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Of late Rohit Sharma has been in the news for many reasons – notable being not in good nick in the IPL matches for Mumbai Indians, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) naming Level 3 in the Vithal Divecha Pavilion at the Wankhede Stadium in his honour and naming him the Ambassador of the Mumbai Premier League Season 3. Clearly the five- time IPL winner MI would like him to contribute with weighty performances in order to improve the team’s chances of making the playoffs, but everyone at the MCA was delighted with his presence at the launch of the MPLT20 league. In the course of a fireside chat Sharma — appearing down to earth — talked about the encouragement received from the MCA, breaking window panes in his neighbourhood, not intentionally but while playing cricket for fun, offered Rs 5 or 10 to play for different buildings in his colony, waiting at the Wankhede in the early years of the New Millennium to catch sight of players like Amol Muzumdar, Wasim Jaffer, Nilesh Kulkarni and others. One of the most elegant batters to emerge from the Mumbai Maidans, Sharma impressed upon Mumbai’s legacy and history citing its 42 Ranji Trophy title wins and pointed out the importance of the MPLT20 in shaping the careers of the budding talents in the city. He was touched by the MCA’s call to name a section of the guest stand after him. “It will be a very emotional moment when I see my name on the stand. When you start playing, you don’t think about such things to happen,” said the India captain who won the Twenty20 World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy.
Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray has undertaken a sustained plan to rejuvenate the organisation buffeted by continuous desertions by loyal Sainiks over the past two years. Initially, the campaign will focus on Mumbai since the existence of the Sena under him will depend upon who controls the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the richest civic body in India. The Sena (UBT) has been heading the BMC since 1985. On the other hand, the ruling BJP is equally determined to wrest the control from Uddhav, who is its enemy number one at present. Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde has been supplementing the BJP’s planning to end the hold of Uddhav in a bid to avenge the treatment he received when he was with him till 2022. As larger planning, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray is periodically wooed to help the saffron alliance to decimate Uddhav. Assessing the situation, Uddhav has decided to activate his lieutenants to launch efforts to inject new life into the organisation whose soul is the Sainik at the local level. According to the data compiled by Uddhav, there are over 50000 Sainiks and Shakha Pramukhs who are loyal to him and eager to reestablish the Sena’s hold in Mumbai. Over the past few weeks, he has been liaising with the rank and file so as to give shape to the strategy he will adopt for the BMC polls, likely to take place after the monsoon this year.
“We are Hindus, not Hindi,” thunders Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supremo Raj Thackeray. Reason: the government’s decision to make Hindi compulsory along with Marathi from the first standard in English medium schools. Though the move has started evoking protesting murmurs, major political parties have adopted a cautious stand till now. Just a few days after supporting chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wholeheartedly, the MNS leader has surprised his followers once more by opposing teaching Hindi in primary schools. Only a few weeks earlier, Raj had asked his workers to deal with those bank employees unable to speak Marathi. The stir was withdrawn after incidents of MNS workers assaulting bank staff over the issue of Marathi started spiralling. Although Raj has now declared his opposition to introducing Hindi, his wavering policy will make those with him wary. Expressing his opposition, he has warned the ruling alliance that MNS will stand by Hindutva but not imposition of Hindi. BJP leader and minister Ashish Shelar has advised Raj to first understand the government policy details in this regard. Raj will be sent a copy of the National Education Policy, which he should study before making any statements against it, Shelar has said. Interestingly, Raj and Shelar are old friends. Even when the ties between the BJP and MNS were strained, Shelar was the conduit to keep the dialogue open between the two sides. Hence, how Raj proceeds with his opposition will be watched by the BJP.
West Bengal may be in hot spot over violence in Murshidabad where Hindus were targeted by mobs protesting over the Waqf Act. However, the news of senior BJP leader and a veteran RSS hand Dilip Ghosh’s marriage has brought a lot of smiles. There has been a flood of wishes for him. Many BJP leaders went to his house in a group on April 18 to wish him well. Among them were state president Sukanta Majumdar and Mahila Morcha general secretary Locket Chatterjee. However, no one knows yet whether Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari will visit Dilip’s house or not. Dilip-Suvendu relationship is not very ‘smooth’. Incidentally, Saturday, April 19 is Dilip’s birthday. Although his birthday is officially shown as August 1. But Dilip’s close friends say that his ‘real’ birthday is April 19. Dilip himself is completely against ‘celebrating’ any occasion with pompousness. Dilip turned 60 last year. Ever since his decision to marry has been on the social media, Dilip himself has been indifferent to it. According to sources close to Dilip, when he was a little depressed after losing the last Lok Sabha elections, Rinku was the one who proposed to him to start a family. A divorcee and housewife, with a son who works in the IT sector, Dilip initially did not agree to the marriage. She admits Dilip took three months, mainly after his mother’s insistence, to decide. A section in the Sangh wasn’t keen that Dilip should get married. Two members of the Sangh had even gone to Dilip’s house! However, Dilip was adamant on his decision. Finally, on April 18, Dilip became a ‘samsari’.
In a calculated political offensive ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly opposed the Centre’s proposed Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025, positioning herself as a defender of minority rights. Speaking at a meeting with Muslim clerics and community leaders, she asserted that the bill threatens religious freedoms and undermines constitutional values. The move is widely seen as an attempt by the Trinamool Congress to solidify its traditional Muslim support base, which accounts for nearly 30% of the state’s electorate and holds sway in key districts like Murshidabad, Malda, and North Dinajpur. Banerjee framed the proposed law as part of the BJP-led government’s broader agenda to interfere in religious matters and weaken India’s pluralistic framework. However, internally, the TMC remains divided over the strategy. While some leaders view the issue as an opportunity to reinforce the party’s core vote bank amid the BJP’s intensifying Hindutva campaign, others express concern that an overt focus on religious identity could alienate moderate and secular voters. Meanwhile, Mamata’s remarks have drawn sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused the TMC of leveraging communal narratives for political mileage. On the other hand, Mamata’s ability to appeal to the Muslim vote comes at a cost for Congress and the Left, who have traditionally relied on Muslim support in Bengal. The Left, in particular, has faced criticism for failing to effectively challenge Mamata’s rising influence among the Muslim community.
The highly anticipated latest Hindi release Jaat which generated considerable excitement with its initial trailer release, ultimately fell short of expectations at the box office. Despite a strong opening, the film’s marketing strategy failed to maintain the momentum created by the initial euphoria. Released on Mahavir Jayanti, Jaat managed to collect Rs 9.5 crore on its opening day (Apr 10), but this figure dropped to Rs 7 crore on Friday (Apr 11). The weekend saw a slight rebound, with Saturday’s collection reaching Rs 9.75 crore and Sunday (Apr 13) peaking at Rs 14 crore, driven by positive word-of-mouth and favorable reviews. However, the following week revealed a decline, with Monday’s (Apr 14) earnings at Rs 7.25 crore and Tuesday dropping to Rs 6 crore, leading to a total domestic box office collection of approximately Rs 53.5 crore within the first six days. Given its production budget of Rs 100 crore, these figures are disappointing, especially since industry expectations were for Jaat to surpass the Rs 100-crore mark during its extended opening weekend. While the film may still prove to be a profitable venture for its lead actors, Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda, the filmmakers face significant challenges in recouping their investment. The average performance of Jaat highlights the importance of sustained marketing efforts and audience engagement beyond the initial release phase. As the film’s prospects now hinge on OTT platform releases and overseas markets, it underscores the volatile nature of box office success and the critical role of strategic promotion in maximizing a film’s potential.
In a short span of four years, Sairaj Dhond, the brain behind Wakao Foods, a jackfruit-based vegan food company, has made waves in the food industry. This Goa-based company, launched in 2021, is India’s first plant-based product company. It has made successful business out of jackfruit, considered to be one of the most wasted fruits in the country. With jackfruit the company is offering ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products which are 100% natural, without any artificial colouring, chemicals or preservatives. His range of offerings like Teriyaki Jack, Butter Jack, BBQ Jack, and Jack Burger Patty found easy takers as it was nutritious and delicious. Interestingly, the food needs no refrigeration and has a shelf life of nearly a year. His products are available in the USA, Singapore, Dubai and the Netherlands. Now, emboldened by this success he is now exploring the UK market. UK’s MH12 Foods which runs an e-commerce retail platform has expressed keen interest for a tie up. Dhond will soon begin manufacturing Jackfruit flour. With demand on the rise, the company which already operates a plant in Kerala is setting up a new plant at Kudal in Maharashtra. It recently introduced the ready-to-eat Jackfruit Biryani that is delivered through Zepto in India. Dhond, it is learnt, dabbled his hands in one too many things, before he found his life calling in the food industry.
The Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM), a much-awaited street race held in the third week of January every year, has delivered over Rs 53.62 crore for charity from its 20th anniversary race. On most occasions the ebony hued men and women athletes from Africa dominate the running spectacle over a distance of 42.195 km; they take home $s aplenty and tell great human stories. But the TMM, so diligently and passionately promoted by Procam International and in particular, sports aficionados Anil Singh and Vivek Singh, is just not about achieving success in a little over two hours of human potential demonstrated by thousands of runners; it’s also about people’s involvement in alleviating the lives of the have nots and those suffering from life-threatening diseases and illness. As a doctor treating people with neurological ailments said at the TMM2025 Philanthropy Awards “it’s not easy to raise money” and hence the effort made by over a thousand people, NGOs and the corporate world has warmed the cockles of many a heart. Among NGOs, the Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care raised a whopping Rs 13.67 cr, Light of Life Trust Rs 5.12 cr, United Way Mumbai Rs 4.74 cr, ADHAR Rs 2.36 cr and Isha Education Rs 1.88 cr. The highest fund fundraising Corporate Team were Me-Hin Tech Edge Solutions, Godrej & Boyce and Panasonic Life Solutions. A number of individuals — from young collegians, top executives and professionals — raised money in several lakhs and crores that will go for many causes, but most importantly for people suffering from cancer, dementia, Alzheimer, epilepsy and other health issues. The TMM has raised, over a period of 20 years, Rs 483.20 crore — all for the ultimate aim of caregiving.
When businessman Robert Vadra appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Delhi for the second day in a row on April 16 in connection with the Gurugram land case, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s public display of affection (PDA) was evident as she stepped out of her car and gave a warm hug to her husband. Later, as the probing agency began questioning Vadra, she sat in the waiting room at the ED headquarters. Robert Vadra, brother-in-law of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, appeared before the ED for questioning in a 2008 Haryana land deal, linked to a money laundering case. It was interesting to see Priyanka rush back from her foreign trip to be with her husband. Only last week she had skipped the extended Congress Working Committee meet held in Ahmedabad on April 8. Earlier, on April 4, she hadn’t participated in the Waqf Bill debate in the Lok Sabha. The party explained that Priyanka had to travel abroad, presumably the UK, to visit an ailing friend. Party leaders feel Priyanka should have at least attended the Ahmedabad CWC meet — something that was planned since January 2025. But then sources say Priyanka increasingly found both her mother Sonia and brother Rahul were not giving her much space in the organisation. They were not elevating her as working president or secretary- general. The Muslim League, the Congress ally in Kerala had protested against Priyanka’s absence during the Waqf Bill debate as she is Wayanad MP. Congress sources said if Priyanka is not given her due in the organisation by her family, the party could face consequences in the upcoming assembly elections in Kerala. Interestingly, Robert Vadra felt ED investigations against him had gathered pace only because he was speaking up for the minorities.
Twenty20 has always been a “high-risk, high-reward” game, in particular for the batters, and Abhishek Sharma’s go-for-broke knock of 141 when the Sunrisers Hyderabad was seemingly looking down the barrel — chasing Punjab Kings’ 245 at a venue in Uppal in Charminar City — is a case in point. Sharma who plays for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy went through a 5-match poor run, making a mere 51 at 10.20 an innings, but his bellicose-like pounding of the PKS bowlers took his average to 32.08. It was the Sunrisers’ second win in six outings of the Tata-IPL-18, and once again the southpaw opening pair in Travis Head and Sharma took a heavy-duty risk to pave the way for their side to surpass a big target. Teams aim to achieve the maximum potential in the first six over power play and in doing so risk the peril of gifting their wickets. Among the opening pairs, Gujarat Titans’ Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan have made 320 which is a high 27.87% of the team score in six matches; next is the Sunrisers’ Head-Sharma pair which has made 255, followed by the Lucknow Super Giants’ Aiden Markram and Mitchell Narsh pair that has collected 226 and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s opening pair in Phil Salt and Virat Kohli who have contributed 217 to their team aggregate. But the highest run-production has come from the GT’s second wicket pair in Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler who have made 292 which is equivalent to nearly 30% of the team score. The second best here is 274 by LSG’s Marsh and Nicholas Pooran.
The men in blue team looked like they were having fun at the ICC Cricket Academy ground …not far away from the Dubai International Stadium (DIS) where India beat Asian neighbours Bangladesh and Pakistan to qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals. Rohit Sharma’s team knocked Pakistan out from the tournament and chose to rest for two days before a “hitting out parade” at the academy grounds on Mahashivratri day. After some fun play warm up with tennis ball, each and every batter starting with Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli and followed by the likes of Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and KL Rahul and the others sent the ball to challenge stratospheric layers making the people standing near the sightscreen run for cover! Close to a hundred towering shots would have been hit in the course of the two–hour plus power-batting session. A wagon wheel of the robust hitting would be interesting to see, but the intent shown by the batters confirmed that smashing small and big boundary shots have become the order in white ball cricket. Skipper Sharma was present at the venue, but his deputy Shubhman Gill was not. Troubled by a hamstring niggle — Sharma had said he was okay at the conclusion of the match against Pakistan — the India skipper did not pad up for the hitting parade. The big question is will Sharma risk playing the sort of a ‘dead rubber’ match against New Zealand this Sunday in order to rest his hamstring for six full days?
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Short Post Noticed By People Who Matter
Four years have zipped by and we are crossing another milestone on 31st January 2025 – it’s our 4th Anniversary. It feels good.
Looking back at the 1460 days, I must say Short Post has made its mark with people who matter via 4000 stories published in the areas of politics, business, entertainment and sports. All made possible by the unflinching commitment and dedication of our senior editors, most of whom have been part of this journey from Day One.
Small pack, big impact is in essence the story of Short Post which was launched at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. It shows our conviction. In all humility, I can say, we have created a new niche in the news segment space like Hindustan Unilever which created a new segment, when it launched CloseUp Gel.
Yes, we have created a brand (in a limited sense), created demand (readers) and created supply (senior journalists). But we are facing teething problems like all start-ups. What makes us happy and confident is the recognition of our efforts. For instance, we have an arrangement with the OPEN Magazine, part of the $4.5 billion Kolkata-based Sanjiv Goenka-RPG Group. This arrangement sees around 10 Short Post stories posted on OPEN Magazine website every week. This arrangement is testimony that our content has been well received! Also, I may add that the Maharashtra government has recognised Short Post and has allowed our senior editor to cover the Assembly sessions. Ditto: Odisha.
Our goal is to ensure that Short Post becomes a habit. I would like people to keep checking their smartphones to know the latest Authentic Gossip. As regards AI and the fear of it disrupting all businesses including media. On that, personally, I have no such fear as I am confident AI cannot smell news particularly Authentic Gossip. That’s the place we are well entrenched.