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The contentious issue of the hijab is taking a heavy toll on the Congress in Karnataka. The party stands divided. While former CM Siddaramiah is more worried about alienating Muslims, PCC chief DK Shivkumar is devastated and, feels the issue could botch up Congress prospects of returning to power in the 2023 state assemblies. Common citizens are upset with the aggressive pro-hijab campaign being run by the Campus Front of India (CFI), an arm of the Islamist Popular Front of India. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s faux pas, equating “uniform” and “bikini”, hijab and jeans, has pushed Shivkumar into damage control mode and fighting for the uniform in educational institutions. Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray wisely aired his views; saying students must wear uniforms as prescribed in schools and colleges and, keep political controversies out of the centres of education. On the hijab row, PM Narendra Modi finally opened up in the Muslim-dominated Saharanpur, UP. He said people were inventing ‘new ways to block the rights and development of Muslim women’ in India. “When Muslim women started openly supporting the Modi government, (political) opponents got anxious. But we stand with every Muslim woman.” In a tight slap to the CFI, the Supreme Court declined an urgent listing to hear the Special Leave Petition against Karnataka High Court’s orders regarding the hijab petitions.
Thirty-five-year-old Richa Chadha’s latest web series The Great Indian Murder directed Tigmanshu Dhulia has received mixed reviews. But there is no denying that Richa has arrived in Bollywood. Hailing from an academically-oriented family, Richa entered Bollywood in 2008 with a small role in the comedy Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! In the last 13 years she acted in over 27 films and shot to fame for work in the Fukrey series, her supporting role in Gangs of Wasseypur also won her many awards. Unlike other Bollywood stars, this St Stephen College alumni is headstrong and speaks her mind on raging social issues. She is one of few actresses who protested the attack on JNU students. In the recent Karnataka hijab row Richa, who enjoys over 5 lakh followers tweeted: “Raise your sons better! A bunch of ugly, cowards attacking a lone woman in a pack and feeling proud of it? WHAT LOSERS! Shameful. They’ll be jobless, more frustrated and penniless in a few years. What poor upbringing! No sympathy, no redemption for them (sic).” Little wonder she has signed up for films with strong social issues, subjects or characters who are change agents. Recently, she and her fiancé Ali Fazal set up their own production house, Push Button Production.
Captain of the Indian men in blue (50 over cricket), Rohit Sharma has started with a bang winning the first two matches and the series against West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium at Motera, Ahmedabad. While his team won by six wickets and 44 runs, he had to deal with a tricky situation after the Covid-19 infection hit Shikhar Dhawan. Sharma and Dhawan are the second-highest run getting pair (4978 runs till the third ODI on Friday) for India after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. The Delhi left-hander is close to 38 but Sharma believes Dhawan has a lot more steam left to carry on and deliver for India even in the 2023 World Cup to be hosted by India. Sharma revealed after the second match that he was asked (ostensibly by the national selection committee) to try out different things. As a result, mercurial batter Rishabh Pant was asked to open. In the first match another lefty, Ishan Kishan filled up the void caused by Dhawan’s absence. Pant was not allowed to throw his wrists at everything that the West Indies speedsters sent down but, it was a worthwhile experiment. Sharma is keen on a lefty partner right at the top of the order.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently praised Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, citing him as the best example of cooperative federalism which raised hackles of BJP leaders in Odisha. Why did Modi praise Patnaik even as Panchayat elections are just round the corner? The PM knows BJP won’t make a dent in Odisha where Patnaik has delivered on all fronts. Moreover, he is a dependable ally who stood by Modi on issues like NRC, CAA, the GST bill, Triple Talaq, even walked out of Parliament when a no trust vote was moved against Modi and refused to be a part of the Mahagatbandhan alliance. His sole interest is to take Odisha towards progress by focusing on populist programmes, industrialisation and infrastructure development. Patnaik knows crossing swords with the Centre would stop the free flow of funds needed for his multiple programmes. Patnaik’s relationship with Modi is based on the “live and let live premise” without kow-towing and maintaining his independence respectfully. By doing so, Naveen also avoided the potential Damocles’ sword of the CBI inquiry pertaining to the mining scam following Shah Commission report which has remained frozen over the last eight years. Naveen is invincible today but does not challenge Modi’s leadership as he nurses no national ambitions apart from Odisha’s socio-economic development, which suits Modi quite well.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget announcement of 400 new Vande Bharat trains at a time when only two currently ply in India — Delhi-Varanasi and Delhi-Katra — has set the wheels in motion at high speed. Train 18, as it is called, is a semi-high-speed, intercity EMU train with airplane style rotatable seats designed and manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory at Perambur in Chennai. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishwav says a new version series of these trains has been designed and serial production for the rakes is likely to commence by September. With the focus on safety and comfort, including reduced noise and vibration levels, the Indian Railways and its vendors are working hard to meet these new targets. “We have an order for the front end of 35 trains and are now building them,” says Shekhar Sardessai, Executive Vice Chairman & Managing Director of the Goa-based Kineco Ltd. A pioneer of composites for the manufacture of a wide range of products for rail, road, air and space transport vehicles, Kineco is also understood to have bid to create the complete interiors for the first rollout of the trains. The Railways is also considering the use of aluminium over steel for building the coaches, to make the trains lighter and faster, as well as, improving energy efficiency.
The immense popularity of new Hindi serial thriller Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein across Uttar Pradesh has given it a new distinction of being a happening state. The dredged imagery of an unwashed, overly populated, poverty stricken, illiterate and exploited state that sends the maximum lawmakers to Indian Parliament is passe now. Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein has jolted out this stereotype. UP’s consciousness has traversed far ahead with regard to permissiveness, modern lifestyles, wealth and power flaunting, organised and unorganised crime. OTT Hindi serials will hitherto be benchmarked against These Black Black Eyes, the early era filmy hit song belted out by Shah Rukh Khan in Baazigar. Omkara is the fictional name given to the state of violent politics and the mafia, chilling terror and awe-inspiring revenge. Season One (eight episodes) unravels the power and terror that political heavyweight Akhiraj Awasthi (played brilliantly by Saurabh Shukla) holds over his family and, the entire state. No one dares take him on even as he is the very embodiment of evil. His daughter Purva (Aanchal Singh will go places) overtakes daddy dear in all things evil and is driven, possessive, passionate with a Zumba toned body. What mesmerises the viewer is the slick editing, lightning change of moods, dizzy action and the fast pace of the unfolding storyline which is pulpy, and hooks you, line and sinker.
Rohit Sharma delved deep into his own mind and said, “(I) don’t believe in a perfect game. You can’t be perfect,” after India won its 1,000th ODI. Then, he repeated his team’s winning streak in the 1001st ODI against the West Indies cricket team. With the ODI series won, Sharma’s debut as full time ODI captain now offers him more space to play a few variations. “I have been asked to do different things,” he said after his bowlers defended the under-par score of 237 runs in the second ODI. “We want(ed) to try a few things, with the long term in mind,” he added. All IPL heroes will get a chance now, as will battle-hardened veterans. The new Indian cricket mantra: Play with maturity, bat and bowl as the team need demands not, as you desire. India prepares for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup it will host, come October 2023. Virat’s coming back to form is long pending. His ICC knockout scores: 1 (SF WC2019); 5 (Champions Trophy Final 2017); 1 and 3 (SF and QF WC2015); and 9 (SF WC2011) will surely buck up based on the law of averages. Team India requires the high-performance fix that defined the WC 2011 win, when its batting centurions played like gladiators digging deep into positions and, canny wicket takers complemented by scrappy all-rounders.
What holds a business family together? Just about everything. But, when it entails an extended family, then the task become more daunting. One Chennai-based conglomerate discovered the right formula many summers ago, to navigate the business cycles smoothly while also keeping the assorted wings of the larger family well and truly satisfied. The Murugappa group employs a house-keeping entity that has largely been instrumental in fairly compensating male members of the extended Murugappa family. They may all be differently talented but, when it comes to compensation, each of them (read every male heir) is treated on par. This entity came in handy especially when the group established a Murugappa corporate board and went in for a group branding in the ‘90s. The board members and others in the family were largely paid compensation through this unlisted house-keeping entity. A public limited outfit, this house-keeping firm doesn’t include any family members as directors. It was structured in such a way to avoid action under the MRTPC lens. A little birdie tells us that female heirs in the family aren’t fortunate enough to enjoy identical benefits. That may explain the cause for the open rebellion demonstrated by Valli Arunachalam, whose father MV Murugappan, former executive chairman of Murugappa group, expired a few years ago. This family enterprise makes for a fascinating story, all the same.
Just before elections to 108 municipal bodies in February, Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee has gone all out to empower party seniors. Didi’s decision came after protests over the candidates’ list in the Purba Medinpur district. Conscious of emerging differences between Abhishek Banerjee and senior TMC leaders, Mamta decided to act particularly upset over ongoing sparring between TMC chief whip in the Lok Sabha Kalyan Banerjee and her nephew. She announced that party MPs must consult Sudip Bandopadhyay while party MLAs likewise engage with TMC deputy leader Partha Chatterjee and Bengal unit chief Subrata Bakshi. Placing Sudip in charge of the party’s parliamentary formation is a major divergence considering TMC leader in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O’ Brien’s proximity to Abhishek. A miffed Abhishek slipped out of the TMC meeting as Mamata announced the organisational changes and subsequently joined the meeting via Skype from home. The nephew, credited with getting her re-elected for a third term, has allegedly told his aunt that any attempt to undermine him would weaken the party. Mamata is well aware that young Turk MLAs elected in 2021 pledge their loyalty to Abhishek, who has also clearly been pushing Didi to expand TMC voter base beyond Bengal. So far, TMC efforts to capture the Goa assemblies and Tripura civic bodies have failed to yield success.
The next blockbuster that will dominate the Indian cricket scene is the mega players’ auction for the Indian Premier League, the undisputed World No 1 Twenty20 league. This year’s IPL is set to start March 27 with 10 teams in all; the two additions being Lucknow Supergiants, for which the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group (RPSG) will pay Rs 7090 crore for 10 years and, the Ahmedabad team for which Singapore-based private equity firm Irelia Company Capital Private Ltd (whose parent company is CVC Capital Partners) has committed Rs 5625 crore. While the BCCI will be richer by Rs 12,715 crore, it is yet to announce the venue where IPL15 will be held. IPL’s Governing Council Chairman, Brijesh Patel wants the tourney held again in the Gulf nations of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Muscat as these venues successfully managed IPL-13, second half of the IPL-14 and the ICC World Twenty20. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has said he will try his utmost to bring the league back to India. Now, with Covid-19 numbers dropping by the day, Maharashtra is touted as the single State venue for all the league games. The players’ auction is scheduled at Bengaluru on Saturday and Sunday (February 12-13) and franchises will be told about the venue, hopefully well in time, so they can plan and form their team selection strategy.
As the BJP and the Shiv Sena led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) square off for the BMC elections, the latter has announced an unrealistic high Rs 46,000 crore budget for Mumbai, the city that never sleeps. Ironically, in 2017 then BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta announced a mere Rs 25,000 crore outlay for Mumbai city and its suburban region, a Rs 12,000 crore reduction from the preceding year’s budget. When asked, Mehta had stated, “It was done to make spending more realistic. Earlier budget figures were much higher than what was actually spent. The capacity to spend was disproportionate to the allocated funds, even to the extent of our revenues (actually) generated. But the realistic budget from Mehta came a year after the BMC elections were held and the administration could politically afford to become realistic but, with elections for the BMC pie only days away now, not only unrealism but also, surrealism appears to be at play now with the whopping Rs 46,000 crore plan outlay that holds the promise of the sky for Mumbaikars and yet, may only fall short in terms of actual expenditure that takes place. A senior civic administrator told shortpost.in, “A lot of window dressing happens in an election year including double paper entries, due to the accounting format followed by the BMC, to make it look larger than life.”
The Congress may have boxed itself into a corner by declaring Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as its poll face for Punjab. Many in the party couldn’t but agree with PM Narendra Modi who said in the Lok Sabha “I think you (Congress) have made up your mind not to come to power for the next 100 years”. Channi as the CM face is not the first time the Congress has opted for a non-Jat Sikh. Back in 1972, a Ramgarhia Sikh, Giani Zail Singh was its OBC Chief Minister. Channi became the obvious choice for being a Dalit but, the Congress may weaken its strong bonds with the dominant Jat Sikhs and Hindus as a consequence. The party’s Hindu leader Sunil Jakhar announced his withdrawal from active politics in apparent disgust while, Jat Sikh leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who ended Captain Amarinder Singh’s Congress reign, has not opened his cards yet. Sidhu’s gameplan may now only commence after the polls as he was counting on Rahul Gandhi to opt for a clean image candidate as the CM face. The Gandhis stunned Siddhu and settled for sand mining scam tainted Channi instead. Looks like though the ED raids on Honey (Channi’s nephew) established the money trail, it also cemented Channi’s claim to the CM’s post for the Gandhi family.
All of a sudden, the Chennai corporate landscape is buzzing with action. It is witnessing some significant transformation. Indeed, coming events are casting their shadows before them (read SEBI ruling on splitting the CMD post). For the first time perhaps in its annals, a TVS group company will have a non-family member as chairman. Come April 1, TVS Motor Company will see non-executive director Prof Sir Ralf Dieter Speth becoming its Chairman. Promoter Venu Srinivasan will then be designated as Chairman Emeritus. Several summers ago when the TVS group chose to dilute its majority holding in its then joint venture, TVS Whirlpool, Suresh Krishna voluntarily gave up his position as the Chairman of the joint venture. Well, much water has flown under the bridge since then. Venu Srinivasan’s son, Sudarshan, in the meanwhile, has been inducted into the board of Coromandel International, a Murugappa group company. Sudarshan has joined the board of Coromandel International as an Independent Director. In an equally significant development, Srinivas Acharya, former managing director of Sundaram Home Finance, a subsidiary of Sundaram Finance, is being roped in to join the board of Hindujas’ housing arm. An able hand with enormous experience in the field of housing finance, Acharya can provide the Hinduja housing arm with deeper insights. Indeed, the Chennai corporate world is undergoing a churn
The power of the player lords over cricket. It destroyed the coaching career of Justin Langer right after the team, under his charge, had won the T20 World Cup as well as the Ashes. Pat Cummins’ team won in double quick time and in the third Test, were only a wicket away from imposing another whitewash over England. Cricket Australia was bowing down to player power when it virtually forced Langer to resign. In England, Captain Joe Root kept his job despite the poor Test record but head coach Chris Silverwood, who held sway in all selection matters, got the sack. So too did the director of England men’s cricket, Ashley Giles. The opposite may hold true in Indian cricket when Virat Kohli was forced to throw in the captaincy but, then again, the force behind his ouster was former player Sourav Ganguly, now the influential head of the all too powerful BCCI administration. It may be recalled that Anil Kumble was sacked, on the wishes of the captain and players (just like Langer was), for being too intense with his coaching style. Player power is at an apogee in modern day cricket and signals the complete shift from the old days, when the administration could sack anyone at will. Whether that is good or bad, only time will tell.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Hyderabad, on February 5, to inaugurate the ‘Statue of Equality’ commemorating 11th-century Vaishnavaite Saint Sri Ramanujacharya, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao skipped his airport reception, deputing his Minister Srinivas Yadav to stand-in for him. KCR only emulated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who started the trend a few months back and was copied by Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, more recently. Political analysts say KCR lost out in terms of sheer optics the historic event could generate. So why? Regional parties say Modi single-mindedly seeks to expand the BJP footprint across India. And for this, he goes all out especially, during election campaigning; even name calling political opponents and ridiculing them. Modi’s style was evident even during the West Bengal polls and, during the Delhi assemblies. Few can forget his “Didi O Didi” jibe at Mamta. Additionally, Governors in non-BJP ruled States are prone to political interference and both Didi and Stalin found out the hard way after their legislative bills were kept pending by their respective heads of state. Non BJP CMs in India desperately hold on to the federal structure refusing to be bulldozed by the Centre. The proposal to repatriate IAS and IPS officers from States to the Centre at will that is currently the flashpoint between states and the Centre.
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a very special bond. In 2013 when Modi was Gujarat’s Chief Minister, Lata Didi invited him to inaugurate a super-speciality hospital built in memory of her father Deenanath Mangeshkar in Pune. During the event, Lata Didi had said: “I pray to God that we see Narendra bhai as PM (someday).” She repeated her wish even before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In fact, on every Raksha Bandhan day Lata Didi unfailingly sent a Rakhi and her wishes to PM Modi and was anguished when unable to send her sisterly tie of Rakhi due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions in 2020. In June 2019, shortly after Modi’s thumping win in the general elections and second consecutive term as Prime Minister, Lata Didi wrote a letter in Gujarati to Heeraben, Modi’s mother, congratulating her son and and “my brother” for becoming Prime Minister for the second time in a row. The Gujarat Government has now shared this letter. Two years back a recording of Modi’s Maan ki Baat, also featured his conversation with Lata, wishing her on her birthday. In that conversation, Lata praised Modi, saying, “Modiji, you do not know what you are. You are doing so much for India.” Modi recalled that she also told him that her late mother Shevanti too was a Gujarati.
Marriages are made in heaven and, in politics it makes for a certain winning combination. However, this round of States assemblies has witnessed married political couples being given the shaft by both, the BJP and the Congress. UP minister Swati Singh and husband Daya Shankar Singh were both vying for the Sarojini Nagar assembly constituency. The BJP leadership instead fielded Rajeshwar Singh, IPS and former joint director in the Enforcement Directorate from the seat. The Congress in turn, punished a husband for his wife’s rebellion. Former Rae Bareli MLA Aditi Singh quit the party to join the BJP and, discovered her husband Angad Saini, sitting MLA in Punjab denied a Congress ticket. Furious, Aditi Singh alleged harassment by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and said, “Bin baap ki beti ko pareshan kar rahi hai Priyanka Gandhi.” (Priyanka Gandhi is harassing a fatherless daughter). She took a further jibe at Congress’s slogan ‘ladki hun lad sakti hun’, saying “I am a girl and will fight on.” Her husband Angad also alleged that Congress was treating him like “a criminal” for marrying Aditi and, filed his papers as an independent candidate from the Nawanshahr assembly constituency. The only state where couples had their way is Goa where the BJP gave tickets to Vishwajit Rane and wife Divya. The party also accommodated Atanasio Monserratte and his wife Jennifer.
Award winning and yet, controversial filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has found a new muse in Alia Bhatt, who featured in his latest film Gangubai Kathiawadi, a biographical crime film based on a chapter from Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens Of Mumbai. Bhansali, insiders say, has already decided to cast Alia in his next ambitious project Baiju Bawra, originally planned with Mastani Deepika Padukone in mind. But Bhansali’s erstwhile muse, who saw him as her mentor sought more money, which did not go down well with Bhansali. Deepika essayed key roles in two of his movies Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat but, may be out of the new big banner project even as many wonder whether the two will ever work together again? Alia is definitely a part of his next film though. Of course, Ranveer Singh who also owes it all to Bhansali will most likely play the title role of Baiju Bawra. Bhansali, with over 18 films, follows a pattern of working with his film stars in at least two films. Aishwarya Rai was his all-time favourite while Manisha Koirala acted in 1942: A Love Story and, is back with Heera Mandi. It is quite common for filmmakers to cast their favourite stars in all their movies, David Dhawan-Govinda, Karan Johar-Shah Rukh Khan and, of course, MF Husain whose forever muse was Madhuri Dixit.
Did you know that billionaire banker Uday Kotak fondly remembers the udad ni dal, ring na olo and chokha na dashmi his mother made?A new book brings back a host of recipes used by the mothers of Kotak and half a dozen other big business leaders. These, as well as a couple of dozen other celebrities across films and sports like Aamir Khan, Vidya Balan, Irfan Pathan, Mithali Raj, Mary Kom, and author Amish Tripathi and commentator Harsha Bhogle, share precious family recipes.The ‘food memoir’, as business journalist-turned-author Sudha Menon describes her seventh book Recipes for Life, is a collection of interviews, anecdotes and stories about her subjects growing up with their mother’s food. Menon, who is also an actor and motivational speaker, says she started writing this one after her mother-in-law’s death, with dementia having wiped out her legacy of hundreds of family recipes that she had mastered over decades. “The same heart-breaking situation is replaying with my mother now – she too was a brilliant, passionate cook, but has slowly lost her memory over the last year or so.” The book, she adds, is a documentation of family recipes that come down the generations through word of mouth and “a celebration of the bonds we forge with our mothers and those who cook for us with love”.
Some fresh, fascinating insights into the mind and heart of BCCI’s Selection Think Tank have been laid bare by Harbhajan Singh, the legendary offspinner with 417 Test wickets – and a proud member of the World Cup winning Indian team. “If we were good enough to win the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011, why didn’t we play even a single match together after that? Was that team good enough just to win the World Cup and became kharaab after that?” he questioned in a YouTube show Backstage with Boria. “Were 31-year-old Harbhajan Singh, 30-year-old Yuvraj Singh, 32-year-old Virender Sehwag, 29-year-old Gautam Gambhir who played in 2011, not good enough to play in the World Cup team of 2015? Why were we removed from the team one by one? Why were we treated like a kind of Use and Throw?” There are no easy answers to the Turbanator’s probing questions. So staggering is India’s bench strength that it’s equally tough for the bowlers and batters to be counted in. Take the case of Karun Nair (KL Rahul’s teenage cricketing buddy), the only Indian with a triple ton other than Sehwag. Nair’s unbeaten 303 helped India score a record 759 against touring England in Chennai Test in 2016 and wrap up an innings win to take the series 4-0. He has turned 30 now, not recalled since 2017.
Notwithstanding the arrest of his nephew Bhupendra Singh Honey by the Enforcement Directorate in a sand mining case, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is all set to be reiterated as the Chief Ministerial face of the Congress party on February 6. He apparently aced the opinion poll conducted by his party via phone calls. It is ironic that the Congress, stridently critical of the AAP that picked Bhagwant Singh Mann as its CM face via phone calls, should emulate the rival party’s newfound strategy. It was not immediately clear whether AAP’s method was copied as it is surging ahead in Punjab’s political arena? What did PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, who played a crucial role in ousting Captain Amarinder Singh as CM, get for his efforts? Last seen, he visited the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu seeking divine intervention, not to be installed as CM but, for legal relief even as an old road rage case of 1988 in Patiala has caught up with him before the Supreme Court. The family of the deceased person has pursued the matter through a review petition. Meanwhile, in Amritsar (East) the contest will be most watched as Sidhu’s bete noire Bikram Majithia of the Akali Dal has entered the fray to defeat him; a common goal Captain Sahib also shares.
BJD MP Pinaki Mishra gave some anxious moments to the treasury benches by referring to the violent conduct of a tribal Minister/ MP in Mayurbhanj, Odisha in the Lok Sabha. Even as alert BJP members warned Mishra against naming the MP without due notice, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahalad Joshi said the name may be invoked after due process was initiated, meaning, Odisha was free to act on the incident. For his part, the tactful Supreme Court lawyer did not mention the BJP minister’s name but picked up a line from the President’s address to Parliament while narrating how two district officials in Odisha were beaten up. Mishra pointed out how the minister had brutally assaulted district director planning and his assistant during a meeting to discuss MPLAD issues last month. While highlighting the incident, he also showered encomiums on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The Prime Minister is unfailingly courteous; he is unfailingly polite with everybody he meets. I think the Prime Minister must take a very serious view of these things. These things should not be easily countenanced.” The goodwill that Modi enjoys with Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has reportedly spared the heat on Bishweshwar Tudu, who was inducted as Union Minister of State in July 2021.
Hardik Pandya’s international career is at the crossroads. He has not turned out in a single match, in blue or whites, after the country’s dismal performance against Pakistan and New Zealand in the World Twenty20 in the UAE, after which India played against New Zealand and South Africa. Hardik is not in the ODI or Twenty20 team for the forthcoming series against the West Indies. The BCCI’s national selection committee has every reason to feel they were taken for a ride about his fitness for the World Twenty20. Chairman Chetan Sharma at a press conference had said that Hardik will bowl his quota of four overs in every Super 12 match in the UAE. Hardik did not send down a ball against Pakistan, Scotland and Namibia and bowled two overs each against New Zealand and Afghanistan, conceding 40 runs without a wicket. Recently he said he was “not supposed to bowl” when he bowled against New Zealand at the World Twenty20. Fast tracked into international cricket because of the hitting ability he demonstrated to the then India ‘A’ coach Rahul Dravid in Australia a few years ago, Hardik is unlikely to get the nod from the selectors at any time soon. He has shown the stomach for a fight in the past, but can his weak back mend itself fully? Hardik has to really bend his back to bowl at full tilt?
Leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Edappadi K Palaniswami has found his political voice and enthusiasm to tear into TN Chief Minister MK Stalin over his pan India plan to lead a combined opposition, come 2024 general elections. Stalin wrote to 37 political leaders, including Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi, inviting them to be a part of the All India Federation for Social Justice assuring ‘Everything for Everyone.’ Stalin aimed to bring all leaders on a single platform along with members of civil society and like-minded individuals and organisations towards “achieving the principles of federalism and social justice at the national level.” This has given Palanisami his political voice, lost after his party AIADMK lost the TN assemblies. Says Palanisami “For 10 months, Stalin and ilk only worked on serial flops. Where is TN lacking in social justice? For 17 years, (either) as part of the Congress group looting or, under HD Deve Gowda, then Atal Bihari Vajpayee and finally, Dr Manmohan Singh the DMK enjoyed undiluted power taking the (Karunanidhi) family to mind blogging heights of prosperity.” He added that AIADMK fought for 50% reservations, though Stalin flaunts 27% as his own accomplishment. DMK is known for corruption, commission, and collection, he said. Staging a Social Justice platform and, fishing for all India support, how many of the 37 leaders have even responded? Only time will tell.
Forty-six-year-old Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami is not an incumbent his political opponents would envy. The picturesque state, home to the most revered Hindu Dhams, also suffers an electoral curse. No party has won consecutive terms, with anti-incumbency always playing spoiler. Dhami has been CM for barely six months, though he piloted BJP to victory in 2017. Will 2022 rid the state of the anti-incumbency curse? Yes, says Hyderabad-based psephologist JVC Sreeram. Uttarakhand has 70 seats and the winner must pocket 36. Congress leaders themselves acknowledge that Dhami has blunted the anti-incumbency factor for BJP. Another stark reason is that Harish Rawat, a mass leader of the Congress, was treated shabbily by the Gandhis and; made to change his seat though daughter Anupama was already accommodated. He is not being actively promoted, unlike in the past when ND Tiwari held sway in the state. The entry of AAP, the spoiler, usurping the Bahujan Samaj Party’s popularity has cut into the windfall edge Congress had six months ago. The BJP denied tickets to 23 sitting MLAs and is not worried about a possible revolt factor. According to Sreeram, “If Uttarakhand is lost, and Punjab too, Congress will face an existential crisis.” That’s when the party will implode. Is the G-23 ready for the tailspin?
Tata Power took over four Odisha government-owned power distribution companies in early 2021, confident of turning these around in three years despite pressure from media Moghul and, ruling party MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik over the sought tariff hikes. Patnaik filed objection with the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) over the Tata Power Discoms and Odisha government-owned GRIDCO’s Aggregate Revenue Requirement recommendations to hike power tariffs from the current Rs 296.20 per unit to Rs 385.21, for the financial year 2022-23. The OERC is currently headless after its chairperson and former IAS officer, UN Behera’s tenure ended January 15, 2022. Unless his successor is appointed, the existing quasi-judicial two-member commission is expected to conduct public hearings and pass power tariff orders for the next fiscal. Sources suggest that the OERC members are not in favour of a tariff hike. However, Tata Power’s business plan has worked out a detailed mapping of the high technical loss areas along with the investment required to reduce the same. Sanjay Banga, President of Tata Power says “magic will happen within the three-year time-frame by when, Odisha will emerge as the best performing discom (towering) over rest of India.”
The Tamil Nadu political landscape will wear a different look from now on with staunch allies of the post-Jayalalithaa era – AIADMK and BJP – going it alone. The break did not seem momentous because it occurred just before the urban local body polls but its implications are wide-ranging. The cadres of both parties wanted the split to happen with AIADMK party members wishing to test the theory that they would have done far better had they stood alone in the Assembly polls of April 2021 and the BJP cadre believing that they have greater support in certain urban areas that can be brought out only if they stood independent of AIADMK. An insider suggests that the ties will remain politically but will not stretch to elections anymore. This was the Jaya doctrine by which she chose to steer clear of the national BJP in 2016 despite her friendship with Narendra Modi. Her successors had no way of showing such independence as the party bigwigs needed New Delhi’s support to keep clear of any probes into their finances and the BJP needed all the votes they could garner in the Rajya Sabha where they don’t command a majority. The results of the local body polls this month will show where the AIADMK and the BJP stand in the minds of voters.
Having fulfilled his dream to carve out a separate state, founder of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), now Chief Minister, Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao is keen to don a national political role. KCR, as he is popularly known, seeks to leave Telangana affairs to son KT Rama Rao as his successor, even as he forays into India’s national political domain. He has launched attacks upon the BJP-led government and wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the recent proposal to repatriate IAS and IPS officers from states to the Centre at will. Similarly, he was scathingly critical of the Union Budget for 2022. Then comes news that KCR is pushing for a United Front of regional political parties to checkmate the BJP in the 2024 elections. KCR has launched into a bonhomie drive to woo Chief Ministers including Uddhav Thackeray, Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, MK Stalin and Akhilesh Yadav. He has also surprisingly mellowed down towards arch political rival K Jagan Mohan Reddy, CM of Andhra Pradesh. Whether Didi or Kejriwal will give KCR the foothold he seeks in national politics remains to be seen, in the context of 17 Lok Sabha seats from down south that he brings to the united political table? KCR knows his limitations too but is taking a calculated gamble to simply increase his visibility.
Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come, said Victor Hugo a long time ago. I felt likewise. So instead of waiting endlessly for the Covid-19 tide to ebb, I decided to take the plunge and launch www.shortpost.in on January 28, 2021. This website, the first of its kind in the country, focuses only on short ‘Authentic Gossip’. Clearly, content is king more so if it is short & crisp (225 words), as a large section of our society is steadily shifting to digital and mobile space. To achieve this, I was fortunate to muster editorial support of some of the most senior and respected journalists in the country to bring out credible content that involves, stimulates and entertains our highly discerning readers — from across continents. We have so far uploaded close to 1,000 posts covering areas like Business, Politics, Sports, and Entertainment. Yes, today we have crossed an important milestone in our journey – #ShortPostFirstAnniversary — and we are confident many more will follow in keeping with our stated vision – to become a one stop site for authentic gossip. So, what next? With the third wave showing signs of slowing down things can only look better. So as the year rolls by we promise to pack in more punches. Before I sign off I would like to thank our advertiser IDFC FIRST Bank, angel investors Anuradha Verma, Ashish Kakkar and you readers for making this journey possible.
Currently, IPO subscription in India is skewed to favour the leveraged HNI and subject to a very high degree of money power. Come April 1, 2022, this is set to undergo a major change with the RBI directing that no individual can be lent more than Rs 1 crore to apply for shares in an IPO. The immediate ramifications will be huge. Firstly, the number of times the HNI portion is subscribed will fall sharply from the present 100-800 times to maybe 5-10 times. The present grey market premiums which decide the subscription level will no longer exist at these levels as the subscription will not match. The reverse math will not allow such premiums to remain. The pricing of issues will go through a downward pressure as merchant bankers, promoters and PE Investors will no longer have the luxury to depend on leveraged HNI to back them. The standard practice of every issue opening at a premium of 20-30% of the issue price will simply stop. What would the new scenario look like? Probably more subdued and balanced. IPO price band would be realistic and listing gains of 10% would be a great number. HNI subscription being in single digit would be the new norm as SEBI would also have notified the new norms of splitting the HNI bucket into two. For retail investors it is a welcome move.
When NS Raghavan, one of the seven co-founders of Infosys, was inducted as the Chairman of the Chennai-based Murugappa group, it took the entire corporate world by surprise. It was hailed as a path-breaking initiative by a family-owned group. Subsequently, the group set up a Murugappa Corporate Board. The ostensible reason for setting it up was to let the myriad group firms be run professionally. In 2020, the corporate board was dismantled. That has also taken many by surprise. Has the wheel come full circle? Tongues have, in fact, started wagging. Why was the two-decade old group corporate board dismantled after being in existence for two decades? Well, much water appears to have flown under the bridge since its formation many summers ago. The group itself has seen GenNext coming to the fore. Also, the group is under public glare with the daughters of late MV Murugappan alleging discrimination and seeking legal recourse for justice. Though the group comprises four families, there isn’t any complicated cross-holding structure in group firms. If grapevine is to be believed, there seems to be an informal demarcation of business among the varied families within. And, these sources suggest that each of them enjoys operational leeway with little cross-participation of family members in different group boards. Is Murugappa following the TVS model?
In the course of a momentous year we broke the story that the former cricket head honcho N Srinivasan was prepared to give up control over Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) as he had other battles to fight. Soon, his daughter resigned as President citing other commitments and it confirmed our story that Srinivasan had given the TNCA reins to DMK for a quid pro quo. In what is a done deal, it is up to TN Chief Minister MK Stalin to decide who will head TNCA – his son-in-law Sabareesh or the young gun in his party who is already in TNCA. In a battle with the corporate raider Radhakishan Damani, Srinivasan would need the help of the ruling party to ensure it is not a hostile takeover of India Cements. What he needs most is the Chennai Super Kings, the billion-dollar baby he always knew would bring him plenty of trouble in cricket because of a conflict of interests and he would like his daughter Rupa to be the honcho there. What makes India Cements ripe for a corporate raid is the cross-ownership of CSK through a shareholders’ trust. There are complications like some residences of top honchos or parts of them in the Tony Boat Club area in Chennai being in ICL’s name. Will the raider not be interested in the exposure CSK would bring him than cement factories? There are interesting times ahead when this story unravels.
For all the bluff and bluster about rebuffing BJP’s overtures to him Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhury is seriously considering the offer. Prior to his Mathura visit, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached out to Jat leaders from Western UP on January 26. The region will vote in the first phase of assembly elections on February 10. Shah met them in Delhi to explain the futility of the SP-RLD alliance. The alliance, he said, would not help Jayant Chaudhary but allow Azam Khan to rule, a message Jats in the area also concur with. Shah’s overtures to Jayant has unnerved Akhilesh Yadav after he got a number of Muslim candidates contesting on RLD tickets from Muslim dominated areas. This left Jats with little alternative than abandoning their preferred party and shifting their vote as they were wary of Muslims since the 2013 Muzzaffarnagar riots. Shah assured Jat leaders over their demands for reservation and promised a Bharat Ratna for their leader Chaudhary Charan Singh. He emphasised the economic advantages if BJP returns to power in UP, for the completion of the Jewar airport in NCR. Summing up the mood of the Jats, Muzzaffarnagar MP Sanjeev Balyan said “Jats will still vote for BJP as they cannot see Akhilesh Yadav as CM. Jats know that BJP respects them.”
An upset Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is on attack mode and, has thrown the gauntlet at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Emerging out of his medically proscribed limitations on offline work, Thackeray was on a signing spree for 10 days with advisor Sitaram Kunte to clear all pending files literally. Parallelly, he launched a broadside against BJP antagonists Narayan Rane and son Nitesh Rane, Amit Satam (one the Tipu Sultan naming controversy) and, Kirit Somaiya (booked for unauthorized photography in the state secretariat). More importantly, Thackeray signaled to BJP that he is the boss by clearing a file allowing the auction of the land in BKC, earmarked by the erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis government for the ambitious Bullet Train project. This was followed up by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar demanding an extension of two years for the GST regime in respect of compensation for state governments for deficit revenue collections. Pawar pleaded Covid conditions to justify his demand for extending the tenure of compensation for states by a further two years. The Union Government is unlikely to concede, according to a source in the GST department. He told shortpost.in, that “While the two year extension of compensation for states was accorded by GOI by consensus two years ago, the state governments were found wanting in the implementation of revenue enhancing measures as was mandated by the Central Government. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
In the season of biopics, the latest one taking shape is based on the life of Biscuit King, Rajan Pillai. Bankrolled by Saregama India’s film arm, Yoodle Films, Biscuit King will feature Malayalam super star, Prithviraj Sukumaran, directing and essaying the title role. Rajan Pillai got fame when Nabisco, the US biscuit and cookies maker was bought over by KKR in 1989 in one of the biggest leveraged buyouts for $ 31.4 billion. KKR after the buyout, started asset stripping the company and selling most of Nabisco’s business the world over, barring US. Rajan emerged as the biggest bidder for Nabisco’s Asia business along with his former boss Ross Johnson. After Nabisco’s acquisition came Britannia Industries in India. Rajan Pillai’s emergence at Britannia led to one of the biggest corporate wars between him and industrialist Nusli Wadia. Rajan paid for it with his life, ending up at Tihar Jail and dying a horrible death. Ironically, Rajan who escaped from Singapore was arrested for a crime he never committed in India. Tihar jail officials mercilessly beat him. The question being asked in corporate circles is whether Biscuit King will portray Rajan’s wife Nina Pillai’s version of the saga or Nusli Wadia and Sunil Alagh’s viewpoint. Whichever the version, this movie on the rise, fall and gruesome death of Biscuit King Rajan Pillai will attract huge eyeballs.
Fictitious character names turned household favourites, more popular than their real-life identities, like Tulsi (Smriti Irani – Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi), Mihir (Amar Upadhyay & Ronit Roy — Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi), Parvati Bhabhi (Sakshi Tanwar—Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki) and Jassi (Mona Singh – Jassi Jaisi Kohi Nahin). None of these tele superstars struck it big in Bollywood like Shah Rukh Khan who similarly started his journey with the TV series Circus and Fauji. Another actor who carved a niche in Bollywood was the late Sushant Singh Rajput who shed his Pavitra Rishta image. Smriti Irani leveraged her popularity to launch into Indian politics. Balaji girl Sakshi Tanwar, hosts a cooking show on Epic TV and, will play one of two main leads in Tahira Kashyap’s film Sharmaji Ki Beti. Ronit Roy worked a security services business alongside doing TV serials and, focusses on the OTT sector. Amar, the original Mihir, continues struggling as actor and, after Bob Biswas features in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. Mona, screened in 3 Idiots and, will be seen in Laal Singh Chadda. Arun ‘Ram’ Govil and Dipika ‘Sita’ Chikhlia of Ramayan fame, and Nitin ‘Krishna’ Bhardwaj of Mahabharat fame did not strike big in Bollywood post their memorable roles. Does this mean these TV actors are trapped in their character as the audience are not able to accept them in the distinctly different roles enacted for the film industry’s reel world?
It seemed odd when Congress leader Jairam Ramesh posted a cryptic tweet “Right thing to do. He wants to be Azad, not (a) Gulam”, while also lauding former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya who refused to accept the Padma Bhushan award. Incidentally, the award was announced only after getting due approval from the recipient. The Union Home Secretary had spoken to Bhattacharya’s wife who said “thanks.” Strangely Jairam politicised the award given to his senior party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad but, had no issues when the Modi Government conferred the Padma Bhushan posthumously upon another Congress veteran Tarun Gogoi, the longest serving Chief Minister of Assam just a year ago in 2021. That announcement was made before the Assam assembly elections too. While honouring leaders from across the political aisle, Modi only emulated his predecessors PV Narasimha Rao and Dr Manmohan Singh. Rao honoured Morarji Desai with the Bharat Ratna and the UPA Government honoured Brajesh Mishra with the Padma Vibhushan. The award came on the day the Congress designated Azad on the list of star campaigners for Uttar Pradesh. Interestingly, other party colleagues Kapil Sibal, Anand Sharma, Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor welcomed the move. Was Jairam taking an aggressive stand because his RS term from Karnataka is coming to an end in July? Quite possibly.
After India’s one-day international (ODI) fortunes took a hit in the Krugerrand country recently, ‘Chinaman’ practitioner (left-arm leg spin and googly bowler) Kuldeep Yadav got a call up, to swing matches back in its favour, for the three-match home series against the West Indies in early February. Under skipper KL Rahul, India lost 0-3 to South Africa at Paarl and in Cape Town but, under fit-again captain Rohit Sharma, it will look to put it across the West Indies on the slow turners of the Motera venue in Ahmedabad, renamed as Narendra Modi Stadium. The unorthodox Yadav — who earned the sobriquet, Kulcha, bowling in tandem with right-hand leg spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal — was soundly thrashed by England batters in March 2021 on the flat tracks of Gahunje (Pune) off the Expressway. He went for 0/68 and 0/84 against England and when recalled for the series in Sri Lanka, he returned 2/48 and 0/55 at Colombo in July last. Yadav, after three very successful years in 2017 (22 wkts at 24.77), 2018 (45 at 17.78) and 2019 (32 at 34.69) has been on a downhill in the pandemic years. Now the selectors expect the Uttar Pradesh tweaker to tease and torment the carefree West Indian batters. He has taken 24 wickets at 24.92 in 15 ODIs against the West Indies from 2017 to 2019.
What does holding one-fifth stake in a company mean to the strategic investor? Wielding major influence on the running of the enterprise? Well, it depends on variable factors. Some investors are just happy to park their funds and, earn rich dividends as income. Others, however, seek a more active role in the running of operational affairs. More than anything else, the nature of the enterprise itself defines the role of a one-fifth shareholder. An equity stake of 21.28%, as on September 30, 2021, made DMart’s founder Radhakishan Damani a significant player in The India Cements business. The promoter group – N Srinivasan family — holds a 28.42% stake in the company. Operating a cement enterprise is no kids’ play. Given the very nature of the operating environment, the cement business makes for a heady cocktail which needs a customised management to run the enterprise. Also, the rough and tumble playground requires a combination of native intelligence and deep marketing mind as sine qua non to safely and securely navigate the playing fields. That is a catch that the Damanis appear to fully understand as also, India Cement’s illustrious history. The indefatigable never-say-die spirit of N Srinivasan at the helm with near-term excitements aplenty will make for a fascinating long-haul story! One thing is for sure, however. It is only headed for more interesting times.
What is the difference between a shrimp and prawn? The simple answer: both belong to different suborders of Decapoda, but are very similar in appearance and the terms are often used interchangeably in commercial farming and wild fisheries. Kings Infra Venture Ltd has gone a step further in dispelling another common notion: that prawns are bigger than shrimp. The Kochi-headquartered company has just created a world record by growing 80-gm L Vannamei shrimps – better known as the whiteleg shrimp – in its pond. These measure 210 mm, against a record of 230 mm in the ocean. Kings Infra – earlier Victory Aqua Farm – is looking at its shrimps attracting a premium in both domestic and international markets by providing sustainability and traceability certifications. This is special because Greenpeace International had added the whiteleg shrimp to its seafood ‘red list’ in 2010 with its risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries which contribute to the destruction of vast areas of mangroves. Explaining that the record-breaking growth was achieved in normal earthen ponds by applying proprietary protocols developed by his company’s R&D wing, Chairman & Managing Director Shaji Baby John says: “Being a technology-driven sustainable aquaculture company, we used only antibiotic-free feed, probiotics, and natural supplements including ingredients like curd, jaggery, turmeric, moringa leaves, garlic and tamarind regularly to improve immunity, disease resistance and growth rates.”
The exit of RPN Singh from Congress was anticipated, though the party officially called him a “coward”. Now it is left with only three MLAs in UP. A former Union Minister, RPN was apparently upset over the raw deal from the Gandhi siblings even after wresting Jharkhand from the BJP in 2019. A Doon School alumnus, he had high expectations from fellow schoolmate Rahul Gandhi but got only disappointment even as juniors like Ajay Maken and KC Venugopal were promoted as AICC general secretaries, while he remained AICC-in-charge till his last day. His aspiration for a Rajya Sabha seat was dashed by Venugopal getting the slot. The current developments were in stark contrast to the times when RPN first got elected as Lok Sabha MP from Padrauna in 2009. Then he received a lot of attention from Rahul Gandhi and was made Minister of State in Manmohan Singh’s Government. As for his future in the BJP, it is not clear what it holds? His contesting the Padrauna assembly seat is not certain, as he had won from there 12 years ago. However, his BJP entry has unnerved another key contestant: Swami Prasad Maurya. The latest buzz is the Congress may also lose another prominent leader Pramod Tewari and daughter Aradhana Mishra in two.
Getting a steady supply of drinking water is a problem not only in the most backward areas of any country, but in modern facilities, too. One such place has been the Mumbai High oil drilling platforms in the Arabian Sea. The offshore oilfield, about 75 metre deep in the water, was discovered in 1974 and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) pumps up about 12 million metric tonnes (MMt) of oil a year from the 1,659 MMt the oilfield holds. The supply of drinking water for the officials and crew manning the drilling platforms 176 km away from Mumbai, however, has been a logistical challenge since production began in 1976. No longer: Maithri Aquatech, a Hyderabad-headquartered manufacturer of atmospheric water generators, has installed its machines on the oil rigs. “These are the first installations of their kind in the world!” says an excited Ramkrishna Mukkavilli, founder-chairman of Maithri, which has set up four AWGs after winning an ONGC tender. The entire system for these machines – which cost about Rs15 lakh each against the normal ones at Rs10 lakh – had to be specially designed to suit the conditions, Ramkrishna explains. The evaporation coils needed to be strong enough that they wouldn’t get blown away in the high wind velocity of nearly 150-180 kmph, while the entire machine was made of stainless steel to resist seawater corrosion.
The heart-breaking quest for jobs, both in the private and public space is now taking a dramatic turn from “gimme a job” to giving jobs thanks to the fast changing ecosystem of startups. Tamil Nadu for long the incubator of research through its IIT (M), and tech centres of learning has set an ambitious course to churn up the environment for creative startups. Leading the change is Shivarajah Ramanathan CEO, TN Startup innovations Mission. He is now eyeing the Trillion dollar dream of incubating viable ventures that are fair and inclusive. IIT-Madras Gopal Deshpande Centre (GDC) has set a flight path for youth to take wings, “nurture research for world class startups.“ Dr Gururaj Deshpande and Kris Gopalakrishnan (Infosys) are mentoring IIT Alumni to commercialise research. The theme, global think for local needs. GDC designed a very rugged boot camp of 8 weeks duration for investors and innovators. Eleven teams form a cohort, and each team is mentored to test the strength of the ideas. CMO of one such team, Suresh Srinivasan is upbeat about the National Award won by Zentron Labs, a post-harvest startup. The company has developed Hortisort, India’s first high-speed optical fruit grading system that sorts Apples, Oranges, Mangoes, Guavas by colour, weight, quality and freshness. This business plan of integrating technology is a boon for horticulturists. Who says don’t compare apples and oranges?
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Jagan Mohan Reddy, on the back of his election promise, has got cabinet approval to carve out 13 new districts in the state each with its own swanky airport, to be completed by the Telugu New Year in April. With the AP economy burdened by people’s rising expectations, Jagan made a slew of announcements to keep people engaged and combat the building opposition onslaught about the state’s progress into an irreversible debt trap, sans any viable revenue generation scope. The joke doing the rounds of the state secretariat is that ‘Andhra Pradesh has turned into ‘Andhera Pradesh’. This probably explains why Jagan announced the development plans on January 21, 2022, pitching for the ‘One District One Airport” initiative and directed officials of the Infrastructure and Investments (I and I) department to expedite the development of the airports in all the 13 new districts of the state including, seven new airports in districts bereft of an airport as of today. Jagan is pulling out all the stops to get the Andhra economy back on track and, also plans to speak to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking central assistance and the speedy clearance of pending projects. Jagan’s, and Andhra Pradesh’s future depends on how the beleaguered state’s turnaround comes about.
Age is just a number. But only for the fortunate few in cricket who continue to defy age – like 40-year-old MS Dhoni’s Dad’s Army winning IPL 2021 or Sachin Tendulkar’s masterclass in World Cup 2011 at the age of 38. For most, Age is the moment of Truth that could end their illustrious career. Sunil Gavaskar’s recent suggestion to make 24-year-old Rishabh Pant India’s Test captain; and earlier Virat Kohli’s wish (after the T20WC 2021) to have KL Rahul as vice-captain in ODIs while Rishabh Pant in T20Is have clear bias against the undisputed contender: Rohit Sharma, on account of his age. While the suspense over who will succeed Kohli as India’s Test captain continues, Sharma, 34, has started building the ODI team for World Cup 2023 – beginning with the home series against West Indies on February 6. Shikhar Dhawan, 36, is there too, bringing his heroics of three centuries in World Cup ODIs to complement Hitman’s six centuries, including five in WC2019. What Team India – with eight players aged above or around 30 — may now need are batters to cross the finish line: like in WC2011, Suresh Raina scoring 34 (28 b) with Yuvraj Singh 57 (65 b) to take match away from Australia in the QF. More than age talk, what’s needed is Fitness & Form – and a clear ability to perform in knockout matches.
From contemplating a degree in nuclear physics to wielding a megaphone is Rahul Rawail’s initial confession. In his book, Raj Kapoor: The Master at Work Rawail reveals about his visit to the big top with his school buddy Rishi Kapoor to ogle at Russian circus artistes who were participating in the shoot of Mera Naam Joker directed by the Showman Raj Kapoor. His family’s Bollywood connection (Father H S Rawail was a famous film maker) lands him an internship for the filming which melds into a coveted assistant’s job with RK. His sojourn with RK begins with the studio’s biggest flop and gets cemented with its hugest hit Bobby worth a lifetime of experience. He gives a ringside view into the making of these blockbusters and this is the most valuable part of the book where he shares intimate nuggets and anecdotes. There are stories about the Showman himself and other larger than life characters like Premnath whose bizarre antics are gleefully related. The legendary gourmet tastes of RK and his love of good food and drink are peppered throughout the book. Ultimately Rawail would go on to direct his own film for RK called Biwi O Biwi before embarking on his solo career which included blockbusters like Love Story, Betaab, Arjun to name a few. Rawail remains an important bridge between the movie moguls of the sixties and the present day.
The Chennai-based ePlane Company, which provides electrically-operated air taxis for intra-city commutes, announced last week that it has raised $ 5 million in seed funding. The company, founded by Prof Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy with Pranjal, one of his engineering students at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, said it would use the funds to hire top talent, conduct R&D and continue to work for air-worthiness certification for its pollution-free small aircraft. An analysis conducted on the business of urban air mobility and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VETO) by JP Morgan Securities LLC describes the sectors as “nascent, with big potential”. These markets, it says, can change the way people travel – but they are, for the most part, new markets with a lot to prove. US-based Dr Aravind Melligeri, Chairman & CEO of Aequs Inc which manufactures about 3,000 different types of products at its aerospace facility in Belgavi, Karnataka for aircraft makers and others – was too far ahead of his time for small aeroplanes which he had launched for personal use more than a decade ago. “The winner takes the most in this business,” he says. “When the dust settles in this space, we will have one or two left globally and several in the graveyard.”
It would be most ironic if a businessman of Indian origin were to become the Prime Minister of Britain. A payback for three centuries of rule by the East India Company and the queens and kings of England, some might say. Rishi Sunak, son-in-law of India’s tech czar NR Narayana Murthy of Infosys, and Chancellor during the difficult pandemic years, was the bookie’s favourite to take over from Boris Johnson if the latter were to be called to account by Tory MPs. Sunak, whose image has been taking a beating lately because of runaway inflation and high taxes, was considered to be ahead of Liz Truss, the foreign minister, as he had picked up a reputation for smart management of the economy when he unfurled big spending support when the pandemic raged. But his lukewarm support of his beleaguered Prime Minister during the ‘Partygate’ scandal may not have impressed many. But Liz took off to Australia while Sunak sat by BoJo’s side during a difficult PMQ hour in Parliament. One of the richest MPs whose business links might come in for scrutiny if he vaults into the top job, Sunak is in for a big fight with Liz. An influential Indian origin community in Britain would be rooting for him.
Marriage has turned into one of the most fragile institutions in today’s fast paced world. Celebrity marriages more so, as frothy as Frappuccino. Dhanush and Aishwaryaa’s divorce announcement kicked up a storm of reactions both, for and against either spouse. If one were to believe all that cine raconteur and newscaster Bayilvan Ranganathan spouts over multiple filmi YouTube channels, the salacious gossip would put even the most notorious Hollywood philanderers to shame. Without making a direct reference to Dhanush’s multiple liaisons, he simply terms these as Body Demands! Even when Aishwaryaa directed Dhanush in a movie, his dalliance with Shruti Haasan apparently rang alarm bells for their high-profile parents Rajinikant and Kamal Haasan. Similar was his so-called veering off course with Amala Paul, TV anchor Deva Dharshini, Sonia Agarwal and, even Sara Ali Khan after his latest movie Atrangi Re. Aishwaryaa is not spared by the chin wags either. She allegedly married Dhanush on the rebound, made little effort to bond with his family, spent most of her time at her parent’s place, and would not let go of her high profile image as Rajini’s ladli Beti. So who is to be blamed for this marital collapse? Nobody. Clearly, two mature adults exercised the civilized, modern day exit out of a bad marriage –splitsville.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to unveil a fixated hologram statue of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose at India Gate before Republic Day on January 23, till a grand statue of Bose is complete and installed at the same site. Marking the 125th birth anniversary of Bose, this grand gesture by the Government is likely to silence the Opposition that criticized the decision to shift Amar Jawan Jyoti or the “eternal flame” for soldiers from India Gate to the National War Memorial (NWM) built in 2019 at a cost of Rs 176 crore. “It gives me great satisfaction that the eternal flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate is being merged with the NWM. As someone who had steered the design selection and construction of NWM, I’d been of this view all along,” tweeted Lt Gen Satish Dua. India Gate was built by the British in memoriam of soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in World War-I. The Amar Jawan Jyoti was placed under the India Gate in 1971 by former PM Indira Gandhi but names inscribed on India Gate were not of martyrs of the 1971 war. Targeting the Opposition, sources term it “ironic” that people who did not make a NWM for seven decades were protesting now, “when a permanent and fitting tribute is being made to our martyrs”.
India will play its 1000th ODI when It takes on the West Indies in a match up on February 6. It will be the first among 25 International Cricket Council accredited countries to reach this significant milestone. India played its 997th match against South Africa at Paarl and will play the 998th and 999th in the rainbow nation as well. India played its first ODI against England at Headingley back in 1974 and, over the last 51 years has become a force to reckon with, winning two World Cups under Kapil Dev (1983) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2011) as captains respectively. India also won the World Championship of Cricket under Sunil Gavaskar’s captaincy in Australia in 1985. Up till its 998th match, India has won 518, lost 429, tied 9 and was involved in 41 abandoned matches. Australia has played 958 and Pakistan 936. Fifty-one years ago on January 5, 1971, Australian cricket officials set up the first ODI between Australia and England after the first three days of the Ashes Test was rained off. ODI cricket has evolved rapidly since then. When coloured clothing was introduced in the 1990s, the purists’ frowned and dubbed it as pajama cricket, but the short format of the game enjoys a humongous following in the Commonwealth. Now it has found an even more popular cousin in Twenty20!
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.