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<ul><li>Schitt’s Creek actor, writer, and producer <keyword id="254602" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Daniel-Levy">Daniel Levy</keyword> lashed out at the Indian arm of a global television channel for censoring a kiss between the two leading men of the show. </li><li>Levy had pointed out a snippet from the show that <keyword id="10064237" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="comedy-central-india">Comedy Central India</keyword> had shared on Twitter in March 2019.</li><li>Schitt’s Creek recently made a splash at the Emmy Awards 2020 being the first show to sweep all the major awards in the comedy category.</li></ul>Canadian actor and the writer, producer of the immensely popular comedy show Schitt’s Creek Daniel Levy slammed the Indian arm of a global television channel for allegedly censoring a kiss between the two leading men of the show. <br /><br />Levy took to Twitter about the censorship of gay intimacy on particularly the Indian channel.<br /><br /><div type="twitter" handle="danjlevy" handlename="dan levy" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/823076931931226112/nwJ7gMqE_normal.jpg" favoritecount="47066" retweetcount="4902" status="You showed the kiss between two women, you showed the kiss between a woman and a man, then removed the kiss between… https://t.co/1ancFqg4Fw" createdat="1602004701000" id="1313529036803579904"></div><br />Levy had pointed out a snippet from the show that Comedy Central India had shared on Twitter in March 2019 when the show was being aired on the channel. <br /><br />As people began to confuse it between the American Comedy Central, Levy went on to write, “I thought I made this pretty clear but for those who are confused, this is about a channel in India.”<br /><br />Business Insider has reached out to Comedy Central India for comments, and the copy will be updated to reflect the same as and when they answer.<br /><br />Schitt’s Creek has been lauded for its inclusivity and positive representation of LGBTQ relationships. The Canadian show recently made a splash at the Emmy Awards this year, being the first to sweep all the major awards in the comedy category. Even during his Emmy speech, Levy had spoken about the inclusivity on the show. “Our show at its core is about the transformational effects of love and acceptance and that is something we need more of now than ever before,” he had said.<br /><strong><br /><keyword id="4872592" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="censorship-in-India">Censorship in India</keyword><br /><br /></strong>Censorship in India has been a rising issue across television channels, as well as OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar. Earlier,<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/netflix-and-hotstar-hedge-their-bets-against-government-regulation-through-self-censorship/articleshow/67573187.cms"> Amazon Prime</a> had censored scenes containing nudity from the popular show Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, and that wasn’t the OTT platform’s first tryst with self-censorship in India.<br /><br />Netflix has also been subject to public ire for censoring <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/netflix-vikings-season-5-blurs-cooked-meat-and-nudity-in-india/articleshow/76149237.cms">Vikings Season 5</a>, where nudity, violence and other gory content was blurred. However, Netflix had then said that the content shown was what it received from History18, the original broadcaster of the series.<br /><br />Film and television bodies in India have long been moderating content on public platforms, including television channels. Recently, with the growing popularity of OTT platforms, the threat of censorship has extended over to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar and others.<br /><br />In fact, a majority of the OTT players have signed a self-regulation code to govern their curated streaming content. <br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO<br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/news/self-regulation-code-adopted-by-disney-hotstar-amazon-prime-and-other-ott-platforms-what-is-this-code/articleshow/78009955.cms">Self regulation code adopted by Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video and other OTT platforms could either be a huge success — or go the Facebook-Twitter way</a><br /></strong><br /><br /><em>Update: The article was updated to reflect a change in the headline</em>

Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy slams Indian channel for censorship on the show

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Comedian Trevor Noah apologized for making a Bollywood joke about the conflict between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan that could have ended in war.</strong></li><li><strong> Noah said: "If they did go to war it would probably be most entertaining war of all time," and pretended to be an Indian solider singing and dancing.</strong></li><li><strong>Noah later apologized, but pointed out that his joke "trended more than the story of the actual conflict itself."</strong></li><li><strong>Tensions rose sharply between India and Pakistan, which have fought multiple wars, leaving world leaders urging caution. At least 10 people died in shelling at the border in Kashmir.</strong></li></ul><p>Comedian Trevor Noah apologized for making a Bollywood joke about the conflict between India and Pakistan which brought the nuclear rivals closer to another war and left more than 10 people dead in related fighting.</p><p>On "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah," Noah said that he did not want the two countries to go to war, but "i&gt;f they did go to war it would probably be most entertaining war of all time."</p><p>Noah said that in the event of war, Indian soldiers would enter the battlefield singing "time for you to die," before miming an Indian soldier dancing and singing in the style typical of Bollywood, the huge Indian film industry that often incorporates song and dance.</p><p>Noah joked that "it would also be the longest war of all time - another dance number!"</p><p>Watch the clip below. Noah begins to talk about the situation between India and Pakistan at two minutes into the video:</p><p>Tensions sharply rose between the two nuclear rivals after a February 14 attack in the disputed Kashmir region, carried out by a terrorist group based in Pakistan, that killed at least 40 Indian troops.</p><p>The two countries then shot each others' jets out of the sky, and Pakistan captured an Indian pilot on Wednesday. Pakistan <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indian-pilot-returned-pakistan-deescalate-conflict-ate-secret-documents-reports-2019-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">returned the pilot on Friday as a "peace gesture</a>."</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indian-pilot-returned-pakistan-deescalate-conflict-ate-secret-documents-reports-2019-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">Indian fighter pilot returned by Pakistan after wild ordeal where he was shot down over enemy territory and reportedly ate sensitive documents to keep them secret</a></em></p><p>Noah apologized for the joke on Saturday, tweeting: "As a comedian I use comedy to process pain and discomfort in my world but I am sorry that this hurt you and others, that's not what I was trying to do."</p><p>He also pointed out the irony that his joke "trended more than the story of the actual conflict itself."</p><p>"Sometimes it seems like people are more offended by the jokes comedians make about an issue than the issue itself," Noah said.</p><p>Critics called Noah's joke "<a href="https://twitter.com/siddharth3/status/1102088525380386823">racist</a>" and wrote under Comedy Central UK's official YouTube video that Noah was trying to make war "funny" and that he was "reducing a whole country to a movie industry."</p><p>One commenter wrote on YouTube: "Dear Trevor Noah, I am an Indian. I found all your shows funny except this one. War is not funny. My state is very close to Pakistan and you should come and see the tension here. WAR IS NOT AN ENTERTAINMENT."</p><p>"The conditions here are really bad. Please don't call war an entertainment as we've fought many battles with Pakistan and we know that it's not funny. It's not 'entertainment' [because] it results in nothing but bloodshed and loss."</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>World leaders urged caution as tensions mounted between India and Pakistan, who have fought three wars over the Kashmir before. They took place in 1947, 1965, and 1999.</p><p>The two countries have blamed one another for each attack and offered conflicting accounts of the clashes over the past three weeks.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-pakistan-conflict-flights-canceled-rerouted-airspace-closed-2019-2" data-analytics-position="4">Thousands of flights were canceled or rerouted when Pakistan shut down its airspace after shooting down Indian military planes</a></em></p><p>Troops fired across Kashmir's Line of Control between the two countries, with at least eight civilians and two soldiers killed in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir since last Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.</p><p>Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since both countries gained independence from British rule in 1947. Both countries claim the territory in its entirety.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>Pakistan's foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2019/02/28/amanpour-shah-mehmood-qureshi.cnn">told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday</a> that had the conflict escalated into war, it would have been "mutual suicide."</p><p>The country's prime minister, Imran Khan, <a href="https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKCN1QG0IQ">also questioned whether the countries</a> could "afford miscalculation" given the devastation that could be caused by their nuclear arsenals.</p><p>India, by contrast, has remained relatively silent over the course of the conflict.</p><p>Pakistan shut down its entire airspace last week but has since reopened parts of it. The country said that it will take action against militant groups operating on its soil, Reuters reported, in a sign that tensions are de-escalating since the return of the Indian pilot.</p><div></div><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-15-presidents-historians-survey-abraham-lincoln-george-washington-lyndon-johnson-barack-obama-ronald-reagan-2017-2">The top 15 presidents according to historians</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Trevor Noah apologized for making a Bollywood joke about the India-Pakistan conflict, that teetered on the brink of war and killed at least 10 people

<p class="source"><span>Viacom</span></p><p><strong><em>Want to stay up to date with this year's IGNITION conference and all things media? <a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/bi-ignition-newsletter?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=content_marketing&amp;utm_term=content_marketing_ignition_newsletter_text_link_heres-how-snapchat-can-survive-instagrams-assault-on-its-features-2017-5&amp;utm_content=ignition_newsletter_content_marketing_text_link&amp;utm_campaign=content_marketing_ignition_newsletter_link">Subscribe here</a> to receive our free weekly IGNITION newsletter.</em></strong></p><p>Business Insider is proud to announce that Robert Bakish will speak at IGNITION 2017: The Future of Media.</p><p>As the president and CEO of Viacom, Bakish is tasked with growing the conglomerate's leading brands including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon along with the Paramount Pictures film and TV studio.</p><p>Before being promoted to this role, Bakish thrived as the president and CEO of VIMN, the international arm of Viacom. During this time, he succeeded in expanding Viacom's international footprint by focusing on high-growth markets such as India, where he launched the entertainment channel Colors through the Viacom18 joint venture with Reliance Industries.</p><p>Bakish was also integral in bolstering Viacom's digital presence. By launching multiplatform products like My Nick Jr., My MTV, and Viacom Play Pex, Viacom has eclipsed 16 million downloads and 500 million digital streams to date, <a href="http://www.viacom.com/about/pages/seniormanagement.aspx?bioid=11">according to the company</a>.</p><p>Bakish joins <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lachlan-murdoch-of-news-corp-21st-century-fox-to-speak-at-ignition-2017-6">21st Century Fox executive chairman Lachlan Murdoch</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hbo-ceo-richard-plepler-business-insider-ignition-2017-4">HBO CEO Richard Plepler</a>, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/verizons-president-of-media-and-telematics-to-speak-at-ignition-2017-6">Verizon executive Marni Walden</a> as speakers at this year's IGNITION conference. We will continue to announce new speakers throughout the summer, so continue to check in to see who else will be attending.</p><p><strong>Attend IGNITION 2017: The Future of Media</strong></p><p>Business Insider IGNITION 2017 will take place November 29-30 at the Time Warner Center in New York City. Don't miss out on an opportunity lock in your discounted Early-Bird or group rates to hear from the most influential people in media!</p><p style="display: block !important; margin: 1.5rem auto 4rem !important;"><a href="http://events.businessinsider.com?IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Register Today!</a></p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lowell-mcadam-explains-why-verizon-bought-aol-ignition-mobile-2015-12">Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam explains why he bought AOL</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Viacom's Bob Bakish to speak at IGNITION

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<p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGL6YY6oMs">Comedy Central</a></span></p>
<p class="caption">Yousafzai left Jon Stewart speechless during an appearance on the Daily Show last year.</p>
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<p>Malala Yousafzai, 17, won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, along with India children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, 60,&#xa0;for "their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education."</p>
<p>Yousafzai first caught the media's attention at the age of 14, after she was shot in the head by a Taliban fighter for criticizing the organization's tactics.</p>
<p>The young women's rights activist, who was favored to win the peace prize last year, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/malala-yousafzai-left-jon-stewart-speechless-2013-10">memorably left Jon Stewart speechless during an interview on the Daily Show</a>, a few days before the 2013 awards were announced.&#xa0;</p>
<p>Stewart asked <span>Yousafzai&#xa0;</span>how she reacted after learning that the Taliban wanted her dead. "Her answer was absolutely remarkable," Business Insider reporter Brian Jones said at the time.&#xa0;</p>
<p>Here's the response:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;">I started thinking about that, and I used to think that the Talib would come, and he would just kill me. But then I said, 'If he comes, what would you do Malala?' then I would reply to myself, 'Malala, just take a shoe and hit him.' &#xa0;But then I said, 'If you hit a Talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib. You must not treat others with cruelty and that much harshly, you must fight others but through peace and through dialogue and through education.' Then I said I will tell him how important education is and that 'I even want education for your children as well.' And I will tell him, 'That's what I want to tell you, now do what you want.'</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGL6YY6oMs">Watch the full segment below</a>, her answer starts around the 4:20 mark:</p>
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Here's The Moment When Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai Left Jon Stewart Speechless

<keyword id="20115473" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ashneer-Grover" source="keywords">Ashneer Grover</keyword>, known for his blunt persona on the Indian edition of Shark Tank, has once again found himself embroiled in a controversy, this time involving a popular comedy roast. The co-founder and former managing director of <keyword id="19956322" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BharatPe" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="BharatPe" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="BharatPe">BharatPe</keyword>, Grover is no stranger to the limelight, but his latest escapade has stirred considerable buzz of the negative kind on social media.<br /><br />Grover recently featured on "<keyword id="21736600" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pretty-Good-Roast" source="keywords">Pretty Good Roast</keyword>," a show hosted by comedian <keyword id="21736601" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aashish-Solanki" source="keywords">Aashish Solanki</keyword>. During the episode, Solanki made light of Grover's tumultuous exit from BharatPe — a topic that has been a hot-button issue ever since Grover and his wife were ousted from the fintech startup in 2022 amid allegations of financial impropriety.<br /><br />The roast, which included jabs at Grover’s departure from his own company, quickly became a viral sensation. However, the humour did not sit well with Grover. He reportedly demanded the removal of the segments featuring these jokes and subsequently sent Solanki a <keyword id="20476156" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="legal-notice" source="keywords">legal notice</keyword> to take down the entire episode. Solanki complied, announcing on Instagram:<br /><br />"Friends, I have removed the Ep 5 of Pretty Good Roast. I don't have money to fight the legal battle. I had spent all of it on the show," he stated, highlighting the financial strain legal actions can impose on independent creators.<br /><br />Solanki also expressed his disappointment, noting, "The response on previous episodes led us to believe our audience were ready for roast humour. However, it seems that some, especially those in power, are not quite there yet."<br /><br />This incident has triggered a wave of backlash against Grover, with many accusing him of "<keyword id="20415529" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="doglapan" source="keywords">doglapan</keyword>" (duplicity). The term gained popularity during Grover’s stint on <keyword id="19913228" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shark-tank-india" source="keywords">Shark Tank India</keyword> and even became the title of his book, "Doglapan: The Hard Truth about Life and Start-Ups." Social media users were quick to point out the irony of Grover, who once prided himself on his no-holds-barred attitude, now seeking to censor comedic content.<br /><div type="twitter" handle="samratsingh23" handlename="samratsingh23" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1792498229701161312"></div><br /><div type="twitter" handle="memes_hallabol" handlename="memes_hallabol" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1792750542655295852"></div><br />The controversy draws attention to Grover's complex public persona. After his high-profile exit from BharatPe, Grover pivoted to content creation, leveraging his fame to build a substantial following on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and various podcasts. He has even claimed that he has made more money through content creation than during his tenure at BharatPe.<br /><br />Despite his success as a content creator, Grover’s latest actions have sparked a debate about the boundaries of humour and criticism, especially concerning public figures. The legal threat against Solanki underscores the precarious balance comedians must navigate when their satire targets influential individuals.<br /><br />As the dust settles, one thing is clear: Ashneer Grover remains a polarising figure. His journey from a controversial entrepreneur to a content creator and now to a central figure in a comedy roast controversy reflects the multifaceted and often contentious nature of public life.<br />

Roasted shark? Ashneer Grover faces backlash over legal tussle with comedian Aashish Solanki

<ul><li>After <keyword id="8937291" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="juan-delcan-and-valentina-izaguirre">Juan Delcan and Valentina Izaguirre</keyword>’s Safety Match art went viral on social media, more brands are playing with their logos to convey the importance of <keyword id="8897280" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-distancing">social distancing</keyword>. </li><li>As the situation around the world continues to intensify, we take a look at how brands are playing an active role in spreading awareness around hygienic practices of work from home, <keyword id="8937289" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="flattening-the-curve">flattening the curve</keyword>, and self isolation. </li></ul>What do Fevicol’s elephants, Audi’s four circles, and the interpunct in sitcom Friends’ title plate have in common? They have been inseparable since their inception. However, to illustrate the importance of social distancing, these brands have done what artists Juan Delcan and Valentina Izaguirre went viral for -- use their creativity to promote the importance of maintaining a safe distance from your family members. <br /><br />The artists Delcan and Izaguirre had uploaded a short video called Safety Match on social media, that illustrates the importance of working from home, social distance and urges people to #FlattenTheCurve. <br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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<br />Flatten the curve refers to the projected number of people who will contract COVID-19 over a period of time. It aims to tell people that the speed at which the virus spreads in the world should be reduced, so that government bodies, scientists and hospitals are well-prepared to take care of every patient. The longer it takes, the more prepared we will be to fight it together. And to flatten this curve, it is important to wash your hands, work from home, maintain a distance and stay clean.<br /><br />
  
  
  
  
  
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<br />Since coronavirus is spread through respiratory droplets, when people cough or sneeze, maintaining a social distance can help reduce the chances of picking the virus up and spreading it to others. To convey this and get people out of their denial mode, various brands took to social media and started talking about self isolation and flattening the curve. <br /><br />
  
  
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<br /><br />To maintain a social distance with people around you, it is important to stay put. Brands have also started using humour to remind people that we are in it together. Using memes and humour, ironically, is proving to be an effective way of communicating the seriousness of the issue. <br /><br />And when you get to eat bhujia and watch Netflix while attempting to work, you should not be complaining about quarantining yourself. This is what brands reminded their audiences:<br /><br />
  
  
  
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<br />Here is to hoping that more companies let their employees work from home and people start taking the importance of social distancing seriously. <br /><br />

When these iconic brands tweaked their logos to spread an important message about Coronavirus

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It’s no secret that the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/MPs-havent-worked-this-hard-in-15-yrs/articleshow/47280434.cms">Members of Parliament</a> give Balaji Telefilms stiff competition in providing wholesome entertainment to the Indian public day in and out.<br />
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They are known to do everything except what they have been elected to do. Specialising in Masters of Making Outrageous Demands, MPs have no regard for laws or taxpayers money, which more often than not, they treat as their personal fund.<br />
<br /> It’s a shame that <keyword id="6354721" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="parliament">Parliament</keyword> sessions haven’t yet been christened The Great Indian Comedy Circus because the antics of the ministers are worthy of no lesser title.<br />
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Allow me to explain.<br />
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It started with an RTI reply which recently revealed that parliament canteens serving MPs got <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Everyones-worried-about-subsidy/articleshow/47974874.cms">subsidies</a> of a whopping Rs 60.7 crore during the last five years. What it invariably meant was that besides paying for our own lunches, we end up paying for theirs as well. Sample this- a plate of fried fish and chips would cost an MP a paltry Rs 25, while Masala Dosa could be relished at six rupees and a plate of stewed vegetable would cost them only four rupees. (I don’t remember the last time I bought anything for four rupees.)<br />
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If that wasn’t enough, they soon united to propose a 100% salary hike. Headed by BJP MP Yogi Adityanath, a parliamentary panel proposed recommendations to the salary, pension and benefits package of the current and former MPs.<br />
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Some of their demands included a 100% salary hike for current MPs. At present they earn Rs 50,000 a month, which according to the panel is ‘not that much’. A 77% pension hike for the former MPs was also demanded. Apart from this, the MPs also felt that their existing daily allowance, railway allowance and travel allowance should be increased.<br />
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Unfortunately, their demands did not see the light of the day due to the government shooting down majority of their proposals, providing a rare evidence of logical decision- making skills. (Who knew our government could do that?)<br />
<br /> Not one to be bogged down by rejection, the MPs bounced back in the arena by demanding that a special <keyword id="2989392" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="smoking-room">smoking room</keyword> be designated for them inside the Parliament. The fact that the Parliament, including its grounds are in fact a no-smoking zone didn’t seem to bother them one bit.<br />
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And, soon enough, their wish was granted when the waiting lounge of the Central hall was recently designated as the smoking area for the MPs by the Speaker, even though it quite clearly violated the law.<br />
<br />
In light of how ridiculously easy it was for them to get their wishes granted and keeping their previous behavior in mind, Business Insider India draws up a list predicting four things our MPs are about to wish for, next.<br />
<br /> Because with great power, comes a great <keyword id="1111793" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="wish-list">wish-list</keyword>.<br />
<br /> 1. A one year vacation from attending Parliament sessions every year: Going by the daily adjournment of the <keyword id="48510" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Rajya-Sabha">Rajya Sabha</keyword> and <keyword id="6355187" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha">Lok Sabha</keyword>, this is definitely going to top their list of demands. Our ever hardworking MPs who dutifully wake up, reach the Parliament only to successfully adjourn it every day, day after day have earned this vacation. No questions asked!<br />
<br />
2. Mattresses to replace seats in the Parliament: Our MPs doze off in the Parliament so frequently that it has stopped shocking us. It’s gotten to the extent where we’ve even started assuming that dozing off in the Parliament is in fact their job description. Thus, it would be cruel to expect them to discharge their duties faithfully without proper equipment. Order up the most comfortable sleeping mattress, please!<br />
<br /> 3. Weekly <keyword id="6367992" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Porn">porn</keyword> hour in the Parliament: Move over Question Hour and Zero hour. To keep up with the times, formally designating a Porn Hour is an absolutely necessity. Our MPs need to be given time off to experiment <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Dear-Government-heres-what-you-should-ban-instead-of-porn-websites/articleshow/48362729.cms">with the 857 websites blocked by the government</a>. Remember, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!<br />
<br />
4. An IIM in their honour to give out degrees in Wasting Time and Procrastination: Our MPs have a rare talent in wasting time and doing absolutely nothing productive inside and outside the Parliament, which obviously cannot die with them. For India to command its place as a developing country, that legacy needs to be passed on. Thus, expect an announcement of setting up an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/IIM-Nagpur-is-now-a-reality-It-will-be-mentored-by-IIM-A/articleshow/48236353.cms">IIM</a> where they can train future versions of themselves real soon. (Shudder!)<br />
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Image Credit: Indiatimes<br />
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<br />
<br />

Have power, will misuse: Four things we suspect is next on the MPs wish-list

<ul><li><keyword id="187712" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="viacom18" source="Orion">Viacom18</keyword>'s Youth, Music and English Entertainment cluster is strengthening its 2022 multiplatform content strategy and has launched its maiden short-form video offering Fully Faltoo, with more than a dozen new web shows.</li><li>It has also set up ‘KaanPhod’, a new business division that will provide emerging musical artists an opportunity to showcase their talent.</li><li><keyword id="7250917" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="anshul-ailawadi" source="Orion">Anshul Ailawadi</keyword>, Head – Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18 about the new initiatives and how it will set stage for its future growth.</li></ul>Viacom18 has been on a mission, to catch the attention of the younger audience who are slowly moving away from traditional television to digital mediums. To catch the audience where they are, it is strengthening its Youth, Music and English Entertainment (YME) cluster which comprises <keyword id="8959" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mtv" source="Orion">MTV</keyword>, <keyword id="3630968" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mtv-beats" source="Orion">MTV Beats</keyword>, <keyword id="261768" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="comedy-central" source="Orion">Comedy Central</keyword>, Colors Infinity and Vh1. <br /><br />The unit recently expanded its digital footprint by launching the Fully Faltoo <keyword id="4668945" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nft" source="Orion">NFT</keyword> platform that the network says saw over 3000 digital collectibles sold out within a couple of hours. The marketplace is now going to offer another range of digital collectibles from its brands like MTV, Vh1 and Comedy Central. <br /><br />The brand will also launch its maiden short-form video offering Fully Faltoo, with more than a dozen new web shows and snackable content. ‘KaanPhod’, a brand-new business division will provide emerging musical artists an opportunity to showcase their talent. Season one of ‘Mic Test’ on KaanPhod, will introduce 10 promising new artists and their original tracks, which will also be made available for viewers on television (MTV, MTV Beats, and Vh1), social and streaming platforms.<br /><br />To understand the performance of this division so far, and how they are further expanding on it, we spoke to Anshul Ailawadi, Head – Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18.<br /><br />Excerpts:<br /><br /><strong>Q) After 2 difficult years, things seem to be slowly getting back to normal. How has the cluster's performance been?</strong><br />We witnessed significant growth on Television as well as digital for the cluster. In an aggregate sense, total viewership is back in every way, and it is similar for revenue. However, from a consumer perspective, a lot has changed. For young people, 2020-21 has been very difficult as they have the longest future ahead of them and therefore we have seen a lot of interesting changes. People want to go back into the world of escapism, they want opportunities and creator economy has become much more powerful now. For MTV India, viewership has grown on TV and digital. We also experimented with sports and that has given us a very different type of audience, especially the non-prime time ones, the early morning entertainment ones. And MTV Beats, our FTA channel, is in No. 1 position again in the space and continues to remain strong. Our social followings, too, have grown substantially across platforms. Our number of followers and subscribers have increased. <br /><br /><strong>Q) While the consumer response to the cluster has been good, how has the advertiser response been?</strong><br />People who were advertising with us came back. In terms of ad growth and pipeline, it has been very robust. There has been a huge growth in volumes and we have seen both MTV and MTV Beats at the receiving end of this. And specifically for MTV Beats, which is a Free Dish channel, we have seen a significant increment. For the overall cluster, we witnessed a double digit percentage growth. <br /><strong><br />Q) What are your key focus areas when it comes to your content strategy for the next financial year?</strong><br />We want to grow every property of our cluster 10x as compared to what it is right now and revamp and rejuvenate it with new insights that we have in terms of new consumer habits. Roadies is the first one with a very different concept. We will dial up our existing properties and also pivot towards digital by launching creator-friendly propositions in the form of Fully Faltoo, Fully Faltoo NFT and KaanPhod. KaanPhod will begin with 10 music videos, 10 artistes and 25 original music tracks; we will further amp it up. These are our priorities. Beyond this, we will come up with new content. We will look at announcing a new IP on MTV in a couple of months. We are also working with a few partners to make our calendars fuller. <br /><br /><strong>Q) What was the thought behind launching the NFT platform? What kind of response has it seen?</strong><br />While MTV is a media brand, for us, the way we look at ourselves is based on our bond with our audiences. We have to be present in whatever touchpoints our audiences are at. We saw the NFT space growing very rapidly. We felt that there was an opportunity for people to own a piece of our legacy. So with this thinking, we entered into the NFT space and we will continue to do so. We have more collectibles that are scheduled to drop very shortly. There are yet a lot of aspects about NFTs that haven’t been explored in a big way. We want to look at the utility each NFT can give to our audience and provide them with different formats of NFTs. We will look at doing all of this in the next 6-9 months. Within 36 hours, we sold 3000 pieces and eventually sold the 13 rare collectibles too. We received a very promising response. <br /><br /><strong>Q) Tell me a bit about the YouTube channel - Fully Faltoo and the new business division - Kaan Phod that you’re launching. What is your goal with these launches?</strong> <br />We have been the first ones to give creators a voice. We realized that our audiences were everywhere and there is a lot of fragmentation in touchpoints with the audience. Each touchpoint is a different canvas and has a different grammar. So when we make content for mainly TV or OTT, it has a very different view with a certain line of content, grammar, vibes, and aesthetic. A lot of young people are consuming content that’s very different, for instance, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or short format content. And this is an area that we understand very well. We understand creators and short-form content very well. We have been doing it for brands for so many years. And therefore we decided to launch Fully Faltoo and KaanPhod. Fully Faltoo will offer viral content from unique creators. KaanPhod, too, was an equally important choice. We felt that in the music space, there is a lot of asymmetry in opportunities for artists and creators. Fully Faltoo and KaanPhod are two offerings that we are launching where we will give people, who are talented, a chance to be visible on all our platforms and this is a unique spin for us in the coming year. <br /><br /><strong>Q) How are you wooing core advertisers to advertise on your channel?</strong><br />Today, advertisers also understand that the value of a property is critical. We are the OGs when it comes to branded content. We have been organically building brands. Last year we had <keyword id="422981" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="livon" source="Orion">Livon</keyword> for Supermodel of the year, <keyword id="13357426" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="unacademy-for-unacademy-unwind" source="Orion">Unacademy for Unacademy Unwind</keyword>. We did Style in 60 with Philips, partnered with Center Fresh for a comic hunt reality show. This is our legacy and we will continue to build on it. We are looking at more branded content partnerships and since our content is available on TV, OTT and digital, this gives brands and advertisers an opportunity to come to us.<br />

We want to grow every property of our cluster 10x as compared to what it is right now: Anshul Ailawadi, Viacom18

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Tech startup Sanas has been accused of racism for its 'accent translation' technology.</li><li>AI and tech industry experts say the startup's mission legitimizes racism and is a form of "digital whitening."</li></ul><p>"Accent translation" startup Sanas has faced allegations of racism and discrimination this past week after being accused of manipulating non-American accents to sound "<a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/sanas-startup-creates-american-voice-17382771.php">more white</a>." The company uses speech recognition technology to change the user's accent in near-real time; their primary target seems to be foreign call center employees. </p><p>Sharath Keshava Narayana, co-founder and COO of Sanas, denied that the startup's technology is discriminatory, telling Insider the company has always intended to expand its translation model to include other accents. The demo on its website, where the technology translates an Indian accent into a standard American one, showcases only its initial model, according to Keshava Narayana.  </p><p>"It's not just an American having trouble understanding someone from India, but vice versa as well," Keshava Narayana told Insider. "As we keep scaling the product, and as we start seeing more and more target accents, we believe that this will be a localized solution."</p><p>Sanas has been testing translation models in other countries, like India and the Philippines, and plans to introduce accent translation to Latin America and Korea as well, according to the startup.</p><p>However, some experts within the tech industry have accused the startup's product of being a form of "digital whitening." AI and tech angel investor and CEO of women-led computer programming group FrauenLoop Nakeema Stefflbauer told Insider the problem with Sanas' response is that "accents signal power and belonging."</p><p>"When this is commercialized, there's only one direction in which everyone gets herded," she said. "It's not about comprehension so much as it's about comfort — for the groups that don't want to understand, empathize, or engage with people who are different at all. This tech does nothing to ensure the hypothetical call center worker's comfort."</p><p>She added that until Sanas advertises this technology to customers in the global South as a tool to better understand and communicate with Americans and Western Europeans, then "it's a one-way 'solution' that reinforces racialized hierarchies, whether that's intended or not."</p><p>AI and tech industry experts and call center workers spoke with Insider about what they saw as the cultural costs, as well as the potential benefits, coming out of Sanas. While the company says its technology's aim is to make people on the phone all over the world sound more "local," Stefflbauer and others in the AI field have concerns that it's another step towards homogenizing the startup world — something Silicon Valley has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bodega-startup-to-replace-corner-store-backlash-2017-9">repeatedly</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/emily-chang-silicon-valley-sexism-exposed-in-new-book-brotopia-2018-2">accused</a> of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-has-its-own-long-standing-systemic-racial-problem-2020-6">perpetuating</a>. </p><p>"What is this trying to tell us in terms of what the future sounds like and how we all ought to be experiencing voices online and communicating with people?" Stefflbauer said. "Who are the people that we're meant to be communicating with, and who are the people that we never hear from?"</p><div type="image" title="Sanas founders" height="1845" width="2460" msid="93987183" hostid="261" sizebytes="433388"></div><h2><strong>Tech industry experts say accent 'translation' is a form of 'digital whitening'</strong></h2><p><a href="https://www.sanas.ai/">Sanas</a>, which has raised $32 million in funding, says its aim is to help people sound "more local, globally" on its website. In an <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62633188">interview</a> with the BBC, Keshava Narayana said that 90% of the company's employees and all four of its founders are immigrants, and denied the criticism that the company is trying to make the world sound "white and American."</p><p>But Mia Shah-Dand, the founder of Women in AI Ethics and Lighthouse3, told Insider that as an immigrant from India with a non-American accent, she found the announcement of Sanas "very triggering," especially as someone who has been "teased and discriminated against because of [their] accent."</p><p>She said the technology is trying to erase what makes people unique, and is telling them that who they are "is not good enough."</p><p>"It feels like everything in Silicon Valley, as long as it's legitimized by the Stanfords or the MITs, it's OK," she said. "People will accept racism, accept sexism, as long as the people doing it belong to one of these prestigious universities."</p><p>Shah-Dand added that Sanas' product reinforces a power dynamic that "harkens back to the time of colonialism." Rather than addressing the root causes of racism and discrimination,  "accent translation" leans into a form of "whitening" — a power dynamic seen in many countries that were historically colonized where people felt pressured to make their skin whiter to fit European beauty standards.</p><p>"It's Silicon Valley's version of digital whitening," Shah-Dand said. "Instead of technology making the world a better place, it's amplifying, it's helping, it's just monetizing all of that hate and racism rather than actually trying to fix anything."</p><p>Stefflbauer told Insider she found Sanas' technology "really disappointing and unsettling," especially in the growing culture of bringing one's "whole self to work."</p><p>"Only certain people can bring their whole self, everyone who's outside of this mythical norm is not invited to bring any of themselves," she said, referencing the 2018 dark surrealist comedy "<a href="https://www.insider.com/sorry-to-bother-you-language-discrimination-2018-6">Sorry to Bother You</a>," where a Black telemarketer finds that new doors of professional success are opened to him only after he adopts a "white" sounding voice.</p><p>"It's really another example of just what we're up against in terms of trying to get the tech industry and the products and services that come out of it to reflect the real world," Stefflbauer said.</p><p>She added that she doesn't see how this technology would actually address racial biases in any way.</p><p>"It doesn't even attempt to approach that in its solution," she said. "It basically offers support and cover for people who will behave badly with accented individuals that they have any kind of dealings with to continue to do so."</p><h2><strong>Call center agents told Insider they face racialized hostility</strong></h2><p>Sanas' founders <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pitch-deck-startup-sanas-funding-accent-translation-google-ventures-2022-6">said they came up with the idea for the startup</a> after a college friend from Stanford underperformed at his job at a call center because of his thick Central American accent.</p><p>Call center agents Insider spoke with said their jobs can be brutal — and are doubly so if they have a racially-distinctive accent or name.</p><p>"Unfortunately in this world, there are a lot of people who are going to feel like they're better than you or will choose to speak down at you when they hear your accent," Dafina Swann, who has worked at call centers for more than five years, said.</p><p>Swann, who's from Trinidad and Tobago, said she received a lot of "hostile" and "negative comments" from callers who demanded they speak with someone who's American. She had also heard of instances where colleagues were called racist names, like the n-word, and told that they were "not human, but Black."</p><p>To minimize the racialized backlash they face, some call center agents told Insider that they already try to mimic customers' accents, and even change their names. Sometimes, the directive to change their names comes from the agents' managers or employers.</p><p>"After I started introducing myself as Michael O'Connor, my performance ratings from customer surveys increased — all green, green, green," Osama Badr, a call center agent from Egypt, told Insider.</p><p>Sanas co-founder Keshava Narayana said he also had a similar experience when he worked at a call center, where he underwent six weeks of accent training and was told to change his name to "Ethan."</p><p>"There are certain incidents that stay with you for a long time, and this was one of them," he told Insider.</p><h2><strong>Some fear that manipulated voices could signal a homogenized future in tech</strong></h2><p>Shah-Dand said she isn't convinced by defenses of the technology, saying that people are exposed to and can understand different accents, but it's only because call center workers are treated as "lesser than" that they receive unfair abuse. </p><p>"There are a lot of folks who have very heavy accents, like Boutros Boutros-Ghali for example," Shah-Dand said, referring to the former Secretary-General of the United Nations. "But because they're in powerful positions, you make an effort to understand."</p><p>Stefflbauer said in her work, she's always thinking about what digital life will be like 10, 20 years into the future, and she's concerned about what technology like Sanas foretells. </p><p>"I see more and more examples of a digital life where no one is Black, no one is brown, no one has an accent, no one has a history outside of the North American mythical ideal," Stefflbauer said. "And the question is: do we want to export this mentality and bring this misery to everyone? Because that's definitely what this is." Other AI technologies, including <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facial-recognition-racial-bias-federal-study-2019-12">facial recognition</a> technologies, have also faced accusations of racism and homogenization.</p><p>"Who would be comfortable taking a selfie on Instagram and having their face automatically altered to look like someone of a different race?" she said. "That's essentially what this is."</p><p>But call center employees who have to deal with racist comments in their daily jobs say that a solution like the one Sanas offers could be a blessing.</p><p>"It definitely would've made my job easier. Everyone wants to be understood," Swann said. "There's a job that needs to be done, and if there's something that can be implemented to make that job easier, then that's great."</p>

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