Hindware Italian Collection Brings the Luxurious Tankless Wall-Mounted EWC in India

Hindware Italian Collection introduces India’s first Tankless Wall Mounted EWC which brings together a distinct amalgamation of innovation, technology and unique design. The revolutionary product comes with an efficient flushing system that operates without a cistern, thereby, assuring intelligent utilisation of the bathroom space, while maintaining utmost level of hygiene.

This contemporary offering not only adds a distinct appeal to the bathroom, but is also sensitive towards the water consumption levels. It ensures optimum water saving where flushing can be done with only four litres of water on a daily basis.

The sophisticated product provides a soothing yet plush aesthetic appeal to the bathroom décor with its Starwhite colour. The two shapes (round and square) and Duroplast soft-close seat cover add to the premium look.

The Tankless Wall Mounted EWC promises hassle-free installation. The product is operated with only 4AAA batteries which can meet the requirements of a four member family for over a year. It also comes with a low battery alert, when batteries can be replaced conveniently by the customers themselves.

A Strategic Road Map for Conserving the Endangered Dhole Cuon Alpinus in India

India Needs a Strategic Management Plan for Conserving the Endangered Asiatic Wild Dog

A new study identifies priority actions and locations for conserving populations of the endangered Asiatic wild dog or dhole in India.

 

Country-level species conservation plans serve as a blueprint for identifying important areas, prioritizing management actions and channeling conservation funds. India is a biologically megadiverse country, yet many threatened and endangered species do not have science-based conservation plans. In a new study, scientists from Wildlife Conservation Society–India, University of Florida (USA), Wildlife Conservation Trust, and National Centre for Biological Sciences propose a detailed framework for conserving the endangered dhole in India using a combination of ecological, social, political and administrative information. 

The researchers first made a detailed assessment of the current status of dholes in each State. Based on the relationship between dhole occurrence, forest cover, protected areas, human populations and cattle densities, the authors then identify taluks or tehsils for targeting management interventions— areas where dhole populations need to be recovered, areas warranting improvement or expansion of forest habitats, and areas with potential for dholes to expand their distribution range. The study also evaluated State-wise conservation capacity using multiple criteria, like GDP share, poverty levels, State and central budgetary allocations for forest/wildlife sectors, and rejection rate of forest clearances.  

“Dholes play an important role as apex predators in forest ecosystems. Besides the tiger, dhole is the only large carnivore in India that is under IUCN’s ‘Endangered’ category. As a country that perhaps supports the highest number of dholes in the world, we still do not have targeted management plans for scientific monitoring of the species. Our study recognizes taluks and States that need to be prioritized, and thereby offers a primer for designing a country-level plan to conserve their populations”, said Arjun Srivathsa, lead author of the study.

The study reports that Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh ranked very high on the priority scale, and are adequately equipped to maintain status quo, consolidate forest habitats, and recover dhole populations by increasing prey densities and reducing pressures on forests. On the other hand, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Goa will need to increase financial investments towards forest/wildlife sectors, and also resolutely reduce the ease of granting forest clearances for infrastructure projects. Additionally, improving habitat conditions and prey densities in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha would strengthen the link between dhole populations in Western Ghats and Central India. 

Despite their endangered status, there is a persistent lack of resources and policy focus on dhole conservation. “Alongside a comprehensive assessment of dholes in India, our study also provides an analysis of the current state of knowledge through a review of all published literature on the species. We identify critical gaps which can be explicated through improved funding for dhole research and conservation in India and across its distribution range”, said co-author Girish Punjabi.

The study titled “A strategic roadmap for conserving the endangered dhole Cuon alpinus in India” was published in the recent issue of the reputed international journal Mammal Review. The authors include Arjun Srivathsa (Wildlife Conservation Society–India and University of Florida, USA), Sushma Sharma (Wildlife Conservation Society–India), Priya Singh (National Centre for Biological Sciences), Girish Punjabi (Wildlife Conservation Trust), and Madan Oli (University of Florida, USA).

Article link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mam.12209 

An Evening with Living Legend Pt Birju Maharaj and his Romance with Kathak Dance

Prabha Khaitan Foundation, an organization that is dedicated to the socio-cultural welfare and humanitarian cause has through a virtual session of their initiative Ek Mulakat in association with SWAR brought together Kathak maestro Pt Birju Maharaj and his disciple Vidushi Saswati Sen in conversation with the maestro’s granddaughter Shinjini Kulkarni  who is also a kathak dancer to take the audience on an enchanting journey of his life, art and work. The Prabha Khaitan Foundation is devoted towards the promotion of performing arts, culture and literature, and collaborates with caregivers, committed individuals and like-minded institutions to implement cultural, educational, literary and social welfare projects in India. Ek Mulakat provides a platform to eminent personalities from the various segments of the society to share their stories.

Speaking on the virtual session, Ms Manisha Jain, Communications & Branding Chief, Prabha Khaitan Foundation, added, “Prabha Khaitan Foundation has always been an advocate of art, culture and literature.  With the lockdown keeping us all at home, we have endeavoured to bring together the greatest minds from across the country through our virtual sessions, to keep our fellow countrymen inspired during these difficult times. We hope that Pt Birju Maharaj ji’s life and his body of work encourage all our viewers. Be it physically or virtually, Prabha Khaitan Foundation is committed to engage communities in promoting culture and knowledge.”

Pt Birju Maharaj requires no introduction. His legacy precedes him. Not only in India, the legend is known for his art across continents. Among the numerous other awards such as Kalidas Samman, Yash Bharati and Andhra Ratna, the renowned dancer has been the youngest recipient of Padma Vibhushan Award in dance in 1984. His mastery lies not only in Kathak, but he’s also a vocalist, percussionist, musician, poet, composer, choreographer and painter. Vidushi Saswati Sen is probably the most renowned of Pandit ji’s disciples. She stands tall among her contemporaries in the way she has embellished Kathak by integrating the sacredness of a tradition with the creativeness of a contemporary approach. Vidushi Saswati Sen today is regarded as an artist with immense versatility and talent and one of the best exponents of the famed Lucknow gharana. Shinjini Kulkarni, granddaughter and disciple of the icon has followed in his footsteps and is an accomplished Kathak dancer in her own accord.

Throughout the hour-long engaging session, the maestro reminisced events and episodes from his life that have left a mark on his mind. He spoke on his lifelong love affair with kathak. From thumris to tihaai to bols – the maestro left the audience mesmerized and shared several anecdotes from his various choreographies and performances. Vidushi Saswati Sen also iterated many instances and stories with Maharaj ji from her 50-year-old association with him. Shinjini Kulkarni also spoke of many fond memories from her childhood.

Speaking on his Lucknow connect, Pt Birju Maharaj said, “I still pray that I get to go to Lucknow and work with the people there. Everything about Lucknow is engraved in my brain like an image.”

On his inception of his ideas, he added, “I always like to discuss my ideas with my closest confidants because exchange of ideas is important.” On the art of dancing, he stated, “Dance is beyond gender and age. There is no age limit to when one can start learning if you have the art in yourself. It is not a male or female dominated profession it is about honing your art and surrendering yourself to your guru ji.”

Vidushi Saswati Sen, added, “Maharaj ji is a perfectionist and he expects perfection from his students. However, he always gives his students creative liberty and encourages their strengths. He lets them hone their talent. Maharaj ji never discourages anyone from going out of the box. There are so many things that he has introduced to kathak that was not there in the form before and now it is performed and practiced globally.”

Shinjini Kulkarni, added, “My grandfather is extremely open, and war hearted. He makes everyone feel so comfortable that it is almost impossible to have a formal conversation with him. He has been representing Indian classical dancing in different countries when not many Indian artistes performed abroad. I would like to thank Prabha Khaitan Foundation to allow me to have such a splendid conversation with my grandfather.”

The Foundation’s vision to promote and recognise talent from different walks of life has led them to arrange immaculately curated literary sessions in about 30 cities across the country. Encouraged by the response in India, the Foundation has also forayed into the global arena with a bouquet of sessions. They have hosted some of the greatest stalwarts from the world of words, even as they are focused on creating a platform for aspiring talent. Each session carried a different flavour and spread a different essence. Previously, an array of distinguished and influential personalities has been a part of Ek Mulakat sessions such as Dr Shashi Tharoor, Javed Akhtar, Ashish Vidyarthi, Dr Sonal Mansingh, Dia Mirza, Usha Uthup, Nandita Das, Baroness Sandip Verma, Bittu Sahgal, Sudarshan Pattanaik and many more. Now Prabha Khaitan Foundation has taken this initiative to the virtual platform owing to the pandemic starting with Shri Kailash Satyarthi.

About Prabha Khaitan Foundation: 

Prabha Khaitan Foundation is dedicated to the socio-cultural welfare and humanitarian cause. It is a non-profit trust founded by Late Dr. Prabha Khaitan. Based in Kolkata, the Foundation promotes performing arts, culture and literature, and collaborates with caregivers, committed individuals and like-minded institutions to implement cultural, educational, literary and social welfare projects in India. The Foundation supports the UNESCO view that cultural development has the potential to be an alternative way of promoting sustainable development in poor rural communities, especially in the third-world countries. Based in Kolkata, for them culture stands for language, music, literature, visual arts, dance, drama, oral traditions, and traditional practices. The objective of the foundation is to create an enabling structure and promote networking so that communities engage with each other to work towards building positive self-esteem, inspire creativity and pro- mote culture and knowledge.

Experience Contactless Dining at Phoenix Marketcity, Whitefield

Phoenix Marketcity, Bengaluru’s ultimate Shopping & Lifestyle destination has reopened its food court by implementing ‘Contactless Dining’ – a unique and safe dining experience to its patrons. The initiative of contactless dining and ordering solution at the food court aims to offer a hygienic dining experience for the visitors. Contactless dining has minimised human contact by eliminating the use of high-touch elements at restaurants in the food court. Phoenix Marketcity has deployed this technology to make the entire process, from ordering to payment seamlessly digital.

With business activities resuming earlier this month, Phoenix Marketcity has reoriented its focus towards health and safety of its patrons and partners. Anticipating the challenges in food service, specifically the dining segment, Phoenix Marketcity has taken a major step to reinvent eating out experience through contactless dining to curtail contamination risk.

"The present situation demands all of us to prioritize safety and hygiene standards at all times. At Phoenix Marketcity we have set stringent SOPs that are constantly monitored. The contactless dining at our food court will ensure our patrons have minimal human contact to place their order or pay the bill. By deploying technology, we have eliminated the need for menu cards and bills that are often touched and could potentially be a source of concern. Thus, making the entire experience seamless, safe and convenient for our customers. We believe a proactive approach as this towards safety and hygiene will go a long way in building customer confidence and creating a safe environment all around” said, Mr. Gajendra Singh Rathore, Senior Centre Director, Phoenix Marketcity.

Introducing Contactless Dining at Phoenix Marketcity

Contactless Menu: Scan the QR code placed on the table / or from anywhere inside the mall to land on the home page of the Food Court to explore restaurant menu and pairing recommendations for digital orders. The user lands on the landing page of the food court where all the food court brands are visible.

Contactless ordering – order through the app (eliminates contact with the waiter/ staff to place an order or modify an order).

The order is then authenticated by the merchant and the User gets real time order status in his phone via WhatsApp

Contactless payment – Pay the bill via the app & leave the restaurant premises

 

4 Simple Steps for contactless dining/ordering

1 SCAN THE QR CODE WITH YOUR MOBILE CAMERA   

2 TAP ON THE NOTIFICATION LINK

3. ORDER FOOD (DINE-IN/TAKEAWAY)                                                                                         

4. Pay Online

Contactless Dining is a step forward in the right direction for the Food courts and we are sure this will provide for a safe and hassle-free dining experience for customers and improve the economics of the restaurant industry.

Our Food Court brands include : Wow Momo, Naga's, Subway, Eat Fit, Purani Delhi, Kababji, Shiv Sagar, Kailash Parbat, Squeeze Juice Bar, Bao & Grills, Smoke The Sizzler House, Hunan Express, Gongura, Marhaba, Keventers, Gelato, Asia 7 Express, Papa Roti.

Lizol Introduces its First Disinfectant Concentrate for Indian Consumers

Lizol Double Concentrate is RB’s ‘E-commerce first’ innovation to be sold exclusively across Indian e-commerce platforms.

Lizol, one of RB’s leading disinfectant brands, announced the launch of its ‘e-commerce first’ innovation, Lizol Double Concentrate Disinfectant Surface Cleaner today. The product is Lizol’s first ever disinfectant concentrate to be sold exclusively across e-commerce platforms in India keeping in mind the significant growth retail e-commerce has seen in the country.

Being at the forefront in its collaborative fight against Covid-19, Lizol is looking to expand its portfolio by providing consumers with a range of products that help break the chain of infection. The new Lizol Double Concentrate has a superior formulation which will give consumers 10X superior cleaning and kill 99.9% germs by using just half a cap.

Commenting on the launch, Sukhleen Aneja, CMO & Marketing Director, RB Hygiene, South Asia said, “, “The Covid-19 pandemic has heightened the need and importance of maintaining safe hygiene practices as the first step towards preventive health care. Lizol’s new innovation is a 2X concentrated formula that is not only potent as a disinfectant but, is also a more sustainable option that is aimed at providing superior benefit value for consumers. It’s an ‘e-commerce first’ launch keeping in line with the changing shopper behaviour.”

With this product innovation, RB showcases its commitment towards consumer centricity by ensuring greater degree of consumer convenience. It allows ease of use and fewer buying occasions while also actively pushing the envelope on making its products environment friendly.

“Lizol double concentrate is a powerful innovation that is effective and sustainable. The concentrate has gone through multiple tests to ensure germ-kill and superior cleaning while disinfecting surfaces. This is a convenient purchase option as compared to dilutables giving consumers more than 100 uses from just one bottle”, says Dr. Navin Sharma, Head- Innovation Hub at India R&D, RB Hygiene.

The product will be initially available in Citrus variant and in two different sizes – 900ml and 1.9 litre.

Esper Partners with Point Mobile on Lifecycle Management for Rugged Android Devices

Esper, a global leader in the Android DevOps space, has announced a partnership with Point Mobile Co., Ltd., one of the world’s fastest-growing manufacturers of rugged, handheld mobile computers. Industrial fleet managers have off-the-shelf access to the industry’s most powerful tools for Android device deployment and management on Point Mobile devices. Esper and Point Mobile want to help firms in energy, materials, and the supply chain rapidly deploy and secure Android devices. 

“Point Mobile is among the most quality-focused mobile device makers in the world. They’re a globally-leading source for rugged Android devices and purpose-built mobile hardware,” says Esper’s COO and Co-Founder Shiv Sundar. “We’re proud to announce that Esper’s cloud tools are offered as part of Point Mobile’s leading options for post-sales support.” 

“Together, we can help our customers in the supply chain, energy, and materials streamline operations and gain a competitive edge with connected Android,” says Sundar. Esper’s Android DevOps tools can reduce fleet OpEx by 60% versus traditional mobile device management (MDM) solutions by offering remote features to provision, update, and debug devices. 

“Point Mobile partners with innovators like Esper to drive our mission of transforming industry mobility,” says SK Kang, CEO of Point Mobile. “Remote Android management features significantly lower fleet operating expenses, which allows our customers to focus on transforming industrial workflows.”  

Esper and Point Mobile’s partnership was formed, in part, because both firms share a mission to provide stable, simple, and cost-effective Android mobility solutions. Point Mobile customers can gain a mobile advantage with built-in cloud tools for ultra-reliable, rugged Android devices. 

About Esper

Founded in 2017 in Bellevue, Washington, Esper is the industry’s first complete toolchain for connected Android devices like kiosks, point-of-sale, digital signage, and purpose-built hardware. Esper’s cloud console and open APIs provide the infrastructure for secure connection and real-time data exchange between Android devices and cloud.

Quarantinder How Gen Z Is Dating During Quarantine Globally

There’s a large, important, cultural shift happening - one we’ve seen for a while in Gen Z, but it’s now expanding because of COVID-19. The pandemic has accelerated a generational shift in the way we date and meet new people, and we’ve learned that connection is enduring, and despite social distancing, Gen-Z will find a way to sustain it.  

Here’s everything that happened on Tinder in the last few months. 

COVID got us to open up. 

The combination of being stuck at home and the fact that we were all going through the same thing at the same time led folks on Tinder to get chattier than ever. Globally, April 5th was the peak of this chattiness: on that day Tinder members sent an average of 52% more messages vs. the start of lockdowns in early March. 

In India, May 3rd was the peak of this chattiness: on that day Tinder members sent an average of 60% more messages vs. the start of lockdowns in early March - above the global average. 

“2020 made me realise”

To help users better introduce themselves to potential matches, Tinder recently released Prompts, a new in-app feature that lets members respond to questions or finish a sentence to display on their profile. Of all available Prompts, ‘2020 MADE ME REALISE’ had the highest adoption, signaling how much our daily lives have changed from every perspective--including how we gauge compatibility with potential matches on Tinder.

Quarantine led to creative hacks for hanging out. Social distancing turned us into creative digital daters. Forced to stay home, browsing Tinder became a way to socialize. At its peak, swipe volume* among members in India was up 32%. And with most places closed, many on Tinder looked to Animal Crossing to rendezvous. Early quarantine saw a 5x increase in Animal Crossing mentions in bios. 

Masks became the talk of Tinder. The early days of quarantine saw an uptick in mentions of toilet paper and hand sanitizer stockpiles within member bios, but come April there was only one accessory on everyone’s minds: face masks.  Members touted their own mask-wearing habits (show me your mask and I’ll show you mine”’) or looked for shared mask POV, (‘if you don’t wear a mask while grocery shopping, we’re not compatible’). 

While dating and socializing out of quarantine looks different around the world right now, hanging out on Tinder is showing no signs of letting up. 

Methodology

Data was pulled from March through May 2020

The information included in this campaign represents overall Tinder trends, not the personal information of any specific, identified individual or member. App activity, messaging, and biodata are representative of global Tinder activity between March and May 2020. When analysis references ‘at the peak of quarantine’, this refers to the highest point of a metric measured during the March-May 2020 period.

*Swipe volume/swipe activity defined as when a member swipes left or right on a profile.