MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • After the success of Mastiii, Dabang and Dhamaal, Sri Adhikari Brothers launches a Marathi entertainment channel with a mix of music & comedy

    It’s 50-50 music & masti with Maiboli

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Adhikari brothers – Gautam and Markand – have been true pioneers in the Indian television space. Having been among the first private and independent programmers for Doordarshan and private satellite television, the brothers went on to publicly list their company, launch a comedy channel in SAB and then sell it to Multi Screen Media (Sony), launch two other channels – Janmat which later turned into Live India and Mi Marathi, both of which were part-sold, and more recently he launched music and entertainment channels Mastiii, Dabangg and Dhamaal. Here too, he pioneered the concept of focused regional plays with channels catering specifically to certain states in the Hindi Speaking Markets.

     

    Markand Adhikari

    And now it’s a ‘Maiboli’, a Marathi humour-and-music channel that has had a quiet launch today (August 8).  “I live in Maharashtra, Marathi is my first love and we started out with Marathi-language content,” says vice-chairman and managing director Markand Adhikari. While he regrets that Mi Marathi couldn’t take off on expected lines after construction major HDIL bought majority stake, he is hopeful that Maiboli will be a success from the beginning.

     

    The reason: humour has always been the core strength of Adhikari Brothers. MaiBoli will a 24-hour free-to-air channel with music and humour in equal measure. The music will appeal to all age groups, says Anita Verma, vice-president – programming who informs that the channel’s tagline is ‘Aapli Aaplya Mansaanchi’. “Comedy will be in the form of short three-odd minute standalone skits starring well-known theatre and TV performers like Sunil Tawde, Anshuman Vichare, Pradip Patwardhan, Santosh Pawaar, Digambar Naik, Arun Kadam, Kishori Ambiye  and Vijay Patwardhan amongst others,” she says

     

    Anita Verma

    The music bands of Maiboli are designed as per the mood of the slot which suits it the best. The day hence commences with ‘Bhakticha-Thheva’ which is a devotional band of soulful and spiritual songs, followed by ‘Priteechi Jhul Jhul Gani’ of romantic numbers, ‘Mast Madmast’ band of high-spirited fast numbers, ‘Sur tech Chhedita’ of soothing and relaxing songs and  ‘Chandne Shimpit Jashi’ of classic romantic and sad songs.

     

    The distribution spread will grow across Maharashtra over the next few weeks and months and simultaneously a marketing campaign will also be initiated.

     

    “After the South and Bengal, Marathi is big for regional television,” says Mr Adhikari. And how are his other channels doing? “Mastii turned No 1 within four months and has been No 1 or 2 ever since. Dabbang has also been No 1 in UP and Bihar for two years. Marathi has been on the cards for a while, and we thought the time was right.”

     

    But isn’t everyone talking of another slowdown and liquidity crunch? “On the contrary. With digitization, things have improved and will be even better in a couple of years. In fact the In times of come, with digitization, the time for media has come. In one or two years, media will have a golden period,” forecasts Mr Adhikari.

     

    What next, after Maiboli? “We will obviously expand,” says Mr Adhikari who is simultaneously also stitching up plans for the expansion of the Governance Now magazine that he runs.

     

  • No edition on August 9 and 15. Special edition on August 16

    Eid Mubarak. No edition tomorrow + Aug holidays

    By Team MxM

     

    Greetings!

     

    Because you matter so much to us (and we hope we matter to you as much), here’s some advance notice on our holidays for August:

    We are closed on Friday, August 9 for Eid and on Thursday, August 15 on account of Independence Day. We understand Friday, August 16 is virtually a holiday for many of us in media, advertising and marketing, we are doing a Special Edition on that day and we’ll send a repeat mailer on Monday, August 19.

     

    The holiday doesn’t mean that we’re snoozing away. Our antennae are up, so if there’s something major, we’ll bring you the news. As we’ve done in the past.

     

    And we’ll be accepting ads and cheques towards them. In fact for sales, like it is for news, we are up 24×7, 365 or 366 days a year.

     

  • The sports channel ropes in Mahendra Singh Dhoni as brand ambassador to endorse football

    Star Sports gets Dhoni to endorse football

    By Ratna Bhushan

     

    Guess who is the biggest star signing in this season’s Barclays Premier League? Mahendra Singh Dhoni! Broadcaster Star Sports has roped in the Indian cricket captain as brand ambassador to endorse the English club football championship, the world’s biggest sports league, in India in the 2013-14 season.

     

    “The aim to associate with M S Dhoni is to introduce, invite and excite sports fans who consume a lot of cricket to sample soccer properties like Barclays Premier League and expanding their fan base,” Vijay Rajput, COO at ESPN Software India, said. Star Sports will kick off its campaign featuring Dhoni on August 11, one week before the start of 2013-14 season, in a bid to boost the appeal of soccer in a cricket-crazy country.

     

    “We believe there is a huge potential for growth in soccer viewership in India,” Mr Rajput said, adding that the premier league is one of the most watched sports events worldwide. He did not share the commercial terms of the deal.

     

    M S Dhoni, who endorses about 15 brands including beverage and snacks maker PepsiCo, sportswear firm Reebok and telecom services provider Aircel, charges close to Rs 10 crore per deal annually, industry insiders told ET.

     

    The campaign will show Dhoni glued to the TV set watching premier league matches every weekend while his family and friends look for him.

     

    The Indian captain is a known football enthusiast and a Manchester United follower who dreamed of becoming a renowned soccer goalkeeper in his schooldays at Jawahar Vidya Mandir in Ranchi where he was a goalkeeper.

     

    Arun Pandey, promoter of Rhiti Sports, the sports management firm that represents Dhoni, said, “Dhoni’s association with soccer can influence the sport in a big way in the country.”

     

    Besides getting Dhoni to urge viewers to watch soccer, Star Sports will also offer the option of Hindi commentary for more than a hundred select premier league matches to woo Indian viewers. “We believe that if you want people to consume lot of content, you should offer it to them in their language of comfort,” Mr Rajput said.

     

    ESPN Software hopes the move will help expand the sport’s viewership, which will help it increase advertising rates.

     

    While ad revenues from soccer continue to be far lower than cricket, experts say the beautiful game’s viewership is on the rise in India.

     

    “Though ratings of soccer are small on an all-India basis, in SEC-A and B markets and among the youth, soccer is consistently gaining in popularity,” Shashi Sinha, CEO of media buying firm IPG Media Brands, said.

     

    Besides the Barclays Premier League, ESPN-Star Sports network holds broadcast rights for multiple soccer tournaments including Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, the English FA Cup and England’s international matches.

     

    ESPN officials say advertiser interest has already picked up on the league, with 85% of the available inventory sold. “Tata Motors, Pernod Ricard, Adidas, Gujarat Co-operation Milk Marketing Federation (Amul) and Nokia India have come on board as associate sponsors on air for live telecast of the Barclays Premier League,” Mr Rajput said.

     

    Contested by 20 clubs, the Premier League season runs from August to May.

     

    In June last year, broadcast giant major Star Group’s 16-year-old equal joint venture with sports broadcaster ESPN was dissolved, with Star buying out ESPN’s stake in the JV. Post acquisition, Rupert Murdoch-owned Star became the owner of ESPN’s business.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2013, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • When a Shah Rukh Khan comes to a reality show, you have, what an Executive Producer will call, a "rocking episode", writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Shailesh Kapoor: Chennai Express: On A TV Near You

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    You can love him. You can hate him. But you could not have missed him on your television over the last week. Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) was omnipresent on the small screen in the lead upto the release of his new film Chennai Express. From reality shows to daily serials to news channel specials to the innumerable promotional spots on music channels, if you wanted an SRK-less life over the last week, the only real option you had was to turn off your TV sets.

     

    Some may call it overkill, but the blitzkrieg has definitely helped the movie. The film is set to challenge the opening day record held by Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger. And that may only be the start.

     

    Television has fast emerged as not just the lead but also the dominant media for film promotions over the last decade. In a 2012 study conducted by us, television’s impact on the buzz of a film was more than twice that of posters and trailers in the theatres, which emerged as the second-most effective media to drive the buzz for a new release.

     

    By now, most producers, especially the big studios, understand this impact. Hence, TV plans have got more aggressive while other media, especially outdoor, are being used more judiciously in recent times.

     

    But a key component of the TV plan goes beyond paid promos and the music free-play on channels like MTV and 9XM. It is the GEC and the news part that’s more exciting today. The former delivers reach beyond the relatively “niche” music genre, while the latter delivers male audiences, the core theatre-going populace.

     

    But then, every star is not an SRK or a Salman Khan who can make the most of the exposure his film gets on reality shows and news specials. I have been a strong opponent of channels giving free mileage to films through in-programme plugs, in what is an evidently one-sided relationship. But when an SRK comes to your reality show, you have, what an Executive Producer will call, a “rocking episode”. So the relationship is clearly win-win.

     

    But most other stars just make an appearance, not knowing much to say or do that could add value to the film’s campaign or to the programme’s ratings. These appearances do nothing to the rocking-ness of the episodes. There are other extremes too. When Sunil Shetty made appearances to promote his (wrongly-spelt) film Enemmy, the only audience reaction was: “Isko abhi bhi filmein milti hain!”

     

    Coming back to Chennai Express, SRK has been witty, charming and edgy in equal measure, in his promotional appearances for the film. Having seen him promote many films with equal vigour in the past, one can safely say that Rohit Shetty is one of the best things to have happened to SRK. He seemed relaxed and at-ease promoting an outright fun film. The genre evidently suits his persona well.

     

    Come October, things may change and become even more interesting. Most readers will be aware that film producers get heavily discounted ad rates from channels, compared to what an FMCG brand pays, because trailers are seen as part-content. If the 10+2 ad cap indeed sees the light of the day, these discounted rates will be the first ones to go, as channels, short of saleable inventory, will have to shed low-priority advertisers, part-content or not.

     

    We can then expect innovation that goes beyond reality show episodes, where channels and producers co-create content, like the Eid event to promote Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara, scheduled this weekend on Colors.

     

    For SRK, meanwhile, life has come a full circle. The medium where he started his career has now embraced him whole-heartedly as he gets sets to deliver his next blockbuster.

     

    For the sake of television entertainment, wish they made more like him!

     

    Shailesh Kapoor is founder and CEO of media insights firm Ormax Media. He spent nine years in the television industry before turning entrepreneur. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached at his Twitter handle @shaileshkapoor

     

  • The Hindu in School was launched by Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan last Thursday

    The Hindu enters Mumbai via student edition

    By A Correspondent

     

    National daily The Hindu does not have an edition from Mumbai, but its student edition made an entry with a launch by the state chief minister Prithviraj Chavan last Thursday (Aug 8).

     

    Speaking at the launch, Mr Chavan expressed pleasure with the entry of The Hindu in Mumbai, “even if in this small way”. “Quality of education is a big challenge that our country and this State is facing. Natural resources will not last long enough to keep us running as a major economic entity. The only way to continue as a rich and powerful country is by developing the knowledge economy and for this, quality of education is very important,” he said.

     

    Siddarth Varadarajan, Editor, The Hindu, said younger readers had different interests. The school edition would remain true to the idea of The Hindu, and would explain things in a language a young audience could understand. He said that the school edition would not talk down to its young audience. It would have all the important news that goes into a regular edition but conveyed in an appropriate manner.

     

    Educationist Nandini Sardesai, J.N. Mishra, Deputy Managing Director of State Bank of India and P.S. Venkatasubramanian, Vice-President, Circulation, The Hindu Group, were also present.

     

    Priced at Rs 3, The Hindu in School is published from Monday to Friday and is designed for students in Classes 8-10. According to a communique, it is distributed to over 2,500 schools across India, with a circulation of around two lakh copies. The edition will also be launched next in Kolkata by August-end. In Mumbai, complimentary copies will be available in schools for the first week. Interested schools may contact vaidyanathan.n@thehindu.co.in.

     

     

  • Presenting sponsor tie-up with the GEC assures Tata Motors visibility beyond the 30-sec commercials

    Tata Motors cars to be integrated in ’24’ as part of sponsorship deal with Colors

    By A Correspondent

     

    If you find only Tata Motors vehicles on the Indian version of ’24’, there’s reason. As part of its association as presenting sponsor, Tata vehicles will be integrated in the the Indian adapatation of the acclaimed American series 24 to be aired on Colors soon.

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Raj Nayak, CEO – Colors said, “Our collaboration with Tata Motors  it takes brand partnerships to another level — beyond the conventional 30-second commercials. For the first time, we have effectively integrated the Tata Motors brands with the narrative of 24. The show is all about Anil Kapoor’s race against time and how he is powered by sturdy Tata Cars and UVs.”

     

    Raj Nayak

    Elaborating on the association,  Ranjit Yadav, President, Passenger Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors Ltd, said, “With this association, Tata Motors showcases itself as a creative and innovative brand that always places its customers at the core of its existence. This association with 24 offers us an exciting platform to demonstrate the true capability of our dynamic cars, which deliver performance and come with technology rich features.”

     

    Said Anil Kapoor, who essays the role of Jai Singh Rathod, “In the show, I will be driving Tata Motors’ dynamic and exciting vehicles in my adventurous quests across terrains to tackle various security threats. This kind of seamless thinking at every stage of the making of 24 is what enables us to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience to Indian viewers.”

     

    It is learnt that parts of the Indian ’24’ which is being directed by Delhi Belly director and well-known adfilm-maker Abhinay Deo, were reshot after the deal with Tata Motors was inked to enable the integration.

     

  • Draftfcb+Ulka has recently taken on board Anirban Chaudhuri as Head of Strategic Planning for its Delhi operations

    Anirban Chaudhuri joins Draftfcb+Ulka in Delhi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Anirban Chaudhuri

    Draftfcb+Ulka has hired Anirban Chaudhuri as Head of Strategic Planning for its Delhi operations. He comes in with 18 years of expertise in brand advisory and integrated marketing communications development, having worked with leading domestic and multinational players for India as well as South East Asia.

     

    Mr Chaudhuri has worked at Shining Strategic Consultancy, IMRB International, TNS, Dentsu and DDB Mudra Group in the past and most recently was experimenting in the digital space with a marketing knowledge portal.

     

    Said Arvind Wable, Advisor to the Board: “Anirban brings a unique combination of brand consultancy, market research and a keen insight into digital & social media which will be a valuable addition to our strategic planning efforts.”

     

    Added Sanjay Tandon, COO, Draftfcb+Ulka Delhi operations: “Anirban has a close connect with our value system and with his diverse experience promises to play a game changing role in creating brandwealth for our clients.”

     

  • After Brunch Dialogues in Mumbai, HT Media launched 'The Brunch Night' last week

    HT Media extends ‘Brunch’ equity to ‘Brunch Night’

    By A Correspondent

     

    After the success of Brunch Dialogues 1 & 2 in Mumbai, HT Media launched ‘The Brunch Night’ in New Delhi last week to celebrate the good life.

     

    Held with the stars of Chennai Express – Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and UTV Movies boss Siddharth Roy Kapoor, the invitees included the creme de la creme of the Capital’s glitterati. From the likes of Kalyani Saha, Harmeet Bajaj, Ayaan Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Khan, Rina Dhaka, David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore, Anuja Chauhan, Ira Trivedi, Shivani and Amir Pasrich, Sujata Assomull, among others.

     

    Talking about the reason behind building such a property, Rajan Bhalla, Group Marketing Head, HT Media Ltd. said, “Brunch stands for the “Good Life”, and The Brunch Night is a very exclusive platform for brands to connect with their premium audience with stimulating conversations and entertainment. It’s a platform that will find great connect for our consumers and advertisers with quality content, live experience and a strong proposition to build brands, amplified through our strong media offerings. With the overwhelming response to ‘The Brunch Night’, we will be planning more such events in the coming future, both in Delhi and Mumbai.”

     

    The highlight of the evening was a conversation that Vir Sanghvi had with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and Siddharth Roy Kapoor. The evening was hosted by Rajiv Makhni.

     

    Said Poonam Saxena, Editor, HT Brunch on the first Brunch Night: “It’s a great new platform for interacting with Bollywood stars in an informal, enjoyable atmosphere.”

     

  • The soon-to-be-launched channel hopes to strike it big with audiences and advertisers with its mix of history and mythology, says biz head Aparna Pandey

    Epic way to break clutter

     

    By Johnson Napier

     

    With the Indian broadcast sector facing its toughest phase yet, it would be a daunting task for anyone to be attempting to try something new. But that’s precisely what excites newcomers in the space as is evident from the excitement around the soon-to-be-launched history & mythology channel, Epic.

    Being launched under Epic Television Networks Private Limited banner with big name backers like Mukesh Ambani and Anand Mahindra, Epic is being touted as the first genre-specific channel that aims to introduce Indian television to a new chapter in genre-specific entertainment that can further create IPs, strong characters and new heroes that draw a strong resonance with audiences.

    According to Aparna Pandey, Business Head, Epic, the need of the hour is a clutter-breaking approach that has a distinct personality. Replying to questions from MxMIndia, Aparna Pandey asserted that the channel has such a distinctive personality that it will appeal to the viewers and that they will have a very strong sense of identification with it. Read on to know more of what the channel has in store for the audiences and the path it intends to follow in the future.

     

    What is it about Epic that you feel will make it a standout in the Indian broadcast space?

    With maturity of digitization in India, consumers will be looking for content that appeals to them. We want to offer more choices to viewers by presenting thematic entertainment. With Epic, our aim is to introduce Indian television to a new chapter in genre specific entertainment that can further create IPs, strong characters and new heroes that draw a strong resonance with audiences. Our content philosophy is aimed at presenting a unique, episodic television format with a modern take on history and a fresh look at mythology – both fiction and narrative non-fiction. Epic will have action, drama, comedy, supernatural and narrative non-fiction content, set against Indian historic and mythological eras. The stories will be innovative with high production quality and a distinct look & feel that will appeal to both men and women across the country.

     

    We are confident that the brand promise will be reflected in our unique and powerful content line up, as well as the marketing innovations. Our initial trials and checks have received great response from people all over. Audiences are looking for something new and more relatable. The need of the hour is a clutter-breaking approach that has a distinct personality. We are confident that the channel has such a distinctive personality that will appeal to the viewers and they will have a very strong sense of identification with it.

     

    While the idea around Epic may be unique, is there enough content to be produced and consumed in this niche space in India?

    Indian history and mythology has so much more to offer in terms of content. The current history and mythological content largely remains within the confines of stereotypical entertainment and follows a traditional path. Our aim is to present the rich elements of our vibrant past in an entertaining manner that would be unique for all. We want mass audiences to connect and relate with our rich history and past more closely and beyond the traditional way of showcasing the stories. During launch, the channel will cover subjects ranging from drama, comedy, romance to super natural and narrative non-fiction. To give you an example, we have acquired the exclusive rights for Indu Sundaresan’s acclaimed novel “The Twentieth Wife” which describes the captivating story of grand passion and adventure, of one of India’s most controversial empresses in the Mughal Empire – Mehrunnisa.

     

    What is the core TG that you seek to lap up through Epic?

    Epic is the only segmented channel in the Hindi entertainment category that is targeted at both men and women in urban digital households. We want Epic to be part of the basket of channels audiences in urban India watch. Our core audience set would comprise working professionals, housewives, young adults who consume varied content on television. We intend to provide an option for the entire family to watch when they want to watch different, meaningful content.

     

    How do you see advertisers responding to the new offering?

    Since our audience set demographics is relevant for mainstream urban television, we believe that a wide variety of products and services across segments could find a direct fit with our channel and content ideology.

     

    What would be your emphasis on delivering content through the digital platform?

    Epic is a subscription-driven channel that is planned to be available across all DTH service providers and also on digital cable across 50 Hindi speaking markets in India. All content on Epic is shot on HD and the channel too would be available on HD. However, the channel will also be available on SD for all non-HD households.

     

    Our aim is to eventually reach over 80 million digital households across 50 cities. We are planning to find a partner for distribution and be a part of a channel bouquet to enable us to reach our distribution goals.

     

    Would you be experimenting with feeds in different languages as well?

    We may explore this in the future but as of now we will be available in one language – Hindi.

     

    Without no direct competition out there to challenge you, what would be the barometer on which you would rate your performance?

    Currently, we are focusing all our energies in getting compelling content that will appeal to our audiences. Epic is not here to compete with any channels in the Hindi entertainment category. Moreover, to compare Epic with current Hindi GECs would be an ‘apples to oranges’ comparison. We are not playing by the game of TRPs or GRPs. While we haven’t set any benchmarks in terms of evaluation, we will take a stock on performance after the complete of phase 1 of the channel post launch.

     


  • The International Newsmedia Association (INMA) will host its seventh annual South Asia Conference in New Delhi on August 22-23 with 'Print: Thriving in the Age of Digital' as its theme

    Print thriving in digital age is theme of INMA S Asia conf

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International Newsmedia Association (INMA) will host its seventh annual South Asia conference on August 22 and 23 at Eros Hotel, New Delhi.

     

    The conference will be held under the theme ‘Print: Thriving in the Age of Digital’ specifically for news media companies in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan and brings together more than 200 delegates from the sub-continent.  Over 200 delegates from across 25 newspapers in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Europe and the US will be in attendance.

     

    The International Newsmedia Association (INMA) is a provider of global best practices and marketing ideas. It provides its members thought leadership and ideas to grow audience, advertising, brand and profit.  Currently INMA has over 5,000 members in 82+ countries worldwide which include several members from Indian and now Bangladesh and Pakistan newspapers.

     

    Based in Dallas, the association has offices in Antwerp and New Delhi.

     

  • DB Corp expands Maharashtra presence with seventh edition of Dainik Divya Marathi from Amravati

    Divya Marathi launches 7th edition from Amravati

    By A Correspondent

     

    DB Corp Limited announced the launch of the seventh edition of its Dainik Divya Marathi daily from Amravati. This is the company’s 66th newspaper edition. The Marathi daily is also published from Aurangabad, Nashik, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar, Solapur and Akola.

     

    Commenting on the Amravati launch, Sudhir Agarwal, Managing Director, DB Corp said, “Another milestone has been created as we expand our presence in Maharashtra with our 7th edition of Divya Marathi. In line with our launch strategy which we adapted to the Amravati market, we focussed on expanding the readership base in the region which is significantly under-penetrated.”

     

    The Amravati launch once again saw DB Corp conduct a three-phase process, adds a communique. Beginning with initial introductory branding through seeking views and feedback, crystallization of feedback to develop and design product and finally explore pricing and placing strategies of the product in the market. Corresponding to these phases, respective teams were mobilised to form the survey teams, visibility teams and the final implementation teams that were vigorously trained in communication skills, presentation skills, direct marketing skills, sales techniques and personality grooming.

     

  • The CNN-IBN and IBN 7 CEO has bid adieu to TV18 to pursue entrepreneurial interests

    Dilip Venkataraman quits IBN, to turn entrepreneur

    Ajay Chacko

    CNN-IBN and IBN7 CEO N Dilip Venkatraman has announced his decision to turn an entrepreneur and move on from his current responsibilities at TV18 after a stint lasting eight years.

     

    Mr Venkatraman managed a variety of mandates on the general news side of the group. Prior to his current role, he led marketing operations for CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN-Lokmat and also managed IBN Focus, the customized media solutions unit for these news channels. Ajay Chacko, COO, Network18 will oversee the operations of the IBN News Network in the interim.

     

    B Sai Kumar

    Speaking on this development, B.Sai Kumar, Group CEO, Network18 said “Dilip has played a pivotal role in building our general news network, right from the outset. Today, CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN-Lokmat are benchmark brands in the general news space and Dilip has contributed significantly to laying such a strong foundation for the future.”

     

    Added Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-In-Chief, IBN News Network: “Dilip’s passion and leadership has been instrumental in making the IBN News Network into one of the most trusted news voices in the country today.”

     

    Rajdeep Sardesai

     

     

    Said Mr Venkatraman, who had only recently led the refresh of Hindi news channel IBN7: “The past few years have been one of the most fulfilling and exciting phases of my professional career. I’m thankful to all my colleagues who have been a part of this enriching journey and I now look forward to taking on newer challenges.”