Silken Splendour in City!

Former Miss Vizag Dr Sindhura Kaviti Inaugurates Silk India Expo- 2016 @ The Gateway Hotel

Vishakhapatnam, March 31st 2016: Former Miss Vizag Sindhura Kaviti formally Inaugurated Silk India Expo-2016, at The Gateway Hotel (Taj), Godavari Hall, Beach Road. A 5-day Exposition, Which is organized by Hastashilpi - Artisans and weavers welfare Association-Mysore. The Expo will be on till 4th of April. 2016. “It’s glad to see various apparel, particularly Silk saris, Silk designer ware products to be showcased in city under one roof" said, Sindhura Kaviti.

“Various Silk Saris Weavers, Handloom Clusters and Silk Co-operative Societies showcasing products, The intension of the organization is to make accessible and attain the products directly to the customers, without the mediators to the weavers and artisans" said, organizer Abhinand.

Many Products from over all India...

Hand Block Print Saris, Suit & Silk Bed Covers, Designer ware & Border, Lazes, Kurtis, Hand Woven Matka & Assam Muga Fabrics, Apoorva Silk Saris, Baluchuri Saris, Embroidered designer silk saris and dress materials, Bhagalpur suits, Printed Silk Saris, Reshmi plain and Butti saris, Karnataka Silk Saris, Maheswari, Chanderi Silk Saris & Suit and Kota silk, Mulberry silk with temple border, Banaras Jamdani, Hand-woven saris on display.

Mysore Silk Saris, Crepe & Georgette Silk Saris, Chiffon Silk Saris, Tassar silk sarees and suit, Kanchipuram Silk Saris & Wedding Saris, Designer fancy Saris, Darmavaram Silk Saris, Raw Silk & Tassar, Jute Silk Saris, Dhaka Silk Saris, Handloom Silk Cotton Saris, Silk Blends Saris & Stole, Silk Shawls, Silk Blends Fabrics/ Furnishing, Uppada, Gadwal Silk Saris and much many more products throughout country in this exposition.

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MapR Recognized with Geographical Region Award as ISV Partner of the Year at Cisco Partner Summit 2016

Chennai, 31 March 2016 – MapR Technologies, Inc., provider of the industry’s only Converged Data Platform, announced today that it is the recipient of a Cisco® Partner Summit Geographical Region award for ISV Partner of the Year, Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ). Cisco revealed the winners during its annual partner conference that took place earlier this month in San Diego, California.

Awarded to exemplary channel partners, the Cisco Partner Summit Geographical Region awards are designed to recognize best-in-class business practices and serve as a model to the industry within their respective regions. Areas of consideration include innovative practices, architecture-led approach successes, strategic business outcome-focused programs, seizing new opportunities and sales approaches.

“Cisco is proud to work together with leading partners globally to lead innovation and digital transformation everywhere and create new solutions and business models for our customers,” said Ruma Balasubramanian, vice president, Asia Pacific and Japan Partner Organization at Cisco. “It is an honor to recognize MapR Technologies with a Cisco Partner Summit Geographical Region award as ISV Partner of the Year, further underscoring its stellar accomplishments in the Asia Pacific and Japan region.”

“MapR is committed to its strategic relationship with Cisco and enabling joint customers to deploy innovative, global big data applications,” said Martin Darling, vice president, Asia Pacific and Japan, MapR Technologies. “We are extremely proud of our achievements and successes with Cisco and honored to receive this prestigious award.”

Cisco Partner Summit Geographical Regional awards reflect the top-performing partners within specific technology markets across the geographical region. All award recipients are selected by a group of Cisco Global Partner Organization and regional executives.

From L to R: Manny Singh, Neha Dhupia and RC Dalal

New Delhi, 31st March, 2016: India Fashion Week London(IFWL), which is scheduled to take place from October 15,2016, will include periphery events in different places crosswise over London, ranging from VIP jewellery launch to well known authors on Indian design facilitating workshops on the different styles and patterns seen on catwalks.

With a net worth of more than Rs 1,000 crore, India's fashion industry is all set to grow and prosper with the passage of time. 

With a breakthrough in the Indian fashion world, India's JD Institute of Fashion Technology has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with India Fashion Week London (IFWL), which is scheduled to happen in October to celebrate Asian fashion by popular designers.

The signing up of the Memorandum will provide a gateway to the institute's alumni to display their collections at the international level, and its students who are pursuing their education will get a chance to become the next Gen Star by displaying their talent.

"The Indian apparel industry is worth $40 billion and growing 13 per cent every year. It is great to see Indian designers getting a platform like IFWL. This is a great opportunity for all the students of JD Institute to showcase their talent globally. This year North-east India will be in focus where people will see the traditional clothing of North-East like Sherdukpen shawls and Apatani jackets," said, RC Dalal, executive director of JD Institute of Fashion Technology.

Director of IFWL, Manny Singh, said, ”We want to bridge the gap to encourage Indian designers to use this platform to showcase their collections as well as promoting British Asian talent. It gives a great boost and confidence when you get support from India’s largest fashion design college.”

Face of IFWL, Neha Dhupia, said“India Fashion Week London is a great platform for consumers to come together and see brilliant designers under one roof. I feel that as a community we love to touch and feel the products that we want to buy and now they can do that.”

India Fashion Week London has been conceived and created with a vision to provide a global platform for existing and upcoming Indian designers from around the world.

EXCLUSIVE: BASELWORLD 2016 FREDERIQUE CONSTANT MANUFACTURE PERPETUAL CALENDAR

Ever since the creation of Frederique Constant, Swiss made fine watchmaking has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for its founders, both whom deeply admire and respect the mechanical ingenuity and the refined aesthetic of Swiss watches. For this reason, the independent family-owned brand decided to create its own in-house movement and launched in 2004 the Heart Beat Manufacture calibre. As a company, the passionate watchmaker Frederique Constant doesn't rest on its past achievements but makes it a point of honour to continue to innovate, by exploring new possibilities. Indeed, with already 19 movements in its name, which are entirely, designed, produced and hand-assembled in the Manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates. Frederique Constant continues, every year, to add movements to its in-house collection; and this year is no exception.

After introducing the first Swiss made Horological Smartwatch, powered by MotionX® last year, Frederique Constant is pushing out the boundaries of innovation once more.

This year, Frederique Constant is investing a new field of mechanical perfection by creating its first in-house perpetual calendar with the Manufacture Perpetual Calendar. A mechanical wonder that will keep track on all the days of our lives for a century at a time.

Designed in keeping with classical watchmaking principles, updated with innovative 21st century techniques the Manufacture Perpetual Calendar of Frederique Constant has been entirely created to meet customers requirements, which are : robustness, reliability and easy to adjust.

The in-house movement encased in this watch, was entirely created by Manuel Da Silva Matos, R&D director, and PimKoeslag, technical director of Frederique Constant, after two years of research and development, a creative tandem who constantly surprise us by the technical mastery displayed in their timepieces.

PERPETUAL CALENDAR Mechanism

The Frederique Constant Manufacture Perpetual Calendar is one of the most innovative yet easy to assemble perpetual calendar watch ever produced. The designers used the latest technology in the design of the movement parts. The calculations and the machines used to make the parts are state of the art and very precise.

Produced and assembled by the Frederique Constant watchmakers in our Plan-les-Ouates ateliers, the Manufacture Perpetual Calendar beats thanks to the new in-house FC-775 automatic calibre, which drives the hour and minute hands along with the perpetual calendar. The FC-775 calibre measures just 6,7mm thick, beats at a Frequency of 4 HZ (28'8000 vibrations per hour), has 26 jewels and a 38-hour power reserve.

The finishing of the 191 parts, produced with the Frederique Constant CNC machines makes sure that this timepiece is a reliable gage of long-term functionality.

Inset buttons on both sides of the case are used to easily adjust the calendar mechanism. One button near 5 o'clock advances the moonphase, while another near 8 o'clock is used for the date of the week, and the one button at 10 o'clock advances the day and date simultaneously. When you adjust your perpetual calendar, you need to set the date first and then the day. To finish, the button near 11o'clock displays the month and the leap year at the same time. The hour and minute functions are adjustable through the crown. Once adjusted, this highly sophisticated mechanism will take into account the months with 30 and 31 days, the 28 days of February and also the leap year cycle with the return of 29 February every four years.

Normally this watch shouldn't require any manual correction before 400 years, but as there is an exception in the Gregorian Calendar, the watch will need to be adjusted on March 1st 2100, which would have been be a leap year.

Appreciated as a masterpiece in its simplicity and refinement, the perpetual calendar shows the lunar cycles but also the minutes, hours, date, day, month and leap year in four digits.

Loyal to the signature codes of the Slimline collection, the Manufacture Perpetual Calendar calibre will be fitted according to your choice between rose gold plated or stainless steel case of 42mm.

The three first models of the Manufacture Perpetual Calendar range are presented with a very clean and pure dial, either silver or blue with the button-hour markers matching the color of the case. These beautiful models are capable of finding their way unscathed though passing and successive eras.

All dressed in the finest robes, these 3 new models are fitted with a sapphire case back enabling to admire the FC-775 movement with its Perlage& Circular Côtes de Genève decoration and with a case water-resistant to 3 ATM. These magnificent timepieces are enhanced with a brown or black alligator strap and are presented in a luxurious wooden gift box.

The Frederique Constant Manufacture Perpetual Calendar is not only a great timepiece of haute Horlogerie but is a beautiful time keeper that you can imagine your grandchildren's children still wearing and cherishing in the future. As a family owned Watch Company, it was important for Frederique Constant not to create a simple watch but a real legacy for the future generation with a price range more than attractive.

Demand for Always-On Enterprise leads to Veeam’s 150 percent growth in enterprise revenue in 2015

Mumbai, India, 31 March 2016: Veeam^® Software, the innovative provider of solutions that deliver Availability for the Always-On Enterprise™, today announced the expansion of its international operations to include three offices in India – Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Headquartered in Mumbai, these new offices will tap growth opportunities, expand market presence and deliver faster response to customers and partners. As a testimony of the India market potential, Veeam’s total bookings revenue in India grew by more than 50 percent in 2015, compared to the previous year. Whereas, the enterprise revenue grew by more than 154 percent for the same period.

According to a recent report from research analyst Gartner, ‘the Indian data centre infrastructure market will total $2 billion in 2016. Storage modernisation and consolidation, backup and recovery, and disaster recovery are some of the key drivers to this market, and they are likely to remain relevant drivers over the forecast period through 2019. This makes India a strategic growth market for Veeam globally.

“We are deeply committed to the Indian market and the establishment of a strong in-country presence is testament to this,” said Gregg Petersen, Regional Director, Middle East and SAARC at Veeam. “CIOs in India are modernising their data centres to cope with today’s cloud, virtualization, big data, mobility and social trends, so they recognise that legacy backup systems are no longer good enough. They need holistic availability solutions, and Veeam has proven it can meet the Always-On demands of our customers and partners.”

Since entering India in 2011, Veeam has operated 100 percent through the channel and the company’s success in the market can largely be attributed to this approach. The company’s strategy is to use Veeam’s expert knowledge to give its ProPartners access to products and services that enable them to drive new business and revenue streams.

Veeam is rapidly expanding its presence and partner network around the world, providing more than 183,000 customers and 37,000 ProPartners with a deeper level of protection and availability.The company has offices in key geographic regions and countries across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.

MoS Shri Ram Shinde, Minister Shri Vinod Tawde, Shri Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts, Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Minister Smt Pankaja Munde, Minister Dr. Deepak Sawant at the signing of multiple Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) to work together to improve community developmental indicators for the state.

Government of Maharashtra and Tata Trusts join forces to improve governance and community developmental indicators for the state

Will conceptualize new programmes and jointly implement existing initiatives that deliver a positive impact on the state’s overall developmental indicators

Chennai, April 01, 2016: The Government of Maharashtra and Tata Trusts have signed multiple Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) to work together to improve community developmental indicators for the state. Through this partnership, the state government will be able to achieve convergence and improve efficiencies across many of its governance, data management, healthcare and nutrition, literacy and welfare initiatives and programmes. Tata Trusts will play a guiding role in setting up of these initiatives and will provide strategic and technical advisory support and oversee the successful execution for all these programmes.

Tata Trusts and the state government initiatives and interventions will be across several areas especially healthcare, nutrition & fortification, governance, education, juvenile justice, etc. Below is a brief overview of the different developmental interventions that the state government and Tata Trusts will jointly work upon:

* Under the aegis of Public Health Department (PHD) and Directorate of Medical Education & Research (DMER), which regulates government colleges in the state, a Strategic Healthcare Advisory Unit (SHAU) will be setup to implement technology backed interventions that improve health and nutrition outcomes, which may also include developing hospital information systems (HIS) and a Medical Supply Corporation

* In order to address and other micronutrient (iodine, iron, etc.) related deficiencies and anemia, Tata Trusts will work with the state government to design a micronutrient deficiency prevention program and control strategy with a special emphasis on food fortification. In collaboration with the Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Protection (FCS&CP) department, Tata Trusts will focus on arresting malnutrition related indicators through fortification of staple foods that will also strengthen the country’s Public Distribution System (PDS).

* The Planning Department and the Tata Trusts will enter into a partnership on data driven governance to design and implement a Model Data Platform that will bring together information related to select indicators and flagship schemes and analyse digital data across several departments. This is envisaged to improve the application of data in planning, implementation and better targeting of government programmes as a significant step towards realizing the vision of Digital India.

* The Home Department and Tata Trusts, with support from other civil society partners, will implement a pilot demonstration of social work interventions in select central prisons of Maharashtra.  This pilot demonstration will include provision of legal aid, health and mental health services as well as opportunities for training & skill upgradation within the prison system itself. The demonstration will be designed and implemented with a view to provide rehabilitative and reformative opportunities for persons within the prison system.

* The proposed Nagpur Mental Hospital Reform program is based on the experience of the INCENSE model supported by the Trusts. It also draws from the recently launched Quality Rights framework of the World Health Organization. A ‘state of the art’ data management system will be developed, which will serve as a proto type for all other psychiatric facilities/ hospitals. In accordance with the Quality Rights Framework, care protocols will be reformed to global standards recovery centric processes as also the quality of infrastructure and living conditions for long term users.

* In association with Mahila Arthik Vikas Mandal (MAVIM) and Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission (MSRLM), the State Women’s Development Corporation and the Nodal agency that implements various women empowerment programmes through Self Help Groups (SHGs), Tata Trusts will implement interventions that improve digital literacy in rural Maharashtra by providing training and enabling access to Internet, as part of the ‘Internet Saathi initiative’ developed jointly with Google.

* Government of Maharashtra and Tata Trusts will partner towards strengthening the State Institute of English(SIE) in Aurangabad to become a centre for Excellence with the support of the British Council as the knowledge and training partner. The program will create a state level resource pool of English Teacher trainers at the SIE and along with 250 Master trainers across 9 districts, support an innovative teacher training program for primary class English teachers. This will set of model of teachers’ continuous professional development across the state which is demand driven and designed to use digital resources in an integrated manner as an alternative to traditional cascade models of training.  

Apart from these programmes, Tata Trusts and the state government will also collaborate in several other healthcare related initiatives such as cancer research and treatment, expansion of a bone marrow registry across the state for treatment of blood disorders, etc. in partnership with several other government, public and private experts from India and globally in related areas

Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts said “We are pleased to partner with the Government of Maharashtra to realize our common vision and endeavor of community development and wellbeing that can only be achieved through focused, innovative and relevant on-ground interventions that would make a real difference to the people.”

Commenting on the partnership, Honorable Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis said “I am confident that our partnership with Tata Trusts will be the beginning of a new era of cooperation between this renowned philanthropic organization and the State Government of Maharashtra to improve socio-economic indicators of the State.

We should leverage our strength to promote more fruitful cooperation in key areas such as nutrition, governance, data management, healthcare, education, and literacy to reinforce welfare initiatives and programmes.

I am sure, this partnership for the greater public good, will create a new confidence, among its beneficiaries and will help in bringing change to the current situation to propelling the socio-economic development of Maharashtra to new heights.”

All the above programmes will constitute members from the state-level governance board, directorate of health services, directorate of medical education and research, planning department, home department, etc. as well as senior advisors from Tata Trusts and its ecosystem of partners. Tata Trusts have vast experience in working on a range of thematic areas spanning diverse developmental issues like Health, Education, Media & Arts, Natural Resources & Livelihoods and Urban Poverty across several Indian states.

New Delhi, April 2016: Chanakya IAS Academy is a premier institute that prepares students for civil services examination and has coached 3000 students to success. It houses seasoned faculty members who have helped students get through prelims and mains examination.

It has been noticed that most of the candidates who have cracked both prelims as well as mains get rejected in the interview. The primary reason is that they are not completely attuned to the requirements of the interview which is to test if the candidate will be able to discharge his responsibilities as an administrator and that is where Chanakya IAS Academy comes into picture.

Chanakya IAS Academy specializes in preparing students to crack civil services examination interview which is deemed as final hurdle between the aspirant and aspiration. Mock interviews at Chanakya, in an ambience which is akin to the main interview, help aspirants develop scores of skills and enormous confidence which is prerequisite to crack interview. Interview panel members at Chanakya have extensive experience and served in various administrative capacities.

Mock interviews will provide you ample opportunities to size up faculty of analysis and succinct expression. While mock interview you will get to know how tactful you are at conflict resolution and tension diffusion which is most sought-after quality in administrative roles. Interviews do not end up with feedbacks, instead adroit trainers, counselors and faculty members help you get over all shortcomings that turned up during the interview.

A coherent and organic approach of interview panel intends to bring out the best in you and hints at your major shortcomings that pull you down in the main interview. The most prized asset a candidate can have is his ability to remain calm under provocation. Simply put, you should be apt at stress and emotion management.

Continued guidance and support till you perfect your skills and develop desired traits and qualities catapult your confidence level. It has been observed that after attending a few mock interviews aspirants have developed remarkable comprehension skills and sharp reflex. Right body language tells everything about your personality for instance positive and non-aggressive body language conveying confidence immediately grabs the eyeballs of interviewer and they form positive opinion you. At Chanakya, our panel of experts will help you do away with all the flaws in your body language and better your presentation style, consequently your confidence level surges to new heights.

In essence, mock interviews at Chanakya IAS Academy zero out your chances of committing mistakes in the main interview and you get the hang of interviewer’s psychology in advance.

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I wasted lot of time casting around for coaching institute to prepare for civil services examination preparation and on the advice of one of my closest friend I enrolled in Chanakya IAS Academy and found my road to success.

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Chanakya IAS Academy gave wings to my dreams and I owe my gratitude to the seasoned faculty members who guided me to success. Mock interviews helped me caste aside all anxieties related to interview.

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At Chanakya IAS Academy, I developed systematic approach to study and realized that it’s not important to study only longer hours but what has to be studied should be determined first. Invaluable feedback that I received at Chanakya ensured my success.

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Western Union associates with the movie ‘FAN’ for the Baisakhi harvest festival

Chennai – April 01, 2016: The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU), a leader in global payment services, now gives consumers a chance to meet the superstar Shah Rukh Khan this Baisakhi, when they receive money via the Western Union® service in India.

Western Union has associated with Yash Raj Films’ new movie FAN starring Shah Rukh Khan, due for release on April 15, 2016 and coincides with the harvest festival of north India - Baisakhi.

Receivers can also participate in other engagement linked to the campaign, such as answering simple questions on how well they know the FAN star during the roadshows planned across the country. Participants can also engage in social media conversations as part of the campaign and stand a chance to either meet Shah Rukh Khan or win exciting “FAN” merchandise.

Mr. Kiran Shetty, Managing Director and Regional Vice President, Western Union India & South Asia, said, “Our association with the movie ‘FAN’ reinforces our awareness of the passion the Indian diaspora has for Indian movies. No matter which part of the world we live in, Indians love movies! Shah Rukh Khan is a truly global star and builds an immediate connect with Indian across the world, reminding them of home.

Timing this campaign with the Baisakhi harvest festival of north India, we think this is an opportune time to reward people who receive remittances via Western Union services and to give them an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet with the star!”

Ashish Patil, Vice President, Yash Raj Films, said, "The YRF relationship with Western Union goes back a long time. Our last collaboration was on another Shahrukh film ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’. We are so happy to take that journey forward with one of the most exciting films of the year, Fan. And Western Union has some very exciting things lined up for their consumers including a chance to meet the king, SRK himself. Here's looking at more!"

The extensive campaign launched across the globe on March 15, 2016 and ends on April 15, 2016. The campaign includes an in-film promotion of Western Union in the movie FAN, on-ground promotions at Agent locations across India, autographed photographs of Shah Rukh Khan with personal messages to consumers and extensive social media campaigns. Western Union is also creating a TVC for this association with the blockbuster movie FAN.

AVON NAMES ADITI RAO HYDARI AS THE NEW FACE OF AVON COLOR COSMETICS IN INDIA

Delhi, April, 2016: Avon, One of the world's leading beauty direct selling company announces Aditi Rao Hydari as the celebrity ambassador for Avon Color in India.

Naturally beautiful inside and outside, stunning actress Aditi Rao radiates confidence and warmth everywhere she goes. She is an aspirational icon for many Indian women and is admired because of her exuberance and love for life. The Bollywood siren gushes about this announcement “I’m happy to be representing a range that I absolutely love!  Avon is always known as the company that empowers women. I am proud to be associated with Avon, to inspire women to be independent and explore opportunities to earn for themselves”

“We are thrilled to appoint Aditi as the new face of Avon Color in India. She embodies everything that the brand stands for – beauty & empowerment. Aditi is a strong, passionate woman and is the perfect ambassador as she now plays a role model for Avon representatives across India. We are confident that she will greatly portray the make-up range that Avon is renowned for,” says Swati Pal, Marketing Director, Avon India.

Chennai, 1st April, 2016 : Green Trends Unisex Hair & Style Salon introduces ‘Organossence’ range of nature based facials. These facials have been developed combining the best of natural ingredients like oats, honey, sandalwood etc and professional skin care products, thus giving the benefit of nature & science.

The Organossence facial range consists of Moisture Lock Facial, Skin Lightening Facial and De-pigmentation facial. These three facials have been specially formulated to fight against tanning, thus ensuring a lighter skin tone. The natural products based scrub and mask combined with the best of advanced professional care will leave one’s skin soft & supple.

Moisture Lock Facial – This facial eliminates dead skin and removes suntan. The facial also provides a benefit of locking the moisture and keeping the skin a soft and supple look. The natural scrub and the natural mask contain oats, lime, honey, sandalwood and rose water. The benefits of sandalwood in the mask helps in providing anti-tanning, anti-aging, skin softening solutions and honey helps in treating acne, boosting the complexion, clarifies pores and locks in the moisture.

Skin Lightening Facial - This facial is exclusively created to lighten the skin and give an instant glow apart from removing sun tan. The scrub and mask are developed from natural ingredients such as oats, lime, Multani Mitti, Lavendar oil and rose water. The facial adds a glow to the skin, giving instant fairness and helps in reducing sun tan.

De- pigmentation facial– The De-pigmentation facial helps in improvising the skin clarity by reducing blemishes and ensuring an even skin tone and also removed sun tan. This facial pack has the goodness of oats, lime, gram flour, rose water and lavender oil that helps in removing dead skin and one’s sun tan.

This unique range of facials has been exclusively developed and is available only at Green Trends Unisex Hair & Style Salon. The Organossence facial is priced at Rs.2200/- for Non Members & (Rs.2000/-) for members.

One can experience the best of natural and professional skin care this summer by walking into any Green Trends outlet in the city to get the guaranteed skin results. One can dial toll free number 1800 4 20 20 20 to book appointments.

Dipika Pallikal, India’s Squash Queen was spotted indulging in latest Spring Summer Fashion Trends at Phoenix MarketCity yesterday. The young sports star was seen walking with shopping bags from stores like Diesel, GAS, Guess, Steve Madden, Promod, Charles and Keith.

Phoenix MarketCity Chennai hosted a fashion day-out for Dipika Pallikal at stores like Diesel, Gas, Guess, Steve Madden, Promod, Charles and Keith, Mac and Toni & Guy.

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Cathay Pacific and Dragonair offer upto 20% discount on fares to North America

Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair have reintroduced their special Advance Purchase Fares in Business and Economy Class from India to destinations in North America such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Vancouver and Toronto. In this latest offer, passengers can enjoy upto 20% discount depending upon their date of purchase – from 20 upto 5 days prior to their intended travel.

The earlier passengers book, the greater the fare advantage. This offer is open for bookings made via the airline websites - www.cathaypacific.in or www.dragonair.co.in, through the airline’s reservation centre or through travel agents, until 15 April 2016 for travel until 30 November 2016.

Cathay Pacific and Dragonair together operate 48 weekly flights from India to our hub in Hong Kong. From Hong Kong passengers can connect seamlessly to over 187 destinations worldwide.

Rajesh Menon, Regional Sales & Marketing Manager, South Asia says, “We introduced these special fares two months ago and they were well received by our passengers. Hence we decided to reintroduce them to give our passengers another chance to book now and avail of discounted fares for travel later in the year. With great connections from India to North America and our award-winning inflight products and service, passengers can use the choice and value offered by these fares to live up to the airlines’ promise of a Life Well Travelled.”

In Pic: World’s leading YouTube creator The Fung Bros enjoyed a drink like an emperor in Michelin 3 stars BO Innovation in Hong Kong.

World’s top digital influencers @BeautifulDestinations @The Fung Bros @Rima Zeidan @EvanTubeHD call for their 17 million worldwide fans and visitors to share unique Hong Kong experience

Dozens of prizes including VIP Hong Kong travel packages and online shopping coupons to reward incredible stories

Marvellous moments visitors captured in photos or videos during their Hong Kong vacation can now double as tokens to enter the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s ‘#DiscoverHongKong’ Stories campaign and win amazing daily and weekly prizes.

Until April 24, visitors can win online shopping coupons and luxurious holiday packages to revisit Hong Kong by sharing the best discovery they made in the city. All they need to do is to post photos or videos which reveal Hong Kong’s hidden attractions and experiences on selected social media platforms, with the hashtag #DiscoverHongKong and a one-line caption that starts with “I never knew”.

World’s top digital influencers, including number one travel influencer on Instagram Beautiful Destinations, leading YouTube creators: the Fung brothers and EvanTubeHD, as well as Taiwanese TV host Rima Zeidan call for their 17 million worldwide fans and visitors to join them to share their incredible Hong Kong stories. Check out their ‘I Never Knew’ Hong Kong stories including exploration of the city’s street art, gastronomic scene, trendiest spots and family adventures at MyStories.DiscoverHongKong.com

Mr. Anthony Lau, Executive Director of Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said, “Being the first Asian tourism board pioneering a partnership with world’s top influencers to promote destination, HKTB is at the cutting edge of social media by embracing the concept of “Social First” to inspire travelers with powerful and unconventional content and perspectives. In this way, we can effectively reach a wider audience in more meaningful and impactful ways.”

To add to the excitement, dozens of valuable prizes are ready to reward incredible stories. Photos uploaded on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and videos on Youtube or Vimeo will be judged based on their brilliance in reflecting Hong Kong’s exceptional charm. There will be 28 daily prizes of US$1,000 Amazon coupon and every Wednesday for four weeks, one lucky participant will win a four-day trip for two to Hong Kong which includes round-trip tickets, three-night 5-star hotel stay and Michelin-starred dining experience. So snap away and share your Hong Kong stories with the world!

For terms and conditions, and details of the‘#DiscoverHongKong’ Stories campaign, please visit MyStories.DiscoverHongKong.com

In pic: Mr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta, Chairman - HIMSS Asia Pacific India Society and Dr. Biranchi Jena, Director, IIHMR Bangalore signing the MoU

IIHMR – Bangalore signs MoU with HIMSS Asia Pacific India Society for training programmes on HCIT (Healthcare Information Technology)

Chennai, 1st April 2016: IIHMR Bangalore signs MoU with HIMSS Asia Pacific India Society to offer 7 Day Certification course for healthcare Professionals (one Programme for Clinicians & One programme for IT Professionals in the Hospital ) and 3 month Certification Programme for Health IT for Healthcare Professionals.

After signing the MoU, Mr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta, Chairman – HIMSS Asia Pacific India Society said, “Given the thrust of the Government on Digital India initiative, the MoHFW initiating India Health Information Network (IHIN) and the setting up of the National E-Health Authority; Digital health will become an integral part of Healthcare delivery across the continuum of care. Adding to it, the roll out of the National Insurance program (Universal health Coverage) will essentially require health professionals to use technology in their daily practice.

Given the importance of technology in the emerging healthcare delivery, HIMSS Asia Pacific India feels, that it is timely to initiate a program on Health Information Technology for medical professionals and hence the tie up with the leading Institute IIHMR – Bangalore to launch two programs. We are excited about the potential to transform healthcare using information technology. These programs will be of immense help to practitioners to further their medical practice in keeping up with the needs of time. ”

IIHMR Bangalore is the 1st academic institute to get accredited by National Accreditation Board of Education & Training (NABET). Thus it would add huge value to participants to get such training. Signing the MoU, Dr. Biranchi Jena, Director – IIHMR – Bangalore said, “IIHMR Bangalore is working on innovative and inclusive practices to create a critical mass to implement and practice information technology for better access to patients. Improving the skills in healthcare IT is critical. In this regard, IIHMR Bangalore & HIMSS Asia Pacific India Society would together bring such important skill development programme in the healthcare industry in a structured way.”

Zee Tamil’s Nambinal Nambungal to be hosted by Nizhalgal Ravi

Chennai, April 2016: Nambinal Nambungal Zee Tamil’s popular program on paranormal activities and unnatural phenomena will now be hosted by noted actor Nizhalgal Ravi. With the arrival of Nizhalgal Ravi, also known for possessing an outstanding voice and one of the most sought after dubbing artists in the industry, Nambinal Nambungal is now expected to acquire a new tone that is sure to suit the mood of the program.

The hallmark of program lies in bringing to light strange practices, rituals, superstitions found in the remotest corners of the state. The program attempts to show, as it is, all peculiar happenings and/or persons who defy all natural laws and act in a manner that is not in accordance with established scientific laws.

In the program’s long history through the seasons, there have been many instances where some of the bizzare happenings have been brought out in to the public domain and was received with awe by the viewers. However notably, in one of the recent episodes it did register high TRPs when it featured a Siddhar who through sheer will power straightens a bent iron nail and a mysterious conch shell, which, when placed under a cow’s udder, extracted milk.

With Nizhalgal Ravi all set to take the viewer through more such surprises in the coming weeks Nambinal Nambungal promises to be just that Sunday night thriller that one can look out for.

On Zee Tamil every Sundays at 9:00 pm. Don’t miss it.

Chennai, April 1st 2016: The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India’s (CREDAI) Chennai chapter has announced appointment of Mr Suresh Krishn, Managing Director, ISHA Homes as President of CREDAI Chennai chapter for two years 2016 - 2018. He succeeds Mr Ajit Kumar Chordia as the New President.

Speaking on his appointment, Mr. Suresh Krishn, President of CREDAI, Chennai said, “Chennai as a city has seen tremendous growth in the real estate sector. It is imperative for a body like CREDAI to become an ideal connector between the government and the home buyers to provide utmost transparency and integrity in this industry. It will indeed by our focus to maintain the ethical code of conduct, which is self imposed and mandatory for all the member developers of CREDAI to maintain a smooth and clean transaction led platform. We will focus and strive to maintain and further grow the standard of the offerings to shape the future of Chennai’s realty sector well.”

“CREDAI Chennai developers will take a lead in complying with Real estate regulatory bill which has been recently passed in both houses of the parliament,” added Mr Suresh Krishn.

The new team will have the following members on board of the Executive Committee:

ICRA expects the tractor domestic volumes to grow at a moderate pace with an outlook of a growth in tractor volumes (domestic + exports) of 4- 6% in FY2017, with any major recovery in demand to happen over the medium term.

India Private Equity Investments Off to a Slow Start in 2016: VCCEdge Q1 CY2016 Deals Report

319 PE deals worth $2.3 billion, down 8%, recorded in the first quarter of CY16

Slowdown attributed to drastic 80% fall in Venture Capital funding of deals in value terms

Exit Valuations dip to a 15-quarter low

NEW DELHI, April 1, 2016: VCCEdge, the financial research platform of The VCCircle Network, India’s leading publisher of startup and private equity news, data and information, and part of global diversified media, news, education and information services group, News Corp, has today released the key findings of its Quarterly Deals Report for the quarter ending March 2016.

This data-driven overview of deals in the private equity, mergers and acquisitions and public offerings space with sector and region-wise analysis, the full report will be released next week, has indicated slowing pace of PE investments in the first quarter of 2016 after a dream run in 2015.

“The report confirms emerging trends mapped by VCCircle, which pointed to waning investor interest for ecommerce start-ups and shows a general consensus among private equity and venture capital investors that valuations of India’s startupswill need to drop as investments by limited partners will moderate,” said Nita Kapoor, CEO of VCCircle Network. “Angel and seed investments and M&A deal value, up 86%, however, remain very positive signals in a difficult start to the year.”

Highlights:

VC funding slows down PE momentum

* Venture capital funding, which hit a peak during the year-ago quarter, witnessed a drastic decline with 88 deals being recorded against the 138 deals recorded during Q1 CY15. Deal value declined to $334 million in Q1 CY15, compared to $1.8 billion seen in the corresponding quarter last year. The share of venture capital funding, by value, dipped by about half to 14.6% in Q1 CY16.

* Private equity inflow of $2.3 billion in the first three months of 2016 is 48.8% lower than the inflow of $4.5 billion in Q1 of 2015. On a sequential basis, when compared with Q4 CY15, the deal inflow is down 50.7%, indicating a lean period in deal activity, which had hit a peak in Q3 CY15.

* Deal-making slipped 8% to 319 deals during the three-month period under review as compared with the corresponding period of 2015. The slide in deal volume was much higher at 19.4% on a sequential basis when compared with Q4 CY15.

* Mean deal amount slipped to $11.9 million in Q1 CY16, as compared with $15 million a year ago in Q1 CY15. Median deal figure was also down to $0.97 million in Q1CY15, as compared with $1.5 million a year ago.

* Angel and seed investments grew in volume but slowed in value terms. Deal volume was up 36.2% to 188 deals in Q1CY16 from 138 deals a year ago. Deal value slipped 32.5% to $58 million during the period under review.

* Top 10 Deals constituted 66.9% of the total private equity capital invested in Q1 CY16.

Lower Exit-Valuations

* Exits, on the other hand, were lackluster, dipping to a 15-quarter low in value terms. Deal value slipped by 70% from $1.7 billion in Q1CY15 to $508 million in Q1CY16. Deal volume trimmed by more than half from 89 deals to 39 deals during the period under review. 

* Equity markets weren’t supportive during the quarter. Some 27 companies raised $499 million during Q1 CY16, as compared to 30 companies that raised $1.2 billion in Q1 CY15.

A Mixed Bag for M&A Deals

* 211 M&A deals were struck during the quarter worth $8.7 billion. Compared to Q1 CY15, deal volume declined 14.5% while deal value increased by a healthy 85.7%.

* Deal value picked up for domestic and outbound M&A deals, while Inbound deals slipped significantly by 71.1% during the quarter. Deal volume slipped the highest for inbound deals during the quarter, witnessing a decline of 47.6% to 22 deals.

Other Highlights:

* Financials, Industrials, consumer discretionary, information technology, and healthcare were the Top 5 sectors to attract significant private equity capital during the quarter.

* India’s financial capital, Mumbai, continues to be a hotbed for M&A while Bengaluru outpaced Mumbai for private equity activity in the country, followed by Delhi and Gurgaon.

-The programme to focus on start-ups in the field of deeper technologies-

1st April, 2016, Hyderabad: The International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad today launched one of the first accelerator programs focused specifically at the startups working in the field of deeper technologies. The program was launched in partnership with 50k Ventures, T-Hub and Co-creation Consulting. It is open for startups working on machine learning and AR/VR technologies like image and speech recognition and natural language processing.

“The institute has great strengths in areas of AI like natural language processing, computer vision, robotics, speech recognition, etc. These areas have advanced significantly in the recent years due to advances in computing power, data diversity, models, and machine learning techniques. The recent endowment of the Kohli Centre for Intelligent Systems at IIIT, Hyderabad by TCS has given a big push to these areas at the institute. The fruits of academic research should reach the society through startups who focus on products and services based on AI. It is my firm hope and belief that the proposed accelerator will help to make that happen in the coming years.”, said Prof. P J Narayanan, Director, IIIT Hyderabad

Also speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ramesh Loganathan, Board Member, IIITH Foundation said, “Deep-tech solutions are the answer to the more complex problems of modern technology. IIIT Hyderabad as a research institute enables a supportive atmosphere for startups working in areas of deep-tech. These startups would be hand-picked, funded and mentored by the resources of IIITH Foundation and its network through a structured programme. “

The accelerator program will be a structured 6 month program. The investment committee comprising of IIIT-H Foundation, 50k Ventures, T-Hub and other reputed VC’s, will select upto 10 startups over a period of one year. Each startup will be given a seed fund of 10 Lakhs INR where in IIIT-H Foundation and 50k Ventures will co-invest 5L INR each. The investment will be in the form of a convertible note, which is considered more startup friendly. Other partners will be taken on board in case there is requirement of more seed funding for the start-up’s.

Talking about the accelerator program, Prof. VasudevVarma, Dean, IIIT Hyderabad, said, “Great research ambiance at IIIT Hyderabad will provide a huge advantage to all the technology startups and our accelerator program is designed to help entrepreneurs in creating USPs/advantages from technology perspective, making it difficult for competitors with high entry barriers and creating valuable intellectual property."

IIIT-H Foundation and Co-Creation Consulting will design and run the program and essentially play the role of coaches, providing mentorship to the selected startups. 50k Ventures will support the startups with funding during and after the program. Startups will also be able to avail the benefit of the large business mentor network of T-Hub. The programs will be customized for each start-up basis their location, their current stage. It is not mandatory for these start-ups to relocate to Hyderabad for the program. The application process will start on April 10, 2016 and the deadline is April 30, 2016.The names of the shortlisted startups will be announced on May 10, 2016.

For more information on IIIT Hyderabad: http://www.iiit.ac.in/

Equity shares of BWR opens Rs 47.50 as against issue price of Rs 45 per share

Chennai: Bharat Wire Ropes Ltd. (“BWR”), which is engaged in the business of manufacturing wires and wire ropes since 1982, debuts on the stock exchanges on April 1, 2016. The maiden initial public offering (“IPO”) of the company opened for subscription on March 18, 2016 and closed on March 22, 2016 with a price band of Rs. 40 – Rs. 45 per equity share of face value of Rs. 10 each.

The equity shares are listed on both BSE and NSE. The IPO, which opened for subscription from March 18-22, 2016, was subscribed 1.34 times. The issue price for the issue was fixed at Rs. 45 per equity share and raised Rs. 70 Crore from the IPO.

The Qualified investor Buyers (QIBs) category was subscribed 1.13 times. In contrast, the portion set aside for retail investors and non-institutional investors category was subscribed by 2.23 times and 2.23 times respectively.

The equity shares of BWR opened at Rs. 47.50 on the BSE and Rs. 47.25 on the NSE. The equity shares closed the trading session at Rs 45.40 on the BSE and Rs 45.70 on the NSE.

The Company proposes to utilize the net proceeds to set up a proposed project of 66,000 MTPA wire ropes at Chalisgaon, in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra.

Intensive Fiscal Services Private Limited and BOB Capital Markets Limited are the Book Running Lead Managers while Karvy Computershare Private Limited is the registrar of the Offer.