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<ul><li><keyword id="22496070" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-based-technology" source="keywords">AI-based technology</keyword> will be used for <keyword id="20074926" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="crowd-management" source="keywords">crowd management</keyword> at <keyword id="23948812" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mahakumbh-Mela-2025" source="keywords">Mahakumbh Mela 2025</keyword>.</li><li>Around 2,700 <keyword id="19997866" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CCTV-cameras" source="keywords">CCTV cameras</keyword> are being installed at the fair area ahead of the event.</li><li><keyword id="19897919" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-media" source="keywords">Social media</keyword> platforms like Facebook and X will provide immediate assistance in locating lost relatives.</li></ul>As Prayagraj gears up for the festivities of Mahakumbh Mela 2025, AI-based technology will be used for crowd management for the convenience of devotees, SSP Mahakumbh Mela said. In a bid to ensure the safety and convenience of an estimated 45 crore devotees, the Yogi Adityanath government is preparing for the upcoming Maha Kumbh. For the first time, the grand event is being digitized on such a large scale, leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and social media platforms to enhance management and security. "Around 2700 CCTV cameras are being installed in the district and the whole fair area. This will help us in crowd management... Cameras with AI features have also been installed in the area. These cameras will automatically send us alerts based on their feed. This step would be in addition to human intelligence. AI is adding to the information of human intelligence. We have already installed 25 police stations in the area and a total of 56 stations will be placed,” said Rajesh Dwivedi, SSP, Mahakumbh Mela. AI-powered cameras are being installed throughout the Kumbh site to monitor the massive crowd and ensure 24/7 surveillance. These state-of-the-art cameras will not only bolster security but also assist in reuniting individuals who may get separated during the event. In addition, popular social media platforms like Facebook and X will provide immediate assistance in locating lost relatives, streamlining the process of reuniting families amidst the sea of pilgrims. This time, visitors from across the country and abroad attending the Mahakumbh 2025 won't have to worry about losing their loved ones in the crowd. The Mela administration has devised an extensive plan to address this concern. A digital 'khoya paaya kendra' (lost-and-found centre) will go live on December 1, utilizing advanced technology to reunite separated individuals quickly and efficiently. The entire fair area is being equipped with 328 AI-enabled cameras, which have already been tested at four key locations. These cameras will monitor the crowd 24/7 and assist in locating lost individuals. Under the directives of the Yogi government, the large-scale installation of these cameras is in its final stages. The digital lost-and-found centres will immediately register every missing person's details digitally. Once registered, the AI-powered cameras will begin searching for the individual. Additionally, information about missing persons will be shared on social media platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), making it easier to locate them quickly. Face recognition technology will be used at the Maha Kumbh to identify individuals who get separated from their loved ones. This advanced system will work instantly, capturing photographs and identifying individuals among the estimated 45 crore attendees. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oppo-find-x8-and-find-x8-pro-launched-in-india-starting-at-69999/articleshow/115521010.cms">Oppo Find X8 and Find X8 Pro launched in India starting at ₹69,999</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/android-16-developer-preview-announced-new-features-timeline-and-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/115476441.cms">Android 16 Developer Preview announced – new features, timeline and everything you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indian-wearables-market-declines-20-7-in-q3-2024-smartwatch-and-earwear-categories-struggle/articleshow/115447720.cms">Indian wearables market declines 20.7% in Q3 2024, smartwatch and earwear categories struggle</a>

AI-based technology to be used for crowd management at the Mahakumbh Mela 2025

The state of Uttar Pradesh in India is attempting to get a spot in the Guinness World Records for “The Longest Parade of Buses” on Thursday, amid the ongoing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/kumbh-2019-14-spectacular-photos-from-indias-legendary-kumbh-mela-the-worlds-largest-religious-festival/articleshow/67535979.cms">Kumbh Mela 2019</a>. "The parade is also to demonstrate the traffic plan which worked very well during the ongoing <keyword id="52356" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kumbh-Mela">Kumbh Mela</keyword> where 1,300 hectare of land was used for parking of vehicles, 20,000 police personnel were deployed for security and safety of the Kumbh Nagar and the millions who visited the congregation," Additional Chief Secretary (Information and Tourism) Avaneesh Kumar Awasthi told IANS. India’s <keyword id="6401155" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="kumbh-mela-2019">Kumbh Mela 2019</keyword>, the world’s largest religious gathering taking place in Prayagraj, is a 55 day long fair that began on 15 January 2019 and will last until 4th March 2019. Nearly 130-140 million visitors, pilgrims are expected to visit the Kumbh this year. <div type="Slideshow" msid="68199143" hostid="261" title="In Pics: This Indian state is trying to set a world record by parading a line-up of 500 buses" firstImageMsid="68199144" slideCount="5"></div>

In Pics: This Indian state is trying to set a world record by parading a line-up of 500 buses

<ul><li>India has kicked off the ‘Ardh’ <keyword id="52356" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kumbh-Mela">Kumbh Mela</keyword> 2019, expected to be the world’s largest religious gathering with over 130 million visitors </li><li>The Ardh Kumbh or ‘half’ Kumbh Mela is held every six years at the confluence of the rivers Ganges, <keyword id="6354936" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Yamuna">Yamuna</keyword> and the mythical river Saraswati. </li><li>This year’s Kumbh Mela is being held at Prayagraj in <keyword id="6357713" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</keyword>, promising to be a huge source of tourist revenue for the state </li></ul>Millions of people have gathered at Prayagraj in the India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh for Kumbh Mela, the country’s iconic Hindu festival that is celebrated every six years, for what is likely the largest religious gathering in the world. Here are some pictures from the on-going Kumbh Mela 2019- 
	
	
	<div type="Slideshow" msid="67535217" hostid="261" title="Kumbh 2019: 14 spectacular photos from India’s legendary Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious festival" firstImageMsid="67536662" slideCount="14"></div>

Kumbh 2019: 14 spectacular photos from India's legendary Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious festival

<ul><li>India’s Ardh Kumbh Mela, 2019 which kicked off on 15 January is reportedly going to get the Uttar Pradesh government a $150 billion return on investment. </li><li>Kumbh Mela at <keyword id="3481192" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="prayagraj">Prayagraj</keyword> has already engaged over 600,000 people in commercial activities ranging from hospitality to logistics. </li><li>This year’s festival has been a boon for local traders as the authorities are expecting 130 million tourists from within the country and outside India. </li></ul>India’s <keyword id="6401155" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="kumbh-mela-2019">Kumbh Mela 2019</keyword>, the world’s largest religious gathering taking place in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh is expected to make the local state government as much as $150 billion in revenue, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/kumbh-to-generate-rs-1-2-lakh-crore-revenue-cii/articleshow/67609608.cms">reported</a> Press Trust of India citing the Confederation of Indian Industry, a national trade body. Millions of pilgrims both from within the country and around the world visit the festival to take a holy dip at the confluence of three Indian rivers -- the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. Here’s an insight into the economics of the world’s largest religious gathering: 
	
	<div type="Slideshow" msid="67622721" hostid="261" title="The world's largest religious gathering is a $150 billion business" firstImageMsid="67622932" slideCount="5"></div>

The world's largest religious gathering is a $150 billion business

<ul><li>The latest <keyword id="52356" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kumbh-Mela">Kumbh Mela</keyword>, the world’s largest religious gathering, struck three world records. </li><li>All three records were performed before the team from Guinness World Records from February 28 to March 3. </li><li>The host state of Uttar Pradesh earlier successfully set a record for the “Longest Parade of Buses” lining up 500 buses in a row. It also set a new record for “most contribution in hand painting in 8 hours.” </li></ul>India’s iconic Kumbh Mela 2019, the world’s largest religious gathering, is about to conclude, setting up no less than three new records. 
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="PrayagrajKumbh" handlename="Kumbh" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1017758238618673152/-Kus1y-K_normal.jpg" favoritecount="488" retweetcount="93" status="#Kumbh2019 has made a Hattrick under the Guinness World Records, a new record of &amp;quot;Most People Sweeping the Floor (M… https://t.co/9fnzsOMFhN" createdat="1551590106000" id="1102074899819040770"></div>




 The latest fair, held in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh visited by an estimated 130- 140 million people, set up records for largest crowd management, largest sanitation drive and largest painting exercise of public sites. The exercises were performed before a team a Guiness for four days, from February 28 to March 3. "Around 503 shuttle buses were pressed into service on the highway in one go for the team on February 28. Several people participated in a painting exercise on March 1 and 10,000 workers engaged in cleaning at the Kumbh, all performing their duties together," India’s Ministry of Culture said in a statement. On March 1, over 10,000 people engaged in cleaning and sanitation activities at the same on different venues, setting up a record for the "most people sweeping the floor.” 
 
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 Just a day before, the state of Uttar Pradesh set a new record for “The Longest Parade of Buses”by rolling out a fleet of 500 buses lined up for nearly two miles. 
 
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 The Kumbh 2019 concluded with one more record for "most contribution to a handprint painting in hours," featuring 7,664 people participated. The last record for handprint painting was held by Seoul in which 4,675 people were there. 
 
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 The Kumbh festival, which began on January 14, will conclude on March 4 with the sixth and final "Shahi Snan" (royal bath) on the occasion of Maha Shivratri. The previous five royal baths were held successfully with more than 220 million pilgrims taking holy dips, the Minis
try said. Held every six years, the Ardh Kumbh or ‘half’ Kumbh is held in four of cities at the confluence of three rivers - Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical river Saraswati. It is visited by pilgrims, tourists and Sadhus, holymen. (With IANS) See more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/in-pics-this-indian-state-is-trying-to-set-a-world-record-by-parading-a-line-up-of-500-buses/articleshow/68199100.cms">In Pics: This Indian state is trying to set a world record by parading a line-up of 500 buses</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/miscellaneous/kumbh-2019-14-spectacular-photos-from-indias-legendary-kumbh-mela-the-worlds-largest-religious-festival/slidelist/67535217.cms">Kumbh 2019: 14 spectacular photos from India’s legendary Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious festival</a>

Kumbh Mela: The world’s largest religious gathering sets 3 world records

Kumbh 2019: 14 spectacular photos from India’s legendary Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious festival

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/naga-sadhus-or-naked-hindu-holy-men-bathe-on-the-banks-of-news-photo/96606519">Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images</a></div>Some 100 million mostly Hindu devotees are expected to gather in Allahabad for the <keyword id="52356" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kumbh-Mela">Kumbh Mela</keyword> festival, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-21006259">according to the BBC</a>. 
Hindu pilgrims flock to the confluence of the river Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati to bathe and wash away their sins and achieve salvation. Ten million pilgrims are said to have bathed in the river on the first day, with the entire event said to last 55 days.
<a href="##slideshow##">Click here to jump straight to the photos &gt;</a>
One of the biggest spectacles of the festival is when naked Hindu holy men wearing marigold garlands and ash on their faces run to the river. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-21006259">From the BBC: </a>
"The Kumbh Mela has its origins in Hindu mythology - many believe that when gods and demons fought over a pitcher of nectar, a few drops fell in the cities of Allahabad, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar - the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries."
On observing the festival, Mark Twain is reported to have written in "Following The Equator: A Journey Around The World":
"It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvelous to our kind of people, the cold whites."
The Kumbh Mela itself takes place every twelve years, but the BBC says this year's festival is the Maha Kumbh Mela which occurs every 144 years and is determined based on astrological calculations.
The festival is said to cost authorities $210 million but will create $2.2 billion in revenue.

Incredible Photos Of The Hindu Festival Expected To Draw 100 Million Devotees

<ul><li>Ad &amp; Media Insider’s latest property Storyline, brought to you in association with <keyword id="1959531" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wattpad" source="Orion">Wattpad</keyword>, one of the world’s most loved <keyword id="282281" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="storytelling" source="Orion">storytelling</keyword> platforms, endeavors to decode what storytelling stands for today.</li><li>Today, we bring you highlights from our fourth and fifth episodes where we discuss the changing role of <keyword id="35666" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="advertising" source="Orion">advertising</keyword> creatives, how brands are choosing to communicate with GenZs innovatively and what role a platform like Wattpad is playing in this innovation.</li><li>Watch <keyword id="3844857" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="harshad-rajadhyaksha" source="Orion">Harshad Rajadhyaksha</keyword> and <keyword id="3844858" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kainaz-karmakar" source="Orion">Kainaz Karmakar</keyword>, Chief Creative Officers, <keyword id="531122" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ogilvy-India" source="Orion">Ogilvy India</keyword> and <keyword id="3747310" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="devashish-sharma" source="Orion">Devashish Sharma</keyword>, Country Head, Wattpad India talk about the evolution of creativity and storytelling and how they are evolving as storytellers to tell successful stories in today's world.</li></ul>Episode 4: Harshad Rajadhyaksha and Kainaz Karmakar, Chief Creative Officers, Ogilvy India Most of us have loved the work coming out of Ogilvy India in the last few years and the creative powerhouse between most of that work is Harshad Rajadhyaksha and Kainaz Karmakar, the Chief Creative Officers at the agency. The duo, along with Sukesh Nayak, Ogilvy India’s third CCO, have been at the forefront of crafting inimitable stories that have won our hearts while creating an impact. Be it the recent recreation of Cadbury Dairy Milk’s famous Cricket stadium ad, or its work for Hindustan Unilever titled ‘The Shower’ which won a National Award, Ogilvy has time and again proven the impact good storytelling can have in brand building and in making a brand a part of a consumer’s lives. In the 4th episode of Ad &amp; Media Insider’s Storyline, brought to you in association with Wattpad, one of the world’s most loved storytelling platforms, we spoke to Karmakar and Rajadhyaksha to understand their creative process and their thoughts on the evolution of storytelling and what the future holds. The evolution of storytelling We have seen the <keyword id="6354839" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="marketing" source="Orion">marketing</keyword> landscape transform at a fairly rapid pace in the last 5 years. With more and more platforms cropping up, consumers are finding more places to express themselves, and brands are having to reach out to them at different touchpoints. What kind of impact has that had on the way Ogilvy has been telling stories? “Storytelling is as timeless as love or friendship, so I don't think it's going out of fashion anytime soon, or even later. But there has been a rapid transformation, especially in the last five years. I would not call it a change, rather, I feel there has been an expansion. Something fantastic has happened, media has become more open and liberalised and our first encounter with this happened back in 2015, when we did a campaign on zero budget to end open acid sale. We worked with like-minded people and with a real acid attack survivor. We shot the film. Had this been 20 years back, we would have had no place to show the film because media needed to be bought. It still needs to be bought but now there is also freedom to put out your own content. We put the film on YouTube and Facebook, promoted it ourselves, and the trajectory of the campaign has been astounding. It has won everything there is to be won, and we could achieve our goals with zero budgets and it was made possible largely by the changing nature of media,” said Karmakar. But does having a plethora of platforms pose the problem of plenty? Do creatives now have to think of communications suited for individual platforms? “Between Kainaz and I, we have spent around 20-25 years in advertising and we have ourselves evolved from the era of Print to Television. Then somewhere in the second decade, we started getting used to the concept of smartphones and multiple apps and hence multiple screens. But if your story is engaging with the relevant connect, the medium becomes secondary. Technology has put the spotlight on people who could all become storytellers, and brands saw people enjoying this content and slowly realized its power and thought of latching on to it. So, in terms of the number of mediums, I feel the more the merrier because today you just have a width and variety of storytelling,” explained Rajadhyaksha. From advertisers to product managers to solution finders With the evolution of media and advancement of technology, many brands are now also open to experimenting where, as a pat of a campaign, they have ended up creating a completely new product. In an attempt to encourage the habit of washing hands with soap among children in rural India, Ogilvy helped Savlon create special chalk sticks infused with soap. In another campaign to promote a similar habit, Ogilvy created a heat stamp to put on roti at the Maha Kumbh Mela for Lifebuoy. The brand’s message-on-a-roti ended up reaching over 5 million people. In both these campaigns, the idea led to the creation of a completely new product. Both these campaigns won awards and hearts. Is it challenging for agencies to then have clients come up to them and say they want to create a completely new product and take the business to a new trajectory? “It's not a stress at all. What I really love about the times that we work in is that our clients are super excited about doing work that is new and innovative. And that is something we should grab with both hands and make the most. I would be very worried if our clients weren't pushing us. The fact that they want different solutions, to use different media and support us, is a great sign. Recently, one of our teams has come up with a karaoke technique to help people with early Alzheimer's, in collaboration with MTV. So, the fact that clients are asking us to do such work and they are excited about it, is not a pressure but a thing of joy. The truth of the m after is we are actually becoming solution finders above and beyond just communicating a message. People are interacting, touching and feeling things beyond your client’s products, these are products made by you. They're actually getting to experience technologies that have been just ideas in your head and now we’re seeing them out there actually helping someone. It has also brought clients and agencies closer than before. It's a great time to be in the creative business,” said Karmakar. A message for marketers With the advent of Web 3.0 and us looking at a world where a metaverse might soon become a reality, things are changing at a rapid pace. What are a few things marketers should keep in mind to be able to navigate these highly dynamic times? “I feel no matter how much technology you have, or whatever new media comes in, the absence of a great idea means your money is not well spent. In fact, it's money wasted. So, first find yourself a partner who can give you a great idea, and then use your media, technology, etc, as partners to that. Do not work the other way around because everything starts with an idea and that is not going to change,” said Karmakar. Sharing his tip for marketers, hought, Rajadhyaksha added, “Completely well-meaning clients and brand custodians, at times, have brand guidelines about what the brand’s personality should be. But when it comes to exploring certain new-age things, treat your brand DNA and the personality of your brand like your family name, but treat the new media like the grandkids of the family. While they will bear your family name, allow them to be a little different, to take a few more risks. That's how I would encourage all clients to look at the newer mediums. You might be an 80-year-old legacy brand who advertises and talks in a certain way in your storytelling on TV. We aren’t saying become someone with a completely different personality on the newer mediums, but be a little adventurous and bolder and allow the younger kids in your organization and the agency to deviate a bit. Let them live their lives their way, as long as they still bear your family surname.” Watch the full episode here: <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1281482517443305472/8RPcjmow_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1" retweetcount="1" status="LIVE | Join Kainaz Karmarkar (@spalifekainaz) and Harshad Rajadhyaksha (@Harsh_Words), CCOs, @Ogilvy_India as they… https://t.co/63l7yYar9K" createdat="1645702223000" id="1496809730655748100"></div> Episode 5: Devashish Sharma, Country Head, Wattpad India The art of storytelling has changed and new-age mediums like Wattpad are at the heart of this change. To understand the role Wattpad has been playing in this evolution of storytelling, we caught up with Devashish Sharma, Country Head, Wattpad India, who told us how consumers are using the platform, how that is helping brands connect with an engaged set of audience and what the future of storytelling could look like. From one-way communications to interactivity The biggest way in which storytelling has transformed in today’s digital era is by opening it up to consumers. In the TV and Radio era, a brand would come up with a one-way communication, which has undergone a complete transformation now. Explaining this evolution, Sharma said, “About 15-20 years back, a lot of brand building was one-way messaging. Brands would create something and then push it down to millions of Indians, predominantly TV or billboard. However, in the Internet era where the target audience has become younger, the focus of brands have shifted to digital platforms. And recently, it is also about interactive content. Today, brands don't just want to push their messaging, they want the audiences to create their viewpoint about the messaging and have a discussion with the brand about it. In lieu, it creates more awareness in a very interesting and exciting manner.” Communicating with GenZ With the younger generation which is difficult to please and said to have reduced attention spans, brands now have the task of finding innovative ways of engaging with them. Explaining how Wattpad has been building its communication to engage with this audience Sharma said, “If I were to look at it from a Wattpad lens, we are a very democratic platform where anybody can write on a topic they love, and at the same time, consume stories on a specific niche topic that might interest them. However, what differentiates us is the fact that the experience you get on our platform is not just of reading a book, it is also about connecting with other readers, leading to social engagement. Beyond this, the stories that become really popular and are highly engaging are taken on by production houses and top studios to turn into movies, TV shows, web series or other forms of digital entertainment. As a platform, being at the epicenter of ideas directly coming in from Gen Z storytellers allow us to really capture the right stories which we amplify.” Why long-form content works While there has been a debate for a long time around decreasing attention spans, Wattpad has been able to make long-form content, and has held its audiences captive with engaging stories on its platform. So what is it that Wattpad has gotten right? “Personally, I feel that the idea that people have less attention span is a bit of a misnomer. It might be true in certain contexts, but given the right content in the right format, people definitely make time to consume it. If a certain content captures your interest group and the experience of consuming it is something that you really enjoy, people will definitely prefer long- form content because it adds meaning and gives you much more than just snacking on punchlines,” explained Sharma. There has also been an ongoing debate about whether the younger population reads at all. However, the fact that Wattpad has a community of about 94 million readers and writers on its platform proves that given the right content and right amount of social engagement, people will stay on the platform and consume content, added Sharma. “The entire social element really elevates the user experience because we are able to give our audiences the liberty of connecting with the creator of the content and also other readers who love the same content as you. This bonding evokes a strong emotional response which is something that brands really like because when they work with us, they know that the content they're getting already has a built-in audience that did not just skim through it but actually interacted with it. So, the secret sauce is to have a platform that enriches the experience of consuming content and provides more democracy in terms of capturing diverse voices.” How brands are using Wattpad Today, more and more brands are open to experimenting with mediums and formats that is giving them highly innovative ways of engaging with their target audiences. So how has a platform like Wattpad helped brands create engaging stories and build enduring relationships with their audiences? “At Wattpad, our focus is on figuring out how our community can bring value to brands in the form of stories. And that's the real value that brands get. So, when brands have a brief, they come to us, we work with them to figure out how to engage the community from day one, where we invite all our users on the platform to write their version of stories on the messaging that the brand wants to create awareness on. So, instead one story, you get maybe thousands of stories from all over the world from your target audience that really connects with your brand messaging. Once the stories come, we pick the top stories and promote them for more readership because we realize that readers around the world who may not have written content still want to connect with the brand on the messaging that other users on Wattpad have written. And since we also have a studios division, we are able to adapt these stories into video and other formats that can traverse the messaging of the brand beyond Wattpad into more video-focused channels,” he explained. Earlier this year, Wattpad worked with Maybelline on a campaign for raising awareness on the impact the pandemic had on the mental health of Gen Zs around the world under the hashtag Brave Together. Wattpad invited everybody to write a short story or a personal experience around the topic and for every story that came in, the platform partnered with an NGO to donate a certain amount to raise awareness around mental health. “A campaign like this made the community feel that the brand cares about its voice and is not pushing its messaging on them. Secondly, the involvement of the nonprofit increased the connection with the brand, making the entire initiative more genuine. And this sort of brand positioning really benefits the brand in the long-term because they are able to create fans instead of just consumers,” he shared. So are there a few factors that can help brands success on Wattpad? Sharma said, “The key to being successful as a brand on Wattpad is to support a messaging for your brand that Gen Z users really care about. And secondly, be open to their interpretation of the message that you want to create awareness on. For example, we did a campaign with Puma in India where they launched a clothing and shoe line with Mary Kom and the hashtag was Born to Provoke. I really liked the way they used Wattpad. They invited our community members in India to write a story, a personal experience, a song or poetry to celebrate women breaking barriers. We got stories from different parts of the country that spoke about women from different age groups and backgrounds breaking societal norms. This was a very successful campaign and I think I use it as a benchmark because the brand here took a backseat, letting its target audience do all the work, whether its creation or consumption of the content. And a lot of users, on finding a story or song that they resonated with, shared it on their social network. So, the voice of the whole campaign went beyond just Wattpad.” With a community of more than 94 million people on its platform from across the world, Wattpad is witnessing an increasingly growing community of highly engaged audiences, opening up opportunities for brands to drive their brand messaging to a highly targeted audience. Watch the full episode here: <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1281482517443305472/8RPcjmow_normal.jpg" favoritecount="4" retweetcount="2" status="LIVE | Join Devashish Sharma (@devunofficial), Country Head, Wattpad in conversation with Ashwin Raghunath as they… https://t.co/zqsgEg6zo0" createdat="1646047811000" id="1498259230859542530"></div>

Storyline: Decoding the art of storytelling in today's highly dynamic world

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A second <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> wave is devastating <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>, where a new "double mutant" virus variant emerged.</li><li>Insider spoke with people on the ground and experts about the threat and ways to address it.</li><li>Politicians so far have largely been unwilling or unable to apply strict restrictions.</li></ul>Hospitals in India are overwhelmed as the country grapples with a second wave of COVID-19.There is a severe shortage of beds, the drug remdesivir, and medical oxygen. Desperate patients have been traveling hundreds of miles, searching helplines and social media, to find hospitals with enough capacity. The worsening situation forced British Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week to cancel a visit to the country. The UK and the US have also issued strong travel advisories for India.On Saturday, when 261,394 new cases were reported in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi <a href="https://twitter.com/ndtv/status/1383419909128933377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1383419909128933377%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloombergquint.com%2Fcoronavirus-outbreak%2Fhope-and-heartbreak-on-indian-covid-twittertter">boasted</a> about the size of his election rally in West Bengal, where a huge crowd was crammed together.Rallies have taken place in West Bengal and three other states, with thousands attending, without much adherence to COVID-19 precautions.This reflects how dramatic India's turnaround has been with the coronavirus. Early this year, experts hypothesized that this country of 1.3 billion people had reached herd immunity as cases steadily fell. The government's own modeling study suggested the country's outbreak would be over by February. In January, a health minister <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/india-has-flattened-covid-19-curve-no-new-cases-in-one-fifth-of-country-govt-11611824857809.html">said</a> India had "successfully contained" COVID-19.Weddings, functions, and political rallies resumed as politicians encouraged a return to normal.Now, India has more than 2 million known active cases, compared with 200,000 in January. Daily reported cases are three times as high as the peak of the first wave in September, with 314,835 announced on Thursday.<div type="image" title="COVID Daily cases India graph" height="2400" width="3400" msid="82202329" hostid="261"></div>A "double mutant" variant - which contains notable mutations that had been separately identified in two previous variants of the original virus - has taken hold.Insider spoke with people on the ground about the extent of devastation this wave has caused as well as the constant challenge of enforcing restrictions at mass gatherings."Things have worsened this time around," said Dr. Sonali Vaid, who previously worked for the World Health Organization and is now helping patients find beds in New Delhi."Many patients with severely low oxygen-saturation levels have had to manage at home, some with dire consequences, due to lack of beds," Vaid added. "Things weren't as bad last year."Despite this, the country's largest religious gathering went ahead. The centuries-old Kumbh Mela sees tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims travel to bathe en masse in rivers in a ritual meant to cleanse them of their sins. It has brought millions this month to Haridwar, north of Delhi."The flow and blessings of Ma Ganga" - Mother River Ganges - "will ensure that coronavirus does not spread," said the chief minister of Uttarakhand, the northern state where the event is taking place for all of April.The <a href="https://scroll.in/latest/992233/kumbh-mela-cant-be-compared-to-nizamuddin-markaz-claims-uttarakhand-cm">government</a> shortened the event from four months to one and insisted it was following Health Ministry guidelines on containing the coronavirus - such as mandatory negative test results and discouraging older, more vulnerable people from taking part.But Deepak Rawat, a government official who runs the event on behalf of the state government, said these were impossible to enforce during the days of Shahi Snan, or royal bath, when devotees bathe in the Ganges.<div type="image" title="Shahi Snan April 12 2021 water bathing" height="2595" width="3900" msid="82202332" hostid="261"></div>On a single day, an estimated 2.1 million pilgrims were taking part, most of them neither wearing masks nor socially distancing."Enforcing COVID-19-appropriate behavior during these processions would be a folly, and we would be risking a stampede," Rawat told Insider.A senior official at the festival <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210416-top-seer-at-india-religious-mega-festival-dies-from-covid-19">told AFP</a> on Friday that they had "around 2,000 positive cases" in the previous four days. That week a senior priest was taken to a hospital from the site and died after a positive test.Facing a backlash, Modi later tweeted appealing for the Kumbh Mela to be scaled back.Dr. T. Sundararaman, the global coordinator for the health-activism network People's Health Movement, said the Kumbh Mela should have been restricted in line with religious ceremonies elsewhere like the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca."What you now have is a runaway celebration with a great potential to act as a superspreader event," he added.In Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, which neighbors Uttarakhand to the south, <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/coronavirus-outbreak/video/rows-of-burning-pyres-in-lucknow-authorities-place-barricades-around-crematoriums-1791333-2021-04-15">videos</a> emerged of crematoriums full of rows of burning pyres, raising fears official figures were missing many who were dying without having been tested.The double-mutant variant of the virus that emerged in the country, B.1.617, may be behind the surge in cases.Authorities don't yet have the data to prove this, though the variant has mutations that were found in others to make them more transmissible and less likely to confer immunity on people who recover, said Gautam Menon, a physics and biology professor at Ashoka University."This wave is far more transmissible than the first one," said Dr. Lancelot Pinto, a consultant in respiratory medicine at P. D. Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai, which was badly hit during both waves.During the first wave, it was common for only one or two members in a family to be infected, but Pinto said he was seeing entire families testing positive now."We are getting many younger patients - those in their 30s and 40s - with moderate to severe disease," he said, adding: "This could be because of the new strain or just because of the sheer numbers of infection this time."<div type="image" title="Public meeting" height="2656" width="3992" msid="82202334" hostid="261"></div>Vaccination has offered other countries a glimmer of hope, but while India has been able to vaccinate millions of people in a single day, only about 8% of its enormous population have had a first dose so far.<a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/covid19-at-current-vaccination-pace-india-won-t-reach-70-coverage-until-yearend-11618797627025.html">At its current pace</a>, India would not vaccinate 70% of its people until December. It has authorized Russia's Sputnik V for use, amid severe shortages of Covishield and Covaxin, which are made domestically.Two political parties campaigning in West Bengal have called off rallies, while Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/elections/west-bengal-assembly-election/bjp-limits-rallies-to-500-people-in-west-bengal-amid-surge-in-covid-19-cases-101618844234707.html">decided </a>this week to limit its rallies to 500 people, two days after the prime minister boasted about the size of his crowds. The Kumbh Mela is continuing until the end of the month.In a Tuesday public address, <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pm-modi-to-address-nation-on-covid-19-situation-at-8-45-pm-today-live-updates-101618929630164.html">Modi said lockdowns</a> should be only a "last resort" because of the damage they would do to workers' livelihoods. He said making everyone over 18 eligible for vaccination starting in May would ensure laborers were inoculated sooner.He asked states to focus instead on containing specific sites of outbreaks.Delhi began a weeklong lockdown on Monday - closing businesses and ordering people to travel only for essential reasons - saying the city's health system had reached a "tipping point." Maharashtra, the worst-affected state, is severely restricting travel until the end of the month.Dr. Srinath Reddy, the president of the Public Health Foundation of India, who sits on national committees on COVID-19 management, said that for six weeks the country should ban gatherings of more than five people and require masks to be worn outdoors - the type of measures the country eschewed when it thought it was all over.

Indian politicians encouraged a return to normal as COVID-19 cases fell. Now hospitals are overwhelmed as a 'double mutant' variant takes hold - but mass gatherings continue.

<ul><li>Australia has suspended all incoming flights from India for the next three weeks, until May 15.</li><li>The move is likely to impact thousands of Australians currently in India, including cricketers participating in the <keyword id="6354831" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-premier-league">Indian Premier League</keyword> (IPL).</li><li>The order will be reassessed before May 15, according to Australian Prime Minister <keyword id="826044" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Scott-Morrison">Scott Morrison</keyword>.</li></ul>The Australian government has decided to hit pause on all incoming flights from India for the next three weeks as the Asian giant grapples with its COVID-19 crisis. The new move will leave thousands of Australians stranded, including cricketers participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Not only does the list include star players like Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and David Warner — it also includes Ricky Ponting, Simon Katich, David Hussey and Lisa Sthalekar who are also in India for commentating roles. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters that this temporary ban will be reassessed before May 15. Until then, there’s a ‘clearly present’ risk of travel from India, according to him. The order comes after the Australian authorities had already announced a 30% reduction in flights from India last week. A complete ban is likely to affect direct flights coming into Sydney as well as repatriation flights scheduled to arrive in Darwin. Transiting flights coming in via Doha, Singapore, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, have already been paused by those countries. Once flights do resume, passengers will be required to submit a negative COVID nasal swab and a negative rapid antigen test before getting on a plane. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Australian cricketers in the IPL face an awkward situation" comment="subhead" text="Australian cricketers in the IPL face an awkward situation"><keyword id="41293" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Australian-cricketers">Australian cricketers</keyword> in the IPL face an awkward situation</cmsannotation> According to <a href="https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/indian-premier-league/ipl-2021-cricket-australia-indian-premier-league-news-updates-flights-suspended-as-india-covid-cases-spike-scott-morrison/news-story/ff3581bbdfc156f35d42f867fab85715">Fox Sports</a>, there are at least 30 Australian cricket players, coaches and broadcasters participating in the IPL this year. According to Morrison, the return of Australian cricketers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/apr/27/india-flight-ban-scott-morrison-says-australian-cricketers-playing-in-ipl-wont-be-prioritised">will not be prioritised</a>. “They have travelled there privately,” said the Prime Minister. “This wasn’t part of an Australian tour. They’re under their own resources and they’ll be using those resources too, I’m sure, to see them return to Australia in accordance with their own arrangements.” Three Australians, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson all left the IPL on Monday to return home. But, a total of 36 Australians are still biding their time– 14 players, 11 coaches, four commentators, two umpires and five support staff, plus one New Zealand commentator who is an Australian resident. <div type="twitter" handle="RCBTweets" handlename="Royal Challengers Bangalore" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1320414920001794049/41kRw2AM_normal.jpg" favoritecount="24385" retweetcount="2155" status="Official Announcment:Adam Zampa &amp; Kane Richardson are returning to Australia for personal reasons and will be una… https://t.co/MCA6T0KnM4" createdat="1619411453000" id="1386538248197992448"></div> “It’s a case by case situation where you can’t blame an Australian player if he wants to go home and get back to his family. And you also can’t blame an Australian player who wants to stay and play the rest of the IPL,” said Lee during Fox Cricket’s Road to The Ashes podcast. The regular IPL season is scheduled to take place until May 23. The finals will be conducted a week later on May 30. For now, it’s a game of wait-and-watch until May 13. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Australia is not the only country to ban incoming flights from India" comment="subhead" text="Australia is not the only country to ban incoming flights from India">Australia is not the only country to ban incoming flights from India</cmsannotation> Over the weekend, the Maldives, Italy, Germany and Bangladesh have also placed restrictions of the entry of travelers from the country due to the overwhelming rise in COVID-19 cases. “From Sunday night, only Germans from India are allowed to enter, and they must also be tested before departure and immediately after entry into a 14-day quarantine,” said German Health Minister Jens Spahn on April 24. Prior to that the UK, UAE, Canada, the US, Oman, Honk Kong, New Zealand, Pakistan, Egypt and Singapore have also either banned incoming travelers altogether or put certain restrictions in place. India recorded 323,000 new cases of COVID-19 infections and 2,771 deaths in the last 24 hours. The number of new cases has exceeded 300,000 for the seventh consecutive day. The rapid uptick in new cases is attributed to new variants of the virus emerging, political rallies across five states with elections, massive public gatherings like the Kumbh Mela, and general lapse in following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/india-will-receive-the-first-batch-of-russia-covid-19-vaccine-sputnik-by-may-1/articleshow/82269061.cms">India will receive the first batch of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine by May 1 — in time for the third phase of its vaccination drive</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/election-commission-bans-all-victory-processions-on-or-after-counting-in-tamil-nadu-assam-goa-west-bengal-and-kerala-assembly-elections/articleshow/82269994.cms">Election Commission bans all victory processions on or after counting on May 2</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/the-pace-of-infections-and-test-positivity-in-maharashtra-is-slowing-down-but-it-is-too-soon-to-celebrate/articleshow/82256149.cms">The pace of infections and test positivity in Maharashtra is slowing down — but it is too soon to celebrate</a>

Australia suspends incoming flights from India until May 15 — IPL cricketers, coaches and broadcasters left in a bind

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Mass gatherings such as the farmers' protests didn't become the superspreader events experts feared.</li><li>COVID cases have steadily fallen, raising hopes the country is close to achieving herd immunity.</li><li>One expert says misinformation may have been an "accidental game changer" at encouraging mingling.</li></ul>When Indian farmers began gathering to protest in November 2020, at the height of the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/superspreader-protest-as-experts-worry-about-covid-farmers-say-new-laws-bigger-threat-to-their-survival/articleshow/79492667.cms">experts predicted these would be superspreader events</a>.Three months later, tens of thousands are still gathered in tents on the outskirts of Delhi with more still arriving in tractors for speeches and impromptu marches. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-54657433">Big election rallies took place in October</a> in the state of Bihar. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flocked to the annual religious gathering of Kumbh Mela in January, <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1692725">mostly without masks.</a>But not only have these not led to spikes in COVID cases, such cases have plummeted.This densely-populated country of nearly 1.4 billion people, whose median age is only 28, recorded just <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/india?country=~IND">11,583 cases on February 10, down from a high of nearly 100,000 a day in September</a>.<div type="image" title="India's daily cases" height="2400" width="3400" msid="80927635" hostid="261"></div><keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> began a full lockdown in March when cases were relatively low, then <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1692725">gradually emerged in stages from June</a>. Cases began to fall long before the country embarked in January on a vaccination programme that has so far inoculated nearly 8 million people."None of the horrors, that were imagined, happened during these gatherings," Dr Rajib Dasgupta, chair of the Centre of Social Medicine &amp; Community Health at Jawaharlal Nehru University, tells Insider.As India's case numbers continue to decline, experts hope that the world's second biggest country is approaching herd immunity, the "indirect protection" from infections "when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection," according to the World Health Organization.<div type="image" title="GettyImages 1231155229" height="3608" width="5128" msid="80927638" hostid="261"></div>Dasgupta says mass gatherings may have accelerated this among a population that is less vulnerable to COVID, due to a relatively young population.Misinformation about the danger of COVID may have emboldened people to gather together, he adds, saying it "might well have been an accidental game changer."The myths, often circulated through WhatsApp and social media, included that <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> was no worse than seasonal flu and that traditional herbal concoctions or spices such as turmeric or gooseberries can safeguard against it.Boom, an independent website that fights misinformation, <a href="https://www.boomlive.in/fact-file/fake-news-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-a-boom-study-8008">published 178 fact checks of false claims circulating about COVID</a> in the first five months in 2020.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/majority-of-coronavirus-cases-asymptomatic-study-2021-2">As little as 13% of people who get the coronavirus develop symptoms, a new study suggests</a><div type="image" title="Bihar election rally India October 2020" height="1185" width="2100" msid="80927643" hostid="261"></div>Monish Sengupta, who divides his time between Calcutta and the UK, tells Insider, a doctor friend "recommended consuming some homeopathic medicine and camphor with hot milk."At a tea shop in Calcutta in mid-February, Insider encountered a group of young men sipping tea and loudly arguing whether herd immunity meant they might skip taking the <keyword id="24209" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="vaccine">vaccine</keyword>. "Where's the coronavirus? It's gone," one of them said. On February 5, a flight between New Delhi and Calcutta was packed. Both airports were crowded.But despite the warnings about mass gatherings, one volunteer reports seeing no one with COVID symptoms at a camp set up by doctors and volunteers at the site of the farming protests.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fauci-worried-getting-coronavirus-trump-white-house-superspreader-2021-2">Fauci said he worried about getting COVID-19 while working in the 'superspreader' Trump White House</a>Indranil Mukhopadhyay, co-convener of the Delhi chapter of health movement Jan Swasthya Abhiyaan, says there is a noticeable lack of distancing and mask wearing at the protestors as well as a reluctance to getting tested for the virus.The professor, who teaches at New Delhi's Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, tells Insider the camp is "fertile ground" for the virus. But he adds the group's medical camp has so far not come across anyone displaying COVID symptoms, despite attending to more than 15,000 patients.A <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w27408">working paper</a> by the US National Bureau of Economic Research, that used data from last year's Black Lives Matter protests, provides a potential insight into why this was the case.It concluded that people who were least likely to contract the virus, were most likely to attend the protests in America, while those who were high-risk stayed away.<div type="image" title="Hindu devotees take a holy dip in the waters of the River Ganges" height="3000" width="4501" msid="80927646" hostid="261"></div>The BLM protests also prompted those who didn't participate in demonstrations to follow safety protocols more diligently because the protests raised the risk they perceived, the paper noted. The paper's lead author, economics Professor Dave Dhaval, tells Insider "some of the above factors may be in play" in the farmers' protest.Dr Satyabrata Routray, director of immunization at the India chapter of Path, a global nonprofit health organization, says misinformation played its part, but poverty was crucial in forcing people out of their homes.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-19-vaccine-does-not-affect-fertility-doctors-reassure-public-2021-2">Doctors are speaking out to dispel the 'groundless' myth that the COVID-19 vaccine affects fertility in women or men</a>More than <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---ifp_skills/documents/publication/wcms_734503.pdf">90 percent of India's workforce</a> is in the informal sector - lacking social insurance and often earning a low daily wage. India also has around <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/1-77mn-indians-are-homeless-40-of-them-are-getting-no-lockdown-relief/">1.77 million homeless people</a>, who have no homes to lock themselves into."People needed to get out of their homes and get on with the business of earning their daily bread. A large majority of the Indian population are poor and depend on daily wages," Routray tells Insider."Any intermixing of infected population with the rest of the population would hasten herd immunity. And looking at the numbers I would say we are very close to herd immunity."Dasgupta says people are asking "if the situation is real" - whether India genuinely is approaching herd immunity. "I would say it is reasonably real. <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/1-out-of-4-in-t-has-had-covid-reveals-nins-3rd-sero-survey/articleshow/80777381.cms">The sero surveys</a> have thrown up evidence of pretty high levels of exposure to infection," he adds, referring to blood testing to estimate the extent of exposure.The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)'s latest sero survey showed 21.5% of Indians have been <a href="https://twitter.com/COVIDNewsByMIB/status/1357284699702390786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1357284699702390786%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fworld-asia-india-559453825382">exposed to the virus</a>. While a sero survey in Delhi - <a href="https://www.mygov.in/covid-19">which has so far recorded 636,000 cases and 10,886 deaths</a> - showed more than 56% of people there had <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/delhis-5th-sero-survey-over-56-people-have-antibodies-against-covid19-101612264534349.html">developed antibodies against the virus</a>. Calcutta -- which has more than 14 million in its wider metropolitan region - has so far recorded 571,000 cases and 10,220 deaths. Last June, much earlier in the pandemic, the ICMR had said <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kolkata-people-covid19-antibodies-icmr-sero-survey-1694917-2020-06-28">14% </a>of people in Calcutta had developed antibodies, while a private laboratory in September put the figure at <a href="https://www.thestatesman.com/cities/kolkata/kolkata-one-four-people-covid-antibodies-1502922912.html">50%.</a>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doctor-nhs-covid-safety-social-distancing-hospital-protocol-lockdown-2021-2">I'm a NHS doctor and I've seen firsthand how devastating COVID is. Everyone needs have give up some freedoms to make it through the final stretch of the pandemic.</a>Dasgupta adds the coronavirus is not a new virus in the region. India was hit by the 2002-3 outbreak of SARS, which is <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/sars-2002-03-india-coronavirus-outbreak-1683404-2020-05-29">a variant of the coronavirus</a>. The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) hit in 2015. Studies have also detected the presence of <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12098-018-2840-8">Human Coronavirus 229E</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12098-018-2840-8">Human Coronavirus HKU1</a> among Indian children."COVID-19 is a new disease but the coronavirus is a very common virus in Asia and South Asia which means the pool of susceptible people was not as large as it was initially assumed," Dasgupta adds.Dasgupta agrees India is nearly at herd immunity, adding: "It's unlikely that there will be another huge wave." But he warns that there may yet be surges in rural areas, which so far have been less affected than cites."The game changer at this point would be to get more and more people vaccinated against the virus," he adds. "To convince and communicate to the people constantly that the threat is still alive."

Experts feared India's farming protests would be COVID superspreader events. Poverty, misinformation and a younger population may explain why cases plummeted instead.

<ul><li><keyword id="2801660" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BARC-India">BARC India</keyword> released the second edition of its What India Watched report for 2019 which revealed that 2019 generated 48.4 trillion television viewing minutes and 1.59 billion seconds of advertising.</li><li>Despite the rollout of <keyword id="1711202" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="NTO">NTO</keyword>, each household watched 5 hours, 11 minutes of television every day in 2019.</li><li>Regional channels, sports and the news genre reported a steady growth.</li><li>While TV ad volumes saw a 3.6% drop, share of top 10 advertisers reported growth.</li></ul>The <keyword id="397085" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Broadcast-Audience-Research-Council">Broadcast Audience Research Council</keyword> (BARC) India revealed that 2019 generated 48.4 trillion television viewing minutes and 1.59 billion seconds of advertising. While Ad FCT at 1.6 billion seconds fell by 3.6% (over 2018), the share of Top 10 advertisers grew by 3.8%. The findings were a part of the second edition of BARC’s What India Watched report under which it measured 634 channels.Viewership has seen a 38% growth over the last four years. Each household watches 5 hours, 11 minutes of television every day and as many as 222 million individuals tune in to primetime television at any given minute. The report also found that despite the rollout of a new tariff order (NTO), <keyword id="659577" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="TV-viewership">TV viewership</keyword> registered a growth in 2019. GEC and movies continued to account for 3/4th of TV viewership. This growth in viewership has given an impetus to regional language markets. Share of viewership of channels other than Hindi and the 4 South languages have risen steadily, from 15% in 2016 to 23% in 2019. Viewership of most regional language channels have doubled in the same period. English Language channels have seen a decline in viewership - one reason is that sports content - which was traditionally broadcast largely in English - is increasingly available in Hindi and regional languages. Here, viewership for Hindi language channels have grown by 31% in the last 4 years and contributed to 44% of total TV viewership in 2019 Growth of the news genre 2019 saw a 23% growth in viewing minutes for News Channels over the previous year, with the genre accounting for 8.9% of total television viewing - its highest share over the last four years. 2019 was the year of General Elections, as well as polls to elect 7 State Assemblies. Earlier in the year, there was extensive news coverage of the Pulwama Terror Attack and the aftermath of that, including the Balakot Air Strike, and capture and release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. Later in the year, the triple talaq debate and the abrogation of Article 370 dominated headlines. Beyond political affairs, there were several other developments that drove news viewership in 2019 - severe rains and floods in many parts of the country, Chandrayaan-2, the Ardh Kumbh Mela and ICC World Cup Cricket. These ensured high viewer interest through the year, across the country. The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections and the run-up to government formation, Supreme Court decision on Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute and the controversy around Citizenship Amendment Act also led to successive viewership peaks for the news genre. Impact of NTO On February 1 2019, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)'s New Tariff Order (NTO) for Broadcasting and Cable Services came into force. The report revealed that the NTO led to a drop in percentage of households that watched 30 channels or more on an average per week, while share of homes that watched 20 channels or less increased. Growth of sports channels In 2019, sports channels saw a growth of 17% (viewing minutes) over 2018. The genre contributed to 3.2% of total TV viewership in 2019 - which was the highest over the last 4 years. Beyond cricket, the most watched sports on TV are Kabaddi, Wrestling and Football. Together, they corner 85% of viewing minutes of non-cricket events. Moreover, in 2019, about 424 million viewers (which is 51% of the total TV viewing population) watched live matches of IPL-12. BARC India's Out of Home Measurement showed that an additional 9% watched the tournament in restaurants, pubs and other such ‘Out of Home’ locations. Urban vs Rural BARC India's BI-2018 Survey estimated that 44% individuals with access to TV live in Urban areas, while 56% are in Rural India. This is an outcome of higher TV penetration in Urban areas, given that television ownership is linked largely to economic status (among other factors like availability of power, cable TV distribution etc.). The Urban and Rural viewer profile has some key differences, which influence the respective character of TV consumption: While Rural India accounts for a higher viewership share than Urban India for GEC and Movies genre, the picture is reversed for the kids genre. In News, the viewership contribution is split evenly between Urban and Rural. Advertising on TV Over the last 4 years, the volume of advertising on TV (FCT) has grown by 21%. In 2019, 11,525 Advertisers ran 76.8 million ads across 634 measured channels that reached out to 197 million homes across India. All leading products and services use TV's huge reach to connect with their target consumers. Of these, FMCG occupies the top slot, accounting for 54% of ad duration in 2019. FMCG and e-Commerce were the two segments that increased their ad volumes on TV in 2019 over the previous year. In terms of genre share in advertising, GEC, Movies and News account for the largest share of Ad volumes (78% in 2019).

Television ad volumes dropped by 3.6% in 2019, share of Top 10 advertisers grew by 3.8%: BARC India

<ul><li>The Indian government is currently looking into counter UAV measure to take down 'rogue' drones. </li><li>Even though there are guidelines in place, the government doesn't have a mechanism in place to tell good drones from 'rogue' drones. </li><li>Nearly 50,000 drones in the Indian airspace are flying without meeting the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR). </li></ul>It's not rare to find illegal drones <a href="http://www.micetalk.com/editions/2017/MTJul17.pdf">filming Indian weddings</a> or social events across the country. But the big, fat, Indian wedding may have to wait with the government mulling over options to counter unlicensed drones in India's airspace. "We don't know which drone is rogue and which is good. We should have technology to counter it. Whether you go in for commercial or security purposes, the technology has to be such which can prevent the <keyword id="6039791" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="rogue-drones">rogue drones</keyword> in our country," Rakesh Asthaana, Director General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) said. "We have taken the live trials; second pilot has just been completed and we are in the process of finalising our reports which we will be submitting to the ministry soon," Asthaana shared. Before the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/flying-drones-is-finally-legal-in-india/articleshow/65573434.cms">drone guidelines</a> were implemented in India, there were around 50,000 drones operating in its air space, according to a report by FICCI and E&amp;Y. Even though these drones were flying around, almost none of them meet the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) and aren't compliant with the no-permission no-take off (NPNT) mandate. So there's no way to stop them even if they're spotted flying against the law. Social 'rogue' drones It's not just weddings that are in question. The risk is greater when the event in question is on a bigger scale — like the Kumbh Mela were <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/1-4-crore-people-take-dip-as-kumbh-mela-begins/articleshow/67543932.cms">140 million</a> people were taking a dip in the Ganga this year. At the same time, there was a <a href="https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india-kumbh-mela-2019-isis-issues-threats-of-chemical-attack-ndrf-conducts-mock-drill-499659">terrorist threat</a> at large. A disruption from a 'rogue' drone at this time can potentially result in severe damage, according to the report. It also highlights that India more vulnerable to collateral damage because of its high population density of 411 persons per square kilometer. Drones, which can be controlled wirelessly, can be controlled from anywhere within a 13 square kilometer area — larger than an Indian city suburb. So, that makes tracking the person controlling the drone difficult to track down. Irresponsible 'rogue' drones The threat of drones isn't only to people on the ground but also to other vehicles that share the same air space. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that India's aviation industry will continue to grow at a rapid pace. As of March 2019, India had 103 operation airports with India planning to hit 190 to 200 airports by 2040. The increasing amount of aircraft means there more air traffic for drones to be wary of. Irresponsible or mistaken 'rogue' drones can increase the risk faced by flights. CAR can't stop 'rogue' drones The first official notice to ban the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Indian air force was issued back in 2014 by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). But, despite the notice it was difficult to actually enforce the ban. India's geographical vastness limits the ability of the government to monitor flights of these 50,000 'rogue' drones that aren't registered with the authorities. And, that's where counter unmanned aerial system (cUAS) technology comes in. Traditional methods like anti-aircraft radars don't generally pick up on drones because they have been designed to detect large metallic object that move fast. Drones, on the other hand, move slower and fly lower. The first step is normally to mandate no-fly zones, which is something the Indian government has already implemented with the green, amber and red zones. The NPNT process ensures that drones are automatically directed back to their home location before they actually enter a fly zone. But, a complete cUAS system has to be capable of detecting, tracking as well as intercepting drones. "If we can manufacture world class drones within the country, we can obviously manufacture world class <keyword id="7937097" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="counter-drone-measures">counter drone measures</keyword>. Otherwise what will happen is dependence on global market will continue for the anti-drone measures as it is for drones currently," shared Sanjay Jaju, Joint Secretary in the Department of Defence Production at the Ministry of Defence.

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