taken a lead over other major parties by declaring its first list of a hundred candidates for the coming Maharashtra assembly election. The party is expected to contest around 160 seats in the 288-member house. Even as the partners in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi have been haggling for their individual share of the seats, the BJP’s decision to come out with the first list is considered strategic. Already preparing for the election immediately after the Lok Sabha election was over, the party machinery is geared up to take on its adversaries. Significantly, the first list has few surprises as almost all the sitting MLAs have been asked to contest. The list is topped by deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. A somewhat surprising nominee is state BJP president Chandrakant Bawankule, who has been accommodated in the legislative council after he was refused the assembly opportunity in 2019. He is considered a loyal follower of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. A few days ago, there were murmurs that Gadkari’s loyalists were being side lined. Following some such news reports, a meeting between Gadkari and Fadnavis took place. Bawankule’s selection to fight for the assembly is considered as an adjustment. While the BJP candidates have gone into an overdrive, the hopefuls in other parties are still groping in the dark about their future. Their fate will be declared latest by Monday (Oct 21) evening, it is felt.
It is reportedly the fifth busiest airport by passenger traffic and aircraft movements in India. It is also the third busiest airport by international traffic. In 2023–24, it handled over 21 million passengers. Well, the Chennai International Airport is turning out to be hectic by the day. Handling such heavy traffic and facilitating customs processes prove a big challenge for the authorities. Well, the government is quite aware of this. The Ministry of Finance has decided to appoint approved valuers for assessing gold, silver, jewellery and precious stones at Chennai International Airport. It has already come out with a notification inviting nominations for a panel of valuers responsible for assaying and valuing precious items for both accompanied and unaccompanied passengers, as well as for issuing export certificates. The appointed valuers will also handle the valuation of seized or confiscated goods. One of the requirements for appointment is that they should be available at any time. Qualified assayers, valuers or jewellers affiliated with recognized associations are eligible for submitting applications. “The assayer/valuer is required to present himself /herself before any adjudicating authority / appellate authority/ courts to give the evidence/ produce the relevant records, as and when required,” it said. A valuable initiative, it appears!
In an interesting initiative, PM Modi has established a monitoring group chaired by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to focus on reviewing the implementation of various schemes announced by him, its budgetary provisions, subordinate legislation, and other critical infrastructure projects. The inaugural meeting of this newly formed group took place on October 18 at the PMO. The meeting saw participation from all secretaries to the GoI, including the Chairman of the Railway Board, who attended in a hybrid format. This group is set to convene monthly at the PMO in South Block. The group has been tasked to examine the announcements made by Modi and also assess projects for which the foundation stone has been laid by him. Besides, Chouhan will also communicate expectations of the PMO to relevant secretaries, especially if any project appears to be lagging or requires inter-ministerial support. Modi was reportedly worried about delays in the implementation of government schemes, highlighting these issues in closed-door meetings with secretaries and senior PMO officials. His proactive approach to governance suggests a commitment to ensuring that all government initiatives are executed in a timely and effective manner. The establishment of this monitoring group is widely interpreted as a response to these concerns. Involving Chouhan with more governance responsibilities also reveals that Modi has more plans for the BJP veteran from Madhya Pradesh than what the RSS envisions for him. The Sangh has been pitching for Chouhan who had a near record run of three plus terms as Madhya Pradesh CM as next BJP chief. With his involvement in both day-to-day administration and global affairs, Modi will surely have his say on who will head the BJP next.
Rohit Sharma was brave to admit that he read the pitch wrong in the first Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Captains rarely speak with courage and own up a lapse at the toss. Sharma came to the presser after he was bundled out for 46 on the second day of the three-Test series and expressed disappointment. Sharma said he did not see grass on the surface that was under protection from the heavy and continuous rainfall for nearly three days and that the pitch would be flat. Only recently his teammates and the cricketing world lavished praise on him for going all out in the batting and bowling departments in order to force a result in the Kanpur Test against Bangladesh. It was his 19th Test as captain (in Bengaluru) with a winning record of fractionally lower than 67%. After two days of action the pendulum appears to have swung in favour of New Zealand which has won only two Tests in India in nearly seven decades. Sharma’s bold call at the toss helped New Zealand’s fast bowlers to run through the home team’s batting line with no fuss. Captains consider the atmosphere, pitch conditions and their team’s strength before writing the playing XI and the decision to be taken at the toss. Once he chose to drop in-form fast bowler Akash Deep and bring in Chinaman practitioner Kuldeep Yadav, Sharma was only going to choose to bat. It was a call that saw India in a sorry plight, shot out for its third lowest score in Test cricket.
The Chief Justice of India has inspired and installed a brand new Lady Justice in the SC library, in an effort to bin many a vestige of British colonialism. The just sculpted Lady Justice is as Indian as she can get…she wears a bindi, bangles and strongly resembles Goddess Saraswati. The makeover immediately flashes memories of how justice was strongly and tellingly portrayed in our films with titles like Andha Kanoon, Insaaf ka Tarazu in Hindi, Sattam Oru Iruttu Arai (law is a dark room) in Tamil. The stark inequalities and systemic interpretation of class, gender and caste that torment society were portrayed as the “interpretation” of the law by the Lady Justice, blindfolded, holding a weighing scale in her right hand and a sword in her left. These symbols were meant to convey an impartial system that did not discriminate, and one that meted out punishment, swiftly. The new symbol is significant in keeping with the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita replacing the old, the saree clad Lady Justice has no blindfold and the Indian Constitution replaces the sword as a revered Tome in her left hand. She strongly resembles Devi Saraswati from the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma or from the Pooja idols of Kolkata’s Kumartuli. But mere intent to clean up colonial cobwebs is not enough. With 51 million cases clogging the judicial system, 80,000 in the SC alone, delaying justice delivery in a shocking way, how is the system gearing up for fast redressals and closures?
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole has become a stumbling block in the seat sharing talks with the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray. The simmering differences over allotment of seats in Vidarbha and in Mumbai to some extent are said to be the reason for the disagreement. “It seems Maharashtra Congress leaders are unable to take decisions in several matters. Hence we will talk with Ramesh Chennithala and Rahul Gandhi,” Sena MP Sanjay Raut said. However, the news has leaked out that the Sena will not join any talks where Patole is present. The Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar is yet to react to the tricky development. Thus, the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi will have to negotiate a slippery patch very cautiously to land safely in the electoral arena. Over the past few days, a series of meetings have been held by MVA to finalise the seat sharing formula for the election to be held on 20 November. The regained confidence after the Lok Sabha election’s win needs to be retained since inordinate delays in such sensitive matters can vitiate the mood of the rank and file, the Sena feels. MVA leaders till now have reached an accord on about 200 seats of the total 288. The main impediment is the seat sharing in Vidarbha, where the Congress party has an upper hand. The Sena’s claim that it sacrificed seats like Amravati and Ramtek for the Lok Sabha election in favour of the Congress is not seen to be cutting much ice. This has angered Uddhav, who is not ready to wait any longer.
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack
It is the Third Anniversary of Short Post and as a news media startup launched during the Covid-19 pandemic it certainly feels better than good to find ourselves where we are today. Here, I must cite the unstinted support of our seasoned contributors, all senior editors in the country, who brought a great degree of maturity and sagacity to the Short Post newsroom. But for them, our tagline “Authentic Gossip”, an Oxymoron, would not have matured viably. Our user numbers may be small but our stories have created the desired impact among people who matter — decision makers and influencers. We offer a big punch in a small pack and Short Post with its 225-word stories has been punching above its weight category. Having posted close to 3,000 stories in the last 36 months, Short Post, I feel, is an idea whose time has come.
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If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
As I said last year, disruptions in the media world are moving at a fast and furious pace. Technology is playing a very big role in how content is generated and consumed. But, we are neither alarmed nor perturbed as it is all a part of the evolution process. What gives us comfort is that AI is unable to create original gossipy content. And that is the news arena where we have achieved a distinction.