Shantanu Guha Ray’s Post

UNI is my alma mater, I started my career from this news agency. And every time there was been talks of reviving this 60 year-old news agency, I had felt happy. Last week, I asked around people what is happening with UNI and they painted a very sorry, dismal picture. I was told no one wants to put some decent cash on the table to revive the news agency. UNI is a pushover news agency now, it was once brilliant. It produced a box-full of top editors who headed leading newspapers and wire agencies. Jayprakash Narain's quote: "Vinashkale viparit buddha" was scooped by UNI. The Ambani brothers would come to grab a dosa at the UNI canteen every now and then. https://lnkd.in/gbEQSuaG

A recent decision by the Supreme Court to ban safaris in the core area of India's largest Corbett tiger reserve has brought the spotlight on dangers to wildlife, and more importantly, on increasing human-animal conflict. It is in this context that seasoned conservator K. Ullas Karanth's brilliant book, Among Tigers: Fighting to Bring Back Asia's Big Cats, assumes relevance. Karanth has been at the forefront of India's tiger conservation process for over five decades. https://lnkd.in/e_ZE5EAp #tiger #corbett #projecttiger #wwf #ministryoftourism #forests #tigers

I once reported how Meerut has become the hub of all pornographic films made on low budgets, many were using school children. The business has - obviously - grown during the pandemic lockdown. And now some want to pick up cash from the market. There are serious charges against Ullu Digital, it is now linked to a Dubai-based hawala operator. The SEBI and Ministry of Corporate Affairs are looking into the complaints. Have a read. https://lnkd.in/gQpqkfu5

Thank you IIMC Alumni Association Kalyan Ranjan, who once shared stories of Coca Cola, visited me at Barista and shared coffee and sandwiches and gave me my awards from IIMC, my Alma mater. Lifetime achievement awards are always special. I will visit IIMC soon and talk to students, sharing tips on news gathering. I am sure it will be a great experience.

Bombay High started production a year after Sholay hit the screens. Both have complete five decades and are still going strong. Now Bombay High is called Mumbai High, its reserves have dwindled but there could be another big well right below the one that's in existence. If that is discovered, it will be real big news for India. https://lnkd.in/grQqEPmH.

A timely intervention by the Indian government will see the peacock-blue sapphires mined from the upper reaches of Kashmir. It will work well for the strife-torn state and New Delhi. The Kashmir sapphires are the best in the world, much better than the ones found in Myanmar. Mining will start once the snow melts, the company handling the assignment is a seasoned one and is known for its expertise in mining sapphires from mines across the world. I thank Adnan Bhatt, a very bright reporter, for leading me into this story. https://lnkd.in/g7fGVVrE

During my last visit to Kolkata I met them, angry hungry faces at a sit-in for more than three years. They have been protesting for their jobs of school teachers that went to unscrupulous elements who paid cash to fix mark sheet. The Bengal cash-for-teachers scam is falling off the headlines, almost like the Ponzi scams. Bengal's former education minister is in jail, the current making movies and stage plays. There are no takers for the teachers, not even editors. I wrote a small blog for The Times of India. https://lnkd.in/gGuFWC92

One more death has been reported from Corbett, three people have died in as many as two months. Severe restrictions on movement of travellers have been imposed in Corbett reserve forest, India's largest. But will it work? No, claim experts. The villagers living close to the forest must be relocated. And that is a herculean task, also highly political. If the relocation does not happen, the wild cats will continue to walk into the villagers. #tigers #corbett #wildlife #wildlifeprotection #wildlifeconservation https://lnkd.in/gRvqPtXS

India's health authorities have halted all research related to e-cigarettes just before a crucial global meeting on tobacco control. The decision has raised eyebrows, primarily because research serves as the cornerstone of any product's evolution. However, Health Ministry officials seem to be deviating from this norm. E-cigarettes are officially banned in India, but they remain widely available on various e-platforms. This ban has drawn criticism, as these products seem to have been effective in reducing smoking rates in other countries. Around the time when the Indian government issued the ban directives, Kolkata-based ITC, deriving approximately 75% of its EBIT from cigarettes, announced the identification of a potential $500 million market in the tobacco business by exporting high-end nicotine and derivative products to Asian markets. ITC maintains a 75% volume share in India's cigarette industry and a substantial portion of ITC's profits stems from its cigarette business, which has room for growth through gains in market share. This potential market pertains to vapes and e-cigarettes. The government holds nearly 8% stake in ITC. My arguments. https://lnkd.in/gk2dmnfu

For almost two weeks, a mafia boss is on the run in Bengal, obviously he has some state protection. Sheikh Shahjahan ruled Sandeshkhali that is close to Bangladesh for over three decades. But now, the ED is strongly on his tail. I could not enter Sandeshkhali, his supporters had barricaded all entry points. But I managed to gather enough dope about this boss of the bosses. His followers call him the Betaj Badshah, which means an invincible ruler. But the ED officers are fast zeroing in on him. This is my investigation. https://lnkd.in/gbNB8GNK