At the end of the counting day, it’s the electorate in both the states of Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand, which came out in large numbers to vote, which must have gone home laughing, argues Sidharth Mishra. Having given a mandate which has a message for all the stakeholders, it has left the political parties with a headache of first forming and then running the government.

Government formation for both the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jharkhand would be equally challenging. While the advocates for the BJP would point towards a clear majority in Jharkhand with 42 seats, the point not to be missed is that of these six belong to Sudesh Mahto’s All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), which in past has been part of several political combinations in the state.

The College of Commerce and Finance of Amity University, Noida on 18 December 2014 organised an international seminar on “Innovative Advances and Challenges in Management and Commerce”. The president of Centre for Reforms, Development and Justice (CRDJ), Sh Sidharth Mishra was invited to preside over Plenary Session 1 with Prof Kuldeep Kumar of Bond University Australia, Soumi Basu of IndiGo Airlines and Sh AK Singh of the National Housing Bank being the other speakers. Sh Mishra in his presidential note, stressed on the importance of communication in modern management, governance and business. Illustrating his note with interesting anecdotes, Sh Mishra went onto say that father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi was a great communicator and his skills at communications were one of the major causes for the success of his social and political movements. As parting note, Sh Mishra said that the future business leaders should bear in mind that two most important factors for good communications was – knowledge of the subject and command over language. 

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In times when Modi Sarkar is calling all shots, Pranab’s image managers may find it convenient to project his book in a way to suit the Prime Minister’s palate, it actually is not that clear a soup. Are Prime Minister’s expressions of reverence on several occasions for the President in anticipation that the old man would too become a Nehru-Gandhi basher? The answer to this question is not easy. Does that mean that he would remain loyal to his party and its leader family? Well if the occasion arises to give proof of loyalty, he can always forward his book which also mentions that Jaya Prakash Narayan, Indira’s principal opponent, was soon to realise that he was being manipulated by the right-wing elements in the Janata Party. Frustration with the Janata government and ill health made JP withdraw but not before he had wished Indira luck for return to office, which she did with some aplomb in 1980, Pranab Babu’s book recalls. Clicks here for full article

Last Friday a photograph on the front page of Indian Express sent a chill down my spine even though the weather in Delhi is yet to take its winter avatar. It was a young mother holding onto the body bag of her tiny-tot, who was killed in an accident at an unmanned railway crossing in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Earlier this year, while presenting the Modi government’s first Budget, erstwhile Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda had said, “Indian Railways is on course to fulfil its long cherished dream. I propose a bullet train on the Ahmedabad- Mumbai sector.”Mr Prime Minister, when you sit with your friend and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to discuss the Railway Budget, recall the pain of this mother in angst and ask yourself if the Budget you plan is going to be of any use to her. For Full Article Click Here

Dear Friends, Great day for me as I received the first copies from the National Book Trust of my book -- Processing News. It was was an excruciating experience working with my country's most prestigious publishing house. Will always have the satisfaction of being an author with the NBT and also the happiness of my work reaching the masses particularly the practitioners and students of mass communication. A big thanks to my book's editor Neera Jain for being patient with me and NBT's dynamic director MA Sikander having prodded me to do the project. -- Sidharth Mishra. For Details Click Here

The counsel, which has been forwarded by prime minister Narendra Modi to media houses so early in his innings is very surprising. Despite the restrictions, which his government has placed in the coverage of official matters, the media has so far not been just benevolent in its approach but in a few cases even suppliant. Thus far, they have not only bettered the role of the honey bee, but also played the role of a Neelkanth. The coverage received by the present government has largely been about the verbal nectar, which its head have been dispensing across the globe. There has, however, been silence on matters like dipping GDP and unfettered rise in retail prices. For detail analysis of Prime Minister's comment on media functioning, click here

‘Why does it matter where the money for celebrations is coming from? Some have come from Taliban, some from Abu Salem, some from Dawood (Ibrahim), some from terrorists...,’ said powerful Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan, which some thought was a sarcastic response by an irritated Minister. The comments from Khan were well-designed and well-drafted and it had its desired effect. Media ran the Mulayam Singh birthday story 24x7. Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav’s 75^th birthday celebrations have concluded. It has had the desired effect of creating more than a political ripple. The elite English media has seldom connected with the pulse of the masses, repeatedly proved by the outcome of the electoral results, and in this case too they managed to walk into the trap laid by the wily political fox from Etawah. For detail analysis, click here

Unfortunately a large section of Indian English-reading intelligentsia has not yet been able to exonerate Aligarh of its intellectual complicity in the formation of Pakistan. They continue to look at the campus as centre of conservatism bordering to fundamentalism and issues needing no cognizance are blown out of proportion, as in the recent case of the Vice-Chancellor being flayed for possessing ‘anti-women’ mindset. To put the record straight, Aligarh has been a major centre of women education for more than a century lest you thought that the campus was run by the Ulemah and Quran the only content of curriculum. For detailed analysis, click here