Malayalam action hero Suresh Gopi may well be the latest in the lengthening list of the BJP’s acquisitions of presentable faces to grow fast and wide in Kerala. State BJP president V Muraleedharan is on record saying it is up to Gopi to take a call. Gopi has been making all the right noises culminating in a call for ‘Hindu brethren to unite’ to ensure that the State does not forfeit the proposed multi-thousand crore Vizhinjam international seaport and transhipment container terminal. He earned some bad press for this, but the action hero chose to repeat this once more, making it clear that he doesn’t regret what he said.

Gods’ own city

There are hundreds of gods in Hindu mythology, but there is no competition among them! At the launch ceremony of the National Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) under which 12 heritage cities from the country were sanctioned funds for the first phase, representatives from cities were asked to make presentations before Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. In his speech, the representative from Mathura said that Lord Krishna undoubtedly is the most revered of all Hindu gods.

Naidu immediately interrupted him and said, “ Koi competition nahi hai (There is no competition)… abhi aapke baad Varanasi wale bhi aayenge bolne (After you, the representative from Varanasi will also speak)”. By this time, the audience was in splits. Of course, it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi that got the highest allocation at ₹89.31 crore for the first phase of the scheme. Is that any surprise?

Who’s the sardarji?

It is not uncommon to be unable to recall somebody’s name — it happens to us all the time. But when the name is that of a Prime Minister who was in power for a decade, it kind of, well, ….it gets noticed. At a press meet organised by a German agency, the spokesperson, an Indian who has lived in Germany for nearly 30 years, could not remember former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s name while referring to an agreement signed between India and Germany. Turning to one of his colleagues for assistance, the company representative asked: “What is that sardarji’s name, who signed the agreement?” As media persons gasped at the irreverence, “Manmohan Singh” came the reply from one of the officials. Not quite cricket, even by the standards of senior moments.

Road blocks and NBFCs

Indian non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) are well known for their ability to overcome regulatory bumps. An industry honcho compared this ability of NBFCs to cope with unexpected policy barriers to that of Delhi motorists effectively handling traffic barricades, whenever VIPs land up in the capital. Unexpected policy barricades will always emerge, but NBFCs are determined to reach their destination, this official quipped.

Obama mania

With Delhi being turned into a fortress to host the US president, Barack Obama, the head of a Delhi-based corporate house was more than happy to stay overnight in Mumbai. Chatting with journalists over dinner, he said Prime Minister Narendran Modi had not only rolled out a red carpet for Obama, but also become one. Pardon me if I sound rude, he added.

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