Save yourself from the winter chills!

Crompton brings to you its superior range of water heaters with triple shield technology for the ‘Perfect Hot Water’

Mumbai-January 22, 2020: As the winter season approaches with a drop in the temperatures, water heaters have become one of the saving graces for a relaxing hot/warm shower. One of India’s leading consumer durables and everyone’s go-to brand Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd. has, therefore, launched a new range of superior high-performance water heaters with triple shield technology to create the ‘Perfect Hot Water’ for you in any situation.

India is witness to extreme weather conditions and varying temperatures hence making it important for us to adapt to these climate changes. The need for steaming hot water and the eagerness to take the perfect hot water shower in any situation is what one can look forward to for a rejuvenating experience.

However, in the upcoming chilly months, waiting for your tap to deliver hot water can seem like an eternity. The Crompton Water Heaters, therefore, deliver the perfect hot water ‘instantly’ and ‘consistently’ over a period of time. It is also essential for the right installation of water heaters with effective operations and end user safety. Taking cognizance of this, Crompton offers a wide range of best-in-class storage and instant water heaters with triple shield technology that delivers the ‘Perfect Hot Water’ and joyful experience of a good shower

Crompton’s new range of high performance water heaters have been crafted to perfection that carries out a superior performance in every condition. It ensures smart energy management making it extra safe with its high sensitivity capillary and high precision thermostat. Its triple shield technology further highlights:

-          Hard Water Protection: With advanced glass line tank

-          33% Longer Life: With blue glass line enamel incoloy element

-          Anti-Corrosive Protector: With magnesium anode rod

The new range is available in 5 star rating with enhanced aesthetics and fresh designs suited for the modern home. Moreover, it also offers a free installation on select models of the water heaters.

Reinventing itself to appeal to the preferences of young consumers, Crompton has brought about a slew of consumer-focused innovations with best-in-class aesthetics. There has also been an increasing focus on digital and social media in order to attract varied set of audiences from millennials to young couples and homemakers, amongst others.

Speaking about its latest innovation, Mr. Sachin Phartiyal, Vice President, Appliance Business - Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd. further adds, “While everyone looks for the aestheticism in what they buy, the core decision lies in the functionality of the product; and in the case of water heaters, it is how stable, reliable and durable it is that can last for a good amount of time. Crompton basis every innovation on what the consumer needs and when one starts to feel the chills of the upcoming winter season, we hope to make their life more comfortable, easy and a little perfect.”

Housing.com enters co-living segment with half-a-million listings Ties up with OYO and ZOLO

New Delhi, 20^thJanuary 2020: With an aim to digitize the otherwise-unorganized market of paying guest (PG) accommodation and to boost the reach of organized co-living players, real estate portal Housing.com has launched an exclusive co-living section on its platform, with half a million beds listed across 12 major markets. It plans to scale this up to a million beds by the end of 2020. The Elara Technologies owned portal has tied up with Oyo Life and Zolo to promote their co-living spaces on its platform, as it enters the co-living market.

The 12 cities contributing to the listings include Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, Bengalauru, Kolkata, Pune, Noida, Chennai, Ghaziabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. 

“The way in which the concept of co-working is changing how traditional commercial work spaces operate in India, co-living is transforming traditional renting. The change is driven by a highly mobile millennial workforce and a growing student population with a new mindset. The country’s young population wants flexibility in housing options that allows them to move quickly in a highly dynamic work environment. Co-living provides ultra-modern living spaces with a plethora of amenities and a like-minded community, all at pocket-friendly rates and with the flexibility of moving in and out quickly with minimum hassle,” says Dhruv Agarwala, Group CEO, Housing.com, Makaan.com and Proptiger.com.

A report by group company PropTiger.com estimates that co-living is set to become a Rs. 2-trillion market by 2023 in top 9 cities of India as the demand for such spaces continues to grow among the country’s student and single working population. 

Currently, nearly 40% of India’s millennial workforce comprise migrants, looking for affordable yet modern living spaces that provide them with an optimal mix of privacy with an opportunity to engage in social exchange. As the number of millennials in the workforce is expected to hit 75% of the total workforce by 2025, multiple organized players are jumping into this space to grab this vast opportunity. Similarly, of the 37.4 million students pursuing higher education courses in 2018-19 approximately 15 million were migrants.

“Even as student enrolment in Indian universities increased from 34.6 million in 2015-16 to 37.4 million in 2018-19, only one in six students is able to find university hostel accommodation currently. This demand-supply mismatch is largely being met by the unorganized sector at present. Since the government is targeting a gross enrolment ratio of 32% by 2022 from the 26.3% number last year, there is likely to be a substantial increase in the number of migrant students, which will lead to a further increase in demand for hostel accommodation. There is a huge opportunity for organized players to jump in and meet this expected spurt in demand as well as to close the current demand-supply gap,” adds Agarwala. 

Co-living listings on Housing.com, are all verified with genuine photos. The platform offers consumers a variety of choices, with various amenities, accommodation types, food choices, security features etc. to help them pick the most suitable accommodation based on their personal requirements. It also showcases pricing in a supremely transparent manner, leaving aside any scope for surprises in the future.  While the portal has a pan-India presence, the map-based search here helps a consumer find PG/co-living options in areas close to their place of work, enabling a very focused search right from the start. The technology will soon enable the user to take a virtual tour of their shortlisted options.

Founded in 2012, Housing.com is a real estate advertising platform for home owners, landlords, developers and real estate brokers. The company offers the largest selection of verified listings for new homes, resale homes, rentals and co-living spaces in India through a trained team of data collectors, analysts and auditors. The one-of-a-kind Data Sciences Lab at Housing.com analyses a significant body of data to allow buyers and sellers to make intelligent decisions.

TiECon Mumbai 2020 The Decade of Startups – Kickstarting the Future

Mumbai, 21 January 2020: The 11th edition of TiECon Mumbai is scheduled to be held on 28th - 29th January 2020 at NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai with a vibrant theme “The Decade of Startups – Kickstarting the Future”

TiECon Mumbai is the largest Entrepreneurial Leadership Conclave that takes place once a year in Mumbai. TiEcon Mumbai 2020 will focus on how start-ups are going to drive the future by changing how we use and consume goods and services, interact with technology and deploy them to solve pressing problems. The innovation driven by start-ups may make many current businesses redundant and create opportunities for new ones. TiEcon Mumbai 2020 will spotlight all of this, and more.

In the last decade, startups have emerged as a force to be reckoned with. They have proven their worth to the economy of the country and to the world. But this is just the beginning, as startups and entrepreneurs are now focusing on more industries with the use of upcoming technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain.

“TiEcon 2020 is designed to contemplate on the future of ideas that entrepreneurs and the leaders needed to embrace to navigate through remarkable breakthroughs and journeys paving the way for the next decade of the startup world.” said Atul Nishar, President of TiE Mumbai.

Key Highlights of TiECon Mumbai 2020:

·        Pitch Room - 60 Startups to pitch to investors across both days of the conference. TiE Mumbai has received 300+ applications and with an internal jury are in the process of Shortlisting 60 startups.

·        Angel Investors Debate - A one of a Kind Debate session, where Angel Investors debate about a topic related to the startup eco-system. You'll get to find out how investors think in this raw format debate session

·        Startup Expo - First time at TiEcon Mumbai - a Startup Expo with more than 150 startups exhibiting their products. From Hardware startups, to digital apps, to SaaS products for enterprises, and F&B startups as well, all of them will all be there showcasing their products.

·        TiEcon Mumbai Masterclasses - Specially designed workshops for entrepreneurs to up their game. Design Thinking, Digital, HR, and Legal will be some of the open ended Masterclasses.

·        Startup Clinic - KPMG & Nishith Desai Associates, will be giving free consultation to startups. These are top firms, who are willing to spend their precious time and resources to help nurture entrepreneurs

·        Co-Founder Dating – This is where curated entrepreneurs will be matched with potential Co-Founders. This is crucial for startups to survive when they need to achieve scale. Having the right skilled Co-Founder to run separate tasks within the organization is something that investors look for while funding startups.

·        TiE Food Network-  will be launched at the event to help foster and grow F&B entrepreneurs- Traditional Restaurateurs, Beverage makers, QSR’s, Cloud Kitchens, Bakers, FMCG products, nutritional and organic foods, wellness and health focused diet F&B entrepreneurs

The marquee speakers at the event are Deepak Parekh - Chairman, HDFC, N. Chandrasekaran - Chairman, TATA Sons, Kunal Bahl & Rohit Bansal of Snapdeal, Ma Anand Sheela, Narayana Murthy- Founder, Infosys, Satyajeet Singh - Head Strategic Product Partnership, India & South Asia, Facebook, Varun Dua - CEO & Co-Founder, Acko Insurance, Sandeep Laxman - Head, Fintech BD, Amazon Internet Services Pvt. Ltd., Mohandas Pai - Chairman, Manipal Global Education, Lizzie Chapman - Co-Founder & CEO, Zestmoney, Ranu Vohra - MD & CEO, Avendus Capital, VS Sudhakar - Co-Founder, BigBasket, Anupam Mittal - Founder & CEO, People Group (Shaadi.com), Ashish Hemrajani - CEO & Co-Founder, BookMyShow, Harish Mehta - Chairman & MD, Onward Technologies, Nishith Desai - Founder, Nishith Desai Associates,  Ashwin Suresh - Founder PocketAces/FilterCopy, Kaustubh Jha - Head of Marketing, Kolkata Knight Riders, Kapil Bharati - Co-Founder & CTO, Delhivery (Unicorn Startup), Dhanpal Jhaveri - Vice Chairman, Everstone India, Shinjini Kumar - Consumer Business Manager, Global Consumer Banking, Citibank,  Kshitij Sheth - Vice President, ChrysCapital , Sumer Juneja - Partner & Head of India, SoftBank,   Harsh Jain - CEO & Co-Founder, Dream11 (Unicorn Startup), , Keshav Murugesh - Group CEO, WNS Global Services, Pradeep Udhas - Office Managing Partner, West, KPMG India and many more to be confirmed.

Mr. Ratan Tata - Chairman Emirates, Tata Sons will also be honored with the lifetime achievement award at the event.

BISLERI INTERNATIONAL's CEO, MR. ANGELO GEORGE JOINS THE PANEL OF NATIONAL CONVENTION 2020

~ Bisleri spreads awareness on plastic recycling at National convention 2020 by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini ~

20^th January, 2020, Mumbai: Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini in collaboration with National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) and All India Plastics Manufacturers' Association (AIPMA) organized a National Convention on 18th January, 2020 at Keshav Srushti, Uttan, Bhayander, Thane (near Mumbai), on the theme ‘Elimination of Single-Use Plastics (SUPs). Mr. Angelo George, CEO, Bisleri International was among the panelist and shared his views on consumer need for clean and safe water, role of affordable packaging materials and need of educating people about responsible disposal of used plastic. Bisleri’s initiative – ‘Bottles for Change’ which works on the same topics was presented before the audience. While Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra graced the valedictory ceremony.

Over a year ago, Bisleri successfully launched Bottles for Change an initiative of plastic recycling that aims to create awareness among citizens about the importance of how plastic should be treated as a valuable resource and not as waste. Through this initiative, Bisleri ensures channelizing all kinds of used clean plastic for recycling, increasing the value of the material, thus ensuring the greener cleaner environment.

India, today is on the verge of starting a historic movement by addressing the issue of Single-Use Plastics, setting an example for the world after our Hon’ble Prime Minister has called on the nation to work towards ending the consumption of single-use plastics by 2022. The goal of the National Convention was to start narratives and discussions on creating possibilities for preventing single-use plastic and to identify solutions that can be implemented and scaled up eventually.

The idea behind this conference was to bring together the key stakeholders: Government, Industry, NGOs, Civil Society Organizations, Start-ups and Academicians to synergies best practices to explore innovative ways to deal with the issue of single-use plastics. An EXPO of innovation technologies in India that are targeting minimization of single use-plastics was also organized as part of this convention.

Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini’s flagship programme, the Annual National Convention has over the years evolved into an academic platform generating nationwide deliberations on topics of high public interest.  

Lodha World School, Thane encourages student expression through graffiti

~ 750 students paint the walls of Lodha World School with their vision of the school~

Thane, Lodha World School, founded with the vision to nurture an individual’s sound of body, mind and spirit, brought the best of 'study - play - learn' in their campus with Graffiti Art activity. In a span of two days, over 750 students from class I – IX painted the campus walls in various forms of art, expressing their vision of the school for the coming decade.

Themed as ‘The Decade Ahead’ the activity successfully brought out every student's vision for the school and their expectations from it. It further blurred the line between teachers and pupils strengthening a mutually beneficial relationship in the long run. This symbiotic learning exercise was designed to enhance a child’s emotional well-being and help in developing the skill to communicate better.

Talking about the event, Asha Narayanan, Principal, Lodha World School said, “India in the future requires holistic leaders. Catering to this demand, Lodha World School aims at creating and facilitating future innovators and break through thinkers, who can think beyond the four walls of the classroom, we were awarded as No. 1 for being the Holistic Education School by Education Today magazine.”

         

We have constantly endeavored to bring the inner self of every child through the key markers of the school- design thinking, emotional wellness, environmental consciousness and symbiotic learning.”

The school was a carnival where students were seen displaying various arts on the school walls, preschool students danced with parachute on the campus, preparing for winter festival and other students in the classrooms attended TilGud making workshops for Makar Sankranti. The engagement and activities are a true testament to Lodha World School’s philosophy of nurturing a cohesive eco system and culture. The study module promotes critical analysis, learning through innovation and empowers pupils with advanced learning tools giving education an exciting and dynamic direction.

Shriyann Palakkal, student of class 7 said, “I always look forward to activities and celebrations in school. They provide as the perfect outlet for our creative personality and help us embrace ourselves as individuals. We freely get the chance to express our feelings and thoughts and also gives us time to relax and connect with our peers and teachers beyond classrooms.” As part of annual calendar, the school dedicatedly designs tournaments, festivals and exhibitions bringing the children of every age group to participate.

1917 review ****

Produced by:     Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Callum McDougall, Brian Oliver

Director:              Sam Mendes

Cast:                     George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard                                     Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch             

By : PINAKEE RATTAN SHER 

1917 is the real time portrayal of the World War I incident related to British-German conflict. The movie succeeds in creating an era of 1917 as we get illusion of standing in the battleground right from the beginning. The one shot of two soldiers, walking with urgency in a dugout, grabs eyeballs. Cinematography is the major attraction  because the whole movie gives an illusion of being a one continuous shot. Films like 1917 happen when the crew and the cast are in perfect sync. Apart from the splendid camera work, the movie boasts of fine direction, apt performances and expressive musical score.  For some the movie may be overblown, for some it may be dreadful depiction of the incident, but, if perceived without any bias, it is a masterpiece that will be remembered as an all-time classic. Being nominated in ten categories for the 92nd Oscars tells a lot about 1917.

Talking of the plot, it is all about two British soldiers Will Schofield (George Mackay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) who are on a mission to hand-deliver a letter to another British battalion comprising of 1600 men. The letter has an order of cancelling the proposed attack on the Germans because the Germans have laid a trap, and if the attack is not called-off, all the 1600 men are supposed to get killed by German troops. Among the 1600 men, there is Joseph Blake, elder brother of Tom Blake. So, the urgency for Tom has got an emotional connect too. Will and Tom cross every obstacle to reach the battalion but Tom is fatally attacked on the way. And it prompts Will Schofield to complete the mission on his own. The race against time keeps the pace at its peak and the action and emotion gels well to keep audience glued to the screen. Unlike science-fiction and fantasy genres, this epic war drama looks real in terms of visuals and gives a feel of a real war which turns out to be the main strength of the film. There are many  rising-momentum moments in the movie but the dugout scene near the climax is mind blowing.

With an undercurrent of patriotism, the harsh life of soldiers, during wartime, is shown in the best possible manner. In a way, the movie  proves that there are no choices for soldiers in war, except Do or Die. Summing-up, 1917 is worth watching. Released in India by Reliance Entertainment on 17th January, hopes are high that it will garner love from audience!

Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal recognises winners of 13th ICAI Awards

MUMBAI – The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) hosted the 13^th ICAI Awards ceremony on January 14, 2020 to honour and recognise CA professionals in different categories.  The awards were presented at a glittering function in Mumbai by Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister for Commerce and Railways and also a Chartered Accountant & rank holder himself alongwith CA. Prafulla P Chhajed, President, ICAI, CA. Atul Kumar Gupta, Vice-President, ICAI, CA. Anil Satyanarayan Bhandari, Chairman, CMI&B, ICAI and CA. Hans Raj Chugh, Vice Chairman, CMI&B, ICAI.

Over the past 70 years, the ICAI has moved beyond its duty as a licensor and regulator of the profession and has emerged as a guide and facilitator. The Institute does not just create great professionals but also acknowledges their service to the profession. Through these prestigious awards ICAI seeks to honor an individual who possess excellent skills, dedication, enthusiasm, leadership, and the ability to deliver the best. These are qualities that all of us strive to emulate.25 talented professionals were selected from the pool of members and awarded under different categories for their exceptional contribution and achievement.

The Awardees were as follows –

CA Hall of Fame

CA. Aditya Puri, Managing Director, HDFC Bank Ltd. and CA. Askaran Agarwala, Director, Aditya Birla Group.

CA Business Leader

CA. Suresh Kumar Goyal, Adviser to Govt. of India, Dept. of Public Enterprise, CA. Shanti Ekambaram, President Consumer Banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. , CA. Dinesh Nolkha, MD, Nitin Soinners Ltd. , CA. Antony Jacob, MD & Chairman, Apollo Munich Health Insurance Co. Ltd. & CA. Vinayak Bahuguna, CEO & MD, ARCIL.

CA CFO

CA. Rajesh Kumar, Group CFO, Havells India Ltd. , CA. Sanjay Kumar Miranka, CFO, Aditya Birla Finance Ltd., CA. Ved Prakash Goel, CFO, Dr. Lal path labs ltd., CA. Rikhil Kiranbhai Shah, CFO, SBI General Insurance Co. Ltd. , CA. M.V. Sharat Chandra, CFO, Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd. , CA. Hitesh Uppal, CFO, Magic Bricks Realty Service Ltd. , CA. Ghanshyam Rawat, Co-Founder & CFO, Aavas Financiers Ltd., CA. Mario A Nazareth, Group CIA, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., CA. Arun Kabra, Director-Govt, Business & CFO, Benett Coleman & Co. , CA. Charanjit Singh, Executive VP & Chief Audit Executive, Axis Bank , CA. Deepesh Baxi, Finance & Strategy Director, Castrol.

CA Young Leader

CA. Gaurav Jain, AGM, Aditya Birla Management Corp. Pvt. Ltd. & CA. Sudha Shrimali, Senior Manager Regulatory Affairs, Tata Steel Ltd.

CA Entrepreneur

CA. Ashish Lodha, Co-Founder and Finance Director, Indira IVF Hospital Pvt. Ltd. & CA. Vidya Subramanian, Founder, Vidya Subramanian Academy

CA Global Achiever - CA. Srinivasan Yanamandra, Chief Compliance, New Development Bank

CA Educator - CA. Prem Chandrani, Prof. & Chairperson, S.P. Jain Institute Of Management And Research

CA Special Recognition CA. Sameer Latey, Manager, Reliance Digital Platform & Project Services Ltd.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister for Commerce and Railways motivated the CAs with his words and asked them to ignite enthusiasm in people to promote entrepreneurship. He urge them to become active participants and not spectators & share innovative ideas for development of the country. He congratulated all the award winners and wished going forward they would serve the profession even better.

Corporate Consultant and Management Author Gurucharan Das and ORF Distinguished fellow enlightened the gathering with their words of wisdom which was followed by the dazzling gala night wherein more than 500 professionals were present.