MUMBAI: With a view to contain the spread of COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a 21-day lockdown across the country, which is still in force. The lockdown means that all the citizens of the country are required to stay in the confines of their homes.
During the lockdown, employees of India’s leading cinema chain, INOX Leisure Ltd, across the country, are spending their time performing inventive and creative tasks. Such tasks not only help them stay panic-free, but also focused and productive. It also allows them to maintain a happy and positive environment at home. Employees were involved in activities like gardening, painting, food photography, toy photography, cooking, bird watching, stop motion video making etc.
Talking about the innovations, Saurabh Varma, Chief Marketing Officer – INOX Leisure Ltd said, “We have always motivated our colleagues to spend time on their emotional, mental and physical wellness by spending productive time, and the current lockdown is the best opportunity to do so. Once the daily work and home responsibilities are taken care of, our colleagues have been engaging themselves in some truly wonderful activities, and it is indeed very heartening to see this. In the current scenario, when stepping out of the house is not recommended, our colleagues have shown exemplary creativity.”
Links of Social Media Posts on Employees unlocking imagination:
New Delhi, March 2020: After gaining a huge success in India, Blaupunkt, renowned German Tech Brand,known for its innovation and advanced technology now offers the suite of personal and audio products on its official website in India.The company is offering special discounts on their products to drive consumers to its official websiteand to offer the Indian consumers with all major payment options available.
The strategic move to offer brand’s products on its own website will enable shoppers to select their favorite audio products directly from Blaupunkt’s official website https://blaupunktaudio.in/ available at competitive prices. Though the company will now sell its products online, they will also be available on third party ecommerce websites to reach a wider audience.
Blaupunkt, a global leader in the audio technology for over 95 years entered in India with its diverse audio product line in year 2017. Typical in German Style they combine durability and advance sound tech into their entire audio product line launched in India. They have a range of truly wireless earphones, wireless headphones, neckbands. Top sellers in India are their Soundbars range in both wired and wireless category. The entire Blaupunkt audio product line in India incorporates best of features, style and technology. Blaupunkt products deliver rich audio experience to all Indian music lovers.
Speaking about the benefits for consumers, SukheshMadaan CEO, Blaupunkt Audio said, “We see that most of our target audience demands the best products to be available in a wide range of options. We want to give extra confidence to end consumers and maximum information about the products through our portal.
He further added, there is lot of limitations when you sell through third party portals and selling directly through our website will build up loyalty for our consumers since we will be running a lot of loyalty program offers. We will also be giving away exclusive voucher gifting to our customers.
MUMBAI: The country is under turmoil because of the ongoing global pandemic- COVID 19. While the government has united its people to fight this deadly virus from spreading and the country is under a strict lockdown, it’s heartening to see organizations coming out in full support to extend support to local authorities to ease the situation.
Joining the league is the hospitality chain- The Byke Hospitality Ltd. that has approached local authorities and has offered its properties for quarantine facility, whenever the need arises. They are open to give any support the government may need and has already established one such quarantine centre at their Thane service apartment. The local authorities may use the service apartment if there is an increase in the number of patients needing quarantine facility.
The Byke Hospitality Ltd is a group of pure vegetarian hotels and resorts in India. Present in 21 strategic locations across the country, this leading chain of pure vegetarian hotels has informed the local authorities that they are open to give out the spaces for any relief activity at this time of COVID 19. Not just that, this hotel chain understands the stress and difficulties that daily wage workers are going through and have come out in support of them as well. The Byke Hospitality Ltd has tied up with Lions Club and a body named ‘My Green Society’ and is extending support to daily wage workers by providing essential grocery items to the families of daily wage worker. The donation details can be derived through a call centre number and by visiting the website www.mtdngo.org
Mr Anil Patodia, CMD, The Byke Hospitality Ltd said, " In these trying times of unprecedented crisis facing the nation, we at The Byke Hospitality have decided to do all we can to help our fellow countrymen. With exponential growth in number of patients needing quarantine facility and care, we have informed the local authorities that we are willing to convert our property spaces as full-fledged quarantine facility, whenever the need arises. We are also reaching out to the daily wage earners and helping them with essential items to help them survive with dignity in these trying times.”
MUMBAI: Online health services company myUpchar.com will donate all profits from medicine e-commerce during the lockdown from 24 March – 14 April 2020 to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund). The three-year-old health start-up announced the decision on Sunday – a day after Shri Narendra Modi launched the people’s fund to fight COVID-19.
“Any profit we make from the sale of medicines on www.myupchar.com during this time, we will donate to the fight against the new coronavirus,” said myUpchar.com CEO Rajat Garg.
myUpchar is a health services provider that delivers medicines to every corner of India and provides tele-consultations with specialists in fields from gynecology to psychology. The start-up also runs home sample collection facilities in 30 cities. All of these services will remain open during the lockdown, to address the growing concerns people have around their health at this time.
During this time, myUpchar will also release new videos and articles daily to share medically verified information about this new coronavirus. The company is also collaborating with doctors at major hospitals to give an up-to-date and holistic view to its 15 crore monthly viewers and readers of how to avoid infection, maintain social distancing and deal with the anxiety of living through a pandemic.
COVID-19 is a highly contagious viral infection – it was deemed a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) is a national fund for dealing with emergencies and distress situations, like the one posed by COVID-19. myUpchar is proud to be among the first to contribute to this nationwide war against COVID-19.
MUMBAI: Media Mantra, India’s fastest growing PR consultancy has bagged the public relations mandate of Loom Solar – a Faridabad based startup. Loom Solar Pvt. Ltd. is a manufacturer of Monocrystalline solar panels and AC modules. Media Mantra will be managing the brand’s image as a consultant and handle media duties, strategic PR and reputation management.
Loom Solar commenced its business in 2018 and soon gained recognition as the fastest-growing SMB of the Year’ award at Amazon SMBhav in the year 2020. The company is known for its advanced technology and has achieved the milestone of being the pioneers to bring IoT to Solar Panels in India.
On the appointment of the new PR team, Mr. Amol Anand, Co-founder, and Director, Loom Solar said “Media Mantra works with a range from solo entrepreneurs and startups and some of the best technology companies in India. Being an experienced PR firm with talented and creative minds and young professionals, we believe working, Media Mantra will contribute to enhancing our brand’s presence in the industry and will help us to maintain our communication with media, our stakeholders, employees and masses and will ultimately help to convey our messages and information about our products and services to our targeted audience.”
Speaking about the development, Mr. Udit Pathak, founder and director, Media Mantra said; “We are very happy to get an opportunity to manage the media presence of a brand like Loom Solar in India. Mr. Amol is a young entrepreneur and Loom Solar is an innovative brand that will not only give us an opportunity to explore renewable energy segments even further. It will also give us a new direction for us to work with a lot of fresh ideas and initiatives. We believe that PR and communications play an essential role in brand building and reputation management, especially start-ups. With our fresh perspectives and creativity, we are confident that we will add value to the brand’s overall representation in the segment.”
Media Mantra is the second-fastest-growing Image Management and Public Relations consulting firm in APAC and 9th fastest, globally. Strengthened by a cohesive network across the country and prolific relationships with prominent media platforms, Media Mantra is one of the Top PR Agency in Delhi NCR. Founded in 2012, Media Mantra has remarkably grown over the years through client and journalist referrals and today has emerged as the most trusted PR Agency in India. At present, the organization entails a prodigious clientele list, a passionate & experienced team, and a brilliant company trajectory.
MUMBAI: After-sales services company Onsitego recently announced the ‘Onsitego Cares Fund’ initiative, introduced for financial assistance to employees and service partners facing distress during the time of lockdown. Any employee or service center staff affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in need of funds, can make use of the ‘No Questions Asked’ Onsitego Cares Fund.
The company is extending interest-free funds of up to Rs. 12 lacs to select service partners that can be repaid anytime. Service center staff can write to the email ID provided to them mentioning the name and reason why they would like to use the fund. Onsitego will then process the payment within 24 hours without asking any questions.
For employees, it is providing a total grant of Rs. 10 lacs. Employees earning under Rs. 40,000 are entitled to an amount of up to 7 days of pay. Onsitego highlights that this is not an advance against salary and that employees who use this fund will not have to repay later.
Speaking about the initiative, Kunal Mahipal, CEO of Onsitego said, “We are happy to support our teams and partners in any way we can during this turbulent time. We have created a fund which would be of help to thosewho have been affected, directly or indirectly by the COVID 19 and need financial support. Our people havealways been our greatest strength and support,and I think it is important that we stand by them today when they are in need.“
The Onsitego Cares Fund will be available to employees and service partners across the country till the lockdown is discontinued by the Government.
MUMBAI: The nation is under a lockdown, and it's best advised to stay home to curb the spread of coronavirus. In these times, StepSetGo, a fitness tracking platform has changed their tracking algorithm to favour the users to gain extra benefits. StepSetGo is literally #CountingOnYou to experience a rewarding way to stay fit even indoors.
The application has already launched a feature that helps users earn more SSG coins (StepSetGo’s in-app currency) for every indoor step they take. To make this more exciting, they have introduced a series of challenges that encourage greater engagement. There are 7 types of challenges spread over 21 days to win more SSG Coins. Users can redeem these coins for exciting offers, freebies and exclusive discounts.
Under these 7 challenges, users will be encouraged to be active, burn calories, test their endurance levels, and find innovative ways to walk more within their homes, among others. Furthermore, in order to motivate users to complete all challenges, StepSetGo extended it on to social media. Users are encouraged to upload a screenshot of their completed tasks on Instagram or Facebook, which will make them eligible for a lucky draw.
Talking about the latest upgrade and introducing a right fit for this sentiment, Mr. Shivjeet Ghatge, CEO & CO-Founder, StepSetGo said, “Since our launch last year, StepSetGo has grown rapidly with over 5 million downloads. As we have an opportunity to reach out to this many people daily, we felt it was our responsibility to do our bit to push them to stay indoors, stay safe and stay fit. With this campaign the idea was to make sure the users are rewarded to stay active at home.”
It is a well-known fact, it takes 21 days to form a habit, and at the end of the challenge, StepSetGo is hopeful of inculcating walking as a part of one’s daily routine. To take part in the challenge, simply download the app, and get started from the Arena section, which details the challenges available.
MMUMBAI: BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender and OML will be announcing a series of online music festivals that will bring together artists across genres to live stream performances every weekend starting Friday 27th March.
Bacardi NH7 Weekender’s #HappyAtHome edition will bring together artists across genres to live stream performances every weekend (Friday to Sunday) from 6pm to 9 pm. For the pilot of this digital festival, fans can now tune in daily from Friday, March 27 to Sunday March 29 2020 from 6pm to 9pm on the Instagram page for the festival – instagram.com/nh7dotin,to see new artists live every day. The lineup for the 27th (Friday) includes artists like Marty Friedman, FKJ, Ritviz, Sickflip and Abish Mathew who will bring the festival experience to your home from their home – a mix of genres of music and comedy, your old favourite artists and new ones you can discover. Fans are encouraged to stay home, stay healthy, and enjoy some unique performances by a stellar lineup of artists which will be announced week on week.
For more detail on the artist line up log in at instagram.com/nh7dotin
BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender, conceptualized by OML, celebrated its 10th year in December 2019, wrapping up one decade of bringing together top global and Indian musicians on one stage for a multi-genre, multi-city music festival.
At 8 pm on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared on the national television and putting end to all speculations, announced a strict 21-day country-wide lockdown to prevent spread of Covid-19 aka Coronavirus. This was also a declaration of India entering a decisive stage in the war against the global pandemic, at the forefront of which are medical professionals such as nurses and doctors. While experts across the world are striving to introduce a vaccination for the life-threatening virus, doctors in hospitals are combating the menace at the ground level. Their commitment to work is coupled with heavy psychological burden as well.
With the pandemic holding humanity hostage and practically placing millions of Indians under house arrest, one thing that we all are fighting simultaneously is acute boredom. What has come to our rescue in this phase are the various short video platforms, such as VMate. Besides entertaining us, the short video apps are also adding to our pool of information regarding the virus. VMate, which has emerged as an active warrior in the battle, has witnessed convergence of doctors and medical professionals as well who are spreading authenticated and valuable information among the users.
One of the doctors on the trending short video app is Khushboo Tanwar from Faridabad in Haryana, who has explained the various symptoms of the virus – dry cough, fever, headache, fatigue and breathing trouble. She also explains how we can make home-made sanitizers using doctor spirit and aloe vera. Another doctor on the app, Dr Chitra Tamta from Nainital, has touched upon a common but least realized mistake that we commit. Most of us have been using masks since the outbreak of coronavirus but sadly, most of us have been doing it the wrong way. Dr Tamta, through her videos, has explained the right ways to wear a mask and use sanitizers.
Dr Animesh is another senior medical practitioner who is using VMate to spread awareness among masses. In his videos, the doctor stresses upon the need and means to ensure cleanliness, and also advises people to maintain a healthy diet to boost immunity. Adding to the bank of information is Dr Deepak Devgun from Haryana’s Kurukshetra. According to Dr Devgun, we must refrain from buying loose rations and instead stick to branded and packaged ration till the crisis is averted. According to him, germs/virus can be transmitted easily through loose lentils, rice, etc. Similarly, Dr Sandeep from UP’s Gautam Buddh Nagar has highlighted how regular exercise can help boost our immunity and deal with the situation.
With the mankind presumably facing the worst-ever health crisis, the tips and suggestions by these physicians on VMate can turn out to be life-saving mantra for us. Through small doable steps, they empower us and provide ammo to combat the corona crisis.
It is not for the first time that VMate, which is among the 10 most downloaded social media apps in the world, has offered us valuable information with regard to the Covid-19 outbreak. Recently, a number of videos of mask makers – stitching masks in bulk at factories and even small-time workshops – had trended on the platform. In the course of it, some of the creators had explained how a simple piece of cloth/handkerchief could be used to make a mask. Besides, some of the creators went for a lighter take on the issue, bringing smiles to our faces in the difficult times. Some had used parodies of popular songs while a few others had used jingles of advertisements to educate all on various aspects of the pandemic.
MUMBAI: The creative community has been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis. Creators whose earnings arise from individual projects have been left reeling from this unprecedented crisis which has now been compounded by an equally unprecedented lockdown aimed at keeping all Indian citizens indoors and safe. The lockdown has a significant human cost in terms of lost earnings and the consequent inability of many creative community members to sustain themselves and their families during the next three weeks.
The Indian Performing Right Society Ltd (IPRS) is mindful of the stark concerns faced by its author and music composer members and as a responsible copyright society mandated by the government of India is determined to do its bit to help its members across the country.
Accordingly, IPRS has declared an Emergency Relief Package to support its members, who are facing significant financial pressure during the Corona pandemic. The money will be paid to around 3150 author and music composer members across various geographies, to meet their basic needs for the next three weeks as we battle the virus.
IPRS chairman Javed Akhtar said, “It is our duty to support the call made by our prime minister Narendra Modi for society to support each other through this 21-day lockdown period. IPRS is what it is because of all its members. In these challenging and trying times, IPRS as a custodian of its creator members stands shoulder to shoulder with all its members. This payment by IPRS is our contribution for the time being to help our creator members tide over this period of the 21-day lockdown to be able to purchase basic necessities”.
IPRS CEO Rakesh Nigam said, “It is in times like these that bodies like IPRS can provide much-needed help and succour to its members. I am glad that we can contribute in this fashion to our members. I want to convey our Chairman Javed Saab’s message to all our members, that IPRS is there for them in this time of crisis.”
IPRS will be reaching out to its members to facilitate disbursement of the relief amounts on an immediate basis.
