What Makes Gemini Venkaiah Naidu a go-getter?

While recalling the fanfare that was the swearing-in ceremony of central ministers just the last month, this middle aged man who came in a lungi stands out in the memory; The Union Minister with a receding hairline and expanding waistline, who had been given too many ministries-Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty alleviation and Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. Yes, the minister in focus is Mr. Venkaiah Naidu. His plate seems too full so it might be a good idea to examine how much of workload he might actually have, i.e. the real challenges that his ministries have to tackle.

First, urban planning. As was thrown in sharp contrast by the recent accidental demise of Gopinath Munde, road planning and designing need attention. Residents of the fabled urban areas of India know the issues with sewage disposal, residential properties’ planning, unplanned flyovers, etc. and a traveler only needs to be asked hoe precisely mapped our cities are. All these issues relate to the security and ease of life for the people and directly affect the productivity of the nation’s workforce.

Second, urban poverty is seen each citizen of this great country and yet remains unseen. Sensitizing people to this misfortune of others, finding homes for the homeless and most important of all, plugging the inflow of migrant workers from rural areas and ensuring that the existing ones get their due rights-all of these remain important tasks to quell the discomfort in people due to income inequalities. These tasks will require co-ordination between various ministries-HRD, Home, Rural Development, Women and Child Development to name a few. Most ministers holding this portfolio in the past have been gross failures when it came to handling these sensitive issues-not to mention these are sentimental issues for the populace and require delicate handling. Thus, Mr. Naidu has his task cut out for him.

Last, this old hand of BJP would have to ensure that the government manages the affairs of the house well. In layman’s language it means that the house works at least some of the days and no tables/chairs/footwear are exchanged between the honorable members.

Gemini’s are famous for being indecisive and having a poor focus, so this Gemini male might be of little help with small issues requiring a closer view of things, like erecting mirrors on sharp road turns or covering manholes but since this sun sign is affable and a convincing speaker, it may be assumed that issues like urban poverty alleviation that require inter-ministry co-ordination will be handled quite well. The rulingnumber 1 and luck number 4 make Mr. Naidu someone who is always ready to do something new and make him a go-getter. This means that the minister may be able to find innovative ways of attracting MPs to the parliament and pay attention! All in all interesting times are expected ahead in these ministries, since the old, tough challenges have met an equally seasoned, tough politician with an interesting astrological and numerological profile.

From the nation’s Bahu to the nation’s Educator!

Human Resource, economics says, is the most important of all things required for an economy to 

grow. India, a joke says, is country where it is easier to find God than to find a place where there are no people. So huge is our ‘Human Resource; that we account for close to 17% of the world’s population and as per an estimate, every third child born in the world is born in India. In such a situation, the role of the HRD ministry becomes extremely important. With the news doing round that HRD ministry will not intervene in the tussle between UGC and DU, it becomes imperative to find out what exactly is this ministry going to intervene in, i.e. what are the major concerns facing our brand-new HRD minister, Ms. Smriti Irani.

The biggest concern is literacy expansion. Although the census estimates put literacy rate in India at around 75%, independent observers argue that the definition of literacy that the government employs (a person who has attained skill in reading and writing simple text) is quite rudimentary and thus inflates the actual figure.

Another concern is the plight of Polytechnic institutions. There are about 1244 polytechnics in India with an intake of 1,33,880 students annually. This situation in a country where an estimated 700 million people will join the workforce by 2020 is worrisome. Given the severe handicaps of our regular educational system, it is imperative that alternate skill development via polytechnics is encouraged.

This engenders the next issue, i.e. the plight of our conventional educational system. It is no secret that the infrastructure in terms of furniture, classrooms, teachers and even washrooms is conspicuous by its absence in most government-run schools; in a low income country like India-where the masses cannot afford expensive private education- government education provisions become extremely important for the children and to secure the future of the nation. After all, if our children aren’t properly educated they become a drag, not a resource.

A unique concern is education in conflict areas. Close to a half of the nation’s land area is currently marred by conflict (including Kashmir, the north-east and Naxal afflicted areas) and education and skill development of the populace take a back seat there.

Clearly, issues abound and the lady at the helm, Ms. Smriti Irani has all eyes on her that want to know how these issues will be handled. With a birthdate of March 24, 1976 the ruling number for the HRD minister is 6, luck number 5 and Sun Sign Pisces. Her numerological and astrological profile present a person who is quick to think and act in independent capacity and is extremely determined in implementing decisions. While these qualities indicate quick action on the aforementioned issues, her sun sign gives an idealistic touch to her ideas and such idealism has little place in politics. With the two seemingly contrasting traits at work here, it would be interesting to see where the ministry goes on these issues in the future!

Wedding bells for Aftab Shivadasani

Weddings in India are the biggest productions ever. There is the bride, the bridegroom, the tons of money spent and the flashiness, enough to turn someone blind. Now who in India is allowed to keep a wedding secret? A certain type of extremely asocial, loners (who sum up to zero) maybe allowed to do so; not someone like Aftab Shivadasani who stole hearts and made the audience laugh loads in Grand Masti.

 A flying sparrow had mellifluously sung about a week back that Aftab has married his long-time girlfriend Nin Dussanj, the younger sister of Kabir Bedi’s girlfriend (what a gene pool!). Now that he has come out and accepted that he is indeed married and has done so in a very hush-hush manner, most of the neighborhood aunties are too upset! But not to worry, Aftab has also revealed that he would be hosting a grand reception once he is back from his honeymoon.

Due to his longtime presence in Bollywood, a lot is known about this dimpled heartthrob but the lady is albeit an unknown entity. As per sources, Nin has been working for the past six years in Hong King as a consultant. They apparently met each other via a common friend and hit it off at the first meeting itself. Though Nin has been spotted with Aftab at various points in time, both the parties had kept their lips totally sealed about their plans for the future. Unsurprisingly, the nuptial were a surprise.

Also, the dreamy-eyed boy has set numerous tongues wagging with the secrecy that is being maintained about the honeymoon destination. Is it somewhere in the Caribbean? Bora Bora Islands? The city of Love, Paris? Or some entirely new and exotic location altogether? Well, one can only guess! There is no clarity on where the couple has decided to settle down post their honeymoon, or whether they have decided on any one location yet or not.

While one guesses, it is worth finding out, why such secrecy? Aftab’s birthdate of June 25, 1978 makes his sun sign Cancer with ruling number 7 and luck number 2. The moody, protective and suspicious Cancer when coupled with the fierce sense of privacy that comes with ruling number 7, gives rise to a person who protects his privacy at all costs. So far, Aftab seems to be fitting the description. His profile is quite telling when it comes to his wedded life ahead. Cancerians are emotional and loving while the ruling number makes them loyal too-all in all good signs! But enough Bollywood marriages have been seen going the wrong way, so it is advisable to not put any money on it! Although it would have been great to find out about Nin, her personality and the chances of this marriage working out if her birthdate was known, but this fact is as guarded as American state secrets! Having said this, wishing this comedian-cum-actor the best ahead; both for his personal as well as professional life 