Cultural affairs in makeover mode
Cultural affairs minister Vinod Tawde is known in political circles for his man management skills. Within six months after taking charge of the cultural affairs department, he managed to pull off a feat that was unheard of before — he managed to successfully market the Maharashtra state government’s official Film Awards, otherwise a down-market event, to a private channel. It saved the government’s money and the event too was conducted in an efficient and professional manner in Pune.

Earlier, he had refused to intervene when the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan organisers requested him for help in getting a free slot on television channels. He told them to create a market for the event which could attract sponsorships, rather than asking for free slots.