Friday, September 11, 2026

Antara Care Homes And Actor Priyamani Spotlight The Silent Gap In Senior Recovery With New Campaign

Photo Caption:
Actor Priyamani in Antara Care Homes’ latest campaign that spotlights one of the most under-addressed needs of seniors and caregivers: Post-hospitalisation recovery. Photo credit: Antara Senior Care

Antara Care Homes, part of Max India Limited, has joined hands with national award-winning actor Priyamani for its latest digital campaign, “Hospital Discharge Does Not Mean Recovered”, to spotlight one of the most under-addressed needs of seniors and caregivers: Post-hospitalisation recovery.

For seniors recovering from major surgery, acute illness, heart attack and stroke, or other neurological conditions, return from the hospital does not mean a return to everyday life. This transition often carries significant risk of re-hospitalisation and adverse events. Antara Care Homes’ latest digital campaign focuses on this critical gap between hospital discharge and complete recovery, when seniors and their families are emotionally and logistically most vulnerable. It invites families to recognise this important phase of recovery journey and adopt the right support.

Ishaan Khanna, CEO, Antara Assisted Care Services, said, “For a senior and their family, hospital discharge can bring a sense of relief, but it can also mark the beginning of one of the most demanding phases of recovery. Families can find themselves becoming caregivers overnight, managing medication, infections, physiotherapy, mobility and support with activities of daily living without necessarily having the training or resources to do so at home and while juggling professional work. This is where structured post-hospitalisation care, or transition care, can make a meaningful difference. Through this campaign, we want families to recognise that recovery requires planning and care in its own right, and it actually starts with hospital discharge. Antara Care Homes brings together doctor supervision, nursing care, multidisciplinary rehabilitation and technology-enabled interventions. It helps seniors regain good health, strength and independence, while giving caregivers the reassurance of recovery with professional support.”

Strengthening post-acute care in South India

The campaign comes as Antara Care Homes strengthens its presence in South India, with facilities in Bengaluru and Chennai, where a changing demographic demands specialised services to age with dignity and independence.

With its professionally managed post-acute and transition care model, Antara Care Homes offers personalised recovery plans based on individual patient needs and designed under the supervision of the treating doctor. It is supported by PMR-led rehabilitation delivered in state-of-the-art facility with robotic assistance.

An ecosystem for post-hospitalisation care

Antara’s transition care or post-hospitalisation care model caters to patients recovering from stroke, heart attack, organ transplants, spinal cord injury, cancer, major orthopaedic, cardiac and neurological procedures, or severe illness. It provides a structured environment for those who may no longer require acute hospital care but are not yet ready to recover independently at home.

Its care ecosystem includes physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, round-the-clock nursing and attendant support, doctor supervision and clinical monitoring, recovery-focused nutrition and medication management, in-house pharmacy support, and end-to-end insurance and TPA coordination.

For caregivers, this creates an opportunity to remain closely involved in their loved one’s recovery without having to manage every aspect of rehabilitation and clinical care on their own.

To watch the campaign video, please click here.

About Antara Senior Care

Launched in 2013, Antara is the senior-care business of Max India Limited, part of the USD6.3-billion Max Group. It is an integrated ecosystem for senior care, operating in two main lines of business – Residences for Seniors and Assisted Care Services. Antara’s first senior residential community in Dehradun, comprising nearly 200 families, caters to their social, recreational, educational, wellness, and health-related needs. Its second senior living community in Noida’s Sector-150 has started welcoming families into the 340 apartments built in Phase 1. Expanding its footprint in Gurugram, Antara will manage senior living residences, dedicated spaces for senior living, and primary healthcare services at Estate 360 and Estate 361, developed by group company Max Estates. Antara’s Assisted Care Services include Care Homes and Services, AGEasy, and Antara Integrated Wellness Clinic. This line of business caters to seniors, who need more immersive interventions in their daily lives due to medical or age-related issues. With eight facilities and 485 beds across Gurugram, Noida, Bengaluru and Chennai, Care Homes provide long-term care to seniors who require constant medical and nursing supervision, and short-term care services for recuperation of seniors. Its care at home services, offered in Delhi NCR, Bengaluru and Chennai, provide well-equipped, trained professionals offering care to seniors inside their home’s comfort. AGEasy, the direct-to-consumer business arm focusing on senior-specific products and solutions for active ageing, has touched over 9 lakh lives since inception in 2023. Antara Integrated Wellness Clinic combines modern medicine with evidence-based traditional therapies through a multidisciplinary team of doctors to deliver personalised care plans.

Instagram Launches New Feature To Add Tagged Posts Directly To Your Profile Grid

Your profile is how you express yourself on Instagram, and now you can bring your favorite group photos, creator collaborations, and memories front and center, giving you more control over your profile and the moments you want to show off.

You can add a tagged post to your main grid in three ways:

  • From the DM notification you receive when you’re tagged

  • From the three-dot menu on a post you’re tagged in

  • By pressing and holding a post in your Tagged tab


Once added, tagged posts will appear on your main grid in reverse-chronological order by default, unless you reorder your grid. You can remove a tagged post from your main grid at any time without deleting the original post or removing it from your Tagged tab.

Google Trends, Breakout Drinks, And AI - What’s Brewing?

Walk into any café these days and the menu feels a little different. India’s urban beverage scene has quietly turned into an experimental playground. Matcha still holds its green ground, but purple ube lattes are now appearing next to it, and the roasted, nutty notes of Hōjicha are starting to win their own regulars. These distinctive, slightly functional drinks are no longer niche.

Google Trends shows how people in India are gradually diversifying their sips. Here are the latest trends (as of end August 2026). People are not just ordering these drinks. They are learning how to make them, mixing them with unexpected flavours, and letting the colours spill into the rest of their lives. So what are you sipping on among these three right now?

A few signals that stood out:

Matcha remains the biggest conversation starter: “How to make matcha” has jumped 1,300% over the past year, and searches for matcha whisks and bowls broke out in August 2026. At the same time, the flavour has jumped categories: matcha shoes, matcha enzyme scrub, matcha candles, face wash and perfume all appeared as strong or breakout queries.

Ube, the sweet purple yam, hit an all-time search high in August 2026: Hyderabad and Telangana are leading the national interest, with people actively looking for ube latte, ube café, ube matcha and ube coconut combinations.

Hōjicha reached its own all-time high in March 2026 and saw another breakout surge in August 2026: Searches for “hojicha vs matcha” hit breakout growth, while “what is hojicha” and “hojicha latte” continue to climb as more people discover the roasted alternative.

This tells us a simple story. Indians are expanding their daily sip list beyond the familiar, and the next wave is already visible in both Google Search and on café counters.

And once curiosity kicks in, AI can help take the journey further - from comparing Matcha, Ube and Hōjicha in AI Mode in Search, to finding local spots with Ask Maps, to getting hands-free guidance from Gemini Live while making your own cup.

Curious to see where the rabbit hole goes? We’ve got the full story on the blog, some visual assets to bring the trends to life, and the Gupshup with Google video if you fancy a watch.

36 Young Indian Innovators Take Their Ideas To The National Stage With Samsung Solve For Tomorrow 2026

* Top 20 finalists represent the most promising tech & AI solutions, with more than half coming from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities

* Participants will advance to Grand Finale, with continued mentorship from FITT-IIT Delhi and Samsung experts, and exposure to the startup ecosystem through an Investor Meet

* Finalists will receive a cumulative grant of INR 20 lakh and a Samsung smartphone for each participant for prototype enhancement

Samsung India today announced the Top 20 finalists of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026, a programme that combines technology and education to help youth grow into future leaders with creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

A global problem-solving platform, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow helps youth around the world use STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to build a better future. Participants identify problems in their communities and develop creative solutions with the help of technology.

In its fifth edition, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026 is bringing together young innovators from across India who are turning problems they see around them into technology-led solutions. More than half of the participants in the Top 20 come from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, with the finalists representing 18 cities across 12 states – reflecting how youth-led innovation is expanding beyond India’s traditional technology hubs.

“What stands out about this year’s Top 20 is not just the technology they are building, but the problems they have chosen to solve. Young innovators from across India are looking closely at challenges in their own communities – from accessibility and healthcare to agriculture, pollution and sport – and asking how technology can make a difference. Samsung Solve for Tomorrow gives them the opportunity, mentorship and resources to take an idea rooted in a local need and build it into a solution with the potential to create wider impact,” said SP Chun, Corporate Vice President, Samsung South West Asia.

A defining trend among this year’s finalists is the focus on making technology more useful and accessible. Across the four themes – AI Living for India, Environmental Sustainability, Health and Education, and Sport & Tech – young innovators are applying AI, computer vision, sensors, voice technology and low-cost wearables to challenges ranging from low literacy and disability access to agricultural waste, pollution, neurological health and para-sports.

Several solutions are being designed for people who have traditionally had limited access to technology. These include an offline AI application that explains complex documents to people with low literacy, real-time Indian Sign Language translation, a voice-first learning companion for visually impaired students, technology to anticipate sensory meltdowns among children with autism, and assistive technologies to help visually impaired swimmers train more independently. Other finalists are tackling environmental challenges through ideas that seek to convert agricultural residue into clean energy and useful carbon materials, reduce textile waste and construction-site pollution, and mitigate human-wildlife conflict.

The geographical spread of the Top 20 reflects this expanding innovation map. Finalists come from Sundargarh in Odisha, Chittoor and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Raebareli and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Amritsar and SAS Nagar in Punjab, Sonipat in Haryana and Raipur in Chhattisgarh, alongside Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

The Top 20 teams emerged from a semi-final phase that brought together 40 teams for an experiential, hands-on Prototyping Programme conducted in collaboration with FITT-IIT Delhi. Through Innovation Bootcamp, the teams worked with mentors to strengthen their solutions, better understand the people they were designing for and gain practical exposure to the innovation process.

As part of the Bootcamp, the teams also visited Samsung Design Delhi (SDD), Samsung R&D Institute India – Noida (SRI-N), Samsung R&D Institute India – Delhi (SRI-D), Samsung R&D Institute India – Bengaluru (SRI-B) and Samsung’s Head Office in Gurugram, gaining exposure to Samsung’s approach to design, technology, innovation and Research & Development.

The journey culminated in a National Pitch Event, where 20 experts comprising mentors from Samsung R&D and Samsung South West Asia evaluated the teams and selected five finalists from each of the four themes.

Meet the Top 20

AI Living for India

4 Percentage – Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu: MicroLearning AI, a voice-first multilingual platform that converts complex healthcare and government-scheme information into simple spoken micro-lessons in Indian languages.

itzFOD – Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: VaakSetu, an offline mobile application that uses AI to read documents such as loan papers, land deeds, FIRs and hospital forms and explain them in simple spoken language.

JARVISS – Chennai, Tamil Nadu: SafePath AI, a smartphone and IoT-assisted platform that uses AI and sensor data to detect road hazards, assess their severity and provide safer-route recommendations.

QuantHunt – Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh: An AI-based cybersecurity solution designed to identify encryption vulnerabilities and help organisations prepare their digital systems for emerging quantum-computing risks.

SignBridge AI – Kolkata, West Bengal: An AI-powered platform that translates Indian Sign Language into text and speech in real time, helping improve communication in schools, hospitals, workplaces and public spaces.

Environmental Sustainability

AeroShield – New Delhi: A low-cost construction debris net, designed to capture and degrade airborne pollutants while integrating with existing scaffolding.

AgriVolt – Amritsar, Punjab: AgriVolt Carbon AI, which aims to use agricultural residue to generate electricity and recover biochar and other carbon-rich materials while reducing emissions.

IndieJeanous – Mumbai, Maharashtra: A circular denim initiative that converts discarded denim and textile scraps into lifestyle products while creating livelihood opportunities for women artisans.

InnoBotix – New Delhi: Sentinel, a solar-powered AI edge device that uses cameras, radar and seismic data to detect wildlife approaching human settlements and provide early warnings.

KINVA BIO – Sonipat, Haryana: An AI-based platform that seeks to optimise the production of protein-rich mycoprotein from sugarcane bagasse using bioreactors.

Health and Education

404NotFound – Bengaluru, Karnataka: StepSense, a sensor and edge-AI system that turns footwear into a gait-monitoring platform to identify indicators associated with fall risk, neuropathy, fatigue and other health conditions.

Equinox – New Delhi: SARA AI, a voice-first study companion that enables visually impaired students to access textbooks, explanations, quizzes and personalised learning support without relying on a screen or keyboard.

morphism – Raipur, Chhattisgarh: An AI system designed to help autistic individuals better understand emotions by analysing subtle facial expressions and other behavioural signals.

NeuroTrace – SAS Nagar, Punjab: A smartphone-based AI solution for post-stroke monitoring that analyses changes in voice, facial movement and reaction time to identify potential neurological deterioration.

VB SenseGuard – New Delhi: Sense Guard, a low-cost AI wearable designed to identify physiological patterns associated with sensory meltdowns in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and provide caregivers with early alerts.

Sport & Tech

Code Blooded – Sundargarh, Odisha: ParaSync, an AI-powered platform that analyses smartphone videos of para-athletes to assess sporting technique, track progress and help connect talent from underserved regions with scouts.

Para-athlete swimming solution – Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh: A wearable navigation system that detects when visually impaired swimmers veer from their intended direction and provides haptic cues for course correction.

Rogue – Chennai, Tamil Nadu: NeuroStride, an AI-powered wearable that seeks to distinguish involuntary Parkinson’s tremors from intentional muscle movement and provide targeted electrical stimulation.

Somatrace – Hyderabad, Telangana: A wearable IoT training tool that measures spinal angles and load during training to help precision-sport athletes and coaches better understand injury risk.

Untethered – Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh: Smart swimming goggles using ultrasonic sensing and haptic feedback to warn visually impaired swimmers as they approach the pool wall.

Taking Solutions to the Next Stage

The Top 20 finalists will now receive continued mentorship from Samsung experts and FITT-IIT Delhi as they prepare for the Grand Finale on October 14 and 15.

The Grand Finale will feature the final pitch presentations, followed by an Investor Meet for all Top 20 teams. The interaction will give the young innovators an opportunity to engage with the startup and investment ecosystem and understand the next steps involved in developing their solutions further

The competition will culminate in the Winner Announcement and Awards Ceremony. The Top 20 teams will receive a cumulative grant of INR 20 lakh for prototype development, with INR 1 lakh awarded to each team. All 36 participants in the Top 20 will also receive the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip smartphone. Four winning teams – one from each theme – will collectively receive an incubation grant of INR 2 crore from Samsung through FITT-IIT Delhi. The incubation support will help the winning teams further develop and validate their solutions while exploring their potential to evolve into market-ready ventures.

The programme will also recognise participants through special awards at the Grand Finale, including the Digital Impact Award of INR 50,000 and two Community Choice Awards of INR 1 lakh each.

Guided by its global CSR vision, “Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People,” Samsung India is committed to empowering young Indians through its focus on Smart Education and Skilling Youth, providing equal access to the knowledge, skills and resources needed to shape a better future.

Find the full list to the Top 20 finalists here

250 Lives Touched: Samvaad Distributes Free Hearing Aids To The Needy And Underprivileged

Samvaad Institute of Speech and Hearing distributed 250 hearing aids free of cost to needy and underprivileged individuals with hearing impairment as part of its 21st anniversary celebrations.

The week-long camp, held from August 11 to 18, 2026, at the institute’s Hebbal centre, aimed to support economically disadvantaged beneficiaries and help improve their quality of life through accessible hearing care.

Ms. Radhika Poovayya, Trustee, Samvaad Foundation, said the initiative reflects Samvaad Institute’s continued commitment to supporting the hearing-impaired community through affordable and accessible assessment, treatment, rehabilitation, and hearing care services.  

Citi Launches eFPI @ Citi, Reducing Foreign Portfolio Investors Registration Timeline To Five Business Days

* The first-to-market solution was announced at India’s Global Fintech Fest

Citi announced the launch of eFPI @ Citi, fast-tracking the registration process for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) to five business days from anywhere between a few weeks to a few months previously.

The launch of this first-to-market solution comes as India continues to gain prominence among global investors. As international investors increasingly evaluate India as a strategic allocation, the ease of navigating market entry is crucial.

With oversight of approximately a third of the FPI Assets under Custody in the country, Citi’s Services business in India is well-positioned to address this need at scale and with greater relevance for global investors.

Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said, “We appreciate Citi's initiative to provide faster registration timeline of 5 days for FPIs in India. It aligns with SEBI's thrust on utilizing technology to facilitate FPIs to access Indian Capital markets expeditiously."

Citi launched eFPI @ Citi at the Global Fintech Fest where Citi is Banking Innovation Partner. Mridula Iyer, Head of Services, Asia South, Citi noted, “The attractiveness of any market hinges on how easily investors can enter it. India has long been recognized for its immense opportunities, and this initiative is a significant step in realizing this potential. eFPI @ Citi is an outcome of our continued focus on innovation, simplification and client-centricity.”

Vijay Chandok, MD & CEO of The National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL), was the Chief Guest at the eFPI @ Citi launch. Speaking on the occasion, he said,

“For FPIs, the eFPI @ Citi initiative which leverages digital tools and efficient processes is set to transform FPI onboarding. This initiative will significantly minimize turnaround time and deliver a frictionless onboarding experience for new FPI clients. Further, the collaboration between NSDL and Citi will leverage API integration to create a seamless, end-to-end digital connection between our systems. The newer APIs will build on the success of our existing APIs that have already simplified the opening of demat accounts.”

The service is being rolled out in phases, with the first phase now live and covering regulated public funds — including mutual funds and unit trusts — from the United States, Ireland and Luxembourg. Phase II will cover additional jurisdictions, such as Singapore, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

About Citi

Citi is a preeminent banking partner for institutions with cross-border needs, a global leader in wealth management and a valued personal bank in its home market of the United States. Citi does business in more than 180 countries and jurisdictions, providing corporations, governments, investors, institutions and individuals with a broad range of financial products and services.

Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | X: @Citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi |

YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi

Marriott International Launches Project Prarambh To Empower Youth With Skills, Opportunity And Pathways To Careers In Hospitality

* New initiative, in partnership with The Job Plus and Tourism & Hospitality Skills Council, aims to equip youth from vulnerable communities with employable skills, workplace exposure and access to formal employment

Marriott International has launched Project Prarambh, an initiative guided by the company’s Serve 360 sustainability and social impact framework, to create pathways to formal employment and long-term careers in hospitality for young people from vulnerable communities across India.

In collaboration with The Job Plus and the Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council (THSC), the initiative will support youth between 18 and 30 years of age through industry-relevant training, workplace exposure and mentorship, helping them build the skills and confidence needed to enter the formal workforce. Project Prarambh will be delivered through an extensive network of training partners across India.

Kiran Andicot, Senior Vice President, South Asia, Marriott International, said: “People have always been at the heart of our success. Our people-centric culture is what enables us to create exceptional experiences for our guests, and investing in people has always been central to who we are as an organisation. At the same time, the hospitality industry continues to face a significant need for skilled, industry-ready talent, making it important that we play our part in creating pathways for young people to build careers in the sector. Through Project Prarambh, we are bringing these two priorities together, building people while supporting the community we operate within, and strengthening the industry’s talent pipeline. We are grateful to The Job Plus and the Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council for their collaboration and expertise in helping us take this ambition forward.”

Over the next two to three years, Project Prarambh aims to train 500 young people, equipping them with the skills, workplace readiness and confidence to pursue and build careers in the hospitality industry.

For many beneficiaries, Project Prarambh could represent their first formal employment opportunity, their first regular income and their first experience of a professional career. For young people who are among the first in their families to enter formal employment, the opportunity can extend well beyond the individual to support greater financial independence and open new possibilities for their families.

Vinay Jaswal, Vice President, HR Ops (South Asia), HR Tech & Analytics (APEC), Marriott International commented, “Our approach to People & Culture at Marriott goes beyond creating a great workplace for our associates; it is also about thinking more broadly about how we can contribute to people’s journeys at different stages. Initiatives such as Project Prarambh reflect this belief, each addressing a different opportunity to enable greater participation, growth and inclusion. By investing in their development at an early stage, we can help them take that first step with greater confidence and open possibilities that can have a lasting impact on their lives and those of their families. For us, this is an important part of what it means to put people first.”

Natwar Nagar, Founder, The Job Plus, said: “We are very pleased to partner with Marriott and THSC on Project Prarambh. We look forward to building on this association over the long term and working together to create more opportunities for young talent to enter, grow and build careers in the industry.”

Rajan Bahadur, CEO, Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council (THSC), said: “As the Tourism and Hospitality sector continues to grow rapidly, the need for a skilled and industry-ready workforce has never been greater. CSR-led skilling initiatives can play a critical role in bridging this gap by providing young people with the right skills, practical exposure, and opportunities to build sustainable careers. This initiative is a step towards strengthening the talent ecosystem and preparing our youth for the growing opportunities in the sector.”

For The Job Plus, the opportunity is to help bridge the gap between talent and access by identifying young people with the potential to enter the organised workforce and equipping them with the skills required to succeed in a formal workplace. THSC’s role in the partnership supports this objective by bringing industry-aligned training, assessment and certification into the initiative, helping young people develop skills that are relevant to the evolving needs of the sector.  

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