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Last week, as Congress leaders protested against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s so-called “anti-Ambedkar” remark in Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi joined his party MPs in a blue T-shirt, giving up his trademark white polo T-shirt. His sister Priyanka also twinned with him wearing a blue sari. Clearly the Gandhi siblings opted to go for a very visual protest against Shah’s remarks. The choice of the colour of clothes of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) — usually spotted donning plain white T-shirts raised eyebrows. The colour blue has been associated with Dalit politics since 1942, when Dr BR Ambedkar established the Scheduled Castes Federation to campaign for the rights of the Dalit community. The body adopted a blue flag featuring Ashok Chakra. The flag was later retained by the Republican Party of India (RPI), founded by Ambedkar in 1956. Over time, blue became very closely associated with Dalit identity and activism. Even political parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party and the ASP, which champions Dalit welfare, embraced blue colour in their branding. As the Gandhi siblings lead the protest, it was the choice of colour of their clothes that caught everyone’s attention!
The Winter Session which saw a two-day discussion on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution and introduction of One Nation One Election (ONOE) Bill has come to a close. It brought out sharp divisions over discussions and bills at least in two political parties — the Congress and DMK. In the Congress, if a first term MP Priyanka Vadra was seen opening the discussion on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, for some reason senior leader and eminent lawyer P Chidambaram did not get an opportunity to have his say about the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha. In the DMK, there was a clear division of views between the DMK parliamentary party leader TR Baalu and deputy leader Kanimozhi. While Baalu endorsed the government’s offer to refer the Bill to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, Kanimozhi seemed completely surprised by his stand and insisted that her party was opposed to the Bill and demanded its withdrawal.”DMK has consistently opposed the entire Bill. We do not accept that there can be ONOE because it is against the Constitution. It is against federal rights and it is against the will of the people. People choose state governments for 5 years, I don’t think you can take that right away from the people and give it to the EC to decide how many years governments can last or not. So, this is completely against the state, against federalism” said Kanimozhi. While her stand reflects TN assembly resolution passed in February against ONOE Bill this year, the media is awash with reports about how her late father Kalaignar M Karunanidhi had highlighted the benefits of simultaneous polls in his autobiography Nenjuku Neethi. Incidentally, Karunanidhi had advanced state polls to 1971 to coincide with LS polls.
The Thursday (Dec 19) visit of BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLAs to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur has become a hot political topic though there are other reasons, too, for intense politicking. Firstly, the MLAs belonging to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar did not join the event. Secondly, those disgruntled due to their non-inclusion in the council of ministers have started expressing their anger openly. Like earlier two occasions, Ajit Pawar and most of his followers distanced themselves from the visit organized by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The presence of former CM Eknath Shinde and his MLAs proved to be another highlight. However, the discontent brewing within Mahayuti on other counts is now becoming more vocal. Political heavyweight Chhagan Bhujbal was the first to articulate it. His open criticism of Ajit Pawar surprised many since he had stayed by the side of Pawar all through. Now, there are reports that some of Bhujbal’s supporters want him to join the BJP to end his political wilderness. So far, Bhujbal has maintained that he is with the NCP (Ajit). The other notable leader to become the subject of political speculation is the legislative council’s deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe. Her detractors, mainly the recent Sena (UBT) entrant Sushama Andhare, have started hinting at Gorhe’s plans to go with the BJP. Gorhe, too, has not reacted to the talk. Ajit’s sudden disappearance for two days from the winter session only added grist to the grapevine. His explanation that he was down with a throat infection is hardly swallowed. More murmurs are expected to be heard once Fadnavis announces the allocation of the portfolios.
The Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray has started preparing for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, expected to take place early next year. This will be the fight for political survival for Thackeray because the Sena has been in power in India’s richest civic body since 1985. Taking stock of the situation, other political parties, too, have begun their planning. The picture this time will be fundamentally different since the BJP has emerged as the largest party in the state after the assembly election. Its estrangement with the Sena (UBT), which split in 2022 owing to Eknath Shinde’s decision to walk out of it, will be a major factor in the coming election in which the Congress will be an insignificant player, given its lacklustre performance in Mumbai and the state as a whole. Equally exasperating is the condition of the state Congress committee as its president Nana Patole is perceived as an ineffective leader by the rank and file. The BMC’s last election saw the Sena winning 84 seats in the 227-member house while the BJP had captured 82. Owing to the alliance ethics, the BJP had made no effort to bag the mayoralty of the financial capital of India. However, the BJP is not prepared to take any chance this time and a decision about its Mumbai president is likely to be taken soon. Sitting chief Ashish Shelar is among the hopefuls though his inclusion in the council of ministers could be a decisive factor in the final choice.
This was to happen one day or the other with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) putting its foot down saying it will not send its national teams to India for any signature event of the ICC, like the World Cups in the two formats in men, women and the juniors. This was the PCB’s riposte to the long-standing BCCI position — citing security concerns — that it will not send its team across the border for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and that it will play only at a neutral venue. For three World Test Championship (WTC) the two nations have taken themselves off the Future Tours Programme (FTP). The cricketers of the two countries may enjoy good relationships when they lock horns in neutral country venues and have fans across the border, but the Indian government has been steadfast in denying permission to the BCCI. The latest communication from the ICC has confirmed that in the 2024-2027 cycle all ICC events given to India and Pakistan, the matches featuring the two countries will be held at a neutral country chosen by the host country; in the Champions Trophy case the PCB is the host. What all this means is the elimination of high security arrangements that India had to do when Pakistan played last year’s World Cup matches in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata. It took hard bargaining by the PCB with the ICC — with Jay Shah in Chair since December 1, 2024 — for it to agree to a hybrid model in order to ensure that it remains the host in a neutral country venue as well and where India will play and this country is said to be the United Arab Emirates.
The massive success of Pushpa 2, has reignited the debate over screen allocation in West Bengal’s single-screen theatres. While the blockbuster continues to dominate the box office, its stronghold has created challenges for four Bengali films— Khadaan, Shontaan, Chaalchitro, and 5 No. Swapnamoy Lane—which targeted Christmas Day for their releases. The overlap has sparked a heated controversy over securing adequate slots in single-screen theatres, which remain a key audience base for Bengali cinema. Single-screen theatres across Bengal are grappling with the balancing act of accommodating these films while catering to the massive demand for Pushpa 2. Tollywood’s Christmas lineup has been significantly impacted, with producer-actor Dev expressing frustration on social media. He alleged that Khadan’s shows and advance bookings were disrupted due to the overwhelming presence of Pushpa 2. Arijit Dutta, owner of Priya Theatre, reported dividing slots among the films: Khadaan (two shows), Chaalchitro (one), 5 No. Swapnamoy Lane (one), and Pushpa 2 (one). However, veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty’s Shontaan was left out entirely, sparking outrage from its director Raj Chakraborty, who criticized the lack of consistent support for Bengali cinema. A distributor, speaking anonymously, blamed the simultaneous release of multiple Bengali films during the festive season, suggesting a lack of coordination among producers. He pointed to Bollywood’s strategy of staggering releases as a model Tollywood could emulate. Star Theatre owner Joydeep Mukherjee called for better planning within the Bengali film industry to avoid internal competition. Interestingly, allegations have resurfaced about Shontaan‘s producer, pressuring hall owners to prioritize its films. This history has led some distributors to side with independent producers in the current clash.
Sunday’s swearing in of 33 (16:9:8 ratio for BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP respectively) mostly young cabinet ministers in CM Devendra Fadnavis’ 3.0 government was not followed up by expected portfolio allocations even late Thursday (Dec 19). The unrelenting clamour for one specific portfolio by a senior BJP minister-in-waiting (in apparent conflict of interest), aspiration to improve upon earlier performance in power sector by another are in the open awaiting the Maha Chanakya to coolly decide upon. Scribes housed at the state government ‘Suyog’ facility within the Family court premises near Vidhan Bhavan enjoy the Nagpur chill over familial evenings at ‘Sneh Bojans’ hosted by these as-yet ‘Anamika’ ministers. DCM Eknath Shinde’s camp brews hostility from left out veteran MLAs and cherry-picking ministers-in-waiting who threaten boiling point anytime soon. This is unlike the chill that has set upon the near deserted NCP office at Vidhan Bhavan sans activity, notwithstanding the bustling beehive of activity right outside and within the state legislature that is hosting its winter session. It is probably the first time in Maharashtra’s political history for such an ongoing legislature session without specifically assigned ministers manning questions on the floor of the state assembly and council while responding to public interest issues of state. For now, all portfolios rest with CM Fadnavis. NCP veteran Chhagan Bhujbal, Sena’s Tanaji Sawant complain vociferously from out in the cold even as some BJP MLAs rue their bad luck despite winning big in Mumbai city where the richest civic body will face the hustings very soon.
The events outside Parliament House that led to injuries to two BJP MPs was best summed up by FM Nirmala Sitharaman in her X post. She explained how “During the INDI Alliance’s protest inside Parliament premises today, Rahul Gandhi had forcefully pushed an MP, causing a domino effect that injured 2 BJP MPs –Pratap Sarangi (Balasore, Odisha) and Mukesh Rajput (Farrukhabad, UP)” Both the MPs are now hospitalised as they have sustained head injuries. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan was surprised that the Congress had so far not even bothered to say sorry. “I was wondering what was the purpose of Kharge-Rahul Gandhi’s presser, if they can’t say sorry. Our Nagaland MP, a tribal woman leader Phangnon Konyak had voiced discomfort that was caused to her by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.” She has written a letter to the RS Chairman. Adding further he said, “We feel Rahul simply does not deserve to be the LoP. When the Opposition is holding a protest, we usually take another gate. What was the need for Rahul Gandhi to wade into the area where BJP MPs were standing? He should simply quit as LoP.” BJP MPs including Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi at the Parliament Street Police station in connection with the scuffle between Opposition and NDA MPs. It is learnt that security forces repeatedly requested the Congress MP to use an alternative path, specifically arranged for a peaceful entry into Parliament. However, Rahul Gandhi declined the request. BJP’s Thakur said “The kind of attitude Rahul Gandhi has, he thinks he is above the law.” Responding to the allegations, Rahul said BJP MPs were trying to stop him and were threatening him “
Home Minister Amit Shah whose intervention in discussions on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution sparked off a row and seemed to have majorly united the Opposition. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge charged him of insulting Dr BR Ambedkar.. He accused his rivals of being “anti-Ambedkar” and “anti-Constitution”, and “spreading lies”. In his concluding remarks in the Rajya Sabha, Shah sarcastically said, “It has become the fashion to say ‘Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar…’ If they (the opposition) took God’s name so many times, they will get a place in heaven.” At a Press Conference, he charged the Congress of distorting his comments in the Rajya Sabha saying the Congress had put out an edited version of his speech. “I come from a party which follows the ideals of Ambedkar,” asserted Shah.” Rebuffing calls for his resignation by Kharge, Shah made it clear that he had no intention of stepping down. “Kharge is asking for my resignation. If that will make him feel happy, then I’ll give it. But the Congress has to sit in the opposition for at least 15 more years. “In an unusual move — perhaps underlining the impact of the Opposition’s attack on this issue — PM Modi and senior ministers rallied behind Shah. “If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken!” said PM Modi. Amidst this, PM Modi and Shah met Rahul Gandhi and Kharge to appoint the next NHRC chief. TMC leader Derek O’Brien has moved a privilege notice against Shah in the Rajya Sabha for his remarks on Dr Ambedkar.
Ravichandran Ashwin was adroit in bowling the carom or knuckle ball or the doosra, but on Wednesday afternoon, Brisbane time, the nonconformist off-spinner of 13 years in the big league of the game deployed the “bombshell” to bring an end to his illustrious career. At the conclusion of the rain-marred third Test at the Gabba, the finger spinner with a few sobriquets, “scientist” being the most used among the media, Ashwin sitting beside his beleaguered captain, Rohit Sharma, matter of fact said: Today (Wednesday, December 18) was his last day as an international cricketer across formats and that he will be seen in action in club cricket, meaning IPL etc. The seasoned campaigner, starting his Test career in November 2011, was capped 106 times, and he missed 25 Tests after his debut; he featured in 61 wins, 47@home and 14 overseas. He read the writing on the wall about him losing the primacy as the No 1 spinner of the team in flannels after Washington Sundar was chosen for the first Test in Perth. Then being dropped to bring in Ravindra Jadeja for the third Test in Brisbane convinced him that his time was up…to hang up his boots. The home series against New Zealand that India lost 3-0 was a bitter pill to swallow for him. His numbers — 765 wickets in the three formats, including 537 wickets in Tests alone speaks of his right to be called a legend. It was a bold, practical call to take a bow while not in the field and that was an unhappy part that Indian cricket could not give one of its icons a fitting farewell. Ashwin has perhaps shown the way for a few more to bid adieu, sooner than later! They are over the hill, indeed.
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.
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.