You don’t have to be a cricket fan to love ‘Sachin: A Billion Dreams’

Tendulkar comes across in the film as guileless and driven

There is something about Sachin Tendulkar, something so correct and so innocent you want him to win in life even when you know he is no more the ‘God’ of the cricket field.

The rousing farewell speech that Sachin gives at the end of this astutely emotional journey into the heart and mind of India’s most celebrated Bat Man, left me dewy-eyed. This, when I know zilch about cricket and practically nothing about Sachin’s exploits on the field. What I do know “and what this film is able to tell us in comprehensive strokes of revelation” is that greatness is not thrust on the great by chance.

One has to break bones and crack ribs to get there.

“Sachin: A Billion Dreams” is the story of a national hero who sails through every crisis with his simple philosophy of good existence and hard work. Sachin’s life is blameless. He has never been in any controversy and he doesn’t incite scandalous thoughts. This film could’ve easily been the opposite of what the Sanjay Dutt biography would be, given the man’s colourful lifescape. Instead the director unfolds a treasury of memories and anecdotes in which the aroma of ambition is mingled with the flavour of yearnings.

Sachin Tendulkar’s wife talks about how he would clam up after every defeat on the field. Does that make him a difficult man to live with? She doesn’t say. Dissent is not an option that people close to Tendulkar would want to exercise. What I gathered after watching Tendulkar’s tale being tossed into a cauldron of exploratory channels all leading to a glorious exposition on heroism,is that every great life has a very strong support system behind it. ReadMore…

Sena steady, BJP makes big gains, Congress decimated in Maha civic polls

Shiv Sena is leading in 84 seats, BJP 80, while Congress 31 in BMC

The ruling Shiv Sena appeared all set to retain control over the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), India's biggest and richest civic body, election officials said on Thursday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was pushed to a distant second slot in Mumbai in the civic body elections held across Maharashtra.

Of the 227 BMC seats, the Sena led in 84, still short of the 114 needed for a simple majority.

The BJP had won 80 seats while the Congress was at a distant third with 31 seats to its credit.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was poised to win 10 seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) eight and the All Indian Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen four.

Stunned by the outcome, Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam offered to resign from the post.

Buoyed by its imminent victory in Mumbai, Shiv Sena supporters celebrated across Mumbai.

The BMC had an annual budget of Rs 37,000 crore in 2016-17. Read more

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BJP sweeps Maha civic polls 2017, neck-to-neck with Shiv Sena in Mumbai

BMC polls: No clear verdict but BJP makes big gains

BJP's win in civic polls a mandate on transparency and note ban: Fadnavis

Snapdeal orders mass lay-off; FreeCharge to be sold for $300 mn

Founders forego salary

Once a success story of the burgeoning start-up ecosystem, Gurgaon-based online marketplace Snapdeal on Wednesday said it would cut more jobs, stop paying its founders and sell its digital wallet FreeCharge.

Co-founder Kunal Bahl, in an email to employees on Wednesday, finally accepted tough decisions— including letting go of people and a full pay cut for him— are being taken. It has also put on sale FreeCharge and is in talks with Naspers, the South Africa-based internet group, to sell it for $300 million.

“We are combining teams, reducing layers, eliminating non-core projects and strengthening the focus on profitable growth. Sadly, we will also be saying really painful goodbyes to some of our colleagues in this process. This is, by far, the hardest decision we have ever taken,” said Bahl.

Though the company refused to divulge the exact number of people to be sacked, sources close to the development said 800 employees would be laid off over the next few days. Sources confirmed 100 were asked to go on the day itself, within a few minutes of Bahl’s email.

“By the time we finished reading the mail, HR (human resource) called us to their office. They said we would get three months of severance pay. We said yes, as that was the only option on the table,” said an employee who was sacked on Wednesday.

According to sources, employees from marketing, ad-tech, category, digital marketing, engineering team, catalogues, have all been asked to leave. Bahl and his co-founder Rohit Bansal said they will not take pay henceforth.

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