Samsung Venture makes First Investments in India

Being a leader in innovation, Samsung closely works with a host of startups committed towards building innovative and purposeful technologies across the globe and in India. The company’s investment arm has decided to make its investments in a system apps company OSLabs (Indus OS), speech technology startup Gnani.ai, IoT solutions provider Silvan Innovation Labs and an early stage computer vision startup.

OSLabs has developed a curated app store, Indus App Bazaar, which has a collection of over 400,000 mobile apps in multiple Indian languages. Bangalore-based Gnani.ai works in the space of automatic speech recognition and natural language processing in Indic languages for building voice assistants and for speech analytics.  Silvan Innovation Labs is a leader in IoT solutions for homes and enterprisesand has pioneered solutions for smart spaces. The startup provides solutions that address safety, security, comfort, convenience and energy management.

   “Samsung is committed to work with and invest in promising Indian startups. This will be a win-win for both as it will help startups scale their solutions through this deep engagement while we get an opportunity to enrich our offerings to our consumers,” said Dr. Aloknath De, Corporate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Samsung R&D Institute Bengaluru.         

Instagram ties up with YLAC India for Counter Speech Fellowship in Kolkata

Instagram, in association with Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC), launched its flagship youth program - the Counter Speech Fellowship. Coming to Kolkata for the second time in two years, the Fellowship is a part of Instagram’s efforts to be the safest and kindest platform for teens to express themselves, informed Tara Bedi, Public Policy and Community Outreach Manager, Instagram, India.

The Counter Speech Fellowship engages creative teens to use the power of visual storytelling to start meaningful conversations on issues that are important to young citizens around the world. The program is built around the idea of using arts for positive expression and advocacy, and is designed as an incubator for the future generation of leaders and activists. In 2019, the fellowship will be launched in Kolkata, Guwahati and Hyderabad and will focus on six themes - bullying, diversity, mental well-being, body positivity, gender equality and sustainability, informed Rohit Kumar, Co-Founder, YLAC India.

The fellowship was launched in 2017 and expanded to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata in 2018. 180 teen leaders have graduated from the fellowship so far across these cities.

Samsung Venture makes First Investments in India

Being a leader in innovation, Samsung closely works with a host of startups committed towards building innovative and purposeful technologies across the globe and in India. The company’s investment arm has decided to make its investments in a system apps company OSLabs (Indus OS), speech technology startup Gnani.ai, IoT solutions provider Silvan Innovation Labs and an early stage computer vision startup.

OSLabs has developed a curated app store, Indus App Bazaar, which has a collection of over 400,000 mobile apps in multiple Indian languages. Bangalore-based Gnani.ai works in the space of automatic speech recognition and natural language processing in Indic languages for building voice assistants and for speech analytics.  Silvan Innovation Labs is a leader in IoT solutions for homes and enterprisesand has pioneered solutions for smart spaces. The startup provides solutions that address safety, security, comfort, convenience and energy management.

   “Samsung is committed to work with and invest in promising Indian startups. This will be a win-win for both as it will help startups scale their solutions through this deep engagement while we get an opportunity to enrich our offerings to our consumers,” said Dr. Aloknath De, Corporate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Samsung R&D Institute Bengaluru.         

FIRE-less Cooking Contest' during Rathayatra

On 9th July eve,  'Rathayatra Special BHOG-Ranna Contest' (Fire-Less) was presented by 'Newtown Shukhobrishti Jagannath Society'.

 Ms. Smita Chakraborty (Cultural Secy.), Chandana Mallick and Subhodeep Mallick (Org. Secy., 'Newtown Shukhobrishti Jagannath Society') coordinated this grand initiative with Asish Basak, Editor-Director, 'Hello Kolkata'.

  The zealous participants, including Nupur Sadhu, Chandana Das, Lasya Lajuli, Madhab Ghosh and Shanta Debnath, presenetd mouth-watering dishes to the esteemed jury members--Papri Das, Utpal Mitra, Puspa Acharjee and Amit Basu Roy Chowdhury.

 

Maharaja' Sourav Ganguly debuts on Instagram

On the occasion of his 47th birthday, former Indian cricket captain and Padma Shri winner, Sourav Ganguly was ushered into Instagram. His Instagram account will be a window to his life, for cricket fans in India and around the world.

    Highly acclaimed as one of the greatest Captains in the history of Indian cricket, Sourav Ganguly or 'Dada' (& sometimes 'Maharaja'), as he is fondly called, is a living legend. Through Instagram, Sourav hopes to connect directly with his young fans, share memorable moments from his illustrious cricketing career, cheer for the Indian team as they play in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup and express his opinion on social causes, with Instagram’s 1 billion strong global community.

      Welcoming him to the Instagram community, Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships, Facebook India, said, “Enabling expression and fostering connections are at the heart of Instagram, and for public figures like Sourav Ganguly, the community serves as another creative outlet that enables them to directly engage with their fans.”

    Sourav joins a long list of eminent personalities from Bengal who are present on Instagram, like Nusrat, Jeet, Ritabhari  and Mimi.                       

Rathayatra Special BHOG-Ranna Contest'

14 over-enthusiastic talented cooks and food-lovers participated in 'Rathayatra Special BHOG-Ranna Contest', presented by 'Newtown Shukhobrishti Jagannath Society', in association with 'Hello Kolkata' on 7th July eve.

  The joint winners were Shanta Debnath ('Rashabara') and Madhumita Ghosh ('Gajorer Sandesh'), closely followed by Madhab Ghosh ('Malpoya' & 'Rabri'). Other contestants who presented delicious dishes of various items were Chaitali Banerjee, Chandana Das, Ishita Banerjee, Lalita, Ronita Banerjee, Sukla Banerjee, Madhuri Mahato, Payel Ghosh, Rakhi Modak Nayek, Piu Haldar and Smita Chakraborty.

    The Jury Members were Tamal Mukherjee, Dr. Saheli Roychowdhury, Putul Biswas, Piyali Basu Roychowdhury, Susanta Prasanna Tikadar, Swati Mukherjee and Amit Basu Roychowdhury.
       Sukanya Roy and Tamonash Mukherjee did wonderful coordination of the program.

    Ms. Smita Charaborty, Cultural Secy. and Mr. Subhodeep Mallick, Org. Secy. of 'Newtown Shukhobrishti Jagannath Society' whole-heartedly supported this grand cooking fiesta.

    Asish Basak, Editor-Director, 'Hello Kolkata' remarked that 'Rathaytra Utsav' at Newtown Sukhobrishti' is a perfect setting for such a cooking contest as delicious 56 bhogs are regularly rendered to Lord Jagannath & his siblings.

    On 9th July, 2nd round of 'Hello Kolkata COOKING FIESTA' will take place again here, informed Subhodeep Mallick.

Rathayatra Utsav' by 'Newtown Shukhobrishti Jagannath Society'

Newtown Shukhobrishti Jagannath Society' has organized a mega fiesta- 'Lord of the Universe Fest' ('Rathayatra Utsav') from 3 - 12 July at Newtown Shukhobrishti Complex.

   Apart from 56 Bhogs & Arati each day, the festival has a well-spread Fair, showcasing various items, along with a range of cultural programs on stage for wholesome entertainment for all ages, informed Sri Subhodeep Mallick, Organizing Secretary, NSJS.

  "We are proud to be associated as 'Media Partner' of this grand initiative that promotes socio-cultural harmony," remarked Asish Basak, Editor-Director, 'Hello Kolkata'.

   "Each day we have more than hundreds of visitors, including dignitaries from all sectors of the society," said Subhodeep Mallick and Smita Chakraborty, Cultural Secy., NSJS

   Special guests of 5th July eve at NSJS Fest included Aloke Datta (poet & socio-cultural promoter), Amit Basu Roy Chowdhury (social activist), Dibyendu Pal (nationally acclaimed musician), Sanskar (Indian Idol famed singer), businessman Dibyangshu Nandi, anchor Sukanya Roy and many others.     

Two New Music Albums

Eagle Eye Entertainment and Angel Digital had officially released their  wo music albums - "Tara Tui To Amar Maa" and "Tor Ai Valobasari Chhoya Ke". The glittering ceremony was held at Kolkata Press Club on 4th July eve.

   "Tor Ai Valobasari Chhoya Ke" is sung by Zee Bangla Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2016 champion Soumen Nandi and Sangita Deb.

   "Tara Tui To Amar Maa" is sung by renowned singer Ranvir Roy,     

       A host of dignitaries from various sectors of the society, including singer Kamalika Chakrabarty from Zee Bangla and Junior Kishor Mondal from Star Jalsa, had graced the occasion.

Cinépolis ‘Mango Festival

Cinépolis celebrates the king of fruits by hosting a ‘Mango Festival’ from 25th May to 17th August at Cinépolis Acropolis and Cinépolis Lake Mall.

     Cinépolis has curated a mouth-watering range of dishes that beautifully heroes the tantalizing flavor of mango in its most popular offerings, such as Mango Coconut Frappe and Mango iced tea for the thirsty patrons; exhilarating dessert desserts such as Mango Choco delight and Mango Cheese cake Sundae for the sweet toothed foodies, Mango Bhel for the street food lovers and the Mango Greek salad for the health enthusiasts. The new dishes are available in the in-house café, Coffee Tree across 38 sites.         

প্রেস ক্লাবে ' রংহীন রামধনু '।

মিষ্টিমধুর প্রেম আর প্রাক-প্রেম সংঘাতকে চিত্রনাট্যের( হরিদাস দাস) বাধনে বেধে পরিচালক উমাশঙ্কর পতিত তৈরি করলেন পূর্নদৈর্ঘ্যের সিনেমা ' রংহীন রামধনু '। আজ কলকাতা প্রেস ক্লাবে সংগীত পরিচালক বব চক্রবর্তী ও কলাকুশলীদের বক্তব্যে জানা গেল কাহিনীর সার সংক্ষেপ।

ধনী ব্যবসায়ী সূর্যকান্তের ছেলে রোহানের সাথে প্রভাবশালী মন্ত্রী জাফর শেঠের মেয়ে সুমির প্রেমকে কেন্দ্র করে ছবির শুরু থেকেই রয়েছে টানটান উত্তেজনা। ওরা সমাজের এক্তিয়ারের বাইরে চলে যাবার চেষ্টা করলেও ধরা পড়ে যায় রোহান এবং ওকে খুন করা হয়। এ ঘটনা সুমি দেখে মানসিক রোগী হয়ে যায় ও তার স্থান হয় মানসিক হাসপাতালে। এভাবেই ঘাত-প্রতিঘাতে এগিয়ে যায় ' রংহীন রামধনু '। ক্রিয়েশন ইমেজ নিবেদিত এই সিনেমা টির শুভমুক্তি ১৯ জুলাই।

অভিনয়ে: নীলু ভৌমিক, বিশ্বজিৎ চক্রবর্তী, ভরত কল, সাগ্নিক চ্যাটার্জী, বৃষ্টি আলম। প্রযোজনা- অভিজিৎ রায়, চিত্রগ্রহন-মিন্টু কুমার সিংহ, সম্পাদনা-সুদীপ্ত। নেপথ্য শিল্পী - উত্তম মান্না, রিতা, সিদ্ধার্থ, শ্রাবনী, বব।

Barsha Boron" at Bhubaneswar

Gitanjali' and 'Delight Entertain....' (two of the leading cultural organizations in Bhubaneswar) jointly staged "Barsha Boron" on 30th June at Hotel Suriyansh. In spite of massive rain in the same evening, the auditorium was almost full with the hard core music lovers of Bhubaneswar.

   The program began with a series of Bengali programs (songs, recitations, geeti alekhho, sruti natak, etc) presented by "Team Geetanjali", performed by Mowha Maharana, Indira Dey, Priya Sengupta,  Radha Basu, Suparna Banerjee. Master Priyodarshi Mahit, Pranab Kumar Dey, Dr. Sajalendu Malakar and Parmal Malakar. Radha Bose played the role of the anchor while the Club Secretary T.K. Raha ensured that perfection was never compromised in any sector.

    This was soon followed by a musical fiesta with Arun Mathan (Delight Entertain..) at the helm. The singers included Swapna Patra, Tanushree Jena, Master Nilu and Arun Mathan, supported by some of the eminent musicians of the city like Kishore Nayak, Girija and Sanjoy.

    The cultural event was followed by a well-spread cocktail & dinner.         

Quality Drinking Water with CMERI Technology

Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink.’ About half of India is facing drinking water crisis with Chennai and Bengaluru bearing the brunt as monsoon got

delayed and arrived without a brimming bucket.

drinking water CSIR-CMERI has come up with technologies to remove these harmful elements from water for the wellbeing of human beings.


CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, Durgapur has developed three significant technologies related to serve quality drinking water. To dedicate these technologies to the Nation CSIR-CMERI has signed an agreement with M/s. Sarvo

Technologies Limited of Haryana and ISW Industries, Howrah, these two will implement the technologies across the country, today at Kolkata Press Club. This signing ceremony was

attended by Prof. (Dr.) Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur; Dr. Biswajit Ruj, Sr. Principal Scientist, CSIR-CMERI; Dr. Priyabrata Banerjee, Sr. Scientist, CSIR-CMERI; Dr. Anjali Chatterjee, Sr. Principal Scientist & Head of Business Development

Group, CSIR-CMERI; Mr. Ajoy Roy, Sr. Technical Officer, Business Development Group & Head Media – Publication Group; Mr. Asit Kumar Sau, Senior Technician, Business Development Group; Col. NK Jain, Director, Sarvo Technologies Ltd; Mr. Manoj Kumar Garg, Vice President, Sarvo Technologies Limited and Mr. Sourav Ganguly, ISW Industries.

Attending this ceremony Prof. Hirani said, “In India groundwater is major source of drinking and agriculture usage. At a number of locations, in rural as well as urban India, contaminants such as Arsenic, Iron, Fluoride in ground water exceed the permissible limits causing severe health hazards. On top of this, there is continuous depletion of ground water. This is really alarming and here lies the responsibility of a research organization like us.

To solve such problems, CSIR-CMERI is continuously researching on water conservation as well as water filtration management. Now three technologies are ready for commercialisation

and we are transferring those technologies for greater good of Indian society.”

Promotion of Communal Harmony

The International Human Rights Council had organised a Conference on International Communal Harmony and Peace in view of the rising intolerance and religious  extremism on 29th June at Press Club, Kolkata. It was attended by a host of dignitaries like Syed Sha Atef Ali Al Quadari (descendant of Hazrat Ali), Dr. Arunjyoti Bhikkhu, Swami Sarodatmananda Maharaj, Father Devraj Fernandes, Balijit Singh Grewal, Mani Maharaj and several other eminent personalities cutting across all religious lines. Moinul Haque Molla, President, IHRC presided over the function.