All posts by Neel Achary

New Delhi, May 2023: Pullman New Delhi Aerocity is hosting a Tribal Gourmet pop-up showcasing ‘Meghalayan cuisine’ from May 5th to May 14th, 2023, Tanisha Phanbuh, a self-taught North Eastern Food Connoisseur, proud participant in Masterchef India Season 6 and the Founder and Director of Tribal Gourmet, a platform showcasing the North East’s gastronomical delights will be showcasing a range of Meghalayan re-imagined gourmet dishes at the award-winning Pan-Asian restaurant Honk.

Speaking on the occasion, Tanisha Phanbuh says, “The North-Eastern cuisine of India is full of undiscovered fresh and vibrant flavours. Being born amongst the vibrant flavours of Meghalaya, I intend to carry the essence of the Northeast and aim to spread the aroma to the metropolitan cities through these pop-ups. It is my conscious effort to start a conversation around the delicacies of Meghalaya, and I feel that by joining hands with Pullman New Delhi Aerocity, I can bring them to the spotlight, making it a mainstream gourmet delight for its patrons.”

In the past, Tanisha has successfully executed multiple food pop-ups at places like “The Olive, Whisky Samba, Cocktails and Dreams Speakeasy, and The Meghalayan Age,” all of which have been well received by people.

Pullman New Delhi Aerocity invites all its patrons to savour the flavours of this cuisine with Tanisha, Director of Tribal Gourmet, and raise a toast to north-eastern flavours.

When – 5th to 14th May’ 2023 [7 PM Onwards]

Where – Honk, Pullman New Delhi Aerocity

India, 2 May 2023: Mr. Ajay Bijli, Managing Director, PVR INOX Limited, the largest and the most premium cinema exhibitor in India and the fifth largest listed multiplex chain globally delivered the keynote address at CinemaCon 2023, the Largest Global Cinema Industry Event in Las Vegas, USA on April 24, 2023. A visionary and thought leader with over three decades of experience in the film exhibition business in India, Mr. Ajay Bijli shared key pieces of advice for exhibitors, studios, and streaming platforms globally.

Here are some highlights of his keynote address for different stakeholders in the eco-system:

Exhibitors

• Need to adapt to changing landscape and consumer behavior
• Make cinema more relevant and create new experiences – format, technology, and hospitality
• Use loyalty program and audience behavior data to provide meaningful engagements
• Use pricing strategies as a marketing tool through subscription programs, bundling of offers, and segmentation to attract customers at various price points
• Build out-of-home entertainment destinations, not just cinemas completely differentiated from watching content at home

Studios

• Create more content for the big screen
• Monetize the content journey – theatres first and then streaming
• Increase the theatrical window

Streaming

• Streaming and Cinema are here to co-exist
• Create a perfect ecosystem to make content bigger, leveraging the merits of cinemas and streaming
  Big-budget films can’t make it big and would not be able to recoup their investments if they come too quickly to streaming
• The probability of Piracy and theft of content is more on streaming
• Theatrical release set the quantitative and qualitative benchmarks and drive greater value for streamers
• Create a perfect eco-system attune to make content bigger leveraging the inherent strengths of theatrical and streaming
• Welcomes tech giants, Apple and Amazon’s plans to invest in making movies for cinemas

Mr. Ajay Bijli has become the First Indian Film Industry official to be invited to deliver the Keynote address in CinemaCon’s 11 year’s history. For someone who created the multiplex industry in India 25 years back, Mr. Bijli is strengthening and creating scale to the film exhibition industry. Through his critical experience of mobilizing content producers, mall developers, studios and cinema technology makers, Mr. Ajay Bijli has been able to create a conduit between consumers and film industry on one hand and the other with the retail industry and real estate development. Today multiplexes have witnessed significant growth across major Indian cities and smaller towns considering India is an under-screened market.

Gifting is a beautiful experience and nobody does it better than Izzhaar. A passion turned into a business by Ruchita Bansal, Izzhaar is a bespoke service specializing in timeless, luxurious, and handcrafted gifting. Izzhaar’s philosophy is to promote sustainable gifting practices by applying thoughtfulness and attention to detail every step of the way.

Over the last few years, Izzhaar has become synonymous with celebrities and the most revered and prestigious award functions like IIFA, Filmfare, and Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival. And this year is no different with Izzhaar being the official gifting and invitation partner for the 68th Filmfare Awards.

At Izzhaar, our passion is to create beautiful connections with every gift chosen. With title sponsors like Hyundai, this year’s invitation draws its inspiration from the glamourous and always-moving lifestyle of the stars from the tinsel town. The ‘Carbar’, as it is called, is a beautifully crafted invitation for the 68th Filmfare awards that are refined down to the finest detail, making every box extraordinary and every ride unforgettable. This handcrafted box has a special compartment for a bottle, along with all the accessories like an Ice bucket, Shaker, Peg Measurer, Muddler, Ice cube holder, Opener, Stainer along with Gourmet Nuts. What we have created is more than a gift. It’s a piece of a Bollywood life lived every moment in the most opulent way.

Available at:

Gurugram – 775, Udyog Vihar Phase V, Sector 19, Gurugram, Haryana-122016
Mumbai – 187, First Floor, Zainab Villa, Turner Road, Bandra West, Mumbai-400050

New Delhi, May 2, 2023: UK-based global conglomerate SRAM & MRAM Group, today inked a deal with DOSTYK REFINERY LLP, KAZAKHSTAN. The partnership will see SRAM provide an expanded range of Oil and Natural Gas affiliates in the region, strengthening the long-standing relationship between the two countries. With the collaboration in place, SRAM & MRAM Group will also diversify its energy portfolio by importing crude oil from non-Opec sources; will be procuring at least 6 million tonnes (mt) of crude from DOSTYK REFINERY, KAZAKHSTAN.

The development also signifies India being the world’s third-largest oil importer. The partnership will further strengthen the long-standing relationship between the two entities. The MoU was signed by Dr. Sailesh Lachu Hiranandani, Chairman SRAM & MRAM Group & Sartbaev Saken Satvaldievich, Export Director, DOSTYK REFINERY LLP.

Earlier in the year 2022, the Group partnered with Malaysia-based, Petrichor Capital Group for Oil and Gas trading businesses.

With the aim to ensure the long-term, sustainable security and supply of energy-related services in KAZAKHSTAN, the collaboration serves to boost the contribution of the leading company, as well as encourage the implementation of alternative energy solutions.

Speaking on the collaboration Vishal Ahuja, Global Marketing Director, SRAM & MRAM Group, quoted, “We are pleased to partner with DOSTYK Refinery and this will serve to add to SRAM’s Energy portfolio. This will also help in strengthening the partnerships between two countries and will also help in creating employment opportunities. We look forward to building upon our long-running collaboration.”

“The group is elated with the alliance that will certainly help the group explore in the segment. Besides, the collaboration will also provide the right impetus for the strategic growth plans and add value to the SRAM & MRAM portfolio,” quoted Sanjeev Kumar, Global Operation Director, SRAM & MRAM Group.

Currently, SRAM GROUP has a presence in the ports of Singapore, Malaysia, Fujairah, Hamriyah, Sharjah, Oman, Huston, and Rotterdam. The core Group has also tied up with different Refineries in countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Venezuela, Kuwait, and many other countries.

Sartbaev Saken Satvaldievich, Export Director, DOSTYK REFINERY LLP, expressed, “DOSTYK Refinery has a historic legacy in the region, and we are delighted to take our partnership with SRAM & MRAM to new heights. We are hopeful of this alliance and will continue to explore and offer best-in-class products and services. This alliance with SRAM will help u in capitalizing on new opportunities underpinned by sustainable and cleaner operations.”

The group will also be facilitating the supply of Jet Fuel A1, EN 590 (10 ppm, 50 ppm), D6, Gas Oil 1000 -2500 PPM, Crude oil of Heavy, Super heavy and Light, Pet Coke, LPG, and CNG.

Hitanshu Heera, Director, SRAM & MRAM Group quoted, “We are proud to be associated with DOSTYK REFINERY. The collaboration will help us in reaching out to non-Opec sources. It will certainly offer a great business proposition to all the stakeholders in the long run.”

IIM Kashipur hosted its 10th Convocation for its flagship Two-Year MBA (batch of 2021- 2023), MBA Analytics, Executive MBA, and Doctoral students at the campus. The institute conferred a total of 353 students with degrees, including 9 Doctoral scholars and 344 MBA Graduates (260 Two-Year MBA students, 58 MBA (Analytics) students, and 26 Executive MBA students).

07 students were conferred with the Institute’s Medals for best Academic performance and 01 students with the best all-around performance medal by the Chief Guest. Apart from this, 13 MBA Students and 03 MBA (Analytics) Students received the Directors’ Merit List. Gold Medals recipients were Twarit Manglik, MBA Batch 2021-23; Saloni Singhal, MBA(Analytics) Batch 2021-23; Saurabh Dixit, EMBA Batch 2020-22; Silver Medals recipients were Abhikant Pratyush Singh, MBA Batch 2021-23, Bhawna Malhotra, MBA(Analytics) Batch 2021-23, Ashish Sharma, EMBA Batch 2020-22; while Tanishq Jaiswal, MBA Batch 2021-23 received the Bronze Medal. Gold Medal for Best All-Round Performance was conferred to Bhawna Malhotra, MBA(Analytics) Batch 2021-23.

The Convocation procession was presided by the Chief Guest of the Convocation – Mr. Mrugank P ranjape, MD and CEO of NCDEX E-Markets Limited; Shri Sandeep Singh, Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIM Kashipur; Prof. Kulbhushan Balooni, Director, IIM Kashipur along with the deans, faculties, other dignitaries and students.

Speaking while inspiring the students, Mr. Mrugank Paranjape, MD and CEO of NCDEX E-Markets Ltd said, “Today marks a momentous occasion for the graduating students as they embark on a new chapter in their lives. IIM Kashipur is renowned for its commitment to academic excellence and its dedication to developing well-rounded individuals who possess the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in today’s dynamic business environment. I have no doubt that the graduating class will go on to achieve great success in their respective fields, and I wish them all the very best for their future endeavors. It is a pleasure to be a part of this special day and to celebrate the hard work and achievements of the students, faculty, and staff of IIM Kashipur.”

The second generation, IIM Kashipur’s journey of a decade has achieved many milestones. Established in 2011, the institute has registered a sevenfold growth in its two-year MBA admissions. Considering the industry demand, IIM Kashipur has started its MBA Analytics and Executive MBA programs which are providing analytically expert students to the new age commerce of the country. Sectors such as BFSI (122 students) and IT Analytics (36 students), e-Commerce, and Retail and Management Consultancy (68 students) are hiring management students from the IIM Kashipur campus. For the last five years, the same sectors were found keen for campus hiring.

Shri Sandeep Singh, Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIM Kashipur, said “I am proud to witness the transformation of these young minds into future leaders who are equipped with the necessary skills to take on the challenges of the corporate world. IIM Kashipur has always focused on providing holistic education to its students, and I am confident that the graduating batch will make a significant impact in their respective fields.” He further added, “We have deployed around INR 70 crore from the institute’s corpus fund for expanding campus infrastructure. This milestone reveals that the institute has become self-sustainable and this could be possible due to the collective efforts of all the stakeholders.”

Presenting the annual report of the institution, Prof. Kulbhushan Balooni, Director, IIM Kashipur, said, “I am delighted to witness the successful culmination of the 10th convocation ceremony of IIM Kashipur. Our graduating students have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities and skills in the face of unprecedented challenges brought in the post COVID-19 era. As they embark on their professional journeys, I congratulate them on their achievements and wish them the very best in their future endeavors.”

He further added, “Known for producing high-quality research, IIM Kashipur’s faculties and scholars have published 77 research articles published for the nation’s growth.” Notably, the IIM Kashipur has secured 100% placements this year with the highest package of INR 37 LPA. The average CTC of the batch 2021-23 stands at INR 18.11 LPA with a year-on-year (YOY) growth of 19 %. The female placement ratio is increased by 18% in 2023 (91 female students) comparing the 2022 (77 Female Students) placements. About 150 companies participated in the placement cycle including the Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC, Bloomberg, Tresvista, HDFC, ICICI Bank, EXL Analytics, EY, Gartner, TheMathCo, Nomura, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Societe Generale, Invesco, Tata Capital and more. The key sectors such as IT & Analytics, BFSI, Retail, and E-Commerce sectors offered roles in Consulting, Finance, Marketing & Sales, Operations, Analytics, and HR to the students.

IIM Kashipur has also contributed to generating the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Uttarakhand state by setting up an incubation center Foundation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (FIED) and collaborating with the state government. The FIED has incubated nearly 140+ startups by helping them to raise funds and providing the scaling-up strategy. Some of IIM Kashipur’s FIED incubated startups are making success stories in the country. Bijak raised $34.1 million, LoopWorm raised $ 3.4 million and Greenpod Labs raised $0.54 million from external investors. PoultryMon, NKosh, InfiU Labs, and many more have also generated funds on merit and showing ways to other registered startups.

India is home to a thriving startup ecosystem, and in recent years, several innovative startups have emerged that are focused on enhancing the customer experience for brands. These startups offer a range of solutions to help businesses improve customer engagement, streamline customer support, and deliver a more personalized experience. From customer engagement platforms to AI-powered e-commerce search platforms, India’s startup ecosystem is driving innovation in the customer experience space. Here are five Indian startups that are leading the way in this exciting field.

Kapture

Kapture is a renowned SaaS-based Customer Support Automation platform that deeply focuses on customer support and enables personal customer interactions. Founded in 2014, Kapture brings a customer profiling and segmentation tool that lets the user collect and segregate all prospect interactions on a single platform. This enables them to understand and profile their customers for a more real experience. The startup is helping brands with ticket management, a knowledge management system, an intelligent self-service portal, efficient customer data management, intelligent chatbots that provide contextual responses, omnichannel support operation that integrates queries from multiple channels onto a centralized location, customized tools, and powerful API integrations for smooth operations.

Zendesk

Zendesk is a ticketing system used to manage customer conversations. With any Zendesk plan, you’re able to manage email, Twitter, and Facebook conversations. On their higher-cost plans, you’re also able to manage phone and chat conversations. Though Zendesk is generally associated with larger teams because of the relative complexity of the product, resources needed for initial set up, and overall cost, they do have a few lower-cost plans. Those lower-cost plans do lack some features but should cover the basics for those with a primary focus on email support.

Freshdesk

A cloud-based customer support and helpdesk software that offers a range of features to manage customer interactions and improve customer experience. Freshdesk has two support offerings: one for just a help desk solution and one that covers omnichannel support. There are plan tiers within both, but the help desk solution is a lower cost on average when compared to the omnichannel product, and it’s probably a good starting place for most small businesses.

Salesforce

A cloud-based customer relationship management platform offering solutions for sales, customer service, and marketing, with analytics, automation, and integrations. It can be a good option for teams that are looking to provide support over Slack — Service Cloud integrates natively with Slack. Beyond Slack, you can use Salesforce Service Cloud to provide support via email, live chat, and self-service channels. The platform also offers add-ons like field service and AI tools and can integrate easily with Salesforce CRM for added customer insights.

Zoho

A customer relationship management platform that offers solutions for sales, marketing, and customer service, with features such as analytics, automation, and social media management. The company’s flagship product is Zoho One, an integrated suite of over 45 applications for sales, marketing, customer support, accounting, and other business operations. Zoho’s products are designed to be affordable and easy to use, and the company has been recognized for its commitment to customer satisfaction and support. Zoho is also known for its affordable pricing and its commitment to customer privacy, with a strict no-advertising policy and a data center exclusively for its customers.

Auto loans are a key segment in retail lending in India. With regards to credit borrowing in the Auto segment in India; commercial vehicles, three-wheelers, and two-wheelers are some of the leading entities, especially in terms of Electric Vehicles. It was observed that nearly 77 percent of all vehicles in India are financed through banks and non-banking financial corporations (NBFCs).

As per a report by CEEW, nearly 45% of all three-wheelers sold in India – mostly comprising battery rickshaws – are electric. Furthermore, electric two-wheelers form nearly 54 percent of all EVs sold in FY 2021–22.

So here are top 5 Emerging NBFCs causing a disruption in EV financing:-

Mufin Green Finance- Incepted in 2016 Mufin Green Finance started with E-rickshaws way back and has now diversified into financing the electric vehicle Ecosystem. It is amongst the top Leaders in EV financing and with a market share of 5% in E-rickshaw financing and with Its phygital approach has been able to keep the NPA’s as low as 1.92%. Mufin chooses EV financing with a focus on 3 green platforms i.e. Electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, & swappable batteries.

Revfin- With an aim to build India’s largest lending company. Through its award-winning and innovative digital platform, we provide loans to people at the bottom of the pyramid. Its typical customer lives in Tier 2 or 3 town, has no credit history, very low level of education and has no banking transactions. Revfin underwrites loans using revolutionary techniques like psychometrics, biometrics and gamification. The entire loan application journey is delivered digitally through an App.

Greaves Finance- Its vision s to ensure that financing is never an impediment for anybody who aspires to own a vehicle in the affordable two-wheeler segment and committed to accelerating the country’s transition into the Electric Mobility segment

Manappuram- Manappuram Finance Ltd. is one of India’s leading gold loan NBFCs which works with an endeavor to make life easy with vehicle loans. Today, it has 5073 (Including branches of subsidiary companies) branches across 28 states/UTs with assets under management (AUM) of Rs. 302.6 billion and a workforce of more than 41,000.

Vedika credit capital– Vedika Credit Capital Ltd is a Non-Deposit taking, Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC-MFI). It was recognized and re-registered to carry out the business as NBFC-MFI with approval from the Reserve Bank of India in 2015. As of now It is lending in electric mobility aggressively, and has multiple co-lending partnerships which lend in 3 wheeler as well as the electric three-wheeler segment.

To mark the celebrations of its 9th anniversary, Delhi-based NGO Wishes and Blessings organized “Jashn-e-Qawwali” – Concert for a Cause on 30 April 2023 at The Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi. The special celebrations turned more scintillating amidst the soul-stirring renditions by the musical group – Nizami Bandhu.

The proceeds from the fund-raising concert will be used to set up a skill development center under Project Sahas – a skill development initiative for underprivileged women in Delhi. The project aims to empower disadvantaged women with the necessary skills and resources to build a better future for themselves and their families.

“The grand concert was a unique mix of entertainment, and musical extravaganza, while also rekindling the purpose – We Come Together to Meet Our Social Responsibilities. The concert proceeds will significantly revamp several underprivileged women’s lives by empowering them with the right skills to achieve financial independence. We look forward to more such initiatives to continue supporting the less fortunate people across the country,” said the Founder and President of Wishes and Blessings Dr Geetanjali Chopra.

Established in 2014, Wishes and Blessings is a registered NGO with the vision to build a world with equal opportunities.

“Our work creates a positive impact on communities and assists corporations to meet their social responsibilities by linking beneficiaries with donors. With a mission to ‘inspire and empower dreams’, we have been working across gender, economic and social barriers on diverse causes, including education, nutrition, care for elderly people and relief. As of date, we have over 20 centres across six states in India,” added Dr Chopra.

2nd May, Dehradun: News18 India, India’s No.1 Hindi News Channel conducted News18 India Open Mic Uttarakhand as a special initiative to showcase the diversity and talent of Uttarakhand. The conclave brought together leaders, artists, and other prominent personalities to discuss a range of themes and topics. The event was a great success, with inspiring speeches and performances.

Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri. Pushkar Dhami addressed the crowd and stated, “Uttarakhand has the potential to become the best state in the country, and our government is committed to making this a reality. Our team is continuously working on the UCC (Uniform Civil Code) and we will become the first state to implement the UCC. We are also ready to tackle the issue of land encroachment through legal means. Our future plan focuses on creating a robust education system, promoting businesses, improving infrastructure, and making Uttarakhand a tourist-friendly state. Our vision is to create a better future for the people of Uttarakhand, and we will continue to work towards achieving this goal.”

“We were able to effectively manage the crisis we faced during the Joshimath incident, and this year’s Kedarnath yatra witnessed a record-breaking number of devotees. With the able guidance of Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi, we are confident that Uttarakhand will soon emerge as the top state in the country”, Chief Minister added.

Ekta Bisht, the first international woman cricketer from Uttarakhand and the Uttarakhand Khel Ratna awardee, shared her journey and said, “Being the first international woman cricketer from Uttarakhand has been a dream come true for me. I hope my journey will inspire young girls to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams. With hard work and dedication, anything is possible. I urge all the young girls in Uttarakhand to follow their passion and work towards achieving their goals. With the right support and opportunities, they can make a name for themselves in any field they choose.”

Ganesh Joshi, State’s Agriculture Minister, shared his life experience and said, “Our government has always believed in the development of all sections of society, especially our farmers and entrepreneurs. We have implemented various policies and schemes that aim to uplift the farming community, such as providing better irrigation facilities, promoting organic farming, and other initiatives. I am proud to say that we have made significant progress in these areas, and we will continue to strive towards creating a better future.”

The conclave also featured performances and speeches from various artists and public figures, including renowned singer Narendra Singh Negi, who sang and spoke about the folk music of Uttarakhand. Actor Hemant Pandey shared his journey from a small village to becoming an actor in Mumbai, and actor Varuna Badola shared his own experiences and struggles. Bobby Cash also shared his thoughts on country music and the beauty of Uttarakhand.

The event showcased the rich cultural heritage of Uttarakhand and celebrated the spirit of the state. It was an inspiring and thought-provoking conclave that brought together various individuals and encouraged them to share their journeys and experiences.

Source: BARC |Metric: Avg. Weekly AMA’000s | TG: NCCS All 15+ | Period: Wk 11-16’23, 24 Hrs, All Days |Market:HSM | 13 channels considered

New Delhi 2st May 2023: Combonation, India’s first and only combo deal retail platform, celebrated the end of fiscal year 23 with the opening of 22 outlets across northern India. The successful completion of this milestone has given them the vision to open an additional 80 stores throughout India by the end of the financial year 2024.

Combonation is a one-stop store for all of the daily lifestyle requirements, with more than 500 brands of pre-curated combos, including cosmetics, healthcare, wellness, organic goods, etc. The newly inducted stores are already up and running in locations like the MGF Metropolitan Mall Gurgaon, AIRIA Mall Gurgaon, Lajpat Nagar (New Delhi), and Faridabad (Haryana), among others, where they are expanding at an incredible pace. Furthermore, the expansion now encompasses Amritsar, Lucknow, and Ludhiana as well. Additionally, customers will also have access to the company’s online store, which will enable them to make purchases whenever and wherever they want.

Expressing her views over the expansion, Combonation’s co-founder and CEO, Pooja Sodhi, stated that “We are committed to expanding our reach with our exceptional discounts and unbeatable combo deals, we aim to make every customer’s shopping experience with us an unforgettable one”. It gives us immense pleasure to announce the expansion of all our operational outlets. With the beginning of a new year, retail brands have an impact on every link in the value chain, in addition to the overall national and international economies. Everyone will benefit from this all-inclusive strategy, which will inevitably lead to business success with the required level of expansion and profitability.

Combonation offers a variety of products for home decor, personal care, child care, beauty, men’s grooming, etc via its retail stores and website. It has ambitious intentions to grow even more in the upcoming year, in addition to launching new stores. By the end of fiscal year 2024, the company has set its sights on reaching a target of up to 100 stores, with plans already in motion to open an additional 80 stores across the country, increasing employment opportunities and enhancing customer access to high-quality products.