All posts by Neel Achary

India, Dec 30:  India’s intercity bus segment has seen a significant structural transformation in 2025, moving from a largely festival-driven travel option to a consistent, high-frequency pillar of the country’s mobility ecosystem, according to data from IntrCity SmartBus.

The shift is particularly evident in winter travel trends, with advance bookings for the December–January period rising by nearly 33% year-on-year, and average booking lead times more than doubling to around 20 days. Winter now accounts for close to 55% of annual holiday planning, driven by clustered long weekends and a growing preference for longer, experience-led journeys.

Consumer expectations have also evolved, with reliability, safety, and air quality increasingly influencing booking decisions alongside price—especially during peak travel periods and disruptions across other transport modes.

Commenting on the trend, Manish Rathi, Co-founder & CEO, IntrCity SmartBus, said, “2025 marked a clear structural shift for intercity bus travel in India. Demand is no longer limited to peak festival dates; travellers are booking earlier, travelling more frequently, and prioritising reliability, safety, and overall experience, making intercity buses a core part of year-round mobility.”

As a result, intercity buses are increasingly absorbing time-sensitive and event-driven demand, signalling a transition towards an experience-based, high-frequency travel model with long-term implications for India’s transport infrastructure.

New Delhi, Dec 30:- Black Friday has officially emerged as India’s most powerful shopping moment, surpassing all traditional festivals to become the highest-order day of the year, according to new data released by GoKwik.

The e-commerce enablement platform on Tuesday launched GoKwik Wrapped 2025, its annual year-end review that combines large-scale consumer data with a personalised experience for shoppers across its network of direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands. The insights captures how Indians shopped in 2025 revealing sharp shifts in timing, geography, and buying behaviour.

According to GoKwik, Black Friday,  this year recorded the highest number of orders in the entire calendar year, overtaking legacy festival peaks such as Diwali and Dussehra. November also emerged as the strongest consumption month overall, driven by aggressive discounting, broader nationwide participation, and growing comfort with global retail events.

Shopping activity showed a distinctly Indian pattern. Peak orders were recorded at 10:00 PM, as post-dinner browsing converted into purchases, while a secondary spike appeared at 12:00 PM, coinciding with lunch breaks during the workday.

Geographically, demand was heavily concentrated in urban and peri-urban clusters.

Pincode 201301 in Noida emerged as the highest-ordering pincode of the year, contributing over INR 62 crore in total order value, underlining the growing dominance of the NCR region in India’s D2C economy.

Beyond shopping days and locations, GoKwik Wrapped 2025 also highlighted the scale and intensity of consumer engagement on its network.

The highest single order value in 2025 stood at INR 12,09,523, while the most loyal shopper placed an astonishing 4,201 orders in one year. Discount-led shopping remained central to purchase decisions, with BOGO (Buy One Get One) emerging as the most-used offer. In total, brands on the GoKwik platform extended INR 220 crore worth of discounts to consumers in 2025.

The dataset also surfaced several unusual behavioural markers. The first order of the year was placed just two seconds after midnight on January 1, while the longest valid shipping address spanned 515 characters, originating from Mumbai’s 400083 pincode.

At the consumer level, GoKwik Wrapped transforms this data into a shareable, personalised experience. Users logging in receive a dashboard that assigns them shopping personas based on category preferences and time-of-day behaviour, tracks total savings accumulated through offers, and awards a Top 1% badge to high-frequency shoppers who placed 50 or more orders during the year.

Commenting on the findings, Chirag Taneja, Co-founder and CEO, GoKwik, said,

“The  data reflects a fundamental shift in Indian consumer behaviour. The biggest signal of 2025 wasn’t just volume but  was behaviour. Black Friday overtaking festivals, late-night shopping becoming mainstream, and concentrated demand from regions like Noida shows how confident and digital-first the Indian shopper has become.”

GoKwik Wrapped 2025 is accessible via a shared link below , allowing users to log in and view their personalised year-in-review, blending individual shopping journeys with the larger story of how India shopped in 2025.

Mumbai, Dec 30: Global Maitri Festival 2025 at Police Parade Ground witnessed a massive gathering, marking its 7th edition as one of the year’s largest culture and consciousness-led festivals. Held in the guiding presence of Maitreya Dadashreeji, Founder of MaitriBodh Parivaar, the festival continues to celebrate Bharat’s rich sanskriti, earning the support of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in taking Bharat’s timeless sanskritic identity to the world.

Dadashreeji’s keynote address under the Chinta Mukt Bharat 2032 initiative offered profound guidance on mental health while reaffirming the timeless values of unity and Bharat’s rich sanskritic identity. His deeply moving discourse, which brought many to tears, shared practical insights on nurturing inner well-being. He shared, “Life is shaped by the actions we do. A Chinta Mukt life begins by becoming mindful of those actions. When the core is empowered, thoughts are given a direction, and right action naturally follows.”

The event was graced by Shri Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of AYUSH, Family and Health Care, who extended his support to this initiative by MaitriBodh Parivaar. He emphasised, “The Ministry of AYUSH is not limited to treatment alone. Our focus is prevention and sustained mental empowerment through Yoga, Ayurveda, naturopathy, and meditation, proven paths to emotional balance and inner resilience.”

The teachings and philosophy of Maitreya Dadashreeji over the years were compiled and launched as a book series Beyond Enlightenment Towards Transformation; beginning with two volumes ready for the seekers to accelerate their growth. The book set was formally launched by veteran actors Jackie Shroff, Smita Jayakar, and Sr Executive Vice President, ABP News Network, Rajeev Khanderkar, marking a significant milestone in the journey of transformation.

Shri Gopal Krishna Aggarwal, National Spokesperson (BJP, Economic Affairs) and Patron of the Maitri Cultural Economy Summit, who was the cultural partner of the festival, shared, “A culture-driven economy draws strength from Bharat’s heritage and is shaped by five Ps: Performance, Potential, Path, Planning, and Policy.”

The stage came alive with Ashta Disha, a grand cultural presentation celebrating the depth and diversity of Bharat through a spectacular performance by over 60 dancers. The festival featured legendary Bharatanatyam exponents Padmadhri Shovana Narayan and Smt. Rama Vaidyanathan, popular singer Jonita Gandhi, theatre actors Makarand Deshpande and Aaditi Pohankar as well.

The festival saw participation from seekers, volunteers, thought leaders, dignitaries, and families from across India and the world. Global Maitri Festival 2025 reaffirmed its place as a powerful platform for sanskritic revival, mental well-being, and social transformation.

New Delhi,  Dec 30: Kundan Solar (Pali) Pvt. Ltd., a vertical of Kundan Green Energy, has announced an important milestone in its journey of renewable expansion by offering a 26% stake to Havells India Ltd. for the development of a 21.43 MW DC/15 MW AC captive solar project in Rajasthan. With this development, Kundan Green Energy moves closer to becoming a trusted partner for industries across India that are seeking dependable, clean, and affordable renewable power.

Mr. Udit Garg, Managing Director, Kundan Green Energy, said,

“This partnership reflects strong confidence in Kundan Green Energy’s capability to deliver scalable, high-quality renewable infrastructure. The 21.43 MW DC project strengthens our mission to support industries with reliable clean power, helping them reduce their carbon footprint, enhance energy security, and achieve long-term cost stability in their sustainability journey.

Havells’ team on this added,

 “Partnering with Kundan Green Energy aligns with our commitment to expanding clean and cost-efficient power for our plant operations. This project strengthens our long-term sustainability roadmap.”

A Special Purpose Vehicle  named Kundan Solar Pvt. Ltd., under the guidance of its parent company, Kundan Green Energy, to handle the design, development, installation, and long-term operation of the upcoming 21.43 MW DC /15 MW AC solar plant. With Havells joining as both a captive consumer and an equity partner, the project gains added significance and strengthens not only its technical foundation but also its credibility in India’s renewable energy market.

The total Investment of INR 72.5 crore for the project development will be infused in phases linked to key development milestones and is expected to be fully completed by 31st May 2026.

Kundan Green Energy, as the lead developer, will oversee every stage of the project, from regulatory coordination and site execution to day-to-day operations over the life of the plant. With a strong focus on consistent output and quality standards, the company aims to deliver dependable renewable power that supports industrial growth while promoting sustainability and cost stability.

By:–  Mr Neeraj Verma, CEO, Across Assist

“This year underscored the growing importance of VAS, not as an add-on, but as a critical component of customer experience and business success. As we close 2025, I am proud of how we have continued to redefine assurance as a product across travel, automotive and mobile & gadgets. This year was about turning challenges into opportunities and setting new benchmarks for customer-centric innovations. In 2026, we see AI playing a transformative role in shaping the VAS landscape, enabling smarter, more personalized and predictive assurance products. Our focus remains clear—to deliver seamless assurance products that empower businesses and delight customers globally.”

Anil Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta Ltd., has stressed the urgent need to scale up India’s mineral production by increasing output from existing mining assets, particularly in copper and gold.

“If the world wants to ramp up mineral production in the short term, there is only one way: maximise output from existing assets. New projects take 5 to 10 years to deliver,” Mr. Agarwal said in a social media post.

He highlighted India’s heavy import dependence, noting that the country imports nearly 99.9% of its gold and around 95% of its copper, despite the presence of domestic assets that remain under-producing or dormant, many of which are under government ownership.

At current global price levels, Mr. Agarwal argued that there is a strong case for encouraging private participation to accelerate production. “Take a plunge. It is the fastest way to achieve self-reliance,” he said, emphasising that boosting mineral output should be treated as a national priority.

Reviving production from existing assets, he noted, would require focused investment, technology deployment, and operational expertise. “All it needs is entrepreneurial energy, investment, and technology,” he said.

Referring to former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, he added, “It doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white as long as it catches mice,” underscoring the need for a practical, outcome-driven approach.

These remarks come amid growing attention on securing critical mineral supplies to support manufacturing, infrastructure, and energy transition requirements in India.

New Delhi, Dec 30:  In a powerful exchange on the sets of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), Mr Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, and megastar Amitabh Bachchan discussed India’s burgeoning global influence. Reflecting on the nation’s rapid economic ascent, Mr Birla told Mr Bachchan that we are currently living in the “era of India” (Bharat ka yug), marking a historic shift in the global order.

The conversation provided a roadmap for understanding India’s current momentum through the lens of one of its most prominent industrial leaders. 

1. Surpassing Global Giants: The Japan Comparison

Mr Birla shared a personal reflection on how far the nation has come, noting that at the start of his career, he would not have believed that India would one day become a larger economy than Japan. He highlighted that India is now the fastest-growing large economy in the world, a feat he described as being so rapid that it is difficult to even fully estimate its scale. 

2. The “Trump Card”:ABillion-Strong Workforce

Central to Mr Birla’s optimism is India’s demographic dividend. He identified the nation’s youth as its greatest “trump card,” pointing out that within the next five years, India will have a working population of one billion people. This massive human resource, he argued, makes this the absolute best time for young people to be in India.

3. The “IndiaGrowth Model”: Values Meet Progress

Mr Birla explained that India’s success is not just about numbers, but about the “India Growth Model”. This model is unique because it involves achieving rapid economic expansion while simultaneously preserving the country’s rich culture and values. Amitabh Bachchan echoed this sentiment, noting that the Birla family itself serves as a prime example of a legacy built on a foundation of centuries-old knowledge and values.

Mr Birla concluded with a resounding message for the audience: “There has never been a better time to be young, to be an Indian, and to be in India”. 

Family Moments and Personal Anecdotes

The episode offered rare glimpses into the Birla family’s personal dynamics. Mr Birla’s youngest daughter Advaitesha revealed that despite his demanding schedule, her father called her five times a day when she was studying abroad, showing his protective nature. They bond over painting and sometimes paint together. His son shared that whether at home or in office, Mr Birla checks on him 3-4 times daily and messages every evening at 7pm asking if he’s eaten properly.

His wife Neerja jokingly complained about his tendency not to listen and having to repeat things multiple times – a relatable domestic moment that drew laughter from the audience.

At his daughter’s request, Mr Birla sang a few lines from a classic song, showcasing an artistic side rarely seen in public. Ananya also shared that she and her father bond over music. 

Other Notable Moments

Mr Birla shared that he prepared intensely for a few days before the appearance, admitting he was nervous about making mistakes in front of Amitabh Bachchan, whom he described as a “father figure.”

He revealed a childhood memory of visiting Bachchan’s film set in Kashmir in 1978-79 when he was 10-11 years old, during the shooting of Natwar Lal – coming full circle decades later on the KBC set.

Bengaluru, Dec 30:- Whistling Woods International & Indian Institute of Management Mumbai  proudly announces the formation of a prestigious Advisory Board for its upcoming MBA in Media & Entertainment.

Comprising distinguished industry leaders, the Advisory Board represents a wide spectrum of stalwarts from India’s M&E industry covering all areas from Cinema, Sports, TV, OTT, Animation, Games, Music, Events, Media & Communication. This powerhouse collective will guide the programme’s curriculum development, industry integration, and strategic direction – ensuring it stays at the cutting edge of industry trends and global best practices.

Meghna Ghai Puri, President, Whistling Woods International, delightfully commented on the formation of the advisory board, “We are honoured to have assembled an Advisory Board of such exceptional calibre and diversity. These industry titans represent the very best of Indian media and entertainment. Their collective insights will be instrumental in shaping a world-class MBA programme that prepares the next generation of leaders for this dynamic sector.”

Prof Manoj Tiwari, Director of IIM Mumbai added;

“The Advisory Board’s composition reflects the comprehensive nature of the MBA in Media & Entertainment programme. With leaders from every major vertical, students will gain unparalleled exposure to real-world challenges, emerging opportunities, and best practices across the media and entertainment landscape.”

Advisory Board Members

Shashikanth Someshwar, CEO, Weber Shandwick

Ashish Saksena, COO, BookMyShow

Apoorva Mehta, CEO, Dharma Productions

Ajit Andhare, COO, Producer, Viacom18 Studios

Ashish Pherwani, Partner – Media & Entertainment, Ernst & Young

Ashish Kulkarni, Founder, Punnaryug Artvision

Atul Churamani, MD, Turnkey Music and Publishing Private Limited

Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder, Nodwin Gaming

Dinesh Vijan, Founder, Maddock Films

Devraj Sanyal, Chairman & CEO India SA, SVP Strategy, Africa, M. East & Asia, Universal Music Group

Gaurav Gandhi, VP, Amazon Prime Video – APAC & ANZ

Keitan Yadav, COO, Red Chillies VFX

Manvendra Shukul, CEO, Lakshya Digital, India Head – Keywords Studios

Nitish Mittersain, CEO & MD, Nazara Technologies

Prashant Khanna, Head – Sports & Live Experiences Production Technology & Services, JioStar

Rajiv Chilaka, Founder & MD, Green Gold Animation PVT LTD

Rajan Navani, Chairman & MD, Jetline Group of Companies & CEO, Jetsynthesys

Roshan Abbas, Founder, Kommune India

Sameer Nair, MD, Applause Entertainment

Samit Garg, Co- Founder & MD, E Factor Experiences

Vinit Karnik, MD, WPP Media

The newly formed Advisory Board will meet regularly to provide strategic guidance, facilitate industry collaborations, mentor students, and ensure that the programme remains responsive to the rapidly evolving media and entertainment industry.