Chowman Gives the Gift of Life Through Mobile Blood Donation Drive

The ongoing pandemic has taken a toll on regular health operations. Hospitals and clinics have been closed in order to minimize exposure to the virus. This has resulted in a dearth of blood reserves. While the government and its officials are doing their part in donating blood and organizing blood donation drives all over the state, it still continues to remain a major concern at the face of any emergency.

So, for the first time in the Indian Food & Beverage Industry, Chowman Chain of Restaurants came forward to host a blood donation drive among its employees and lend a helping hand to the government’s fight against Covid-19.

This drive was executed on May 15th with the support of Smt. Chandrima Bhattacharya, Minister of State, Health and Family Welfare, who helped arrange the mobile blood bank keeping in mind the safety and hygiene of all the donors.  Many employees from various branches of Chowman donated blood at the drive. The drive was held in the mobile blood bank, a bus converted into a sanitary and safe blood donation unit, which had successfully housed few more such donation drives in the previous weeks, all conducted under the supervision of Smt. Chandrima Bhattacharya.

Speaking on the occasion, DebadityaChaudhury, Managing Director, Chowman Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. said, "Many other companies are stepping forward to help out in any manner possible. After delivering essentials and medicines door-to-door, we felt such a step was the need of the hour. Emergencies, accidents, and patients with certain types of cancer and liver diseases, among others, are in constant need of blood. Due to the low availability, many of them have been affected. So we have decided to come forward and help out with this initiative, which we want to dedicate to our Healthcare Professionals, who have left no stone unturned in helping and treating us. We hope to alleviate the distress of as many people as we possibly can and we are eager to host some more such camps in the near future."

About Chowman

With a strong presence in Kolkata, and a recent introduction to Bangaluru, Chowman Chain of Restaurants has successfully become a household name. It was set up exclusively to give each visitor a fine dining experience. The ambience is created with personally handpicked decor from the markets of Hong Kong and Thailand. From the moment you enter the restaurant, the world-class experience begins with hand crafted sculptures, exquisitely carved walls by expert craftsmen, warm lighting with elegant red and black interiors. Apart from the interiors and the lavish spread, special attention has been given to the hospitality. Combining contemporary elegance with an intimate ambience and an unparalleled service, Chowman presents the hallmark of true and authentic Chinese cuisine.

Chowman has successfully opened 14 outlets in and around Kolkata with 2 more ready to open in the next few months. In its 10th year of service, the Kolkata-based chain of restaurants has put its plan of foraying into other major cities into action, starting with Bangaluru. Besides adding more outlets in Bangaluru, Chowman will soon also set up shop in other metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Pune to give the locals a taste of authentic Chinese cuisine.

Indian Tourism Industry Goes Into a State Wave of Shock and Disbelief

Details

* No announcements to support tourism
* 10 Weeks of constant discussions come to a naught
* Industry has gone directionless

Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality, the policy federation of all the national associations representing the complete tourism, travel and hospitality industry of India (ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI, TAFI) says the Indian tourism industry has gone into a state of disbelief and shock.

The Indian Tourism industry was looking forward to deep set of survival measures for tourism from the ₹ 20 lakhs crore package announced over 5 days, which however were not addressed.

The Indian Tourism, Travel & hospitality is believed to impact almost 10% of GDP through its direct and indirect impact. It has already seen over one quarter of accumulated losses which began from February onwards.

There is no cash inflow expected for many quarters over FY 20-21 as the key segments of the Indian tourism economy will be down. The international inbound tourists, inbound and VFR - (visiting friends and relatives) and the outbound travel will remain mostly non performing due to international flight restrictions & tragic impact in most key markets tourism markets of India.

Domestic travel and corporate travel within the country may slightly ease up post lockdown but will be highly restricted due to fear of travel among elders & children, the new social distancing norms, corporate travel freeze and the closure of the holiday season which will impacting all leisure, adventure, heritage, spiritual, cruise and niche tourism segments.

The meetings incentives exhibitions & events segment will be severely impacted due to meeting size restrictions.

Consequently, all tourism service providers, the hotels, travel agents, tour operators tourist transporters, restaurants, guides will be compromised and the tourism industry of India will be operating with extreme under capacities making most tourism businesses unviable on a cash operating basis.

To prevent this and to ensure survival, FAITH had proposed a dedicated interest and collateral free long term fund for paying salaries & operating costs and for a minimum of 12 months of complete waiver of fixed central & state statutory and banking liabilities without any penal or compounding interest which have not been addressed.

The proposed MSME fund with its many underlying restrictions may have a very limited usage.

FAITH & its ten member associations  (ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI, TAFI) had been constantly dialoguing with all factions of the Government over the past 10 weeks the PMO, ministries of Finance, commerce , aviation, and tourism, with RBI, with all 28 chief ministers, Niti Aayog and with the Empowered Group 6.

Indian tourism travel and hospitality is said to impact 10-12% of India’s employment which is believed to cover almost 5 crore + direct and indirect jobs.

The industry has gone numb from a lack of any umbrella direction from the Government or without any fiscal & monetary support.

With no visibility of cash inflows the Indian tourism industry is now looking at large scale bankruptcies, business closures which will lead to job losses across cities, towns and hinterlands of India. This has the potential to set back the Indian tourism, travel and hospitality industry by many years.

IIM Sambalpur Adopts Innovation by Conducting all “Examinations Using Online Proctoring Systems”

The global pandemic has taught us to find innovative ways to ensure continuity. This crisis has shown that being innovative is the only way to lead. With innovation as one of their core values, IIM Sambalpur, one of the most promising and dynamic management institutions among the new generation IIMs of the country, has taken a giant leap towards a digital future. Riding on the heels of successfully completing the remaining of their MBA 2020 admission process online, IIM Sambalpur has announced that they will now be conducting the end term examinations of the first-year students using online proctoring systems as well. This will be the first-of-its-kind initiative taken by any IIM across the country.  The batch of 2019-2021 had to leave campus and return home before their examination started due to the lockdown.

Speaking on implementing the innovative digital solutions for both prospective and present students, Prof Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, stated, “Although our major admission process as part of CAP 2020 along with the other IIM’s were completed before lockdown, however for the remaining process for around 400 candidates, we had to adopt online proctoring systems for Written Ability Test (WAT) and Online VC for Personal Interview (PI).  We also had to postpone the end term exam of MBA first year due to lockdown and now we have decided to conduct that through the same process as well. Students can appear for the tests by logging in through their laptop/desktop at their home in different parts of the country. About 100 students will be appearing for the term end exam of 10-12 subjects. This system of conducting tests online allows more transparency in the process. Moreover, with the help of Artificial Intelligence, there is no scope of human error in invigilation during the exam. There is no wastage of paper and we can send the answer scripts to our visiting faculties sitting at their homes online, for scrutiny, quickly and more safely, instead of sending them via the postal system. We, therefore, plan to conduct all our examinations online, henceforth, even after we reopen once the circumstances normalize.”

The third-party online proctoring portal will serve only as a platform for the students to appear and give the examination. The questions will be set by the faculty of IIM Sambalpur and the answer scripts will be scrutinised by them as well. The online proctoring system will allow each student to be monitored and invigilated through an AI tool so that they do not receive any external help for writing their answers. The interface will also capture the retina movement of the prospective candidates. The exam disrupts even if an examinee attends a phone call. Keeping internet disruption in mind, students will be allowed a buffer time for the exam as well.

IIM Sambalpur also announced the successful completion of 100% Summer Placements for the Fifth Batch (2019-21) of its flagship MBA programme. With more than 85 companies participating in the on-campus Summer Internship placement process for a batch strength of 95 students, this year concluded with one of the best placement seasons beating previous years' records. The institute has witnessed a highly coveted pool of first-time recruiters and the noteworthy mentions are Boston Consulting Group, Google, Walmart, McDonald’s, Amul, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail (Pantaloons), Bajaj Allianz General and Life Insurance, Bajaj Finserv, DSM Group, Ernst&Young, IBM, Justdial, Jubilant Life Sciences, KPMG, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Reserve Bank of India, SIDBI, Tata Steel BSL, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), V Guard among many others. The influx of recruiters saw an increase of over 40% this year providing opportunities in multiple domains viz., Advertising, Apparel, Automobile, Analyst, BFSI, Chemicals, Consulting, Consumer Goods & Services, E-Commerce, Edu-tech, Financial Services, FMCG, Insurance, IT/ITES, Mining, Pharmaceuticals, and Retail.

This year the highest stipend offered was INR 1,60,000 domestic and the top quartile of the batch received an average stipend of INR 82,640, the top half of the batch secured an average stipend of INR 66,600 wherein the average and median stipend of the whole batch stood at INR 55,432 and INR 50,000 respectively.

COVID-19 crisis has changed the way management institutes and corporates collaborate, and IIM Sambalpur is no exception to it. It has become imperative for management institutes and organizations to explore new forms of engagement, which gave rise to virtual internship programs. IIM Sambalpur too is engaging its students through virtual internships programs, about 82 students in a batch of 93 are currently pursuing internships in virtual mode while the remaining are awaiting to start off their virtual internships.  They appreciate the students and the organizations for adopting the new normal with such ease. This virtual exposure though has its own challenges opens doors for new perspectives and opportunities.

This pandemic has acted like an equalizer and levelled the field for one and all. The world is entering a new normal whereas human beings one will be even more dependent on the digital tools. With the advancement of technology, one must also keep on reinventing themselves to survive in this period. With the research focus of IIM Sambalpur being around 3D’s (Digitalisation, De-carbonisation and Democratisation of Business), the institution is prepared for this post-digital era. They already follow a model of blended pedagogy, combining the advantages of both online and traditional classroom education. Last year, they introduced a unique concept of Flipped classrooms, which is blended learning that is partly physical and partly digital. Now, IIM Sambalpur has also become pioneers in making transformation to an online method of examination.

Masala King Dhananjay Datar to Sponsor the Repatriation of Indians from UAE

There is promising news for thousands of stranded Indians waiting for their return from UAE to India on the background of current COVID 19 pandemic. The air traffic between these two countries has been resumed and the process of registration of names with Indian Consulate and ticket booking has also commenced. Dr. Dhananjay Datar, Chairman & Managing Director of Al Adil Trading, is extending his co-operation in sponsoring the air ticket expenses of the needy travellers coming back to India.

Dr. Datar said he will contribute to the ticket expense and COVID testing fees for Indians from the UAE who are waiting to get repatriated. Dr. Datar said this is a personal initiative from his side to help those who are unable to meet the expenses in order to travel to their homeland. “The repatriation efforts taken by the Indian Government is one of the largest initiatives undertaken to help those stranded on account of the pandemic. It goes without saying that this could be seen as one of the largest emergency evacuations and it is the duty of all of us to help our brethren in distress in whatever way we can,” he said.

There are many people who are not in a position to meet the airfare and COVID testing fees. “I understand that many individuals who have lost their jobs are unable to make use of this initiative to go to their hometown since they do not have the required money. I will be coordinating with the approved bodies to extend a helping hand to those in need. All necessary guidelines in connection with this will be strictly followed. I spoke with the Indian Consulate General Mr.Vipul & would like to sponsor tickets for Indians. I am doing my small bit and I hope my initiative will be of use. I also request all my fellow citizens to do their bit so that together we can overcome this crisis at the earliest. I express gratitude and salute the efforts of all those who are involved in the repatriation process,” Dr. Datar added.

Al Adil Trading group under the leadership of Dr. Dhananjay Datar has performed a key role in bringing more than 9000 Indian products to UAE. Today this group encompass a chain of 43 spacious super stores spread across Gulf Countries, 2 modern spice factories, 2 flour mills and an import-export company. The rulers of UAE felicitated Dhananjay with a prestigious award and the title Masala King, for his invaluable contribution to the business sector.

The group also produces more than 700 products within categories like readymade flours, spices, pickles, jams, Namkeen and instants, under its own brand ‘Peacock’. His group’s Indian arm, Masala King Exports (India) Pvt. Ltd. is successfully operating from Mumbai. Al Adil Group is in active expansion mode and increasing its outlets in other gulf countries. It has established special trade routes in USA, Canada, Kenya, Switzerland, Italy, Eretria, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE. 

Hero Motocorp Announces The Winners of ‘Hero Colabs – The Design Challenge’ in India

Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, has announced the winners of its latest innovative initiative Hero CoLabs – The Design Challenge.

Reshma KD from Bengaluru emerged victorious in Challenge #1 and Venkatesh R from Nagercoil emerged victorious in Challenge #2. Both winners will receive the grand prize Hero XPulse 200 – the Indian Motorcycle of the Year 2020.

Launched on April 7, 2020, Hero CoLabs provided the ideal platform to enthusiasts, brand fans, students and professionals to showcase their creativity and design skills.

The Challenge received over 10,000 registrations.

Pankaj Jadhav from Mumbai and Ajay Vishnu from Kozhikode were adjudged the second and first runners-up respectively in Challenge #1, while Pallab Raj Chowdhury from Pune and Spandan Bhattacharjee from Navi Mumbai were adjudged the second and first runners-up respectively in Challenge #2. The first runners-up will receive Hero Accessories or Vouchers worth Rs 10,000 and second runners-up will receive Hero Smart Sunglasses.

Additionally, the company announced 15 special mentions in each category, who will receive vouchers worth Rs 500 each.

The contest was hosted in two categories – requiring participants to design their own version of graphics for the iconic Hero Splendor+ (Challenge #1) or design a Hero T-Shirt / Hero Riding Jacket (Challenge #2) inspired by the XPulse 200.

Malo Le Masson, Head of Global Product Planning, Hero MotoCorp said, “The response to Hero CoLabs has been phenomenal. There is immense talent in our country waiting for a platform to showcase their skills and ability. We are excited by this new platform and its potential to collaborate and co-create. Congratulations to all the winners, runners-ups and special mentions.”

The contest was hosted on www.herocolabs.com where interested contestants were required to register and submit their entries before April 21, 2020. However, owing to the overwhelming response the deadline was extended till April 28, 2020.

After submission of entries on the official website, Hero MotoCorp shortlisted and posted the top 100 designs, 50 in each challenge, on the website for voting. Participants also had the opportunity to post their designs on their personal Social Media pages to maximize the support for their entries. The entries jointly received nearly 25,000 votes.

The winners were decided on basis of votes received by the entries and points given by the jury consisting of senior leadership team at Hero MotoCorp.

FIGSI Earmarks Rs.5 Crores Towards COVID 19 Relief in Karnataka

Federation of Indian Granite and Stone Industry is an all India trade body serving the Natural Stone Industry of India from the Last 37 years. The Natural Stone Industry of India provides huge employment in the rural sector for semiskilled and unskilled people throughout the country.

All these years, whenever a national calamity has taken place, the Federation has contributed whatever possible to the Government towards the calamity funds and various state levels.

Now as a responsible organisation and citizen of the country, the Federation has earmarked a sum Rs. Five Crores towards the latest Global Pandemic - COVID 2019, Out of this Fund three and half crores has been earmarked for the PM CARES FUNDS and donations to various state governments towards COVID 19 relief fund where Natural Stone operation is being done.  Balance has been earmarked for other facilities like providing Health care facility like Ambulance, Ventilators, Pure drinking  water facility to the stone clusters etc. across the country which will be done during this financial year.

Contributions will be sent to the respective funds including the PM CARES FUNDS in due course.

It is not out of place to mention that the Federation has already contributed Rs.10,00,000/- towards ambulance to Jigani sector in Bengaluru Urban District and Jalore sector in Rajasthan, Pure drinking RO water plant to Kagalavadi Panchayat at Chamarajanagar towards its social responsibility.

Straight to Digital: Amazon Prime Video to Globally Premiere Seven Highly Anticipated Indian Movies

Slate of movies across 5 Indian languages with titles like Shoojit Sircar’s Gulabo Sitabo starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, Shakuntala Devi featuring Vidya Balan as lead, R. Jyotika starrer Ponmagal Vandhal among others will premiere between May and August on Amazon Prime Video.

Prime offers incredible value with unlimited streaming of the latest and exclusive movies, TV shows, stand-up comedy, Amazon Original Series, ad free music through Amazon Prime Music, free fast delivery on India’s largest selection of products, early access to top deals, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, all available only for ₹129 a month

Following the announcement of the upcoming premiere of Shoojit Sircar’s Amitabh Bachchan (Black, Piku) and Ayushmann Khurrana (Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan, Andhadhun) starrer Gulabo Sitabo, Amazon Prime Video today announced an additional six highly-anticipated Indian films will be premiering directly on the streaming service. Spanning five Indian languages, the Direct-to-Service line-up features additional releases such as Anu Menon’s Shakuntala Devi with Vidya Balan (Dirty Picture, Kahaani) in lead, legal drama Ponmagal Vandhal starring Jyotika (Chandramukhi) in addition to Keerthy Suresh (Mahanathie) starrer Penguin (Tamil and Telugu), Sufiyum Sujatayum (Malayalam), Law (Kannada) and French Biryani (Kannada). The movies will premiere exclusively on Prime Video over the next three months and will be available in 200 countries and territories worldwide.

“At Prime Video we believe in listening to what our consumers want and working backwards from there. This belief is the genesis of our latest offering,” said Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Head, Content, Amazon Prime Video, India. “Over the last 2 years, Prime Video has become the destination of choice for our customers to watch new releases, across the languages, within weeks of their theatrical release. Now we’re taking this one step further, with seven of India’s most-anticipated films premiering exclusively on Prime Video, bringing the cinematic experience to their doorstep.”

“Indian audiences have been eagerly awaiting the release of these 7 highly anticipated films and we are delighted that Amazon Prime Video will now be premiering these movies for our customers - who can enjoy watching these from the safety & comfort of their homes and on a screen of their choice. Prime Video with its deep penetration in India, with viewership across over 4000 Towns and Cities, and its world-wide reach in more than 200 countries and territories, will give a large global release footprint to these films. We feel truly excited about this initiative and are confident of delighting our Prime Members with this offering” said Gaurav Gandhi, Director and Country General Manager, Amazon Prime Video India.

Amazon Prime Video’s direct-to-service slate:

Ponmagal Vandhal (Tamil), from 29th May on Amazon Prime Video starring Jyotika, Parthiban, Bhagyaraj, Prathap Pothen and Pandiarajan, Ponmagal Vandhal is a legal drama. The movie is written and directed by J.J. Fredrick and produced by Suriya and Rajsekar Karpoorasundarapandian.

Gulabo Sitabo (Hindi), from 12th June on Amazon Prime Video starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, Gulabo Sitabo is a quirky family comedy depicting day to day struggles of the common man. The movie is written by Juhi Chaturvedi, directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar.

Penguin (Tamil and Telugu), from 19th June on Amazon Prime Video starring Keerthy Suresh, Penguin is written and directed by Eshavar Karthic. The film is produced by Stone Bench Films and Karthik Subbaraj.

Law (Kannada), from 26th June on Amazon Prime Video starring Ragini Chandran, Siri Prahlad and veteran actor Mukhyamantri Chandru, Law is written and directed by Raghu Samarth and produced by Ashwini and Puneeth Rajkumar.

French Biryani (Kannada), from 24th July on Amazon Prime Video

French Biryani features actors Danish Sait, Sal Yusuf and Pitobash as leads. The movie is written by Avinash Balekkala, directed by Pannaga Bharana and produced by Ashwini and Puneeth Rajkumar and Gurudutt A Talwar.

Shakuntala Devi (Hindi), release date to be announced featuring Vidya Balan in the lead, Shakuntala Devi is a biographical drama on the extraordinary life of Shakuntala Devi, mathematics genius, writer and astrologer who was popularly known as the human computer. Also featuring Sanya Malhotra and Directed by Anu Menon, the film is produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions and Vikram Malhotra.

Sufiyum Sujatayum (Malayalam), release date to be announced starring Aditi Rao Hydari and Jayasuruya, Soofiyum Sujatayum is written and directed by Naranipuzha Shanavas and produced by Vijay Babu’s Friday Film House

The new releases will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood in the Prime Video catalogue. These include Indian-produced Amazon Original series like Four More Shots Please!, The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made In Heaven, and award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Original series, including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, all on Prime Video, which is available at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members. The service includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali.

Prime members will be able to watch all titles anywhere and anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, etc. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost. Prime Video is available in India at no extra cost with Prime membership for just ₹999 annually or ₹129 monthly, new customers can find out more at www.amazon.in/prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

ABOUT AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

Prime Video is a premium streaming service that offers Prime members a collection of award winning Amazon Original series, thousands of movies and TV shows—all with the ease of finding what they love to watch in one place.  Find out more at PrimeVideo.com.

●        Included with Prime Video: These titles join thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood, including Indian produced Amazon Original series such as Four More Shots Please!, The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made In Heaven, and award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Original series including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel available for unlimited streaming as part of a Prime membership. Prime Video includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali.

●        Instant Access: Members can watch anywhere, anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV and multiple gaming devices. Prime Video is also available to consumers through Airtel and Vodafone pre-paid and post-paid subscription plans. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost.

●        Enhanced experiences: Make the most of every viewing with 4K Ultra HD- and High Dynamic Range (HDR)-compatible content. Go behind the scenes of your favorite movies and TV shows with exclusive X-Ray access, powered by IMDb. Save it for later with select mobile downloads for offline viewing.

●        Included with Prime: Prime Video is available in India at no extra cost with Prime membership for just ₹999 annually or ₹129 monthly, new customers can find out more at www.amazon.in/prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.