The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India successfully organised 15th edition of the ‘Illness to Wellness’ series themed ‘Emotional Wellness at workplace’.
The online event saw participation of an expert panel that discussed various aspects of creating work-life balance to deal with stress at the workplace.
Supported by the hygiene brand SAVLON, the program which promotes healthy living with a focus on wellness and preventive health through healthy habits, diet, exercise, and holistic health saw the speakers engage on the importance of emotional wellness at the workplace.
Among panellists, Mr Ajey Vij, senior faculty, Art of Living Corporate Programs, while speaking at ASSOCHAM webinar shared his immense wealth of wisdom and extensively covered aspects to avoid stress at workplace, to control our thoughts and emotions to be a good leader and to use breathing techniques to enhance emotional wellness.
Mr Vij also demonstrated practical sessions of the breathing techniques for the participants.
Emotional well-being has been an important aspect but with these unprecedented times has made it even more important to pay attention to. The session shared simple methods and ways for emotional wellbeing- to live in the present, whatever you resist persists and tendency of the mind to cling to the negative.
A key aspect to an emotional wellbeing Prana (subtle life force energy) – it being up or down in the body decides our state of mind. It being low affects our emotional balance. Leaders always focus on high energy.
He touched upon different sources of energy – food, breath, meditation which can help us bounce back.
One big source being the breath, the session has some simple breath awareness. The simple takeaways from the session are simple meditation, 20 minutes’ meditation is equivalent to 4-5 hours of deep sleep.
While addressing ASSOCHAM webinar, Mr Anil Rajput, chairperson, ASSOCHAM CSR Council, said, “the outbreak of COVID–19 pandemic has ravished almost all the spheres of life. Humanity has suffered a great deal. The pandemic crises have deeply impacted both the mind and body of the people across the globe. The destruction has posed the unimaginable and unprecedented challenges and people are looking for different ways and means to recover from these potential issues”.
Mr. Rajput further added that the good news in this year is that it is the direct result of an indomitable spirit of the medical fraternity that we have a vaccine to fight against these potent coronaviruses and expected very soon to be available for the common man.
Mr. Rajput emphatically mentioned that “the present year 2020 has also witnessed a new phenomenon of ‘work from home’ which certainly posed numerous formidable challenges for both employers and employees. The employee’s major challenges are disciplined while working and most challenging is time separation for working and family hours. For employer’s, their paramount expectation is the desired outcome in new settings”.
Mr. Rajput very rightly pointed out that “the relevance of health, yoga, walking, cycling along with healthy diets have gained vital importance by all”.
Mr. Rajput has very kindly acknowledged the value of highly commendable and immense contributions made by Art of Living Foundation for the benefit of society at large.
Dr. Meenakumari Vakkalanka, Vice President, Art of Living Corporate Programs, the session moderator raised pertinent questions during Q&A session to make it more interesting and informative.
The ASSOCHAM webinar was well attended by a very large number of participants from diverse backgrounds.
The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry has signed a MoU with India Ratings and Research (Fitch Group) to facilitate Credit Rating to its members.
Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, President, PHD Chamber, while exchanging the MOU, stated that Credit Rating is very important for the MSMEs wanting to raise finance and credit from various sources. Of all the problems faced by the MSMEs, non-availability of timely and adequate credit at reasonable interest rate is one of the most important discussions today. He mentioned that one of the major causes for low availability of bank finance to this sector is the high risk perception of banks in lending to MSMEs and consequent insistence on collaterals which are not easily available with these enterprises. The problem is more serious for micro enterprises requiring small loans and the first generation entrepreneurs. Further, the Banks and other funding institutions need adequate comforts by way of not only the assessment of credit worthiness of borrowers, but also collaterals. The problem is that the number of companies which can meet these criteria is very low. While manufacturing units can mortgage their equipment against loans, service-oriented MSMEs are unable to do so, posing a challenge for them to avail finance in order to grow and scale up.
He therefore highlighted the importance of credit rating which decides whether a borrower does or does not receive a loan. Good credit ratings allow people, companies, and governments to easily borrow from Banks/financial institutions or public debt markets. Since the Banks and other funding organizations are giving enough weightage to Credit Rating and have made it mandatory for credit limits beyond a certain amount, it is good that PHD Chamber has worked out an arrangement with India Ratings to facilitate Rating services at concessional rates for the members.
Mr Rajesh Patel, Chief Operating Officer, India Ratings and Research apprised the participants about their services and requested the members to get their companies rated.
Mr Anil Khaitan, Former President & Mentor, PHD Chamber and Chairman, in his address, highlighted the various innovative sources of raising finance and advised members not to divert their long term loans to meet the short term needs and vice-versa to maintain a healthy working capital cycle.
Mr Ramesh Kumar Jain, Chairman, HP State Chapter, PHD Chamber; Dr H P Kumar, Former CMD, NSIC and Advisor, PHD Chamber; Dr Ranjeet Mehta, Deputy Secretary General, PHD Chamber; Mr Neermoy Shah, Head Mid-Corp Analytical for North and East, India Ratings and Research; Mr Rakesh Khurana, Regional Manager, National Stock Exchange, and Mr Narender Bhardwaj, Co-chairman, HP State Chapter, PHD Chamber also addressed the conference.
By Manas Mohan, Ideation Evangelist & Principal Consultant, Laqshya Media Group
Three years ago, I made the leap from being ‘employed’ to being ‘self-employed’ and felt different. More confident. Some said it was bravado. The jury is still out.
There is literature ad infinitum on the differences between people who choose to be employed and individuals who take the entrepreneurial plunge. The somewhat newer species of employees who earn sweat equity are somewhere in the middle, willing to work hard for wealth creation but yet not quite ready to take the plunge.
The psychological differences amongst the three groups are postulated to be significant. These variances making them react differently to different stimuli: not taking bs from a boss but taking loads of bs from a client is one of my favourite characteristics of an entrepreneur that differentiates her/him from an employee. I have had the opportunity to note several employees (especially government employees) exhibiting exactly the reverse behaviour – underscoring the rationality of chemical dissimilarity between them. A few other such distinguishing traits include creativity, time-sensitivity, and perseverance – but more about that later.
Post the lockdown that has played havoc with local and global businesses, I was struck by the probable emergence of another tangible difference between these two primary species that walk the earth – their response to Unlock 1, 2, 3.
The hypothesis goes like this: amongst the higher echelons of the society, the entrepreneurs have stepped out smartly while several employees continue to reap the benefits of working from home. I shall limit my discussion to the top socio-economic echelons of society because therein lies the luxury of choice. 90%, probably 95%, of the population does not have that luxury. This hypothesis was sparked by an interesting conversation in August 2020: My building’s ‘Registered Plumber’ (a decently mid-sized businessman with a civil engineering diploma, and with clients across several south-Mumbai buildings) told me that he had been confined to his home for less than four weeks and had been working fulltime since May 2020. He, despite not being in the ‘emergency services list’ was happy to conduct business in an environment that favoured the brave (his words).
Anecdotal ‘evidence’ to bolster this hypothesis has been building up.
My neighbourhood ‘super-market’ store, a cavernous 3000 square feet shining beacon of hope, has done incredible business right through the pandemic and, buoyed by the revenues, the owner was discussing with me the pros and cons of increasing his store footprint by 100%. His spanking new Hyundai SUV stands tall and proud right outside his store!
At a more rarefied level, two brothers, who run a large saree store in the famous Kalbadevi Market in Mumbai have thrown a challenge to the pandemic-laden-winds and are doing brisk business across the country and across South Asia. Their neighbour, a construction magnate, has seen an upswing in the sales of apartments that he is developing. Their new three-pointed-star-clad steeds glint in the winter sun.
On the other hand, a bunch of my friends in cushy jobs in multinational corporations continue to WTAOFH. This sample-size-one data nugget was derived from two ‘personal’ data sources:
Webinars on public platforms that became quite the rage. These webinars (of which I attended approximately sixty-nine) clearly indicated that the high-and-mighty, the omniscient-yet-lugubrious gentility of corporate India was WFH!
Calls with investors and clients of my clients were conducted on the new all-powerful Zoom and the slightly-less-sexy Google Meet. From the thirty-seven such calls, I fathomed that approximately sixty two percent of these merchant bankers and chief marketing managers were MIA from office but WTAOFH! I shall leave you to figure out what TAO implies!
Then, some interesting facts caught my attention:
Cold storages across the country are full – with a string of trucks and thousands of new tractors making a beeline to and away from them. Tractor sales in Bharatvarsha are at an all-time high, registering a blistering 48% increase this festival season (FADA: November 2020 press release)
Closer to home, a friend who leads a revenue function in India’s largest used car network confirmed that they were selling more used cars, exceeding five thousand units a month, than before. This was in line with the findings from a primary study that I had led for Laqshya Media, back in April/May 2020. The respondents had indicated that they will move from public transport to private transport to maintain social distancing (https://www.laqshyagroup.com/report/ perceptions-aspirations-and-anticipations-of-indian-millennials-post-covid-19-lockdown.html).
Manufacturing PMI 2020 India
The macroeconomic indicators are perky too: GST collections exceeded Rs. 1 lakh crore again in November, after exceeding that in October. And the manufacturing PMI is well on its way up. The IHS Markit India Manufacturing PMI rose to 58.9 in October 2020 from 56.8 in September, easily beating market consensus of 55.4. The latest reading pointed to the strongest improvement in the health of the sector in over a decade, amid ongoing relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions.
To further support this fast-emerging hypothesis on the differences in behaviour between entrepreneurs (including self-employed) and employees, a team of dedicated youngsters in Laqshya Media (to which I am a self-employed consultant) started tracking traffic in the primary Indian cities.
Several reports on travel times of traffic in our mega-cities have been published; various clusters of data have been used to compute the number and the demographics of people in the said traffic.
As per these reports, the traffic jams and gridlocks are back with a bang! From the days of smooth drives through otherwise clean air (apart from the vicious, virulent virus) that took a mere thirty-eight minutes to reach Bandra from Mira Road, the travel time has crept back to an arduous hundred minutes and beyond.
With due permission from this team of data crunchers, I am reproducing some of the interesting charts from the reports:
In Bengaluru, the situation was quite similar: From Yeshwanthpur to the fashionable Indiranagar, the drive was back to an hour, from the breezy (contaminated as the breeze might have been) twenty-eight minutes immediately post lockdown!
We, this team and I, then ran a couple of other interesting experiments to figure out the ‘quality’ of traffic that was pressing down on the asphalt even as the pandemic waned from its peak on September 17. The results were remarkably interesting:
High-end mobile handphones, as a proportion of the total number of handsets on the roads, actually went up, up by nearly 3 percentage points
Similarly, the proportion of high ARPU/high data consumption users also, correlationally, went up during the post-lockdown phase – up by nearly 4 percentage points.
So here are the data facts and take-aways juxtaposed for your easy assimilation:
The roads of Indian cities are, again, groaning under massive traffic. As is the air above it, sadly!
The proportion of high-end mobile telephony users on the roads is actually higher than before the pandemic.
The top-end corporate sector, true to its natural state, is circumspect, risk-averse, stable: board rooms have given way to Zoom-, Team- or Google Meet-rooms. Strategy is being shaped without the hitherto-irreplicable international or domestic travel, and without the dinners and cocktails at the plush hotels (which have been undeniably hit badly).
On the other hand, the entrepreneurs, the businessmen, the ‘ideators’ are back on the streets – making deals, making money and investing in cars, jewellery, mutual funds and the stock market – or anything else that they noticed being advertised… on billboards probably?
Before I end, I would like to put on record my immense gratitude for the critical services personnel who have been on the roads without a break!
As for me… I go where and when my clients call me!
Chennai: ESAF Small Finance Bank has opened a new branch in Anna Nagar recently taking the total number of branches across the country to 506. SMN Swamy, Regional Director, RBI, Chennai, inaugurated the branch at Anna Nagar, Chennai in a virtual event. The bank caters to more than 40 lakh customers through its banking outlets across 19 states and two union territories. The expansion underlines its mission to provide responsive banking services to the public and entrepreneurs alike.
R. Ravi Mohan, Chairman, ESAF Small Finance Bank, George K John, EVP, ESAF Small Finance Bank and Hari Velloor, Head- Branch Banking, ESAF Small Finance Bank also took part in the ceremony.
Mr. Vinkesh Gulati – President, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA),
Mr. Vinkesh Gulati – President, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA),
“2020 was an unprecedented year for the entire world and Indian Auto Industry was not left untouched. As the year draws to a close, we believe that the worst is now behind us and the entire eco-system now needs to make collective efforts in reviving the economy. While the Government is keeping an eye on limiting the spread of Covid, Pharma companies are making all possible efforts to roll out the Vaccine. All these efforts will be pivotal in bringing economy back on track.
Even before Covid hit us, Auto Sales were slowing for the entire year of FY19-20. For the first time in history, we saw zero sales in April’20 but since unlocking began, we are also witnessing one of the best V Shaped recoveries aided by good monsoon, better harvest, festive demand and marriage season, though on a yearly basis there is still some degrowth. Tractors have particularly done well thus showing Bharat kept India moving. Lately we have seen good pent up demand in Passenger Vehicles and hopefully it will stay as safer mobility due to Covid and new launches in the new year will keep the demand going. While the Industry will witness an overall degrowth of around 20-25% on FY basis, things will start looking better beginning April aided by lower base of last year.
Covid has taught us to make tough choices to ensure our dealerships survive. Decisions such as rightsizing, financial prudence and adapting to the new normal were difficult but have eventually resulted in robust business models and improve efficiency. We are a resilient Industry and automobiles remain an aspirational purchase. Despite the current challenges, we are now at the cusp of entering exciting times as India will once again increase its momentum to achieve the 3rd position globally in PV segment as the entire Industry will work towards achieving this goal.”
Sunil Bohra, Group CFO, UNO MINDA Group
Mr. Sunil Bohra, Group CFO, UNO MINDA Group
“2020 has been a roller coaster ride with the Global economies witnessing its worst phase in many decades. India too saw an unprecedented change in consumer behaviour. Technology took centre stage. The adoption of technology during the pandemic due to social distancing norms was a big change.
And now with the easing of restrictions and steps being taken to revive the economy, the economic clock has started ticking in the upward direction. The last few months have been very encouraging for the auto sector and the recent festive season has given a significant push towards growth.
We expect 2021 to be a year of hope and optimism. Strategic long-term government plans and policies will play a key role in reviving the market and regaining customer confidence. The industry may witness a sharp recovery, as a clear sign of revival was noted in the past few months. With OEMs planning a slew of launches in 2021, it is a positive sign and will boost confidence among customers, giving a much-needed push to the automobile ecosystem.
At Minda Industries, we are making all possible efforts to sustain the momentum, focussing on product development, offering best service to our OEM partners and following the government’s Covid regulations and restrictions. We are already operational across manufacturing lines, operating close to or better than pre-Covid levels and all set for the post-Covid era.”
Mr. Anuj Kapuria – Founder & CEO at Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz LTD
Mr. Anuj Kapuria – Founder & CEO at Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz LTD
“This year 2020 has totally changed not just the consumer behavior but also how organizations view their supply chain and related digitization and automation needs. There will be a significant rise in the adoption of AI and Robotics in the coming year, perpetuated by the social distancing norms, contactless deliveries and higher productivity along with less manpower dependence. While the vaccine availability will ease and smoothen the restrictions in business operations, it is AI and Robotics that will lead the way in heralding the new normal.”
This New year, India’s leading electronics retail store chain Vijay Sales is bringing the best possible way to welcome 2021. It has announced an exclusive Apple Days sale from 31st Dec 2020 12 am to 3rd Jan 2021 on all its 103 retail outlets as well as the eCommerce website. The consumer retail company has put out special offers on all the latest range of iPhones, Apple Watches and Airpods.
As part of its Apple Days campaign, consumers can avail of unbelievable offers on iPhone 11 starting at Rs. 46, 999; iPhone 12 starting at Rs. 71, 490; iPhone 12 Pro Max starting at Rs. 119,900; iPhone 12 mini starting at Rs. 60, 900; iPhone SE starting from 32999; Apple Watch Series 6 starting from Rs. 35, 990; Apple Watch SE starting from Rs. 26, 490, AirPods at Rs. 12, 399; AirPods Pro at Rs. 20, 490 ; MacBook Air at Rs 59,990 and HomePods at Rs 14990. In fact, buyers can also get their hands on the yet to be launched Airpods Pro Max with a Rs 5000 voucher to redeemed on any product bought on the website..
Nilesh Gupta, Director, Vijay Sales said, “This year has been tough but we want our consumers to welcome 2021 with fantastic feels by laying hands on their most desired smartphones and gadgets at some eye-popping offers. We at Vijay Sales have come up with amazing discounts on all the latest models of iPhones, Apple watches, HomePods and even the Airpods. We hope our exclusive offerings will meet the expectations of our customers and bring them a reason to cheer towards a positive new year.”
Link https://www.vijaysales.com/brand/apple/4?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=News&utm_campaign=Apple%20Days
Mumbai: After achieving a string of accomplishments in 2020, IIM Sambalpur, one of the most promising and dynamic management institutions among the new generation IIMs of the country, is all set to take another giant leap with the advent of the new year. Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi will be laying the foundation stone of the permanent campus of IIM Sambalpur virtually on the 2nd of January 2021. The ceremony will also be graced by Hon’ble Governor of Odisha, Shri Ganeshi Lal, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik, Hon’ble Minister of Education, GOI, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Hon’ble Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, GOI, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of State for Education, Communication, Electronics and Information Technology, GOI, Shri Sanjay Dhotre, Hon’ble Minister of State of MOAHD & Fisheries and MSME’s, GOI, Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Shri Nitesh Ganga Deb, Hon’ble MLA, Shri J N Mishra, Hon’ble MLA, Shri Nauri Nayak, Smt. Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman, Board, IIM Sambalpur and former Chairperson of the State Bank of India, and Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur. The ceremony will be virtually attended by over 5000 invitees which include dignitaries from the Govt. of India, Govt. of Odisha, industry leaders, PSUs executives, directors of IIMs, IITs, IISERs, media journalists, members from weaving community, members from farmer community, students, alumni, faculties, and staff of IIM Sambalpur.
Speaking on the impending ceremony, Prof Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, stated, “We are privileged to have Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi and all other august guests who will be amidst us on this landmark day. With our core values of Inclusion, Innovation and Integrity, in our journey of 5 years, IIM Sambalpur has been able to achieve a lot of success. In line with the vision of the New Education Policy, IIM Sambalpur has embraced an innovative shift in its teaching learning pedagogy from teacher centric to learner centric. IIM Sambalpur is the first IIM to implement idea of flipped classroom, a learning environment where the basic concepts are learnt in digital mode and in the class the experiential leaning happens through live project from the industry. As a part of realizing the vision of National Education Policy, inclusiveness has been adapted by IIM Sambalpur as its core vision. Inclusiveness, both in terms of gender inclusivity and outreach to our weavers and farmers. The Institute outscored all other IIM in terms of highest gender diversity in MBA (2019-21) batch with 49% girls’ students and 43% girls in MBA (2020-22). Our research focus is to create best management practices in line with emerging changes due to Digitalization, Decarbonization and Democratisation of business, and hence we have set up incubation centres to promote Start-up in Weavers Producers Organization (WPO) and Farmers Producers Organisation (FPO), in collaboration with Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, Govt. of India. Further, as part of our plan of action of digitization IIM Sambalpur has initiated smart classrooms and proctored online assessment. This is also in line with the New Education Policy 2020.”
IIM Sambalpur has received generous support from Govt. of Odisha in the form of 200 acres of land being provided by them for the construction of proposed campus. The Ministry of Education has extended continued administrative support and financial grant to the tune of Rs. 401.97 crores for the realization of this project. The project is time bound to be completed by April 2022. The proposed campus will be a fully equipped state-of-art structure with energy efficient green features as per GRIHA standards. The new and permanent campus of the institute will have a green campus with maximum usage of renewable energy. The heritage and art of Odisha will also reflect in the building design. IIM Sambalpur had assigned NBCC (India) Ltd., A Govt. of India under the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, for providing the “Project Management Consultancy” services.
About Indian Institute of Management Sambalpur:
Indian Institute of Management Sambalpur (IIM-S) is one of the most promising and dynamic management institutions among the new generation IIMs of the country located in Sambalpur, Odisha, India. IIM Sambalpur was established by MHRD, GOI in 2015 and was declared as an Institute of National Importance as per the IIM 2017 Act. The Institute is already taking positive steps since its inception as a place for Entrepreneurial Innovation and Experiential Learning. Located amidst hills and rivers surrounded by large number of big manufacturing industry, IIM-S currently offers full time Master in Business Administration (MBA) and PhD programs and more courses to be added in near future. The Institute outscores all other IIM’s in terms of its gender diversity and its unique experiential learning pedagogy called “Flipped Classroom”.
Gear up to welcome the Wagle family into your homes and hearts with the New Year. As we head into 2021 with hope and anticipation, Sony SAB has unveiled the first look of Wagle Ki Duniya in a fresh, new avatar. The promo evokes family goals, while giving audiences a compelling reason to spend quality time with their loved ones.
Stepping in the New Year, promising happiness and aspirations, Wagle Ki Duniya – Nayi Peedhi, Naye Kissey will ferry the viewers on a nostalgic ride while also perfectly showcasing the highly relatable ambitions of today’s middle class. Sony SAB and Wagle Ki Duniya will bring alive a mesmerizing camaraderie between Mr. Wagle (Aanjjan Srivastav) and Jr. Wagle (Sumeet Raghavan).
The show invites the fan to a new era signaling a commitment to spread happiness, joy and laughter while also narrating stories of a family that we have traditionally loved. A story of a common man set in the modern, progressive, complex and aspirational India is set to entertain and inspire us in 2021.
Bringing in the warmth and love of a family, the show will also feature Bharati Achrekar as Mrs. Wagle, while also introducing a new era of Wagle Ki Duniya featuring the supremely talented Pariva Pranati who plays Rajesh Wagle’s wife.
Adding a dash of youthful energy to the cast will be Sheehan Kapahi and Chinmayi Salvi who will be playing the roles of Rajesh and Vandana’s children, Atharva and Sakhi Wagle respectively.
Meet the Wagles here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-PihpaMAYc
Aanjjan Srivastav, who will play the role of Srinivas Wagle said, “I look forward to entertaining our audience once again with relatable, light-hearted and fun stories. For years, people have addressed me as Wagle and have given so much love to Wagle Ki Duniya. However, this time on Sony SAB, we are coming with a fresh new version of Wagle Ki Duniya that will look at today’s common man’s dilemma, which I am sure everyone will be able to relate with. I still miss our golden days, but I am glad that my colleague Bharati Achrekar is joining us for the show too.”
Bharati Achrekar, who will essay the role of Radhika Wagle, said, “It is extremely overwhelming to be back with one of India’s most beloved television shows. Wagle Ki Duniya struck a chord with the common man of 80s and 90s, and this newer version will do the same for today’s common man and his issues. Today, when everyone is inside their homes, carrying all their work problems with them, Wagle Ki Duniya aims to bring a whole new world for our audience, where they forget their worries and learn to laugh at their problems. People have reinvented their family bonds during the past 9 months and they will relate to this show on another level. I am glad someone took the effort to bring Wagle Ki Duniya with a newer perspective, and I can definitely say they are doing justice to this show.”
Sumeet Raghavan, who will essay the role of Rajesh Wagle said, “It feels great to be associated with Sony SAB and Hatsoff productions once again and that too to bring alive a fans’ favourite classic like Wagle Ki Duniya in a new avatar. To be able to reprise a beloved character is a huge task, but one that I am extremely eager to take on. I hope I am able to capture the little nuances that made Mr Wagle the endearing character that he is and bring joy to the audience through this performance.”
Pariva Pranati, aka Vandana Wagle added, “There couldn’t be a better start to 2021 as Sony SAB and Hatsoff productions gleefully take us to the surreal world of Wagles. I feel proud to have got an opportunity to be associated with one of India’s iconic shows and I am looking forward to welcoming the audiences to our world soon.”
Wagle Ki Duniya – Nayi Peedhi, Naye Kissey coming soon on Sony SAB
Ever since it was announced that celebrated author Amish’s new book, ‘Suheldev – The King Who Saved India’ will be adapted into a feature film, there has been intense speculation in the media about who would play the title role. This isn’t surprising, considering the immense success of the book since it was released and the interest it has garnered around the world, especially amongst Amish’s fans.
Certain sections of the media have reported names of certain actors having been approached, accepted, or having turned down the title role of King Suheldev, despite no such development or official statement coming from the film’s makers.
To end this speculation, the film’s producers (Wakaoo Films, Casa Media, and Immortal Studios) have issued a joint statement in this regard.
The producers categorically state:
“Nobody has checked with us before carrying these stories, and hence we felt the need to clarify and inform the public about the film’s progress till date. Suheldev is a mammoth project, and also a huge responsibility on us, as we are telling the story of one of India’s greatest unsung heroes.
“Right now, the book is being adapted into a film screenplay. Once the script is locked, we will begin the process of casting etc. It would be premature for us to approach an actor before that.
“No actor has been approached by us yet for playing the role of King Suheldev. All reports and speculation coming in from certain sections of the media are unnecessary and completely untrue.
“Suheldev is a film that should be celebrated by every Indian. Once the script and the actors are locked, we’ll officially make a grand announcement. Till then, we request the media to be patient and let us continue with our job of developing this important film.”
The film is an epic story of the unsung warrior, King Suheldev, who fought valiantly to drive the all-conquering Turkic hordes away from India. The film has its author, Amish, as the official creative producer on the project, and will be directed by the award-winning ad filmmaker Senthil Kumar.
New Delhi: In a one of its kind, the first edition of the BGR Tech Excellence Awards recognised and honoured innovators for their contribution in the field of gadgets, consumer electronics, and technology.
The 25 award categories that encapsulated the ‘best in tech’ were nominated and selected by experts from the Indian tech circle through online voting. For the 7 Editor’s choice awards, the jury member included technology veterans, independent writers and consultants, and senior editors of online and print publications.
Rohit Chadda, chief executive officer, Digital Publishing, ZEE Group explained that the 25 awards categories were spread across six major verticals – Smartphones, TVs, Wearables, Audio Devices, Laptops, and Gadgets. “We had some of the most senior and experienced team of jury members which had a mix of senior editors, technology veterans, and writers. The choice of jury awardees was meticulously done,” he explained.
Chadda pointed out that hundreds of users got an opportunity to win prizes worth lakhs of rupees through their ‘Vote and Win’ and ‘Play and Win’ section.
“Participants could log on the website and then submit their vote under various award categories. All voters got assured prizes. In our Play and Win, participants had a chance to feature in the leader board and win hourly, daily, weekly, and bumper prizes,” He said.
It was perhaps for the first time that participants could honestly select their trusted brand and at the same time win prizes worth more than Rs 30 lakhs.
Besides the awards there was also a Tech conclave which discussed insights and views around technology with various tech experts, professionals and esteemed members of the tech fraternity in the power-packed panel discussions.
The awards witnessed Airtel Xtream as presenting sponsor. It was Co-powered by Housing.com, Amazon Prime, Volkswagen Connect, and Funn 88, supported by Intel, in association with Zee Business.
Here’s a complete list of all the winners of BGR Tech Excellence and Conclave Awards 2020:
1. Most promising laptop brand award: Xiaomi
2. Laptop of the year award winner: Apple MacBook Air 2020
3. Best gaming laptop of 2020 winner: Asus Zephyrus G14
4. Editor’s Choice award for the best business laptop winner: Dell Vostro 5402
5. Best value for money headphones winner: OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z
6. Most promising headphone brand award: Boat
7. Best affordable TWS earphones winner: OnePlus Buds Z
8. Earbuds of the year: Sony WF-1000XM3
9. Best speaker of the year winner: Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar
10. Editor’s choice award for the best overall speaker: JBL charge 4
11. Best Innovation in wearables winner: Snap Spectacles 3
12. Best value for money wearable winner: Mi smart Band 5
13. Best smartwatch of the year winner: Apple Watch Series 6
14. Best fitness tracker of the year award: Fitbit Charge 4
15. Editor’s choice award for the best overall wearable: Mi smart band 5
16. Best innovation in TVs: LG Rollable OLED TV
17. Best value for money smart TV award: Xiaomi Mi TV 4A Horizon Edition 32-inch
18. Most promising TV Brand: Vu
19. Best media streaming device award: Xiaomi Mi Box 4K.
20. Editor’s Choice best budget smart TV of the year: Treeview India.
21. Most innovative gadget of 2020: LG Wing
22. Affordable gadget in 2020 that affected consumers positively award: LG g8x ThinQ
23. Best gadget of the year award: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
24. Editor’s choice award for the best overall gadget: Oppo Find X2
25. Best Innovation in smartphone award: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
26. Best Value for money smartphone award: OnePlus Nord
27. Best Budget smartphone award: Xiaomi Redmi 9 Prime
28. Most promising smartphone brand: Samsung
29. Best selfie smartphone of the year: Apple iPhone 12
30. Best smartphone of the year award: Apple iPhone 12 Pro
31. Editor’s choice award for the best budget smartphone: Tecno Spark 6 Air
32. Editor’s choice for best AI technology: Whirlpool
