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Global Major Atlas Copco Buys Out Bengaluru-Based Co’s Pumps Business
Global air compressor giant Atlas Copco, which has been on a buying spree over the last few years to take over major vacuum companies around the world, has just signed a sale and purchase agreement to buy out a Bengaluru-based company’s pumps business. The Indian arm of the $11-billion Swedish giant will, however, continue to use the latter’s HHV brand – which is a well-established and very strong one in the vacuum business – for the next three years. HHV Pumps was a 30% partner in a joint venture with a group of private individuals who were ex-CEOs of the century-old pumps manufacturer Edwards, which is now part of the Stockholm-headquartered Atlas Copco. Other vacuum pump companies that have been acquired include the 170-year-old Leybold and the comparatively young US-based Brooks Automation, which was established in Chelmsford, Massachusetts in 1978. HHV, founded in 1965 by SV Narasaiah (1924 -2021) as Hind High Vacuum Company Pvt Ltd, got a good deal, while the Swedish giant will gain a big foothold in the Indian market. The sale is expected to be completed in the first week of January 2022.
nana patole_wiki
Fate Of 12 Suspended BJP MLAs Hangs In Balance: Will Maha Congress’ Nana Patole Return Favour?
Fifty-eight-year-old Nana Patole, President, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, is a happy man. Not because his daughter found a suitable alliance and was married off with much fanfare and the ceremony being attended by the Governor Bhagatsingh Koshyari, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) colleagues Balasaheb Thorat (Congress) and Nawab Malik (NCP) among others but because he pulled off a coup of sorts recently. Sources say he got Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to withdraw their party candidate in the recently held state’s by-election to the Rajya Sabha necessitated by the demise of Congress MP Rajeev Satav. His earlier stint in BJP probably helped. He left BJP and joined Congress in 2017. Patole, who has earned brownie points with the Gandhis, now faces the real test on December 22, 2021, when BJP will expect a quid pro quo on the issue of 12 suspended BJP MLAs from the Maharashtra legislature. How Patole delivers remains to be seen. The issue of the 12 suspended BJP MLAs will figure majorly in the forthcoming state session and is likely to create fissures within the MVA constituents with Sharad Pawar’s NCP and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena likely to be on opposite sides of the Congress while deciding the fate of the suspended BJP MLAs.
Mamata_b_006_fc
Kolkata Civic Polls: Didi’s Family First Mantra Rattles TMC Incumbents & Hopefuls
It ain’t for nothing that PM Narenrdra Modi warned on Constitution Day (Nov 26) about family-run parties being the biggest threat to democracy. Mamata Banerjee is no Narendra Modi. The same day she used the forthcoming Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections (set for Dec 19) to strengthen her family stranglehold on Kolkata by declaring her old network of supporters as candidates in the civic polls. She chose to give tickets to relatives and extended families rather than go looking for fresh faces. Ironically, she was doing all this on a suggestion from her strategist Prashant Kishor (PK) to change candidates. The TMC had dropped about 39 candidates in 144 wards. Mamata “misused” PK’s advice to field relatives– including her own sister-law Kajari Banerjee, dropping an influential incumbent Ratan Malakar. Kajari’s candidature so shocked Malakar that he filed papers as an independent. He and yet another councillor, both belonging to Mamata’s Bhowanipore assembly constituency, revolted. As of now PK is at odds with the TMC.  Didi has told PK to leave out micro candidate issues to her. PK recently skipped a strategy-meeting on the polls. Meanwhile, the strategist is sending across train loads of young men — affiliated to his I-PAC — to Goa to work for the party. Left to herself, Mamata may be comfortable transferring Bengal voters to Goa. Just to prove a point!
FiH hockey
Defending India Crash Out Of Junior Hockey World Cup: Any Lessons Learnt?
At Bhubaneswar, Odisha, the venue for the 2021 Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup played between 16 countries, the expectations were high that the defending champion India would once again walk away with the Cup. After all, it had won the Junior World Cup title in 2016 in Lucknow. But, the winner was Argentina. It displayed maturity, strategy and patience to beat the six-time champion Germany 4-2 to lift the cup after a gap of 16 years. Argentinians, who were shorter in height vis-a-vis German players, overcame that shortcoming by focusing on timely tackles, dodge and block, dribble, and in the process displayed exemplary teamwork. India on the other hand lacked all these qualities from Day One. It lost miserably to France and Germany. In fact, experts point out that India’s conversion ratio, coordination and consistent precision needs great improvement. The blame game is on with fingers pointing towards Hockey India. Not many know that Odisha was chosen as a venue at the last moment in September when two other Indian states declined to host the event. The Naveen Patnaik government pulled all stops out to ensure the event went off smoothly. Even the international coach Graham Reed was brought in just three months before the event. Hope Hockey India is well prepared for the next big event in 2024.
sidhu_kejriwal_channi
‘Bhangra’ Brotherhood Sees Channi, Sidhu Mute Kejriwal’s Equal Music For Punjab-Delhi
Election dates for Punjab assembly elections will be announced a month away; polls are due in February 2022. Yet political jockeying for voter’s attention among key players has peaked. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, his Delhi counterpart and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu were spotted carrying their Punjab battle into streets and TV studios of Delhi, much to everyone’s amusement. Channi who performed bhangra on a live TV event, made it known that his potential challenger Kejriwal had no business to venture into Punjab. Simply because the Haryana-born Delhi CM may not know how to dance to a bhangra beat. And how can anyone do Punjab politics without doing bhangra he asked. If this was Channi’s talking point in a TV event, Sidhu cornered Kejriwal by leading a protest of Delhi temporary teachers outside his residence in Delhi. The dharna was to apparently puncture AAP chief’s campaign point in Punjab where he is offering a whole lot of freebies — from offering Rs 1,000 to every woman in a household to free power to ideal government schools. Did Channi and Sidhu coordinate their effort to corner Kejriwal? Of course not. There is still no theme that binds the Congress in Punjab. Channi is found playing his caste card; and it has begun to worry party men.
sooryawanshi
Akshay-Starrer ‘Sooryavanshi’ Makes Huge Moolah As Big Screen Blends With Netflix
Akshay Kumar as the patriotic, patronising, platitudes spewing cop carries Sooryavanshi on his six pack, muscle bulging shoulders with so much sincerity that one feels almost guilty for panning this mixed up, pro-establishment homily ridden film. This “terrorist” film heavy on back to back guns, helicopters, chases, RDX, serial blasts , innocents falling like nine pins and Hindu Muslim platitudes spouted with absolute seriousness is so predictable. Mass action entertainer Rohit Shetty has even bunged in the theme song from Hum Hindustani. And the heroine Katrina Kaif would get the same summing up from Khalid Mohammed when he reviewed Darwaza years ago. “Anil Dhawan in and as Darwaza.” Ranveer Singh in a comedy cameo as the pomaded sculpted body Simmba and Ajay Devgun as Singham the serious pose with Akshay, victorious. The movie has racked over Rs 120 crore within a month of its theatre release, when the makers were debating OTT or theatres in 2020. And the icing on the cake, Netflix signed up Rs 100 crore for its December 4 release. Good optics for the BJP trying to change gears and lanes for its ensuing elections narrative. Two straight years of locked down, misery filled rainy days and assorted catastrophes, people of India want some fantasy spectacle. Who knows even such filmy efforts may stitch the great divide or drive the wedge even more deeply.
ashes_002
Cricket Fans Warm Up To 41 Days Of Ashes Fever: Who Are You Betting On?
On Wednesday, December 8, the cricket world will rise to the sights and sounds of the iconic Ashes series, played between the oldest foes in the game, Australia and England. In olden days, the teams sailed by big boats to Australia and England; these days it’s all flying visits. After 144 years of daggers-drawn like contests — the first Test was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Bowl in March 1877 and Australia won it by 45 runs after the home team’s Charles Bannerman scored the first century with a 330-ball 165 with 18 fours — Australia lead with 146 wins (95 at home) from 351 Tests. England has won 110 and 95 have ended in a draw. The last Test was played at The Oval in London in September 2019 and hence after two years and more, Australia with fast bowler captain in Pat Cummins and England with champion batter in Joe Root will lock horns at Brisbane’s Gabba in a bio-bubble secured environment. The two captains pressed a red button around a replica of the Ashes Urn to launch the Vodafone Ashes Series at the Gabba, the 81st in 144 years. The Ashes fever will grip the cricket aficionados for 41 days till the fifth Test that’s scheduled to end on January 18, 2022. Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie has predicted a 3-0 win for Australia.
jayalalithaa tribute
Jaya’s 5th Death Anniversary: A Spectacle Of Tearful Tribute Exposes Deep Party Fissures
Five years have passed by since the iron lady, Queen of quirk and TN‘s high voltage icon, late J Jayalalithaa died under mysterious circumstances. With all the state machinery and sleuthing strength at its command, this state is still floundering to unravel how and why she died. Claimants to her throne and her party are numerous. Whatever her alleged dark side of corruption, megalomania and unbridled arrogance, Jayalalithaa could not name a successor. On December 5, there were three distinct gatherings wanting to pay homage at her memorial on the Marina Beach, needless to add, each group assuming that they were the true inheritors of her legacy. Knowing the potential for a tinder box confrontation, the DMK government allotted three distinct time slots for each group. The first batch of the conjoined twins EPS and OPS, in different mourning shades of attire paid homage, jostling and elbowing for vantage…optics , optics! Then came the AMMK and Sashikala’s nephew TTV Dinakaran and his followers. And finally, Sashikala, shedding copious tears at the graveside of her beloved Akka. The undercurrents to keeping the party intact is well known, with powerful aspirants pressuring EPS and OPS to nurse the party out of the ICU. After “tearful tribute,” the ruling party floated an unofficial survey — Sasikala had the maximum followers!  Talk of setting the cat among the pigeons.  
kanimozhi
DMK’s Kanimozhi: Instead Of Rewards For Population Control, Centre Depriving Southern States Of Tax Revenues
DMK leader Kanimozhi has found her voice again. She upbraided the Centre for inequitable distribution of taxes from the central pool while pointing out that the system was blatantly unfair to southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu. Since share of taxes is linked to State population, the progressive southern States, which promoted family planning and controlled the population for five decades from the 1970s, is suffering, she said. This was an unusual outburst as the DMK has been taking the pragmatic line that it will not be openly antagonistic of the Centre. It has told leaders below the top deck to go easy on political criticism and stick to elaborating any charge with facts and figures. Even in Parliament, the DMK, while being very much part of the UPA alliance led by the Congress, has been playing it soft. During the ruckus that saw Congress take on the ruling party in Parliament in the winter session, the DMK was not unduly demonstrative but joined the walkout whenever the alliance required it. Unlike the TRS MPs who were prominent in the well of the House, DMK members were content to stay seated while scoring debating points. Kani’s criticism does of course follow the release of the findings of the national family survey which proves the point about fertility rate and fall in population in the South.
parliament suspension
Parliament Winter Session Deadlock Continues As Suspended Rajya Sabha MPs Refuse To Apologise
With the Government restoring Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) just ahead of the Winter Session there should not have been much trouble with MPs. Yet unbelievably, the imbroglio over suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs has spilled into the second week. Ideally, such an issue or any issue with the Chair gets sorted within a day or two. However, the Opposition now seems determined to prolong it as it is in no mood to tender an apology for its unruly behaviour on the floor of the House during monsoon session (August 11).  “We are not Savarkars to apologise. It is not in our culture to write letters of apology,” says CPI leader Binoy Viswom, echoing an anti-BJP narrative that insults the memory of the freedom fighter revered by millions. His view is shared by a section in the Congress too, including Rahul Gandhi. Chairman M Venkiah Naidu who has held several rounds of meetings with leaders is ready to revoke his order but says MPs have to express regret. Suspended MPs are hoping Naidu will respond to Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s statement in the House and let them off.  And that’s not possible. As for suspended MPs Priyanka Chaturvedi and Shashi Tharoor, in solidarity, quitting from Sansad TV shows, it doesn’t make business or political sense: Their TV shows were after all a professional commitment.

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.