Awestruck! When the ‘Tree of Light’ was launched

Three youngsters, Anvam Nagpal, 17, R Siddharth, 24,and Anvika Nagpal, 12  came together to create ‘Árbol de la Luz’ (Spanish for Tree of Light) – an esoteric sculpture, unifying the elegance of glass and the brilliance of light. A unique representation of one of nature’s great marvels, created by utilizing used glass bottles and different lights and other materials. Who knew recycling could be so much fun?

Àrbol de la Luz was unveiled in all its glory at an intimate but dazzling ceremony on Saturday, 30^th Sep ’17. The triumph of light (over darkness) blended perfectly with the festival of Dussera, and its enduring theme of the victory of good over evil

Padma Bhushan, Dr. S.B. Mujumdar, Founder and President of Symbiosis Group of Institutes, did the honour of unveiling and was effusive in his praise, fascinated at how the youngsters had managed to meticulously craft something so towering and impressive. “I was told you have to see it to believe it”, he told the audience, smiling, “and I have to agree, that it’s true”, complimenting the youthful artists. He felt that the “Elegance of glass and the brilliance of light” was an apt descriptor of the sculpture.

Audience reactions, especially from the other youngsters present at the event, went a step ahead in their praise. Guests were especially curious about the details behind the tree, marveling that it took five months for the nine feet tall structure, weighing over a tonne, incorporating over a 100 bottles, 250 lights, to come to life. The symbolic fruits, each delightfully wrapped in strands of light, attracted the most attention.

“It is exquisitely crafted”, “The tree itself is a treat to the eyes and I am extremely happy for Anvam, Anvika and Siddharth”, are some of the compliments showered on them.

The broader context also struck a chord with the environmentally aware younger lot. “It is a representation of the need for recycling and how aware our young generation is of this fact. The tree, made from glass bottles and intertwined with various lights, is an essence of nature we are trying hard to bring back”, said one.

“A bright event literally and figuratively portraying today’s eco-friendly world in one structure”, remarked another. It was left to another student to sum it up perfectly.

 “The tree stood for strength and integrity, emanating beams of light that radiated nothing but positivity and hope around it.”, she said. “ It was fascinating how something so powerful, profound and beautiful can be displayed through something so simple like a bottle !”

The memorable evening concluded with a sizzling musical performance by Anvam (violin) and Anvika (keyboard and vocals). 

For more details, please contact :

Apurv Nagpal on 8237000018 or email apurvnagpal@hotmail.com

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PTron unveils ‘Viki’ Bluetooth sunglasses at just INR 999/- exclusively on LatestOne.com!

10,000 pieces of the PTron Viki already sold within first three days of pre-launch

Majority of the sales driven by Gen Z and Millennials

Mumbai, 24^th October 2017: PTron, one of the most desired mobile accessories brand unveils “Viki”, Bluetooth headphone sunglasses for men & women. PTron brings to you an exciting new product which gives you a sporty look to flaunt by adding a classy touch to it. Through this, PTron broadens its range of headphones in the audio segment and this is in line with PTron’s strategy of continuously innovating and introducing unique products to meet rapidly changing customer needs and demands. As per a report, earphones and headphones market is projected to witness over 5% CAGR from 2017 to 2024 due to the convenience and comfort offered by the technology.

PTron Viki is exclusively available on LatestOne.com priced attractively at just INR 999/-. Such a Bluetooth enabled sunglasses is Ideal for outdoor sports addicts, runners, cyclists, hikers, backpackers to weekend warriors to the less intense, friends and family looking to enjoy and participate in life’s moments.

10,000 pieces of the stylish PTron Viki have already been sold in first three days of pre-launch of which huge number of orders came from South India. A majority of the purchase has been dominated by the youth with 43% of the PTron Viki being purchased by Gen Z and 40% by Millennials. Gen Z youth and Millennials are aware of a tech savvy lifestyle and they prefer online shopping over other daily routines. Gen Z possess an extreme individuality of character and the seamless comfort with online shopping which has led to Gen Z crafting their own idea of ‘MyLuxury’—where supposed brand value is trumped by quality, value and personal excitement based on individual choices and what brands mean to them personally. Hence they are one of the major buyers for this practical, versatile and efficient sunglass with a Bluetooth enabled phone & music support.

Key Features:

ü  Fashionable design with foldable eyeglasses

ü  Black Polarized lenses which can filter light and protect your eyesight

ü  Smart Bluetooth sunglasses, stereo sound, answer calls & listen to music

ü  Wire-free communication up to 10 meters from a compatible Bluetooth-enabled smart phone

ü  Multi-functional buttons and voice alerts

ü  Built-in rechargeable lithium battery, comes with Mini USB cable

Ameen Khwaja, Founder, and CEO of LatestOne.com said, “LatestOne.com is glad to launch PTron Viki. There is no doubt that Viki is a unique product, and we are overwhelmed with the kind of response we have received from our patron consumers. I believe that Viki is an apt accessory for bike riders due to its multi-functionality. I am confident that we will be selling 200,000 pieces of PTron Viki in next 6 months.”

About LatestOne.com

Hyderabad-based LatestOne.com is India’s only e-tailer specialized in tech and mobile accessories such as Bluetooth devices, mobile covers, tablet accessories, cables, power banks, headsets, smart watches, mini android TV, fashion accessories etc. It stocks over 10,000 different products in its inventory and operates through its own fulfillment centers in Delhi and Mumbai. It is owned by Palred Online Technologies Pvt. Ltd (POT) which is a subsidiary of Palred Technologies Ltd (PTL), a listed company on BSE and NSE since 2004

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Bollywood actresses Vidya Balan and Dia Mirza inaugurate two super stores of Al Adil in Dubai

Dubai, 16 October 2017: 'Masalaking' Dr. Dhananjay (Jay) Datar, Chairman & Managing Director, under whose dynamic leadership has seen the 'Al Adil Group’ flourish, opened two more super stores in Dubai recently. The group now has a chain of a total of 38 superstores in the Gulf region. The 37th store of ' Al Adil Trading Company ' has been started at Beirut Street in the Central Colony of Al Quasis, Dubai, which was inaugurated at the hands of actress Dia Mirza, while the 38th store opened in Al Barsha area, which was inaugurated by actress Vidya Balan. Both these grand ceremonies were hosted by Dr. Dhananjay Datar and his family, and witnessed a large number of Indian community gracing the inaugurations in Dubai. 

Speaking on the occasion, Al Adil Group's Finance Director, Vandana Datar said, "Dia Mirza and Vidya Balan are not only talented actresses but are also a true representation of Indian woman. Due to their diverse and heart-rending performances, they have created their own strong positions in the hearts of millions of viewers. And these same qualities are also an identity of our 'Al Adil' brand. So it was only appropriate that these two Bollywood stars inaugurate the new stores in Dubai. These new stores have been opened keeping in mind the upcoming Diwali festival. To increase the joy of festive purchases, we have offered up to 50% discount on selected products at all our stores".

From a small grocery store started by his father in 1984 in Dubai, Al-Adil Group Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Dhananjay Datar has today transformed it into a global community of supermarkets, spices, flour mill and an import-export company. Expressing happiness at reaching this stage of success, he said, "Al Adil is a brand that has been recognized for its authenticity, quality and security since its inception. The brand has touched the lives of multicultural communities  of Indians in the Gulf countries. We never compromised on our ethics and values ​​in this journey of growth. That's why our company has continued to flourish despite a worldwide recession. We owe this to our customer’s interests and employee contributions, which are very valuable to us".

He further added, "For any industry to succeed, honesty, hard work and patience are the three most important rules. I have often had to listen to the sarcasm that a Maharashtrian does not have a business acumen, but I firmly believed in the above three rules and worked with complete transparency. The result is that the small business of a Marathi man has been transformed into a global community. I am grateful to all my well-wishers who have supported and stood by me".

"Our group is an important phase of expansion, and we are investing heavily in digital media to reach out to more customers by taking a look at the changing times," said Hrishikesh Datar, Director, Al Adil Trading. “We've just started the Al Adil online store and got a lot of positive customer responses. That's why we have changed our online retail business model to stay ahead of the market. Significantly, both the sales are continuously increasing through the online and brick & mortar stores of Al Adil. It is indicative that our customer class is on the rise. By the year 2020 we are sure to see a significant increase in the number of online sales, number of stores and the number of customers". 

Al Adil Trading  under the able leadership of Dr. Dhananjay Datar, has been instrumental in bringing 9000 Indian products to the UAE. Today, the network of' Al Adil Group has expanded into 38 supermarkets,in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman Parties, and two flour mills and two spice factories,  

and also a branch of Mumbai Export Division in the name of Masala King Exports (India) Pvt. Ltd in Mumbai, India. Al Adil is on an active expansion mode and has recently opened new outlets in Oman and Bahrain. The company has also diversified into import and export under the special class establishment with trade lines in the US, Canada, Tanzania, Kenya, Switzerland, Italy and Eritrea as well as Kuwait, Oman and the UAE.

Al Adel has made more than 700 food products available under its popular 'Peacock' brand, which will be further enhanced in the coming days. Peacock is one of the largest brand of spices covering a wide range of pulses, atta, masalas, spices, sugar, ghee, pickles, basmati rice, other rice varieties, biscuits, namkheen and many other products.

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&pictures celebrates #10YearsOfJabWeMet with a special telecast on 26th October at 10:30 AM

A story about selfless love, passion and living your life to the fullest, Jab We Met mesmerized viewers when the film first released in 2007 to packed theatres. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film stormed the box office and emerged as a blockbuster within a couple of days. And it wasn’t long before this Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor starrer achieved cult status. Now, as the film celebrates the 10 year milestone following its release, &pictures, Naye India Ka Blockbuster Movie Channel, gives viewers the opportunity to relive the Jab We Met experience through Geet (Kareena Kapoor Khan) and Aditya’s (Shahid Kapoor) story on 26^th October 2017 at 10:30 AM. Along with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shahid Kapoor, the film also saw memorable characters like Anshuman (Tarun Arora), Roop (Saumya Tandon), Dada ji (Dara Singh), and many more.

Director Imtiaz Ali says, “When making a movie you try to do your best, you write your best, you try to make it as natural and fun. But one thing I have realized is that if you put artificiality in a film and try to make it spicy, for that moment, those things start looking very redundant very soon. Keeping it pure is very essential in order for it to be remembered. The movie is about positivity; it gives you hope, makes you smile, especially that part when Kareena Kapoor, on the terrace of her building, tells Shahid, “Life is a game. Let’s enjoy it. Getting stressed about it doesn’t make it easier”. I think that was the icing on the cake in the film. I feel elated that people love the simplicity of the movie. It is not the usual love story where the boy meets girl and they fall in love. You can relive the magic of Jab We Met on 26th October on &pictures SD at 10:30AM and &pictures HD at 8PM.”

Actor Saumya Tandon who essayed the role of Geet’s sister, Roop, recollects, “Jab We Met was my first film. I remember I was called to the Ashtavinayak office and I met director Imtiaz Ali. I was not sure about doing a small role in Jab We Met. Imtiaz gave me the film script and asked me to read Geet’s dialogues and he read Aditya’s lines. We were reading aloud and, as I read along, I almost got swept into the scenes. The dialogues were so endearing the script was so fresh that I fell in love with it. By the end of the reading session totally charmed by Imtiaz and the script of ‘Jab We Met’. I’d decided in my head I will be a part of this.”

The story of a miserable business tycoon, Aditya, Jab We Met follows his life when he chances upon a chirpy and overly enthusiastic Geet during a train ride. Their paths continue to cross, to the extent that Aditya finds himself in charge of ensuring that Geet reaches her family in Bhatinda safely. Along the way, Geet showcases the happy-go-lucky side to her personality which teaches Aditya many life lessons which help him to build a strong future. But life, for Geet, comes to a stumbling halt when after eloping to Manali to meet the love of her life Anshuman (Tarun Arora), she finds herself lonely and heartbroken.

What went wrong in Geet’s fun-filled life? Will Aditya be able to rescue her?

~ Celebrate #10YearsOfJabWeMet as the film airs on &pictures at 10:30 AM on 26^th October 2017!

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History created as AKEC’s Student Batch clears Russian Government Entrance Exam before departing for MBBS studies in Baltic Federal Campus

The 2017-18 A.K.Educational Consultants (AKEC) student batch for studying MBBS in Russia, gathered on 01^st October 2017 for the Pre Departure Student Parent meet in Sheraton Grand, Pune. The student batch left to study MBBS in Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Russia. The parents & students were welcomed by Dr.Amit Kamle & Pornima Kamle. The guest of honour was Dr.Ravindrasing Pardeshi, Principal Fergusson College Pune. The highlight of the ceremony was this is the first Indian batch which cleared Russian Government entrance exam in Chemistry and Biology before they were accepted in the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University campus of Kaliningrad. The toppers in the entrance exam were Ms.Shamika Murudkar of Pune and Ms.Shivani Khandalikar of Mumbai. The students were provided with Indian books for their personal reading by A.K.Educational Consultants.

The students pledged to be good and noble doctors during the Hippocratic Oath Ceremony. Dr.Amit Kamle, Director A.K.Educational Consultants addressed the parents and students and guided them about travelling tips, safety and security in the city and University premises, registration & visa regulations, syllabus & curriculum, exams, vacations, conduct & responsibility of parents, students. Dr.Kamle said, “India needs Quality & Efficient Doctors from Russia. I am glad that the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University is focusing on recruiting only meritorious Indian students in their developed campus. It is the need of the hour to enrol only meritorious Indian students” . After the address Dr.Kamle interacted with parents and students to solve their queries.

“The concept of testing the child’s knowledge and potential before accepting the students is a very good initiative by the Russian Federal Universities, because major countries offering MBBS course are without entrance exams and students find it difficult to clear MCI Screening after returning”, said Dr.Shirish Murudkar father of Ms.Shamika Murudkar.

“I am very happy to attend the Summit. As a parent, I am satisfied to get associated with a visionary person like Dr.Amit Kamle and with the good professional, caring and human attitude of A.K.E.C as a family”, said Mr.Shyam Khandalikar father of Ms.Shivani Khandalikar.

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Nitrro Wellness & Fitness Hub – Pune’s 1st Premium Fitness Centre launched at Kalyani Nagar

·        Equipped with an international standard professional size MMA Kick Boxing Ring

·        An unique functional training equipment on which more than 220 type of body weight workouts can be performed

·        Free sponsorships of facility and supplements to physically challenged and handicapped fitness athletes

On 30^th September 2017, all roads were leading to just one destination – the launch of Nitrro Wellness & Fitness Hub, Pune’s largest and most premium fitness hub at Kalyani Nagar, which was inaugurated at the hands of Chief Guest Atul Chordia, Chairman, Panchshil Group.

Nitrro Pune boasts of a full fledged functional training, strength training, swimming pool and group activities. It has the latest state-of-art equipments with added safety features, and a team of trained and certified fitness professionals, including a physio therapist and nutritionist. Nitrro Wellness & Fitness Hub brings an unique functional training equipment on which more than 220 type of body weight workouts can be performed in a dedicated training area. They have also designed an international standard professional size MMA Kick Boxing Ring, acquired Top end bikes in their spinning studio, which has a glass rooftop giving a skyline view, a lounge surrounded by a waterbody. The Wellness Hub has a Health Café’ to grab that delicious, fresh smoothie for post-workout hydration, a Spa & Salon, and lots more. 

This modern fitness center has a signature giant disco ball sitting inside the gym, in the middle of it all, creating a funky, club-like vibe. Purple mood lighting exudes both a calm and energized ambience inside the gym. Nitrro Wellness & Fitness Hub Center employs top of the line equipment, and over a dozen certified trainers, live DJ’s during cardio workouts, and a modern gym space to make for a well-rounded fitness experience. 

 “Our goal was to just give it more of a rock star vibe – to create an energetic and trendy look and feel. We want to be different from what you see in other conventional gyms and clubs. I was against the idea of having the same boring gym interiors that you see in every other gym. It’s also a reflection of my inner self – wild, energetic, and unconventional with the aspiration to be better than my competitors”, says PrabodhDavkhare, Founder, Nitrro Wellness & Fitness Hub.

Nitrro Fitness is a chain of fitness hubs set up by Prabodh Davkhare. When he opened Nitrro Fitness in 2012, it was with the sole intention of imparting holistic training. Today he has two centres in Thane and one at Breach Candy. Pune becomes the fourth hub and plans are on to set up one in Nashik soon. 

Nitrro is serious fitness in a fun atmosphere. All their equipment is tailor-made and everything in the gym is customized and imported from the world’s best, from the interior to the exterior is of the best quality and brands.Taking the best from different sources shows there is no compromise on quality, especially when establishing a gym.

“We are different in each and every way, which includes our class of equipment and services. For us, it’s all about the ‘Nitrro Experience’.  We are here to revolutionize the fitness industry and perception of what a gym can be. We are unconventional”, smiles Prabodh.

That’s not all – the gym will be providing free sponsorships of facilty and supplements to physically challenged and handicapped fitness athletes.

What’s more – on the auspicious occasion of Dussehra, a  very noble initiative was also announced by Prabodh, to conduct free classes in English and other subjects, to underprivileged kids every Sunday afternoon for two hours in their parking area. All books, stationery, etc will be provided by the gym. “This is our humble way of giving back to society”, sums up Prabodh.

For more details, please visit : www.nitrro.in

Or contact : Tanaaz on +919146776027

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Adoption of ‘Phygital’ is the need of the hour: Netcore’s Martech Knowledge Exchange

Digital ad spends in India to grow by 30 per cent in 2017; brands would look at a adopting a full-stack marketing automation solution

Mumbai, 12^th October 2017: Netcore Solutions, India’s largest marketing automation solutions provider, today successfully organised the Martech Knowledge Exchange at Hyatt Regency, Mumbai. The event, which witnessed participation from leading financial services companies, saw marketing and analytics experts deliberating upon the importance of marketing automation solutions in increasing RoI, and customer lifetime value as well as reducing customer acquisition costs.

The line of experts at the event included leading names of the industry such as Pranav Arora, Principal – Accenture; Niranjan Kanade, Chief Business Officer- Accretion Marketing, Netcore Solutions; Dharmesh Sinha, Chief Manager Marketing, Axis Securities; Kunal Sakariya, Head Customer Analytics & Marketing Analytics, Netcore Solutions; Molly Kapoor, Head of Marketing, Birla Sun Life and VeerChand Bothra, CIO, Netcore Solutions.

In his presentation, Niranjan Kanade highlighted that India is currently experiencing a trend of ‘Consumer Parallelism’ where consumers adopt multiple avatars on different platforms during different times of the day. He elucidated upon why attaining an improved customer lifetime value requires an intuitive platform that helps you understand and engage the ever-changing customer.

Kanade added marketing automation is an essential and integral part of accretion marketing strategy of a company. “The digital advertising spends are expected to bounce back and grow at 30 per cent this year after a period of diminished growth curve. This growth in advertising and marketing spends will further fuel the adoption rate of marketing automation in the country as brands would look at a adopting a full-stack marketing automation solution rather than the current module-based approach,” he said. He also mentioned thatlack of skills, system complexity, data quality and readiness are the biggest challenges the CMOs have highlighted that has been hindering the implementation of marketing automation solutions.

Giving a crash course the importance of blending marketing and customer analytics, Kunal Sakaria highlighted that transactional, behavioural and demographic data summarisation is important for creating a unified view of the customer.

Echoing Sakaria’s statements, VeerChand Bothra commented, “How do you engage the ever-changing customer? Financial services in India have always had to be sold to the customer; it was never a ‘pull-service’. Therefore, the engagement that a customer has with the brand is not very frequent. Consequently, cross selling a service or product becomes very difficult. Unless the customer is engaged on the right channel, at the right time and with the right type of content, the true customer value always remains a distant dream. A full-stack solution offering a unified view of the customer is as much important as is deriving the right insights from the data using analytics.”

Adding to Bothra’s views, Pranav Arora of Accenture spoke about the growth of the BFSI sector in the recent times as well as the importance of adopting a ‘Phygital’ approach to customer engagement by blending physical and digital to create an ecosystem between the brand and consumer.

Concluding the sessions in her ‘firechat’, Molly Kapoor spoke about the changing customer mindset and the need for companies to adopt marketing technology to be enable to meet up to the expectation and demands of the consumers. She also shared how Birla Sun Life’s has been taking digital strides in this regards by highlighting its SIP Now (Sabse Important Plan) website, which helps understanding the customer journey cycle as well as advising the regular investors as per their financial planning requirements.

About Netcore Solutions

Netcore is India’s leading Marketing Technology Company that offers solutions for enterprises that redefine Digital Marketing & Enterprise Communication. The first and leading Marketing Automation Solution Provider in India, Netcore was established in 1998 by Mr. Rajesh Jain, an internet pioneer. Netcore’s Digital Marketing suite includes Promotional and Transactional Email Marketing, Mobile Marketing and Marketing Automation solutions. Netcore’s Enterprise Communication suite includes on-premise and on cloud messaging and archiving solutions.

Netcore serves a strong base of 3000+ enterprises across industry verticals, like Jet Airways, Thomas Cook, Clear Trip, HDFC, Kotak, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, UTI, Facebook, Reliance, Vodafone, Godrej , ITC, OLA, Pfizer, OLX along with International brands Seek Asia, Tokopedia, Blibli, Standard Chartered, FCMB, GT Bank and many more. Netcore, with its innovative marketing technology, delivers 5+ Billion emails a month, creating 7+ Billion Customer Connects (email/SMS/voice). Netcore is headquartered in Mumbai, India with an international presence and has an employee base of 450+ spread across 10 strategic locations.

For more information visit: https://netcore.in/

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