Archives January 2026

“Anand represents the new growth story of Indian retail aspirational, brand-aware and ready for global fashion. The opening of Lee® and Wrangler® stores here reflects our commitment to making iconic international brands more accessible across India. Gujarat has consistently shown strong consumer demand and we see significant long-term potential in markets like Anand.”

After disbursing 11,000+ scholarships to truck drivers’ daughters, Mahindra announces the 12^th edition of ‘Saarthi Abhiyaan’ Program 

Bengaluru, Jan 15: Mahindra’s Truck and Bus business, as a part of its much celebrated and renowned CSR Program, Mahindra Saarthi Abhiyan, has announced the onset of its 12^th edition, with plans to awards another 1000 scholarships of Rs. 10,000/- each to truck drivers’ daughters who have passed Std X exam and are pursuing further studies.

This program is aimed at saluting and honouring the exceptional spirit of the truck drivers in ensuring their daughters get an equal opportunity to rise in their lives and educating them beyond X Std. Mahindra is one of the first commercial vehicle manufacturers to pioneer this initiative and felicitate truck driver daughters who meet the eligibility criteria. This program was initiated in 2014. The selection of the eligible truck driver daughters will be done through a reach out program at 75+ transport hubs pan India with well-defined, transparent, and independent process. Until now, 11,029 young girls have already benefited from scholarships.

Mr. Vinod Sahay – President Trucks, Buses & Construction Equipment, Member of Group Executive Board, said,

“Through Mahindra Saarthi Abhiyaan, we are not just providing scholarships but opening doors to a brighter future for girls and instilling hope in young hearts. By investing in their future, we are cultivating a generation of empowered women who will contribute significantly to our communities and the economy at large.”

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Venkat Srinivas, Business Head Trucks, Buses & Construction Equipment, Mahindra Group, said,

 “Our sustained commitment through the Mahindra Saarthi Abhiyaan not only uplifts the daughters of truck drivers, but also fosters a culture of new opportunities and motivation. Through this initiative, we wish to remain steadfast in our commitment to investing in their futures, and developing a stronger, more equitable society where every girl can aspire to fulfil her potential and become the leaders of tomorrow.”

The company will felicitate each girl selected for this scholarship with a direct bank transfer of INR 10,000 and a certificate in recognition of this achievement. The felicitation of 1000 daughters will be hosted between February to March 2026, at select locations by Mahindra Truck and Bus leadership.

New Delhi, Jan 15: ASUSTOR Inc., a global leader in Network Attached Storage (NAS) and data management solutions, today announced the appointment of Supertron Electronics Pvt. Ltd. (SEPL VAD) as its National Distributor for the Indian market. This strategic partnership marks a significant step in ASUSTOR’s continued commitment to India’s rapidly expanding data, cloud, and enterprise IT ecosystem.

Through this partnership, ASUSTOR aims to strengthen its presence across India by leveraging Supertron’s extensive nationwide reach, deep channel ecosystem, and proven expertise as a leading Value-Added Distributor (VAD).

“We are truly excited to partner with Supertron Electronics” said Ripunjoy Gogoi, Director – Sales, South Asia, ASUSTOR Inc. “Supertron’s strong market credibility, pan-India distribution network, and dedicated sales, technical, and operational teams make them an ideal partner for ASUSTOR. This collaboration will enable us to accelerate growth, enhance customer engagement, and deliver our high-performance NAS solutions more effectively across enterprise, SMB, and professional segments in India.”

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Debraj Dam, Chief of Supertron VAD, said:

“We are excited about the alliance between Supertron and ASUSTOR. It is a strategic move to address the rapidly evolving data storage and enterprise IT ecosystem in India. This partnership aligns ASUSTOR’s innovation in NAS technology with the strong footprint of Supertron’s volume and value distribution networks. Together, we will deliver greater value to our customers through improved product availability, expert technical support, and a unified approach to secure, high-performance data management.”

This partnership will enable ASUSTOR to deliver improved product availability and accelerated go-to-market execution. We can unlock greater value for enterprise, SMB, and professional customers with stronger pre- and post-sales technical support, enhanced channel engagement, and enablement.

With this collaboration, ASUSTOR reinforces its position as a leading provider in NAS technology, while Supertron strengthens its storage and data management portfolio creating a powerful synergy to address India’s growing demand for secure, scalable, and high-performance data solutions.

Guwahati, Jan 15: Peerless Hospital Guwahati, the city’s leading super-speciality hospital, has reinforced its Academic–Clinical Partnership with The Assam Royal Global University, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) earlier this year. With the region facing an urgent shortage of trained healthcare professionals and an increasing need for industry-integrated education, the collaboration has already begun generating impact.

Since the MoU, Peerless Hospital has facilitated multiple clinical exposure sessions, specialist-led lectures and structured industry experiences for students of the Royal School of Medical & Allied Sciences (RSMAS). These initiatives have provided students with hands-on learning in a real hospital environment, ensuring that medical education remains aligned with contemporary healthcare challenges.

Under the partnership, RSMAS students will continue to receive opportunities across clinical training, internships, research, and academic exchange—bridging classroom learning with real-world medical practice in Eastern India.

The MoU was signed by Dr Gautam Kr Das, CEO, Peerless Hospital Guwahati; Dr Pranab Barua, Medical Superintendent & Director, Emergency Department, Peerless Hospital Guwahati; Dr Diganta Munshi, Registrar (Administration), The Assam Royal Global University; and Dr Abhijit Dutta, Dean, RSMAS, The Assam Royal Global University.

“We are witnessing a transformative period in healthcare, where the demand for highly skilled professionals far exceeds supply—especially in northeastern India,” said Dr Gautam Kr Das, CEO, Peerless Hospital Guwahati. “This partnership is helping address that gap meaningfully. By ensuring structured, specialised clinical exposure for students, we are preparing a workforce that is confident, competent, and ready for the future.”

He added that Peerless Hospital is committed to driving knowledge exchange beyond its own infrastructure.

“The need for industry-integrated medical education has never been higher. Our teams have already conducted several sessions at the university, and we remain open to partnering with more institutions that share our vision for skill development and healthcare capacity building in the Northeast.”

Since its inauguration in July, Peerless Hospital Guwahati has undertaken several community initiatives, including speciality OPDs, health camps, preventive screening drives, and neighbourhood wellness programmes. These efforts, along with the hospital’s academic collaborations, reflect its broader mission to improve healthcare quality, awareness, and accessibility across the region.

New Delhi, Jan 15 : This Christmas season, ITC Hotels continues its enduring creative legacy of celebrating a Green Christmas, unveiling thoughtfully designed, sustainable Christmas trees across its iconic luxury hotels—ITC Maurya, ITC Mughal, ITC Rajputana and ITC Grand Bharat. Rooted in purpose, craftsmanship and respect for nature, each installation reflects ITC Hotels’ philosophy of Responsible Luxury, where celebration and sustainability coexist seamlessly.

At ITC Mughal, Agra, the festive spirit is woven into the city’s artistic heritage through a striking 17-feet Christmas tree inspired by Zardozi, the region’s celebrated embroidery art. Adorned with gold threads, beads and Mughal-era motifs, the installation pays homage to the skill of local artisans while embracing environmentally conscious design. The immersive lobby transformation blends tradition with modern sustainability initiatives, including reduced plastic use, renewable energy adoption and biodiverse green spaces.

At ITC Rajputana, Jaipur, Christmas is celebrated through Rajasthan’s regal traditions with a 15-feet pagri-inspired Christmas tree showcased in the Jaigarh Lobby. Crafted from iron and plywood and adorned with over 130 handcrafted safas in Bandhej, Pachranga and Leheriya fabrics, the installation honours the timeless symbol of pride and cultural identity. The vibrant centrepiece reflects centuries-old craftsmanship while reinforcing the hotel’s commitment to responsible hospitality.

Meanwhile, ITC Maurya, New Delhi, presents Eco Elora, a deeply symbolic and eco-conscious Christmas installation rising 16 feet in the Chaitya Lobby. Crafted entirely from natural, repurposed and biodegradable materials—including pine flowers, shola flowers, jute stems, corn husk, palm seeds, coconut coir and dried Indian fruits—the tree celebrates renewal, balance and mindful living. Created over 170 man-hours, Eco Elora exemplifies patience, precision and sustainable artistry.

Completing the festive narrative, ITC Grand Bharat introduces Sustain-a-Tree, a minimalist yet impactful expression of mindful celebration. Made from wood, cane and jute, the installation blends rustic elegance with contemporary eco-forward design, reinforcing the belief that beauty lies in simplicity and responsibility.

Together, these distinctive installations shape a festive narrative rooted in culture, creativity and care for the planet—redefining Christmas celebrations through purpose-driven luxury at ITC Hotels.

Mumbai, Jan 15 : Mumbai-Based independent creative agency Motley has launched Cards Against Advertising, a parody party card game that reveals industry truths while giving people a healthier way to process them. The game comprises 150 cards that reflect the chaos, clichés, and some toxic truths of the advertising world, using humour as a lens to examine its work culture.

Inspired by the format of Cards Against Humanity, the game has been developed under Motley Orgnls, the agency’s internal initiative that supports crew-led creative projects. Positioned as both satire and commentary, Cards Against Advertising reflects shared experiences across advertising, marketing and creative services.

Advertising remains one of the most influential industries globally, while also being frequently associated with long hours, high pressure and cultural burnout. Many professionals enter the field driven by ambition and creative energy, only to encounter challenges that are rarely acknowledged openly. The game was conceived as a way to recognise these shared experiences and create a space for reflection through humour, rather than critique or instruction.

“This is more than just a game; it is a unique advertising-specific party experience,” said Priyanka Surve, Founding Partner and Creative Head at Motley. “It’s a product designed by people who work in the industry, for people who live its realities every day.”

The project reflects Motley’s broader approach to workplace culture and creative ownership. Unlike traditional internal initiatives, Cards Against Advertising emerged through Motley Orgnls, which allows its crew  members to propose independent creative ideas. Selected projects receive production support from the agency, with profits shared with the creators over time.

“In an industry driven by ideas, it’s important that creative ownership extends beyond client work,” said Jason Menezes, Founding Partner and Business Head at Motley. “Motley Orgnls exists because creativity shouldn’t just earn a salary – it should build equity, ownership, and pride.”

The content of the cards has been written by professionals across roles, including creatives, strategists, account managers, and interns. The scenarios referenced draw from common industry moments – late-stage presentation changes, internal alignment calls, pitch pressures, workplace jargon and informal conversations that often happen outside official forums. The intent is to create a space to release toxicity harmlessly, collectively, and humorously.

Designed for groups ranging from small teams to large gatherings, the game is aimed at anyone who has worked within the creative ecosystem, including agency professionals, former agency employees and clients with a self-aware understanding of the industry. Gameplay typically runs between 30 and 90 minutes and is intended for players aged 18 and above. Expansion packs focusing on Copywriters, Designers, Social Media and more are planned for the future.

The card game  comes amid ongoing conversations within the advertising industry around burnout, mental health and sustainable work cultures. While Cards Against Advertising does not position itself as a solution, it seeks to offer a shared, light-hearted way to acknowledge collective experiences through humour and self-reflection.

New Delhi, Jan 15:  Gita-inspired Needonomics is emerging as a transformative paradigm for teaching excellence and ethical education, said Prof. Madan Mohan Goel, Propounder of the Needonomics School of Thought, three-time Vice-Chancellor, and superannuated Professor of Kurukshetra University, during a Faculty Induction Programme (FIP) held at Mahatma Hansraj Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centre (MH-MMTTC), Hansraj College, in collaboration with Miranda House, University of Delhi.

Prof. Goel delivered two insightful lectures on “Excellence Models for Teachers in a Changing Economic Scenario” and “Indian Knowledge System: Relevance of Gita-Guided Needonomics and Anu-Gita.” The programme was presided over by Dr. Ashutosh Yadav, Director, MH-MMTTC.

Welcoming the participants, Dr. Ritu Pandey, Coordinator of the FIP, delivered the opening address and presented a citation highlighting Prof. Goel’s distinguished academic journey and significant leadership contributions to higher education.

Drawing from the Bhagavad Gita, Prof. Goel emphasized that a truly wise person is one who “sees inaction in action and action in inaction,” remaining free from ego, attachment, and the fruits of action. He stressed that educators must cultivate humility, balance, and sensitivity while remaining street SMART—Simple, Moral, Action-oriented, Responsive, and Transparent.

Explaining the core philosophy of Needonomics, Prof. Goel highlighted the restoration of the natural sequence outlined in the Hitopadeśa—knowledge leading to humility, humility to worthiness, worthiness to wealth, wealth to dharma, and dharma to happiness. He noted that education must go beyond earning a livelihood to making life meaningful and fulfilling.

“The real genius,” he observed, “is one who can correctly differentiate what ought to be done from what should not be done.” He added that an average individual guided by values is far superior to a so-called genius who causes harm to others.

Prof. Goel further elaborated on Gita-guided Needonomics as a human-centric, ethical, environmentally friendly, and spiritually rooted approach. Citing the LIC of India motto “Yogakshemam Vahamyaham” (Gita 9.22), he explained that Needonomics promotes common sense economics focused on sustainable happiness and societal well-being.

The session resonated strongly with participating faculty members, reinforcing the relevance of Indian Knowledge Systems in shaping value-driven, responsible educators for a rapidly changing world.

Leading healthtech consulting company, Mindbowser, today announced its strong multi-year performance, driven by rising global demand for clinically guided, AI-driven healthcare solutions. Over the last three years, the company has significantly strengthened its market presence, doubling its revenue and achieving a six-fold expansion of its healthcare customer base. This growth confirms its status as the preferred partner for organizations seeking scalable and secure solutions that integrate both strong engineering capabilities and crucial clinical expertise.

This performance comes at a time when healthcare providers, payers, and health-tech innovators worldwide are accelerating digital transformation and investing in interoperable, compliant, and AI-driven platforms. Mindbowser has benefited from this shift, with more companies seeking engineering partners that can bridge clinical workflows, data security, and modern technology stacks.

To support this scale, Mindbowser recently moved into a new 500+ seater facility in Pune preparing for its next phase of growth. The space includes R&D and AI labs, training zones, and an innovation center for clients, expanding the company’s capacity to handle larger and more complex digital health programs.

Mindbowser Deepens AWS Partnership with Launch of EHRConnect on Marketplace. EHRConnect is a zero-code, HIPAA-ready integration platform designed to help health systems, digital health companies, payers, labs, and wearable-tech providers exchange clinical data in hours instead of months. Because the platform is deployed entirely inside a customer’s AWS environment, all PHI stays within their own AWS account, offering complete privacy, faster deployments, and 60–70% cost savings right out of the gate.

“Our growth is a reflection of what the industry is asking for solutions that are clinically sound, secure, and built to work in the real world,” said Ayush Jain, Founder and CEO, Mindbowser. “The last few years have shown us that healthcare companies want partners who understand both domain and technology. With our expanded leadership and engineering depth, we’re building the foundation for the next decade of healthcare innovation.”

Looking ahead, Mindbowser plans to deepen its presence in the United States, grow its interoperability and AI business, and strengthen its delivery and clinical leadership teams. With this trajectory, the company is targeting a fourfold increase in revenue by 2026 and a team of more than 250 specialists focused primarily on the U.S. healthcare market.

The Minimalist Champions Regional Influencer Marketing as the Future of Brand Growth on YouTube and Meta in India

Mumbai, Jan 15: As brands rethink how they connect with audiences in an increasingly fragmented digital ecosystem, The Minimalist- an integrated creative agency with offices in Mumbai and Delhi- has been building region-first culture-led creator strategies for consumer brands across India.. This approach, the agency says, is already driving stronger engagement, higher stickiness and better platform performance across YouTube and Meta.

According to the data derived by the Minimalist’s recent hyperlocal campaigns, the sharpest performance gains on YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels today are coming from creators who speak one city, one language and one lived truth, rather than generic pan-India messaging.

“One-size-fits-all influencer marketing worked when discovery was new. Today, it feels predictable and easy to scroll past,” says Sahil Vaidya, co-founder of The Minimalist.  He adds, “Audiences now reward familiarity, cultural relevance and creators who genuinely reflect their everyday lives.”

Moving Beyond Broadcast-Style Influencer Marketing

The Minimalist has seen this shift play out across multiple digital campaigns, including a monsoon-led campaign for CEAT executed with regional influencers across Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kochi that garnered over 1.3M average views and 2.4% engagement, outperforming pan-India creator benchmarks by prioritising cultural relevance over scale.

That cultural resonance was most visible during Eveready’s Durga Puja campaign in Kolkata, where collaborating with city based creators led to authentic connection and stronger audience appeal.

“These weren’t translated ideas. They were locally imagined ones, and that’s what stuck” the agency noted.

On Instagram and other Meta platforms, The Minimalist has observed that performance is increasingly tied to quality of engagement over scale—an advantage regional creators consistently deliver.

“India isn’t one feed. It’s thousands of micro-cultures living side by side,” adds Sahil Vaidya. “The brands that win will be the ones that respect that reality and build presence within communities, not just impressions around them.”

The Minimalist works with a dynamic portfolio of consumer brands including Parle, Birla Estates, CEAT, Eveready, among others, delivering culture-first influencer and content campaigns that balance strategic rigour, platform understanding and creative instinct.

Delhi, India, Jan 15: Hexnode, the enterprise software division of Mitsogo, announced the release of Hexnode XDR, its extended detection and response platform, reinforcing its commitment to helping Indian organisations strengthen their cybersecurity posture.

Indian organisations continue to see a sharp rise in cyber threat volumes as they scale operations across cloud platforms and diverse endpoint environments. Recent research indicates that over 265 million cyberattack attempts were recorded in India, underscoring the sustained pressure on security teams to detect and respond to threats effectively.

“You can’t expect an enterprise to stay resilient if IT and security aren’t aligned. That separation has been a long-standing weak spot. Hexnode XDR bridges the divide by unifying endpoint data, deeper context, and powerful response tools. The result? IT teams can finally anticipate threats and act with certainty,” said Apu Pavithran, CEO and Founder of Hexnode.

Security Simplified for IT Admins

Hexnode XDR reimagines the XDR experience with usability at its core. Its clean, structured dashboard unifies endpoints, alerts and vulnerabilities into a single view, simplifying how IT teams assess and respond to threats.

Key Features Include:

• Unified Incident Visibility: Real-time overview of threats, alerts, and vulnerable devices, helping IT admins assess their security posture quickly. 
• Automated Correlation: Collect and analyze signals across endpoints to uncover malicious activity, supported by severity levels, device impact, and threat lifecycle logs.
• Contextualized Alerts: Alerts enriched with device and policy insights for focused response decisions.
• One-Click Remediation: Instant coordinated response to kill processes, quarantine or delete files, and isolate devices for swift threat containment.
• Complete Audit Trail: Searchable and exportable logs of threats, actions and system events, preserving full traceability for efficient analysis and compliance.

By emphasizing clarity and automation, Hexnode XDR helps IT teams respond to threats faster and with greater certainty.

Unified Security and Endpoint Management Under One Ecosystem

Hexnode XDR integrates seamlessly with Hexnode UEM, creating a single connected environment for endpoint management and security. This unified approach reduces tool sprawl and shortens response time.

Integration Highlights:

• Effortless Setup: Extends protection from existing Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) environments with minimal configuration.
• Centralized Control: Manage devices, monitor threats, and enforce policies from one intuitive interface.
• Real-Time Feedback Loop: XDR insights flow directly into Hexnode UEM for consistent device and security visibility.
• Familiar Workflows: Built on the same design principles as Hexnode UEM to ensure quick adoption.
• Future-Ready Scalability: Scales with workforce growth, cloud adoption, and hybrid work models.

This synergy enables organizations to manage, secure, and respond all within a single, cohesive platform.

Built for What’s Next

Hexnode XDR is engineered to evolve into a fully advanced XDR platform that adapts to growing enterprise security demands.

Upcoming features include:

• Broader Endpoint Coverage: Support for macOS, Linux and mobile devices alongside Windows.
• Third-Party UEM Integration: Compatibility with external UEMs, allowing organizations to leverage Hexnode XDR without replacing existing tools.
• Actionable Security Prompts: Suggests timely security actions, enables one-click setup through pre-filled UEM policies, and tracks impact to refine future recommendations.
• Hexnode Genie AI support: An intelligence layer that powers guided troubleshooting and quick chat-based responses to admin queries. 
• Intelligent Threat Response: Automated threat remediation and technician assignment for faster containment.
• Application Vulnerability Insights: Visibility into system and user-installed apps, with alerts to help IT teams identify risky software.

Hexnode XDR equips organizations of all sizes, offering simplified threat management for SMBs and full-scale orchestration through UEM integration for enterprises.