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Guwahati, A 'toy story' is unfolding in a remote village in Assam's Baksa district where real and fiction are coming together as a young entrepreneur is making dolls combining local culture and motifs for a global audience. If there is a doll of Gambari Sikla who fought against the British, there is another styled on 'Bodofa' UN Brahma, an influential student leader in the Bodo-dominated region of the state. Then there are fictional characters like Alasi, who has a story woven around her pursuit of higher studies, or little Jarow, who loves to play and eat sweets throughout the day. "At our Zankla Studio, we are making toys with a purpose. We have a range of dolls, birds, animals and even souvenir pieces," Kirat Brahma, who runs the enterprise at Hazuma, told PTI on Thursday. The toys are not merely for the children to play, these also come with a story -- some real and some fictional, he said. "Even in the case of animals or birds, we weave a story around it. For instance, we have a rhino toy, with a back story of how it strays into human habitation during floods and requires everyone's empathy," he said. All the dolls are handcrafted, made of standard fibre used in soft toys and local fabric for clothing, with Brahma also exploring organic alternative raw materials. "Our toys come with the pamphlets as children have a very creative mind and love stories," said Brahma, a graduate of the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad. An art enthusiast since his school days, Brahma worked on animated short films and other such ventures, mostly as a freelancer, after leaving NID in 2014-15, and before returning to his roots in 2021. "I had left my place in Hazuma as a child when I started school. But I always wanted to come back, be with my family and work for my community," he said. Brahma, now in his early 30s, wanted to take up solution-oriented projects and chose to pursue design. "Our culture and design are entwined, be it in our dress, our cultivation methods or something as basic as the bamboo fencing around our homes. "Design means functionality and aesthetics at the core, and I wanted to take up a venture which combines these aspects and is easily relatable to the people," he explained. "With toys, we are trying to create awareness about design in an indirect way. Also, we want to give our children the chance to play with dolls more relatable to their surroundings and habits," he added. Brahma also understands the need for the venture to be commercially viable. "We are trying to develop a model for revenue generation. I don't want it to be a research project, to be put in the archive," the entrepreneur said. He said that he started off with his own savings and currently employs 11 people. Orders are taken at the studio or through their website, with the toys sent through courier. "The response has been good and we have got orders from as far as Mumbai as well. We are now looking for additional marketing platforms as well as financial support," he said. Brahma has plans of expanding his toy-making business to include other communities also. "Besides my own Bodo community, I hope to skill and encourage different communities like Rabhas and Garos to design toys reflecting their own culture and tradition. The toy market is a huge one and with the correct strategies, gaining a foothold won't be a problem," he added. Till his dreams take higher flight, Brahma and his team continue making their dolls in between attending to their household chores and farming activities.

These Assamese toys tell stories of freedom fighters, student leaders & more

The Hindi film <keyword id="20300633" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Laapataa-Ladies" source="keywords">Laapataa Ladies</keyword>, directed by <keyword id="19961503" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kiran-Rao" source="keywords">Kiran Rao</keyword> and produced by <keyword id="20112107" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jio-Studios" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Jio Studios" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Jio Studios">Jio Studios</keyword> and <keyword id="20383919" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aamir-Khan-Productions" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Aamir Khan Productions" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Aamir Khan Productions">Aamir Khan Productions</keyword>, has achieved a significant milestone by being selected as India’s official entry for the <keyword id="21270192" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Oscars-2025" source="keywords">Oscars 2025</keyword>. This heartfelt and humorous tale has not only won the hearts of audiences across India but has also captured the attention of critics, making it one of the most talked-about films this year. Starring <keyword id="12956111" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nitanshi-goel" source="Orion">Nitanshi Goel</keyword>, Pratibha Ranta, <keyword id="20317162" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sparsh-shrivastav" source="keywords">Sparsh Shrivastav</keyword>, and <keyword id="20065194" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ravi-kishan" source="keywords">Ravi Kishan</keyword>, Laapataa Ladies premiered at the 2023 Toronto International <keyword id="20055573" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="film-festival" source="keywords">Film Festival</keyword>, earning accolades from a global audience. Laapataa Ladies tells the story of two brides in rural India who accidentally get swapped during a train journey in 2001, delivering a poignant yet satirical take on patriarchy. With its engaging narrative, the film resonates deeply with viewers and leaves a lasting impact. The film’s success is evident as it enjoyed praise during its theatrical and OTT releases, and even had a special screening at the Supreme Court of India in the presence of Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao. This achievement marks a triumphant return for Kiran Rao, who made her directorial debut with Dhobi Ghat in 2010. Expressing her joy, director Kiran Rao said, "I am deeply honoured and delighted that Laapataa Ladies has been chosen as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards. This recognition is a testament to the tireless work of my entire team, whose dedication and passion brought this story to life." She further added, "Cinema has always been a powerful medium to connect hearts, transcend boundaries, and ignite meaningful conversations. I hope this film will resonate with audiences worldwide, just as it has in India." The film emerged as the unanimous choice of a 13-member selection committee headed by renowned Assamese director Jahnu Barua, who chose Laapataa Ladies from 29 contending films, including notable titles like Srikanth, Vaazhai, Thangalaan, Ullozhukku.

It's official: Kiran Rao's 'Laapataa Ladies' is going to the Oscars 2025!

<ul><li><keyword id="29464" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="parle" source="Orion">Parle</keyword> Products has launched its latest ad campaign comprising 3 ad films for <keyword id="99340" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="hide-seek" source="Orion">Hide &amp; Seek</keyword>.</li><li>The campaign highlights feelings of teenage romance that are often felt during adolescence and Hide &amp; Seek is helping their audience to get those special conversations started. </li><li>The films, conceptualized by <keyword id="12984575" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="brand-league-partners" source="Orion">Brand League Partners</keyword>, will focus on television <keyword id="35666" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="advertising" source="Orion">advertising</keyword> across genres through TV commercials (TVCs) and digital channels.</li><li>Parle Products will be releasing TVCs in seven languages including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Oriya, Assamese and Tamil.</li></ul>Parle Products has launched its latest advertising campaign for chocolate chip cookie brand Hide &amp; Seek with a sharp focus on establishing its identity as an enabler of first -time conversations. The campaign highlights feelings of teenage romance that are often felt during adolescence and Hide &amp; Seek is helping their audience to get those special conversations started. The films, conceptualized by Brand League Partners, will focus on television advertising across genres through TV commercials (TVCs) and digital channels. <div type="Youtube" id="LSaBRMQ4XKY" title="Parle Platina | Start Your Story With Hide &amp; Seek | Flower Shop" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LSaBRMQ4XKY/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <div type="Youtube" id="cQIkmcqeF0E" title="Parle Platina | Start Your Story With Hide &amp; Seek | Fashion Show" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cQIkmcqeF0E/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <div type="Youtube" id="ZUHpNfowC50" title="Parle Platina | Start Your Story With Hide &amp; Seek | Ferry" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZUHpNfowC50/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The Hide &amp; Seek brand is synonymous with ‘innocent love’ through its consistent brand communication from the past 25 years, thus making Valentine's Day an ideal time to remind consumers to express themselves since it is just around the corner. The campaign ‘Start your story with Hide &amp; Seek’, features three distinct ad-films that demonstrate how Hide &amp; Seek plays a catalyst in expressing affection between teenagers. The ad-films features young people in different scenarios to depict ‘first glance of attraction’ - a young woman enters a florist’s shop and sees the owner’s son, two people seeing each other for the first time on a ferry, and a fashion show event where a designer mistakes the photographer for the model. All 3 films showcase youngsters creating their own new language through sweet gestures wherein Parle Hide &amp; Seek plays their wingman/cupid. The TVC’s are tailored to connect with teenagers and young adults (15 - 25 year olds), who are conscious about striking a conversation with someone they like as they lack the courage to make the first move or even ask someone out for the first time. <keyword id="120094" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mayank-Shah" source="Orion">Mayank Shah</keyword>, Senior Category Head at Parle Products says, “We, at Parle Products, realize how important it is for a brand to be a part of a customer's journey. There are certain moments that we all face while growing up as teenagers and we understand the significance of these changes and decisions we make at that time. All of us have come across that time in adolescent years when the fear of rejection keeps us away from initiating conversation with that special someone. Our premium brand Hide &amp; Seek resonates with young and innocent love while acting as an enabler to ignite a spark in situations wherein people feel hesitant to express themselves freely or directly. Our brand plays the role of breaking the ice so the first-time conversations between two young people are comfortable and relaxed. Since the campaign is targeted towards teenagers, it's not about intense love but about innocent attraction &amp; young playful chemistry. The campaign is light-hearted and at the same time builds our brand so that we achieve top-of-mind recall among consumers and continue our brand narrative. With this TV and digital campaign, we aim to strengthen our position in the chocolate cookies category.” <keyword id="4108006" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="samir-chonkar" source="Orion">Samir Chonkar</keyword>, Head at Brand League Partners said, “We wanted to create something special for consumers and we are happy to be able to create a theme for Parle’s Hide &amp; Seek brand - ‘Start your story with Hide &amp; Seek’, which will bring forth something relatable, fun and engaging experience for everyone! The films showcase cute and innocent interaction between couples designed to appeal to customers’ lovestruck-side and get some attention directed towards the brand.” With the aim of celebrating the event that is immensely popular among young adults, Parle Products will be releasing TVCs in seven languages including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Oriya, Assamese and Tamil and will be sustained through a digital campaign. For social media amplification, Parle plans to create Instagram filter for couples, launch reels challenge and gift contests.

Parle Products launches a series of ads for Hide & Seek to establish the brand's identity as an enabler of first-time conversations

New Delhi, Jul 4 () WhatsApp on Saturday said it is launching its 'It's Between You' brand campaign in the country showcasing stories about how Indians are using the Facebook-owned platform to communicate in a secure manner. WhatsApp collaborated with Bollywood director Gauri Shinde along with BBDO India to create two 60-second ads that highlight how its features like texts, video calls or even a voice message (which is end-to-end encrypted) help replicate in-person conversations, it said in a statement. With over 400 million users, India is among the biggest markets for WhatsApp. "The campaign narrates real stories about how Indians communicate daily on WhatsApp with their closest relationships ...When privacy is deeply felt, relationships feel more intimate and real... "WhatsApp continues to serve as a crucial lifeline for people relying on the platform to intimately communicate with their friends and family while separated across long distances," Facebook India's Director - Marketing Avinash Pant told . One of the ads features an elderly woman and her caregiver, while the second one is about two sisters. WhatsApp had run a similar campaign in Brazil earlier this year. Pant said the campaign in India will run for 10 weeks across India on a number of national and regional television channels and digital platforms. "Throughout this year, the campaign will see multiple creative executions land in high profile cultural moments across the year from festivals to the cricket IPL. Over the course of the campaign, these films will be available in English and seven regional languages that include Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Oriya, Gujarati, Marathi and Kannada," he added. Pant said shooting these films remotely was a "new and a challenging experience" for everyone involved. The campaign was shot in the early days of lockdown, and the production happened remotely following utmost standards of safety and precaution, he added. "This meant casting had to be done keeping in mind the actors and the cinematographers who lived together, so no one from outside would enter the premises. The rest of the family members became hair, make-up and costume assistants...For the first time we heard, 'Action, Mumma' instead of just 'Action'," Pant said. He added that the client's agency and the director supervised the shoot through a WhatsApp video call, just as they conducted the pre-production meetings (PPM) and presentations. In the past, WhatsApp has run radio and print campaigns across various Indian states, asking people to check the veracity of information received as a forward before they share it with others as part of its efforts to curb the spread of fake news on its platform. SR ABM ABM

WhatsApp rolls out brand campaign in India

New Delhi, Jun 15 () As many as 1.28 lakh coronavirus-related public grievances have been filed with the central government, according to an official statement. Call centres in different cities and languages to seek feedback on such public grievances was launched on Monday by Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh, who also interacted live with citizens whose grievances have been successfully redressed, it said. This is the first time that a senior minister of government has interacted live with citizens who had filed grievances related to the pandemic and also paved way for other ministries to take up citizen grievances in an effective manner along with a feedback mechanism, the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said. "The feedback call centres would seek feedback from individual citizens on citizen satisfaction on 1.28 lakh COVID-19 public grievances that have been filed on CPGRAMS (Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System) for the period March 30, 2020 to May 30, 2020," it said. Singh complimented the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) on reaching the milestone of redressing over one lakh COVID-19 public grievances so far. He said that COVID 19 pandemic has created a world of digital opportunities to empower India's citizens and DARPG must make best use of the crisis led reforms in coming days. Singh said that the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inspired the government to put in a lot of effort to address grievances of common man. The DARPG has in collaboration with BSNL operationalised feedback call centres in Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Jamshedpur, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Ajmer, Guntur, Coimbatore and Guntakal with 1,406 call centre operators, the statement said. Feedback call centres would operate in several languages including Hindi, English, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya, Bengali, Assamese and Rajasthani, the statement said. On the occasion, Singh interacted with four citizens whose grievances were redressed on the COVID-19 national monitor within a period of three days. Amongst the citizens who interacted with the minister were Renuka V Parasappagol resident of Bijapur, Karnataka whose grievance of a refund from Canara Bank was redressed by Department of Financial Services. Others with whom the minister interacted were Gordhanbhai Jethabhai Patel resident of Vadodara, Gujarat whose grievance of a refund of mature MIS (Monthly Investment Scheme) investment was redressed by Department of Posts. Lakshminarayanan, a resident of Delhi, had a grievance related to the treatment of his daughter with HCQ (Hydroxychloroquine) which was redressed by the AIIMS and Mrithinjayan, a resident of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, whose grievance related to acceptance of monthly instalments of deposits was approved by the Department of Posts, it said. The citizens informed Singh that they had learnt of the COVID-19 national monitor for public grievances from his tweets and statements, and thanked the government for timely redressal of their grievances. Singh said that in Modi 2.0, CPGRAMS has witnessed radical reforms and transformational governance resulting in comprehensive overhaul of grievance redressal in India. Amongst the steps taken were the implementation of CPGRAMS reforms in top 20 grievance receiving ministries/departments delineating last mile grievance officers, integration of state/union territories grievance portals with CPGRAMS and feedback call centres, the minister said. Singh said DARPG should bring out a compendium of success stories on successfully redressed public grievances which may be disseminated for restoring confidence in citizens that the government is sensitive to their issues. AKV RHL

Govt receives over 1 lakh COVID-related grievances; Jitendra Singh launches feedback call centres

<ul><li><keyword id="2962484" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mi-India">Mi India</keyword> launched the latest edition of its annual report ‘<keyword id="10631021" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="patchwall-replay-2020">PatchWall Replay 2020</keyword>’.</li><li>The report throws light on the latest insights and interesting trends from the <keyword id="350845" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Show-Business">show business</keyword>.</li></ul> Mi India in its annual trend report ‘<keyword id="10631022" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="patchwall-replay">PatchWall Replay</keyword> 2020’ revealed that there was a 161% increase in news views in 2020. The study evaluates the consumption patterns of over 5 million consumers across 25+ content partners and throws light on the latest insights and interesting trends from the show business. Mi India had introduced PatchWall on Mi TV’s in 2018. Designed specifically for the Indian market, PatchWall provides one of the largest content libraries comprising both Indian and global content partners. In 2020 alone, PatchWall witnessed over 14 billion interactions across different categories such as movies, TV shows, music, kids entertainment etc. From strict lockdowns to a roller-coaster of emotions, the year 2020 was entailed by unprecedented challenges. However, with the world going digital across entertainment, work, education, and communication, 2020 witnessed an immense growth in the media streaming landscape. After surveying 5 million consumers, Mi India’s PatchWall Replay 2020 details out all the trends that dominated the Indian OTT space in the last year. Commenting on the unveiling of the report, Eshwar Nilakantan, Category Lead - Mi TVs, Mi India, said, "Mi TVs have become an integral part of families and consumers’ lives and they further solidify Mi India’s leadership in the smart TV segment. Having sold over 5 million TVs, we not only understand the requirements of Indian consumers, but have also taken significant steps to address their needs. “Content first” has always been our Mi TV team’s philosophy and that led the company to introduce PatchWall on Mi TVs and since then, we have rolled out over 40+ features and extended partnership with 25+ content partners. We are happy to unveil PatchWall Replay 2020’, it throws light on what India watched in 2020, across all OTT platforms.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="From blockbusters to originals, content that trended" text="From blockbusters to originals, content that trended">From blockbusters to originals, content that trended</cmsannotation> While the pandemic put a halt on ‘Let’s go and watch a movie, it’s Friday’ in 2020, the love for movies among people didn’t subside. For a Friday release, PatchWall generated similar traffic as a housefull on a first day - first show across all 3k+ multiplex chains in India. There was a 2.5X increase in the number of people watching movies on weekdays as compared to 2019, making views increase by 97% in the movies category. Laxxmi, Dil Bechara, Angrezi Medium, Lootcase, Chhalaang, Khaali Peeli and Chintu Ka Birthday, among others were some of the popular movies, trending in 2020. India gravitated towards strong performances, Rajnikanth trended in February, followed by Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan in March, and Superhero movies taking the spot in May. July was ruled by Sushant Singh Rajput, and soon India’s focus shifted to cricket in August. Akshay Kumar and Mulan made highlights in November and December respectively. According to the report, April to August were blockbuster months, because of movies releasing on OTT platforms during that time. 2020 was the year of some fantastic performance and original shows and series. With Indian audiences appreciating new categories in TV shows, the segment recorded 133 percent increase in engagement. Shows such as Mirzapur 2, Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, Pataal Lok, Sam Jam, Loser, Geetha Subramanyam scored big. April to June aired a devotional vibe in the living rooms with people reminiscing their old times with shows like Mahabharat, Ramayana, Devon ke Dev..Mahadev, and Shaktiman. There were more than 3 million interactions across these shows. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Kids’ content streaming witnessed new highs" text="Kids’ content streaming witnessed new highs">Kids’ content streaming witnessed new highs</cmsannotation> With education turning its route to the digital mode, the edutainment category saw a 177 percent increase along with a 205 percent increase in overall kids streaming. Wheels on the bus’, ‘Tales of Akbar and Birbal’, ‘Bal Ganesha’ were the stars of kids’ edutainment category, and ‘Show yourself’ and ‘Baby Shark’ became the new kids anthem. Interestingly, there were more than a million kids mode sessions trusted a million times by parents across India. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Regional language consumption increased" text="Regional language consumption increased">Regional language consumption increased</cmsannotation> The regional language content made space in the streaming landscape and a 56 percent increase was observed in this segment. PatchWall has content across 16+ languages including Punjabi, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, Assamese, Odia, Rajasthani, Urdu along with Haryanvi. The top languages that saw an increased consumption trend were Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Fitness pumped its way up" text="Fitness pumped its way up">Fitness pumped its way up</cmsannotation> Online platforms served as fitness companions as well. With no access to gyms, Zumba classes, Yoga etc., the fitness category received a good boost with an increase of 93 percent views. From how to lose weight in 21 days to meditation for relaxing and yoga stretches, people tried to maintain their fitness regimes. Interestingly, users were pigging out on searches such as Sarson da saag, Jeera Chicken, Yoga stretch and instant 5 ingredient ice-cream. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Bigger appetite for Live news" text="Bigger appetite for Live news">Bigger appetite for Live news</cmsannotation> With a lot happening across the globe, news in any mode took most of the space. In response to this, a 161% increase in news views paved its way. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Grooving to music in our living rooms" text="Grooving to music in our living rooms">Grooving to music in our living rooms</cmsannotation> More than 20 million minutes were spent by PatchWall unsers listening and grooving to their favorite songs. Badshah, Arijit Singh, the duo Vishal-Shekhar, A.R Rahman, and Neha Kakkar rocked the charts the whole year and the popular music videos that glued Indians to their screens included Genda Phool, Illegal Weapon, Dus Bahane, Bhankaas, and Khulke Jeena ka. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Eat. Binge. Sleep. Repeat. with PatchWall" text="Eat. Binge. Sleep. Repeat. with PatchWall">Eat. Binge. Sleep. Repeat. with PatchWall</cmsannotation> The new trend surfacing was Eat.Binge.Sleep.Repeat. The newly launched features of PatchWall such as India Top 10 Today, Celebrity Watchlist, and Collections recorded 87 million views. India Top 10 Today: It garnered 48 million views with top trending titles such as Laxmii, Dil Bechara, Mirzapur 2, Scam 1992- The Harshad Mehta Story, Mulan, Darbar, Chintu ka Birthday, Pataal Lok, and Aarya, along with Colour Photo. Celebrity Watchlist &amp; Collections: This feature accounted for 39 million views with people exploring the watchlists of Vidya Balan, <keyword id="475128" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pankaj-Tripathi">Pankaj Tripathi</keyword>, Ali Faizal, Maanvi Garoo, and Abhishek Bachchan. In just 2.5 months, more than a million people created Watchlists, and watched more trailers with the new User centre feature added on Patchwall. PatchWall Replay 2020 shows how the OTT space witnessed a major boom in 2020 with people looking for fresh and rejuvenating content across platforms.

2020 saw a 161% increase in news views: Mi India PatchWall Replay 2020

The grandeur and novelty of <keyword id="374635" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tony-Awards">Tony awards</keyword> have filled the pages of all leading newspapers today. Ever since its inception in 1947, it has religiously commemorated all great talents of the theatre world every year without fail. This is a good time to remember all those great talents in India which are not recognised ever. 
 
 

	India truly is a country with rich culture and songs from different regions have celebrated the richness and colours of different cultures. Even though the songs were in different languages, it does not deprive one who does not know the language from enjoying its true essence. Continuing in the essence of Tony awards, we give you a taste of how the Indian flavours would have been at Tony. The nominations for the best original score for regional songs are as follows: 
	 
	 

	1. What better to start with than the band which is arguably India’s and West Bengal’s first popular rock band, <keyword id="908613" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Moheener-Ghoraguli">Moheener Ghoraguli</keyword> (Moheen’s Horses)! It is a band which changed the musical history of India in a very notable way. A group of musicians led by Gautam Chattopadhyay started this band in 1974 in Kolkata. Little did they know that their songs will bring a social revolution in Bengali music. Their lyrics were radically new and conveyed social messages on politics, poverty, injustice, revolution, love, loneliness, even begging and prostitution. You are bound to be swayed off your feet by their rhythm. The blood in your body is sure to boil up and you will be inspired to pull up your socks and start a revolution! 
	 
	 
	 
	 
 

	2. Next let’s explore the enchanting music of <keyword id="63212" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ilaiyaraaja">Ilaiyaraaja</keyword>, one of the most famous and the finest singer of all times. Ilaiyaraaja is sometimes debatably considered better than <keyword id="14918" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="A-R-Rahman">A.R. Rahman</keyword>. He is a man who brought the essence of Mozart and Bach in Indian music. It would not be wrong to call him a legend. The enormity of his compositions can seldom be described in words. In fact, there are not many contemporary artists in the world who can be compared with Raja. One can never have enough of Ilaiyaraaja. 
	 
	 
	 
	 

	3. The third song was gifted to the world by the land of Assam. Sang by the musical maestro, <keyword id="373002" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bhupen-Hazarika">Bhupen Hazarika</keyword>, this song spreads the message of humanity and universal brotherhood. The song is sure to leave a lasting impression on your minds at the very first try. There would have been an everlasting void in our musical world had there not been his fulfilling gift of melody. Listen to the Assamese song Hey Dola, Hey Dola and let the river of pure enlightening notes flood your soul. 
	 
	 
	 
	 
 

	4. Speaking about regional songs of India, one song is sure to cross everybody’s minds. And if it misses someone’s, then Coke Studio did the reminder. It is none other than the musical prodigy of Rajasthan, <keyword id="377155" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bhanwari-Devi">Bhanwari Devi</keyword> who has enriched the culture of Rajasthani <keyword id="22258" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Folk-songs">folk songs</keyword>. Initially she started by Phad narration (musical story telling). With passage of time her voice started to echo throughout Rajasthan. Slowly she achieved accolades from all over the country. Queen of enchanting vocal capabilities, she is a highly acclaimed singer who brought a renewed sense of respect for Rajasthani folk songs. The powerful impact that it has on one’s mind is inexplicable. Here is one of her songs that was popularized by Coke Studio 5. 
	 
	 
	

	 
	 
	 

	5. We all grew up listening to regional folk songs. They are so powerful that Bollywood has embraced it in its own style. Here we bring you a personal favourite sung by A.R. Rahman in the movie Delhi 6. The whole nation started humming the tune the moment it was released. But what few know is that it is originally a folk song of Chhattisgarh. Let’s sacrifice ourselves to the melody of life and allow the magic to mystify us forever.

	 
	 
	 
	 

	Every song would have been a winner of its time at Tony. Ending with a note which defines music the best,
 

	“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and which cannot remain silent.” -Victor Hugo
 

	(image &amp; video credits: tonyawards.com, youtube)

5 Indian songs that could have received Tony Awards

Did you always long for an <keyword id="2073152" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="India-focused-Wikipedia">India-focused Wikipedia</keyword> that would provide all relevant information about the country? Well, you are there, almost. A couple of days ago, the <keyword id="44734" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-Government">Indian government</keyword> has launched <a href="http://vikaspedia.gov.in/index">Vikaspedia</a>, a multi-lingual portal that enables access to crucial information across six key areas – <keyword id="6355165" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Agriculture">agriculture</keyword>, <keyword id="6354750" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword>, <keyword id="6355445" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Education">education</keyword>, <keyword id="6356140" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="social-welfare">social welfare</keyword>, <keyword id="6357014" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="energy">energy</keyword> and <keyword id="6391682" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="e-governance">e-governance</keyword>. The site also features a handful of <keyword id="2073193" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="G2C">G2C</keyword> (<keyword id="2073195" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Government-to-citizen">government to citizen</keyword>) and <keyword id="2073194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="G2B">G2B</keyword> (<keyword id="2073196" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Government-to-business">government to business</keyword>) services besides discussion forums, impact stories/case studies, <keyword id="2073160" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Learning-resources">learning resources</keyword>, mobile app downloads, and news &amp; events. 
 <keyword id="2065138" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vikaspedia">Vikaspedia</keyword> is currently available in five languages including Hindi, English, Assamese, Marathi and Telugu. But going forward, there are plan to make it accessible in all 22 Indian languages. 
 The portal is a part of the <keyword id="2073165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="India-Development-Gateway">India Development Gateway</keyword> (<keyword id="209592" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="IDG">IDG</keyword>) initiative, aimed at offering information and ICT-based knowledge products and services in the <keyword id="2073167" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Social-development-domain">social development domain</keyword>. IDG is being run by the <keyword id="260126" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="department-of-electronics">Department of Electronics</keyword> and <keyword id="6363148" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="100" keywordseo="information-Technology">Information Technology</keyword> (<keyword id="382618" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="deity">DeitY</keyword>). Vikaspedia has been developed by the <keyword id="64489" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Centre-for-Development-of-Advanced-Computing">Centre for Development of Advanced Computing</keyword> (C-DAC), Hyderabad. 
 
So how does Vikaspedia bring value to our everyday life? Since it is a government-run information portal and not a crowd-sourced Indian Wiki, don’t expect to find interesting ‘Leaks’ here that will give you an insight into State documents and policy-making. But this one promises to be better than the run-of-the-mill government repositories. 
 For one, authorities say it is part of the initiative to <keyword id="2073175" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Democratise-information">democratise information</keyword>, leveraging the power of the Internet. And that claim is true to some extent. Earlier, fast, hassle-free access to real-time and crucial data was quite unthinkable and people had to pay for it as well. But from now on, most of it will be made available for free. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the paid <keyword id="6356198" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="RTI">RTI</keyword> (<keyword id="55120" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Right-To-Information">Right To Information</keyword>) services will be scrapped any time soon. But with Vikaspedia in place, one can access the essential information for free. 
 Moreover, the portal gives you a fair idea of what’s currently happening in the e-governance space. The section on ‘Mobile Governance’ is especially relevant, given the fact that India has around 110 million mobile Internet users, out of which 25 million are in <keyword id="6355185" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="rural-india">rural India</keyword>. In fact, 70% of rural India’s active Internet population access the Web via mobile phones while 42% of rural India’s users prefer using the Internet in local languages. 
 “As the rural landscape in India is set to take the advantage of the flourishing <keyword id="2073177" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ICT-initiatives">ICT initiatives</keyword> pioneered by various institutions, more specifically the <keyword id="775561" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Common-Service-Centres">Common Service Centres</keyword> (CSCs), Vikaspedia offers the much required content and services in local languages that makes the difference in the lives of the people,” the site says. That essentially underlines that Vikaspedia can enter the big league as the information portal supports regional languages and focuses on e-governance services/mobile seva available across the country. The site also features a number of utility apps for free download including <keyword id="1559456" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ask-an-expert">Ask An Expert</keyword>, <keyword id="2073179" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="SHELTOR">SHELTOR</keyword> (<keyword id="2073180" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Student-HostEL-locator">Student HostEL locator</keyword>) and <keyword id="21785" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="mother">MOTHER</keyword> (<keyword id="2073182" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MObile-based-maTernal-HEalth-awaReness">MObile based maTernal HEalth awaReness</keyword>), an app for monitoring maternal health. 
 
 
 While launching the portal, <keyword id="409418" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="J-Satyanarayana">J Satyanarayana</keyword>, Secretary of DeitY, noted that <keyword id="71187" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</keyword>, an <keyword id="2073183" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Information-repository">information repository</keyword> built on online crowdsourcing of content, is so popular that it is being used for official and legal purposes. Although Vikaspedia is not in the same space, it will be a single-point reference for the above six fields, featuring content specific to the Indian context. 
 
Those still pining for an Indian Wiki will be pleasantly surprised when you find a few similar features even on Vikaspedia. For instance, you can <a href="http://vikaspedia.in/register">register</a> here as a <keyword id="2073188" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Content-contributor">content contributor</keyword> that will allow you to add a new page of content, edit the existing content and create discussion topics. We are still not sure if the portal is open to <keyword id="2073184" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Content-crowdsourcing">content crowdsourcing</keyword> and editing just like Wikipedia does, but this option looks quite suggestive. Registering as a member is a breeze but last we tried registering as a content contributor, an error message came up persistently. Does it mean the feature is not currently available to the masses? 
 That’s not exactly democratising data but we feel that at the initial stage, only authorised institutions/organisations can deliver and edit content, instead of individual contributors. But even then, an interactive repository of developmental data (after all, members can still participate in discussions and provide <keyword id="154361" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="feedback">feedback</keyword>), along with easy access, could just be the first step towards more <keyword id="2073190" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Transparent-governance">transparent governance</keyword> and <keyword id="1857924" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="People-Empowerment">people empowerment</keyword>. Vikaspedia can bridge the <keyword id="2073191" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Knowledge-divide">knowledge divide</keyword> and therefore, the <keyword id="2073192" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Opportunity-divide">opportunity divide</keyword>, which may gradually ensure the economic and social well-being of India’s 1.3 billion-strong population. 
 
Main image: Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images

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