Crew grounded, Shwaas fund-raiser takes off

‘‘Politicians want to help me financially but they can’t because of the code of conduct,’’ said the producer at Nashik this week. ‘‘I don’t have that kind of money to fly abroad,’’ he added.

He doesn’t want to fly to LA on his own but wants to take his entire crew with him. Since politicians can’t help, he has turned to the public for donations. The target? Rs 1 crore. The drive has taken off, with a pedestrian in Navi Mumbai chipping in with Rs 101 while the Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner’s Fund donated Rs 10 lakh.

Googly, off the pitch

In a state taken up with elections, Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) has managed the impossible: Stealing headlines. First, it was the unceremonious exit of Pune from the season’s cricketing calendar when the India vs India A match could not be held there for want of hotel rooms. But more serious was the MCA’s goof-up at the BCCI elections costing Saheb dearly.

Sharad Pawar is not used to losing. What did him in? A divided MCA fighting it out in court and a little known Congressman named Balasaheb Thorve, who is said to have raised the red flag against MCA chairman Dnyaneshwar Agashe representing it at the BCCI vote.

But the old guard of state politics isn’t surprised. Thorve belonged to the V.N. Gadgil camp and was close to former minister Ramakrishna More. Now, both More and Gadgil were known for their anti-Pawar sentiments. So what if both are long dead? Their disciple stumped Pawar and twisted the knife where it hurt.

Merger politics

In a recent TV interview, CM Sushilkumar Shinde said Sharad Pawar should return to the Congress fold. The echo of this remark bounced hyperactively off Congressmen. Since Shinde is a Sonia Gandhi appointee, Congress circles are abuzz with talk of a Congress-NCP merger after the polls. But with nearly 40 Congress-NCP rebels in the fray, Shinde could have waited till October 13 to air his views. Sources talk of a behind-the-scenes bid by Congressmen to prevent Pawar’s re-entry into the Congress.

Corporate wisdom

She was instrumental in turning around the flagging fortunes of the Thermax Group (worth Rs 830 crore), a company she has managed since the death of husband Rohinton in 1996. When 62-year-old Anu Aga stepped down as Thermax chairperson on October 1, the sweetest tribute came from five-year-old granddaughter Lea. Daughter Meher overheard Lea asking a friend what she would like to be when she grows up. ‘‘A princess,’’ the friend replied. Lea said that was a silly idea as one could not become a princess unless she married a prince. Then came the punchline: ‘‘You should have said,’’ said Lea, ‘‘I want to become a doctor for animals or at least work in Thermax!’’ Grandmom was obviously pleased.

RPI’s transformation

Republican Party of India (A) chief and its only MP from Maharashtra, Ramdas Athavale, can talk his way out of any fix. When the Congress-NCP-RPI combine announced its manifesto in Mumbai, Athavale said his party fielded TADA accused Suresh alias Pappu Kalani from Ulhasnagar because he believed in the man’s parivartan (transformation).

Javadekar’s Issh

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar has turned Marathi scriptwriter with a desperate copy of Devdas and Paro in the last leg of Maharashtra’s election campaign. ‘‘It will capture public imagination,’’ Javadekar hopes. The 40-second black and white TV clips show Paro fretting over the ‘‘frustrations’’ of farmers, jobless youth and power failures. Devdas assures Paro a better future under the saffron combine. Issh…