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Change is the only constant in the world. It also signals a move forward. In this instance, however, this change has ushered in a complete break from the past. No doubt, the ownership of Kothari Industrial Corporation (KICL), a company founded very many summers ago by the late DC Kothari, has moved on to Rafiq Ahmed a while ago. But there was a sense of continuity with Pradip D Kothari, son of DC, remaining as the Chairman of KICL. A few days ago, however, he stepped down to pave the way for Rafiq Ahmed to become the Executive Chairman of the company. With this, the break is complete. From now onwards, KICL will run on its own sans the DC Kothari family members. Indeed, KICL has padded up for a new innings. Having given a new lease of life to KICL, Rafiq Ahmed is focussing on the way forward. He continues to carry on the legacy of the late DC Kothari. At the same time, he is charting out his own plan to bring the glory of former times back to the Kothari, a celebrated brand once upon a time. The DC Kothari Group, in fact, had grown with the blessings of illustrious names such as R Venkatraman (former President of India), K Kamaraj (chief minister of Tamil Nadu) and the like. Not surprisingly, Rafiq Ahmed has chosen to continue the legacy of the vision envisioned by DC Kothari. Well, the newly-anointed Executive Chairman is on a mission mode. He has put on a blinker to push brand Kothari to its original glory.
The longstanding cultural tradition between India and Bangladesh surrounding International Mother Language Day faced an unexpected disruption this year due to political tensions. Just a year ago, the Vice-Chancellors of Dhaka University and St Xavier’s University, Kolkata were seen together at the historic Shaheed Minar in Dhaka, joined by students from both institutions. However, this year, the event had to be cancelled amid a charged political atmosphere in Bangladesh. The tradition dates back to 2011, during the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Rabindranath Tagore. That same year, St. Xavier’s University introduced its Bengali Honors course. Since then, a torch, symbolizing linguistic unity, would be lit at Dhaka University’s Shaheed Minar days before February 21st and then carried across various universities in West Bengal, including St. Xavier’s campuses in Raghabpur, Siliguri, and New Town. The final ceremony used to take place at St Xavier’s University in Park Street on February 21st. However, this year, the torch was absent from Kolkata’s observance of the day. Ferdousul Hasan, honorary secretary of St Xavier’s alumni association confirmed the decision not to bring the torch from Dhaka this year due to political tensions. Hasan said the torch lit in Dhaka was taken to various institutions like Loyola College in Chennai, St. Joseph’s in Bengaluru among others. This interruption has underscored the impact of changing political landscapes on the cultural unity between the two Bengals. Even the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata opted for a low-key, closed-door observance of February 21st this year, reportedly to avoid controversy. Meanwhile, West Bengal government-led celebrations took place at Deshapriya Park.
The labour impasse at the Samsung’s Sriperumbudur facility in Tamil Nadu is attracting increasing attention as both sides aren’t ready to yield from their stated positions. The trigger for the latest industrial dispute was the suspension of three workers of the union which was registered under a court order but has not been recognised by the Samsung management. As the fracas continues, the union leader has alleged that the management has suspended more workers. The suspension of the three union workers, the management claims, was forced as a section of the workers led by these three assembled unannounced and gate crashed to have an audience with officials of the company. The union leader — an outsider belonging to CPI(M)-affiliated CITU, wanted the suspension removed and demanded the management to forthwith stop using contracts labour. This sounds funny. If Samsung can’t use contract labour, how can the union have an outsider as its leader! An oxymoron position by the union leader, it appears! As the stalemate prolongs at Samsung facility, questions have risen over its fallout on the effort of the DMK government in attracting global investment. In the emerging era of artificial intelligence one is unable to fathom the larger implications of such strident position articulated by an outsider-leader.
The moment Shiv Sena (UBT) dismissed its spokesman Kishore Tiwari from the responsibility, he launched a tirade against the manner in which the party is being run. While going soft on leader Uddhav Thackeray, he has held some top leaders responsible for the Sena’s debacle. The Sena is receiving one jolt after another almost daily due to desertions by its loyal workers and Tiwari’s unbridled outburst is bound to make its challenge graver for the coming local body elections. While Uddhav has tried to inject vigour into the rank and file by declaring his resolve to administer one mega blow to the ruling saffron alliance, Tiwari’s disclosures will force the party to defend its decisions, especially of distributing tickets for the 2024 assembly election. Tiwari has alleged that many of the tickets were ‘sold’ and certain party leaders had amassed a fortune. His main target is party MP Sanjay Raut, whose continuous controversial statements Tiwari has found very objectionable and damaging. Tiwari has criticized other leaders like Subhash Desai, Vinayak Raut and Milind Narvekar, who are closest to Uddhav. He told a news channel that he has revealed just one percent and will expose more and more misdeeds of the party and its leaders. Tiwari has been the Sena protagonist on various Marathi and national news channels. He has vowed to continue to work for the Sena ‘until I am expelled from the party.’
Controversial Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde has been down with Bell’s Palsy, which has incapacitated him. But the clamour for his resignation is not likely to subside. Munde has been the bone of contention within the ruling NDA regime due to the several serious allegations levelled against him. Some of his closest aides are behind bars and even his own future is bleak. A staunch supporter of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, the nephew of late Gopinath Munde, he has emerged as a formidable OBC leader in the state. Therefore, demands for his removal from the cabinet have been ignored by Pawar. However, the series of exposures with Munde’s alleged connection have landed the Fadnavis government into a tight situation. Munde’s ironclad hold over his home district, Beed, is said to have culminated into various scams and acts of violence. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has declared that Pawar will take a decision about Munde, whose illness has complicated the situation. Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face. The weakness makes half of the face appear to droop. It can occur at any age though the exact cause for its occurrence is not known. Munde’s absence from the cabinet meetings and from public events had started rumours that he had resigned or had been asked to quit. He himself has so far stoutly denied any such decision. His affliction has temporarily stopped his critics but many of them have declared to continue the campaign against Munde by wishing him a speedy recovery.
The intitial turn out for India’s opening ICC Champions Trophy match at the Dubai International Stadium (DIS) was a far cry from the spectators who showed up for India’s home series matches against England recently. It was full house in Nagpur and Cuttack, and around 60000 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for the third ODI. The men in blue are a big draw anywhere in the world but on Thursday — which is not a holiday here — there were not many takers, most of them having saved Dirhams for the India-Pakistan group match on Sunday, which is a weekend holiday. The DIS can hold between 25000 and 30000 people and by the time Mohammed Shami and Harshit Rana struck blows in the first 10 balls of the match — after Bangladesh chose to bat winning the toss — one could see empty seats at the Stadium. The venue which has a canopy like roof and gives a ring of fire like visual as dusk settles in, has become a popular venue in the UAE — the other two being the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and the Shaikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Tickets are priced as low as 250 AED and it goes up to a high of 12500 AED for the Grand Lounge at the DIS. The ticketing arrangements have been done by the host Pakistan Cricket Board and Emirates Cricket Board and much of the gate receipts should be going to Pakistan’s kitty. Wickets were falling in a heap in the first hour of the match as India gained the upperhand and the only disappointing aspect was skipper Rohit Sharma spilling a catch at slip to deny left arm spinner Axar Patel, a hat-trick.
In a week’s time, that’s next Sunday on February 23, the world of cricket would swing to the passions reflected across India and Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy. The clash between the arch rivals in cricket will be a sell out with every seat at the Dubai International Stadium, where the expatriates will shell out thousands of Dirhams and create an electrifying atmosphere. Seventeen months ago, a near full house at the Narendra Modi Stadium rooted for the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team against Pakistan in the ICC World Cup. India which won that match was the host of the World Cup and Pakistan travelled to Ahmedabad for the marquee event. The Pakistan Cricket board (PCB) being the host of the ICC Champions Trophy, believed India would travel across the border to give the local fans — either in Lahore or Karachi — a real experience of a high-octane tension filled match, but the BCCI, not allowed by the government of India, refused to send its team to Pakistan — citing security concerns — and India’s group matches were scheduled in Dubai. An India-Pakistan contest in any sport is an extraordinary event by itself, but one between the cricketers of the two countries is truly uplifting to the millions of fans of the country that wins the contest. Eight years ago Pakistan downed India by 180 runs in the Champions Trophy final at ‘The Oval’ in London. Pakistan holds a 3-2 edge in the Champions Trophy and 73-57 edge overall in ODIs, but it’s 2-0 for India in Dubai with Rohit Sharma totalling 317 runs in five matches with a high of an unbeaten 111 against Pakistan in the 2018 Asia Cup.
Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district seems to be on the radar of corporate India. Two big projects, an iron ore, and a steel plant, involving huge investment is expected to transform this naxal-infested belt forever. Sajjan Jindal promoted JSW Group is setting up a 25 million tonne steel plant – world’s largest — by investing Rs 1 trillion over next seven to eight years. Helping the steel plant with regular supply of iron ore is B Prabhakaran-promoted Thriveni Sainik Mining. This company is a prominent player in the coal mining sector with a capacity to deliver 15 MTPA of coal. Coming to iron ore, Thriveni has entered into an agreement with Mukesh Gupta-promoted Lloyds Metals and Energy as Lloyds was granted a 50-year iron ore mining lease in 2007 for 348 hectares at Surajgarh Village. This area is known to have a major iron ore reserve. It may be recalled that Gupta was a high-profile businessman in the nineties running a clutch of companies from steel to real estate to pharma. Thriveni which got into play in 2021 after being appointed MDO or Mine Developer and Operator has already produced over 3 MTPA and plans to produce 25 MTPA iron ore. Sometimes back, Thriveni Group was in the news not because its promoter Prabhakaran was arrested over his role in a mining scam but, because the Union minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw before entering politics was a director in Prabhakaran-promoted iron ore company Thriveni Pellets Pvt Ltd set up in 2019.
Nine years after the Left Democratic Front (LDF) headed by Pinarayi Vijayan blocked the then ruling UDF’s plan to allow private universities into Kerala, the LDF has had a change of heart. “The government’s latest decision is in sync with changing times,” says Higher Education Minister, R Bindu. Any agency which has experience and credibility can apply to set up a University provided it deposits Rs 25 crore as corpus money and also has the requisite land as per regulatory agency. In case the proposed Private University is a multi-campus varsity, then at least 10 acres of land is required. The government’s move is to ensure that Malayali students remain in Kerala. As per a joint study by Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT) and Centre for Development Studies (CDS), nearly 50.8% of Malayali students migrate to neighbouring Karnataka alone for higher studies. Though the government has indicated that the new policy has attracted many institutions/universities, it is too early to predict how things will play out due to certain stiff parameters included in the proposal. They include 40% seat reservation for permanent residents of Kerala and that SC/ST students have to be provided scholarships and fee concessions. The LDF government has also indicated that its nominees — Higher Education Secretary and another Department Secretary should be nominated in the Private University’s governing council. And if this is not enough intervention, the state government will have a nominee as member of the University’s executive council and three nominees in the academic council. It will also comply with directions of regulatory agencies regarding appointment of Vice Chancellors and faculty members. Initial indications are that the Azim Premji University and another Gulf-based institution with the blessings of the promoter of Lulu hyper-market chain, M A Yusuff Ali, have indicated their interest.
The Union Home Ministry’s decision to grant actor-politician Vijay, the chief of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), ‘Y’ category security in Tamil Nadu has stirred the political pot. Sources said while the security was accorded after an internal security audit by the Intelligence Bureau, it has prompted a sharp reaction from the AIADMK, which suspected that the BJP would use the security cover to get the newbie politician to its side at a time when it is planning a grand alliance with TVK and the Congress for next year’s assembly elections. It may seem the Centre’s security decision is being over analysed. But sources say the Congress is already under pressure from AIADMK to change its TN president ahead of the assembly polls as he is being viewed as too close to the DMK, post Erode assembly by-elections. Meanwhile, it is felt Vijay may accept the security cover as it will be helpful in managing the crowd during his public engagement as a politician. AIADMK functionaries however are unconvinced that the Centre’s decision was merely a security decision. Strongly backing the Centre’s decision to give Vijay ‘Y’ security cover, TN BJP chief K Annamalai pointed out that the Central government had given CRPF security to Opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, regardless of whether the AIADMK was in alliance with the BJP or not. He pointed out that similarly the central government had given ‘Y’ security to Vijay. “The reason that Vijay is not able to meet the public is because of the huge crowds.” He also wanted to know why the DMK government in the state had not come forward to give Vijay this sort of security.
The story of the rise and fall of one of the most powerful Democrats of the USA might culminate in his impeachment as Governor of New York: Andrew Cuomo is also facing possible criminal charges that he sexually harassed 11 women. Once married to Robert Kennedy’s daughter Kerry, with whom he had three daughters, Andrew, son of Mario, a three-time New York Governor, was once seen as a possible replacement for Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination for President. At the height of the pandemic last year, a staggering 60 million used to tune into his daily briefings on the Covid outbreak as he promised leadership in the crisis. He won an Emmy and a book deal and had the admiration of half the nation until the women emerged with horror stories of work inside a toxic Governor’s office environment. Cuomo is now under threat of becoming a poster boy for reviving #MeToo movement. Cuomo says his actions had been misconstrued, his words misunderstood. He said it was cultural: He hugs, he kisses, he says, “Ciao, bella.” He said it was generational: Sometimes he lapses into “honey” or “sweetheart” or tells bad jokes. Now even President Joe Biden is calling for his head as the 63-year-old went from hero to zero with a speed only ultra-ambitious politicians suffer.
Kamala Harris has become the most unpopular U.S vice president six months into an administration since at least the 1970s, according to polls. The disappointing numbers are worrying Democratic strategists who were hoping she would run for President in 2024. Recent polls showed only 46% of Americans approved of Kamala with 47% and 48% disapproving of her. In contrast, Joe Biden’s approval rating in a polls average is 51.3%, and disapproval 44.9%. The only recent vice president to have such poor ratings after six months was Mike Pence, but he did not have more people disapproving than approving him. Kamala’s unpopularity among young people is a source of concern to the White House. As many as 41% of young voters (18 to 29) held an unfavourable view and she is seen particularly struggling with the Hispanic voters because of her role in the U.S. border policy and her reluctance to go to the border where migrants are eternally trying to enter the USA. Ahead of midterm elections in 2023, the White House might send her on foreign visits to boost her image. Indian Americans who played a major role in getting her on to the Biden ticket and helped enable the victory of the Democrats are a worried lot now.
With his father BS Yediyurappa’s (BSY) aide and minister Basavaraj Bommai in the saddle, BY Vijayendra is still a force to be reckoned with as Karnataka comes under a new regime. The central BJP leadership tried its best to bring a more amenable CM in Bengaluru who would listen to New Delhi. But with elections not far away and the Lingayat factor too strong to ignore, BJP’s top brass had to compromise. Under the new dispensation too, Vijayendra will still be a powerful factor, operating from behind the scenes. BSY, the principal architect who created a foothold in the South for the BJP, had to be kept on the right side of equations despite BJP’s compulsion in not sending the party into the polls under an 80-year-old two years hence. With his non-communal approach and his inclusive vision, BSY was a tall regional chieftain who took an independent stand. Faced with rising cases after the lifting of most lockdown restrictions, Bommai has his task cut out in his State to control Covid first and then raise his sights on the elections. This is where he will be leaning on Vijayendra the most as he was the architect who brought Congress and JD(S) MLAs on board for his father to win back the State.
The Lingayat supremo and Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyuruppa (BSY) who built up the BJP from scratch in Karnataka was ousted for the fourth time when well short of anything close to a full term, but on this occasion by his own party BJP. With his son BY Vijayendra operating as an extra constitutional authority, Yediyurappa was under pressure from critics within his party even more than the central leadership in New Delhi. Too many ministers took offence at the ‘virtual CM’ role played by his son and were bent upon using the age of 75-year rule of BJP to target BSY saying he was too old to be able to stop his son. However, BSY’s mission since making an offer to PM Modi to resign on health grounds on July 10 was to get his son into any post, at the Centre or as Deputy CM in succession plans, including those which envisage bringing a non-Lingayat as CM. The observers feel that the BJP is being held to ransom by the numerically strong (upto 17%) and influential Lingayats and their seers. With BSY being asked to associate with finding a successor, it would be interesting to see who will be the CM. It is a remarkable story for a 78-year-old who had spells of seven days, three years, three days and two years in four terms as CM.
UK’s new cricket competition – The Hundred – kicks off July 21, seeking diversity among its audience. It aims specially at the inclusion of Asian Brits who are not so much into the county game, which is mostly white, in fact 94%. Eight teams based on city lines for tribal loyalties as in the IPL, a draft system and a focus on overseas players as Afghans, Pakistanis, Nepalis and five Indian women cricketers swing into action. England and Wales Cricket Board’s 100-ball competition borrows heavily from IPL thanks to PIO Sanjay Patel who is its MD. English cricket is looking seriously at attracting more South Asians not only as spectators but also players. Take the case of Moeen Ali, who had to move to Worcestershire from Warwickshire to take off on his career. He grew up on tape ball cricket near Edgbaston before becoming a sought after T20 player currently with Chennai Super Kings. The Hundred is hoping to bridge the gap between English cricket and Asian spectators, mostly from the subcontinent. No Indian men are allowed to participate yet by the BCCI but that could change when there is less international cricket during the summer for India. Tactically, it is only a little different from T20 but a bowler can be kept on for ten balls at a time rather than stop with five balls.
The local BJP chief K Annamalai seems to have got off on the wrong foot when he took on the media soon after succeeding L Murugan, who got promoted to the Union Cabinet in a junior minister’s role. In an official warning, the BJP threw cold water on talk of dividing Tamil Nadu into two parts to create a Kongu Nadu. But that seems to have had little effect on the former cop who lambasted the media for false news saying that his former boss would soon control all media from Delhi while in the I&B ministry. The talk of a Kongu Nadu in western Tamil Nadu, which showed some interest in electing a couple of BJP MLAs while being a long time bastion of AIADMK, was built up by the media but shot down by New Delhi where leaders sent word down to the rank and file that they would not countenance the idea of carving a region out of the old State. “Kongu Nadu is not BJP’s idea. A prosperous Tamil Nadu and a strong India is the BJP’s goal,” the party’s State media unit president, ANS Prasad said in a statement, urging party members not to express their personal views at party meetings, media interviews and social networking platforms.
Rumours about who will take over as Governor in Chennai’s Raj Bhavan are swirling. The incumbent Banwarilal Purohit, from a newspaper-owning family in Nagpur, is nearing the end of his term. An interesting name doing the rounds for Governorship in DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu is that of the former Communications & Information Technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who was dropped from the Union cabinet. Any number of names kept coming up when the rulers decided to move on after a temporary Governor from Maharashtra C Vidyasagar Rao was given additional charge of Tamil Nadu for long. That Governor proved his mettle when he sat on J Jayalalithaa’s confidante V Sasikala’s application to become Chief Minister until the top court order came out but when Purohit came to Chennai it was a bit of a surprise. Enjoying the perks of a massive Raj Bhavan in the midst of the Guindy national park while AIADMK, friendly alliance partner of BJP ruled was easy enough but, with a change in regime, New Delhi might be looking at a tougher Governor, which is why Ravi Shankar Prasad’s name is bobbing up. The only inhibiting factor could be that Prasad will have to resign as Lok Sabha MP and BJP may not want to conduct by polls in Patna in the current situation.
A deliriously joyful England, if not quite all of the United Kingdom, is preparing for its greatest night out on Sunday after its football team made it to the Euro final. They are talking of a knighthood for manager Gareth Southgate and he could be called “Sir” even if England can’t get past the Italian wall. Harry Kane, who scored the winning goal against Denmark off a penalty kick rebound, and Raheem Sterling, to whose talent Southgate stayed loyal enough to keep him in the starting lineup, are quite the flavour of the season. Even so, it was a questionable penalty award, which stayed despite a second look on VAR after Sterling seemed to go down too readily in the Danish penalty box that made the difference. England is accustomed to celebrating beyond questionable refereeing decision, including most of all the disputed goal in the 1966 World Cup final when no one is till today sure if the ball actually passed into the net beyond the goal line. The penalty against Denmark was spoiled by one spectator in the stands shining a laser pen at the face of Danish goal keeper Kasper Schmeichel. As a home final at Wembley nears voices are rising against football jingoism, unleashed at full throttle after months of tight lockdown rules, as booing of the Italian national anthem is feared.
The late J Jayalalithaa was a firm believer in vaastu all her life. While she was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, even the choice of sari to wear for the day was determined by the stars. As an intense believer, she encouraged many a soothsayer to study her Kundali (horoscope) and give her advice. And, ironically, after her death too the question of vaastu is hanging around the political party AIADMK which she headed after her mentor MGR’s death. The election defeat and the prevailing confusion and infighting in her party ranks is now being ascribed to bad vaastu. Voices are now being raised about bad vaastu creating all the problems, chaos and infighting in AIADMK. If you believe the pundits, the theory is that Amma’s memorial on the Marina Beach is totally against vaastu. At least one vaastu believer avers that Jaya was no Phoenix rising from the ashes and such a depiction in her memorial by the architect is all wrong. There were other designs submitted that would have served Jaya’s memory best, like a blooming flower that would last forever. The erroneous curvilinear design is to blame for all the woes, says the ardent Jaya admirer but it is unlikely that the party will tinker with the memorial now.
Some may mark Wednesday, June 30 as the day of “Justice for Black America” when Bill Cosby — an American stand-up comedian, actor and author famous for his TV show, The Cosby Show — walked free after serving just three years of a 10-year sentence on three counts of aggravated sexual attack. Half the world will mourn it as the day the #metoo movement died. When “America’s Dad” was convicted in 2018, it seemed a landmark moment when a famous and powerful man was held to account for abusing his position to exploit women. Women exulted as their movement gained traction with the Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby cases. Cosby used the classic Black card, much like American football legend OJ Simpson did to exploit racial divisions splitting the court of public opinion. The court decided that Cosby had been unfairly prosecuted three years ago but a 12-person jury had found him guilty. The climax in this cause celebre shows the American legal system is flawed and that the rich and famous can find their way out. But what it does for the women’s movement against sexual assault is a sad commentary on what is still a man’s world in which power and money can make a mockery of justice.
The legislature is the place where politics rules in word and deed. But have you heard of politics about the very building in which the legislature is situated? This politics over the legislature building has been going on for years in Tamil Nadu where leaders have had various reasons for shifting the TN Assembly out of Fort St George, with its historic colonial links. Karunanidhi wanted to leave the old Assembly because it was too cramped, and he made a master plan of an alternative building. Jaya was told not to travel to Fort St George because a statue of Kannagi, of Tamil epic Silapathigaram fame, was on the way. She wanted to shift the legislature south, but the High Court busted her plan to take over Queen Mary’s College. The DMK is back in power, and Stalin has not dropped plans to restore his father’s pet project, which Jaya had converted into a multi-specialty hospital. The government is spending Rs 500 crore to upgrade the King Institute in Guindy so that the current Omandurar hospital can be converted back into the legislature. About Rs 1,000 crore has been spent so far in making the changes. But this is India of Tughlaq rule where shifting of the capital itself was not thought to be too extravagant or fanciful.
It was the quietest of birthdays for the emerging superstar of Tamil cinema. In normal times, his fans would also have indulged in shows of grand affection by holding charity events in honour of Vijay. In pandemic times, the star has been content to keep a low profile but his phenomenal record in the 2010s marks him out as the industry’s undisputed money spinner. His co-stars held a Twitter chat event on his 47th birthday that was a super hit in terms of numbers. As Total Unlock nears with the second wave waning, Vijay awaits the opening of theatres to continue his domination of the big screens. In the last decade, he churned out nine films that grossed over Rs 100 crore, a record that surpassed the industry’s ageing Superstar, the one and only Rajinikanth who is now in the US for medical checkup. Vijay’s last four releases – Bigil, Sarkar, Mersal and Master – saw business in excess of Rs 350 crore worldwide with Master a Superhit even in the pandemic year of 2020. And now Beast is getting ready as the star’s next with Pooja Hegde and Yogi Babu in supporting roles. Beast may usher in the next wave of theatre-going cinema fans.
He refused to bowl at Virat Kohli in the Royal Challengers nets though the RCB captain was instrumental in signing up the giant from Auckland for the IPL. Kyle Jamieson did the star turn for New Zealand in the rain-hit WTC Final at Southampton, picking up his Bangalore skipper’s wicket with one that came back. Cricket may have already found the new Joel Garner as the 6 ft 8 in fast bowler claims a unique record of a fifth five-wicket haul in only his eighth Test for a tally of 44 wickets at an average of just 14.13. No bowler since the 1890s has taken more at a lesser average. Bowling to a fuller length, up by 44% after an opening day in which he tried to do too much, did the trick as Jamieson dominated the Test while presiding over the destruction of the reputed Indian batting. Like Garner, the Kiwi gives nothing away, no loose balls as freebies for the batsmen. During the IPL, Jamieson put two new Dukes balls in his kit bag to practise with them as the England tour was to come up immediately after IPL. What we have now is a gentle giant capable of bowling out Test batsmen with his consistency of line and length.
There is a tiny flaw in Virat Kohli’s captaincy record. Teams playing under him have not won a single ICC trophy. One of the modern greats with the bat and at captaincy, the cricketer would dearly love to set the record straight. Not only because his record pales in front of his mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s sterling captaincy record. Dhoni won all the ICC trophies on offer — World Cup (50 overs), Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup besides the IPL three times and the Champion’s League Trophy twice for Chennai Super Kings. Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore is yet to taste success. An Indian captain led India to top of the Test ladder of merit as early as 2008-09 while Kohli kept it up there for 44 months from October 2016 right up to June 2021 when New Zealand moved up to No. 1 after beating England. Firmly in the saddle in all three formats since 2017, Kohli would be hoping that the World Test Championship, being played from June 18 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton in England would become his first ICC and most prized Cup ever. India faces a very professional and committed New Zealand side under Kane Williamson. Still, given the strengths and skills Team India possess, they have a great chance to win the WCT and Kohli knows he must make it happen in England.
For more than three hours she was not just the elephant in the room. Sasikala, confidante to J Jayalalithaa who ruled Tamil Nadu more like an empress, was the hot topic of discussion within the party founded by MGR and consolidated by his protege Jaya. Former CMs E Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam joined ranks to keep Sasikala out of the party while expelling her loyalists who had the temerity to speak to her on their mobile phones seeking her comeback. So long as the two heads of AIADMK keep their flock together, they can stave off any attempts by the discredited Jaya aide to create confusion in the party about her imminent comeback. But she seems determined to get back in and seize control by manipulating sentiment among the party rank and file. Jailed for graft, Sasikala’s strength is a seemingly infinite access to funds. Disqualified as she is from standing in elections for another six years, Sasikala aims to become a party boss like Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is under a similar cloud. Her strategy before the polls was to announce retirement from politics in the hope that once the AIADMK was trounced at the polls, there would be a clamour for her re-entry. That didn’t happen with the party winning 66 of 75 alliance seats. But Sasikala lurks, waiting for that chance to pounce.
In Joe Root’s words, it’s been a week of “ugly truths” for the England cricket team when the raging tweet storm has not spared James ‘Jimmy’ Anderson either. The fast bowler was all set to become the Test cricketer with the most appearance (162) for England beating Alastair Cook’s record when an old tweet he had sent out on fellow fast bowler Stuart Broad which said he “looked like a 15-year-old lesbian” bobbed up. While Anderson’s single contentious tweet is also under the scanner, it is a series of tweets by Oliie Robinson that is the eye of the storm. Over a 12-month period, they made references to Gary Speed’s suicide, the disappearance of young English girl Madeleine McCann in Europe, the N-word, derogatory messages about Muslims, people with disabilities and women. The fast bowling all-rounder seems to have been quite a fiery character when he sent those tweets in 2012 and 2013. The storm might take the sheen off the marathon man Anderson’s achievement in being a fast bowler who is passing all the batsmen and wicket-keeper batsmen who used to be the ones with the most Test caps for England, beginning with Hobbs, Woolley and Hammond through Cowdrey, Gooch and Stewart down to Cook who retired recently. Anderson needs four wickets to pass Anil Kumble on the all-time Test bowlers’ list and six wickets to make it 1,000 first class wickets.
He comes from a political lineage famous in the south of Tamil Nadu. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan or PTR, the finance minister in MK Stalin’s cabinet, is the weapon the DMK government will be using to take a hard look at the Centre’s financial policies. The suave former investment banker has been told to deconstruct BJP top brass moves in finance and take them down whenever the opportunity arises. The finance minister’s contempt for the Goa transport minister Mauvin Godinho, who attended the GST meet and kept parroting lines in support of the Centre, will rate as an all-time classic. Dipping with sarcasm, the TN finance minister had a lot to say about Godinho, which he topped off with the throwaway line that said a lot: “Finally, I sincerely request the [Bharatiya Janata Party], even across the political divide, to impose some minimal quality control on its ‘MLA Acquisition’ procedures. If it had done so, Goa, and the Nation would be saved a lot of pain.” Some might say that sarcasm is the lowest form of art but it is an art form the 55-year-old may have perfected. The DMK has always been short of polished speakers in English who could take on Delhi and it has found a champion now. The finance minister and his vitriol could turn out to be a double-edged sword but right now he has been told to sharpen his skills.
It’s not without reason that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, son of the DMK patriarch late M Karunanidhi whose birth anniversary was on June 3, is being thought of as someone with the potential to match the brightness of the Rising Sun in the party symbol. He may have spent decades in the shadow of his father but Stalin, as CM, seems determined to be the change in a new era of politics in Tamil Nadu. His visit to inside a Covid-19 ward may have been stage-managed to some extent to ensure he was not at risk but he was willing to make the bold gesture to reassure patients, nurses and doctors that treating the disease is a priority. In fact, the TN CM has made Covid-19 management such a priority that he has eschewed any celebrations in the whole of May after ascending the Fort St George throne. Freely delegating powers to his senior ministers to handle their portfolios, meet Union ministers in Delhi and take a call on their subjects, he has only told them that they would be accountable for their actions and that the buck in their fields stops with them. All the while he has sent soft-spoken diktats to them on sensitive matters. Right now, Covid-19 is his priority and his image as CM second and he has been willing to make any number of concessions to be an acceptable face to all.
One of the most intelligent cricketers to ever twirl the ball in the air with a zillion variations, Ravichandran Ashwin is just emerging from the shadows after taking a break from IPL because of illness affecting a number of family members. The quick-witted spinner is always ready with a handy retort on social media but this time he took up the cause of children in getting into the heart of the issue of sexual harassment of schoolgirls by a teacher in a reputed school. As an alumnus of the school, Ashwin had an extra reason to join the issue after several people had commented on the unseemly goings-on in school, rightly calling for action to put an end to such episodes. In quarantine ahead of the England tour, Ashwin seems to have a bit of time to keep his spinning fingers busy on the mobile keyboard. But, to his credit, he has not taken those who trolled him seriously after they went at him viciously, even finding imaginary reasons why he quit IPL mid-season, saying he did so because he was annoyed with skipper Pant over his refusing a DRS review call the spinner seemed bent upon. Willing to back himself to do his own thing, Ashwin was not scared by the nasty reactions to his “Mankading” Buttler. The spin master knows he cannot always have the last laugh but is always willing to battle to make his point.
Tamil Nadu’s finance minister Palanivel Thiagarajan is in demand internationally as his old contacts, especially diplomats, ask for him whenever they are thinking of routing aid to the State in the time of the pandemic. When Rev Jesse Jackson Sr wished to contact Tamil Nadu to say he was pressing US President Joe Biden to release US vaccines for India, the civil rights leader could think of no one better than ‘PT’ to be his go-to man. As a finance professional, the graduate from MIT and former investment banker with a British bank, ‘PT’ is accustomed to calling a spade a spade. But, as a politician, he is struggling to control his propensity to let loose barbs aimed at various personalities. He was in the news straightaway as he took on Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, founder of the Isha movement, putting him down as a land-grabbing godman who will have to face the law soon. Isha Foundation said they were “appalled that a man of his (Jaggi Vasudev) stature has been subject to the Minister’s unparliamentary and uncalled for personal attack.” The media dream of having a politico come out with all guns firing to offer the public lively bytes is being fulfilled almost on a daily basis. The other day, ‘PT’ came up with “barking dogs” to classify a rabble rousing right wing politician of Tamil Nadu. The world of finance may be a grey area surrounded by figures in black and white but the TN finance minister is proving to be colourful when in front of the media as he is never shy of sharp and witty retorts.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson may have been heaving a sigh of relief after copping much criticism that he was pursuing a trade deal with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that stopped him from ordering a ban on flights from India. Scientific evaluation of the India-dominant strain of the coronavirus has been declared to be less transmissible than it was first feared. Critics had Boris in their crosshairs ever since the India strain began to threaten UK’s road map out of a strict lockdown that has marked June 21 as the day of liberation after May 17 saw people being allowed to gather indoor at bars and restaurants and even hug each other. Strangely, hugging had been prohibited since the outbreak flared up in March 2020. Researchers say the India strain may have proved a problem because of what is called the “founder effect”, which is small numbers proving explosive in a tight community in which three generations of people may share living space. This comes after Boris was repeatedly slammed for postponing a ban on flights out of India as the UK and India negotiated on a possible trade deal and the Indian strain filtered through to Britain to threaten pronounced Asian neighbourhoods like Bolton in Northern England. The same criticism was made of Modi who had wooed Donald Trump in February 2020 and hence delayed a national lockdown.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin has ushered in a new era of healthy politics. In forming an anti-Covid committee of all-party MLAs he was signaling that he is ready to take the bi-partisan route to politics. An immediate beneficiary was his own Covid relief fund that attracted a contribution of Rs 1 crore from the opposition AIADMK as well as a month’s salary from its 66 MLAs.
More than the money, the gestures towards fostering healthy political ties carried a trend-breaking message of amity. This is a sea change from the frosty relationship between the two Dravidian majors, which have been daggers drawn for decades, especially after Assembly incidents involving Jayalalithaa whose saree may have been tugged by ruling DMK legislators. A series of walkouts or boycott of Assembly proceedings used to be a constant feature as the parties refused to see eye to eye on anything save the most popular issues. Stalin seems determined to change all that and ex-CM Edappadi K Palaniswami is also playing up to it by being a graceful loser while tweeting his congratulations to Stalin on the popular verdict. While it is not certain how long the bonhomie will last, a positive change in the political atmosphere is owed to Stalin’s willingness to be the diplomat.
Former Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami won his first battle post-polls when he was elected “unanimously” as leader of the AIADMK legislature party and appointed as Leader Of The Opposition. O Panneerselvam, former deputy CM, also former CM, waged a protracted bitter fight for the post until he knew he would be outvoted in the party and compromised. But the war is far from over. EPS was bent upon retaining control of the party for the simple reason that OPS is seen as a Sasikala loyalist who would like to bring back the discredited “General Secretary” into the AIADMK fold. OPS may have been shabbily treated by the Sasikala’s Mannargudi Thevar clan when he was interim CM after Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016. He was said to have even complained to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about it but the PM laughed it away saying he was CM with the police department under him and should face no threat from anyone. EPS knows he has to be on constant guard. Though Sasikala announced her retirement from active politics, it was believed that it was strategic move on her part to wait for election results and try to take back the party if it was trounced in the polls. The good performance by EPS has saved him but his position and the party is safe only for now.
There is a silver lining to be sighted even in poll defeat. Cinema fans are thrilled that two big stars of the silver screen have been denied a place in Tamil Nadu’s star-studded politics. While Rajinikanth left even before a single vote was cast, the thespian Kamal Haasan faces the same fate as Sivaji Ganesan in failing badly at the polls. Both matinee stars can now concentrate their energies on acting in the autumn of their film careers. Kamal Haasan’s party, formed in 2018, is facing an existential crisis after being wiped out electorally — 2.5% vote share and 0 seats — in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. Kamal, at a loose end after the poll crash, confided to friends that he is free to pursue all his film projects while he intends to keep one eye on his political presence with statements on issues. Rajini, advised by the Marans to resist pressure from Delhi to take on a political avatar, will be acting in more Sun Films ventures after Annatthe. Kamal has Project 232, Indian 2 and Thalaivan Irukkindran to finish as well think of unfinished projects like Madhuranagayam which caused such a stir that even the British Queen visited the set. The one certainty to emerge from 2021 TN polls is that the cinema stars are totally free to act full time.
Long before the exit polls began pointing universally to DMK storming back to power in Tamil Nadu, the party chief was closeted with his family in the hills when Stalin’s family members discussed in detail which posts would go to whom once the results came. Now, the dilemma facing the Chief Minister designate MK Stalin is whether to accommodate his son Udhayanidhi in his Cabinet. The authenticity of a WhatsApp message on Stalin’s Cabinet which began doing the rounds early on Monday (May 3) — with a post pencilled in for Udhyanidhi (B Com) as Minister for Municipal Administration, Rural Development, etc — is not known, but it does contain a message about the ‘Young Turk’ of DMK. Udhayanidhi was the firebrand campaigner who took on Narendra Modi and Amit Shah of BJP in all his speeches, questioning them and daring them on many issues. He can’t be kept out of the Cabinet now though he is only 44. As a DMK historian said, “His grandfather became CM at the age of 44. Where is the question of him not being in the Cabinet?” That leaves the question of Kanimozhi being asked to join the Cabinet as someone who has become very popular in the south as the MP from Thoothukudi. But, in view of staving off any talk of family bias, Stalin might skip including his half-sister right now. The focus is on first accommodating Udhayanidhi.
The famous cricket brain may have fired back to life a little slowly but its functions are intact. A diving MS Dhoni spilling a catch might have brought the first signs that age is not just a number when it comes to alacrity on the cricket field. But wisdom is still a much needed commodity as we saw in many instances as CSK are up and running again and leading the IPL table this time. The first audible signs of Dhoni’s intellect came when he told Jadeja to let it rip as a replaced ball would be dry and would turn. Having been just hit for six and taking a ball the umpires gave from the “used” box, Jadeja got one to turn and bowled a batsman. Soon, advice not to worry about getting hit and let the ball spin helped the all-rounder again as Dhoni told him to keep his spirits up and Jadeja at once foxed Glenn Maxwell to bowl him. Asked as to how CSK was firing on all cylinders again after the UAE flop show last season, Dhoni said there were a lot of factors and explained a few about how the lockdown without cricket had affected them last time and how CSK were better prepared for this edition of IPL. There is just no substitute for Captain Cool’s cerebral presence on the cricket field.
A new form of chauvinism has been spotted. It is induced by oxygen. Within hours of the top court setting conditions for the reopening of Vedanta’s Sterlite copper smelter in Thoothukudi (earlier Tuticorin) on the Tamil Nadu coast, Opposition leader MK Stalin declared that all oxygen produced by Sterlite should be used in Tamil Nadu and that no oxygen supply from any source should serve other states until Tamil Nadu’s requirements are fully met. Stalin’s observations came because the Tamil Nadu government, peeved at censorious comments from the Supreme Court, was hedging by saying that Sterlite would not be able to manufacture medical quality oxygen. Sterlite’s lawyer Harish Salve, however, told the court that the plant will be able to supply 200 MT of medical grade oxygen within 10 days of opening. Along with oxygen, Sterlite politics is also swirling in Tamil Nadu with a few political parties, including Vaiko’s MDMK, opposing the opening of the plant even in such a dire national emergency. The plant was shut for environmental concerns three years ago after protests turned violent with 13 people getting killed in police firing. And now, local people representing the victims of the firing are refusing to nominate anyone to the committee to oversee the production of oxygen.
There is a ‘Hundred’ revolution sweeping cricket. No more batsman or batswoman – they are all batters now. With a new format popping up, promoters wanted the game to be truly gender neutral and so it is bowler and batter now. But they had to stop their reform of cricket’s complex vocabulary there and had to retain ‘wickets’. They abandoned thoughts of making it ‘outs’ after a public backlash over the proposed changes. And so, mercifully, it will still be 70 for four wickets and so on although the fall of a wicket will be described as an ‘out’ on the glitzy screens broadcasting the new game from the UK. Cricket purists may have had a bit of a say in saving the soul of the game. Their wish may be fulfilled when the T20 format – now considered a somewhat more traditional form of cricket as it has been around at least for a couple of decades – will be recommended for the Olympics. The thought that the new-fangled ‘Hundred’ might be the format for the Los Angeles Olympics of 2028 was scotched. The ICC will propose to the IOC that T20 be the format for cricket’s Olympics debut and the traditionalists can heave a sigh of relief.
The continued success of Glenn Maxwell in Royal Challengers Bangalore colours is a big lesson in man management. Playing for his fourth IPL team, the expensive batting all-rounder got back his match-winning mojo only now under the leadership of Team India and RCB skipper Virat Kohli and the team management that have given the Aussie the mental space he needed to find his old form. As colleague AB de Villiers, the biggest 360 degree batting star of IPL, pointed out: “It’s about feeling backed and he feels that here, with Virat, myself and all the coaching staff, all his teammates back him. He knows he has extraordinary talent but for that to blossom he knows he must be happy, and I think he is just in a happy space at the moment.” To do well at sport, they speak of “good headspace” and that is what the enigmatic Aussie, bought for Rs 14.5 crore, seems to be in as he cracked his highest score since 2014. As the show pony in three previous IPL teams, he may have been put under enormous pressure. In RCB, where he is only the third musketeer after Kohli and ABD, Maxwell is flourishing
Cycling his way from Chennai to Mamallapuram in a red and black tracksuit, sporting his party colours, MK Stalin is sending a message of dynamism to the public of Tamil Nadu. Private exit polls run by elements close to political parties seem to suggest he should get ready for his coronation. Even before he hit the campaign trail, Stalin had presented himself to the voting public as a younger man with a complete makeover — hair transplant, dentistry and Botox — to give him greater confidence in front of the camera. He is the quintessential political leader now all geared to take his father’s seat in Fort St George as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. His DMK party’s booth level workers have also injected plenty of confidence in him with confidential reports of how the party may sweep the polls. Looks like the 68-year old Stalin who has been waiting in the wings for a long time will finally find the well-deserved place under the sun.
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