Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Sudhanshuji as seen during the world cup final match

Sudhanshuji as seen during the world cup final matchSudhanshuji is not just an avid badminton player but also a cricket fan. He organized a party during the Indo-Pak semi-final match and cheered for team India with his fans. Also, the above picture suggests how he cheered for team India during the India-Sri Lanka world cup final match.

Monday, March 7, 2011

All the spin doctor’s men

by SAGARIKA GHOSE | First published in Hindustan Times | Jaipur

For BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan, the Rajasthan elections are a road to political rehabilitation. In January, the snappily dressed, inky-haired, cellphone-decorated Mahajan left his ministerial portfolio and was sent back to party trenches. He was placed in charge of Rajasthan. Just as Law minister Arun Jaitley has been given responsibility of steering Uma Bharati to victory, it is Mahajan’s task to ensure that Vasundhara Raje defeats Ashok Gehlot. Thus the Rajasthan elections are a test for the Pramod Mahajan brand of political management.

No wonder his men are rampaging around Rajasthan. Among others, there is the young chartered accountant Rajiv Goel, amateur psephologist-cum-businessman Sudhanshu Mittal, and Harish Sharma , who is a senior official in the Indian basketball federation. They zoom around Rajasthan in their choppers, Sumos and Mercs, with an aggressive in-your-face style of campaigning that they describe as ‘‘professionalising politics’’.

The jolly round figure of Mittal is seen bustling around the BJP office. ‘‘Arre, what do all these TV psephologists know?’’ he shouts. ‘‘Which result have they got right so far?’’ He hands out a slick, laminated folder containing detailed breakdowns of seats and districts. ‘‘Our psephology shows we are winning.’’

Mittal adores elections and he believes that this time the BJP’s ticket distribution has been clever. Hugging his newly acquired friend Jagdeep Dhankar, the Jat leader who has switched to the BJP from the Congress, Mittal is cruising around Jaipur in a white Merc, constantly talking on his cellphone and working out Vasundhara’s programme down to the last dinner.

Chartered accountant Goel says the preparations for these elections have been nothing short of ‘‘ highly scientific’’. Precisely because Vasundhara was new to the state, she had no favourites or lobbies who had to be accommodated. He says Mahajan’s team spent months gathering data and carrying out surveys. They then formed a core committee, then another 25-member committee, to decide who should be given tickets. In assessing candidates, the criterion was nothing but sheer ‘‘winnability’’.

He claims that the BJP has been keen to project a younger leadership and to bring in e-governance, and that they have been urging Vasundhara to give more time to the media. Posters and hoardings all over Jaipur show that Mahajan’s men have been very busy.

No wonder the older generation is feeling marginalised. Bhanwarlal Sharma, former state BJP president and a minister in Bhairon Singh Shekhawat’s government, says in his time, the BJP was a cadre-based party and they considered themselves lucky if they could travel by cycle. ‘‘In my time, we were happy if we got Rs. 11 as chanda. Now they are not happy even if they get Rs. 11 lakh.’’

Shekhawat was accepted by all castes, not only because he was male and local but also because he was a ‘small Thakur’, unlike the anglicised ‘big royals’ like Gayatri Devi. Yet Shekhawat failed to build a second level of command, resulting in leaders like Hari Shankar Bhabra and Ramdas Agarwal, now national treasurer of the BJP, being cast into the wilderness once he left for Delhi. Into this crumbling (and grumbling) bastion of khadi-clad veterans, with its peeling office and rickety chairs, has come the snazzy flashy Mahajan team, with their cellphones, digital diaries and starched white kurtas.

‘‘Our ticket distribution system this time,’’ says Goel, ‘‘should be a blueprint for other states. There have been no favours. We have carried out an entire demographic profile of the state. We have given the highest number of tickets to women. We have given tickets to youngsters.’’

But the verdict is awaited on whether Mahajan’s Washington DC -style electioneering will work among the caste-obsessed village republics of Rajasthan. If the BJP loses, Mahajan’s claim to being the “strategist” of the BJP’s GenNext might be in question.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Gurinder Singh Ji

Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Gurinder Singh JiSudhanshu Mittal Ji is seen with one of his friends Mr. Gurinder Singh Rance at an event organized by motoring club society of India. The event was organized at polo grounds for a rally of vintage cars and two wheelers. Seems the duo are a motoring fan apart from badminton.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Sudhanshuji seen with friends in an old photograph

Sudhanshuji seen with friends in an old photographSudhanshu Mittal Ji is pictured in the above photograph with his friends where he is seen after a dinner at one of their friend's house. Can you recognize who the real Sudhanshu Mittal is? Tip: He used to wear specs at that time.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Sudhanshuji spotted at the SRCC alumni meet

Sudhanshu Mittal Ji spotted at the SRCC alumni meet
Sudhanshu Mittal Ji spotted at the SRCC alumni meet

Sudhanshu Mittal Ji spotted at the SRCC alumni meetSudhanshu Mittal Ji was recently spotted at the annual meet of the Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) alumni meet. People seen alongwith him include Deepak Tanden, Neeraj Ghei and Geeta Sudan.

Monday, February 7, 2011

An innovative idea to help students going to the US

An innovative idea to help students going to the USSudhanshuji recently tweeted "India should have its very own organization to warn students by publicizing sham universities like the Tri-Valley University." Now this is something that should be acceptable to everyone irrespective of any political party as it is for the benefit of the country and its future leaders on the international front.

We have already seen advertisements by government organizations such as AICTE (All India Council of Technical Education) in which they warn students of fake universities and the invalidity of the degree provided by them. When India is already a country that sends the largest number of students to the United States (US) for studies, the existence of such an organization will only improve the system so that incidents like the Tri-Valley University in which the students were sent back with RFID devices don't get repeated.

This kind of an organization can have public partnership as well in which the students who are currently pursuing studies in the US can provide the necessary inputs and the students back in India who are enthusiastic of going to US for further studies can get benefitted. The overall motive of such an organization should be:
  1. To provide a list of universities that are credible
  2. To warn students of not pursuing studies in sham universities like the Tri Valley University
  3. To increase the public partnership in government processes so that the chances of getting duped are minimized
This idea by Sudhanshuji is the need of the time seeing the number of students being sent to the US by India. There is no reason that such an idea should be implemented just for US - every country can be included in the list and the necessary information should be passed to the students from time to time.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Sudhanshuji attending Pramod Mahajan All India Senior Ranking Badminton Tournament

Sudhanshuji attending Pramod Mahajan All India Senior Ranking Badminton TournamentSudhanshu Mittal Ji is seen in the above picture at the inauguration ceremony of the annual Pramod Mahajan All India Senior Ranking Badminton Tournament organized each year in Delhi by the Pramod Mahajan Club (PMC). Sudhanshuji is himself a veteran player of badminton and is dedicated to promote the game. Sudhanshuji wants to play host some credible international tournaments to promote this game. Saina Nehwal had also played in the 2008 season of this tournament.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Sudhanshu ji inaugurating an art exhibition

Sudhanshuji inaugurating Artspeaks India 2011 with Sushma Seth and Ashwini BahadurSudhanshu Mittal Ji is seen inaugurating Artspeaks India 2011 in the above picture with Sushma Seth and Ashwini Bahadur. The art exhibition was organized last month in a 5 star hotel in Delhi near Qutub Minar and works of over 14 different artists were exhibited in Artspeaks India.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Swayamsevaks participated in Republic Day Parade. YES, in 1963.

Swayamsevaks participated in Republic Day Parade. YES, in 1963.Sudhanshuji posted the above picture in his Facebook profile that reads, "3500 strong contingent of Swayamsevaks in uniform, with Band, forming a colourful part of the Republic Day Parade, Delhi, 1963." The picture seems to be from some newspaper archives. Jai Hind!!!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Sudhanshu Ji with Sanjeev Bagga

Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Sanjeev Bagga at an eventSudhanshu Mittal Ji is seen in the above picture with Mr Sanjeev Bagga speaking at an event. Sudhanshu Ji is having a laptop at the speaker's table and is wearing his trademark kurta-pyjama with achkan while Mr Sanjeev Bagga has a gift in his hands.

Sudhanshu Ji with Ankur Sachdeva at Bonsai launch party

Sudhanshu Ji with Ankur Sachdeva at Bonsai launch partySudhanshu Mittal Ji is seen in the above picture with Ankur Sachdeva on 2/Apr/2010 at Bonsai 2010 - Kick Start Party of the Make A Difference Foundation. Other guests at the party include DCP B K Singh, J K Dadoo, Piyush (the man behind Children Mid Day Meal Foundation), Pooja Gogia, Praveen Singh, Ranojoy Mukerji, Ravi Bali and Sunil Kumar.

Sudhanshu Ji with friends at a Heritage Motoring Club of India event

Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Vikrant Bhandula, Gyan Sharma and Ajai Kapur.
Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Vikrant Bhandula, Atul Anand and Ajai Kapur.
Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Vikrant Bhandula.
Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Kashyap.
Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Gyan Sharma.
Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Gurinder Singh Rance and Kashyap.
Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Gurinder Singh Rance.
Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Gurinder Singh Rance.
Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Gurinder Singh Rance.
Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Gurinder Singh Rance.
Sudhanshu Mittal Ji with Gurinder Singh Rance.Sudhanshu Mittal Ji is seen in the above pictures with his friends at the Manjit Bhullar Polo Gold Cup ground in an event organized by Heritage Motoring Club of India. The friends list of Sudhanshu Ji includes Ajai Kapur, Atul Anand, Gurinder Singh Rance, Gyan Sharma, Kashyap and Vikrant Bhandula. Sudhanshu Ji we always see you in kurta-pyjama and achkan. Please get in some other attire some other day for us. Thanks in advance!!!