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Once a political powerhouse, CPI(M) is grappling with organizational crisis in Kolkata, as highlighted in the report presented at its district conference. The party now faces a stark disparity in its presence across South and North Kolkata, with the party nearly vanishing in several areas, particularly the slums. While select areas show some signs of organizational activity through fund collection, magazine sales, and event turnouts, the situation in the northern parts of the city is dire. The report describes South and North Kolkata as “two extremes” in terms of party strength. Neighborhoods with significant minority populations, such as Rajabazar, Kidderpore, and the port areas, have witnessed a sharp decline in CPM’s influence. In South Kolkata’s refugee colonies, the growing presence of the BJP further erodes the party’s traditional support base. However, the most concerning trend for the party’s district leadership is its diminished presence in slums across areas like Beleghata, Maniktala, Chetla, Ballygunge, and Park Circus. On the contrary, Trinamool Congress leaders and MLAs, such as Paresh Pal in Beleghata and Firhad Hakim in Chetla, have secured critical voter base in the slums. Efforts to revive the party’s presence through initiatives like the Slum Federation have yielded little success. A reluctance among the younger generation to engage in grassroots-level work has compounded the crisis. The party also faces significant challenges in attracting women and individuals under the age of 31. The report highlights systemic failures in promoting women within the organization contrasting sharply with the ruling Trinamool’s success. The findings underscore the deep-rooted issues facing the CPI (M) in Kolkata, from internal structural challenges to the changing political landscape dominated by the TMC and BJP.
She is cut from the same cloth. Thirty-seven year old Jamie Lever, daughter of India’s most popular and successful comedian Johnny Lever, is making waves not only in India but the world over. Jamie has carved a niche for herself with her own inimical style of mimicry and timely punch. And it shows. She has 1.7 million followers on Instagram. So much so the Indian diaspora loves this standup comedienne, actor and singer. She, like her father, has carved a distinct niche for herself. So much so The Jamie Lever Show is well received only in India and even the Indian diaspora seems to love her style of comedy. This takes her to the UK to perform in London, Manchester and Birmingham between February and March 2025. Since 2014, she has toured worldwide and done over 160 sold-out shows. Apart from her growing comedy repertoire, she is known for her comedy roles in Hindi films like Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon, Housefull 4 and Bhoot Police. She has also appeared on several leading Indian TV comedy shows. Jamie has done Masters in Marketing Communications from the University of Westminster, London did a short stint in the corporate world before becoming a full time comedienne.
After losing his 12th Test match (in Melbourne) as captain in 24 Tests, Rohit Sharma may have called time in Test cricket. There is no way the national selection committee would recall him for India’s next Test, which will be played in England in mid-June. Sharma’s exit from the fifth Test against Australia – the official version is that he chose to opt out at the pretty-as-a-picture Sydney Cricket Ground. Winning the ICC World Twenty20 in Bridgetown made the former BCCI Secretary Jay Shah say this: “On November 23, after winning 10 matches, we won hearts, but we could not win the (World) Cup. I said in Rajkot that on June 29 we will win hearts, win the Cup and hoist the flag in Barbados. And our captain hoisted it there. After this win, the upcoming ICC events — WTC final and the Champions Trophy, I am confident that our team, under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, will become champions.” In these circumstances, the selection committee could no way have removed him as captain after India’s 0-3 rout against New Zealand at home, but his 10 single-digit scores (0 to 9) in his last 16 Test innings did not help his cause and forced him out of the squad itself for the Sydney Test. Sharma has not led by example with the bat since the home series against Bangladesh in Chennai. His team was shot out for 46 by the Kiwis in the first innings in Bengaluru, lost on designer pitches in Pune and Mumbai, and the Australians choked him at Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne. And that’s that; he had to go away leaving the leadership to Jasprit Bumrah who led the bowling attack and the team to a superb win in Perth.
Industrialisation is seeing western Odisha facing serious pollution problems. The air quality index (AQI) in major towns and cities in western Odisha has worsened over the years reaching alarming levels of 300 (0–50: good; 51–100: moderate). Opposition parties have urged the BJP government headed by Mohan Charan Majhi to take strict action against those violating environment laws and put mitigating measures in place. It seems brazen dumping of industrial fly ash over the years, now risen to mountain size, by thermal plants, pollution by refractories, sponge iron units and coal mines have cumulatively contributed to air and water pollution. A few months back Vedanta Group was fined Rs 71.16cr for unauthorised dumping of fly ash. Blatant violation of environmental laws has affected the health of people and it seems the respiratory diseases are on the rise. Farmers have been constantly complaining that industrial pollution is impacting their crop but this seems to have fallen on the deaf ears of the government of the day. Suresh Pujari, heading the revenue and disaster management ministry acknowledged the risks posed by pollution and its impact on Hirakud Dam’s water. It’s a Catch-22 situation for the BJP government, it needs to create large scale employment opportunities so is giving a big push to industrialisation but pollution brings its own set of problems. So how to balance the two is a challenge.
It is being said if the BJP is being seen as having an edge in the Delhi Assembly elections and has consolidated Sikh votes in the state in its favour, it is all because of the manner in which the Modi government had handled the aftermath of demise of former PM Dr Manmohan Singh. Particularly, the swift manner in which PM Modi had promptly visited 3 Moti Lal Nehru Marg residence to commiserate with Dr Singh’s family. Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda also visited the family. In contrast, what came as a shock to Congress CMs — Telangana , Himachal and Karnataka — who had rushed to Delhi were specifically instructed not to visit Dr Singh’s family or interact with them. It was as if the Gandhis did not want the Singh family to develop any contact with the CMs. It is also being speculated that the Gandhis did not want the Centre or Singh’s family to take help of the CMs in building Dr Singh’s memorial. “We want Sikh votes in Dr Singh’s name. But instead of mobilising our support and showing it, we were sitting criticising PM Modi. It has not gone down well with Sikhs-not just in Delhi but all over India. Congress has cut a sorry picture for raking up an outright bogus issue like why only DD was allowed to cover the funeral. This is when PM Modi is being seen as doing so much for our leader. Our CMs should have been involved,” said a Cong leader. Party sources said Telangana CM Revanth Reddy was particularly disappointed with the shabby manner the Congress high command was treating him. Apparently all decisions of the state government are being whetted by KC Venugopal, who as Rahul Gandhi’s close aide and AICC Gen Secy (organisation) has made Reddy’s life quite miserable. Meanwhile, a prayer meeting is being held for Dr Singh at Gurudwara Rakabganj on Dec 3.
Gold is all about safety and it appears that presently the geo-political situation seems to be at status-quo with a possibility that things may improve. Customs duty is something which can spook prices but with the cut in duties earlier this year, even that event is currently ruled out. Rupee depreciation has happened over the last few months, but further sharp downside may be difficult. Sensex is a reflection of the economy and though we seem to be having a tough time it’s still at a level where we are better than most large economies. Other than crude oil and edible oil, we are a fairly self-consuming country. Markets have done well with the Sensex gaining about 10% in the year to hover around 78,000 points while gold rose by 22% to Rs 76,000. This includes the gains on account of the reduction in customs duty. Knowing our humongous capacity for buying and storing gold, to expect that prices would move by another 31% in calendar year 2025 and touch the Rs100,000 mark look most unlikely. In the same breath, expecting Sensex to move 26% and touch 100,000 points either is also tough. Foreign Portfolio Investment or FPI selling, valuations at elevated levels even though they have softened is still expecting too much. I believe the expectation that the race to touch 1 lakh for gold or 100,000 points for Sensex is unlikely to happen in the coming 12 months. Both gold and Sensex are more likely to touch the 1-lakh mark in the calendar year 2026. Is there a tilt towards one of the two? Yes. The shine and lure of gold is much more than equity even though over the last four years equity investors have grown over four times.
Jay Shah has taken charge as Chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC) leaving the Secretary’s post to be filled at a special general meeting and election on January 12. The BCCI’s president, a distinguished former cricketer and 1983 World Cup-winning star, Roger Binny deputed Jt Secretary, Devajit Saikia to carry out the duties of the Secretary till the time the election process is completed. Meanwhile another vacancy in the BCCI was created when its Treasurer Ashish Shelar was chosen in the Maharashtra State Cabinet. According to the BCCI Constitution, ministers are barred from holding any position in the BCCI/State set up. So the election process has been called for by the electoral officer. The 34 representatives of the voting members have been announced with no representatives from the Railways, Services and All India Universities. The nominations for the two posts will be known on January 4, the last day to file the papers. Which means the future Secretary and Treasurer will be known on January 4 itself because only those who have the blessings of the powers that be will have filed the necessary documents. Assam’s Saikia who is also on the ICC Board may be continued till the next AGM and election in September 2025. The grapevine is telling the cricket world that Mumbai Cricket Association Vice President Sanjay Naik has a good chance of becoming the Treasurer. Naik is known to be close to the outgoing Treasurer Shelar. Naik will complete six years together at the MCA and BCCI (should he become the BCCI Treasurer) next September and will run into a cooling off period of three years.
Make in India, as a concept, cannot be simply wished away in a country with a population of over 140 crore. Not surprisingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the push and leaving no stone unturned in convincing overseas companies to make in India to address the domestic needs and also satiate the global demand. This, no doubt, requires a holistic approach. But this one move appears to be a self-defeating exercise. Or how else could one describe this? Well, an exercise is believed to be quietly under way to issue BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certificates to overseas manufacturing facilities of multinationals which intend to sell their branded iconic products in India. Clearly, it is an oxymoron exercise. On the one hand, there is a high-level intention to entice people to set up shops in India. On the other hand, there is a liberal approach to issuing BIS certificates for overseas facilities of companies which intend to make their iconic brands in India. If they could get a BIS certificate for their overseas plants, why would they think of setting up shops in India either on their own or through collaborations? Even as the owners of big brands are pushing hard to get a BIS tag for their facilities abroad, the Indian industries such as footwear and others are feeling somewhat fidgety. Well, the government machinery appears to be working at a cross-purpose.
“From tomorrow onwards until the DMK is removed from power, I will not wear any footwear”…the unique protest by Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai of flogging himself six times on December 27 and vowing not to wear footwear until the ruling DMK is removed from power is being largely viewed in BJP circles more as a pressure tactic to continue him as state BJP chief rather than pose any threat to Stalin government or seriously take up the issue of sexual assault of a student inside a campus in Anna University, Chennai. Already the Madras HC is seized of the matter. Standing shirtless in a green veshti outside his Coimbatore residence, Annamalai whipped himself before a crowd of BJP supporters. He claimed that it was the first of his acts of “atonement” for the DMK government’s inefficiency in the Anna University sexual assault case, in which a man identified as Gnanasekaran is accused of sexually assaulting a student and attacking her male friend on December 23. Gnanasekaran was arrested the next day and soon, allegations of his links to the DMK emerged as several pictures of him with party functionaries were posted on social media. Incidentally Annamalai’s self-flagellation drama hasn’t gone down well with BJP central leadership particularly Home Minister Amit Shah who feels there should be a new face to lead TN. Annamalai’s tough stand against AIADMK and fellow Gounder Edappadi K Palaniswami have not helped the BJP. Lok Sabha elections in the state were disastrous when the party went solo. BJP sources feel if the party must grow in TN it must have an alliance with AIADMK and feel Annamalai will have to be eased out before 2026 assembly polls.
The year 2024 belonged to the horror comedy genre and the South Cinema which helped box office get respectable numbers. Trade analyst Atul Mohan says 2024 will go down as one where horror films emerged as the unlikely saviors of Bollywood. With movies like Shaitaan, Munjya, Stree 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 collectively raking in Rs 1,200 crore — almost 50% of the year’s total box office collections — the genre proved its mettle in a challenging year for the industry. Prabhas and Allu Arjun films including some south films dominated the box office and it does seem like a trend that will go into 2025. `While the South Indian blockbusters Kalki and Pushpa 2 dominated the Hindi belt, Bollywood struggled to deliver consistent hits. The absence of the Khans from the big screen was conspicuous and some highly anticipated films like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Maidaan, Sarfira, Vedaa and Jigra fell short of expectations. Some of the big stars like Askhay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff, Alia Bhatt failed miserably at the box office clearly indicating that you cannot take your audience for granted. The Khans absence was clearly felt at the box office. However, the year wasn’t without its surprises. Films like Munjya, Crew and Madgaon Express turned out to be unexpected crowd-pleasers, providing a glimmer of hope amidst the gloom.
It is a pioneering enterprise of the independent era. It was born on February 21, 1946 when the World War was over and political freedom was around the country. It made a humble start with a cement factory at Thalaiyuthu, Tamil Nadu, an almost unmapped tiny village in Tirunelveli, which, over the years, grew to become a self-contained township at Sankarnagar. From a modest beginning in 1949 when Sankar Cement made its first appearance in the market, India Cements has grown in stature — from two plants with a capacity of 1.3 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in 1989 to 10 cement plants with a capacity of 15.55 MTPA in five States. The company stood the test of time to become a strong player in the field. Well, N Srinivasan-led The India Cements has decided to celebrate 75 years of its birth. Why not? After all, the cement industry is by definition cyclical in nature. The celebrations are a testimony to its capacity – nay ability – to manage the cyclicality. The celebrations have been delayed by a year because of Covid-19 pandemic. If grapevine has to go by, Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to be the chief guest at the event, which will be held in Chennai in the first half of next month. Since 1989, Srinivasan has been in command. Looking at its remarkable journey, a big celebration is in order.
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.