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Tag: Barun Das

  • TV9 Network & AIANA team up to host ‘Pravasi Gujarati Parv 2022’

    TV9 Network & AIANA team up to host ‘Pravasi Gujarati Parv 2022’

    Mumbai: One of the largest NRI organisations in the nation, the Association of Indian Americans in North America (AIANA), and TV9 Network, have teamed up to celebrate the extraordinary international success of the Gujarati diaspora.

    Over 2,500 A-list Gujaratis from throughout India and more than 20 countries will attend the three-day Pravasi Gujarati Parv 2022 starting on 15 October in order to honour the outstanding Gujarati enterprise, culture, and asmita.

    Gujaratis living abroad are returning to Ahmedabad, where a three-day think and fun festival will commemorate their achievements as ambassadors of a new and resurgent India.

    It is a salute to the unstoppable force of Gujaratism and includes multi-media performances, a cultural extravaganza, thought leadership sessions, keynote speeches by politicians, sessions by spiritual gurus, business conferences, and celebrity performances.

    To welcome NRGs, prominent individuals, international Gujarati leaders from many industries, and Gujarati policymakers will be present. The think fest will set a new standard with over 200 important leaders, 80 speakers, 30 mega conclaves and conferences, 30 business tycoons, and multimedia performances with over 50 artists.

    Talking about the initiative, TV9 Network MD and CEO Barun Das said, “Diaspora plays a strategic role in building brand India in the global arena. The Gujarati diaspora has made an enduring impression world over driving thought leadership across domains. TV9’s Pravasi Gujarati Parv is a modest effort to showcase the global Gujarati leadership and celebrate its success. Joining the unique global celebration will be India’s top policy makers, celebrities and business leaders.”

    AIANA, India president Praful Nayak said, “As India is celebrating the 75th year of its independence, it is the most opportune time to showcase and celebrate the contribution of the Gujarati diaspora in building brand India in the global arena. It is our privilege to host global Gujarati leaders across the spectrum and learn from their journey. I am confident that their presence will inspire not only Gujaratis but people from all across the country. We, at AIANA, have been connecting, communicating, and celebrating the Indian diaspora on a global stage since 2002 through various mega events and initiatives.”

    The three-day event will be broadcast live on TV and digital, and it will centre on discussions and debates about how to make the NRI community feel at home to attract more investments; how Gujarati capital is creating global wealth; and how to celebrate Gujaratis in every sector—from sports to business to entertainment—and be the voice of Gujarat on the international stage. It will also give young achievers who are making Gujarat proud a platform to felicitate them. There will also be cultural performances to highlight Gujarati customs.

  • Arnab Goswami duologue with Barun Das: Reveals truth about TV ratings

    Arnab Goswami duologue with Barun Das: Reveals truth about TV ratings

    Mumbai: For the first time since the ED cleared Arnab Goswami and his network of any wrongdoing in the ratings scandal, he speaks candidly about it with Barun Das at news video magazine OTT platform News9 Plus, revealing the plot to frame him.

    In a sensational disclosure, Goswami claimed the entire ratings system was paralysed by the television industry in India to target him. “It was a bitter battle between new entrepreneurship and legacy media.”

    In his statement, he speaks not just about the ratings question but about a whole range of issues facing the Indian news media.

    As Goswami gets into the hot seat of Duologue with Barun Das to answer questions, it is a role reversal – both for Das as well as Goswami.

    TV9 Network managing director & CEO Barun Das has disrupted the news television order in the country. He has now been donning a new role facing the camera in his series Duologue, which featured former UK Prime Minister David Cameron as the last guest.

    Arnab responded to criticism about being pro-establishment in a recent episode of Duologue with Barun Das, citing the “nation wants to know” controversy to his days at NDTV and Times Now, as well as his vision for the Republic.

    Speaking about Goswami’s show, Das said, “I believe leadership is all about disruption. Arnab is phenomenal and makes for an unrivalled case study. You may love him or despise him, but you ignore him at your peril. The best part of having him at Duologue has been his uncanny ability to speak frankly on issues that not only define him but also have a significant bearing on the news media scene in India.”

    After the cameras stopped rolling, Goswami added, “Barun has an easy-going yet razor-sharp conversational style. He got me to open up on subjects I’ve been quiet about, and I’m glad we “duologued” like I haven’t before. I wish his OTT platform and this show all the very best.”

    Talking about the clean chit, Goswami said, “I recorded this Duologue with Barun a few days before the final TRP report came out. He made me speak about our incarceration for the first time since my arrest. People should know the truth about what happened to the Republic, how we fought, and how we have won. Most grateful to Barun for the opportunity.”

    Duologue with Barun Das featuring Arnab will host four episodes: The Disruptors; Friends, foes, and fortitude; Media Inc; and Frankly Speaking, Finally.

    Das’ show is a cerebral conversation with a legend or a legend in the making. As the title suggests, it is a two-way interaction to enable the exchange of ideas in a free-flowing manner. Duologue is not provoked by headline management but to evolve emancipated influencer conversations.

  • News9 Plus launches new OTT series ‘Duologue with Barun Das’

    News9 Plus launches new OTT series ‘Duologue with Barun Das’

    Mumbai: The first season of four mini-episodes for TV9 Network’s latest OTT series, Duologue with Barun Das, has been released.

    TV9 Network MD & CEO Barun Das introduces an exchange of ideas not prompted by headline management, but rather to evolve emancipated influencer conversations on the Network’s newly launched OTT video magazine, News9 Plus.

    The show made its debut with “Liger” actor Vijay Devrakonda. Das and Devrakonda discuss not only the Telugu boom in Bollywood but the lives and times of both as they exchange hitherto unknown experiences and perspectives.

    Next in line on Duologue with Barun Das, Das engages with the UK’s former prime minister David Cameron, who made history by becoming the country’s youngest leader in two centuries, forging unrivalled ties with India. Cameron speaks about India’s role in the emerging global order.

    Speaking on the philosophy of Duologue, Das said, “Duologue is a cerebral conversation with a legend or a legend in the making. That’s the profile the show will feature. As the title suggests, it is a two-way interaction where we pose questions to each other as we exchange ideas in a free-flowing manner.”

    He added, “For me to take up this role, the driving force is the need to aggregate great ideas for India’s path to development. I also believe there is room for creating long-lasting and meaningful conversations in a content environment currently dominated by sensationalism.”

    “Barun Das is neither a conventional business leader nor a professional anchor. As a CEO, he has always outperformed the industry. Little known in the public domain is his unique and uncanny ability to slice through conflicting narratives with great ease while stitching loose threads to build meaningful conversations with intelligent minds,” said News9 Plus editor Sandeep Unnithan.

    After watching the show, The Linus Adventures founder and chief evangelist Sunil Lulla said, “Tantalising and intriguing. Duologue opens new voices and new perspectives.”

    “I loved the episode. Barun is so natural. I feel this kind of content can reach a whole new demography… not just rule India but reach the world,” added Chopra Foundation CEO & Seva.Love founder Poonacha Machaiah.

    The show is streaming now on the News9 Plus app, available across the iOS App Store and Google Play Store, as well as on the web.

  • Associated Broadcasting Company approves appointment of Barun Das as MD & CEO of TV9 Network

    Associated Broadcasting Company approves appointment of Barun Das as MD & CEO of TV9 Network

    Mumbai: The board of directors of Associated Broadcasting Company (ABCPL) has approved the appointment of Barun Das as managing director & CEO of TV9 Network with effect from 22 June.

    Das has been associated with TV9 Network since August 2019 and is currently serving as its CEO. Under his leadership, TV9 Network has achieved the distinction to become the undisputed number one news network in the country.

    He is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kolkata and the London School of Economics (LSE). His last corporate assignment was as the CEO of Zee Media Limited where he worked for over five years.

    ABCPL has also approved the appointment of veteran journalist Hemant Sharma, as whole time director on the Board.

    Hemant Sharma, Ph.D. from BHU, who has been associated with TV9 Network since early 2019, will continue to supervise the editorial affairs of TV9 Bharatvarsh.

    Sharma is an award-winning journalist, author and academician. He has earlier worked in leadership roles across major print and television news brands including Jansatta, Hindustan, and India TV, among others. He also serves as Visiting Professor at Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

    These appointments are subject to AGM and other statutory clearances.

  • Why Barc’s landing page viewership measurement is worrying TV9’s Barun Das

    Why Barc’s landing page viewership measurement is worrying TV9’s Barun Das

    Mumbai: The landing page controversy continues to dog ratings body the Broadcast Audience Research Council India (Barc). The latest one to wave a red flag is TV9 Network CEO Barun Das. Das is quite emphatic that the TV monitor needs to change the manner in the way it measures viewership, especially that which is garnered by news channels through channel placement on the landing page of a distribution platform operator (DPO). He has gone so far as to call it illegitimate and a restrictive trade practice.

    The landing page helps TV broadcasters enhance reach as it allows them to be the first channel on which the viewer lands when he/she switches on the set-top-box (STB). News broadcasters have been paying top dollar to place their respective channels on the landing page as it allegedly helps them garner higher ratings on their respective genres.

    It has been argued that landing pages are a marketing tool for broadcasters to promote their TV channels. An analogy has been drawn that a channel placed on a landing page is akin to FMCG companies prominently displaying their products on shelves in a retail outlet. This practice by FMCG players gives consumers the ‘opportunity to see’ their products.

    Das says this reasoning has no merit, in a letter addressed to Barc chairman Shashi Sinha. Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati and Barc CEO Nakul Chopra have also been sent a copy.

    “A landing page actually blocks other channels from reaching consumers as soon as a viewer switches on the TV. It is a restrictive trade practice as a whole,” he states in the missive. “All the more so because, unlike an FMCG where the shelf space (first step) only attracts the attention, and then the purchase (actual transaction) happens. In the context of TV, watching itself is the transaction. Thus, it cannot be compared to an FMCG.”

    Das further claims that due to some mechanisms on the ground, the landing page has been adjusted in such a way that even if the consumer does not want to watch the landing channel, the remote doesn’t allow him/her to change to another one.

    “Any viewership achieved this way is certainly not legitimate,” posits Das.

    The larger issue of leveraging landing pages is that it makes the news broadcasting industry uncompetitive and unviable.

    As per industry estimates, when a broadcaster signs a carriage deal with a cable operator, the same deal costs two to three times more with the addition of placement on the landing page. So, a carriage deal that costs Rs 10 lakh may amount to Rs 40 lakh with the landing page included. Such deals are locked with large sized head ends and multiservice operators.

    “The news industry collectively went wrong when they started paying absurd carriage/placement fees for better LCNs (logical channel numbers).  Now, we’re creating one more demon in the form of a landing page. If you continue to allow landing pages as part of legitimate viewership, the same carriage-fee phenomenon will set in soon,” Das appeals in the letter.

    Das is referring to the industry practice, where a broadcaster pays exorbitant placement fees to DPOs for favourable placement of its channel in the LCN. This practice continued until the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) directed DPOs that all channels of a particular genre must be placed together and any change in the position of the channel cannot take place without prior approval from the regulatory body.

    “Landing pages are so priced so exorbitantly that only GECs (general entertainment channels) which have a far higher revenue base can afford them,” states Das. “Also, since the viewership base of GEC is much higher (compared with news genre), the viewership gained through landing pages has a minor impact on the overall viewership. In the context of news channels, the impact of landing pages is very significant.”

    In September 2017, the ministry of information and broadcasting asked Barc to pause the ratings of TV channels that were using landing pages. This was followed by Trai directing all broadcasters of TV channels to refrain from placing any registered satellite television channel whose TV rating was measured by Barc India on the landing LCN or landing channel or boot up screen.  

    This directive was overturned by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) in an order dated May 2019 after news broadcaster Times Network approached the appellate body. The order by TDSAT stated that the landing page was a legitimate tool for promotion, allowing the industry to continue using it.

    However, Das argues that the cost of placement on landing channels cannot be matched by the revenue potential of the news genre. Similar to LCN placement, in the quest for short term gains, news channels may again scramble to be placed on the landing page by out paying one another.  

    “Some channels are paying astronomical amounts and are gaining viewership,” claims Das.

    Barc has attempted to mitigate some of the impact of the landing page on viewership of channels, although it has not been able to completely exclude landing page data with its algorithm-based data validation method. The outlier data was previously removed using symptomatic statistics but Barc replaced it with a methodology that uses inferential statistics to deliver better results across genres.

    In his letter, Das appeals to the Barc board to investigate and resolve the landing page issue and save the broadcast industry from this ‘coming crisis.’

    “I strongly reiterate that landing pages can by all means be used as a promotional/marketing tool. But the viewership garnered through the landing page cannot be counted in BARC viewership reports,” Das tells Indiantelevision.com.

  • News9 Plus is an out-of-the-box idea: TV9 Network CEO Barun Das

    News9 Plus is an out-of-the-box idea: TV9 Network CEO Barun Das

    Mumbai: The multi-lingual national media network TV9 Network recently launched its prime offering, News9 Plus – India’s first video magazine OTT service. News9 Plus is a unique service platform that will operate at the intersection of impeccable journalism, world-class presentation, and next-in-class technology..

    It will showcase narratives, news, and debates with in-depth analysis and production qualities. There will be unique storytelling techniques through the OTT platforms. After the foray of the network into the digital news domain, TV9 is constantly growing and expanding its horizons in different mediums. The platform is destined to be the go-to app for nuanced news-based content produced with the best in class audio-visual storytelling formats.

    News9 Plus is the first pureplay subscription-driven, and on-demand news product. In a press statement, TV9 Network CEO Barun Das said the company is committed to bringing about a qualitative change in the news genre landscape. 

    “The best is yet to come,” Das affirmed, adding that, “News9 Plus is one such out-of-box idea that promises to radically change the art of story-telling in news media.”

    TV9 Network group editor B V Rao said News9 Plus is an audacious attempt to take the news to the OTT space. “A generation brought up on watching the best of content on Netflix, etc, won’t settle for anything other than the best-produced news content. News9 Plus will cater to this Genflix – or the generation that lives on Netflix,” Rao added.

    TV9 Bharatvarsh, which has just scripted history to become India’s top Hindi news channel, celebrated its third anniversary on Wednesday.  

    According to the data shared by the network provided to them by Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India, TV9 Bharatvarsh has emerged as the leading Hindi news channel in week 10 (5-11 April) in terms of market share. According to the data, TV9 Bharatvarsh leads the Hindi-speaking market (HSM) with 16.9 per cent market share for the target audience 15+ all adults.

    “We are extremely pleased to receive a resounding thumbs up for our sterling performance. For us, any celebration is incomplete without the participation of all those who have seen us through our journey to the top. We salute the verdict of viewers with a promise that we shall always endeavor to serve them without fear or favor,” Das said in a statement.

    Talking about the number one status achieved by TV9 Bharatvarsh, TV9 Bharatvarsh news director Hemant Sharma said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable. We owe our success to our viewers. We have a responsibility to ensure we continue to earn their trust.”

    “It is a dream come true for me,” commented TV9 Bharatvarsh editor Sant Prasad Rai. “My team has given their 100% to end the legacy of 22 years and become the top Hindi news channel.”  

    TV9 Network promotes marquee leader news brands that include TV9 Kannada, TV9 Telugu, TV9 Marathi, TV9 Gujarati and TV9 Bharatvarsh. Its digital assets include TV9 Hindi, News9live, and Money9. 

  • Sandeep Unnithan appointed as editor of News9 Plus

    Sandeep Unnithan appointed as editor of News9 Plus

    Mumbai: TV9 Network has announced the appointment of former India Today managing editor Sandeep Unnithan as the editor of News9 Plus, the recently announced video magazine OTT service by the network. 

    In this role, Unnithan will be responsible for all day-to-day news and editorial reportage at News9 Plus, for rich perspectives, narratives, and debates in a video on demand format, said the media company in a statement. “He will report to TV9 Network CEO Barun Das and TV9 Network group editor B V Rao,” it added. 

    Unnithanr bings with him a wealth of editorial experience with in-depth reporting on defence and strategic affairs. He is the author of “Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11” and the co-author of “Operation X” – a non-fiction book on India’s covert Naval operations during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

    “With Sandeep on board, his rich experience in writing and editing long form stories will play out on the richness of our editorial content,” said Barun Das CEO TV9 Network. “Sandeep will add gravitas, diversity and immersive storytelling that the English news audience deserves. We are confident that quality content will attract quality subscribers. At News9 Plus, we are going to make content a ‘want’ and not just a ‘need’. You would ‘want’ to keep coming back.”

    “This seems like the idea of the decade – where my past experience of long form reportage and storytelling for an evolved audience converge in a future-ready OTT avatar. News9 Plus is the future and I’m excited to help shape it,” said Sandeep Unnithan.

    “News9 Plus needs an editor who understands the pulse of the English-speaking audience – what we define as the GenFlix,” said TV9 Network group editor BV Rao. “The content that GenFlix would like to watch and eventually pay for will define News9 Plus as a differentiated news product. Sandeep and his team will drive that content differentiation for GenFlix.”

    TV9 Network has made another key hire for News9 Plus in Sandhya Ravishankar, award winning journalist from the south, who specializes in investigation. She won the Ramnath Goenka award in 2018 for her seven year-long reportage on beach sand mining.

    Aditya, who has earlier worked with CNN News 18, Times Now and Republic TV, will man the intersection of internal security, terrorism and diplomacy at News9 Plus. 

    News9 Plus will launch at the end of March 2022 on Web, Android and iOS marketplaces. Integrations on connected TVs and smart devices will follow soon thereafter, said the statement.

  • TV9 Bangla ropes in senior journalists Anirban Choudhury and Pew Roy

    TV9 Bangla ropes in senior journalists Anirban Choudhury and Pew Roy

    Mumbai: TV9 Bangla has announced the onboarding of senior journalist Anirban Choudhury. A well-known face in the region, Choudhury will anchor the channel’s primetime 10 p.m show. 

    Choudhury will also manage the eastern region for News9 Plus, the soon-to-be-launched English OTT news service for the ‘GenFlix,’ said the media company. In his earlier on-air role, he has built a strong and loyal viewership for the primetime slot.

    “TV9 Bangla, within a year of its launch, has already assumed the thought leadership in the region,” commented Choudhury. “I want to further enrich the proposition by bringing on board fresh ideas with a new perspective and re-attain my supremacy at the 10 pm slot. Alongside, I am excited to be part of the bold and first-of-its-kind initiative – News9 Plus.”

    TV9 Bangla has also roped in senior journalist and another well-known prime-time face on Bengali news television, Pew Roy.

    “TV9 Network is India’s news leader, and I am extremely proud to be a part of TV9 Bangla. I am looking forward to working with some of the best-known editors to make a credible contribution,” commented Roy.  

    “Having made a great start, TV9 Bangla is now gearing up for the undisputed leadership position as we enjoy in all other regional markets,” stated TV9 Network CEO Barun Das. “Anirban and Pew bring onboard invaluable editorial experience that will help us reimagining Bangla news primetime.”

     “As the youngest member of India’s No 1 News Network, TV9 Bangla has always strived and met great expectations of the viewers and the management alike,” said TV9 Bangla Managing editor Amritanshu Bhattacharya. “With Anirban and Pew on board we are now undoubtedly the most formidable editorial team of Bangla news television.”

  • News9 Plus will deliver news to ‘GenFlix’ in their language, idiom & format: Barun Das

    News9 Plus will deliver news to ‘GenFlix’ in their language, idiom & format: Barun Das

    Mumbai: TV9 has launched an English video news magazine in an OTT format called News9 Plus, as previously reported by Indiantelevision.com. The platform is slated for a beta launch this month, followed by a full-scale take-off in March.

    News9 Plus continues the legacy of News9 the network’s erstwhile English news channel out of Bengaluru. The digital platform will be a subscription-driven on-demand news product. “It will showcase news, narratives, and debates with the depth and gravitas of news magazines and the production qualities and story-telling techniques of OTT platforms,” said the statement.

    TV9 Network to launch new digital video magazine platform 

    The channel will break away from 24-hour live news commentary. Rather, a sizeable number of special videos that will have a longer shelf life and cater to diverse audience preferences will define its market standing, the statement added.

    News9 Plus will host a variety of ‘rail tracks’ that will cater to the news of the day for the purpose of providing context to the extensive programming that will define the app. It will showcase editorially rich, long shelf-life content that has relevance beyond the immediate.

    “Historically, the Indian news genre has undermined itself with a huge self-created handicap,” said TV9 Network CEO Barun Das. “It has never leveraged India’s core strength – its large consumer base. Newspapers have always subsidised the reader and TV news channels are mostly free to air. Hence, we have lived with tremendous pressure on ad revenue. On the other hand, consumers have just about started paying for digital news. However, this propensity to pay for digital news will depend on how effectively digital news platforms can serve the consumer ‘what they want, when they want.’

    “The English news television space has shrunk dramatically over the past few years in viewership and revenue. So, it seemed obvious to us that this English-speaking audience – often the early adapters – are waiting for an OTT news service,” Das said. “To my mind, linear news television will make way for OTT news service in the near future. Hindi and regional language markets may continue in the current linear TV mode for some more time, but it is certainly time for a cutting-edge OTT news offering in English that marries the best UI/UX that technology can offer with incisive, in-depth, intelligent and engaging content. News9 Plus will strive to be that exact amalgam.”

    He further said, “News is no more about breaking it as it happens every nano-second on social media. It must now adapt to the new, exacting content standards which the ‘GenFlix,’ or Generation Netflix, has become accustomed to. News9 Plus will fill the void created by the diminishing footprint of news magazines in the digital era. And it will do it in the only medium the digital native cares about: video.”

    Das also sounded a cautionary note for the news industry. He said, “We are proud to be the first OTT news service, not only in India but possibly in the world. I sincerely hope that when the OTT news service pans out in India, it will not repeat the blunders of the past in creating its own death trap by setting off subscription price wars and rendering the business unviable. I am certain this new model will be an SVOD (subscription-based video on demand) model and advertising revenue, if any, will make only a minuscule contribution.”

    “At TV9 Network, it is clear to us where the discerning English news viewer is going and why,” observed TV9 Network group editor BV Rao. “The ‘GenFlix’ English news viewers are not running away from news. They are running away from the cacophony that television news has come to represent. Exposed as they are to the best of the best global content on OTT, these discerning news viewers do not relate to the ‘you bite me, I bite you’ journalism that has struck deep roots on television. ‘GenFlix’ has no appetite for such content.   So, the future news business battles will have to be fought in the OTT environment.  For us, that future is now. And we call it News9 Plus.”

    Subscribers will find unique series, seasons, and episodes on News9 Plus, just like OTT platforms offer. But the differentiator here will be the editorial nuance and the rigour of journalism that makes the content factually grounded, credibly narrated and engagingly produced. News9 Plus hopes to create an experience that audiences spoilt for a plethora of non-news choices in the OTT era would choose to watch.

    “Subscribers will find unique series, seasons, and episodes on News9 Plus, just like OTT platforms offer. But the differentiator here will be the editorial nuance and the rigour of journalism that makes the content factually grounded, credibly narrated and engagingly produced,” said the statement.

  • TV9 Bangla announces mega Telethon to celebrate Bangaliana on 6 Feb

    TV9 Bangla announces mega Telethon to celebrate Bangaliana on 6 Feb

    Mumbai: TV9 Bangla is set to hold its landmark programme “Bangaliana Telethon” to celebrate the channel’s first anniversary. The programme will be aired LIVE on 6 February (Sunday) 2pm onwards.

    The telethon will celebrate the achievements of Bengalis across the globe as well as conduct candid discussions on their glorious past and present. There will be a freewheeling discussion in which eminent, and accomplished Bengalis in various fields such as literature, culture, music, films, theatre, politics, business, industry, and women empowerment will participate.

    Hosted by the TV9 Network’s CEO Barun Das, this telethon will be co-hosted by celebrities such as filmmaker Gautam Ghosh and actors Arpita Chatterjee, Anirban Bhattacharya and Ritabhari Chakraborty.

    The discussion will begin with broad- spectrum sessions divided into 11 segments on the significance of the past of the Bengalis, where they stand now and what is the way forward. The Bengal Renaissance, the period of awakening and arguably the golden period of achievements of Bengalis, would be a reference point of the discussions and how the race surged ahead to lead the nation in virtually all aspects of public life and creativity, the channel said in a a statement.

    TV9 Network CEO Barun Das said, “TV9 Bangla would mobilise and sensitise about 10 crore Bengalis in the quest for their glory. To deliberate on the present and think of a roadmap for the future. We intend to set up an advisory board consisting of eminent personalities who are the legends in their respective fields. The exclusive board would enrich the endeavor and guide us through this journey for our mission seeking rejuvenation of Bangaliana.”

    Some of the deliberations will focus on whether the lack of entrepreneurial spirit of Bengalis or their quest for a safe and secure life as an employee doing a job poses an impediment to their entrepreneurship, the relevance of Bengalis in national political arena, the rather small market for Bengali films and books, the lack of “professionalism” of Bengali theatre, the position of women empowerment among Bengalis, the state of the state of the music industry in Bengal.