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sajjan jindal_001

Sajjan Jindal: The Art Of Managing Business & Politics

JSW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal is hogging the limelight for his announcement to invest Rs 22,000 crore for the expansion of Dolvi plant in the coastal Raigad district in Maharashtra with an annual production capacity of 14 million tonnes. Already, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation has notified 750 acre of the total 1,600 acre land. Jindal’s investment decision has raised eyebrows especially among those in the ruling Shiv Sena. Many in the Sena know about the proximity Jindal enjoys with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Sajjan Jindal group was also associated with the redevelopment of Kedarnath and Badrinath when the holy cities were severely devastated by floods and landslides in June 2013.  It is believed that Jindal had organised the PM’s meeting with Pakistan’s former PM Nawaz Sharif. Against this backdrop, some of the Sena leaders are wondering why Jindal agreed for big investments in Maharashtra which is now ruled by their party, in alliance with the Congress and the NCP, instead of any of the BJP-ruled States. Clearly, all businessmen know the consequences of putting all eggs in one basket. There are lessons galore of businessmen who forget this simple principle.
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Fotocorp.com -- L To R: Uddhav Thackeray, Nitin Gadkari, Sharad Pawar

Thackeray Pulling Out All The Stops To Woo Airbus

Political parties in Maharashtra are known for not practicing untouchability in politics. But when it comes to the issue of protecting the State’s interest and maintaining Maharashtra’s pre-eminence as the most favoured investment destination then all political parties sink their difference and put up a show of unity. This unity is important as Maharashtra faces tough competition from other States like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka to bag big projects. A case in point is that of luring Airbus SE, a European multinational aerospace corporation, for its proposed investment of over Rs15,000 crore to manufacture 56 aircraft and helicopters in Maharashtra. Knowing the importance of Airbus’ entry into the state, the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government has swung into action. Chief Minister and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray has written to NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari for taking up Maharashtra’s cause with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government has cited a site in the MIHAN project at Nagpur for Airbus’ proposed investment. Airbus is expected to join hands with the Tata Group for the proposed venture. Incidentally, Nagpur is the home city of Gadkari.
kareena_anushka

How Kareena & Anushka Cashed On Baby Bumps

Unlike yesteryear’s stars who hid their married status and pregnancy, today’s stars are going to town on both the counts. Both Kareena Kapoor Khan and Anushka Sharma have smartly cashed on their pregnancy by endorsing advertisements showing their baby bumps. Result: both made money hands over fist. Kareena, according to industry sources, earned about Rs 12 crore from brand endorsements. Interestingly even brands are keen for such endorsements by celebrities. It was a hush-hush affair when Sridevi was pregnant with Janhvi while shooting for Judaai, produced by her husband Boney Kapoor. Though one did get a glimpse of it in one of the songs in the movie. Similarly, Aamir Khan’s marriage was kept a secret although the audience saw the glimpse of his wife Reena Dutta in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was probably the first Bollywood actress who had the courage to show her baby bumps. She was spotted at fashion shows when she was pregnant with Aaradhya. She walked the ramp and did invite snide remarks, but she was unfazed. Today, pregnancies have become just a minor bump in a female actor’s career. Rani Mukherjee made a successful comeback; so did Kareena after her first baby. Even Neha Dhupia is back in the business with her talk show besides making guest appearances on TV shows and Page 3 events. Come to think of it, today’s stars are having the best of both the worlds – motherhood and career.
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-- L To R: Axar, Amrish & Sanjay

Aapdo Axar Is Talk Of The Town!

Aapdo Axar Patel is the talk of the town. Gujaratis across the State, so much used to the cricketing exploits of the Rajkot-based Cheteshwar Pujara, and Jamnagar-based Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah (he is very much an Amdavadi), are rejoicing at the success of the six footer from Nadiad playing havoc in the England batting ranks. So far Axar has 18 scalps in the ongoing Test series against England. He is keen to add a many more to the kitty in the last Test at Motera.  It’s a complete Patel thing in Axar’s make-up. He may be operating under the watchful eyes of India team Head Coach, Ravi Shastri, a left arm spinner himself, but “Aapdo Axar” picked up the art of left of spin from Sanjay Patel, Amrish Patel and Swapnil Patel, all associated with Kheda Cricket Academy in Nadiad, famous for giving India its first Deputy PM, Vallabhai Patel. Sanjay and Amrish must get credit for urging Axar to give up left arm pace and become an artful dodger embracing left arm spin. “He had a faulty landing of his right foot when bowling pace, but everything was fine when he bowled spin. He agreed to become a spinner when he was a junior,” Sanjay and Amrish told this correspondent while visiting Axar’s residence in Nadiad. 

Do Politicians Make For Good Sports Administrators?

It was a hotly contested election between a corporate chieftain and a politician. In the end, SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh won. Singh was re-elected President of the Boxing Federation of India defeating senior BJP leader and former Maharashtra Sports Minister Ashish Shelar. The defeat of a prominent Maharashtra politician refreshed memories of the tussle between Jagmohan Dalmiya and Sharad Pawar for the BCCI President’s post in 2015. Dalmiya was unanimously elected BCCI President as Pawar failed to secure a nomination for the post. This begs the question: Why do politicians make beeline to join various sports bodies? Do they make for good sports administrators? As per a report, 47% of India’s sports federations are headed by politicians. Jay Kowli, Secretary-General of the Boxing Federation of India, believes having politicians as administrators have proved to be beneficial – with leaders like Sharad Pawar making a big difference to the world of cricket. Well, such encomiums must be music to the ears of politicians as the general feeling is that the politicians should keep out of the sports bodies.

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.
And this is vindicated by our two marquee advertisers – IDFC FIRST Bank and ICICI Lombard. Both believed in our story and have supported us from Day one. A big thank you to both.
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.