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Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 3 (ANI): YouTuber <keyword id="10391843" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="elvish-yadav" source="Orion">Elvish Yadav</keyword> has denied alleged involvement in the supply of <keyword id="744074" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="snake-venom" source="Orion">Snake Venom</keyword> at a rave party in Noida. This after an FIR was filed against six people including the YouTuber for supplying the <keyword id="12724" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="venom" source="Orion">Venom</keyword>. Elvish Yadav in a video posted on Instagram claimed that all allegations against him are false " I woke up and heard the news about my alleged arrest in the media. All these allegations against me are fake and without truth. They are not even 1% true. I am willing to cooperate with UP Police. I request the UP Government and the UP CM <keyword id="43254" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="yogi-adityanath" source="Orion">Yogi Adityanath</keyword> that even if there is a 0.1% involvement in this then I am willing to take full responsibility. I request the media to not spread any misinformation till then, I have nothing to do with this Earlier the Uttar Pradesh forest department and Noida police conducted a joint raid at Sector 51 Saffron Villa at Noida and busted the gang for allegedly supplying snake venom at a rave party. Uttar Pradesh police said, "FIR registered at Noida Sector 49 Police Station against six people, including YouTuber and <keyword id="26022" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bigg-boss" source="Orion">Bigg Boss</keyword> winner Elvish Yadav, for making available snake venom at rave parties. They used to collect a hefty sum of money for supplying the venom at parties. Nine snakes were also rescued in a raid." The police meanwhile arrested five persons Rahul, Titunath, Jayakaran, Narayan and Ravinath from the banquet hall. Five cobras, a red snake, a python and two other snakes were recovered from the party venue. According to the FIR based on a complaint filed by People For Animals "A YouTuber named Elvish Yadav provided snake venom and live snakes in Noida and created videos with other gang members/Youtubers in NCR farmhouse. They organised shoots and organised rave parties illegally. They regularly invited foreign girls and consumed snake venom and intoxicants. Rahul his accomplice acted as an agent on his behalf." The FIR says " One of our informants contacted Elvish Yadav and asked him to organise the rave party and get Cobra Venom. Elvish gave us the name of one Rahul whom we contacted. He said he can organise the venom wherever we want. He then came to Sector 51 Banquet hall with the Venom. The Noida police then came to the venue along with the DFO and arrested the organisers." The FIR was filed under sections 9, 39,48A, 49, 50, 51 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and section 120-B of the IPC. Parmod Kumar District Forest Officer said, "The forest department, police and PFA conducted a joint raid in which five people have been arrested. Snakes have been recovered. PFA was following this case since a long time. According to the Police the accused used to charge huge amounts for supplying poison at parties. 20 to 25 ml of intoxicating poison was also recovered from the accused. (ANI)

Snake venom at a rave party: FIR filed against YouTuber Elvish Yadav and 5 others

Higher edtech platform upGrad on Tuesday said it has acquired <keyword id="14616025" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="exampur" source="Orion">Exampur</keyword> which is a test-prep provider for government jobs, for an undisclosed sum. Noida-based learning platform Exampur aims to reach Rs 70 crore (nearly $7.5 million) in revenue this fiscal. Co-founded in 2018 by <keyword id="201980" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vivek-kumar" source="Orion">Vivek Kumar</keyword> and <keyword id="14616760" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vardan-gandhi" source="Orion">Vardan Gandhi</keyword>, the platform has a user base of over 10 million students. "We've created an integrated learning portfolio for our learners and within that matrix, we see test-prep as a high potential growth driver," said Gaurav Kumar, President, <keyword id="34451" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="corporate-development" source="Orion">Corporate Development</keyword>, upGrad. "I'm confident that their day-on-day live delivery capabilities with 200+ teachers through its channel are set to redefine vernacular learning for a larger base of youth," Kumar added. Exampur offers over 200 test-prep courses for govt. jobs where most of the content is delivered through its YouTube channels for the <keyword id="6373840" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="upsc" source="Orion">UPSC</keyword>, SSC, defence, banking, teaching and other state-level government jobs. Cumulatively, Exampur has a growing subscriber base of over 12 million with an average viewership of 2.5 million students. Ninety per cent of paid users of Exampur are from tier 2, 3 and 4 markets. "We want our learners to walk that extra mile to understand the key to cracking such competitive exams and this is where we have created a hybrid learning model through our digital presence," said Kumar and Gandhi. Additionally, Exampur offers online test series, free quizzes and live scholarship tests. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/google-removes-over-1-11-lakh-pieces-of-bad-content-citing-the-new-india-it-rules-2021/articleshow/93291542.cms">Google removes over 1.11 lakh pieces of bad content citing the new India IT Rules</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/the-worst-of-the-rupees-decline-might-be-over-as-market-expects-us-fed-to-dial-down-pace-of-hikes/articleshow/93290895.cms">The worst of the rupee's decline might be over as market expects US Fed to dial down pace of hikes</a>

upGrad acquires Noida-based test prep provider Exampur

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Pakistani woman took her four kids and made a dangerous trek to India to be with her lover.</li><li>The woman met the man through the popular video game PUBG, NYT reported.</li></ul>A woman made a risky trek into India with her four children to be with a man she met through a popular battle royale game known as PUBG.In about a month, their cross-border love briefly put them in jail, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/06/world/asia/pakistan-india-game-arrest.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times reported</a>.The woman, Seema Ghulam Haider, 27, met Sachin Meena, 22, on PUBG: Battlegrounds in 2019.PUBG is a multiplayer shooter that became an instant hit when the game was launched in 2017, making <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/playerunknowns-battlegrounds-sales-pubg-player-stats-2017-10">$400 million</a> within six months of its release. India tried <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/india-tried-to-ban-pubg-mobile-many-times-but-games-are-technically-difficult-to-ban-say-experts/articleshow/73580404.cms#:~:text=ban%2C%20say%20experts-,India%20tried%20to%20ban%20PUBG%20Mobile%20many%20times%20but%20games,difficult%20to%20ban%2C%20say%20experts&amp;text=The%20lawyer%20claims%20that%20school,to%20stop%20playing%20PUBG%20Mobile." target="_blank" rel="noopener">banning PUBG a few times</a>, believing that students were losing interest in their studies because the game was too addicting. <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/noida-news/pakistani-woman-illegally-enters-india-to-marry-indian-man-couple-inspired-by-film-gadar-101688841863890.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to the Hindustan Times</a>, a Delhi-based newspaper, Haider said the two would play "for hours on end...and never stopped talking." They soon expressed their love for one another, but their romance came with complications.For one, Haider is married. Her relationship with Meena began around the time her husband, Ghulam Haider, moved to Saudi Arabia for a job, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66117548" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to BBC</a>.Their distance and cultural backgrounds arguably posed more significant barriers: Haider is a Pakistani Muslim woman while Meena is a Hindu Indian man, the Times reported.Pakistan and India fought several wars after the partition of British India in 1947. Decades later, tensions have barely simmered.There's also an ongoing stigma against interfaith relationships between a Hindu and a Muslim.In Pakistan, Hindu marriages were only legitimized under the law <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39233567" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in 2017</a>. Muslim-Hindu relationships in India are often labeled a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/10/10/1041105988/india-muslim-hindu-interfaith-wedding-conversion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"love jihad"</a> — an idea perpetrated by hard-line Hindu conservatives that Muslim men seek Hindu women to force them to convert to Islam.Still, the couple persisted. Haider met Meena in person for the first time in Nepal without her children in March, the Times reported, citing police officials.According to the Times, police said Meena did not lure Haider with false promises."She knew that he was not financially very strong," Sudhir Kumar, head of the Rabupura police station, said, according to the Times. "She was not impressed by his work, but by his PUBG skills."In May, Haider planned to go to India with her children, who are all under seven years old, by first making her way to Nepal. The couple later told reporters they devised a route by "searching on YouTube," according to the Times.Haider's father-in-law, Mir Jan Jhakrani, told the Times that Haider sold her and her husband's home in Pakistan without her partner's knowledge to make the trek.Haider denied the allegations and told authorities that she sold a plot of her parents' land, BBC reported. She also told authorities her husband beat her, and she had sought a divorce.For more than a month, Haider and her four children lived with Meena and his father in Greater Noida, a city south of New Delhi, police said, according to BBC.The couple was caught on Tuesday after a lawyer notified authorities, the <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/pak-woman-finds-love-in-india-via-pubg-sneaks-in-with-4-kids/articleshow/101469663.cms?from=mdr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Times of India reported</a>. The two sought advice from the attorney regarding Haider's residency and marriage.Haider and her four children were arrested on charges of illegally entering the country. Meena and his father were arrested on charges of sheltering Haider without a visa.A local court granted bail to the three individuals who were released on Saturday, stating that the woman had not crossed the border "with any wrong intention," <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/came-to-india-due-to-love-not-with-wrong-intention-court-grants-bail-to-pakistan-woman-2-others-8814075/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Indian Express,</a>The couple is now seeking help from the Indian government to get married, BBC reported.

A married woman searched YouTube to find a route into India to be with a lover she met on a popular video game: 'She was not impressed by his work, but by his PUBG skills,' police said

Image credit: Youtube 
 Noida, once an infamous area for snatching and burgling is getting tamed now. With tonnes of housing complexes, metros and malls coming up, most areas in this part of Delhi <keyword id="53426" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="NCR">NCR</keyword> are doing great without much disturbance. Corporate offices shifting their bases in Noida and <keyword id="6356788" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Greater-Noida">Greater Noida</keyword> are one of the most important reasons for this. 
 As the election in <keyword id="6357713" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</keyword> is approaching, there is a new breed of thieves these days. No it’s not normal thieves who steal cars or snatches earring. These thieves steal pizzas. 
 
Shocking right? Here’s how they operate.

Beware! Delhi NCR now has thieves who steal pizzas

Let’s state it at the outset- This is not a prank or a joke. (Yeah, we’re looking at you <a href="http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/everything-social/the-too-good-to-be-true-urban-ladder-job-listing-is-actually-fake/">Urban Ladder</a>.) 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Exclusive-This-video-analytics-startup-just-crossed-10000-YouTube-content-creators-as-users-without-spending-any-money-on-marketing/articleshow/51441971.cms">Vidooly</a>, India’s only video analytics data startup that analyses data from over 50 million <keyword id="10879" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="YouTube">Youtube</keyword> content creators on a daily basis, is looking out to hire someone who can tell them where all the viral videos at. 
 
If hired, your job description will actually be watching videos all day and finding the ones that could you can predict would go viral. Stuff that dreams are made of, am I right? 
 If you’re wondering why this startup is hell bent on making work fun with the position of a ‘<keyword id="3345864" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Viral-Video-Finder">Viral Video Finder</keyword>’, its co-founder <keyword id="2883012" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Subrat-Kar">Subrat Kar</keyword>, offers an explanation. 
 
In a <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/were-hiring-senior-viral-video-finder-vidooly-subrat-kar">post</a> put up on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=linkedin&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">LinkedIn,</a> Kar says, “We have built world class algorithms to identify videos that are trending/about to trend across categories &amp; geographies. However that still doesn’t substitute what a feed curated by a human would look like. As we all know, machines can’t really replace human emotions. That's why; we are looking for a dynamic person who loves watching videos.” 
 
The responsibility of this position would be to watch hundreds of videos every day and find the next <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=viral+videos&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">viral video</a> (across any genres and featuring animals or humans) and recommend the same to our customers who can plan their content strategy accordingly. 
 
The job location is in Noida, and the additional responsibility for the position includes an unlimited patience to scroll <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Facebook&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Facebook</a>. (Is this a dream?) The company claims the compensation will be adequate. 
 
You're going to be paid to watch videos all day. Let that sink in. 
 
If you’re interested in applying, send in a brief creative note at <a href="mailto:career@vidooly.com">career@vidooly.com</a> explaining why you’re fit for the job along with some of your favourite videos or videos you think have the potential of going viral in the next few days. 
 
All the best. We’re rooting for you! (and all the videos you'll get to watch).

This
startup wants to hire someone to watch viral videos all day

Bollywood stars Shah <keyword id="112657" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rukh-khan" source="Orion">Rukh Khan</keyword> and <keyword id="6354713" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="kajol" source="Orion">Kajol</keyword>'s iconic film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' is set for a wider release on Valentine's Day. <keyword id="1178173" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rohan-malhotra" source="Orion">Rohan Malhotra</keyword>, Vice President, Distribution, YRF, said: "'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayengea' (DDLJ), the longest-running film in the history of cinema, has become synonymous with romance for India and Indians for generations since its historic release." "This year, on the occasion of Valentine's Day, we are making their wish come true. DDLJ will be screened across India, starting Feb 10, for a period of one week only!" DDLJ will be released in 37 cities across India, including Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Lucknow, Noida, Dehradun, Delhi, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Indore, Chennai, Vellore, Trivandrum. Rohan said: "YRF &amp; SRK are not only synonymous with delivering Indian cinema's biggest blockbusters but also for collaborating on films which have redefined the Indian film industry and have had a lasting cultural impact." He added: "It is an amazing coincidence that DDLJ, an all-time blockbuster, was released by YRF during its 25th-year celebrations and this year, history has repeated itself with <keyword id="12756474" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="pathaan" source="Orion">Pathaan</keyword> as it has become the highest-grossing Hindi film worldwide (original format) during YRF's 50-year celebrations!" SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/20-year-old-who-learned-machine-design-from-youtube-wins-an-all-panel-deal-on-shark-tank-india/articleshow/97792975.cms">20-year-old who learned machine design from YouTube wins an all-panel deal on Shark Tank India</a>

SRK's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is set for a wider release on Valentine's Day

<keyword id="1731609" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Oppo">OPPO</keyword> India on Monday said that it is aiming to launch more than six 5G-enabled devices in India this year, as 5G-ready and Internet of Things (IoT) product categories become important for smartphone players in the country. OPPO has set up its first 5G innovation lab in India for the overseas market that will further support the company in developing core 5G technologies and elevating global 5G experience. "In 2021, we will carry on this growth legacy with much more innovative products and concepts to make the life of our users even better. Building upon our 5G and IoT product category will be one of the key focus areas for us," Tasleem Arif, Vice President &amp; Head, R&amp;D OPPO India, told IANS. "Aligned with this strategy. we have added Reno5 Pro 5G and EncoX True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earphones for our Indian customers," he added. Arif discussed the company's India plans on the sidelines of the launch of a new device called Reno5 Pro. "Our Reno series has been the epitome of consumer-centric innovation and one of the most loved smartphone devices. All the editions of Reno have been very well received around the world and in India, it witnessed a growth of over 50 per cent in Q3 2020," Arif informed. Reno5 Pro 5G is equipped with industry-first features like ‘AI Video', Full Dimension Fusion (FDF) portrait video system and MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset. "In 2020, we observed an emerging trend of shooting videos with rapid growth in mobile apps like Instagram, Reels or YouTube , or micro and short film platforms," the OPPO India executive said. The Reno5 Pro 5G will be manufactured at the company's Greater Noida facility. The manufacturing at Greater Noida plant has been increased to 50 million smartphones per year. The company's Hyderabad hub, first-ever R&amp;D centre outside of China, is playing a pivotal role in the development of 5G technologies. The India R&amp;D team of OPPO is also working closely with leading industry chain partners like Jio, Airtel, Qualcomm, MediaTek, among others. OPPO said it has deployed its 5G standard patents in over 20 countries. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/checkout-reno5-pro-5g-smartphone-price-features-in-india/articleshow/80326098.cms">Oppo Reno5 Pro 5G with Dimensity 1000+ chipset, 64MP quad rear cameras launched in India</a>

Oppo to launch six 5G smartphones in India this year

<ul><li>Around 76,000 students applied for internships every day in 2020, reveals a survey conducted by recruitment and training platform, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/jobs/76000-students-applied-to-internships-every-day-in-past-year-survey/articleshow/81967814.cms?from=mdr">Internshala</a>.</li><li>Internships have become an integral part of a college's student’s career trajectory in India, irrespective of their educational background.</li><li>These companies are hiring interns for different roles in different parts of the country.</li></ul>Students who want to enter the job industry, ideally, should get some hands-on experience with internships. Around 76,000 students applied for internships every day in 2020, reveals a survey conducted by recruitment and training platform, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/jobs/76000-students-applied-to-internships-every-day-in-past-year-survey/articleshow/81967814.cms?from=mdr">Internshala</a>. Internships have become an integral part of a college's student’s career trajectory in India, irrespective of their educational background. There was a 35% rise in students seeking internships in 2020 as compared to 2019, revealed the report. Business development, content writing, human resources, digital marketing, social media marketing, marketing, and research are some of the good profiles for a fresher to pursue. These companies are hiring interns for different roles in different parts of the country — 1. <keyword id="10387" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword> — Research World’s biggest multinational software company is looking to hire <a href="https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/job/931311/Research-Intern?utm_campaign=google_jobs_apply&amp;utm_source=google_jobs_apply&amp;utm_medium=organic">Research interns</a> where interns will learn and collaborate with experienced researchers. Eligibility: Candidates must be enrolled in a university as part of either doctoral, masters, or undergraduate programmes or be a recent graduate from such a programme. 2. <keyword id="15491" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Airtel">Airtel</keyword> — Business Development The telecommunications company is seeking to hire <a href="https://internshala.com/internship/detail/business-development-sales-internship-in-multiple-locations-at-bharti-airtel-limited1621837165">Business Development</a> interns at various locations -- Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Gandhinagar and Rajasthan for three months with a comprehensive stipend of ₹10,000 per month. Job role: Interns will have to handle distributors, work on channel sales and drive prepaid business, reporting, process compliance and generating revenue. 3. BYJU’S — Marketing Ed-tech company is looking out for <a href="https://internshala.com/internship/detail/marketing-internship-in-multiple-locations-at-byjus-the-learning-app1620706014">Marketing interns</a> at various locations for four months with a stipend of ₹18,000 per month. Job role: The candidates will have to interact with school personnel and inform them about the ongoing projects, achieve weekly targets of interaction and closure, and meet the prospects for the business. 4.<keyword id="8681398" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Urban-Company">Urban Company</keyword> — Operations Urban Company (earlier UrbanClap), a home-service marketplace is looking for interns in <a href="https://internshala.com/internship/detail/operations-internship-in-chennai-at-urban-company1622180187">Chennai</a> and <a href="https://internshala.com/internship/detail/operations-internship-in-bangalore-at-urban-company1622197584">Bangalore</a> for one month with a stipend of ₹10,000 per month. Job role: The selected intern would have to work on supply on-board, quality control of supply base and initiate the user friendly flow. Urban Company also has a vacancy for Human Resources interns who can <a href="https://internshala.com/internship/detail/human-resources-hr-work-from-home-job-internship-at-urban-company1622456109">work-from-home</a> for two months with a stipend of ₹10,000. Job role: The selected candidates will take interviews of prospective candidates,design the interview and reporting structure of the team. 5. Just Dial — Human Resources (HR) The local search services firm is hiring an <a href="https://internshala.com/internship/detail/human-resources-hr-internship-in-chandigarh-at-justdial-limited1621499461">HR intern</a> in Chandigarh for three months with a stipend of ₹5,000 per month. Job role: HR will have to make cold calls to preferred candidates, organise job fairs and events. 6. ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) — Digital Marketing This global internet giant is actively looking for <a href="https://internshala.com/internship/detail/digital-marketing-work-from-home-job-internship-at-bytedance1621925865">Digital Marketing</a> interns who can work-from-home for three months with a competitive stipend of ₹18,000 per month. Job role: The selected candidates will have to handle the daily operations of teachers on Youtube platforms, complete Youtube data collection, and establish partnerships with influencers in different industries. 7. IIT Bombay — Content Creation Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay is looking for <a href="https://internshala.com/internship/detail/content-creation-work-from-home-job-internship-at-iit-bombay1621335538">content creators </a>who can work from home for six months with a stipend of ₹1,000 per month. Job role: The chosen candidates will have to come up with catchy stories to structure content, creating high quality power presentations. 8. IDBI Federal Life Insurance Company — Marketing The multinational insurance firm is looking for <a href="https://internshala.com/internship/detail/marketing-internship-in-kolkata-at-idbi-federal-life-insurance-company1620757275">Marketing interns</a> in Kolkata for the period of two months with a comprehensive stipend of ₹5,000 per month. Job role: The selected candidates will have to formulate new ideas to add value, set and achieve performance targets, develop and enter into alliances and affiliations with other organisations. It is also hiring <a href="https://internshala.com/internship/detail/human-resources-hr-work-from-home-job-internship-at-idbi-federal-life-insurance-company1620757033">Human Resources</a> interns who can work-from-home for three months with a stipend ranging between ₹4,000 - ₹7,000 per month. Job role: Candidates will have to plan, develop and implement a strategy for HR, establish and maintain appropriate systems for HR development. 9. Freecharge — Business Development The payment platform is hiring <a href="https://internshala.com/internship/detail/business-development-sales-internship-in-multiple-locations-at-freecharge-payments-technology-private-limited1622193927">Business Development interns</a> in Gurgaon, Noida and Delhi for three months with a stipend of ₹7,000 per month. Job role: Candidate will be responsible to contact new partners, work on merchant acquisition and operations. 10. Zoomcar — Graphic Designing The car rental startup is hiring graphic designing interns who can work-from-home for three months with a stipend of ₹5,000 per month. Job role: The selected candidates will assist the creative team and art director, work on multiple projects simultaneously, maintain high standards of graphic designs with quality control, according to the firm. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/these-are-the-hottest-jobs-in-the-cyber-security-industry-right-now-with-a-salary-package-of-up-to-23-lakh-per-annum/articleshow/82629876.cms">These are the hottest jobs in the cyber security industry right now, with a salary package of up to ₹23 lakh per annum</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/if-you-want-to-work-from-home-these-are-some-of-the-hottest-freelancing-jobs-in-high-demand/articleshow/81228585.cms">If you want to work from home, these are some of the hottest freelancing jobs in high demand</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/earn-money-online-here-are-some-exciting-part-time-work-from-home-jobs/articleshow/82449228.cms">These are some exciting part-time work-from-home jobs you can do to earn a few extra bucks</a>

Microsoft, Airtel, BYJU’S, IIT-Bombay and more — here is a list of companies looking for interns

By Gunjan Sharma and Uzmi Athar New Delhi, May 17 () Stuck in homes due to lockdown, many urban families in Delhi-NCR have discovered their green thumb and are nurturing kitchen gardens in their terrace and balconies. The fresh, pesticide-free produce is not only helping address the food safety concerns of people but also serving as a stress buster during the time of coronavirus-induced lockdown. Nibha Dalal, a resident of Noida sector 41 has been growing tomatoes, okra and potatoes in her kitchen garden."At first it was just a hobby but when I saw the risk of resources depleting at super markets and also that exposure to fruits and vegetables may increase chances of coronavirus transmission through the surface, I thought it might be a good idea to be self-sufficient," Dalal said.Her neighbour Varsha Rajora said she is not only growing vegetables for food security but also to de-stress."All my three children are in Mumbai presently and we keep seeing news of how badly Maharashtra is impacted by coronavirus. My kitchen garden helps me stay distracted and occupied," Rajora, who spends an average of four hours in her kitchen garden everyday, said.Naseema Firdaus, a resident of Mayur Vihar Extension, has converted her balcony into an area to grow vegetables. She is growing cherry tomatoes, curry leaves, coriander leaves and potatoes in her balcony."The idea to grow my own vegetables came after the lockdown started. I realised it would be a lot safer to grow vegetables in my own garden but due to space constraint I am growing only those vegetables that can survive in a limited space," she said.Nisha Tomar, a Gurgaon resident, said gardening has become a matter of self-sustenance."In the initial week of lockdown, attempting to grow some vegetables was less about a hobby and more about self sustainability. We don't have local vegetable shops around my society and Big Basket took time to resume delivery in my area after the lockdown was announced. "So, I decided to attempt the basics on my own. I tried basil and mint first and they quickly grew. Then I got excited about it and moved to spinach," Tomar told .The limited accessibility in initial weeks of lockdown prompted Dhwani Bhardwaj to try her hand at kitchen gardening and she found it a unique way of keeping her kids occupied."I remember as kids we would paste different seeds in holiday homework scrapbooks but honestly I never gave a thought that we can try it at home. So following some YouTube instructions I planted tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper and lettuce and we named each of the pot after each family member to fix responsibility for the pot. And now after a month, we were excited to see the results," she said. "It is not even an accessibility issue now but I think I will procure limited vegetables from outside till the corona crisis is over," she said.Dipti Jhanjhani,who has been growing vegetables in her balcony for a few years, is now receiving calls from her friends and relatives who want gardening tips."The lockdown has taken the DIY trend to another level.Earlier, whoever visited my house would be stunned with how I have accommodated so much in the balcony and how I am so dedicated to gardening. Now during the lockdown I got calls from many of my friend who wanted to experiment with kitchen gardening," she said.There is no available data on how many families may be growing vegetables at their homes since the lockdown. Atul Sharma, owner of a plant nursery in Noida, said the demand for seeds specially of vegetables has significantly increased in the last two months."Though the nursery has not been operational due to the lockdown, I am getting 10-12 calls every day inquiring about seed availability and if home delivery is possible. Earlier such demand was seen for flower seeds but now it has moved towards vegetables," he said.Bhim Singh, a gardener, said he has been getting calls from people asking tips for their plants."What kind of soil this vegetable needs, how much water should be given, is it suitable to grow it in pots are some of the common queries I am asked. Ironically, I would have got many gardening opportunities if I could step out," he said.Rabia Hasan, a psychiatrist, said growing vegetables can act as a good stress buster."It gives people the satisfaction to think that they have enough to take care of the needs of their families. News of shortage of food items is also making people think that they are prepared to an extent and if nothing else it is a good hobby to pursue," Hasan said. India is currently under the biggest lockdown with around 1.3 billion people asked to stay home in view of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 2,752 lives and infected 85,940 people in the country.The government has asked people to "learn to live with the virus," urging people to make COVID-19 prevention guidelines a part of their lives as a behavioural change. GJS/UZM DVDV

Living with coronavirus: Many urban families turn to kitchen gardening

Sofar Sounds is a global <keyword id="6354530" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="music">music</keyword> initiative that started in <keyword id="6354968" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="London">London</keyword> 8 years ago and the concept has given rise to a global phenomenon of secret house concerts with curated guests and lineups with an intimate setting. The idea was to promote authentic live music experiences for fans and artists. Today, Sofar Sounds is in over 330 cities across the globe. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/the-theos-cafe-and-bakery-in-noida-is-popular-for-all-the-right-reasons/articleshow/57987520.cms">ALSO READ: The Theos Cafe and Bakery in Noida is Popular for All the Right Reasons</a> 
 Popular for its concert videos on Youtube, the concept officially arrived in <keyword id="66" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi">Delhi</keyword> in October 2016 and we were stoked! 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/This-exclusive-club-in-Mumbai-charges-Rs-ten-lakhs-as-membership-fee/articleshow/57870267.cms">ALSO READ: This Exclusive Club in Mumbai Charges Rs. Ten Lakhs as Membership Fee</a> 
 These concerts take place once in a month and Sofar Sounds Delhi <keyword id="53426" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="NCR">NCR</keyword> just turned half a year old and decided to celebrate the sixth show with a diverse line-up. I was stoked to be invited to this exclusive set-up and here’s what went down. Check it out!

There Are Secret Concerts Happening in Delhi, and Here’s Why You Should Go To One

<ul><li>On June 8, the first phase of <keyword id="5577826" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="UNLOCK-INDIA">unlock India</keyword> began with <keyword id="89358" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="shopping-malls">shopping malls</keyword>, offices, religious places opening across India. </li><li>However, the fear of the virus still looms large and the number of coronavirus cases continues to be on the rise. </li><li>Here's a look at what worked in the first week and what didn’t. </li></ul>It’s been a week of India’s <keyword id="9318169" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Unlock-1-0">Unlock 1.0</keyword> – when the country slowly began to open up from the coronavirus lockdown. On June 8, shopping <keyword id="45856" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Malls">malls</keyword>, offices, religious places opened across India. Even while the fear of the virus still looms large and the number of coronavirus cases continues to be on the rise, businesses are beginning to return to work with the hope of normalcy returning soon. But here’s a look at what worked and what didn’t. Public Transport With offices resuming in a phased manner, people are getting back on the roads. However, metros continue to stay shut, while buses have resumed service in several cities. In the national capital, the Delhi Transport Corporation had started shuttle services in mid-May and the ridership had already risen to 3.5 lakh as of <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/delhi-buses-ridership-reaches-over-3-5-lakh/articleshow/75901874.cms">May 22</a>. <div type="image" title="traffic jam mumbai" msid="76351623" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Traffic jam in Mumbai&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> While Mumbai misses its local trains, autos, taxis and BEST buses are now plying on the roads again. But because of social distancing, the BEST buses aren’t working in full capacity and this has resulted in delays as people have to wait longer for bus availability. "We don't take too many passengers. Also, people are cooperating. If the bus is full, they don't come in," a bus conductor in Mumbai told <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mumbai-residents-miss-local-trains-as-city-reopens-after-lockdown-2243507">NDTV.</a> <div type="image" title="bus1" msid="76351631" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;A bus conductor in Mumbai stopping more people from boarding &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> In Mumbai, Freego – a self balancing scooter for the Mumbai police was also launched for patrolling. <div type="image" title="police" msid="76351650" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Scooters launched for police patrolling in Mumbai&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> In Bengaluru, public transport is still being avoided by people and people are preferring to travel their own cars. <keyword id="34615" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="restaurants">Restaurants</keyword> A lot of the restaurants decided to <a href="https://www.cnbctv18.com/business/restaurants-open-in-delhi-footfall-still-low-6095511.htm">not reopen</a> as with the migrant workers having gone home, they are short staffed and the curfew timing doesn’t really help their operations. Footfall has <a href="https://www.theweek.in/news/biz-tech/2020/06/08/as-malls-restaurants-open-across-india-footfall-low-amid-infection-fear.html">remained low</a> for almost all restaurants across the country. <div type="image" title="restaurant" msid="76351722" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;A restaurant in Bengaluru practices social distancing while serving guests&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> In Delhi’s posh Khan Market, <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/delhi-40-restaurants-in-khan-market-shut-shop-more-likely-to-follow-suit-1688048-2020-06-11">40% </a>of the hotels have shut down. The 9 pm curfew also means the restaurants have to start winding down at a time which would have been their busiest hour earlier. Malls “Over 250 malls have started operations again, operating between 60-70 percent occupancy. Categories like electronics, cosmetics, casual fashion wear, kids wear have seen a good uptake in the first few days,” said Amitabh Taneja, Chairman, Shopping Centres Association of India. <div type="image" title="thiruvanthapuram mall" msid="76351742" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People at a mall in Thiruvanthapuram &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> But that’s not the full story. A survey from the Retailers Association of India said that a majority 67% of the consumers surveyed showed little to no excitement in shopping post the lockdown. Moreover, 78% of the respondents said their shopping expenditure would decrease. <div type="image" title="mall sanitization" msid="76351761" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Cleaning staff sanitizing a mall in Thiruvanthapuram&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> From directives like those from the UP government where malls can stay open, but not the shops in them to the rising number of coronavirus cases in India, consumers are still shying away from retail therapy. <div type="image" title="crawford market shops" msid="76351769" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Crawford market in Mumbai reopens&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “Retailers are amongst the most resilient entrepreneurs of the Indian ecosystem. Despite the lockdown relaxations, retailers are still facing a challenging time to revive their business. The impact on retail across the country is concerning and it will take a considerable amount of time for retailers to return to the green,” said Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, Retailers Association of India. <div type="image" title="sarojini" msid="76351786" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;A retailer waits for customers at the otherwise crowded Sarojini Nagar market in Delhi&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Hospitality The hospitality industry which has been one of the worst hit because of the coronavirus pandemic is now betting on “aas paas tourism”. The likes of Mahindra Resorts and OYO are betting on weekend getaways and driving destinations. Now, Airbnb too has joined them. Airbnb has recently launched the ‘Go Near’ campaign – betting on driving destinations. “Key domestic markets for Airbnb are Goa, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Mumbai &amp; Bangalore, but we are also seeing a surge in searches for stay options in nearby cities especially near metros like Alibag, Lonavala, Panchgani near Mumbai,” Airbnb said. Meanwhile, OYO is also seeing a similar positive uptick in bookings. “A significant part of this demand is driven by metro cities, including Gurugram, Noida, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad, with a majority of bookings being made by young travellers followed by corporates and SMEs. With most people opting for personal means of transport, bookings trends so far show guests’ preference towards same-city travel. A majority of this traffic is being generated by our own channels - OYO app, website and call centre,” said an OYO spokesperson. Salons and spas Probably one of the most popular YouTube videos during the lockdown became “how to cut your own hair” – while some managed it successfully, others waited for the salons and spas to open again. But not so easily, salons themselves had to go for a makeover before opening up. <div type="image" title="SALON" msid="76351888" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People at a salon wearing full PPE kits&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> "L’Oréal’s Professional Products Division in India has over 170,000 hairdresser partners, operating in over 45,000 salons. We are strongly mobilised to help our salon partners navigate these challenging times, with the primary objective of ensuring the safety of consumers, our partner salons and their employees. We are committed, now more than ever, to our role as partner and advocate of the hairdressing industry and will continue to work tirelessly to lessen the impact of this crisis on them,” said DP Sharma, director, professional products division of L’Oreal. Meanwhile, as companies like Urban Company too started functioning, they have seen a huge uptick in the number of orders for haircuts and beauty services at home. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/mm-share-price-gains-as-ssangyong-dents-fourth-quarter-profit/articleshow/76338292.cms">Mahindra and Mahindra sees a ₹2,700 crore dent from Ssangyong and other global subsidiaries</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/zero-late-fee-for-those-who-have-nil-tax-liability-says-fm-nirmala-sitharaman-in-gst-meeting/articleshow/76338653.cms">40th GST Council meeting highlights – zero late fee for those who have nil tax liability, says FM Nirmala Sitharaman</a>

First week of Unlock 1.0 – Here’s what worked and what didn’t

What will most of us do if our company is on sale? We will start looking for jobs. But, <keyword id="172496" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rahul-Shukla">Rahul Shukla</keyword> did things differently and bought the company itself. 
 
"The bar was $ 6 million and my wife informed me that we had exactly $ 6,000 in our savings. I told her that we were almost there, with only managing a few zeroes to be rightly placed," Shukla, 70, and is now president and CEO of the company where he started off as a quality control inspector, told TOI. 
 It took Shukla nine months to pursue different banks selling the idea of the company's future to raise the fund. But today, the high-tech firm specializes in manufacturing <keyword id="4086233" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="flexible-rotary-shafts">flexible rotary shafts</keyword>, which Shukla proudly mentions, are used in 98% of the aircrafts flying today and even in space projects. 
 
"My native is Wadhwan in Surendranagar district. I got my education in Wadhwan, Bhavnagar and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ahmedabad&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ahmedabad</a>. I went to the US to pursue MS in industrial engineering in 1971 and started a temporary job at SS White along with other jobs to make ends meet," Shukla said. 
 Currently, his company- <keyword id="4086232" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="SSWT">SSWT</keyword> has manufacturing and marketing facilities in the US, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=UK&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">UK</a> and India. Shukla says that soon after taking over, his thrust was on innovation and technology. 
 
"We changed the overall portfolio and invested in the new-age research due to which today most of the aircrafts use the SSWT manufactured thrust-reversal system which is used during landing," he said. 
 
It is his Gujarati dream that sets him apart. 
 
"We were planning on expansion of manufacturing facilities and we had choice between China and India. India was an obvious choice and the plant was set up in Noida in 2008. My father admonished me for the move and said that I must do something for my native. Thus, the same unit—producing rotary shafts and medical devices—was shifted to Surendranagar," Shukla said. 
 Today, the unit in Surendranagar employs 450-plus workers who produce around $ 6 million worth of instruments. One of the eye-catching devices produced in <keyword id="6354766" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gujarat">Gujarat</keyword> is used for power seats in cars in the US and Europe. Shukla says that he has plans to expand the facility in time to come. 
 
"Before being at the place I am, I have worked as a driver, a security guard and a waiter and thus, I know how important every person's work is. Hence, when our company decided to give $ 1,000 bonus to each and every employee in December 2016, it made news as the industry was then replete with reports of slowdown and layoffs," says Shukla, who has also penned books of fiction and non-fiction. 
 <keyword id="4085188" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="mahatma-gandhi-pravasi-sanman">Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Sanman</keyword> Award for 2014 was conferred on him in London. 
 
(Image Credits: YouTube)

Meet Rahul Shukla, man who bought a $6 million company with just $ 6,000

<ul><li>Furlenco is growing at a CAGR of 130% YoY and is all set to cross the $300 million mark in net subscription revenue by 2023, from the current $25 million </li><li>In a market where brands are having a tough time cracking millennials' minds and making them stay for long, Furlenco gets 85% of its revenue from the age group</li><li>Furlenco presented these millennials with an offer that they could not refuse, <keyword id="2221173" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ashwin-Venkatraman">Ashwin Venkatraman</keyword> tells us how they did it</li></ul> Online furniture rental platform, Furlenco that likes to call itself the ‘Netflix of rental furniture and decor market,’ has had a smooth ride this year. The brand is growing at a CAGR of 130% YoY and is all set to cross the $300 million mark in net subscription revenue by 2023, from the current $25 million. Currently present in Delhi, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Chennai, Mumbai, Noida, Hyderabad, and Pune, Furlenco will now expand its business to seven more cities by 2023. In a market where brands are having a tough time cracking millennials' minds and making them stay for long, Furlenco gets 85% of its revenue from the age group. Hence, the brand has shifted 100% of its marketing monnies to digital media, which is 10-15% of its annual revenue. This year, the platform has increased its marketing budget by 50%. We spoke to Ashwin Venkatraman, Chief Operating Officer, Furlenco to find out the mantra behind this smooth sailing, what made them shift their focus completely on millennials, the road ahead and of course, their content journey so far. Excerpts: Q. How has been Furlenco's journey so far in India? Started in 2012 by Ajith Mohan Karimpana, Furlenco is a furniture company with a difference, catering to the lifestyle aspirations of contemporary urban Indians in an unmatched way. It is an online-only platform known for award-winning designs created by in-house experts. The company has pioneered the furniture subscription concept in a way that is unprecedented anywhere in the world. In fact, Furlenco's disruptive proposition is so appealing that it has become one of the few Indian companies to be cloned by start-ups in the United States. The journey of Furlenco has been nothing short of fantastic and the business has grown at a CAGR of 130% year-on-year. Q. What do you think sets Furlenco apart in the category? Furlenco’s offerings are novel to the segment that we operate in. We have not competed for a share of an existing market but rather carved one for our own by offering furniture and home décor on subscription basis. Our aim is to encourage young Indians to subscribe to a holistic lifestyle experience for their homes at affordable rates instead of buying bulky furniture, expensive appliances and other décor elements. Our biggest differentiator has been the innovative and premium furniture designs created in-house by our experts. We don’t just offer our subscribers the typical bed, sofa and table etc., but innovative and utility products that serve the aspirations of the urban millennial in India. Apart from this, delivery within 72 hours, Swap &amp; upgrade your furniture at will, free deep cleaning service every year and the option to relocate the subscribed furniture free-of-cost, are some of the features that have given us outstanding results and market positioning. Q. How much funding has the company received till now? Furlenco has raised ~$40 million in equity funding till date. Q. What are the challenges faced by the company? I think one of the biggest challenges has been with regards to changing the mindset of conventional furniture-buying Indians. They have a deep emotional bond with their belongings, especially furniture. Q. What made Furlenco increase its focus on millennials? India has one of the largest urban millennial populations in the world, and they are now coming to their prime spending age. Couple that with the rapid economic growth we are going to see, expansion in earnings &amp; growing aspirations - you have the most important TG anywhere in the world, right here in India. Indian millennials have also proven that we are among the first to adopt brave new business models and technologies. Hence, we decided to focus on the dynamic millennials who work across cities and offered them a proposition that had more appeal and viability compared to the conventional practice of furniture buying. In fact, millennials currently comprise 85% of Furlenco’s overall revenue. Our data also indicates that more than 1 million millennials had a look at Furlenco’s offerings online last year. It is our deep understanding of customers and their lifestyle requirements that has been the reason behind our growth in this segment. Q. What has Furlenco's marketing strategy been so far? Over the years, we have invested a lot of time and effort in understanding our TG. What we have going in our favour is that, today’s urban millennials value being practical, as much as they believe in living in the moment. Owning expensive goods doesn’t define them. Being smart and living the best life possible adds to their ‘cred’. Furlenco’s furniture subscription model fits in perfectly with this. It offers practical benefits such as pocket friendly prices, free relocation, free maintenance, the option to switch and more. In turn, this helps consumers increase their own flexibility to spend time and money on experiences in the present. Our marketing efforts always focus on both these aspects - down the funnel and with customers. We also understand that their needs are varied which is why we follow a digital first approach when we reach out to them. In the past, we have also used syndicated content to convey our philosophy - that of being able to spend on experiences to live a better life - right now, in the present. This was a conscious choice to join the TG’s conversations instead of only trying to pull them to our own. Millennials can be ruthless when it comes to prioritising what they want to spend their time on. We adapt to that. Q. Since its inception, Furlenco has chosen to use content marketing. (Pocket Aces, TVF, Dear Zindagi) Can you tell us what influenced your decision to take that route? Audiences have moved from traditional mediums to digital media. And in their world, content is king. So such collaborations are a logical step for brands to take. But, we don’t do them in isolation. Content marketing/syndications were employed at the top of the funnel to reach a wider range of people and create the category relevance. The second point that influenced this decision was the format. Storytelling is integral to this medium and that was a perfect fit for what we wanted to communicate. ‘Experiences over things’ is best explained in a slice of life sketch than anywhere else. The third aspect was the engagement around the content. These sketches, collaborations and refreshing ideas (in case of Dear Zindagi) fuel conversations because of how relatable they are. All of us have at some point referred to a piece of content in everyday conversation. What brand wouldn’t love that? Q. What is the marketing budget set aside this year? What is your media mix? Which medium gets the lion share - digital or traditional? We earmark about 10-15% of our annual revenue as a marketing budget, and we are absolutely 100% digital. Our consumers have shifted most of their content consumption online and focusing on digital allows us to tell engaging stories, create the right connect and measure our effectiveness at a very detailed level. Hyper targeting and measurability means that we can constantly test messages and ensure we say the right things, to the right people at the right time and on the right channel. Our efforts are currently heavy on YouTube with a healthy proportion of efforts on Facebook and Instagram. And more avenues are constantly tested in the mix. Q. How has your marketing budget evolved over the years? By what percentage? We have grown our marketing budget to keep pace with our growth ambitions and in line with our geographic expansion plans. As our revenue grows, we are able to re-invest even more in to our brand building and marketing campaigns. In 2019, we increased our marketing budget by nearly 50% compared to 2018. Q. What are your expansion plans? We are planning to expand our geographical coverage to 15 cities compared to the 8 cities at present and serve a million customers across India. By the year 2023, we are targeting a net subscription revenue to grow from INR 175 Cr to 2000 Cr. Q. Where do you see Furlenco in the next few years? Our vision is to make furniture subscription as a way of life, and we are very much at the beginning of that journey. Over the next 4-5 years, we want to take furlenco to even more customers and provide a wider variety of furniture &amp; home decor options, and be known as one of the most customer centric brands in the country. Today our average tenure length, at an overall level, is about two years - we want to see how take that up to three or four years. We have customers who have stayed with us for over five years and we want to make sure they never leave and will continue this relationship lifelong.

By 2023, We're Targeting our Net Subscription Revenue to Grow From Rs 175 Cr to Rs 2,000 Cr: Ashwin Venkatraman, Furlenco

<keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> is consistently being bandied as the next major growth market for all smartphone companies, but there is one company that’s really struggling to crack India. The company in question is the most valuable one in the world -- <keyword id="6354427" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="apple">Apple</keyword>. According to CounterPoint’s latest report, Apple’s market share has dropped to an all-time low in India, with its share of the smartphone market dropping to below 2%. The problem is a combination of the nature of the Indian smartphone consumer, Indian laws and Apple’s stubbornness. This quarter Xiaomi and Samsung have emerged as the defacto leaders with their combined market share in India pushing 30%. Samsung managed to regain its lead in India with a share of 29%, up from 24% in the previous quarter, as per a report by Canalys. Xiaomi also grew to 28% market share in the country. While Tim Cook has reiterated often that India is a key market for the Cupertino-based giant, Apple has hit a new low in India, which is clearly the most important smartphone market outside of China. Pricing doesn’t allow Apple to compete for market share in India The problem for the company is that India is primarily a sub Rs 15,000 market, while the cheapest <keyword id="6354606" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="iPhone">iPhone</keyword> – the iPhone SE costs Rs 26,000, and runs three-year-old hardware. Apple doesn’t make cheap products because it doesn’t want to be perceived as a mass market smartphone brand. The Indian market is wildly different from the one in the United States, Europe and even China, which is Apple’s favourite market off-late. These markets are dominated by the operators and their contracts, where users can get the latest and greatest iPhone for about the same Rs 15,000 amount, put in as down payment. The space for phones that cost more than Rs 30,000 is just 4% of the Indian smartphone market. And that is commanded by OnePlus, followed by Samsung. Even if Apple were to get 100% market share in the premium space, it would still only command 4% of the market. Even when competing on price, older iPhones like the 6S and 7 lose out to newer phones from companies like OnePlus on both marketing and also technical capability. Indians tend to buy phones on the basis of specifications and even some of the newer models lose out to brands like OnePlus in the premium segment as the iPhone 6S and 7 models are perceived to be inferior. Hardware disadvantage Apple’s hardware disadvantage swells up when one talks about the cheapest iPhone models in this country. Apple simply doesn’t have a product in that price bracket, the sub-Rs 20,000 zone, and that’s the price point where the market for new smartphones is exploding. While the cheapest iPhone, the SE, costs Rs 26,000, it’s not the best selling iPhone here. It is the iPhone 6, which first popped up in 2014...and here we are in 2018. There are two reasons for this -- first, the iPhone 6 has a bigger screen (4.7-inch) which is more to the liking of Indian users; and second, design-wise, it’s not too dissimilar from the iPhone 8 which came out at the fag end of 2017. With the entry of Reliance Jio in India in late 2016, Indians have developed a voracious appetite for consuming video on the go. The iPhone SE, which uses the design of the iPhone 5 and 5S, has a rather small 4-inch screen. Newer phones like the Redmi Note 5 have much larger 5.99-inch screens. That’s a difference of 2-inches and considering mobile video, it's a huge one. The iPhone SE and iPhone 6, which are the two cheapest iPhones in India also have dated cameras. Nowadays, phones like the Honor 9 Lite and Redmi Note 5 Pro also offer dual cameras with an iPhone X-like bokeh mode -- something these older, cheaper iPhones can’t hope to match. Network conditions in India are often quite poor, connectivity wise, which results in smartphones consuming more battery. Apple’s iPhones have never been known for battery life. The most affordable iPhone in India (iPhone SE) has a meagre 1,624mAh battery, while phones half its price are pushing battery packs that are more than double the size. iPhones also don’t offer hardware features that are popular in emerging markets like ours. For instance, there is no support for dual SIM cards, and there is no support for expandable memory. With newer models like the iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone X, there isn’t even a headphone jack -- something competitors like Samsung and OnePlus are providing to customers in the premium segment. Apple hasn’t been able to push its design as a premium advantage either, as Chinese smartphone manufacturers have aped iPhone-like designs on almost all their phones. In fact, the design of the iPhone X has been democratised by Chinese smartphone makers. For instance, the iPhone X-style notch display can be found even on new phones like the Honor 9N that starts at just Rs 13,999 while offering dual cameras on not only the back but also for selfies, and also providing a battery that’s almost twice as big as the iPhone SE. Even their software is designed in a way that Android looks more like iOS. Android modifications from vendors like <keyword id="6357456" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="huawei">Huawei</keyword>, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo follow the same basic iOS-like design language. Software disadvantage It’s bad enough that many Android smartphone makers have designed their software to mimic the look and feel of iOS, but Apple’s problems are compounded by the fact that its own services perform poorly in India or are non-existent. Apple Maps is perhaps the biggest no-show. It doesn’t do turn-by-turn navigation in India and its mapping coverage is abysmal in the country. It is a matter of fact that Apple Maps can’t be used in India as a reliable tool for commuting. Apple Pay isn’t available in India at a time where digital payments are taking off in the country. Paytm and Google’s Tez payments systems are taking off in India massively. Samsung launched Samsung Pay in India last year. Apple Pay is dependent on NFC, while Samsung Pay uses a combination of NFC and magnetic secure transaction (MST), which mimics the magnetic signal a credit or debit card makes to a POS machine. Siri, on most days doesn’t understand the Indian accent as well as the Google Assistant, and nor can it do much. Heck, <keyword id="10387" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword>’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa do a better job and this is despite the fact that Apple was the first company to deploy a virtual assistant. While Apple’s services hobble on its own trophy -- the iPhone -- its competitors -- Google, Amazon and Microsoft have their services performing better on iOS. For mapping, most people use Google Maps. For search, Google Search becomes the default, and for productivity, Microsoft’s Office crushes Apple’s iWork apps. Rarely, you’re using Apple software on the iPhone in India. Even Apple Music, which is one of the rare examples of an Apple service doing well in the country, has been flanked by local competition like Ganna.com, Jio music, Wynk and Saavn. All of whom have a free tier. On older iPhones, Apple’s iOS updates have also crippled the experience of the iPhone. A couple of years ago, there used to be a strong argument in favour of the iPhone as it would perform well for over two years. Apple’s recent updates have made older iPhones inferior in comparison to newer Android phones that cost the same. Apple is addressing this issue in this year's iOS 12 update, which makes huge performance improvements to older iPhones, but it could be too little too late. The app store also doesn't make life easy for users as it demands a credit card for a user to even download free apps. That's not the case on the Google Play store. Apple has been late in localising services for India The larger issue here is that Apple isn’t localising its services for India in the way it has attempted to for China. This is indicative of the fact that Apple hasn’t taken the time or put enough resources behind localising its services for this country. Samsung and Huawei have R&amp;D centres in India customising services for the market. Xiaomi also prioritises and customises products for India. Apple opened an App Accelerator in Bangalore and a facility for Apple Maps in Hyderabad only in 2016. Google has had software and services being developed out of India since the mid-2000s, while Microsoft has been in India since the early 90’s. This has, in turn, inhibited Apple’s ability to quickly pivot. Its biggest competitor, Google, on a platform level, makes products for India. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said last year, “India shapes how we build products. If something works in India it will work globally.” And this philosophy can be seen in the customisations that Google has made to core services like Android, Maps, YouTube, Search and even payments. Its next billion division has made “Go” editions of Android, YouTube, Search and Maps, which are designed to work better on low power phones and poorer network conditions. They have even invested in KaiOS that powers feature phones like the Jio Phone creating its own versions of YouTube, Google Search and Assistant in India. For Apple to replicate its China success in India, it has to do a lot more than what it did in China. Even in China, Apple’s momentum has slowed so it has a steep slope to climb there as well. In China, Google and Amazon are almost non-existent. In India, they are big players. Apple isn’t able to compete with Google with regards to services. Most people use Google services which are part of all Android phones and one doesn’t need to buy a comparatively expensive iPhone to enjoy them. Apple and the Indian government: Frenemies? Apple hasn’t seen eye to eye with the Indian government for long. Apple expected concessions for manufacturing in India. It never made headway with that. While it lobbied for tax concessions -- brands like Xiaomi, Oppo and Huawei all got on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ programme which grants locally assembled phones some tax concessions. Only recently, Apple has started manufacturing both the iPhone SE and iPhone 6S in India. There are some reports that Apple has locked in a deal with one of its ODM vendors to manufacture even the iPhone X, but that’s not happening right now. The price variance between the iPhone X and the new Samsung Galaxy S9+ is quite startling. The iPhone X tops out at a whopping Rs 1,07,999 while the latest Galaxy S9+ tops out at Rs 69,000 for its top-end model in India. That’s almost a gap of Rs 40,000 which ironically is the cost of the 128GB model of the OnePlus 6 which is currently the best selling smartphone in the premium segment in this country. In the US, the iPhone X costs $1,149 which is around Rs 79,000 and the Galaxy S9+ costs $792 (around Rs 55,000). This points towards the fact that India is the most expensive place to purchase an iPhone and also the fact that Samsung’s phones have a huge price advantage in India that they don’t enjoy even in the US. And a lot of this is due to the fact that the S9+ is assembled in Samsung’s factory in Greater Noida (a satellite town outside New Delhi) which also happens to be the largest smartphone manufacturing plant in the world. The iPhone is further hobbled by the fact that it has an international warranty and India has a bubbling <keyword id="395545" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="grey-market">grey market</keyword>. It’s totally possible for someone to buy an imported iPhone for much lesser than the official price in India and still enjoy global warranty on the product. For years, Apple has been hoping to get permissions to set up its iconic Apple Stores in India. Indian law stipulates that single brand retail can only happen when products use 30% raw materials that are locally sourced -- that’s a hard problem to solve for Apple. That’s led to it selling its phones via resellers who often have discounted products to move inventory, thereby diluting Apple’s premium identity. In order to move more affordable iPhones, the Indian government has also rejected Apple’s plan for selling refurbished iPhones in India. More recently, Apple has been deadlocked in a stalemate with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in India over the installation of its spam reporting app on the iPhone. The telecom regulator has been reported to be taking extreme steps which could result in the iPhone being blocked from telecom networks in India if Apple doesn’t play ball, but that seems to be changing. An update in iOS 12 could possibly pave the way for an extension in the iMessage app for the TRAI to push out its spam reporting feature. The big takeaway is that Apple’s brand positioning makes its life hard enough in a market where feature phone sales are still growing, however, it hasn’t helped its own cause by not investing in India in a timely manner and also not adopting and partaking quickly enough in initiatives of the Indian government which has put it at a disadvantage with regards to lobbying.

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