Punjab News

2010-09-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

Salute to Lovely Institute of Law: Priyanka Singh

*Priyanka has topped women candidates for Judge Advocate General of SSC

*She is an Alumni of LIL as a Law Graduate

Jalandhar: Lovely Professional University is proud of its alumni Priyanka Singh who is going to be commissioned as Lieutenant in Indian Army. After completing her Programme of Law from its Institute of Law by bringing Bronze to the University, She has once again brought laurels by topping women candidates for Judge Advocate General of Short Service Commission. Now, after undergoing an11-month training at the Officers Training Academy, OTA, Chennai, she would be a full-fledged crowned officer with a cane.

Talking to the Media Department of the University from New Delhi on her mobile phone, she seemed highly emotionally attached to her alma mater. She wishes to make her first salute to the Institute which has enabled her to achieve this success. She is missing its highly educative environment. “I have no army back-ground or any other pull or push. I am a simple person, only well tinkered by the administrators and my teachers at the Institute. I am really waiting for the moment when I will be saluting them, being in Uniform, especially, the Executive Dean Ms. Rashmi Mittal, to pay for the way they have prepared and regularly encouraged me to become a successful girl”, she said.

She further added, “The disciplined atmosphere of Institute with remarkable education system has developed my personality in all colours. My teachers always guided me well. They not only tried to solve out my study based problems, but they remained always humane to make me strong enough to deal with my personal ones also. I had joined the Institute in the year 2004. Ms. Mittal was the Principal of my Department, then. Since then along with her University has written a great saga of success. I am myself very proud of getting professional education through it. It has a wide name and fame not only in India but all borders across also. May it ever keep continuously progressing by leaps and bounds! Amen !” Also bidding best wishes for present students she suggested that they should join army as it is a neat and clean service.

Talking to Media while Congratulating Priyanka on her illustrative success, the Executive Dean of LPU, Ms Rashmi Mittal said, “We are proud of students like Priyanka who always show lustre of their personality where ever they go. She always remained a devoted, disciplined and a girl with all decorum as a student. She participated in all extra-curricular activities along with her hard studies. She revealed herself as an embodiment of leader like qualities during her stay in the Institute. May she continue bringing more and more laurels to her alma mater, her parents and all those whom she considers have enabled her to come out as a successful girl !”

2010-08-17T10:17:00.001-07:00

Students of more than 20 Countries Represented Their Culture in Global Village Fair at Lovely Professional University

* Students from Switzerland, Poland, China, Russia etc. Participated

Jalandhar: In an era of rapid globalization, a grand ‘Global Village’ Fair was organized at Lovely Professional University through AIESEC-a global students organization. Student-Representatives from more than 20 Countries including Switzerland, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Ivory-Coast, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, China etc. exhibited rich and varied Culture of their respective countries. They had formed their separate stalls to interact with the students from 25 states of India and 15 other countries of the university. They shared with them about the peculiarities of their culture, creed and civilization through different manners and methods.

Inaugurating the ‘Global Village’ the Chancellor of the University, Mr. Ashok Mittal said: “Through Global Exposure only we can produce human resource for the industry that has the capacity to interact and work in a global environment. Under the same vision LPU decided to host this mega event in the campus. In addition, our University also has tie-up with more than 20 foreign universities of US, UK, Canada & Australia to provide Indian students the opportunity to study and work on global land. More over, this image of a global university has also attracted more than 200 students from different parts of the world including Indonesia, US, UK, Nigeria, Tanzania and other 10 countries to the campus.” He further added, “We are very hopeful that such initiatives will help in making LPU as India’s first Global University.”

In this grand fair, through the stall of Switzerland it was well exhibited that Swiss people love basic food items including a huge selection of bread, dairy products, vegetables etc. Students explained about special bread ‘Zopf’ & “Birchermüesli"- an unprocessed food. Traditional Swiss Folklore Music ‘Alpsegen’& Yodelling was also shared with onlookers. The students of Poland let aware through the Opera Performances about the great culture of their country. At the stall of China, the rich Chinese culture was explained. A commonly practiced traditional Chinese form of exercise ‘Tai Chi’ - a combination of aerobic exercise, stretching, and stress relaxation, was liked by all. The Turkey Stall displayed art and craft through tiles, pottery, carpet, Jewellery, & that of Mauritius exhibited Sega Dance & Music of great comfort. Similarly, the students of rest of the participating countries displayed the best of their heritage.

Four of the students from the University Nishant, Dhruv Singla, Apurva Rawat, & Saloni from AIESEC say: “Providing a platform for youth leadership development, this Fair offered us all a great opportunity to be perfect global citizens. Interaction with a vast galaxy of foreign students has enabled us to learn different language skills, international work-experience and respect for cultural divergence. These are very essential for us to become globally fit as the world salutes those who have a diverse experience.”

BMW India Ranks as the Number One in the Luxury Car Segment in India

2010-01-04T02:49:00.000-08:00

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Monday, January 04, 2010 -- BMW India is the number one in the luxury car segment in India and portrays a symbol for dynamic and forward striving people.

BMW India increased its market share in the luxury segment of the Indian automotive market to over 40% in 2009 (from 9% at the end of 2006). With 3619 cars delivered to customers in the calendar year 2009, BMW India has achieved the "highest sales by a manufacturer in the luxury car segment in a year" till date.

In 2009 BMW India sold

-- BMW 3 Series - 1155 units
-- BMW 5 Series - 1590 units
-- BMW 6 Series - 28 units
-- BMW 7 Series - 350 units
-- BMW X3 - 101 units
-- BMW X5 - 287 units
-- BMW X6 - 83 units
-- BMW Z4 - 25 units

2007, 2008 and 2009 were demanding years for BMW India and, at the same time, the most successful market entry for BMW in any country recently. Various activities initiated during this period have provided BMW India with a solid basis to develop a strong foundation.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Peter Kronschnabl, President, BMW India said, "We made great strides in implementing our strategy, and this gave us a significant competitive edge that provided us with a clearly formulated vision. Our goals were clear, and we had to be consistent to realize them. Our business activities are, and will remain, focused on the long term. The main trends that are relevant to our business - such as the demand for mobility and the desire for differentiation - will remain unchanged."

2009 was not been an easy year for the automotive industry - and that applies equally to BMW India. It stood its ground in a fiercely competitive environment with new ideas and the strength to promote new products. BMW India was prepared to meet the challenges head on to ensure the company's success. These qualities enabled BMW India to effectively weather the stormy conditions, continue to invest in its future, anticipate trends and be prepared for the future. Despite all challenges, BMW India delivered strong operating performance in 2009. With a carefully planned and successfully executed market entry strategy, and consistent sales performance, BMW India achieved market leadership in the luxury car segment in India.

Mr. Kronschnabl further added, "Now more than ever, we see that the number one position in the market is not everything. But, the future belongs to India and if you want to benefit from the dynamics of the Indian market later, you need to act today. This is what we did. Our commitment to India was among the strategic decisions that had to be taken right away."

BMW Group took a bold step in its Asia strategy in 2007 by establishing the BMW India Headquarters in Gurgaon (National Capital Region), a Central Parts Warehouse in Mumbai, and the BMW Plant Chennai in Tamil Nadu. Presently, the BMW Plant Chennai produces the BMW 3 Series and BMW 5 Series Sedans in petrol and diesel variants and has a capacity to produce 3000 units per year on a single shift basis. In medium term, BMW India has employed around 200 people; up to 600 additional jobs have been created in the dealer and service network. Presently, BMW India is present at 16 locations in the Indian market.

BMW dealerships presently display the BMW 3 Series and BMW 5 Series that are produced at the BMW Plant Chennai. BMW dealerships also display the BMW 6 Series, BMW 7 Series, BMW X3, the BMW, the BMW X6, BMW Z4, and the BMW Gran Turismo which are available in the country as CBU's (completely built-up units). The BMW M3 Coupé, BMW M3 Convertible, BMW M5, BMW M6 Coupé, BMW M6 Convertible, BMW X6 M, BMW 6 Series Individual and BMW 7 Series Individual can also be ordered at BMW India dealerships.

Fitho an Indian Health Website Wins Award for Top Health Blog in the World

2009-12-28T23:18:00.000-08:00

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Tuesday, December 29, 2009 -- Fitho a complete health care website which provides weight loss & fitness consultancy services for Indians was recently awarded the Best Health Blog award in the world, by the international health network Wellsphere for their fitness blog fitho.in. There were 400 entries around the world who submitted their blogs for this competition, out of which Fitho was chosen as the top health blog for the year 2009. Fitho is the only Indian site to have made it on international health forum as on date.

Fitho is an India based fitness company providing customized diet & exercise plans & personal training using cutting edge research & science, to make it easy for people to lose weight and get fit. Fitho co-founder Shridhar Gupta says, "We started Fitho's website in 2008 with the intention to spread the word of fitness, & help people lose weight the healthy way- through balanced diet and effective exercise. Getting this award for our website in 2009, is a big achievement in terms of national and international recognition in the health and wellness industry".

Besides nutrition and exercise plans for weight loss, Fitho provides an array of other services like buying supplements online, fitness questions answered by experts, gym listing across India and more.

The People's HealthBlogger Awards is an annual competition that Wellsphere created to give recognition to health bloggers. The competition allows readers to express their appreciation for their favorite bloggers, and to promote community-building among fellow bloggers.

“AIDS Awareness Campaign” by LPU Students

2009-12-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

Jalandhar, 1st December, 09: Lovely Professional University with the aim to generate awareness amongst the students and general masses organized an “AIDS awareness Campaign” in and around its campus today. The main agenda of the campaign this year is ‘Universal Access and Human Rights’ which LPU followed aptly by educating the people and spreading understanding amongst those sections of the society most susceptible to it.

The students at LPU on the AIDS Awareness Day wore Red Ribbons so as to mark their participation on the occasion. Students of MBA (Hospitality & Health care Management) and BBA from Lovely School of Business made human chain on the highway and brought to fore the menace of AIDS, staring in the face of humanity. The students also played “Nukkar Nataks” at various locations adjacent to University campus and performed one act plays in various schools of adjoining villages, underlining the importance of educating the students about the deadly disease. They also carried banners and charts bearing messages to educate people about the preventive measures to prevent the spread of the disease. A visit to families in the nearby areas was also made so as to reach out to more people and pamphlets pertaining to the cause were distributed. “I feel proud to be a part of the cause and have done something for the people around,” said Mayank, a student of Lovely School of Business.

LPU is famous for active participation in issues which involve generating awareness and spreading education which has been observed in prior occasions also. “We wanted to sensitize people about the issue and spread knowledge amongst them. The students have participated with full fervor and shown a lot of enthusiasm towards their social responsibility which is noteworthy,” said Er. HR Singla, Director General, Lovely Professional University

Jagran Solutions Takes Dabur’s “Immune India, Ander Se Strong India” Campaign to 23 Cities Across 6 States

2009-12-03T07:34:00.000-08:00

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Thursday, December 03, 2009 -- Jagran Solutions - India's leading new age marketing agency that provides solutions for Brand Activation via Consumer Connect Strategies, has recently launched Dabur Chyawanprash - Immune India Campaign for Dabur. The campaign is aimed at spreading awareness about immunity and the importance of healthy living.
Dabur Chyawanprash - Immune India Campaign conceptualized by Jagran Solutions is promoted through a mass media campaign, led by activation and includes Radio, Print as essential support mediums. "Over the next two months, we will reach out to over 14 lakh children across 1,000 schools in these nine states. Under this mammoth programme, doctors and health experts will reach out to various schools and conduct workshops on immunity building. These workshops are designed with easy-to-comprehend pictorial presentations to make them interesting for the children. There will be various fun games like Cricket Mania for boys and Skipping Champion for girls, besides quiz contests to spread the message of being 'Strong from within'. The idea is to educate children about the need to build stronger immunity to stay healthy," explained KK Rajesh, Executive Vice President-Marketing (Healthcare), Dabur India Ltd.
The Campaign has a strong on ground component leading the Immune India Campaign, under which workshops were conducted across schools, wherein the experts highlighted the need for a stronger immune system as well as the properties of Chyawanprash in boosting immunity and thereby strengthening the body in its fight against viral attacks. In this pan India activity Dabur will identify 30 school children over the next two months who will become ambassadors for India's Immunity campaign. These children would be responsible to spread the message on the need for building stronger immunity in the face of growing incidents of flu and viruses across the country.
This campaign supports a social cause by donating Re1 for every entry received to a leading NGO.
Ambika Sharma, National Head Jagran Solutions comments, "Immune India Campaign was conceptualized and designed with an aim to educate children and their parents about the need to build strong immune system to stay healthy. When developing the concept we focused on the fact that the initiative needs to develop into a movement and must deliver its core message "Ander se strong" effectively. The campaign is aimed to cover 9 states, Jagran Solutions is handling on-ground activity in 23 cities of UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, MP, Punjab and Rajasthan, media partners include Dainik Jagran for Print and MY FM for radio.

Pepe Jeans London to Continue with Renault F1 Team

2009-10-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Wednesday, October 07, 2009 - -- Pepe Jeans has announced its intention to continue sponsoring the Renault F1 Team through to the end of the 2009 season, as originally planned under a two-year sponsorship deal signed in January 2008.

Although Pepe Jeans in no way condones the actions at the Singapore Grand Prix of 2008, Pepe Jeans respects the findings of the FIA World Motor Sport Council of the 21st of September 2009 that responsibility for these actions should not be extended to the Renault F1 Team as a whole. Pepe Jeans will continue to give the Renault F1 Team and its management full and continued support as the team emerges from this difficult period, and has confidence in the team's ability to continue challenging at the front of the grid.

Yuvraj Singh Launches the Latest Cricket Footwear Collection by Reebok

2009-08-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Saturday, August 01, 2009 -- Reebok, the world's leading sports brand brings for all the cricket enthusiasts its new range of cricket footwear - "Reverse Swing and Reverse Sweep". The collection was launched by ace cricketer and Reebok brand ambassador Yuvraj Singh and the President and CEO of Reebok International Mr. Uli Becker in New Delhi. The collection carries a range of footwear which has been specially designed keeping in mind fast bowlers, batsmen wicket-keepers and spin bowlers. The footwear has a dual shank which ensures that the footwear does not bend at any side hence providing better stability and support to the athlete's foot, while the full bent at the ball point makes it flexible enough to provide a comfortable run.

At the launch, Mr. Subhinder Singh, Managing Director - Reebok India Company said: "Cricket is a religion in India and as market leaders we have always given the sport more than one hundred percent support. The launch of the new cricket footwear is another such initiative to constantly innovate in the field of cricket and provide superior products. It is our pleasure to have our long standing brand ambassador Yuvraj Singh endorsing this footwear and we look forward to him scoring many more runs on the field with this footwear.

The footwear is carefully designed keeping in mind the requirements of cricket players. Reverse Swing footwear is specially designed for fast bowlers and Reverse Sweep are for batsmen, wicket-keepers and spin bowlers. This footwear has High end Rubber with very high anti - abrasion property and durability with metal studs on its outer sole. The stitching is at the lip area to ensure that it does not open up due to pressure. The mid-sole of the footwear is CM EVA molded that supports the heel for extra support.

Commenting on the launch, Yuvraj Singh said, "I have been with Reebok right from the start of my career and I do not cease to be amazed by the constant innovation, the effort, the detailing the brand puts into producing cricket related equipment and gear. The all new cricket footwear is of the finest quality and I am looking forward to hit some more boundaries wearing the same on field. I have been involved in providing inputs while the footwear was being designed and I am proud to have a chance to present this to cricket lovers. I am delighted to be present at the launch of the footwear and will urge my fans to go try it for sure!"

Both Reverse Swing and Reverse Sweep footwear support cricketers with its Hi end PU upper with perforations for breathability and the Camouflaged TPU toe cap to prevent injury from fast balls. The upper part of the footwear has Kinetic Fit that helps better motion of the feet. In addition to these qualities Reverse Swing footwear has a strap to reinforce the lacing closure and has the Hi Cut design preferred by fast bowlers.

Reebok dominates the game of cricket in many different ways. With 9 out of 11 players of the current one-day squad being Reebok brand ambassadors, Reebok certainly has top notch cricketers of the country with them. MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan, Irfan Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Robin Utthappa, Sanath Jayasurya, Mahela Jayawardene, M Muralitharan to name a few from a list of 100 domestic and international cricketers that are with Reebok right now. Reebok is also the official outfitter for four IPL teams: Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai and Punjab and is also the official partner of International Cricket Council (ICC).

About Reebok India

Reebok started its operations in India in 1995. Headed by Managing Director Mr. Subhinder Singh Prem, Reebok India has a pan-India presence with branch offices in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore and is the market leader with 775 exclusive stores. The Company's brand vision is "fulfilling potential" and its mission is "Always challenge and lead through creativity". Reebok's brand values are authentic, individualistic, courageous, empowering, innovative and real. Reebok has introduced its internationally acclaimed fitness programs in India, conducted under the banner of Reebok Instructor Alliance, which is dedicated to fitness instructors, personal trainers and health club owners. Reebok has trained and certified more then 1000 trainers till now.

Akshay Kumar

2009-07-12T06:18:00.000-07:00

Aamir Khan

2009-07-12T06:12:00.000-07:00

WWE Superstar KANE

2009-06-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Canvera Wins Asia Pacific and Japan Award 2nd Year in a Row

2009-06-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

Beijing, China, Thursday, June 11, 2009 ---- Canvera. com, India's fastest growing online digital photography company, was given the Best Photobook prize for the second year in a row at the recently concluded Asia-Pacific & Japan HP Digital Print Award 2009 in Beijing, China. The photobook category attracted more than 50 entries from the APJ region.
"Winning the award the first time was testament to the expertise Canvera brought to the table. Winning it two years in a row for a company that is less than two years old, has now truly established Canvera as one of the leaders in the APJ region," said Mr. Steve Donegal, Director & Business Manager, HP Indigo Division, Asia Pacific & Japan. "The competition this year was fierce and Canvera won the award because of the overall presentation and attention to detail which included the photographic print quality, the binding & the packaging."
The award ceremony was held at HP Infotrends Customer Conference in the Chinese capital. Dr. Dhiraj Kacker, CEO of Canvera, received the award on behalf of the company. "The award is not only proof of the hard work put in by the entire Canvera team, but also of the quality feedback we regularly get from our very loyal customer base. We are delighted to have received the award and hope to continue to exceed the expectations of our customers."
Headquartered out of Bangalore, Canvera introduced its products to the market in July of 2008 and in 10 short months has already serviced needs of professional photographers in more than 125 cities across the country. The photographers use the coffee-table books for a whole range of activities - from weddings to birthday parties to corporate shoots and model portfolios. Canvera has regional offices in Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi & Hyderabad with Kolkata, Mumbai and Cochin coming up shortly.
Started in late 2007, Canvera has started setting new standards for the photography industry by being the first branded player in what has so far been a highly fragmented market. As a branded player Canvera stands behind the quality of its products and has also therefore implicitly made a commitment to ongoing innovation. "With the growth in domestic consumption and an ever improving expectation of product and service quality by the average consumer, we see a rapid a growth in the photography industry and branded players that give consumers peace of mind will be leading the charge," says Kacker.
Canvera was founded by Dr. Dhiraj Kacker (CEO) and Peeyush Rai (CTO) who have previously worked at numerous successful startups in Silicon Valley. Dhiraj was an early employee at Shutterfly (NASDAQ:SFLY) where he built their workflow automation and imaging technologies. Dhiraj has a PhD in EE from Purdue University where his research was sponsored by HP's Imaging & Printing Group. Peeyush is a software industry veteran having worked for both large companies such as Oracle and a number of software startups out of Silicon Valley. Canvera is financially backed by DFJ (www.dfj.com), Footprint Ventures (www.footprintventures.com), and Mumbai Angels (www.mumbaiangels.com).

Akshay Twinkle button episode

2009-06-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

62 MBA students from LPU left to US for International Exposure

2009-06-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Today a team of 62 students of MBA International was flagged off from Lovely Professional University to USA for one month Industrial / academic visit. The visit is an extension of the two stage international exposure program, wherein in January 68 students had visited Singapore on an industrial visit. Then, the students had visited a host of government owned business units as well as various corporate establishments of private ownership. The MBA International program had been designed specially to create global human resources capable of handling job positions demanding internationally acclaimed skills. Exposure to countries emerging as economic powerhouses, adds tremendously to the understanding of business fundamentals of the students.
During their one month long trip to USA, University of North Carolina, Charlotte the students will visit eminent corporate houses like office of IBM and Federal Reserve Bank of America, amongst others. The exposure will provide them with know how and expertise regarding business culture prevailing in both technology and management oriented organizations. This in addition to exposure of other various firms of American origin will help the students to gain an insight into the functioning of business houses of the largest and most robust economy of the world.
Mr Onkar Singh , one of the students of MBA International (with international exposure) said, “I always wanted to and learn about international business practices and work philosophy. The MBA international program has helped me to realise me desire to have more of knowledge of global business operations, and become a more adaptable professional with respect to different cultural settings.” His views were also shared by other students who are of the view that practical exposure enables them learn more than in the classrooms.
Mr Ashok Mittal , Chancellor LPU fared well the team of students and expressed hope that they will try to get the most of their visit. He underlined the need to get acquainted with global business culture, stating the globalisation as the single largest factor to govern the business scene in India and abroad. He said, “No longer, the professionally skilled should confine them to Indian job markets. The world has opened up and is no more than one single global village, especially when it comes to business. The students should ensure that they make good use of the opportunity and learn to the maximum of their potential."This year LPU will also be offering international exposure programs in Engg, BCA , Hotel management and Fashion Technology .

Electric shock in train

2009-06-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Karnataka State Open University Launches Virtual Classroom Programs, Partners with University18 Business School to Launch the iMBA

2009-06-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Friday, June 19, 2009 - -- Karnataka State Open University, Mysore, became the first Open University in the nation to launch Virtual Classroom based Online MBA Program's. On the 16th of June, 2009, KSOU signed an MOU with the University18 Business School, to launch three Online MBA Programs- a 1 year Executive MBA for Working Professionals, an MBA in IT for IT/ITESS Professionals, and an MBA in Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management and Strategy.
To be launched from the academic year 2009-10, these programs will be taught using an Online Virtual Classroom Platform, letting students login to, attend and interact in live classes at convenient timings. The classes can be accessed from any PC using a broadband Internet connection.
The Virtual Classroom platform is highly scalable, capable of having upto 50 live hosted 'virtual classrooms' at one time, with each classroom having upto 250 students attending, giving it the capability of having a total of 12500 students logged in at the same time.
With the increasing spread of internet and broadband connectivity, this will enable students from distant places and smaller towns, to gain access to quality higher education. The facility to conduct the personal contact program classes online would also add to the acceptance and accessibility of such courses by working professionals.
Present on the occasion of the MOU signing were KSOU VC Prof B A Viveka Rai, UBS Director Raunak Singh, Ms. Shakti Raina, UBS, K.Jayaprakash Rao, Registrar, KSOU and KSOU Dean Prof Jagdeesha.
University18 Business School (http://www.ubs.edu.in) is a joint effort between the Sampuran Prakash Charitable Trust and e-education company University18 (http://www.university18.edu.in).
Karnataka State Open University, Mysore, was formally established on June 1, 1996 under the Karnataka State Open University Act of 1992, with the objectives of introducing and promoting the system of Open University and Distance Learning.

GCMMF (AMUL) Beats Recession, Achieves a Turnover of Rs. 6700 Crores

2009-06-06T04:24:00.000-07:00

Anand, Gujarat, India, Friday, June 05, 2009 ---- Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (Amul), the largest dairy co-operative of the country has once again proved that efficiency of co-operatives can successfully counter the recessionary trends of the economy thereby ensuring consistent livelihood to the farmer producer and offering value for money products to its consumers. For the third consecutive year, it has posted a double digit growth turnover reaching Rs. 6700 crores. The unduplicated turnover of the dairy co-operatives of Gujarat would be approximately Rs. 10000 crores (2 billion US $). Not resting on the laurels of the past, instead, learning that the foundations of successful organization are rooted in the process of systematic long term planning, GCMMF has chalked out a mission 2020, a long term plan which envisages that dairy co-operatives turnover will reach Rs.27000 crores by the year 2020. This plan is backed up by relevant strategies in co-operative working, increasing productivity of milk cattle, higher processing infrastructure to handle the peak milk procurement of 195 lac ltrs per day. Special emphasis will also be given to capture liquid milk market of major metro cities.
This remarkable performance from Amul has come at a time when the International dairy markets are reeling under the impact of world-wide recession and slump in global demand. Pandemic economic turmoil has taken its toll, as international prices of all major dairy products have declined drastically in recent months. However, with its sharp focus on domestic Indian market, Amul has successfully insulated Indian farmers from all the turbulence in global dairy trade. Amul is leading the dairy co-operative sector towards a pivotal role in alleviating the adverse impact of economic slowdown in India. This co-operative has helped to appropriately diversify the rural economy, thereby shielding rural India from the worst impact of the current economic crisis. It is already providing the best employment option for displaced workers from urban manufacturing sector, who after losing their jobs due to recession, have started reverse migration from cities back to villages. These displaced workers can sell milk to their village dairy co-operative society and thus generate regular income for themselves and their families. Amul has helped to provide a safety net to the most vulnerable and marginalized section of our population, which otherwise suffers the worst consequences of any economic crises. Revenue inflow from dairy co-operatives led by Amul has contributed towards strengthening rural purchasing power, helping growth in rural economy to offset any slowdown in urban economy.
In an effort to interface directly with consumers and enhance visibility of brand 'Amul', GCMMF has expanded its network of Amul Parlors to more than 4000 parlors across various towns and cities of India. This includes 50 Amul Parlors in major railway stations and more than 50 special Amul Ice-cream scooping parlors. GCMMF amply demonstrated its commitment towards sustainable ecological development of our nation, as its farmer members celebrated our 61st year of independence by planting 52.74 lakh saplings across 21 districts of Gujarat, on 15th August 2008. During the last two years, members of GCMMF have planted more than 71.65 lakh trees, demonstrating their resolve to preserve and improve our natural environment.

Ingersoll Rand Appoints Venkatesh Valluri as President of India Operations

2009-06-06T04:19:00.000-07:00

Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Friday, June 05, 2009 ---- Ingersoll Rand (NYSE: IR), the $13.0 billion globally diversified industrial technology company; today announced the appointment of Venkatesh Valluri as the President of its Indian operations.
Mr. Valluri will represent the India management board as its Chairman. He will also join the board of its publicly traded company, Ingersoll Rand India Limited as the non executive chairman.
Mr. Venkatesh Valluri was associated with the measurement Technology leader Agilent Technologies as its President & Country Manager for over 5 years where he successfully established a strong foot print for its business operations. Prior to Agilent, he held various leadership roles at GE (General Electric) in India and overseas.
Mr. Herb Henkel, Chairman, Ingersoll Rand, said, " We are pleased to have Venkatesh Valluri as President of Ingersoll Rand International India Limited. In this critical role, Venkatesh will lead the development of the vision and strategic direction of Ingersoll Rand in India. He also will be accountable for driving the growth and profitability of the region."
Mr. Valluri added, "The positive impact these technologies can have in the growth of the core Infrastructure capabilities of the country can be significant". Ingersoll Rand has made significant progress in the recent years in India. Its manufacturing operations in the North and the Western parts of India, the global Design and Development center at Bangalore and the recent acquisition of Trane Systems presented a strong platform for the company to leverage and serve the Indian market.
Mr. Venkatesh Valluri holds a B.Tech degree in Electronics and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad.
Ingersoll Rand Company Profile
Ingersoll Rand is a global diversified firm providing products, services and solutions to enhance the quality and comfort of air in homes and buildings, transport and protect food and perishables, secure homes and commercial properties, and enhance industrial productivity and efficiency.
Driven by a 100-year-old tradition of technological innovation, we enable our customers to create progress and a positive impact in their world.
Ingersoll-Rand (India) Limited is a part of the Ingersoll Rand Company, a global innovation and solutions provider with powerful brands and leading positions within its markets. Ingersoll-Rand (India) Limited has its presence in India since 1921. The company established its first manufacturing plant in India in 1965 and became a public limited company in 1977.
Today, Ingersoll-Rand (India) Limited has manufacturing facility in Ahmedabad that is ISO - 9001 and ISO - 14001 certified. Ingersoll Rand products are widely appreciated in the market for their superior quality and reliability.

Audi Introduces the Audi Q5 in India

2009-06-05T03:10:00.000-07:00

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Thursday, June 04, 2009 ---- - The performance SUV from Audi raises the bar in its segment
- Innovative technology, elegant design and spacious interior
- Awards for Audi Q5 include the Golden Steering Wheel and the Best Off-Roader in Europe in 2009
- The sporty, versatile SUV comes to India with two powerful engines: 2.0 TFSI (petrol) and 3.0 TDI (diesel)
- Available at Audi dealerships from today, June 4th onwards, price starting at INR 3,829,000
Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, today launched the much awaited Audi Q5 - the sportiest and most elegant SUV in its class. Audi Q5 is a marvel of precision engineering, luxurious interiors, with dynamic and innovative features and progressive design. Voted the Best Off-Roader in Europe by auto motor und sport and awarded the Golden Steering Wheel in Germany, the Audi Q5 combines the dynamism of a sports sedan with Audi's legendary quattro permanent all-wheel drive to create a superior technology package for both on- and off-road driving. The Audi Q5 with two engine options - 2.0 TFSI and 3.0 TDI - will be available at Audi dealerships across India from June 4th, 2009 onwards.
"The Audi Q5 stands testament to Audi's commitment to innovation and sophistication. We introduce now another excellent product of the Audi model range to our Indian customers. The market for the SUV segment has seen tremendous growth in this country during the last years. Driven by our philosophy of 'Vorsprung durch Technik', the Audi Q5 will become a benchmark for style, performance, safety, comfort and driving dynamics in its segment. It joins its 'big brother' Audi Q7 in creating a new market for the smaller luxury SUV admirer in the country," said Mr. Benoit Tiers, Managing Director Audi India.
The Audi Q5's design is elegant and sculptural - typically for Audi, which is the leading brand in this domain. The large single-frame grill dominates the front-end, the headlamps have xenon plus bulbs and LED running lights as standard, and the rear lights also feature LED technology. The Audi Q5 is 4.63 meters (15.19 feet) long, 1.88 meters (6.17 feet) wide and 1.65 meters (5.41 feet) high, giving it the sportiest proportions in the segment.
The Audi Q5 comes to the Indian market with two powerful engines - one petrol (2.0 TFSI) and one diesel (3.0 TDI). Both of them are direct injection units with turbocharging, beefy pulling power and impressive fuel efficiency. The new 2.0 TFSI with Audi valvelift system has a maximum power output of 155 kW (211 hp) and speeds up to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds. The 3.0 TDI is the most powerful engine in the range with 176 kW (240 hp) and 500Nm of torque. It speeds up from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds with a top speed of 225 km/h.
For these engines Audi has developed a new generation of the dynamic S tronic - the innovative dual-clutch transmission now has seven gears. Being a performance SUV, the Audi Q5 drives with sporty precision and unwavering stability, with a climbing performance of a staggering 31degrees.
The Audi Q5 combines technology with luxury. The standard and optional equipment includes the Audi driver information system, the MMI (Multi Media Interface), xenon plus headlights with LED technology, Bang & Olufsen surround sound, a DVD player, Rear Seat Entertainment, 3-Zone automatic air conditioning, cruise control, an acoustic parking system with rearview camera and many additional features.
The Audi Q5 range starts at INR 3,829,000 for the 2.0 TFSI and INR 4,419,000 for the 3.0 TDI (ex-showroom Mumbai) and will be offered in six exciting colors: Stratos Blue, Garnet Red, Ice Silver, Meteor Grey, Phantom Black and Ibis White.
The new Audi Q5 will be available along with the entire Audi model range comprising the new Audi A6, Audi A8, Audi Q7, Audi A4, Audi TT and the super sports car Audi R8 from June 4th, 2009 onwards at 11 dealerships across the country: in Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi.
AUDI AG
AUDI AG develops and produces luxury cars and sold worldwide a total of 1,003,000 cars in 2008 and thus achieved its thirteenth consecutive record year. Audi produces vehicles in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm (Germany), Györ (Hungary), Changchun (China) and Brussels (Belgium). Aurangabad in India saw the start of local production of the Audi A6 at the end of 2007 and of the Audi A4 in early October 2008. The company is active in more than 100 markets worldwide. AUDI AG's wholly owned subsidiaries include Automobili Lamborghini Holding S.p.A. in Sant'Agata Bolognese (Italy) and Quattro GmbH in Neckarsulm. Audi currently employs around 57,000 people worldwide, including 45,000 in Germany. The brand with the four rings invests more than ?2 billion each year in order to sustain the company's technological lead embodied in its "Vorsprung durch Technik" slogan. Audi plans to significantly increase the number of models in its portfolio by 2015 to 40. The Audi brand celebrates its 100th birthday in 2009. The company was founded by August Horch in Zwickau on July 16, 1909; he named it Audi after the Latin translation of his surname ("hark!").
Authorized Dealer Showrooms:
Audi Ahmedabad - Rudra-Path, S.G. Road, AhmedabadAudi Bangalore - Survey No. 6/1, Beratana Agrahara, 15th KM, Hosur Main RoadAudi Chandigarh - Plot No. 171, Industrial Area, Phase IAudi Delhi - B -1/H 1, Mohan Co-operative Industrial Estate, Mathura Road Audi Gurgaon - Orchid Centre, Sector - 54, Golf Course RoadAudi Hyderabad - 8-2-684/A, Road No.12, Banjara HillsAudi Mumbai - 81, Dr. Annie Besant Road Audi Pune - Pro1 Business Centre, Plot No. 395 + 396, Senapati Bapat Road, Shivajinagar Audi Kochi - NH. 47, Vytilla Aroor, Bye Pass Road, Marudu P.O.

LPU students now would be going to 2 International Study Trips as part of the international exposure programs.

2009-06-05T02:10:00.000-07:00

With education sector in a transition phase in its flight to higher standards of quality and relevance pertaining to offerings, Indian educational institutes and universities are in an experimentation mode like never before. The flag bearers for the rapid change in education sector are private players who are more given to innovation and out of box thinking. The most pronounced changes being observed are those pertaining to revamping of traditional programs in accordance with the needs in the job market.
Lovely Professional University, which offers more than 150 programs in its campus has a remarkable penchant for narrowing down to minutest details of perfection while designing course curriculum of a particular program. The University has came up with a new range of programs in 2008, by the name of international programs (with international exposure). These programs have been introduced keeping in mind the need of the industry, which calls for professionals deft in working in global business settings and are acquiescent with business cultures of different parts of the globe, especially the economically vibrant countries. The idea behind running such courses is to create Global Human Resources, capable of undertaking operational responsibilities of MNCs on a transnational level.
Mr. Ashok Mittal, Chancellor-LPU says, “Post 1991 reforms India Inc has risen up like a phoenix, and Indian companies have started looking beyond the domestic market. This calls for a huge army of professionals who are not only skilled technically, but should be equipped with the knowledge of global business practices so that they can easily adapt themselves in the corporate culture of the alien country. This is how, will create more Indira Nooyis, Arun Sarins and Sabir Bhatias.”
The program entails industrial visits of students to two foreign countries from developed world, for apprising and educating them about global business practices. The first visit will be to Singapore or Malaysia of a period of one week, whereas the second one-month visit will be to USA or some Eurpoean country. The two destinations have been decided upon, given the fact that ASEAN is emerging as a powerful economic block (for which Singapore/Malaysia have been chosen) and USA/Europe have traditionally been India's major markets for exports. In a recently concluded trip to Singapore, 68 students of LPU visited various educational institutes and business organizations in the South East Asian republic. On 13th of this month, a batch of 61 students is leaving for USA for one month industry training program in USA.
The International Programs (with international exposure) also has a facet of cost advantage attached to them. The cost of getting an international exposure by means of getting educated in a foreign country. On an average, a student has to shell out Rs. 55 Lakhs for a B tech degree, while studying abroad. But the B tech International (with International Exposure) Program at LPU costs close to 10% of this cost. To keep parity of the course curriculum with respect to international standards, the course has been designed by infusing the bes and the brightest attributes of foreign education from the Universities of UK, USA and other academic hubs across the globe.

Reebok to Launch its First Ever TVC Featuring MS Dhoni and Bipasha Basu

2009-05-31T07:53:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, India -- -- For the first time ever, Reebok brand ambassadors, MS Dhoni & Bipasha Basu come together in a TV commercial showcasing the latest edition of HEXRIDE footwear from Reebok and sizzle the small screen with their never-seen-before chemistry.
The latest edition of HEXRIDE collection is available in 25 different models. HEXRIDE footwear features a unique hexagonal, honeycomb-style build which is one of the top strength to weight ratio constructions engineering can offer. While hexagons impart stability, the air-filled capsules offer cushioning which is the premium combination for an athlete's foot in motion. The product benefit of stability combined with cushioning, which leads to a comfortable run, is highlighted in the film.
Reebok as a brand believes in "Making Fitness Fun" and intends to own this unique space in the hearts of the consumers. Through this TVC, Reebok captures the 'fun' in running, in line with Reebok's global mission of making fitness fun again.
The TVC for HEXRIDE features MS Dhoni and Bipasha Basu in a fun-run, throwing playful challenges at each other while competing to reach the finish line first. The chemistry and playfulness between the Indian captain & the Bollywood heart throb is for all to see.
Subhinder Singh Prem, Managing Director, Reebok India Company said, "Marketing for us is about occupying the consumer's heart space, not mind space. We do realize that contemporary India is a young nation with fitness being a necessary stimulant for a young mind and body. We also recognize the fact that a consumer will indulge more in an activity if he enjoys it. This thought forms the kernel of our ad. Our ad reinforces Reebok's challenger approach to provide consumers with the choice to take the boredom out; and the fun in, its Your Move. The ad is simple, fun and most importantly a delight to watch. Just the way Bipasha and Dhoni have fun while running in our ad, we hope to encourage our consumers to smile as they sweat".
He added "Bipasha and Dhoni are youth icons who reflect the aspirations of a young India, a fit India. Reebok is synonymous with fitness and we are proud to launch our world class technology - HEXRIDE through this ad".
MS Dhoni said, "I find HEXRIDE footwear the best for training with its benefits of cushioning and stability. I wear it during our long practice sessions and it has become my personal favourite now. I believe in this technology and am really happy to be promoting such a world class technology for Reebok in India. Shooting for the ad was a lot of fun, not to mention running with a friend, which made the whole experience even more delightful."
Added Bipasha Basu "I am a fitness freak and I love to indulge in various activities like jogging, running, working out to keep myself fit. I have experienced never-before comfort in running with this footwear. In fact, HEXRIDE is the best thing that happened to my running regime. The different colours in the shoes make it so much more fun! I am sure that all fitness enthusiasts will agree that if your running gear is comfortable and trendy, you will enjoy your run even more. And looking good doesn't hurt either!"
The Director of the film, Mintoo Singh said, "It was a pleasure working with Dhoni & Bipasha as both of them are extremely fit and lead an active lifestyle. Shot in Hong Kong, the TVC captured the camaraderie and chemistry between the two while they raced against each other and had a lot of fun in the process."
The technologically advanced HEXRIDE design aids better performance and training. The design is also aesthetically powerful and is available in many different, unique & classy color combinations. Price at Rs. 4599 and above, the HEXRIDE collection is available across India and would also come to you with an option to purchase online at www.shop4reebok.com. For more details on the HEXRIDE TVC and campaign, you can also log on to www.reebokHEXRIDE.com
About Reebok India
Reebok started its operations in India in 1995. Headed by Managing Director Mr. Subhinder Singh Prem, Reebok India has a pan-India presence with branch offices in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore and is the market leader with 750 exclusive stores. The Company's brand vision is fulfilling potential, its mission - Always challenge and lead through creativity. Reeboks brand values are authentic, individualistic, courageous, empowering, innovative and real. Reebok has introduced its internationally acclaimed fitness programs in India, conducted under the banner of Reebok Instructor Alliance, which is dedicated to fitness instructors, personal trainers and health club owners. Reebok has trained and certified more then 1000 trainers till now.

More than 2500 placements and still going : LPU takes recession head-on

2009-05-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

Even in times of worldwide recession and economic slowdown, when the job market is squeezing, Lovely Professional University has come up with a striking performance on the front of job placements for its students. With the dint of an approach that aims to create professionals who excel in need based attributes required at the end of the industry, LPU accounts for nearly 2500 students who were placed by various national and multinational companies of repute. Nearly 300 companies have evinced interest in students of LPU, for placing the students. The maximum package accorded was 4.1 lakhs offered by ICICI Pru. Among the major recruiters were Indian Air Force, Aspire, Dabur, Reliance Communications, Max New York, Standard Chartered, Kotak, Bajaj Allianz, Bank of America, Royal Bank of Scotland, Genpact, SBI Life and HCL. Leading the pack was Aspire, which recruited a record number of 238 placements from the LPU Campus. Among other hefty recruiters were Royal Bank of Scotland (85), ICICI Pru (70), Indian Air Force (40), Bank of America (37) and Croy Bank International (33). The highest pay package offered was 4.1 lakhs to the 70 students recruited by ICICI Pru. The students of LPU also scored heavily in off campus placement drives, with 50 students getting success in grabbing lucrative offers. Commenting on the success of students in placement drive, Mr. Ashok Mittal, Chancellor-LPU said, “The placement record at LPU clearly establishes that efficient training of students and provision of quality education can beat any economic recession or other anomalies in the job market. Even in the leanest phases of recruitment scenarios, the companies do hire. What is required that the student should be deft enough in the skills desired at the end of the recruiters. And at LPU, we are very specific in giving our students those extra teeth.”

ESPN STAR Sports and Endemol Launch an Interactive Cricket Quiz Show -'Stumped'

2009-05-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, India, Friday, May 29, 2009 -- -- ESPN STAR Sports, Asia's leading sports broadcaster, will launch an interactive quiz show titled 'Stumped' starting June 01, 2009. Produced by leading production house - Endemol, 'Stumped' will be telecast on STAR Cricket every day of the week. This is the first time that sports channel is telecasting a LIVE interactive quiz. This hour long show will hosted by Indian model and television anchor Shonali Nagrani.
With a live format that entails a high level of viewer interactivity, the viewer/ cricket fan sitting at home is given the chance to play and win incredible prizes. The show will also have representation from Cricket stars as well as celebrities giving chance to Cricket fans to have an interaction on live television.
According to RC Venkateish, Managing Director, ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd., "There is a huge interest for an interactive Cricket based quiz show which allows fans to test their knowledge of the game while at the same time giving them an opportunity to win interesting prizes. Stumped is an attempt to fulfil this need. This show is also an extension of the live programming line-up during ICC World Twenty20."
We have already aired the show between 11 to 24th May with Wasim Akram as the Celebrity Guest to gauge the initial feedback. The response has been overwhelming from cricket lovers across the nation and we expect that the participation levels will be higher during the ICC World Twenty20."
On this occasion Mr. Deepak Dhar, Managing Director, Endemol says "India being one of the largest cricket loving nation, our venture into the sports entertainment arena with Stumped has been a planned one. At Endemol, our aim is to expand our expertise from being known as a non- fiction provider into various other genres. After a successful entry into fiction, the sports foray was a gradual yet determined progression. With the success of our sports entertainment production Stumped - we reinstate Endemol's position as a leading, multi-format, multi-genre content creator."
Former Pakistan Captain Wasim Akram, celebrity guest on Stumped said, "It is a unique program as the fans can interact live, answer live and win jackpots. In a country which has a Cricket expert in every house, the concept of Stumped will surely be lapped up. The initial 2 weeks were very exciting as despite almost no advertising we received innumerable calls from across the country."
Shonali, the host of show said, "I am glad to have been given the opportunity to host this spectacular show. The live interactive sessions are quite challenging but I love every moment of it."
Format of the show
In studio contestants go through two or three rounds of quizzing to compete for the money prize at stake. Between In-studio rounds, the host announces puzzles and quiz games that viewers at home can participate and win prizes. The viewers need to call a mobile number to participate in the games and contests. Stumped is fast and live and the winners are declared in the show itself. The host also covers an update on the happenings in the cricket world.
Stumped gives viewers a chance to keep themselves abreast with what's happening in the world of cricket and at the same time helps them win a host of prizes. Stumped is the ultimate TV destination for the cricket fan which offers an array of exciting games such as list game, clip game, grid game, name the teams, mixed up player, team player, spot the ball and many more. Stay tuned to STAR Cricket as the fever continues even in the month of June with the second season starting on 1st June 2009!

Mahindra Kick-Starts Two-Wheeler Foray with Flyte

2009-05-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, -- Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), part of the US $6.7 billion Mahindra Group, today introduced the Flyte as its first two-wheeler offering across all markets in India. This is part of the company's strategy following the acquisition of the business assets of Kinetic Motor Company in late 2008. With this foray, M&M now caters to customers across a wide portfolio of product categories ranging from two wheelers and three wheelers to utility vehicles, commercial vehicles and passenger cars.
The two-wheeler products will cater to the personal mobility requirements of customers across the country. Mahindra & Mahindra's stringent quality standards, which are a part of its customer centric approach, will be reflected in the Flyte.
Mr. Anoop Mathur, President - Two-wheeler Business, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, said, "The introduction of the Flyte marks the beginning of our two-wheeler foray. It will be our endeavour to present customers with more products that carry the quality and legacy of the Mahindra Group. We use the design and engineering services of all our affiliates including the Italy based Engines Engineering in all our product development work to give technologically superior products to our consumers. .
The Flyte is a 125cc automatic scooter that boasts of several class-defining features such as front fuelling, the largest storage space in its class and 4-in-1 anti-theft key. It has a powerful 125 cc engine and telescopic suspension which ensure a smooth ride. It will be available at 238 dealerships in tier 2 and 3 cities as the flagship model from Mahindra. This network will be increased over a period of time.
Mahindra is already the market leader in utility vehicles in India and makes a wide range of vehicles including MUVs, LCVs, passenger vehicles and three wheelers. The company offers customers over 20 models including new generation utility vehicles like the Scorpio and the Bolero. Over the years, Mahindra has been steadily growing in stature as an international automotive major with a footprint in several countries across the world.
About The Mahindra Group
The US $6.7 billion Mahindra Group is among the top 10 industrial houses in India. Mahindra is the market leader in multi-utility vehicles in India. It made a milestone entry into the passenger car segment with the Logan. Mahindra & Mahindra is the only Indian company among the top tractor brands in the world.
The Group has a leading presence in key sectors of the Indian economy, including the financial services, trade, retail and logistics, automotive components, after-market, information technology and infrastructure development. Mahindra has made an entry in the two-wheeler segment which will see the company emerge as a full-range player with a presence in almost every segment of the automobile industry.
Mahindra's Farm Equipment Sector is the proud recipient of the Japan Quality Medal, the only tractor company worldwide to be bestowed this honour. It also holds the distinction of being the only tractor company worldwide to win the Deming Prize. The US based Reputation
Institute recently ranked Mahindra among the top 10 Indian companies in its Global 200: The World's Best Corporate Reputations list.
Mahindra is also one of the few Indian companies to receive an A+ GRI checked rating for its first Sustainability Report for the year 2007-08.

InfoPrint Solutions Appoints New Vice President to Lead its Asia Pacific Business

2009-05-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2009 ---- InfoPrint Solutions Company, a joint venture between IBM and Ricoh, announced the appointment of Christopher Reid as Vice President and General Manager of its Asia Pacific operations headquartered in Singapore. Previously the Director of Global Solutions, Reid takes over this role from Benoit Chatelard, who was recently appointed Senior Vice President and General Manager of Europe, Middle East & Africa for the company.
Reid will be responsible for the strategic planning, business development and management of key functions for the region, including sales, channels, services, finance and marketing. In this role, he reports directly to Daisuke Segawa, President and CEO, InfoPrint Solutions Company. "We are delighted to have Chris leading our business in the fast-growing Asia Pacific region where InfoPrint has experienced significant growth over the last few years," said Mr. Segawa. "I am confident that Chris will take full advantage of the growth strategies already in place and under his capable leadership, our strong team in Asia Pacific will reach new heights."
During his tenure as Director of Global Solutions, Reid demonstrated the ability to drive long-term strategic programmes for InfoPrint's global production print segment and helped shape the company's solutions focus around TransPromo, Automated Document Factory, Direct Mail and Print on Demand.
"Nowhere else in our business is there more potential than in Asia Pacific, and I am delighted to be at the helm of this dynamic, growing organization," said Reid. "Across the Asia Pacific region, we are focused not only on meeting the needs of organisations for quick returns through leveraging effective output management solutions, we are, at the same time, focused on leading the next wave of innovation in Green IT by making Sustainability a reality. This two-pronged approach will underpin InfoPrint's next growth phase in Asia Pacific."
Reid has extensive experience in the printing industry, including monochrome and color CF technology with a unique blend of hands-on operations in IT, solutions marketing and sales. In addition, Reid has a detailed understanding of emerging technologies and global industry trends that are relevant to the Asia Pacific market.
Reid holds a Bachelors Degree from The University of Western Ontario in London Ontario, Canada.
About InfoPrint Solutions Company
InfoPrint Solutions Company, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, will bring to market the advantages IBM and Ricoh have in development, manufacturing, marketing and building strategic solutions for customers, creating a growth-oriented global enterprise that is strategically focused on the output market.
The InfoPrint Solutions Company portfolio includes solutions for production printing for enterprises and commercial printers as well as solutions for office workgroup environments and industrial segments. The company offers customers the highest quality output solutions that optimize productivity by providing efficient workflow and, at the same time, delivering low cost of ownership and high return on investment. Please visit www.infoprint.com for more information.

7Seas Technologies Releases Casual Online Game on Swine Flu "Swine Flu Killer"

2009-05-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, Tuesday, May 19, 2009 -- (Business Wire India) -- 7Seas Technologies Limited, a Hyderabad-based independent IP-based games development company, today announced the launch of its new casual online game on Swine Flu - a pandemic that wrecked havoc across the globe killing hundreds of people in Mexico - Swine Flue Killer.The game is available in its online gaming portal www.onlinerealgames.com.
To play this game, all a gamer needs to do is vaccinate as many patients as possible in time, kill the virus, save patients and become a Swine Flu Killer. To vaccinate a patient, simply click on the patient with the mouse. The more quicker a gamer's movements are while clicking on the patients, the more points he gains.
"We released a political game The Big Fight between Obama Vs McCain based on the US presidential elections. Prior to that was the launch of Operation Big Bang on the research being carried out by European scientists on the Big Bang theory which was followed by our recent release of more political games on the current Indian political scenario. Now, we are going to release one more game based on a current hot topic - Swine Flu that spread fears of outbreak globally.Our idea is to come up with more such games with newer concepts and provide entertainment to our gamers through our online gaming portal www.onlinerealgames.com," said Mr L.Maruti Shanker, managing director of 7Seas Technologies Limited.
About 7Seas Technologies Limited:
7Seas Technologies Limited is an independent IP-based game development company based out of Hyderabad. The company's online gaming portal www.onlinerealgames.com has about 300 casual games. 7Seas' another online gaming portal www.neodelight.com has over 400 casual games. 7Seas' online game 'Mouse Maze' has bagged the prestigious FICCI-BAF (Best of Animation Frances) award in the 'Best Online Game' category for 2008. 7Seas has also bagged the '2008 International Stevie Business Award' in the 'Best Website' category for its online gaming portal www.onlinerealgames.com.

Canon Successfully Executes 7th Season of 'Wings of Glory'

2009-05-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, India, Monday, May 18, 2009 ---- Canon India Pvt. Limited, India's No 1. Complete Digital Imaging Company successfully executed the 7th annual 'Wings of Glory' program for the year 2008 to reward its top-performing channel partners. Under this channel partner engagement program, partners were taken for a four day tour to Hong Kong and Macau along with a trip to Disney Land as a reward for their performance in the past financial year. 'Wings of Glory' was rewarded to acknowledge those partners who did more than Rs 1 crore business with Canon in the previous year and grew by over 30%.
Under this motivational program Canon rewarded its top 61 partners across its Channels from all product divisions. The goal of this unique programme is to build deep involvement , high motivation and bonding of Canon & its partners with a special relationship of collaborating in a unique "out of office" environment to help do "business with pleasure". This year Canon invited spouses to join to make "thanksgiving" to the family in contributing for high growth in 2008.Canon India's President & CEO, Senior Vice President, all Directors and National Sales Head across all the businesses aompanied the winners.
Commenting on the purpose behind organizing this event, Mr. Alok Bharadwaj, Senior Vice President-Canon India said, "As the name suggests Wings of Glory is to glorify the top performing partners with Canon and engage with them to motivate them to outperform themselves. It is one of Canon's Annual Property that focuses on the growth and business benefits of their esteemed partners. The performance for the last financial year is acknowledged through this platform. This initiative has been running for the past 7 years. The concept has been well accepted by the partners and the experience is being rated as the best in the industry." During the Awards night , the spouses were invited to receive the special plaque. We feel that instead of us , the spouse of the partners will be pushing them and encourage them to achieve the next year target. " , he further added.
Canon's 'Wings of Glory' is one of the most aspired channel relationship management programs in the industry. It has motivated partners to continuously better their performance and raise the bar for a better quality performance. The thrilling rewards also strengthens Canon's bond with them and helps recognize their efforts.
The three divisional heads namely , Mr. V P Sajeevan of Consumer System Products, Mr. Shunichi Senda of Image Communication Products and Mr. Rajeev Tewari of Business Imaging Solutions had individual sessions with respective channel partners during one of the days.
Canon in India
Canon's product portfolio extends over a vast variety of photocopiers, multi-functional peripherals, fax-machines, inkjet and laser printers, scanners, All-in-ones, digital cameras, camcorders , dye sub photo printers and multi media projectors, cable ID printers, semi conductors and card printers.
Canon India Pvt. Ltd. is a 100% subsidiary of Canon Singapore Pte. Ltd., a world leader in imaging technologies. Set up in 1997, Canon India markets over 140 comprehensive range of sophisticated contemporary digital imaging. The company today has offices in 7 cities, warehouses in 11 cities across India and employs over 700 people. Canon has over 300 primary channel partners 14 National Retail Chain partners, over 3000 secondary retail points including 270 National Retail Chain store partners & 33 Canon Care Centers. The sales staff saw a 30% % increase over 2008. Canon products are available in over 300 towns in India. Overall Canon's presence is expected to increase to 4000 outlets by December 2009.
Canon India closed 2008 with revenues of Rs. 665 crores, which marked 31% growth over 2007. Overall, Canon expects to touch revenue of 840 crores in 2009. Canon India has a Software Development Centre located in Noida as well as a design center at Bangalore. Canon India received the CII-EXIM Business Excellence Award for Strong commitment to excel.

Chik Satin Partners with Jagran Solutions to Empower The New Generation

2009-05-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, India, Monday, May 18, 2009 -- -- In its endeavour to outreach young girls, Cavin Kare with its superior range of shampoos, Chik Satin partnered with Jagran Solutions, India's leading new age marketing agency that provides solutions for Brand Activation via Consumer Connect Strategies. A marketing program was designed to reach out to more than 800 schools across Delhi & NCR, UP and Maharashtra to make young girls realize their dreams and the importance of Confidence in achieving the same.
That was how the Power of Confidence was brought alive among 4 lacs young girls of today.
Jagran Solutions conceptualised and designed the experiential marketing program: Chik Satin "Chhoo Loo Sitaaron Ko" with an objective of building positive self-belief in one-self in order to face the world confidently through personal grooming & hair care with Chik Satin. The program was supported by an inspirational audio-visual film on top Indian Women Achievers. The program received an overwhelming response making young girls express their dreams and how Confidence will empower them to achieve the same.
Ambika Sharma-National Head Jagran Solutions comments, "As we began the initiative we were clear to outreach young aspirant girls. With the evolving trends they are the key influencers, secondly; have an Intangible Want that needs to be fulfilled i.e. looking good for psychological security and self confidence is on top of their mind. As the brand Chik Satin aims at giving its users a feeling of confidence with gorgeous hair, with this program we were able to create a strategy that amalgamates brand values with customers' psychographics quite effectively & thereby creating a right connect."
According to Vineet Thakroo, Vice President, Marketing-Chik Satin, "brands are supposed to deliver positive values & enrich consumer's life. This activation successfully brought the brand essence: "Khule Baal Khuli Duniya's" true manifestation to real life & hence created an emotional connected with the consumer by becoming a part of their lives. Also, it created an intimate brand experience, touch & feel & brand interaction with its core target audience, over-all delivering a high return on investment in today's extremely dynamic marketing environment."
The program began in mid week of November 2008 and has reached its distribution phase. It will culminate in by the end of May 2009 by rewarding Scholarships to top three Confident Girls in each city. It can be looked as a marketing tool delivering brand propositions in an intact, novel & controlled manner.
About Jagran Solutions
Jagran Solutions is a new age marketing communications company which provides brand activation solutions via Consumer Connect Strategies. The group owns multimedia brands like, J9 Ventures providing VAS and mobile marketing solutions, Jagran Engage: OOH media solutions, I Next: tabloid for Youth. Jagran is a national agency and a pioneer in Integrated Marketing Communications specializing in Planning and Implementation of measurable Brand activations in India with offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai.
For more information, please log on to: www.jagransolutions.com

Unicon Investment recruits 38 MBAs from LPU.

2009-05-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

Unicon Investment Solutions, a financial services company conducted a placement program at Lovely Professional University, Phagwara and selected 38 MBA students. The students will join the Delhi-based company in the capacity of management trainees and will be accorded a pay package of Rs. 1.8 lakhs per annum. A total of 71 students took part in the selection test which comprised of a written test and a personal interview. Mrs. Rashmi Mittal, Executive Dean-LPU expressed her satisfaction at the result put forward by her students and said, “It is a welcome news that 38 of our students have been placed by Unicon. Time and again, the new generation of India has proved that the popular notion that recession hits job placements in colleges is an exaggeration.” She added that repeatedly, LPU's students have been placed in high numbers by reputed companies and the result this time also has kept with the tradition. She offered her best wishes to the successful students for bright professional careers ahead. Ms. Kirti, one of the successful students said the she is enthusiastic about her joining the financial services company which will offer her vast opportunities to learn about financial management.
UNICON is a professionally managed company, lead by a team with outstanding managerial acumen and cumulative experience of more than 200 years in the financial markets. With a customer base of over 200,000, the UNICON Group offers services in short term and long term financial needs through a comprehensive bouquet of investment services. These services range from offline & online trading in equity, commodities, currency derivatives to debt markets to corporate finance and portfolio management services. The company has a sizable presence in the distribution of 3rd party financial products like mutual funds, insurance products and property broking. It also provides expert Advisory on Life Insurance, General Insurance, Mutual Funds and IPO’s. The distribution network is backed by in-house back office support to provide prompt and efficient customer service.

FDPC and Apparel Brain Connect co-hosted a Fashion Show to Save the Planet

2009-05-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, India, Monday, May 18, 2009 -- -- FDPC and Apparel Brain Connect co-hosted an evening of go-green fashion show in the city yesterday. The fashion show was an ode to the global green fashion revolution. Globally renowned designer Katharine.E. Hamnett who has been knighted as "Queen of Green" by Vogue magazine also graced the occasion. Dr. J.N Singh - Joint Secretary Exports, Ministry of Textile was the guest of honor for the evening.
Katharine Hamnett has been working very closely on Organic since 1989 and her relationship with India based Vasudha Organic to promote organic & ethical fashion has been of tremendous support.
Mr. Vijay Singh CEO & General Secretary, FDPC said "We found the platform and extension to our views of promoting young and established designers who practice ethical fashion and whose business also help in preserving mothers nature bounty."
Raghavendra Rathore said "Katharine Hamnett's presentation hopefully will open up a lot of eyes and encourage the next generation of designers to use the very basic fabric of India "cotton" in a more ethical and responsible way by encouraging the organic-ness of various fabrics and FDPC will always stand behind such important endeavors."
The evening also saw strong presentations on sustaining textile and how use of organic products can help in saving environment. Some of the leading companies who lend support to the cause were:
Organic Exchange- Organic Exchange is a global organization committed to expanding organic agriculture, with a specific focus on increasing the production and use of organically grown fibers such as cotton.
Vasudha Organic- Vasudha, a project by Pratibha Syntex, one of the pioneers in organic farming in India.
Apparel online- Apparel Online, a fort nightly news magazine for the apparel and textile industry recognized for its content and respected for its global readership.
NAEC- (National Apparel Export House) an exporters cluster initiative for the industrial Hub of Noida in Delhi NCR to bring likeminded business houses under one roof.
Nitra- a Government of India Owned Research and testing laboratory having done research projects on Organic farming.
FDPC is a government body creating unique platforms for designers from all across the country. It enjoys undiluted support from six of the most vital government led bodies involved in promoting fashion retail, export and design development.
The evening culminated with a spectacular fashion show where leading designers like Raghavendra Rathore, Varun Bahl, Jai & Parvesh, and California based designer Kareena showcased their collection and pledged their support for ethical fashion in India.

Dell DesignStudio laptops

2009-05-08T00:58:00.000-07:00

Scholars Share Ideas about How Journalists Can Better Cover Race

2009-05-08T00:51:00.000-07:00

No doubt you've heard it before -- the complaint that reporters do a bad job covering race and ethnicity. It's not always easy to hear, but sometimes it's true.So, when more than two dozen experts met at the University of Oregon in April to talk about racial formation in the 21st century, I took the occasion to ask what reporters often do wrong when covering race, and how they could do better. Devon Carbado, professor of law at the University of California at Los Angeles, laid out some traps that all too easily ensnare us by muddling our writing and introducing bias: Thinking we all mean the same thing when we use the word "race." In "Racial Formation in the United States," the influential 1986 book that conferees had come to celebrate, authors Michael Omi and Howard Winant showed that race is not a fixed, stable or objective idea. Race is a set of categories that the American people continuously police, challenge and change. That means journalists must always ask what people mean by "race." We should probe and highlight the structures that shape the experience of race.Confusing "colorblindness" with race neutrality. They're not the same. "Colorblindness" is a political philosophy that race should not and does not matter. Critics argue that it actively overlooks unconscious bias, institutional inequities, and cultural differences. A "race-conscious" philosophy attempts to address social and historical inequities by remedying these factors. Critics argue that "race-conscious" ideology is discriminatory and undermines meritocracy.
Using "racial preference" as a synonym for "affirmative action." Affirmative action came into being as a way to equalize opportunity and correct a systemic preference for whites. Instead of giving preference, it is a race-conscious remedy intended to undo preference.The historians, anthropologists, sociologists, lawyers and political scientists at the meeting also offered some tips for more insightful coverage: Learn to recognize race when it's not obvious. In reporting on the torture at Abu Ghraib, for example, most journalists focus on questions about the legality or morality of the practice or decision-making at the top. But the story also should be about race, says Sherene Razack from the University of Toronto. When supporters claim that "harsh interrogation" is a necessity because of Arabs' unique ideological, religious and cultural differences, they are making a racial argument. Sometimes it takes courage to add racial depth to a story, even when it begs for it.Address inequality on a regular basis, suggested Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, a sociologist at Duke University. "Race still matters in every aspect of our lives," he said. It's not just a historical problem, but lived out routinely in schools, workplaces and newsrooms every day.
Recognize the difference between inequality and discrimination, Bonilla-Silva added. Notice when your own work, and the words and phrases you use, create a discriminatory "racial grammar," as he puts it, that elevates white people's concerns above others. When is the missing child "beautiful"? When are victims "innocent"? When is violence normal and when is it "shocking"? The experts who met at the University of Oregon have put decades of their lives into trying to understand race. We should expect the subject to be elusive, they remind us. We should expect it to be troublesome. But if we ignore it, they warn, we paint over the realities of American experience and join in the process of "whitewashing" our collective story.

MEGAN FOX

2009-05-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

3000 Children will Paint their Dreams on the Canvas on 7th May, World AIDS Orphans Day

2009-05-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 06, 2009 ---- In India, 3000 children and youth will take part in national level painting competition to celebrate World AIDS Orphans Day (WAOD). The event is being organised by FXB Suraksha, which is primarily supported by FXB International. WAOD was initiated in 2002 by Albina du Boisrouvray, President and Founder of FXB International, to bring attention to the millions of children left in the wake of the AIDS pandemic. This year the theme of the competition is 'My Dream'. Among the participants there are children from schools, slums and even children affected by HIV/AIDS. The painting competition aims to provide a platform for children to express, share and establish their feelings and ideas. This platform is also used to educate children about their rights as listed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Almost every country has agreed to these rights and India is one of them.
It has been estimated that globally every 15 seconds, a child loses a parent to AIDS. AIDS orphans are most vulnerable towards the HIV pandemic. They face the risk of finding themselves without shelter, stigmatized and exposed to disease as well as to all forms of violence and exploitation. To bring the plight of these hapless children to the notice of all, and to mobilize attention of governments and communities, FXB launched a global movement to celebrate 7th May as World AIDS Orphans' Day.
Why honour World AIDS Orphans Day (WAOD)? Because more than 25 million children worldwide have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Behind the statistics are millions of stories of children suffering. The AIDS orphans crisis has a catastrophic impact on households and communities - deepening poverty and exacerbating hardship. The extended family remains the only safety net for most affected children. Households are usually overwhelmed and are often unable to meet Children's most basic needs.
Mr. Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary General, had offered his personal support to this campaign. In 2002, Albina du Boisrouvray presented then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan with a symbolic safety net containing signatures of two million people around the world urging government to act now to effectively address the needs of millions of HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children. Since then, the celebration of 7th May as the World AIDS Orphans' Day has gained support from various countries, and prominent leaders and communities from several states in India. Providing care to AIDS orphans and vulnerable children as a part of their inherent rights has been a key message emphasized by the movement all over the world. The Day is observed in most of the states in the country, and a few of the states have issued official Gazette Notifications recognizing the day.
FXB India Suraksha is a non-profit section 25 company working for the rights of Children and their families affected by HIV/AIDS. Mr. Gourisankar Ghosh, CEO FXB India Suraksha, states that "many of these children which FXB Suraksha works with are deprived of protection, support and love, without household stability or educational opportunity. These children often face malnutrition, discrimination, abuse and HIV infection." The overall strategy of FXB Suraksha is the practical implementation of the inextricable link between Health and Human Rights in the daily lives of its beneficiaries through an integrated approach of income-generation activities with health, nutrition and education support particularly to orphans and vulnerable children.
The theme for WAOD 2009 is "20th anniversary of the Convention of Child's Rights" and "FXB's 20 years of support for AIDS orphans and vulnerable children."

Creatigies and Leander Sport Connect Reebok and Sri Lankan Cricket

2009-05-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, May 06, 2009-- -- Three-year contract between Reebok India and SL Cricket
-- Lanka market leader set to enhance its visibility
-- Play Dry fabric kits for --- members of the national squad
-- Jersey designed by Reebok and unveiled in Colombo
Reebok India and Sri Lanka Cricket on April 30th 2009 signed a three-year contract for the sports goods giant to be the outfitter of the national cricket team. Reebok has taken on the mantle to provide the entire team with state-of-the-art apparel, footwear and equipment to empower the team to fulfill its real potential.
The new jersey was made public at a press conference organized by the Sri Lankan Cricket Board. The colors of the jersey take inspiration from the Sri Lankan flag.
Reebok is the market leader in Sri Lanka and plans to expand its retail presence in the country. This tie up will enhance Reebok's visibility while strengthening its market leadership in Sri Lanka.
"When Creatigies Communications and Leader Sport approached Reebok with this idea, we believed this would be the perfect springboard for taking Reebok's market leadership to a higher level in Sri Lanka" said Mr. Subhinder Singh Prem, Managing Director, Reebok India.
Reebok dominates cricket in the Indian sub-continent. It has emerged as the market leader in Cricket Sports Goods Industry in India with over 25% market share in the cricket bat market. Current sport icons like MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajjan Singh and Irfan Pathan have all been Reebok brand ambassadors from the time they started their career. Also, upcoming athletes such as Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma , Gautam Gambhir , Yusuf Pathan , Piyush Chawla , Robin Uthappa and many others are part of the Reebok family.
Reebok is also the official outfitter of four IPL teams namely Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings XI and Bangalore Royal Challenge.
Speaking at the unveiling of the new jersey, Mr. D S de Silva, Chairman, Sri Lanka Cricket. said: "We are extremely happy to be associated with the number one sports brand, Reebok. This association will help equip our players with world - class kitting for them to perform at the highest level."
Mr. Subhinder Singh Prem, Managing Director, Reebok India Company, said, "This truly is a defining moment for us. We believe that the game is all that matters and through this association we have brought Reebok's expertise and experience in cricket to the Sri Lankan team. We bring to the players world class kitting which boats of high-end technology that will help the player to perform better. This association will also help to further strengthen the market leadership position that Reebok enjoys in the country. We have worked closely with Creatigies over many years and value the innovations and opportunities they have constantly brought to the brand".
Mr. Charith Senanayake, Head of Marketing, Sri Lanka Cricket, in his vote of thanks, appreciated the efforts of Ara Pararajasingham of Leander Sport, and Navroze Dhondy of Creatigies Communications in making this partnership happen.
"Subhinder has always been a good friend and a supporter of India Davis Cup. Now we have managed to sign up Reebok's 1st CountryTeam sponsor in Sri Lanka Cricket," said Leander Paes, the inspiration and financial muscle behind of Leander Sport.
Navroze Dhondy, CEO, Creatigies Communications, who has been long been involved with cricket-marketing from the early days of the Hero Cup to the recent DLF IPL said , "Reebok and Sri Lanka Cricket are a perfect fit. They both symbolize success and energy, attitudes and attributes that are in total sync"
"Working in tandem with Creatigies, and getting Reebok, an icon brand around the world, and the clear market leader in India to outfit of the Sri Lanka Cricket team clearly helps it spread its dominance" said Ara Pararajasingham, CEO Leander Sport.
The jersey is made from Play Dry fabric, a Reebok patented technology, which reduces cling and enables the skin to breathe better. The fabric is designed to dry sweat, which leads to better moisture management and is extremely light, so that the player isn't carrying additional weight that may hamper performance. Over the period of a match, this means greater comfort, as the players remain drier.

MoU Between LPU & SFSU

2009-05-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

Anti-Taliban Protest in delhi

2009-05-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

Activation Brings the Brand Alive -- Stated Ms. Ambika Sharma, of Jagran Solutions, As a Member in a Panel Discussion in 101 Markets 2009

2009-05-04T03:19:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Monday, May 04, 2009 ---- Afaqs organized 101 Markets India beyond the metros 2009 yesterday. The conference had discussions to examine and discuss "The best strategies to fully exploit the market potential of small town India".
Ambika Sharma, National Head of Jagran solution, was one of the eminent speakers from the industry who spoke on the right media mix for cracking the challenge of India beyond the metros.
As a prominent member of the Panel discussion Ambika Sharma threw light on Activating Brands in 101 markets and getting the balance right. According to her, Activation helps in bridging gap between consumers and brands via an experiential proposition.
Today marketers are concerned about the product reaching to the right TG, so they have started looking for unique ways of promoting their brands to grab consumer mindshare and hold their attention through activations. Unlike advertising that has a ratio of one to many, activation has one to one ratio that determines a direct influence on the consumer preference and thus his purchase pattern.
Markets are fragmented and it is essential to have a clear understanding of consumer behaviour and focused consumer insight. The existing market is filled with various options, so an awareness of the product has to be created in a relevant manner. Therefore any successful activation should be able to deliver the right message to the consumer, enabling him with a clear reason to choice.
Its prime objective is to create a bond between the consumer and the product. It is a process that starts with the interaction or getting in touch with the consumer and sustains it till the consumer is loyal towards the product.
Ambika strongly believes "Activation doesn't work in salios. In fact it is the most flexible platform wherein all the existing media vehicles can be seamlessly integrated to create a long lasting brand salience."
She gave an example of a successful campaign of Microsoft Go A-Live Challenge executed by Jagran Solutions. The campaign focussed on increasing the base of email ids. They touch based with 71 cities across India and generated 3.5 lacs ids. Through this campaign the net base of Microsoft increased to 15%. This was achieved with an in-depth understanding of the market, the product as well as the consumer behaviour, all combined with a strong concept and execution delivered success.
Thus activations can be effectively used to promote brands, engage its consumers, deliver brand experience & create returns in a measured manner. The key to any successful activation is to optimize ROI (Return on Investment).
She also believes in laying down the objectives clearly and then start chasing them with a well thought out plan.
About Jagran Solutions
Jagran Solutions is a new age marketing communications company which provides brand activation solutions via Consumer Connect Strategies. The group owns multimedia brands like, J9 Ventures providing VAS and mobile marketing solutions, Jagran Engage: OOH media solutions, I Next: tabloid for Youth. Jagran is a national agency and a pioneer in Integrated Marketing Communications specializing in Planning and Implementation of measurable Brand activations in India with offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai.

Be Prepared for a Possible Second Wave of Swine Flu - UK Health Secretary

2009-05-04T03:10:00.000-07:00

AVOID IT, CATCH IT, BIN IT AND KILL IT
The number of confirmed cases of swine flu in the UK has risen to 15 as health chiefs await the results of more than 600 tests for the disease. In the USA, as of 1st May, 2009, 141 cases have been confirmed in 19 states across the US. There has been one death in a 23-month-old child in Texas with an underlying high risk medical condition.
London, UK – Since the Swine flu (H1N1 virus) took its first human victim in Mexico on April 13th, health authorities around the world have been doing their best to contain its spread. However all pandemics comes in two phases and the second phase, when the weather gets colder, is always much more serious, for which we must be prepared, the UK Health Secretary said today. Speaking on the Andrew Marr show this morning, Alan Johnson, UK Health Secretary said, "But you know our evidence from all previous pandemics is you get two phases - so you get a first wave, which is often very mild, and then you get a much more serious wave that comes along in the autumn and the winter. So we have to not just deal with this outbreak now, but prepare perhaps for a second phase further down the line."When asked if he had any sense of how high the numbers could go up in the UK, Mr Johnson said, "No we don't because, as yet, the scientists can't make a prediction. That's why the World Health Organisation is keeping this at phase five, while an awful lot of work goes on to determine how this might spread and how many people might be involved." He added, "..our job is always to make sure people understand the seriousness of the situation without becoming unduly alarmed. So the stage we're at at the moment is a stage of containment."
The number of confirmed cases of swine flu in the UK has risen to 15 as health chiefs await the results of more than 600 tests for the disease. In the USA, as of 1st May, 2009, 141 cases have been confirmed in 19 states across the US. There has been one death in a 23-month-old child in Texas with an underlying high risk medical condition.Mr Johnson repeated the following advice for how to respond to the current wave of the swine flu, "But it's the advice that comes from the Second World War once again, which is catch it, bin it, kill it. You know it's good hygiene. It's covering your… using a tissue if you're blowing your nose, disposing of it effectively and then washing your hands. So they're simple messages, but they're the messages actually on public health that have never been bettered. They're the old messages, but they're as relevant today as they were then."

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Bhaichung Bhutia's Love for a Mahindra Off-Roader Fulfilled

2009-05-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Kolkota, West Bengal, India, Thursday, April 30, 2009 -- -- Bhaichung Bhutia, India's football captain, received the Scorpio Getaway Lifestyle - a customized concept of the Scorpio Getaway, from senior Mahindra officials in a special ceremony held in the city today.
"We are thrilled to customize the Scorpio Getaway Lifestyle concept for Bhaichung which, for him, represents the fulfilment of a long cherished childhood dream. With its sporty, stylish looks and go anywhere capability, the Scorpio Getaway Lifestyle is the perfect offroad vehicle for those who seek thrill and adventure. A high degree of customisation also makes it the ideal choice for Bhaichung to make a personalised style statement," said Mr. Vivek Nayer, Senior Vice President - Marketing, Automotive Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
"My love affair with offroad vehicles began with Mahindra. I grew up in the hills of Sikkim and one of my fondest childhood memories is of my father and me going for long drives through tea plantations and rugged terrain in a Mahindra.. Ever since then I have always dreamt of owning an offroad vehicle that would be suitable for both the city as well as the hills. Life has now come full circle and I am absolutely delighted to receive my very own, personalised Scorpio Getaway Lifestyle concept from Mahindra which will help me relive the days of my youth," said Indian skipper, Bhaichung Bhutia.
A recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri and Arjuna Awards, Bhaichung Bhutia is already a legendary figure in Indian football and captain of the national team. In 1999, he was voted Asian (AFC) Player of the Month and also received the Sikkim State Award for his contribution to the sport.
The Scorpio Getaway Lifestyle concept is built on the Scorpio Getaway platform which is available in both 2WD and 4WD variants and is powered by the technologically advanced 115 hp CRDe engine. It is also BS-III compliant. Customised body paint, along with styled wheel arches and auxiliary lamps give the Scorpio Lifestyle a sporty stance. This is further enhanced by a motorised sunroof and stainless steel guards for the front, rear and sides of the vehicle. The cargo bay with a motorised cover comes in handy on long camping trips as it provides ample storage space and also protects cargo in case of rain.
The vehicle's imposing exterior is aptly complemented by plush, custom painted interiors with custom stitched leather upholstery. Additional features include an MP3 music system with speakers, an iPod docking station and a reverse camera with sensors.

KIA X Games Asia Kicks Off to Winning Start

2009-05-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Thursday, April 30, 2009 ---- KIA X Games Asia, the number one action sports competition in Asia, looks certain to start off on a winning note with another impressive line up of world class athletes for the third consecutive year, as the KIC Jiangwan Sports Center opened its gates to enthusiastic crowds today.
This year's event will see the return of renown athletes Andy Macdonald, the current KIA X Games Skateboard Vert defending champion, who shares the honor of having the most number of X Games skateboard medals; Kevin Robinson, X Games 14's Athlete of the Games, and the Yasutoko brothers
"We are excited to be back in China, and thrilled by the enthusiasm of Shanghai and the high level of competition we will be treated to from this world-class field of athletes," said Harvey Davis, ESPN STAR Sports Vice-President, Events Management Group. "The standard is set higher every year, and we look forward to giving fans another exhilarating event, as we continue our commitment to serve action sports fans across the region."
The first day of the KIA X Games Asia kicked off with the exciting finals of the BMX Freestyle Vert and Women's Speed Climbing, along with the Skateboard Street Preliminary round on a spanking new street course.
Australian Tim Wood stood head above shoulders over a diverse list of international riders from the United States, United Kingdom and the Asia-Pacific region, taking top spot at the BMX Freestyle Vert podium. It was sweet victory for last year's bronze medallist, as he overcame a tough fall on his first run with a brilliant performance in the second run to clinch the gold, while earning the respect from his fellow competitors. Simon Tabron of the United Kingdom won the silver medal while Australian Steve McCann rounded out the podium with the bronze.
In the Women's Speed Climbing event, representatives from Eastern Europe dominated the field and swept the competition. The nail-biting final was won by a split second lunge by Russian climber Valentina Yurina, edging out Ukrane's Olena Ryepko to take home her first KIA X Games Asia gold medal. Yurina's fellow Russian teammate, Anna Stenkovaya took home the bronze.
The KIA X Games Asia 2009 will showcase more than 200 of Asia's and the world's best action sport athletes from more than 20 countries and five continents as they compete in BMX freestyle, Aggressive In-line Skating, Skateboarding and Sport Climbing. In addition to the competitive events, Shanghai, China will also enjoy Freestyle Moto X demonstrations by some of the world's best riders.
The KIA X Games Asia will be televised live from Shanghai's KIC Jiangwan Stadium on April 30 - May 3, 2009 on ESPN networks across Asia.

Feeding the Hungry on the Streets of London….

2009-04-29T05:10:00.000-07:00

London, UK : Feed the Hungry volunteers celebrated the Sikh festival of vasakhi by serving Langgar (food cooked in a Sikh community kitchen) to some 200 Londoners at homeless shelters and on the streets of central London on Saturday 11th April 2009. The hot food, comprising red bean curry and rice, salad and rice pudding, which was prepared and packed by the volunteers at the Central Gurdwara ( Sikh place of worship) in Holland Park, went down well on a nippy London evening, which inspired an atmosphere of humility and community spirit.

Thirty two UNITED SIKHS volunteers were joined by volunteers from Langgar London, Rajinder Singh and Vineet Kaur, who had been serving London’s homeless for the past year. Each volunteer had something different to bring to the day. Indeed for Dr Lakhbir Singh, who accompanied his wife, Harbans Kaur, to the Central Gurdwara to prepare the Langgar, it was the first time he had metha-taek (bow in prayer) in the prayer hall without the use of his wheelchair, since a car accident in 2007. “We were very touched that we were able to join the volunteers who served langgar at the shelters and the streets in Central London. My husband never thought he would ever walk again near his former workplace in Central London, where he once worked as an ophthalmologist,” said Harbans Kaur.

The ‘food run’ was indeed a race with time as the volunteers split up into groups to make it on time for dinner at three shelters in the east-end before meeting up to feed the homeless on the streets and under the bridges in the west-end in London’s Strand, Charing Cross and Waterloo areas by 7pm.


Volunteers preparing Langgar

The volunteers were touched by the warm welcome from the residents at the Dellow Centre in Tower Hamlets, the Hopetown Centre and the Booth House in Whitechapel and the Heather Lodge in Bow, who were curious about the identity of the volunteers who wore turbans and their articles of faith.

Although visiting homeless shelters is a sobering experience in itself, it is impossible not to feel moved by the gratitude of many of the people we served. One gentleman remarked on behalf of his fellow rough sleepers, “Thank you very much, we all really appreciate it what you are doing…ohh lovely rice pudding (kheer) can I have some more please?”

The volunteers congregated near Waterloo Bridge in high spirits despite the rain to look for more homeless near the South Bank Centre and by 10.00pm were happy that collectively they had fed the hungry and their own souls. Watch a video clip of the evening of street feeding at http://www.unitedsikhs.org/film-uk/FEEDTHEHOMELESS.mov


Volunteers preparing Langgar

Volunteer Harsharon Kaur said afterwards, “The Feed the Hungry seva on Saturday was my first time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have for some time been thinking of setting up a project which feeds the hungry and Saturday really made my dream come true. I would like to help out with these projects on a regular basis.”

“This Feed the Hungry event not only reassured us that someone had not gone hungry for the evening, but we felt we were recognizing the human race as one,” said Ram Simar Kaur, a UNITED SIKHS volunteer, who will now join every monthly Feed The Hungry event in London. The next one is on 23rd May2009, to celebrate the 530th birth anniversary of Guru Amardas, the third Sikh Guru, the details for which are here.

“UNITED SIKHS will serve langgar at the Hopetown Centre to commemorate a Sikh festival or historic event every month. We will also feed the homeless on the streets on separate occasions,” said Gurpreet Kaur, UNITED SIKHS’ Feed the Hungry coordinator, who said that the manager of the Hopetown Centre has requested that that the volunteers make a presentation on ‘Who Are the Sikhs’, on 23rd May 2009.

WANTED

2009-04-27T00:56:00.000-07:00

criminals wanted by jalandhar police division no. 7

Hard Kaur - the Punjabi international rock star

2009-04-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

The two day tech fest of Lovely Professional University "Rudraksh" ended on Sunday, on a high note of innovation in technology and its implementation in making human live more interesting. The festival show cased the best of students in more than a dozen contests, which revolved around the concept of technological applications. The program was inaugurated on Saturday by Shri Ashok Mittal - Chancellor, Lovely Professional University where during his inaugural speech he commended the effort of students for taking such initiative. The student-managed show saw a host of technical and fun oriented programs on day-1, with students participating in contests like Ad mad show, chess express, clay molding, jod-tod, page n brin, biotech business plan, photo cropped, group fight and Avon cycling competition. Among major events of day-2, were wizards of war, street painting, water rocket/suspension rocket/bridge display and Art of simple idea. The fest witnessed heavy crowds from within the University and outside. More than 1000 visitors visited the fest from almost 70 different colleges from across India. Mr. Rajan, a visitor from an Institute in Delhi said, "It was astonishing to see the creativity and imagination of students. I was surprised to see their abilities, and this has made me become optimistic about the future of Indian tech education in times to come." Mrs Rashmi Mittal, Executive Dean-LPU gave away the awards to the winning students at the end of the program and said, "Knowledge is best understood and disseminated, not through books but through practical applications and interesting demonstrations of the same. Rudraksh was an attempt on part of the LPU to uphold the importance of meaning of technology in the daily lives of all of us." She congratulated the organizers for the success of the program and declared that the University will come with a bigger success in coming year with the second version of Rudraksh. The attraction of the evening was the musical evening by rock sensation Hard Kaur. Dubbed as being the first female Indian rapper, and the first female Punjabi rapper; Hard Kaur gave an electrifying performance full of music, dance, zest and excitement. In a program of more than three hours, she made the young students dance to nearly 20 smash hits from her albums. Twenty four Fashion Technology students of LPU displays the best of their talent at Fashion Show There were different rounds based on variety of themes. Everybody enjoyed the show.

AAM ADAMI

2009-04-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

A poor man catches a fish

Wife can't cook due to......

No gas

No electricity

No oil

Man puts fish back in river

Fish comes up & shouts

BADAL SARKAR ZINDABAD