Thursday, December 31, 2009

Mahapol 2009 Review

As the year comes to an end it is time to check how the movers and shakers of Maharashtra Politics have fared in the ‘Dance of Democracy’!

Click on the image to see the ranking in detail

Analysis:

  1. Come Hell or High water, Sharad Pawar proves that he still is the uncrowned king of Maharashtra. Though his nephew Ajitdada appeared lost in the wilderness sometime during the year, he made a remarkable comeback at #5!

  2. Chavan and Deshmukh prove to be cat o’ nine lives… and maintain a remarkably stable performance even as 2 cyclonic elections rocked their boats.

  3. But the real star of the show is Raj Thackeray. He proved beyond doubt that he is the heir to the Thackeray legacy. Most thought that he will not be able to make a mark as long as Thackeray Sr is alive. But now he has usurped his uncle’s seat on the Mahapol ladder. Cousin Uddhav’s fortunes are inversely proportional to Raj’s career graph as can be seen above.

  4. The two Sena rebels – Bhujbal and Rane have not fared so well this year

  5. Gadkari came from a distant #2 in Maharashtra BJP to overtake Munde… watch out for more action in this arena!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Non-breaking news!

Sulochana, the leading Marathi actress of yesteryears will be soon awarded the highest civilian award in the state – Maharashtra Bhushan. She has acted in over 250 Marathi and Hindi movies over the last 6 decades. Her role as Jijabai in ‘Maratha Tituka Melavava’ was so convincing that it became a benchmark for all the other ‘Jijabais’ in the years to come!

Almost all the Marathi newspapers carried this news on the front page today… but the English dailies (except DNA) gave it a total miss. That just reinforces 3M’s theory (1, 2, 3) that English Newspapers in Mumbai believe ‘Marathi News’ is not good enough to be associated with! Surprisingly, Times of India’s editions in Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad are more than happy to carry news about ‘native culture’ of their respective states… OK let’s accept that Mumbai is the ‘only truly cosmopolitan city in India’… but even their Pune edition gives this news a miss… Amen!

Marathi Bola

Just got this File on email… looks like a hypothetical conversation between Raj Thackeray and a customer response executive @ Tata Indicom...


...Depending upon which side of the 'divide' you are... this conversation will sound either 'repulsive', 'inspiring', 'non-sense', 'hilarious' or 'stupid'!

MAHAPOL POWERLIST Dec 09 Edition

click on the image to see larger version

The complete list of 25 most powerful politicians is as follows -

1. Sharad Pawar (68) NCP 0
2. Raj Thackeray (41) MNS 0
3. Balasaheb Thackeray (82) SS 0
4. Ashok Chavan (50) INC 0
5. Ajitdada Pawar (49) NCP 0
6. Gopinath Munde (59) BJP 0
7. Nitin Gadkari (60) BJP 0
8. Vilasrao Deshmukh (63) INC 0
9. Chhagan Bhujbal (60) NCP 0
10. Uddhav Thackeray (48) SS 0
11. R R Patil (52) NCP 0
12. Narayan Rane (56) INC 0
13. Murli Deora (71) INC 0
14. Gurudas Kamat (51) INC 0
15. Prakash Ambedkar (51) RPI 0
16. Sushilkumar Shinde (66) INC 0
17. Praful Patel (53) NCP 0
18. Ramdas Athavale (55) RPI 0
19. Vinay Kore (37) JSP 0
20. Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil (76) INC 0
21. Vinod Tawde (45) BJP 0
22. Manohar Joshi (71) SS 0
23. Vijaysingh Mohite Patil (64) NCP 0
24. Supriya Sule (39) NCP 0
25. Devisinh Shekhawat (75) Cong 0

Party Code

BJP – Bharatiya Janata Party

INC – Indian National Congress

IND – Independent

JSS – Jana Surajya Shakti

MNS – Maharashtra Navanirman Sena

NCP – Nationalist Congress Party

PWP – Peasants & Workers Party (Shetkari Kamgar Paksha)

RPI – Republican Party of India (any faction)

SS – Shiv Sena

Movement on the MahaPol ladder –
0 : Zero indicates that there has been no change in the ranking over the previous month.
+X : Plus indicates improvement in ranking over last month and ‘x’ indicates how many ranks he/ she has moved upwards.
-X : Minus indicates degradation in ranking over last month and ‘x’ indicates how many ranks he/ she has moved downwards.

To understand the methodology used for the ranking click here.

The figure in bracket indicates the age of the politician.

Analysis

  • Since the inception of Mahapol Powerlist, it is for the first time that there has been no change in the ranking over the previous month. Thanks to a very lackluster month!

MahaPol can be directly contacted on mahapol25@gmail.com

Monday, November 30, 2009

गारवा Gaarva

Dedicated to the cool morning breeze that is blowing through Mumbai!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

‘Losing a city’


If T N Ninan is to be believed, Thackerays are the root cause of all the ills that plague our beloved city… but if they were partners in power at centre as well as state for only 5 years, how can they responsible for ‘losing the city’? Ninan’s next logical argument will be ‘Statehood for Bombay’ like his other friends in the past… 1, 2, 3

If someone has to be really blamed... it is the Congress party! Even after 50 years of ‘creation of Maharashtra’, Congress runs away from the reality. Hence we have two Pradesh Congress Committees in the state… one for Mumbai and another one for rest of the state. And this arrangement exists only for our state… there is nothing like one committee for Bangalore and one for Rest of Karnataka! Our CM is usually from the ‘rest of Maharashtra’ and hence does not strive to do anything for the region governed by the ‘other committee’.

.

Mr. Ninan... you are barking up the wrong tree!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Afzal Khan't

In a bid to revive its electoral fortune, Shiv Sena is trying to celebrate the 350th anniversary of Afzal Khan's 'Vadh’… but the State Police force is not amused… who wants a repeat of the Miraj Riots?

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Marathi Food… kuthe?

Even as legendary Marathi food joints like Anantashram are calling it a day
.
A group of foodies is trying to promote 'Marathi Gourmet Cuisine'
.
even going to the extent of releasing the Essential Marathi Cookbook’...

…and mind you… they have nothing to do with either of the Senas!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

सोनियाची जेजुरी

Golden hues over Jejuri on Somvati Amavasya...


... Photo courtesy 'Dainik Samana'

Friday, November 13, 2009

MNS’s 'tirangi' votes are worrying Congress


Years back, Mayawati popularised the term 'Social Reengineering' when she brought together Dalit and Brahmin votes… Now Raj Thackeray’s ‘Tirangi strategy’ of getting Green (Muslim) and Blue (Dalit) votes in addition to the Saffron votes is giving Congressmen in Maharashtra sleepless nights!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

‘Phyan Singh’ is not welcome!

Andu: We are lucky 'Phyan' did not ravage Mumbai!

Pandu: Phyan is not a Marathi name… that’s the reason the cyclone was not allowed in Mumbai by MNS!

Andu: Do you know the names proposed for the next 3 cyclones… Ward, Laila & Bandu.

Pandu: OK… we will allow ‘Bandu’… sounds Marathi to me!
.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The Nephew Nexus


Thackeray Sr. is irritated that Sharad Pawar has 'nurtured' his nephew Raj to cut Shiv Sena down to size… So now he has a chance to give Pawar a taste of his own medicine!

Or is it part of Pawar's own grand plan to blackmail Sonia Gandhi before the Maharashtra Government is formed?

Monday, November 2, 2009

Sunday, November 1, 2009

MAHAPOL POWERLIST Nov 09 Edition

click on the image to see larger version


The complete list of 25 most powerful politicians is as follows -

1. Sharad Pawar (68) NCP +1
2. Raj Thackeray (39) MNS +1
3. Balasaheb Thackeray (82) SS -2
4. Ashok Chavan (50) INC +1
5. Ajitdada Pawar (49) NCP +6
6. Gopinath Munde (59) BJP -1
7. Nitin Gadkari (60) BJP +3
8. Vilasrao Deshmukh (63) INC 0
9. Chhagan Bhujbal (60) NCP -3
10. Uddhav Thackeray (48) SS -3
11. R R Patil (52) NCP +1
12. Narayan Rane (56) INC -3
13. Murli Deora (71) INC 0
14. Gurudas Kamat (51) INC 0
15. Prakash Ambedkar (51) RPI 0
16. Sushilkumar Shinde (66) INC +3
17. Praful Patel (53) NCP 0
18. Ramdas Athavale (55) RPI -2
19. Vinay Kore (37) JSP -1
20. Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil (76) INC 0
21. Vinod Tawde (45) BJP +1
22. Manohar Joshi (71) SS -1
23. Vijaysingh Mohite Patil (64) NCP -1
24. Supriya Sule (39) NCP 0
25. Devisinh Shekhawat (75) Cong New

Party Code
BJP – Bharatiya Janata Party
INC – Indian National Congress
IND – Independent
JSS – Jana Surajya Shakti
MNS – Maharashtra Navanirman Sena
NCP – Nationalist Congress Party
PWP – Peasants & Workers Party (Shetkari Kamgar Paksha)
RPI – Republican Party of India (any faction)
SS – Shiv Sena

Movement on the MahaPol ladder –
0 : Zero indicates that there has been no change in the ranking over the previous month.
+X : Plus indicates improvement in ranking over last month and ‘x’ indicates how many ranks he/ she has moved upwards.
-X : Minus indicates degradation in ranking over last month and ‘x’ indicates how many ranks he/ she has moved downwards.

To understand the methodology used for the ranking click here.
The figure in bracket indicates the age of the politician.

Analysis
  • Since the inception of Mahapol Powerlist, the top 2 slots have been interchangeably occupied by only two people – Pawar and Thackeray. This continues to be the case… only this time it is a different Thackeray! Raj has now established his cognizable presence in the electoral battle and got the status of a recognized party for MNS.
  • The slide of Balasaheb to #3 slot is due to 2 reasons – 1) Shiv Sena has got the least number of seats in the last 5 elections, 2) His party has lost the ‘Big Brother’ position in the alliance as BJP was able to garner more seats and has also lost the position of the major opposition party.
  • Reasons for consolidation of Sharad Pawar’s power – 1) Though NCP has won lesser number of seats that the last assembly elections, its performance has improved since the Lok Sabha polls, 2) His authority to dictate terms to the Congress has not diminished.
  • Announcement of Ashok Chavan as the CM designate has buoyed him to the #4 Slot.
  • But the most spectacular rise in the Mahapol Powerlist is that of Ajitdada Pawar… He has climbed 6 steps in a swoop by garnering the support of 60% of the NCP MLAs. In addition, most of the successful NCP rebels are supporting him.
  • Gopinath Munde’s power has eroded substantially as he was able to retain only 1 out of 6 assembly segments in his Lok Sabha Constituency. But his Bête Noire (Gadkari) has been able to consolidate his position by ensuring good performance in Nagpur area.
  • Though Bhujbal will continue to be the Deputy CM, his power in his legislature party has been curtailed.
  • Uddhav has been downgraded to the #10 slot as he seems to have lost the battle for the Thackeray legacy.
  • Narayan Rane’s lackluster performance in the Konkan region will make sure that we won’t hear the ‘Rane for CM’ rhetoric for sometime now.
  • Rashtrapati’s Pati (Devisinh Shekhawat) has proved his political mettle for the first time by ensuring victory for his son, a political novice. This victory was only possible as he was able to convert 2/3rd of the committed BJP votes in Amravati.

MahaPol can be directly contacted on mahapol25@gmail.com

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Shettys flex their political muscle!


“Panipuri viku shakta… rajkaran nahi karaycha!” thundered Raj Thackeray in one of his recent election speeches. What he meant was that the migrants from UP/ Bihar are free to sell street food in Mumbai but should not try to meddle in the state politics! Interestingly similar anti-South Indian rhetoric by his uncle in the 60s has forced the Bunt (Shetty) community to take to politics in a big way… with 5 members from this community having good chances of making it to the Vidhan Sabha.

3M is amused that the Bachchan family has best of both worlds… Amitabh is from UP and Aishwarya is a Bunt!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Which Shiv Sainik to choose?


When it comes to voting, 3M and his family have traditionally been “Haath”wale… but this time they were in a tight corner because all the major political parties in their constituency were fielding ‘Shiv Sainiks’! The MNS candidate claims that he was a Shiv Sainik since he was 14… while the Congresswala left Shiv Sena when his Konkani Mentor was unceremoniously kicked out by the cub. So whom should we vote for... the Original Sainik or the Ex-Sainiks?

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Lessons for Marathi Manoos


As Hemant Nerurkar gets appointed as the Managing Director of Tata Steel, Suhas Phadke writes an amazing article in Maharashtra Times!

मराठी तरुणांनी धडा घ्यावा सुहास फडके
टाटा स्टील या जगातील प्रमुख कंपनीचे मॅनेजिंग डायरेक्टर या सर्वोच्चपदी हेमंत नेरूरकर यांची नियुक्ती होण्याने मराठी युवकांना आणि समाजाला , गुणांची कदर होते हे पुन्हा एकदा लक्षात येईल .

महाराष्ट्र आणखी सहा महिन्यांनी , पन्नाशी पूर्ण करेल . पण गेल्या काही दशकांत , मराठी तरुणांमध्ये सतत तुमच्यावर अन्याय होतो असे बिंबवले जाते आहे . याला उत्तर म्हणून त्यांनी दगड हाती घ्यावेत , हिंसाचार करावा तरच त्यांच्याकडे इतरांचे लक्ष जाईल असे सतत सांगितले जाते . मराठी जनरेशन नेक्स्टला काही वेळा असमान स्पर्धेला तोंड द्यावे लागते आहे हे खरे आहे . रेल्वेतील भरती हे याचे ज्वलंत उदाहरण आहे .

पण मराठी माणसाला नोकरीत सतत दुय्यम वागणून मिळते हा मात्र निव्वळ अपप्रचार आहे . खाजगी क्षेत्रात भरती करताना , उपयुक्तता हा एकमेव निकष असतो . संबंधित अधिकारी आणि कर्मचारी कंपनीच्या योजनेत बसतो की नाही हे बघितले जाते . कंपनीचा फायदा करून देणे हे त्याचे कर्तव्य असते . सरकारी नोकरीत , फायद्यातोट्याचे गणित निव्वळ रुपयांत मांडले जात नाही . तेथे सरकारचे , पर्यायाने लोकांचे काम किती वेगाने तडीस जाते याला महत्त्व असते . पण दोन्ही क्षेत्रांत , सचोटी आणि कर्तृत्व यांनाच अग्रक्रम दिला जातो . अर्थात सध्या महाराष्ट्राच्या सरकारी कारभारात हे दोन्ही गुण अवगुण ठरत असल्याचे चित्र आहे .

टाटा उद्योग समुहात मराठी अधिकाऱ्यांनी सवोर्च्च पद भूषवल्याचे नेरुरकर हे पहिले उदाहरण नाही . अजित केरकर, सुमंत मुळगावकर, द . रा . पेंडसे, किशोर चौकर अशी भलीमोठ्ठी यादी देता येईल . पण ज्या टाटांनी भारतात उद्योगाची मुहुर्तमेढ रोवताना पोलाद निमिर्तीपासून प्रारंभ केला त्या कंपनीच्या १०२ वर्षाच्या इतिहासात हा सन्मान मिळवणारे नेरुरकर पहिले आहेत . टाटा समुहाचे वैशिष्टय हेच की , देशाला विकासात आवश्यक ठरणाऱ्या पोलाद उद्योगात त्यांनी पाय रोवले . विमान सेवा . रसायने , वाहननिमिर्ती ते आताच्या आयटी उद्योगापर्यंत त्यांनी प्रत्येक वेळी देशाचा विचार केला . अशा समुहाच्या विकासात मराठी अधिकाऱ्यांनी मोलाची कामगिरी केली याचा अभिमान खचितच आपणास वाटायला हवा .

मराठी माणसाचा पिंड हा नोकरीचा . पण नोकरीतही अगदी वरच्या स्थानावर जाता येते , याची अनेक उदाहरणे आहेत . सिटी बँकेचे प्रमुख विक्रम पंडित , बोइंगचे दिनेश केसकर अशांनी हे दाखवून दिले आहे . व्यवसायात किर्लोस्कर , डहाणुकर , वालचंद , केळकर , चितळे बंधू , समर्थ उद्योग समुहाचे गावकर , दिपक घैसास अशी अनेक नावे घेता येतील . त्यांनीही चोख व्यावसायिक असा नावलौकिक मिळवला . पण खेदाची बाब अशी की महाराष्ट्राचे धोरण हे अशा व्यावसायिकांना उत्तेजन देण्यात कमी पडले . सतत कोणत्या ना कोणत्या सरकारी यंत्रणेची चौकशी , लाल फित सोडवायची असेल तर वजन ठेण्याची मागणी अशा बाबींनी बेजार झालेल्यांच्या कैफियत ऐकायलाही कोणाला वेळ नाही अशी स्थिती आहे .

या सगळ्यामुळेच की काय, मराठी युवक जातीचे राजकारण करत आपला फायदा साधणा-या नेत्यांच्या मागे मेंढरासारखे जातोय , त्यांच्या इशा-यावर हाणामारी , दगडफेक करत स्वत : च्या पायावर धोंडा मारून घेत आहे . दुर्दैवाने , आज असेच नेते गल्लीबोळात निर्माण होत आहेत . तरुणांची फौज पोसून नेते कोट्यधीश बनत आहेत . पैशांच्या राशीत लोळायचे असेल तर राजकारण हा एकमेव मार्ग आहे अशी गैरसमजून तरुण घेत आहेत .

आपल्याकडे पदवी आहे तरीही आपल्याला नोकरी मिळत नाही हा आपल्यावर अन्याय आहे अशा त्यांच्या समजूतीला खतपाणी घातले जाते आहे . पण सध्याच्या युगात केवळ पदवीला महत्त्व नाही तर , आधुनिक तंत्रज्ञानाचे ज्ञान आणि इंग्लीश भाषेवर प्रभुत्व या बाबी निर्णायक ठरतात हे त्यांना कोणी समजावून सांगत नाही . आता कंम्प्युटरची माहिती नसेल तर जॉब माकेर्टमध्ये किंमत कमी होते हे त्यांनी समजून घ्यायला हवे . बँकेतील क्लार्कच्या पदासाठीही कम्प्युटरवर काम कसे करायचे हे माहीत असायला हवे अशी स्थिती आहे . कॉल सेंटरसाख्या ठिकाणी काम करायचे असेल तर इंग्लीश भाषा यायलाच हवी . पण कोणताही राजकीय नेता आणि पक्ष आपल्या अनुयायांना हे सांगत नाही , त्या दृष्टिने त्यांची तयारी करून घेत नाही . त्यामुळे मराठी युवकांवर हलकी कामे करण्याची पाळी येते . अर्थात अशी कामे करण्यात कोणताही कमीपणा नाही , पण हेही त्यांना कोणी सांगत नाही . अशी कामे करता करता अनेकांनी शिक्षण घेऊन आयुष्यात मोठी भरारी मारली आहे . धीरूभाई अंंबानी हे सुरूवातीच्या काळात , पेट्रोल पंपावर काम करत होत , डोक्यावर कापडाचे गठ्ठे घेऊन दारोदारी फिरत होते .

नोकरीचाच ध्यास घेणारे मराठी तरुण सरकारी नोकरीत शिरण्याचा प्रयत्न करतात . पण तेथेही फार थोडे , आयएएस , आयपीएस अशा अधिकारपदांच्या नोकऱ्यांचा विचार करतात . लष्करात थेट अधिकारी होण्याचे स्वप्न तर फारच थोडे मराठी युवक बघतात . सरकारी नोकरीत जायचे तेही पैसे मिळवायला . अर्थात ते अयोग्य मार्गाने असे त्यांना वाटते . लोकांचे हित येथेही दुय्यम ठरते . मंत्री आणि राजकारणी यांच्या मागे मागे फिरून नोकरीत लाभाची खुर्ची कशी मिळेल आणि ती कशी टिकेल याकडे लक्ष .

असे चित्र असताना , नेरूरकर यांनी , चिकाटी , कर्तव्यदक्षता आणि प्रामाणिकपणा यांच्या जोरावर मिळवलेले यश मराठी तरुणांना प्रगतीची दारे खुली करेल अशी आशा बाळगायला हरकत नाही .
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MAHAPOL POWERLIST Oct 09 Edition

click on the image to see larger version

The complete list of 25 most powerful politicians is as follows -

1. Balasaheb Thackeray (82) SS 0
2. Sharad Pawar (68) NCP 0
3. Raj Thackeray (39) MNS 0
4. Gopinath Munde (59) BJP 0
5. Ashok Chavan (50) INC 0
6. Chhagan Bhujbal (60) NCP 0
7. Uddhav Thackeray (48) SS 0
8. Vilasrao Deshmukh (63) INC 0
9. Narayan Rane (56) INC 0
10. Nitin Gadkari (60) BJP 0
11. Ajitdada Pawar (49) NCP 0
12. R R Patil (52) NCP 0
13. Murli Deora (71) INC 0
14. Gurudas Kamat (51) INC 0
15. Prakash Ambedkar (51) RPI +1
16. Ramdas Athavale (55) RPI +1
17. Praful Patel (53) NCP -2
18. Vinay Kore (37) JSP 0
19. Sushilkumar Shinde (66) INC 0
20. Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil (76) INC 0
21. Manohar Joshi (71) SS 0
22. Vijaysingh Mohite Patil (64) NCP 0
23. Vinod Tawde (45) BJP 0
24. Supriya Sule (39) NCP +1
25. N D Patil (82) PWP Reentry

Party Code

BJP – Bharatiya Janata Party

INC – Indian National Congress

IND – Independent

JSS – Jana Surajya Shakti

MNS – Maharashtra Navanirman Sena

NCP – Nationalist Congress Party

PWP – Peasants & Workers Party (Shetkari Kamgar Paksha)

RPI – Republican Party of India (any faction)

SS – Shiv Sena

Movement on the MahaPol ladder –
0 : Zero indicates that there has been no change in the ranking over the previous month.
+X : Plus indicates improvement in ranking over last month and ‘x’ indicates how many ranks he/ she has moved upwards.
-X : Minus indicates degradation in ranking over last month and ‘x’ indicates how many ranks he/ she has moved downwards.

To understand the methodology used for the ranking click here.

The figure in bracket indicates the age of the politician.

Analysis

  • In the run up to the elections, there is no change in the top ten hall of fame.
  • Raju Shetty has lost his clout and hence has been thrown out of the top25 list pushing Supriya Sule up by one step.
  • N D Patil of PWP has made a reentry into this list after a gap of 5 months!
  • Look out for a major shake up once the election results are announced.

MahaPol can be directly contacted on mahapol25@gmail.com

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Raj @ Times Now






3M was amused at the style in which Times Now tomtomed the Raj Thackeray interview as 'First for any National Channel'... and hats off to Raj for being the first Maharashtrian Politician to have the guts to speak in Marathi on a National Channel... something that even his uncle could not do!
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Mumbadevi

Mumbadevi... the goddess in whose honour we call our city Mumbai!

Monday, September 21, 2009

'Harishchandrachi Factory' for Oscars!


5 years after a Marathi movie (Shwaas) entered the Oscar fray; another small budget Marathi movie repeats history by beating the biggies like New York. ‘Harishchandrachi Factory’ is a fitting tribute to the father of Indian Cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke… a film that traces his trials and tribulations while making India’s first motion picture.

3M wishes Paresh Mokashi (The Director) all the best for his tryst with destiny!

Saptashrungi

Saptashrungi @ Vani

आई उदे गं अंबाबाई Aai Ude Ga Ambabai

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Ambejogai


3M is bringing you one Devi image for each day of Navratri... Bow your head to the divine splendour of Ambejogai from Beed District!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Lavni by Miss India-America


Diana Pinto was recently crowed Miss India-America… and keeping true to her roots (Thane City) she performed the lavni on the song ‘Reshmachya Regani’ during the contest!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Maratha Royalty meets Balaji Telefilms!


As Bollywood decides to make a movie on the life and times of the former Maharani of Gwalior - Vijayaraje Scindia (Shinde) with Hema Malini in the lead… Akshay Chavan feels that the story is better suited for a ‘Balaji Telefilms’ soap… enjoy!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

आघाडी की बिघाडी?


blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah… blah…

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Mount Mary Jatra... Mumbai and beyond!


Even as thousands of people for all faiths throng the tony suburb of Bandra for the Mount Mary Jatra… very few people are aware of a replica event happening in Haregaon in Ahmednagar District for those who cannot afford to come all they way to the state capital for darshan of their beloved ‘Matmauli’!

Monday, September 14, 2009

राजा शिवछत्रपती Raja Shivchhatrapati

Just back from an amazing trek to Rajgad... and the most common song I heard there (from tongues and mobiles) was the title song of the serial Raja Shivchhatrapati!

इंद्र जिमि जंभ पर… बाडव सुअंभ पर… रावण सदंभ पर… रघुकुलराज है !
पौन बारिबाह पर… संभु रतिनाह पर… ज्यों सहसबाह पर… राम द्विजराज है !
उदरात माउली… रयतेस साउली… गडकोट राउळी… शिवशंकर हा
मुक्तीची मंत्रणा… युक्तीची यंत्रणा… खल दुष्टदुर्जना… प्रलयंकर हा
संतास रक्षितो… शत्रू निखंदतो… भावंडभावना… संस्थापितो
ऐसा युगेयुगे… स्मरणीय सर्वदा… माता-पिता-सखा… शिवभूप तो
दावा दृमदंड पर… चीता मृगझुंड पर… भूषन वितुंड पर… जैसे मृगराज है !
तेज तम‍ अंस पर… कान्ह जिमि कंस पर… त्यों मलिच्छ बंस पर… सेर सिवराज है !
जय भवानी, जय शिवाजी !

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Old Nutrine Ad

A simple advertisment of Nutrine Sweets in Marathi... Half a century ago!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Chandoba online


Over the last half century, Chandamama has enthralled the Indian kids… and on its Golden Jubilee, Geodesic has strengthened its online presence! Now you can enjoy their Marathi microsite Chandoba.

3M Quiz… most people are aware that the name of Chandamama changes according to language the magazine gets published in… so it’s ‘Ambulimama’ in Tamil, ‘Chandoba’ in Marathi and so on. So the question is… which is the only other Indian brand that changes name depending on the state it is sold in?

One year already!

3M is delighted that his baby (Ek Marathi Manoos) is one year old today...
Guys thanks for all the support!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Marathi Film Festival in Paris


Earlier this year, the Maratha Regiment got the unprecedented honour of leading the Bastille Day Parade in Paris… and now the city is hosting a Festival of Marathi Films! From Sant Tukaram (1936) to Valu (2008), a wide spectrum of films have been compiled for the discerning Parisians…

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Miraj Riots

A small incident has snowballed into a big riot… but what really amused 3M is that the Police decided to 'enforce visarjan' on the protesting Mandals... will this give the SS-BJP Yuti a fillip in the region totally dominated by the NCP-Cong Aghadi?

Sunday, September 6, 2009

"Kya tere baap kaa road hai?"

Another Email FWD... An apocryphal story involving Russi Mody. (Ex MD Tata Steel)

I would like to believe that the following story actually happened. It is so typically Russi.

It is said that once Russi Mody was on an official trip to (the then) Bombay. Even though it was a Sunday morning, Russi had to visit Bombay House, the Corporate Head Quarters of the Tata Group. Russi was driving a Mercedes himself as it was a Sunday and there was very little traffic and also it was the chauffeur's day off. Russi was wearing simple shorts and a T shirt.

Knowing that he would take just a few minutes to finish his work in Bombay House and that it was a non-working day in the business district with very low traffic, he decided to take liberties to park his Merc in an other-wise no parking zone. A conscientious traffic cop noticed all this and he immediately rushed to Russi who had started sauntering towards the Bombay House entrance.

In a gruff voice the Pandu Havaldar asked Russi. "Kyun bhidu, baap kaa sadak samajh kay rakha hai kya?"

Russi very non-chalantly replied: "Haan kuchh aisa hi hai. Aapko English padhna aata hai kya?"

Then he gently held the Pandu's arm and walked him to the kerbside and pointed to the metal signage of the road. He asked the cop "Kya Likha Hai?"

The cop said "Sir Homi Mody Street". A mischievously smiling Russi discloses"Woh Mera Baap Tha".

Russi was allowed to leave his car parked in the "No Parking" Zone that Sunday morning.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

What is MNS's idealogy?

This letter in India Today succinctly explains what the MNS idealogy stands for…

"The genesis of the Raj Thackeray phenomenon is sub-nationalism and not regional or parochial chauvinism. The non-Hindi states in India are virtual sub-nations while Hindi states are quasi-sub-nations. When Maharashtra was formed in 1960, the Gujaratis were the largest among the linguistic minorities. Over the years, this status has been acquired by the Hindispeaking community. Hindi leaders in Mumbai are bent upon destabilising the sub-nation called Maharashtra. India’s think tank should first accept the ground reality of subnationalism and then try to find solutions for it."

Friday, September 4, 2009

Godse’s 'Killer Car'


The car that Nathuram Godse used on the day he assassinated Mahatma Gandhi has resurfaced in New Delhi… aptly this 1930 Studbaker is called ‘Killer’!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Model Schools… without English!


The Central Government is setting up 6000 ‘Model Schools’ across the country to promote quality education… and the recommended language is English. Any guesses as to which is the only state that is refusing to comply? UP? Bihar? Jharkhand?.... Well it’s our good ol’ Maharashtra!

Ideally, 3M should be happy that Marathi Culture and Language is being preserved by this Congress initiative… But he is not! In the global economy, if we have to succeed, we cannot ignore English… let’s learn from the mistakes made by countries like Bangladesh. Respect and learn your mother tongue but don’t ignore English… or we will be left with a generation of Kupamanduks (Frogs in a well)!

First it was ‘Marathi as compulsory subject’… then came the 90-10 funda… with elections round the corner, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, our education minister is busy trying to usurp the ‘Marathi Asmita’ issue from the Senas!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

MAHAPOL POWERLIST Sept 09 Edition

click on the image to see larger version


The complete list of 25 most powerful politicians is as follows -

1. Bal Thackeray (82) SS 0
2. Sharad Pawar (68) NCP 0
3. Raj Thackeray (39) MNS +1
4. Gopinath Munde (59) BJP +1
5. Ashok Chavan (50) INC -2
6. Chhagan Bhujbal (60) NCP 0
7. Uddhav Thackeray (48) SS 0
8. Vilasrao Deshmukh (63) INC 0
9. Narayan Rane (56) INC 0
10. Nitin Gadkari (60) BJP 0
11. Ajitdada Pawar (49) NCP 0
12. R R Patil (52) NCP 0
13. Murli Deora (71) INC 0
14. Gurudas Kamat (51) INC 0
15. Praful Patel (53) NCP 0
16. Prakash Ambedkar (51) RPI 0
17. Ramdas Athavale (55) RPI 0
18. Vinay Kore (37) JSP 0
19. Sushilkumar Shinde (66) INC 0
20. Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil (76) INC 0
21. Manohar Joshi (71) SS 0
22. Vijaysingh Mohite Patil (64) NCP 0
23. Vinod Tawde (45) BJP 0
24. Raju Shetty (42) IND New
25. Supriya Sule (39) NCP 0

Party Code
BJP – Bharatiya Janata Party
INC – Indian National Congress
IND – Independent
JSS – Jana Surajya Shakti
MNS – Maharashtra Navanirman Sena
NCP – Nationalist Congress Party
PWP – Peasants & Workers Party (Shetkari Kamgar Paksha)
RPI – Republican Party of India (any faction)
SS – Shiv Sena

Movement on the MahaPol ladder –
0 : Zero indicates that there has been no change in the ranking over the previous month.
+X : Plus indicates improvement in ranking over last month and ‘x’ indicates how many ranks he/ she has moved upwards.
-X : Minus indicates degradation in ranking over last month and ‘x’ indicates how many ranks he/ she has moved downwards.

To understand the methodology used for the ranking click here.
The figure in bracket indicates the age of the politician.

Analysis
  • A lame-duck CM seems to be not in charge as Congress heads for the battlefield… with little chances of his being at the helm post elections, Ashok Chavan has been pulled down 2 rungs.
  • The above development has catapulted Raj Thackeray at an unprecedented rank of #3!
  • Sadashiv Mandlik could not sustain his foothold on this Powerlist and has been replaced by Raju Shetty… another independent from Southern Maharashtra. He is incidentally the only worthwhile candidate in the new formation called Republican Left Democratic Front.

MahaPol can be directly contacted on mahapol25@gmail.com

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Bill Gates and Puneris

A common PJ that gets circulated on email

Bill Gates organized an enormous session to recruit a new Chairman for Microsoft Europe. 5000 candidates assembled in a large room.

One particular candidate is our Makrand (Pakka Puneri).

Bill Gates: Thank you for coming.
Those who do not know JAVA may leave the room...

So immly 2000 people left the room. Makrand says to himself, 'I do not know JAVA, but I have nothing to lose if I stay. I'll give it a try !'

Bill Gates: Candidates who never had experience of managing more than 100 people may leave.

So immly 2000 people left the room. Makrand says to himself 'I never managed anybody by myself, but I have nothing to lose if I stay. What can happen to me ?' So he stays.

Bill Gates: Candidates who do not have management diplomas may leave.

So immly 500 people Left the room. Makrand says to himself, 'I left school at 15, but what have I got to lose ?' So he stays in the room.

Finally, Bill Gates asked the candidates who do not speak Serbo-Croat to leave. So immly 498 people left the room.

Makrand says to himself, 'I dont even know to speak even any one word of Serbo-Croat but what do I have to lose ?' So he stays and finds himself with one other candidate; Everyone else has gone.

Bill Gates joined them and said 'Apparently you are the only 2 candidates who speak Serbo-Croat language, so I'd now like to hear you people have a conversation together in that language.'
Calmly, Makrand turns to the other candidate and says 'Kuthun Alas Re?'

The other candidate answers ' Punyahun !!!!'

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Pakistani 'Bal Thackeray'

In this spoof on a Pakistani show, 'Bal Thackeray' looks and sounds like Amitabh Bachchan... 3M is sure Raj Thackeray won't be amused on both accounts!

Friday, August 28, 2009

Bombay in 1932

3M might not agree with the tone and style of this newsreel... but it anyway gives a peek into the past of our beloved city!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Music Video dedicated to Raj

Now we have a video that hero worships Raj Thackeray... What next... a movie?

The dance incidentally is a called जाखडी Jakhadi and is performed during Ganesh Utsav in Ratnagiri.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Mumbai ‘creaking’ under migrant pressure


BBC reports that Mumbai and Delhi are unable to sustain the unabated migration from rural parts of India… but World Bank insists that migration is good for these cities!

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