Tork Motors Has Announced Marginal Price Hike Of Its Electric Motorcycle KRATOS And KRATOS-R From Jan 1, 2023

India’s first electric motorcycle maker, Tork Motors has announced a marginal price hike of its revolutionary electric motorcycle KRATOS® and KRATOS®-R. The effective cost from 1st January, 2023 will be INR 1,32,499 [ex-showroom after subsidy in Maharashtra] and 1,47,499 [ex-showroom after subsidy in Maharashtra], respectively.  The company will also offer price protection to all the bikes that are being rolled out for deliveries on or before 31st December 2022. The company has been absorbing a significant portion of the increased costs but the steep rise in overall input costs has compelled this minimal price hike.

This is the first price hike on the e-motorcycles, post its launch of the promotional price in January, this year. The company recently launched its first-ever experience centre in Pune for unmatched sales and after-sales experience and will be opening touchpoints, in seven cities, by the end of this financial year. Currently, the KRATOS® is priced at INR 1,22,499 [ex-showroom after subsidy in Maharashtra] and is available in white colour only and the KRATOS®-R is priced at INR 1,37,499 [ex-showroom after subsidy in Maharashtra]; and comes in four colour options white, blue, red and black.  At present, Tork Motors is delivering the e-motorcycles in Pune, Mumbai and Hyderabad and will soon start deliveries in other markets.

About Tork Motors Pvt. Ltd.

Tork Motors is India’s first electric motorcycle manufacturer, registered in the year 2006. The brand has a rich and glorious legacy of racing at the ‘Isle of Man and is backed by the Bharat Forge group. Kapil Shelke, the founder of Tork Motors has leveraged his racing experience in making the brand India’s top electric vehicle manufacturer. Tork Motors has filed more than 50 patents and designs under IPR (Intellectual Property Rights bolstering its R&D and cutting-edge technology since its inception. To know more about the company, visit: www.torkmotors.com 

JUSTDOGS Strengthens Presence In Maharashtra With Launch Of Nagpur Store

* This fortifies the omni-channel retailer’s presence to 46 stores across the country

JUSTDOGS, India’s leading omni-channel pet care retailer and service provider, touched a poignant milestone with the opening of its first store in Nagpur. Over the course of this year, the brand has doubled the number of stores and is now catering to 3.5 lakh consumers pan India. This launch also consolidates JUSTDOGS presence in Maharashtra with a total of 12 stores, including 7 in Mumbai, 4 in Pune and one in Nagpur.

In addition to the company’s rapid growth trajectory, the opening of this store also marked an instance of life coming full circle for the co-founder Ashish Anthony, who hails from Nagpur. Hailing from a family with a teaching background, Ashish is a first-generation entrepreneur who channelized his love for pets into JUSTDOGS, which is now one of the country’s foremost retailers and service providers for pet care. Touched by nostalgia, Ashish Anthony, co-founder, JUSTDOGS said, “Nagpur holds a very special place for me as this is the city where I grew up. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would one day go on to co-found a national retail chain and open a store here.” Speaking about the brand’s plan to scale up in non-metro cities in India, he added, “These cities are witnessing a fast pace of growth and consumers here enjoy a better quality of life. This has led to an increase in the number of pet parents who desire the best quality of products and services for their pet babies. Over the next year we plan to open stores in Delhi, Gurugram, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Punjab.”

JUSTDOGS offers a wide catalogue of pet care products ranging from food, toys, accessories, training and grooming. From giving pre-pet parenting advice to making your pet-parenthood journey easier, this store is a one stop solution for all pets’ needs.

Based on the vision of a community the brand envisions a happier, healthier world for all pets and is looking forward to welcoming more and more fur babies with open hearts and big smiles.

About JUSTDOGS:

JUSTDOGS was founded in 2011 by proud pet parents Poorvi and Ashish Anthony. The diverse pet care retail chain has grown to more than 42 stores in 16 cities across India. In the span of a decade, it has created a loyal customer base of over two million happy pet parents – and happier tail-waggers. JUSTDOGS isn’t simply a provider of premium pet care products and services. It is a community of animal lovers, a brand that encourages a better understanding of our furry friends, and aims to make their world a healthier, happier one.

18th Marketing Conclave Brings Ecosystem’s Best Minds Together

* 95+  Marketing Stalwarts and 1000+ Delegates

* Experts discuss latest trends, innovation and marketing in the world of metaverse~

The 18th edition of Marketing Conclave (Marcon), presented jointly by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and WebEngage wrapped up today at Taj Lands End in Mumbai, with participation from over 95 marketing gurus and more than 1000 delegates from the marketing world. The country’s oldest and biggest Digital Marketing conference witnessed some of the greatest minds from the marketing ecosystem brainstorm on the latest thoughts and trends in brand building, content marketing, as well as the possibilities of marketing in the world of metaverse. 

“For the past 18 years at IAMAI's digital marketing summit, we have witnessed digital advertising grow from a Rs. 500 crores business to now, the largest medium in India, expecting to cross Rs. 50,000 crore this year. IAMAI has played no small part in this growth, and continues to work towards a fair and transparent digital marketing environment,” said Mr. Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group.

With the theme of ‘Foreseeing the Unforeseen’, Marcon had more than 30 keynote sessions, panel discussions, fireside chats and workshops, spread over four tracks. Xapads was the innovation partner of the conclave.

One of the highlights of the conclave was an immersive trialogue chat on creating Global & Premium Indian brands. Mr. Puneet Chhatwal,  MD & CEO, The Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), Mr. Suhel Seth, Founder and Managing Partner, Counselage India  along with Mr. Anant Goenka shared their visions on the subject during the session.

Among several other sessions, a fireside chat hosted by Mr. Siddharth Banerjee, Managing Director & SVP - India & Asia, Pearson presented an interesting take on the topic: ‘Unlearn/Learn Marketing Principles in a post COVID world’. "The Covid-19 pandemic has changed people and organizations, and the transformation which could have taken years has happened in just a few quarters. In today's world, competition can come from anywhere - from the ecosystem, environment or even the geopolitical situation that we are dealing with currently. Organizations need to get ready to transform and there needs to be continuous learning and unlearning in this environment. In order to make decisions, the consumer is still the starting point however empathy and the human layer can help make better decisions. This can be further built on data and technology," said Mr. Tushar Vyas, President, South Asia, GroupM at the fireside chat.

Dr.Virginia Sharma, India Marketing Head, and Kunal Mathuria Head of Data & AI sales from Google Cloud, conducted an engrossing workshop on “Unlock How First Party Data Can Help You Stay on Top by Google Cloud”.?     

IAMAI along with Deloitte launched a report on “Metaverse: The Hype, Possibilities, and Beyond”. The report highlights the possibilities of different types of Metaverse architectures and their potential across enterprises.

Some of the other prominent industry speakers who addressed the event included; Mr. Rajesh Kalra, Executive Chairman, Asianet News Media & Entertainment; Mr. Sachin Vashishta, Chief Marketing Officer, Paisabazaar; and Siddhesh Joglekar, Vice President - Marketing, BYJU's among others.

Marcon was supported by Google Cloud, Asia Net News, Times Internet, WebEngage, Bobble AI and ValueFirst among others.  Over 250+ marketing brands, agencies, publishers and MarTech platforms converged at the conclave.

About Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI)

Established in 2004, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is a not-for-profit industry body and the country's only organization representing the digital services industry with over 450 Indian and multinational corporations as its members, which include established companies in diverse sectors of the digital ecosystem as well as start-ups. Its mandate is to expand and enhance the online and mobile value-added services sectors. It is dedicated to presenting a unified voice of the businesses it represents to the government, investors, consumers and other stakeholders. IAMAI represents varied sectors such as digital advertising, digital entertainment, TravelTech, online gaming, digital payments, fintech, digital commerce, Edtech, Healthtech, Agritech, Big data, ML, AI & IoT, AR/ VR, LogisticsTech and so on.

IPRS Partners With The “Hornbill Music Festival 2022” As The Knowledge Partner

As an extension of its efforts to educate and empower those behind the music through knowledge and know-how, The Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS) associated with the Hornbill Music Festival, this year as the Knowledge Partner. The festival provided the much-needed podium for the IPRS to connect with independent artists and music creators from the Northeast.  

Music from the Northeast has created ripples across the country and beyond. What is also evident is that, despite the popularity of the music from this region, very few are aware of music copyright and how Collective Management Organisations like the IPRS, representing composers, authors, and publishers in India, can support creators to garner their rightful royalties and credit. 

With several initiatives engineered for the benefit of the music creators, it was natural for the IPRS that an ideal platform like the Hornbill Music Festival, orchestrated by the Government of Nagaland, would be put to great use for supporting the budding talent and promising creators. 

As part of the association, IPRS conducted an exclusive knowledge workshop sharing know-how on copyright, music royalties, the importance of metadata, and the latest trends shaping the careers and creativity of music makers.  

Credit is also due to the organisers of the festival. Speaking about the festival and IPRS, Mr. Theja Meru, Advisor TaFMA, said, “The Hornbill Festival, known as the ‘Festivals of Festivals’, is a proper representation of the rich and diverse Naga ethnicity through folk dances, traditional music, local cuisine, handicraft, art workshops, etc. The ten-day event is a melting pot of music and gala performances by artists and bands from the Northeast and different parts of the country and globe. While the musicians kept us enthralled through their music, our collaboration with IPRS was a return gift to them. IPRS's participation at the festival was a great way to add value to all those creating music through knowledge, helping them make the most of their creative ability.” 

Mayur Puri noted lyricist, screenwriter, filmmaker, and IPRS Board Member, said, “We are thrilled to be present at the Hornbill Music Festival in Kohima and interact with music creators and independent musicians from the state and surrounding regions. IPRS conducted an exclusive workshop for music creators and budding artists at the festival on topics related to Music Copyright, Royalties, and Managing Rights in the Digital Era. An extension of the Learn & Earn Initiative launched by IPRS earlier this year, the workshop by IPRS is an attempt to reach out to authors, composers, and publishers beyond metros and support the promising talent from across the country to help them make the most of their creative ability. With a rich cultural heritage, music is the elixir of entertainment in the northeast. However, music creators and promising talent from the region have limited awareness of matters that impact their creation and earnings. IPRS partnering with festivals like Hornbill Music Festival is an ideal catalyst to connect and raise this much-needed awareness on music copyright to help music makers earn their rightful dues and credit. IPRS is grateful for this opportunity to lend a helping hand to music creators, encouraging creativity.” 

Mr. Rakesh Nigam, CEO of IPRS added: “It can be averred that the musical talent in India is widespread with every region offering a veritable aural bonanza. It was amazing to see the surge in independent artists/creators with their unique repertoire, over the past couple of years, as rapid digitalisation opened a plethora of opportunities for deserving talent. As the music grew from various corners, IPRS backpacked to interact and educate the creators about managing their rights, which many are ignorant about. I take this opportunity to thank the organizers of the Hornbill Music Festival, Govt. of Nagaland, and particularly Mr. Theja Meru, Advisor TaFMA, for being our guiding light at the festival, supporting our larger cause, and introducing us to some of the most incredible talent and bands performing at the festival.” 

About IPRS 

IPRS is India’s only Copyright Society registered under the Copyright Act, 1957, and counts more than 9,000 of India’s best-known authors, composers, and music publishers as its members. IPRS is authorized under the Copyright Act, 1957 to carry on the business and granting of licenses in respect of literary works and musical works assigned to it by its members as well as collect and distribute authors’ statutory royalties, for the exploitation of these works either by way of live performances and/or sound recordings through any medium except when exhibited as a part of a cinematograph film shown in a cinema hall.  

7-Year-Old Sharvaanica From Hatsun Chess Academy Emerges As Champion In “16th Asian Schools Chess Championships 2022”

~Sharvaanica achieves the WCM title (woman candidate master) with this victory ~ 

Sharvaanica A.S, a budding Chess player training at Hatsun Chess Academy has emerged as the Champion in three formats of 16th Asian Schools Chess Championships 2022 held in Srilanka. Shaarvanica has won in three titles in the categories namely Asian Schools U 7 rapid champion, Asian Schools U 7 Blitz champion and Asian Schools U 7 Champion classical. 7-year-old Shaarvanica hails from Udayarpalayam, a small village in Ariyalur district. Shadhursshaan.R, a member of Hatsun Chess Academy, won the bronze medal for Asian schools' U-15 division. 

The Championship tournament is conducted under the aegis of Asian Chess Federation (ACF) and World Chess Federation.  The event was by organized by chess federation of Sri Lanka. Over 46 players from 13 countries participated in the event. The 8 days tournament started on 3rd December 2022 and concluded on 10th December 2022.  

Speaking on the occasion, Indian Grandmaster V Vishnu Prasanna, Head Coach, Hatsun Chess Academy said “Sharvaanica A.S is a brilliant player who has never missed out a training session and this victory is a result of hard work. she has been constantly winning in all the tournaments. We value the passion of every athlete and encourage them by giving them opportunities, to perform their best” 

About Hatsun Chess Academy: 

Hatsun Chess Academy is a part of HAP Sports Trust located in Thiruthangal, Virudhunagar District, Tamil Nadu built by Hatsun Agro Product Ltd as part of its CSR efforts. The sports complex houses the Hatsun Badminton Centre with 8 world class badminton courts, Hatsun Tennikoit Academy with 12 exclusive courts and the Hatsun Chess Academy. The centre provides a professional platform for the next generation sports enthusiasts with expert coaches, latest training methods, mental conditioning and best in class in-house infrastructure for physical conditioning to compete at the highest level. Hatsun Chess Academy is headed by Coach GM Vishnu Prasanna who has been training hundreds of budding Chess enthusiasts. 

Brilliant Woman Minds Come Together For Great Lakes Conference

* The women-oriented seminar discussed ways to bring about change to lower barriers to Indian women’s effective participation in the labour market 

Great Lakes Institute of Management, true to its tagline of ‘Global mindset, Indian roots’ organised a conference – Indian Women and Paid Work, choices, opportunities and constraints in their premises.   

Helmed by Vidya Mahambare of Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai and Sowmya Dhanaraj of Good Business Lab, the event saw the participation of 100 people in both modes (direct and online) in spite of rough weather. The conference deliberated on the constraints which stop women from developing their full economic potential and discussed ways to bring about change to lower barriers to Indian women’s effective participation in the labour market. Participants were allowed to attend the conference in both direct and online modes, by paying a nominal fee.   

The first day of the conference started off with an inaugural speech by K Santhakumari, regional vice-president of the International Federation of Women Lawyers and the former president of the All-India Federation of Women Lawyers.  

She shared her inspiring journey to drive home the point that it is important for women to give themselves a chance. Her hilarious and sharp speech focused on the importance of equality and social justice.   

While thanking the chief guest for her insightful and inspiring speech, Professor Suresh Ramanathan, Dean and principal, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai highlighted the steps taken by the institution to empower women. He said they have a Centre for Women Leadership and said “We do our best to support women to get back to office after a break,”. He announced that the institution would be giving the system of paternity leave from now on.   

Secondly, Farzana Afridi of Indian Statistical Institute (Delhi) and National University of Singapore spoke about the networks, gender norms and women’s labour supply: Experimental evidence using a job search platform, in the keynote lecture. 

This was followed by a session on job search to climb up the ladder which was chaired by Divya Pandey of International Initiative for Impact Evaluation. Srinivasan Murali of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore; Anant Ahuja of Good Business Lab and Shahi Exports; J V Meenakshi of Delhi School of Economics; Sangeeta Bansal of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Brinda Viswanathan, Madras School of Economics presented papers which was followed by open discussion. 

Ashwini Deshpande, Ashoka University and Institute of Labour Economics, (Bonn), spoke about the structural change and the decline in female labour force participation in India. She focussed on how illiterate and highly educated women are employable and are employed but the women who fall in the middle with 8, 10th or 12th standards as qualification fall out of the labour market. 

A session in Gender, Health and Crime was chaired by Shreya Biswas of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Hyderabad. Anuja Jayaraman, Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action and Aditi Bhowmick, Data development Lab, University of Yale presented papers related to this topic. 

The second day of the conference started off with a session on social norms and paid work chaired by Brinda Viswanathan, Madras School of Economics, Chennai. Rosa Abraham of Azim Premji University; Nishant Anjum of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi; Rahul Lahoti of UNU-WIDER, Helseinki; Hema Swaminathan of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore; Madhulika Khanna of Amazon and Divya Pandey of International Initiative for Impact Evaluation participated. Purna Banerjee of Reserve Bank of India and Shreya Biswas of 

Birla Institute of Technology & Sciences, Pilani and Debojyoti Mazumder of Reserve Bank of India presented papers on related topics. 

The session on empowering women was chaired by Srinivasan Murali of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.  Maya Vengurlekar of Crisil Foundation; Rukmini S, an independent data journalist and Kalpana K of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras presented papers on related topics. 

A panel discussion on corporate and academic workplaces on what role does the gender play? – was moderated by Pratima Lakshamanan of Great Lakes Institute of Management. K Rajeswari, Area- Chair of Marketing, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai; Vandhana Sundaram, diversity and inclusion, LTIMindtree and Pon Mythili of Great Lakes Institute of Management participated in the panel discussion. 

The discussion revolved around perceived notions when it comes to assessing skills possessed by a woman, gender bias and occupation segregation, among others. The panel discussed about how flexibility in working hours will bring back more women into the workforce. The impact of technology has changed the scene for the better, agreed the panellists.  The focus was also on ‘continuing the conversation’ for women to go on in their journey and succeed.   

The session on social norms and paid work – II was moderated by Rosa Abraham of Azim Premji University. Diva Dhar, University of Oxford; Sowmya Dhanaraj, Good Business Lab and Madras School of Economics, Vidya Mahambare, Pon Mythili and Booshanam of Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai presented papers in related topics. 

The last keynote lecture was on the topic – How did East Asia overtake South Asia on gender?  - which was presented by Alice Evans, King’s College, London and faculty associate at Harvard, CID. Alice proved her point wonderfully by taking the examples of Bangalesh & Taiwan about how they are doing well when it comes to helping their women progress. She explained that migrating to new cities is helping women explore new opportunities and possibilities. 

The conference closed with the remarks by Vidya Mahambare of Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai and Sowmya Dhanaraj of Good Business Lab. 

Photocaption "Lighting of the lamp" by Dr. Suresh Ramanathan, Dean, Great Lakes Institute of Management and K Shantakumari, Regional Vice President of International Federation of Women Lawyers.

SAI International Education Group Hosts “UNWIND 2022” With A Footfall Of 30,000+ People

* One of Country’s largest school based, student driven mega cultural fest 

After what seemed like almost an eternity, the students of SAI International Education Group revived the 13th edition of one of the most quintessential flagship events that bolsters up the culture of SAI & the country's Largest School Based, Student Driven Mega Cultural Fests, UNWIND with the theme "Fantasy: Embrace the Unknown", entertaining a footfall of 30,000+ people. This was a day-long, event managed by the students of Class XI from the Commerce & Humanities stream with handholding support from mentors.  

UNWIND, a brainchild of Founder–Chairman Dr Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, held every year with the sole motto to learn, lead and serve, provides a mega forum, to inculcate entrepreneurship, leadership & 21st-century learning skills in the students, beyond the learning horizon of books and imbibe experiential learning, providing hands-on experience to the students. The event housed more than 100 food stalls having a wide array of scrumptious national and international cuisines and & 60+ game stalls with fun-filled activities.  

UNWIND 2022 was graced by the chief guest, Dr. Omkar Rai, Executive Chairman of Startup Odisha, Government of Odisha who declared the event open for all in the inauguration ceremony. While addressing the students and appreciating the cultural fest, he said, “I am happy to be here at UNWIND 2022 as this platform proffers an entrepreneurial outlook in children & inculcates leadership skills in them, from a really young age, as envisioned by my friend, mentor & guide Late Dr. Bijaya Kumar Sahoo.” His words were embodied in the efforts of our budding entrepreneurs, who have worked tirelessly to make this event a huge success. 

The kids & inmates of Pratibha Ashram, a child care home, visited SAI International School to attend UNWND 2022 & their presence added to the merriment of the event. There was a stall dedicated to the 100 Library Project, a brainchild of visionary Founder-Chairman, Dr. Bijaya Kumar Sahoo which grabbed everyone’s attention.  

Speaking on the occasion Chairperson, SAI International Education Group Dr Silpi Sahoo said, “It gives me immense joy to see my SAIoneers of Commerce and Humanities put up such a mega and immersive fest for UNWIND 2022. The vision of Founder-Chairman Dr Bijaya Kumar Sahoo was to build critical thinkers, problem solvers with insightful and focused thoughts, the future entrepreneurial citizens of India. He dreamt of creating global leaders who are critical-thinking innovators with flourishing careers and ready to re-shape the world for the better. I am elated to see my SAIoneers walking on the path laid down by our Founder –Chairman.” 

The whole day was punctuated by multiple enthralling activities, including delectable delicacies, games, adventure sports, competitions and an array of high voltage cultural performances by students. The adventure sports along with e-games & virtual reality escapades were a huge hit. Students of Play Group-Class XII attended the carnival with their parents & proactively participated in the intriguing gamut of activities & joined in the fun & frolic for a fascinating experience. 

The Women’s Self-Help Groups (WSHGs) under the aegis of ‘Mission Shakti’, Govt. of Odishahad also put up a stall at this mega event this year. This endeavour showcased financial independence & women empowerment. Holistic Parenting Awards were also presented to the achievers of 2021-22 for their outstanding performance, their relentless efforts, perseverance and devotion in the CBSE Class XII Board exams. The SAIoneers left no stone unturned in showcasing their talents, be it in the form of music, dance or plays. Even Team Unwind 2022 joined in on the fun, evoking thunderous cheers from the crowd as they danced to their hearts’ content in a special flash mob. 

The highlight of this fest was, indisputably, the evening concert, featuring spectacular fireworks display at the end. The one who shone brightest that night, however, was the star of the event, renowned musician and Bollywood Singer, Rituraj Mohanty right from the Unwind GrandStand. As the songs and laughs rang out in the dark, the thunderous cheers of the SAIoneers nearly brought the skies down. Full of countless moments frozen eternally in time - Unwind 2022 will live on forever in everyone’s hearts. 

About SAI International Education Group: 

SAI International a leading educational group began a pioneering revolution in the K-12 and undergraduate educational scenario of Odisha. The group is led by the Founder& Mentor, Lt Dr. Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, a passionate Edupreneur, pursuing his dreams for the enhancement of education sector. It encompasses SAI International School, SAI Angan, SAI International College of Commerce and SAI International Residential School. The group strives to be one of the finest centers of learning and knowledge in the country, creating world class leaders endowed with Indian values and global outlook.