Advances in Digital Publishing Technologies Help Brands Tap into Mobile Consumers

Shopping and Catalog Apps Provide More Tailored Experiences than Mobile Browsers

INDIA — Jan. 23, 2013 —  Increased consumer interest in using shopping applications means retailers must adapt to meet the rising expectations for specialized mobile shopping experiences, according to research released today by Adobe Systems Incorporated. The U.S. study, 2013 Digital Publishing Report: Retail Apps & Buying Habits reveals insights on perceptions and attitudes toward mobile shopping using retail apps and browsers, providing new direction for retailers to develop their digital publishing strategies. The research is based on an online survey with a nationally representative sample of 1,003 consumers who own a smartphone and/or tablet.

The survey results indicate that tablet users (55%) are almost twice as likely as smartphone users (28%) to use their device to purchase products and services. Across both mobile platforms, the use of retail apps and catalogs is increasing – more than half of all mobile shoppers are likely to make a purchase using a shopping app in the next year (56% of smartphone shoppers and 60% of tablet shoppers).

The findings also reveal that retail and catalog apps are rapidly catching up to mobile browsers as a viable shopping channel: nearly half of all mobile shoppers are interested in using apps instead of a mobile browser (45% of tablet shoppers and 49% of smartphone shoppers). Smartphone shoppers cite the slow speed of browsers and the ease of navigation on apps as reasons for their interest in using apps and digital catalogs. Of people who don’t currently shop on mobile devices, one in four intends to use mobile apps to shop in 2013.

“Our research shows retail apps and catalogs serve different purposes on tablets and smartphones, providing value to the consumer depending on the device they’re using,” said Terry Fortescue, director of product marketing, Digital Publishing at Adobe. “Using Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, leading companies like Sotheby’sand ASOS are producing tablet and smartphone catalog apps to engage customers with their brands and bring their content to life as shoppers become increasingly mobile.”

Retail Apps & Catalogs Increase Brand Affinity

Retail apps and catalogs provide a platform for retailers to develop deeper connections with their customers. Survey results show 67% of tablet and smartphone shoppers only use apps for their favorite stores. Additionally, 38% of tablet shoppers and 42% of smartphone shoppers responded that app interactions strengthened their connection to the brand, providing a chance for retailers to foster more meaningful relationships with their most valued, repeat customers.

Friends and Social Media Influence Mobile Shopping

When asked what influences their mobile purchasing decisions the most, a significant majority of respondents (88% of tablet shoppers and 87% of smartphone shoppers) named their friends as the primary influence, followed by emails from the retailer, online ads and videos and Facebook. Similarly, respondents share opinions of new apps with their friends in-person (53%), via Facebook (21%) and in email (19%). The data shows that a recommendation from a trusted friend is most valued, which creates the need for social sharing features in retail apps and catalogs – such as sharing products, reviews and news – to be effective in driving purchases and app downloads.

Shoppers Value Function and Overall App Experience

While money-saving offers are the most highly valued app characteristic for all mobile shoppers (52% of tablet shoppers and 67% of smartphone shoppers), tablet shoppers also want interactive images and slideshows (49%) that help them better understand product offerings in a virtual environment. Conversely, smartphone shoppers want the ability to locate physical stores through an app (60%), as well as take advantage of geo-based offers. This demonstrates the distinct roles retail apps and catalogs play for different devices, such as the desire to obtain comprehensive product information on tablets and the considerable potential for smartphone apps to drive in-store purchases.

About 2013 Digital Publishing Report: Retail Apps & Buying Habits
The data points referenced above come from a study commissioned by Adobe, produced by research firm Edelman Berland and conducted as an online survey among a nationally representative sample of 1,003 American adults, 18- 54 years old who currently own a smartphone and/or tablet. Interviewing took place from Nov. 28 to Dec. 3, 2012. The margin of error is +/-3.1%.

For more information on the research results visit 2013 Digital Publishing Report: Retail Apps & Buying Habits and 2013 Digital Publishing Report: Retail Apps & Buying Habits Infographic.

About Adobe Digital Publishing Suite

Digital Publishing Suite is a set of turnkey hosted services and viewer technology that tightly integrates with Adobe Creative Suite® 6 products and Adobe Creative Cloud™. Using Digital Publishing Suite in combination with Adobe InDesign® CS6 allows traditional media publishers, corporate organizations, retail catalogers and ad agencies as well as individual freelance designers and small design firms to publish, distribute, monetize and optimize a new class of innovative digital magazines, newspapers, catalogs, ads and corporate publications as apps on leading tablet devices. The Digital Publishing Suite is available in Enterprise, Professional and Single Edition offerings. 

For more detailed information about product features, pricing and language versions, please visit www.adobe.com/digitalpublishing. Additional information about Digital Publishing Suite is on the Digital Publishing Blog. Connect with the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/adobedigitalpub and on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/adobedigitalpub.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

Bhawana Suri   | 

T : +91 11 46504100-03   I   M : +91 9311978259   I   www.the-practice.net

 Art Projects announced at the 5^th edition of the India Art Fair
India Art Fair, India’s premier modern and contemporary art fair, is pleased to announce its 5^th edition from 1-3 February 2013 (with a VIP Preview by invitation on 31 January).    

At a time when the global economy, and the art market in particular, faces a challenging business environment, India Art Fair continues to focus on providing a bridge building platform to spread deeper awareness, and create wider access to art in India. The art fair will include approximately 105 exhibitors from 24 countries in the general exhibition area and solo projects. It will also include a video lounge, an art bookstore, art projects and a Speakers’ Forum with over 40 eminent speakers.  

India Art Fair brings together a diverse and dynamic set of galleries and artists, showcasing a breadth of modern and contemporary art practices by established and emerging artists including painting, sculpture, new media, installation and performance art. It offers international galleries a world class platform to present their works and explore the Indian art market, to meet new collectors and build relationships with key stakeholders. The 42 international galleries exhibiting in the 5^th edition represent 24 countries including India and present exciting art from several new regions such as Argentina, Bangladesh, Israel, Korea, Latvia, Turkey, Pakistan and Russia. The fair will feature leading Indian galleries from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi and Agra.

India Art Fair has played a key role in exposing galleries from across the country to a variety of individual and institutional buyers from across the country, and the globe. It has been visited by 260,000 people from over 60 cities over its four previous editions. This edition of the fair will take place in the heart of South Delhi, inside a custom-built tent spanning more than 20,000 sq. metres that is designed by the highly-regarded Indian space designer, Sumant Jayakrishnan.

For the 5^th edition, India Art Fair has brought YES Bank onboard as Presenting Partner. YES Bank's association with India Art Fair is part of the Bank's Retail and Wealth Management initiative. Other partners of India Art Fair include Absolut as Associate Partner, Christie’s as Auction House Partner, Le Meridien as Hospitality Partner, Panerai as Preview Partner, Conde Nast India (Vogue) as Supporting Partner and CNBC as Exclusive Broadcast Partner.

Through its Collateral Events programme, India Art Fair has encouraged a variety of cultural institutions, galleries, private art institutions, as well as international luxury brands present in India to hold events and exhibitions in Delhi, Mumbai and other Indian cities during the week of the fair, making this an ideal time to experience India’s vibrant cultural life. The fair’s VIP Programme includes several private events for special guests, who also receive exclusive access to the fair during daily business hours (from 11am to 2pm).

Over the years, India Art Fair’s Speakers’ Forum has been fuelled by the need to create and enhance the knowledge base surrounding art and its practices, with a particular focus on the dynamics of South Asian, and other emerging art scenes. Some of the best minds from diverse fields within visuals arts from art historians to curators, from artists to prominent individual and institutional collectors, are invited to speak on several engaging and paradigm defining topics. The speakers’ roster features a global mix of experts including: 

Adriano Pedrosa (Curator & Director, PIESP-Programa Independente da Escola São Paulo, Brazil), Chus Martinez (Chief Curator, El Museo del Barrio, New York City), Akiko Miki (Senior curator, Palais de Tokyo, Paris), Amin Jaffer (International Director of Asian Art, Christie's), Sandhini Poddar (Independent Curator and Art Historian, Mumbai, and Adjunct Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York). Barbara London (Curator, Video & Performance Art, MoMA, New York), Liu Yingjiu (Deputy Director, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai), Dr. Boris Groys (Global Distinguished Professor of Russian and Slavic Studies, NYU and Senior Research Fellow, Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design, Germany), Hameed Haroon (CEO, Dawn media Group, Pakistan), Robert Storr (Dean, Yale School of Art), Jeebesh Bagchi (Member, RAQS Media Collective), Geeta Kapur (Critic and Curator), Tapati Guha-Thakurta (Director and Professor in History, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata). The Speakers Forum is open (free of charge) to the public, and is supported by AVID, the Geothe Institute and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), and curated by Critical Collective.

                                                                                ***

Neha Kirpal, Founding Director of India Art Fair says: “The focus of the art fair, given the present business environment particularly in the art sector, is on developing new audiences, and initiating new energy in the Indian art market. Whilst it gives those with limited knowledge about art an opportunity to see a diverse spectrum of art, for existing collectors, it offers a brand new line up of exciting works”.    

“We chose to partner with India Art Fair, as it is the perfect culmination of knowledge enhancement, cultural engagement, business transactions and international collaboration. It is outstanding, as an endeavor to foster creativity and promote art amongst growing interest groups here in India”, Rana Kapoor, Founder, Managing Director & CEO, YES BANK.
“Christie’s is delighted to support the India Art Fair in 2013 as we recognize its importance as a convening moment for all those who are passionate about the future of the Indian art market and are interested in India’s national artistic development”. Amin Jaffer, International Director Asian Art, Christie’s

Sophia Matveeva

Indiabulls Financial Services Limited (IBFSL) PAT up by 31% in Q3 FY12-13

·         Announces its second Interim Dividend of Rs 5.5/- per share of face value Rs 2/- amounting to a total dividend of Rs. 13.5/- per share for 9M FY12-13

Indiabulls Financial Services Limited (IBFSL), today announced the unaudited results for the quarter ended December 31, 2012.

Highlights of the results:

·         Net profit of Rs. 327.16 Cr in Q3 FY13; Y-o-Y growth of 30.84 %

·         Q3 Interim dividend of Rs. 5.5 per share, amounting to 275% of the Face Value of Rs 2 per share

·         AUM at Rs. 32,551 Cr; Y-o-Y growth of 30%

·         Gross and Net NPAs are at 0.76% and 0.3% respectively

·         Return on Equity (RoE) is 24.13% (annualised)

The Consolidated Total Revenues stood at Rs 1,220.59 Crores in Q3 FY 2012-2013, up by 25.6% from Rs 971.81 Crore in quarter ended on December 31, 2011 while the Profit After Tax (PAT) is at Rs. 327.16 Crores, up by 30.84% from Rs 250.05 Crore in the same period last year. The board of directors for the second time recommended the interim dividend of 275% at Rs. 5.5 per share of face value of Rs 2 with this the total 9 Month dividend outflow (including corporate dividend tax) is at Rs. 490 Crore.  

Supported by long term rating of AA+, outstanding long-term bonds at the end of Q3 FY 2012-13, have grown to Rs. 8,614Crore and now forms 29% of the total borrowings, up from 23% a year ago

Commenting on the results and financial performance, Mr. Gagan Banga, CEO, Indiabulls Financial Services Limited stated that “Over the last four weeks, the company has seen a reducing trend in its cost of borrowings which augurs well for the business of the company in the coming quarters”

The Company Continues to grow its branch network, adding 3 more branches in Q3 FY 12-13 and now has almost 195 branches spread across the country. It has a well-trained, in-house direct sales team of over 1,800 people to assist prospective customers.

Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) Comparison – Key Financial Highlights Q3 FY12-13 v/s Q3 FY11-12

	Q3 FY 12-13	Q3 FY 11-12	Growth (%)
Total Revenues (Rs. Cr.)	1,220.59	971.81	25.60%
NII (Rs. Cr.)	544.39	450.89	20.74%
PBT (Rs. Cr.)	432.93	334.93	29.26%
PAT (Rs. Cr.)	327.16	250.05	30.84%
EPS (Rs.)	10.37	7.95	30.44%
RoE (annualised) %	24.13	20.43

Indian Arts, Culture and the worlds of Cinema opens to the public with THEOSIANAMA.COM

The largest Archive & Library on the Indian Arts, Culture and the worlds of Cinema opens to the public with THEOSIANAMA.COM

 

 

22 January 2013: Theosianama.com, a dedicated online search-engine and educational content provider for the Indian & Asian Arts, Culture and the worlds of Cinema will be launched universally in its beta version before 14 March 2013 with free access to the public. 

 

Theosianama.com will be released over four phases as the most integrated examination of the subjects insofar documented and researched, and made publicly available with a rigorous daily updating process. The online search-engine in its first phase will focus primarily on Hindi and Bombay Cinema and the History of Indian Modern & Contemporary Fine Arts, with the initial focus on the international public auction markets for the Indian arts over the past twenty five years. This will be integrated with popular art forms, such as photography, print-making, crafts (e.g. dolls, puppets, toys), calendar art, select aspects of Indian and Asian antiquity (e.g. miniatures, sculptures, thangkhas, Japanese armour & kabuto), plus the most comprehensive library including thousands of research materials from catalogues to letters to newspaper articles.

In this art object-centric site, there is a vast cinematic imagery, covering all forms of film publicity material and memorabilia including more than 250,000 original artworks, such as  lithographic and offset posters, lobby cards, show-cards, song-synopsis booklets, photographic stills, handbills, hoardings, glass slides, scripts, costumes and the like, dating back to the Silent Era.

Close to 95% of all Hindi films produced have been covered in some form or other and efforts are ongoing to represent those remaining. The presence of Bengali, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and films from other regions of India representing Indian Regional Cinema are also growing on a daily basis. To facilitate a more meaningful and in-depth global comparison with Indian cinemas one of the largest collections on Hollywood has been amassed and archived, ranging from the great lobby cards of the early decades of Hollywood from the Leonard Schrader Collection to hundreds of iconic props and documents to an equally expansive collection on World cinema with foci on classic Polish and Japanese poster designs.

 

 

 

As of today memorabilia representing iconic personalities such as Orson Welles, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Marx Brothers, Laurel & Hardy, Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, Alfred Hitchcock, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Clint Eastwood, ‘James Bond’, Robert De Niro, ‘Tarzan’, Elvis Presley, Beatles, Akira Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray, Fellini, Stanley Kubrick, Francis Ford Coppola, and a host of others will enjoy prominence in theosianama.com.

The History of Indian Modern & Contemporary Fine Arts, as seen from various perspectives will also be revealed on a new scale. In the primary phase the focus will be on sharing public transactions, wherein every auction conducted globally since 1987 has been documented in its entirety. With this launch, a deeper understanding of the Indian fine arts market will no longer be restricted to a privileged few, but will be made available for free to the public.

India will thereby stand to become the first country in the world to make available the full economic databank and history of the subject free of cost to the user. This access will provide the first essential context and hierarchy of information vital for an economic knowledge-base to emerge for the modern and contemporary arts.

As a result of the focus on the tangible and material nature of the objects, the way cinematic knowledge and arts education is perceived will radically change, opening up new paths to           re-mould public aesthetic sensibilities and values. Additionally the fusion of text and image, object and data, hand in hand with the ‘virtual-physical’ union, will further enhance the potential of the knowledge base to evolve into a new educational base for the arts, culture and cinema.

Envisioned to alter the perception and study of India, theosianama.com is the effort of twenty years of institution-building, archiving, research and innovation by Neville Tuli and Osian's.              Phase 3 & 4 will see these knowledge-bases become a core component of content for schools, colleges, universities and independent research institutions across the world, as a deeper global awareness of Indian & Asian Art, Cultural and Film Studies radically changes.

If India is to emerge as a global educational hub, it is imperative that it first takes the lead to become the center of research, knowledge and excellence. This archive will be expected to play a pivotal role, taking forward a new private sector momentum so as to inspire cultural & educational-infrastructure building.

In the months to come the virtual world of theosianama.com will create many synergies with the four major physical platforms of the Osian’s Group – the Auction House; the new Publishing & Design House (which will be launched at the World Book Fair in New Delhi next month); India’s first museum for the Arts & Film – Osianama at the Kila (to be launched in late March 2013) and Osian’s – Cinefan: Festival of Indian, Asian & Arab Cinema (annual event every July-August).

 

 

With this ‘virtual-physical’ synergy, a new daily living experience (via master-classes, seminars, workshops, conferences, exhibitions, auctions, live musical performances, book launches, film festivals etc.), will be created, where information can be converted into knowledge, thereafter evolving to inspire holistic education, with a focus on a daily learning experience.

The internet was commercialized over thirty years ago and took the world by storm becoming a global powerhouse of data accessed effortlessly. It is perhaps inconceivable to estimate the size of the network as every year a few hundred million web pages are added. Yet the educational credibility of information is still highly questionable and fragmented. Top quality and credible data for scholars, students and the general public, needs to be made easily available in new contextualized frameworks.

Theosianama.com will hopefully integrate data in a structured and cohesive manner for it to become a knowledge base, while ensuring a high quality due diligence so as to allow new understanding and experiencing of the arts, culture and cinema in the most innovative and creative manner, thereby placing learning at the heart of education. This will push the expectations from our educational and research models fundamentally.

Osian’s efforts towards preserving cinematic and artistic heritage have been unrelenting, despite financial difficulties faced during the last three years. Over the last decade more than INR 500 crores has been spent in building the library, collection & archive. To finally share it with the public is a major step in institutionalizing the ongoing creative infrastructure-building vision of Neville Tuli.

 

For further queries, please contact:

Uday Dikshit, Prana PR                     T 9810922830             E uday.dikshit@pranapr.com

Gurneet Singh, Prana PR              T 9999950703                   E Gurneet.sahni@pranapr.com

Now it's time to finish what we started -- let's get going. Barack

Naresh --

I just renewed my oath of office to serve as your president for four more years.

Thank you for making this possible. It's an honor to be your president.

Now it's time to finish what we started -- let's get going.

Barack

Batra Group Launches NILA skill Academy

POSTED ON JANUARY 22, 2013

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In partnership with Batra Group, the New College Nottingham International Lifestyles Academy  world-class higher level technical education for wide range of vocational skill is now opening in New Delhi. A modeled on NCN’s own successful vocational offer. The Academy will initially focus on ‘lifestyles’ curriculum incorporating hospitality, retail & logistics, media and fashion, also offer teacher training and advanced English language provision.

With service sector skills shortage a major constraint to growth, enhancing the technical skills of 500 million people over the next ten years remains one of the biggest challenges to support India’s Economic Growth Strategy.

Nick Whitehouse, NCN Dean of Higher Education & International Development, said: “We are proud to be working in partnership with colleagues from the long-established and highly respected Batra Group on this innovative project which is a milestone in NCN’s strategy to develop international vocational education. Our academy model has the potential to be replicated across India.”

Dhruv Batra, Director of the Batra Group, added: “The Batra Group has been a front runner in providing education to deserving learners in India over the last few decades. The NCN International Lifestyles Academy will attempt to create a platform that will infuse international academic standards and best practices to link together Indian industry and education.”

Amarjit Basi, NCN Principal & Chief Executive, said: “This entrepreneurial venture not only supports India’s National Skills Development Policy focus on employer-led, skills-based training, but it also aligns with NCN’s mission to be a college famed for supporting economic development, mobilising communities and transforming lives.”

Beach Soccer set to launch in India by Beach Soccer Worldwide
Goa Football Association and Goa Football Development Council come together to
support first-of-its-kind tournament

Mumbai, January 21 2013: Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) announced that it is now organizing India’s first professional Beach Soccer Championship in Goa, India. The Goa Football Association (GFA) and The Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) are backing the officially sanctioned event, which will become a bi-annual feature in India. The tournament will see the participation of prominent players from Goa’s popular football clubs and other prominent teams from around the country.

This first edition of the tournament will be held in Goa, India from 7th to 10th February, 2013, in accordance with official sporting rules as laid out by BSWW. The tournament boasts of an exciting format of the sport of soccer, one that requires a fun surrounding, the right attitude and minimal equipment.

The Teams will comprise of 10 players each – 5 on field and 5 as substitutes. The duration of play will include three periods of 12 minutes each, with a break of 3 minutes. In case of a tie at the end of regular time, there’s a 3-minute extra time, before the penalty shootout. The Beach Soccer tournament in Feb 2013 will see the teams battle it out for a grand prize of Rs. 2 lacs and will take home the champions trophy. This is the first step towards building a strong and scalable talent pool for this young and exciting sport.

Mumbai-based TransStadia is investing and managing the much-awaited sporting event in an attempt to introduce and develop the sport in India that is already played in 75 countries within the six FIFA Confederation zones. Over fifty soccer teams from across the country are all set to descend on Goa’s beaches and battle it out in a sport that was on born on the beaches of Brazil. Four world-class pitches and a world-class arena will be set up to give spectators’ an exhilarating experience, using the T-Box modular stadia technology.

Delighted to be associated with the event, Shrinivas Dempo, President, Goa Football Association stated, “Considering the ready infrastructure available for Beach Soccer in Goa, and the available talent, we are excited to be associated with this sport. Beach Soccer will serve as a natural academy for our footballing community. Football has been declared Goa’s official sport and we are proud to give it a new dimension through this championship.”

Commenting on Beach Soccer in India, Dr Rufino Monteiro, Chairman, Goa Football Development Council said, “We are delighted to be part of this new and exciting initiative and welcome Beach Soccer to India in this grand form. It offers local talent an excellent platform to display their skills and work towards making this a career opportunity. We would like to encourage more of such trendsetting events and increase the popularity of the format in the seasons to come. Goa is an ideal natural home, to launch this sport in this manner.

Joan Cusco, Beach Soccer Worldwide Executive Vice-president, expressed, “We are proud to see this sport take up in the traditional capital of football in India, and believe this is a giant step towards India’s participation in Beach Soccer. We hope to see more talent emerging from India, and look forward to India’s participation on the global stage. We congratulate the authorities in taking such pro-active steps towards this sport.

For registering your team, log on to www.beachsoccer.in or www.barefootfest.com. Registration is for free.

For further enquiries:

ZZEBRA PR Limited

TRADERS WILL OPPOSE POLITICAL PARTIES WHO WILL SUPPORT FDI IN RETAIL

 

Baroda19th January : The Traders of the Country have decided to convert themselves into a Vote Bank and in the forthcoming elections of various Assemblies in Year 2013 and Loksabha elections in Year 2014, the trading community will stoutly oppose all such political parties who have or will support FDI in Retail even at the polling booth level of 543 Parliamentary Constituencies-said Mr. Praveen Khandelwal, National Secretary General of the Confederation of All India Traders ( CAIT) today at Baroda while addressing a Press Conference at the occassion of a day long meeting of the trade leaders from different districts of Gujarat State. CAIT National Chairman Shri Mahendra Shah, National Secretary Shri Ramesh Khanna, Gujarat State Unit President Shri Pramod Bhagat and its Convenor Shri Jayendra Tanna and the Convenor of the meeting Shri Paresh Bhai also attended the Press Conference. The trade leaders from Gujarat have decided to join Anti FDI Rally at New Delhi on 7th March, in large numbers.

 

Mr. Khandelwal slammed the UPA government for allowing FDI in Retail Trade of India and said that it is nothing but to mortgage the indian retail trade at the hands of global retailers. He also mentioned that both NDA, Left Front and several other parties have already made clear that if in Loksabha elections in 2014, they are voted to power, the current notification of allowing FDI in Retail Trade will be rejected.

 

He lambasted the UPA Government said since its policy would shatter the Indian economy besides causing unemployment. He warned that Walmart and other retail giants procure about 80,000 different products manufactured by nearly 6,000 Chinese companies at cheaper rates and sell the same in India at higher prices and ultimately the Indian consumer will be hit hard.  He alleged that the country was being pushed into slavery in the name of modernisation.

 

Mr.Khandelwal cast reflections on the integrity of the UPA Government since the facts and figures quoted in support of their decision to allow fdi in retail, the Government has misled the Country and he even challanged the Government to hold an "open debate" on this issue at any public platform.

 

CAIT National Secretary Shri Ramesh Khanna said that during the two months Retail Democracy Movement the organizations of different retail stakeholders are holding jointly and severally Sampark Yatra for mass awareness. Programmes like Chaupal Charcha, a program to reach out to rural areas, Demonstration, Dharna, Torch Procession, FDI Effigy Burning together with other democratic form of protests all over the Country . A unique protest in form of ‘chain of cartoons’ will be adopted to pin point the issue while relevant "Hindi phrases" will be made alive as one of the protest mode. A special working team of computer professionals has been constituted to make optimum use of social media sites like Twitter and facebook to generate public opinion and to align more and more people directly with the cause. The delegations of KFVRM will also meet leaders of all political parties and chief Ministers of different States to muster their continued support to its national movement.

Dawn of a new era in Indian golf as 24 players are picked in historic auction.

· Nearly $ 700,000 (Rs. 3.83 crores) spent in auction for Pearls Golf Premier League in association with Aamby Valley City.
· Kiwi Michael Campbell goes for record $ 61,000
· Shiv Kapur, Gaganjeet Bhullar most expensive Indians
Mumbai, January 19: Indian golf witnessed the dawn of a new era as more than Rs. 3.83 crores (just under $ 700,000) was spent in the auction for 24 players as the inaugural Pearl Golf Premier League in association with Aamby Valley City was launched officially in Mumbai on Friday evening.
After the glittering launch featuring Bollywood superstar No. 1 Akshay Kumar, and his senior in the industry, Vinod Khanna, in the afternoon, as many as 24 players in three categories were ‘auctioned’ off in the evening at the resplendent Sahara Star Hotel. Akshay requested Vinod Khanna to sound the gong to signal the formal and official launch of the inaugural Pearl Golf Premier League in association with Aamby Valley City.
The golf auction in India was a historic first, as eight franchises bought three players each – a fourth was added to each one of them on the basis of their spend in the auction – to form their teams for the three-day path-breaking event to be held at the award-winning Aamby Valley Golf course from February 7 to 10, 2013.

As is always the case the auction generated a lot of excitement with the 2005 US Open champion, New Zealand’s Michael Campbell, who is once again running into form, was picked by Shubhkamna Eagles for a the highest figure of $ 61,000 (Rs. 33.55 lakhs), while Indian Internationals Shiv Kapur ($ 59,000) and Gaganjeet Bhullar ($ 58,000) were picked by Maharashtra 59ers and Witalsee Punjab Lancers respectively as the next in the pecking order.
Shubhkamna Eagles were the highest spenders at $ 1,50,000 (Rs. 82.5 lakhs) with Maharashtra 59ers at $ 1,35,000 (Rs. 74.25 lakhs) and Witalsee Punjab Lancers with $ 1,08,000 (Rs. 59.40 lakhs).

Among the teams which picked some of the big names were Maharashtra 59ers (Angel Cabrera, the two-time Major winner), Uttarakhand Lions (2011 Open winner, Darren Clarke), Colombo 6’s (Simon Dyson) and Tamilnadu Pullees (Rich Beem, a former PGA Championships winner).

Asian No. 1 Thaworn Wiratchant went to Witalsee Punjab Lancers, while world record holder, Chapchai Nirat went to Uttarakhand Lions and Daniel Chopra was picked by Shubhkamna Eagles.

Among Indian Internationals, Anirban Lahiri, who became the first player ever to go under the hammer, went to Shubhkamna Eagles for $ 52,000 and it set the trend for the evening.

“It was a very exciting day with the launch of the Pearls Golf Premier League by our own Brand Ambassador, Akshay Kumar, who is not only India’s top film star, but a perfect example of fitness. It was heartening to see the kind of response we got at the launch event.

Later in the evening, the auction, carried out for the first time ever in golf was thrilling as each team had its own strategy and along with their coaches/ advisors all teams picked the players they wanted in their squad. Now the stage is set for the inaugural Pearls Golf Premier League at the Aamby Valley Golf Course next month,” said Mr. KK Bakshi, spokesperson Pearls.

“I have always followed and encouraged any kind of sport, be it kabaddi, cricket, football, wrestling and now golf. I started my life with martial arts and still support training for the sport and my father was a wrestler and now Pearls is coming into other sports including golf and I wish them all the best,” said Akshay Kumar, India’s top actor and Brand Ambassador of Pearls Group.

Mr. Vivek Kumar, CEO Aamby Valley City and Hotel Sahara Star,” said, “We are extremely pleased to be associated with the prestigious Pearls Golf Premier League. At Aamby Valley City we have always aimed to provide golf enthusiasts with a memorable golfing experience and the event is sure to be an exciting occasion for all golfers. The country has never seen anything so exciting as the launch of Golf premier League, and the subsequent auction for the event, it has set a new trend in Indian golf. Voted as the Best International Golf Course at the International Property Awards, the golf course at Aamby Valley City is designed to match international luxury standards which are ideal for championships of this stature.”

“For me it is the slow and steady build-up to the dream that I have had for a franchise-based event in golf and now we are up and running. The launch and the auction have set the stage and now it is for us, the players, to add to the show,” said Shiv Kapur, one of India’s top professionals, and also the architect of the Pearls Golf Premier League.

“It is amazing how things are turning out. We have had an outstanding set of sponsors and team owners, who have contributed to each and every detail of the Pearls Golf Premier League and the events of the last couple of days has whetted the golf community’s appetite,” added Neeraj Sareen of the Sportsmantra, who alongwith Kapur conceptualized the event.