Tuesday 29 March 2016

ASICS Challenges All Athletes to ‘WANT IT MORE’

True sport performance brand, ASICS aims to deliver its most provocative and inspiring  brand campaign yet with ‘WANT IT MORE’, a direct call for all athletes to step up their training efforts and realize ever-greater achievement. Focusing on how far athletes across all sports — and of all ages —   will go to reach their goal, the campaign is designed to support ASICS global strategy to expand its footprint beyond running and reach a wider, younger audience.
Importantly, the campaign also paves the way for new product launches across multiple categories including Running and a new Training collection. Both will feature technological advancements from ASICS Institute of Sport Science, delivering improved performance, style and comfort.
Launching today at asics.com/wantitmore, the ‘WANT IT MORE’ campaign kicks off with an open letter inviting the community of professional and amateur athletes to come together through their shared dedication to achieve a goal at #wantitmore. This fully-integrated campaign will publish across media platforms, including out of home, sponsored-events, multimedia, and major social media outlets.
From March 1st and throughout 2016, the ‘WANT IT MORE’ digital platform will keep pace with the annual sporting calendar, and inspire the community to stay motivated during workouts via two key components:
Fitter in :15 Campaign – Focusing in on the hard work of training, the Fitter in :15 campaign will kick off on March 1 with a community-building effort featuring a collection of fifteen-second training optimization films that reveal different ways to take your workout to the next level. With tips and challenges from ASICS elite roster of sponsored athletes, experts, coaches and training influencers, these films will live on the ASICS Instagram account, offering a feed of useful content.
Train-offs – Emphasizing the competitive spirit in sport, the campaign will also feature ’train- offs’, short films in which athletes – from pros to influencers to everyday athletes –demonstrate how hard and far they can train, and then challenge each other to train-offs all posted to
#wantitmore. As the year progresses, ASICS will shift  from  sponsored-athlete  train-offs toward challenging the world to try and ’out-train’ its elite athletes.
‘WANT IT MORE’ taps into the heart and soul of the ASICS brand, encouraging athletes of all ages and abilities to push themselves to their limits in order to better their best. For over 60 years, the company has remained committed to youth and hope through sport by driving technological innovation that supports athletes’ tireless pursuit of continuous improvement.
“With this campaign, ASICS aims to inspire and motivate athletes to reach their goals,” said Paul Miles, Senior General Manager, Global Brand Marketing Division, ASICS Corporation. “We know success in sport comes from the human pursuit to take performance to a whole new level. Through this effort, ASICS celebrates the passion that connects professionals with everyday warriors, and shares that spirit across the world.”
Creative execution for the campaign was conceived by 180 Amsterdam. Chosen for his authentic and sensorial storytelling in sport, Henry Alex Rubin, Academy Award-nominated, feature-and documentary- maker, directed the films. For more information, details and links to campaign platforms (f/b, Instagram, etc) and if available fitter in 15 videos.


CNBC-TV18 partners with IACC for the 1st Indo-US BPO Summit

Indo-Us1CNBC–TV18, for more than sixteen years has provided real-time coverage on financial markets and daily business information to the financial fraternity and the viewers at large. With this, the channel has also become the pioneer in successfully building communities in various sectors like finance, start-ups, SMEs, to name a few.
Continuing this legacy, CNBC–TV18 aims to target one of India’s fastest growing segments and the largest private sector employer – the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry by partnering with Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC NIC) to announce the very first Indo-US BPO Summit. The summit will take place on March 29-30, 2016 at Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate, Florida, USA.
In today’s dynamic business landscape, technology has enabled Speed, Skill and Scalability as a basic need to augment in the digital economy. To be fast, and to stay ahead of the curve, organisations need to constantly innovate, be agile, and be better engaged with their customers through all channels – for which Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is a key lever.
The objective of the summit is to both introduce the opportunities that are unfolding in the ‘New India’ at a rapid pace, offering an attractive market for US MNCs, as well as to explore the rapidly evolving outsourcing landscape and the benefits that global companies are experiencing.
Key themes at the summit will include: The Rise of the Omni Channel; Talent Trends; Accelerating Business Transformation & Innovation through Outsourcing; India beyond the Metros; Digital Transformation and the ‘New India’ to name a few.
“I wish all the success to the Indo-US BPO Summit,” commented Arun Jaitley, the Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information and Broadcasting in India. “Our relationship with USA is the most dynamic and defining relationship of the 21st century. I hope it will help in bringing the US and Indian business and professional communities closer besides showcasing the important deliberations in the Services Industry.”
Speaking about the summit, Raman Roy, Chairman, Quatrro and IACC-NIC Summit Chairperson said, “In the age of digital disruptions, businesses need the Speed, Skill and Scalability to remain ahead of the curve. Outsourcing is the key to offer that agility and flexibility to organizations to remain relevant and enable wins in the marketplace through the power of integrated partnerships. This Summit aims to present the advantage and collaborative solutions from the Indian BPO industry; to our largest client market – US.”


PromaxBDA announces call for entries for PromaxBDA India 2016

PromaxBDA, the association that represents more than 10,000 companies and promotion & marketing professionals at every major media organisation, has announced the 13th edition of its annual conference PromaxBDA India 2016. Joining the conference this year as key-note speakers are world renowned marketing visionaries Lee Hunt, Founder of Lee Hunt LLC and Chris Spenser, former EVP of Marketing Creative HBO. Like every year, PromaxBDA is encouraging marketing professionals to send in their best work, which stand a chance of being recognized at the PromaxBDA Awards in the midst of the best in the business. PromaxBDA India 2016 is slated to take place on 11th and 12th May 2016 at the Indian School of Design & Innovation and The Westin, Mumbai.
PromaxBDA India 2016 will stick to last year’s format, beginning with its workshop styled Boot Camp on day one followed by an inspiring Masterclass session with world-class marketing experts on day two. PromaxBDA Boot Camps will bring in the latest creative techniques in promotion-creation while the Masterclass sessions are tailored to create a local and global overlook for senior-level producers, executives, leaders and decision‐makers. The conference will witness participation of prominent visionaries, discussing topics that contribute to the growth of the digital and advertising space.
Commenting on this year’s conference, Rajika Mittra, Country Head (India), PromaxBDA said, “We are thrilled to announce the 13th edition of PromaxBDA India. After launching a fresh new format last year which received an overwhelming response, we have decided to stick with our Boot Camp and Master Class sessions for this edition of the conference as well, which will be spread over two days. Moreover, we are extremely excited to have on-board two world renowned marketing experts, Lee Hunt and Chris Spenser as the key-note speakers for this edition of the conference. We are hoping for a bigger and better response to the conference this year.”


PVR crosses the landmark of 500 screens in India

India’s largest cinema exhibition company, PVR Ltd is celebrating a major event in the history of cinema in India by reaching the mark of 500 screens across the country; this is the first time an exhibitor has accomplished this milestone while continuing to provide world-class cinematic experiences to moviegoers in 45 cities pan India.
PVR’s incredible journey began in 1997 with the opening of India’s first multiplex cinema, PVR Anupam in Saket. The cinema was a hit with Delhi from the very first day introducing to the city a new paradigm in cinema going-modern, clean and imbued with state-of-art technology. This led, in turn, to superlative movie experiences. From the first screening of Shahrukh’s “Yes Boss” to Priyanka’s “Jai Gangaajal” this week, PVR Anupam laid the bedrock for a major business in entertainment.
Speaking on the occasion of achieving this milestone, Mr. Ajay Bijli, Chairman & Managing Director for PVR Limited said “We are very excited to achieve the historic milestone of 500 screens. PVR always pushed the envelope to provide unique cinematic experiences for its audience. We are privileged to have been supported by millions of movie goers across India who have appreciated the brand and made it bigger. We cannot thank enough our shareholders and investors who have shown immense faith in us over the years. With this achievement we continue to inspire excellence in the industry and achieve another milestone of 1000 screens by 2018.”

PVR’s advent into the multiplex industry came at a time when the entire fate of the movie business was uncertain. Triggered by video piracy and the dilapidated condition of cinemas with poor projection & sound quality, unhygienic atmosphere, dark & dingy environment, people were becoming averse to watching movies at cinema halls.
PVR provided choice to consumers to watch any movie under a single roof by way of a clean & hygienic place, staff serving in clean uniforms and a colourful ambience, it transformed the way millions of Indians consume movies. In a way PVR is being credited of ‘Taking India to movies’, reviving the movie industry when all seemed lost.
Unaware of the multiplex format, PVR had to convince the government authorities, rewrite building bylaws that it was possible to have four cinemas under one roof without compromising on safety parameters.
Considering India as a heterogeneous market, PVR has given the Indian audience a grand spectra of cinema formats like PVR Heritage, PVR Premier, PVR IMAX, PVR Director’s Cut, PVR Gold Class, PVR Premiere, PVR Talkies and the latest addition being PVR Icon & PVR Superplex.
A company of many firsts in the Indian multiplex industry, PVR is India’s first fully digital cinema chain and the first in India to sign a 50 screen deal pan India with Dolby Atmos.  PVR is the first to offer online ticketing, queue- less box office through Quick-TIx Counters,  QR code ticketless entry, and ‘on the seat’ food offerings. PVR is also the first multiplex chain to install 3D enabled screens at all its multiplexes.
Primarily starting as a north centric cinema brand, PVR assumed status of a national cinema chain within 4 years of its starting operations.  The acquisition of Cinemax India in 2012 propelled India into the big league.
Being the largest cinema chain in India & entertaining over 70 million patrons, PVR’s dominance in the multiplex industry in India now extends to 501 screens, 111 cinemas in 45 cities across India. PVR has achieved a steady year on year growth with over 18 years of its existence redefining the way people watch movies with the launch of various formats under the gamut of cinema viewing experiences.


&pictures showcases Tony Jaa’s ‘Tom Yum Goong 2’

For all this while the world audience have seen the best of Hollywood’s action and Bollywood’s masala flicks. And now &pictures, India’s leading premium Hindi movie channel, brings entertainment buffs a new genre by introducing martial arts films under the property, Chiniwood. In an attempt to lure entertainment buffs and martial arts fans, the channel has coined a new term – Chiniwood – for a genre of movies with a perfect blend of pulse racing action and entertainment.
Going by the mantra ‘Bollywood se zyaada masala, Hollywood se zyaada action’, Chiniwood will see some of world’s biggest martial arts action heroes like Tony Jaa, Jackie Chan and Jet Li  amongst others fighting it out on &pictures every Friday at 8 PM. This Friday, 4th March catch Tony Jaa’s ‘Tom Yum Goong 2’ at 8 PM in Hindi only on &pictures. The film is a sequel to Pinkaew’s Tom-Yum-Goong, with actors Tony Jaa and Petthai Vongkumlao reprising their roles as Kham and Mark from the first movie.
When Suchart Vilawandei (Adinan Buntanaporn), the owner of a major elephant camp is murdered, Kham (Tony Jaa) finds himself as the number one suspect and tries to get away from both the police and the family of the family of the deceased. Kham runs into an Interpol agent Mark (Phetthai Vongkumlao) sent to Thailand on a secret mission with an agenda of his own.
Will Kham be able to prove his innocence or will he be put behind bars?


The Golden Years 1950 -1975, A musical journey with Javed Akhtar’

The Golden Years 1950 – 1975 Staying true to its brand promise of ‘Woh Zamaana Kare Deewana’, Zee Classic will soon present its latest offering Dettol presents ‘The Golden Years 1950 – 1975, A musical journey with Javed Akhtar’ co-powered by State Bank of India. The show celebrates classical melodies from the golden era of music: 1950 to 1975. It will gives viewers an opportunity to enjoy the stories behind some of the magical melodies created during the era that continue to remain etched in our hearts. Veteran lyricist, writer and poet Javed Akhtar will present the untold stories of musical maestros and their soulful renditions from that period.
In the early decades of filmmaking, when there was a dearth of advanced musical instruments and recording innovations, a host of talented artists, lyricists and music composers created melodies through sheer hard-work and gave us songs that remain as an asset to the Indian Film Industry. Zee Classic’s ‘The Golden Years’ is a rare opportunity to revisit the music of those times and celebrate its beauty. The show will span over 26 weekly episodes concluding with a special finale episode, designed by none other than Mr. Javed Akhtar. Each episode will take audiences through the journey of music excellence of a particular year in chronological order starting from 1950 with a contemporary look and feel.
Chief Business Officer, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., Mr. Sunil Buch said, “At Zee Classic, we take pride in showcasing the best of the golden era to our audiences. True to the channel’s positioning ‘Woh Zamaana Kare Deewana!’ ‘The Golden Years 1950 – 1975, A musical journey with Javed Akhtar’ will rejoice the music of that era. There could be no presenter better than Javed Saab who has seen music evolve over the years and is one of the finest connoisseurs of Indian Film music. This show is a unique concept and we hope our viewers will enjoy the same.”
An elated Javed Akhtar who announced the show in New Delhi said, “This is my fourth association with Zee Classic. Our association has created content that film lovers will treasure forever and the making of ‘The Golden Years’ has just taken our wonderful association ahead. The period from 1950 to 1975 was the time when artists like C. Ramachandran, Rajendra Krishan, Talat Mehmood, Naushad, Shaheeda Begum, S.D Burman, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Gulzar and R.D Burman graced the Hindi film music. Those years were really memorable for the industry and gave us compositions which still remain unmatched. I am really glad to celebrate their contribution to cinema and I congratulate Zee Classic for creating this unique property for its audiences.”
Business Head, Zee Hindi Movies Cluster, Mr. Ruchir Tiwari said, “A trendsetter within the cluttered television environment, Zee Classic’s success lies in truly distinct content and innovate marketing strategies. The channel’s long standing association with Javedji is invaluable and has contributed immensely to the success of Zee Classic. The latest offering, ‘The Golden Years’ will span over 26 weekly episodes concluding with a special finale episode, designed by Javed Saab. Each episode will take audiences through the journey of music excellence of a particular year in chronological order starting from 1950 with a contemporary look and feel. We have adopted a 360 degree marketing approach including a unique branding initiative to promote the show. As a part of the CLASSIC RADIO TRAIN ACTIVITY, local trains in Mumbai will be branded as Zee Classic Radio trains. These trains will be playing classic melodies of old times and unheard stories of musical experts through their in-built sound system.”
‘The Golden Years 1950 -1975, A musical journey with Javed Akhtar’ is produced by EVPL, sponsored by Dettol and co-sponsored by State Bank of India.


Zee Classic lines up Bimal Roy’s Bandini

With its core proposition ‘Woh Zamaana Kare Deewana’, Zee Classic aims at reviving nostalgic moments and memories while providing complete entertainment. The channel celebrates the journey of the renowned filmmaker, Bimal Roy, with an exclusive five-part series titled, ‘The Bimal Roy Festival presented by Boman Irani’. In its last week, the festival will showcase another visual treat from the filmmaker – ‘Bandini’ on Saturday, 5th March at 8 PM. Released in 1963, this movie was the Highest Grosser of the Year. Based on a Bengali novel titled Tamasi and written by Charu Chandra Chakraborty, Bandini is a female centric film and tells the story of a female prisoner, her suffering and sacrifice. This was the last movie made by Bimal Da and Bandini went on to win the National Film Award for Best Hindi Film (1963).
The music in Bandini was composed by S.D. Burman and lyrics were written by Kaviraj Shailendra. During the shooting of Bandini, Kaviraj and Burman Da had small arguments following which Kaviraj quit the movie with one song yet to be written. Bimal Da was impressed with the knowledge of literature of one of his assistants who was working on the movie. This assistant who was working out of a garage in Mumbai was none other than Gulzar Sahab. Initially, Gulzar Sahab refused to write the song because he never wanted to become a lyricist. But on Bimal Da and S.D. Burman insistence, he wrote the song ‘Mora Gora Rang Lai Le, Mohe Shyam Rang Dai De’ in five days, which was later sung by Lata Mangeshkar.  The song was a huge hit. Another symbolism used in the movie is the occasional shouting of ‘All is well’ by the prison guard when nothing in the movie really is and just as Kalyani is leaving prison for good, she receives yet another ironic message from a jail official who says, ‘Ab ghar grihasthi ki jail mein kaid rahogi!’.
Bandini is considered one of the best films made by Bimal Roy and one of the crowning achievements of Indian Cinema. The film is based on Kalyani (Nutan), who poisons to death a patient at the hospital she works in. The patient happens to be the wife of a freedom fighter Bikash Ghosh (Ashok Kumar), Kalyani’s former lover who had jilted her. While this is narrated through a flashback, the film opens showing Kalyani serving imprisonment. Deven (Dharmendra), the jail doctor, falls in love with her seeing her caring attitude towards others. But, Kalyani is not ready for any relationship and stays away from him. What does the future hold for Bandini?


HBO to premiere ‘San Andreas’

In San Andreas, California is experiencing a statewide earthquake; a rescue-chopper pilot makes a dangerous journey with his ex-wife across the state in order to rescue his daughter. Dwayne Johnson plays Ray Gaines, a helicopter rescue pilot for the Los Angeles Fire Department, who is trying to find his daughter, Blake (Alexandra Daddario), who is in San Francisco  amidst the chaos. Ray’s estranged wife, Emma, is forced to turn to Ray for help, as he is her last resort. Together they journey to save their daughter “San Andreas’’ starring Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra  Daddario and is directed by Brad Peyton.


Mumbai Traffic Police partner with Uber to install Uber Breathalysers in City

Uber Breathalyser is a kiosk that analyses the alcohol content in a person’s blood and accordingly flashes a red light if it’s over the legal limit and a green light if it’s safe for the person to drive. If his/her reading is over the legal limit, a message is displayed on the screen that helps the person request an Uber home, instead of driving. And if it’s their first Uber ride, it’s free.
Said Shailesh Sawlani, GM, Uber Mumbai, “We’re excited to launch the first Breathalyser in partnership with the Mumbai Traffic Police. Through this campaign, we aim to build awareness against drunk-driving and give people a convenient and reliable ride back home. We hope to work with the Mumbai Traffic Police to install these devices across all bars and pubs in the city.”
With a commitment to help reduce DUI cases in the city, and to build awareness about road safety and against drunk driving, Uber Breathalyser is yet another step by Uber to enable a reliable, safe and affordable ride home for the citizens of Mumbai.
The first kiosk in Mumbai was installed and launched a few days ago in Nook, a nightclub in Phoenix Marketcity Kurla.


ZEEL’s Punit Goenka & Amit Goenka receives MEDAILLES D’HONNEUR

MIPTV, the market event for the international TV industry announced that it will honour the top leaders of India’s most valuable listed entertainment entity, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL). Mr. Punit Goenka, Managing Director & CEO, and his brother Mr. Amit Goenka, CEO – International Broadcast Business, will be awarded MIPTV Médailles d’Honneur in a ceremony taking place in Cannes, France on Wednesday 6 April 2016.
The prestigious MIPTV Médailles d’Honneur are awarded to senior executives who have, through their talent, leadership, and passion, made a significant contribution to the world of television and to the development of the international TV community. Punit Goenka and Amit Goenka are the first Indians to receive the coveted Médailles d’Honneur. MIPTV 2016 will welcome 60 Indian TV delegates among over 11,000 leading television executives attending the event from around the world.
Punit Goenka took charge as MD & CEO in 2008 and since then, he has been extremely successful in enhancing ZEEL’s performance and keeping the company at the forefront of the TV business in India. Punit’s younger brother Amit took over as the group’s CEO, International Broadcast Business late last year, and is responsible for spearheading ZEE’s foreign expansion. Today, ZEE is available in 169 countries and reaches over 959 million viewers worldwide.
“For many years, Zee Entertainment has been at the heart of the Indian presence at MIPTV and MIPCOM, and the company’s leaders, Punit and Amit, are among the most respected chief executives in the global TV industry. As the group has developed across the international market, one understands and appreciates ZEE’s corporate philosophy ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World Is My Family’, said Laurine Garaude, Director of Reed MIDEM’s Television Division.
PunitCommenting on the award, Punit Goenka said, “Receiving such an honour from MIPTV is as much a personal recognition as it is a tribute to our highly creative and dedicated teams across the globe at ZEEL.”
“It is a great honour and privilege for us to receive this prestigious award and to be named amongst such a stellar group of luminaries from the global Media and Entertainment industry;” Amit Goenka said.
In addition to Punit Goenka and Amit Goenka, three other distinguished TV industry leaders will receive Médailles d’Honneur in Cannes: Ms. Rola Bauer, Managing Director, STUDIOCANAL TV GmbH, Germany; Mr. Ben Pyne, President Global Distribution – Disney Media Networks, USA; and Mr. Marcel Vinay, President, Comarex, Mexico.


NDTV Property Awards 2015 honours excellence in Indian Real Estate

NDTV Property Awards, presented by Parryware, which is into its third year has emerged as the most credible benchmark for the real estate industry. Manisha Natarajan, Senior Editor, Business and Real Estate along with Vasudha Sharma and Anjali Istwal, co-anchors of The Property Show,hosted the third edition of the NDTV Property Awards, presented by Parryware and powered by Johnson Tiles. The awards honoured and acknowledged excellence in Indian real estate and recognized real estate leaders whose persistent pursuit of excellence has fuelled India’s journey to the forefront of the world’s economy.
The Chief Guest of the evening was Shri Babul Supriyo, the Minister of State for Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation.
The big winners of the night included Mr C.L Raheja who was conferred with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, Brotin Banerjee was honoured with the Best CEO in Real Estate Award and real estate giant Omaxe Ltd. was felicitated with outstanding contribution to Tier 2 & Tier 3 cities.
Held on 5th March, 2016 at Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel, Bengaluru, the ceremony was attended by the crème de la crème of the real estate world including Mr Irfan Razack, Chairman & Managing Director of the Prestige Group, Mr JC Sharma, VC & MD Sobha Limited, Mr Jaishankar, Chairman and Managing Director, Brigade Group and Mr Getamber Anand, CMD ATS Infrastructure.
Jury members for the  awards included Mrs Renu Sudkarnad, MD, HDFC; Mr Amit Bhagat, CEO & Managing Director, ASK Property Investment Advisors Pvt. Ltd; Mr Ritesh Vohra, Partner, Real Estate Investments, IDFC Alternatives Limited; Mr Rohit Salhotra, MD and CEO ICICI-HFC; Mr Sachin Sandhir, MD, South Asia, RICS and Ms Manisha Natarajan, Senior Editor, Business and Real Estate, NDTV.
All results were confidentially tabulated and audited by KPMG with Prop Equity as the Knowledge Partner and EDS as Knowledge Partner for the Green Awards.
Associate Sponsors for the event were Cushman & Wakefield, Rajnigandha Cables Pvt. Ltd, 99acres.com, Reliance Home Finance, Nippon Paint and Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway as the hospitality partner.


CARYSIL expands into New Delhi with its 3rd display gallery

CARYSIL, a German engineered brand for quartz kitchen sinks, unveiled a gallery to showcase its extensive range of products in Interior Solutions at Shop No 29, DLF Tower B, Jasola, New Delhi today. Chirag Parekh, Chairman and MD, Acrysil India, inaugurated the gallery. Master Chef Season 2 winner, Shipra Khanna, also graced the event with her presence. The brand known for its composite quartz kitchen sinks exhibited its stylish assortment of home appliances, stunning chimneys, hobs, ovens, dishwashers, ice-makers along with its striking range of sinks.
Addressing the media persons at the launch, Mr Chirag Parekh, Chairman and MD, Acrysil India, said, “The idea is to provide an answer for the increased demand for our products. I am pleased to introduce another CARYSIL gallery in New Delhi that will hold out the brand promise of innovative looks and original designs. Through this 3rd gallery in New Delhi, we want to reach out to all the people belonging to this category. The gallery will also give customers an opportunity to see live demonstration of our wide range of products. We further plan to strengthen our network in the city.”
Commenting on this launch, Mr Sanjeev Dayal, the Vice President (Sales and Marketing), Acrysil India, said, “The kitchen is as pivotal as a living room for majority of people in New Delhi. Through this gallery in New Delhi, we want to reach out to all the people belonging to this category. We are expecting an imposing footfall in this gallery because our brand CARYSIL effortlessly strikes a chord with the buyers owing to its innovative looks and styling, originality in design and its ability to delight the eye.”
Carysil is on an aggressive expansion spree across the country and this is the 75th CARYSIL gallery in India. However, there’s still a vast untapped market eager to seek out value in terms of better quality and functionality in kitchen products at affordable prices.
Customers in New Delhi can now browse through an extensive collection of the designer brand to spruce up their kitchen and make it stand a class apart. CARYSIL is a pioneer in Composite Quartz Technology and one of the largest producers of quartz and granite sinks in the world. CARYSIL Quartz Sinks are already creating ripples amidst discerning customers in over 30 countries worldwide such as USA, UK, Germany, France, Canada, China, Far East and Gulf countries  ever since its inception in 1986.


IndiaMart raises series C funding to help Indian MSMEs

IndiaMART, India’s largest online marketplace, announced today that it has raised a new round of financing led by Amadeus Capital with participation from Westbridge Capital, the Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund, managed by Quona Capital in addition to Intel Capital, the existing investor in the Company.
The Company will use the funds raised to further strengthen its leadership position in the B2B segment by scaling up Indiamart.com along with Tolexo.com and ultimately assist more of India’s entrepreneurs to launch businesses, restock their shelves, and connect with more business opportunities.
On the announcement of the Series C funding, Dinesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO, IndiaMART said, “As pioneers in this field, we understand that there lies a huge untapped opportunity with Indian MSMEs as well as big corporate buyers who consolidate their forces through IndiaMART. While businesses have been followers in adopting internet, more so in India, globally B2B is a much larger opportunity. The Indian B2B sector itself is set to grow by 2.5 times and touch $700 billion by 2020. Given the socio-political and environmental forces in the country we foresee larger strides being taken by MSMEs in the coming years. We are elated that we share the same synergies with our new investors.”
This is the first investment in an Indian company by Amadeus Capital Partners, the global technology investor that has a near twenty-year track record investing in sectors including communications, semiconductors, medical technology, and enterprise and infrastructure software.
Bhavani Rana, who led the investment on behalf of Amadeus Capital, commented, “Leading the Series C financing into IndiaMART, India’s most successful B2B classified listing marketplace, represents Amadeus Capital’s first direct investment in India. The investment fits Amadeus’ strategy of backing entrepreneurs benefiting from increased penetration of digital technology in emerging markets. As MSMEs in India increasingly come online, IndiaMART offers buyers a trusted platform and tools to search from over 30 million products and connect with reliable competitive suppliers. Through its subsidiary Tolexo, IndiaMART is able to utilise data to help consummate transactions within the platform. We are excited to be working with founders Dinesh and Brijesh as they grow and expand into new market segments.”
“IndiaMART is at the intersection of commerce, payments, and finance,” said Ganesh Rengaswamy, a Partner of Quona Capital, the investment manager of the Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund. “That strategic position will help lead to IndiaMART’s success. By providing much-needed commerce, financing and payment solutions to India’s MSMEs, IndiaMART can address the key bottlenecks that impair small businesses’ access to both resources and capital. Doing so will ultimately create the most comprehensive platform for India’s MSMEs, and a vital resource for the country’s entrepreneurs.”
“As a leading platform connecting and bringing millions of SMEs online, IndiaMART is well aligned with Intel’s efforts of enabling a Digital India – bringing the benefits of computing to help improve productivity, competitiveness and ease of doing business for the SME sector,” said Amit Behl, Investment Director, Intel Capital India. “We look forward to working with our new investor partners and IndiaMART’s management team as they continue to develop more innovative services for SMEs.”


Spiritual leaders Sadhguru and Kamlesh Patel onRadio City Smaran and Radio City Wellness

PlanetRadiocity.com, India’s first & premium web radio network is all set to enlighten their listeners by curating innovative non-music content from two different devotional communities through, Radio City Smaran and Radio City Wellness. Listeners can now enjoy discourses by renowned spiritual masters of Sahaj Marg,and Sadhguru of Isha Foundation,through two different shows.
Dil Ki Awaaz, a show which features Kamlesh Patel, Spiritual Master of Sahaj Marg delves into various aspects of the Sahaj Marg philosophy with practical examples of their application in day-to-day life which helps lead life in a natural, simple and heartful way, balancing the material and spiritual aspects of existence. He also talks about the different emotions of life such as love, anger and fear. How to control these emotions in day-to-day life along with relaxation and meditation techniques. It is aired every Monday and Thursday on Radio City Smaran at 12:00 noon and 6:00 pm IST.
Discourses by Sadhguru are aired every Monday and Friday at 10:00 am & 5:00 pm IST, on Radio City Smaran and Radio City Wellness, featuring Sadhguru, a visionary humanitarian and a prominent spiritual leader. His discourses bridges the gap between the known and the unknown, enabling all those who encounter him to explore and experience the deepest dimensions of life.
Such diverse devotional content provides a way to relax and spiritually enhance the way of life in this fast paced world through meditation, relaxation techniques and their application in day-to-day life. Listeners can easily access all of this content on the PlanetRadiocity Mobile App, and even in the comfort of their homes.
With the latest addition of these shows on Radio City Smaran and Radio City Wellness, PlanetRadiocity reaches out not only to its listeners but also to the followers of these devotional communities.


Zee Café brings World Television Premiere of House of Cards Season 4

House Of Cards has struck a chord with the audience right since its inception. The increasing interest around the show prompted Zee Café to introduce marathon viewing of its third season which went onto become a trend in the English entertainment space. Keeping in with the success, the fourth installment will also have a marathon start to end run over this weekend to keep the viewers glued to their small screens.
Zee Café went all out to promote House of Cards Season 4 through innovative campaigns and social media strategies. An all-round 360° campaign was initiated spanning across mediums like Print, TV, Radio, outdoor and airport branding to garner maximum outreach. Zee Café introduced series of contests and activities on its social media platforms one month prior to the premiere to create the recall value. The biggest highlight remains the Watch & Win contest brought to you by New Renault Duster. As a part of this, viewers will have to answer questions asked during the episodes and tweet them to @ZeeCafe with #HOConZCafe. With one laptop and 4 smart phones up for grabs, House of Cards S4 would surely make for an epic premiere.
Speaking on the promotional idea, Ali Zaidi, Business Head, Zee English Cluster said “Bringing our viewers the best in English entertainment has been our forte and House of Cards has always topped that list. While the world is abuzz with talk of House of Cards Season 4, we feel proud to have a marathon run of the show for our viewers. Just like the third season, we hope this one will also live up to the expectations and gain maximum viewership upon its premiere.”
The most anticipated fourth season of House Of Cards will show how the conniving, methodical and vicious, President Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) will take Washington by storm and try to retain his position in the White House.


HBO premieres A walk among the Tombstones

Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson), formerly part of the NYPD, now works as an unlicensed private detective. His latest client is a drug trafficker (Dan Stevens) whose wife was kidnapped and brutally murdered, and as Scudder delves deeper, he finds that the crime’s sequence is the modus operandi of the perpetrators.
Before they can strike again and destroy other lives, Scudder races through the back streets of New York to catch the killers, blurring the lines between lawful and criminal as he goes.
A Walk Among the Tombstones starring Liam Neeson, Dan Steven and is directed by Scott Frank.


Zee Cinema presents an action packed weekend

Get set for Lights, Camera and some heavy dose of action this weekend as Zee Cinema, the world’s biggest theatre for Hindi movies, brings to you three hard core action potboilers from Friday, 11th March to Sunday, 13th March at primetime.  With Jigarwala No. 1 for the first time on television, Sholay and Nayak – The Real Hero, this weekend is set to be a complete movie marathon.
The repertoire of films begin with the World Television Premiere of Jigarwala No. 1 starring superstar Ravi Teja and Rakul Preet Singh on Friday, 11th March at 9 PM. This is the Hindi version of the Telugu blockbuster Kick 2 that entered the US charts as the 9th Highest Grossing film of 2015. With popular punch lines and quirky dialogues, Jigarwala No. 1 is a true entertainer. This film is a sequel to Kick (2009) also starring Ravi Teja which emerged as a huge hit leading to multiple remakes including in Hindi with the same name that starred Salman Khan.
Continuing with the narrative of the first part, Jigarwala No. 1 (Kick 2) follows the story of Ravi Teja, now a married man with a son, who is completely opposite to him in nature. How will the two meet? Don’t miss Jigarwala No 1 this Friday to know more.
The movies mania continues with Ramesh Sippy’s evergreen classic Sholay on Saturday, 12th March at 8 PM. The movie starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan in lead roles holds a first-time record of running successfully for five years at Mumbai’s Minerva theatre. Not many know that during the making of Sholay, four of the leads became romantically involved. While Amitabh Bachchan married Jaya Bhaduri four months before filming started, Dharmendra had begun wooing Hema Malini.
During their romantic scenes, he would pay the light boys to spoil the shot, thereby ensuring retakes.  Be it Basanti’s ‘Kyunke mujhe befuzool baat karne ki aadat to hai nahin’ or Gabbar Singh’s booming voice philosophizing, ‘Jo darr gaya samjho margaya’ , Sholay continues to be a favourite throughout generations.
Last but not the least catch Nayak – The Real Hero, the intense political thriller on Sunday, 13th March at 9PM. Directed by Shankar, this movie stars Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal and Johnny Lever in the main roles. Shot in varied places from Ladakh to Kanyakumari, it is one of the best made political dramas in Hindi Cinema. Anil Kapoor in the portrayal of a reporter turned politician has delivered one of his best performances in the movie.


Zee Classic brings The Golden Year of 1951

With its core proposition ‘Woh Zamaana Kare Deewana’, Zee Classic aims at reviving nostalgic moments and memories while promising to bring home the timeless magic of classic Hindi Cinema. These moments continue to touch us in different ways over generations through characters, stories, plots, dialogues and the most important of all – MUSIC. Keeping this core thought in mind, the channel is celebrating the music of The Golden Era (1950-1975) with an exclusive twenty-six part series titled, ‘The Golden Years 1950 – 1975, A musical journey with Javed Akhtar’. This Sunday, 13th March at 8 PM, the show will bring musical memories from 1951 and take audiences through a melodious journey.
This episode revolves around ten classical movies of the year 1951 including the epic movie – Awara along with Malhar, Naujawan, Baazi, Bahar, Albela, Afsana, Deedar, Tarana and Madhosh. The untold stories behind the music of these movies will be presented by veteran lyricist, writer and poet Javed Akhtar who in his unmatchable style will be sharing interesting trivia of the musical maestros and their soulful renditions.
The famous song Awara Hoon became popular not merely in India but also in the erstwhile Soviet Union, China and Middle East. The song as well as the movie, Awara was said to be Chairman Mao Zedong’s favourite. There have been many localized versions to this song in Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, the Soviet Union, China, and Romania. Apart from that the retro song Saiyan Dil Mein Aana Re from the movie Bahar was a chartbuster at the time and still remains one of the most remixed songs ever. This song was S.D. Burman’s rare combo with Shamshad Begum and was an instant hit amongst the youth because of its catchy tune and simple arrangement. That is not all the show will also see Javed Akhtar sharing interesting trivia about Shola Jo Bhadke from the movie Albela.
The year 1951 saw a mix of classical, retro and some westernized musical instruments that were never used before. It saw some rare partnerships of director and singers coming together and creating musical hits. It saw singers going one step ahead of their time and experimenting with music that went on to become timeless legends.


Star World Premiere HD unveils its summer line up

Summer holidays are a great way of relieving your stress –when families can stay indoors and fend away the scorching, blistering heat of the sun. To entertain viewers all summer, Star World Premiere HD, the channel that is home to day and date shows in India has introduced a line-up of some of the most awaited television premieres this year. With an all-encompassing mix of genres, there is a show to suit everyone’s penchant.
To start with some edge of the seat content, the channel is all set to premiere Bosch Season 2 on March 19th. Season 1 of the show revolved around Harry Bosch (played by Titus Welliver), a detective working with the Los Angeles Police Department and is accused of murdering a serial killer while simultaneously being involved in a murder investigation.
Now, the seamlessly executed Season 2 of Bosch sees the idiosyncratic and jazz-loving LAPD detective back in the field and deeply engrossed in a new case full of fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, desert safe houses, rogue cops, North Vegas brothels, domestic tension and some very dark truths.
Another compelling thriller, Colony is a Sci-Fi series that explores the human divisions that form after an extraterrestrial invasion. The show will premiere on April 18th and revolve around an extra-terrestrial invaded L.A. where everything is in chaos and the city’s residents are either joining forces with the otherworldly or rebelling against it, thus bearing the consequences.
Here, steps in a former FBI agent Will Bowman (played by Josh Holloway) and his wife, Katie (played by Sarah Wayne Callies) who risk their lives to protect their family and get one of their three children back after losing him to the invasion.
The year’s most awaited television series and the one that broke the internet with its first promo – Game of Thrones Season 6 also makes its way to Star World Premiere HD. The show that is the talk of the town and has been since its inception will premiere on the channel right after its US telecast on April 26th! Is Jon Snow alive? Will Cersei and Jaime come together again? What is Daenerys’ fate? Will we finally learn whose son Jon Snow is? Fans will find answers to all of these much debated about questions on Star World Premiere HD.
As a show set at the height of the Cold War, The Americans Season 4 just like its previous seasons is geared up to make sure everyone is just as on edge today as they would have been during the tumultuous decade of the 80s.
The show that stars popular actors Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Annet Mahendru will start from where Season 3 ended with Elizabeth (Keri) and Phillip’s (Rhys) daughter confessing to the pastor that her parents are in fact Russian spies. The season that will also cover real-life events such as Reagan’s Star Wars speech and the TV movie The Day After will premiere this April on the channel.
Following suit is two of the most audience and critics acclaimed comedy shows – Silicon Valley and Veep. Both shows will premiere on Star World Premiere HD on April 27th.
Veep is an American political satire comedy series shot in a cinéma-vérité style (a style of documentary filmmaking that combines improvisation with the use of the camera to unveil truth or highlight subjects hidden behind crude reality). It stars popular actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus (of Seinfeld fame) as Selina Meyer, the Vice President of the United States (or ‘VEEP’) and follows her struggles as she tries to stay politically relevant.
Silicon Valley, on the other hand, stars Thomas Middleditch, popular actor-comedian T.J. Miller (Deadpool, Big Hero 6, Transformers: Age of Extinction, How to Train Your Dragon and more), Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Woods, Martin Starr and Amanda Crew among others. The comedy series is set amidst the high-tech world of the Silicon Valley in USA and revolves around the struggles of six programmers who are trying to make a mark in the big, bad world of programming.
After having a power-packed first quarter of the year with shows like The X-Files: Event Series – an iconic show revived at its best, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, a re-telling of a crime story that brought America to a stand-still and John Travolta back to television alongside David Schwimmer, Martin Scorsese’s TV debut, Vinyl with Mick Jagger and Terence Winters and Baskets – Zach Galifianakis’s debut on television with Louie CK, summer seems to be at full-swing this year at Star World Premiere HD.