From consulting firms to tech and detergent companies, brands are busy swatting away online crusaders. In the fraught times we live in, it is not just religion that stokes the fires of controversy. In such instances, it may be best to take the trolls head on.
ShareChat on Thursday said it has raised $502 million (about Rs 3,725 crore) in funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Tiger Global, valuing the homegrown social media platform at over $2.1 billion. Snap Inc (which owns photo-messaging app Snapchat) and existing investors Twitter and India Quotient, among others, also participated in the funding round in Mohalla Tech, the parent company of ShareChat and short video app, Moj. Founded in 2015, Mohalla Tech has raised over $766 million across six fundraising rounds.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi on Friday reeled out statistics to show how India has turned into an exporter of mobile phones from being an importer and how big tech companies -- from Apple to Google -- are lining up to become manufacturers in the country. He said after the fastest rollout of 5G mobile telephony services, India will lead the world on 6G. Recalling the launch of 5G technology in the country on October 1, 2022, he remarked that within a year there are about 5 lakh 5G base stations across the country.
Mobile Internet, of course, helped Burhan Wani to spread his message. And some rumour-mongers at the inception of the current unrest spread falsehoods at least on two occasions, but why ban all mobile communication including cellular network and cable TV when deep-seated alienation among youth has shaped their ideology which is now playing out in the form of massive protests, asks Athar Parvaiz.
First it was called content-led commerce. Then it came to be known as influencer-led commerce. And its latest iteration is creator economy. This evolution of the terminology for online personas impacting buying decisions -- through blogs, memes, bite-sized videos, and podcasts -- has happened over the past five to seven years.
'I didn't want to do a highlight reel with greatest hits of Yash Raj Films.' 'I wanted to do an actual story.'
On one hand, South Indian states have been complaining about denial of a proportionate portion of the sharable funds from the Centre, based on population. On the other hand, they stand to lose Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seats that again are based on population, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Kangana Ranaut plays an Air Force pilot in Tejas, joining an increasing list of films and shows centered around women playing significant roles in their careers.
Will Vijay will go the most successful MGR/Jayalalithaa way, or that of Vijayakanth, Seeman or Kamalahaasan, or will he end up as another Rajinikanth who cries wolf at the last minute and quits the scene even before it all had really begun, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
'All is well in Visakhapatnam for now.'
'Always have two (not more) things you want badly in life -- really badly -- and it will bring such focus, such hard work and such sacrifice that you never knew existed inside you.' 'This is the secret sauce to success today and most days.' A must-read excerpt from Ronnie Screwvala's Skill It, Kill It: Up Your Game.
With that run out in the 49th over, India's hopes ended in the tense semi-final at Old Trafford on Wednesday. The former champions went down by 18 runs against the last edition's finalists.
Sukanya Verma recaps all those events from 25 years ago.
A Thursday is the sort of in-the-moment drama that holds your attention and emotions while it lasts but doesn't dig enough to linger on, observes Sukanya Verma.
'Let us stand together in displaying our utter and complete lack of spine, in safeguarding our hundreds of crore rupees of income and in supporting this military-style mobilisation against the very masses who have practically treated us as gods and to whom we owe everything we enjoy.'
The revamped stretch of the rechristened Kartavya Path -- from the Raisina Hill complex to the India Gate -- and the verdant lawns surrounding them were thrown open to the public on Friday after two years.
The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women has helped many girls move up the ladder with a business education and liberal arts and find what they really want or are suited to do.
Today, Anirudh Ravichander's name on a film's poster is enough to pull in audiences, notes Arjun Menon.
Twice Olympic champion swimmer Cate Campbell captured the mood of many of Australia's Tokyo hopefuls when she spoke of the virus 'shattering' dreams and visions of the future. Keesja Gofers, part of the Australian women's water polo team that had already qualified for Tokyo, said the decision was 'devastating' for all athletes competing around the world.
Shah Rukh Khan's weathered intensity, grizzly charisma and trademark wit lends Pathaan's all-out, devil-may-care antics a sense of purpose that evades mindless acts of mayhem, cheers Sukanya Verma.
Around 1,200 protesters demanding scrapping of the amended citizenship act were detained on Thursday when they defied prohibitory orders imposed by the Delhi Police in Red Fort area. Internet, voice and messaging services by Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and Reliance Jio were suspended in parts of Delhi-NCR, in perhaps for the first time that the national capital experienced such restrictions.
The protests brought home the fact that the Sri Lankan public is in no mood for halfway measures, as voices against Rajapaksa 'family rule' and 'securitisation' of the civilian administration began sidestepping the more critical economic crisis, affecting the nation and afflicting the individual, observes Sri Lanka watcher N Sathiya Moorthy.
Lisa Sthalekar said being looked after has become more important at the moment, with the pandemic wreaking havoc across the world.
Virat Kohli might be the captain but his leadership is strengthened by having Mahendra Singh Dhoni close by.
Social media is abuzz with videos showing crazy Boston residents jumping out of windows into massive snowdrifts.
'Your body of work and your expertise over the craft will forever be research material for generations to come!'
Pablo Carreno Busta rallied from a set down to defeat Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in Montreal to claim the biggest title of his career at the Canadian Masters on Sunday.
'JugJugg Jeeyo will touch a lot of lives and a lot of hearts.'
The Delhi high court will hear on Monday a plea by leading Bollywood producers seeking to restrain Republic TV and Times Now from making or publishing allegedly "irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory remarks" against the film industry and conducting media trials against its members on various issues. The lawsuit by four Bollywood industry associations and 34 leading producers, which was filed on October 12, will come up for hearing before Justice Rajiv Shakdher.
'Movie-goers will thrive if you give them what they want.'
The top posts on social media from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
'There were no airhostesses and stewards to bring us food, water and the news of when the journey would resume.'
The New York Times reported that according to Rushdie's agent, Andrew Wylie, the Mumbai-born controversial author was on a ventilator and could not speak.
The visual of a man kneeling down in muddy waters to help women step on to him to get into rescue boats went viral on Sunday.
The Hindutva social media continues to present the DMK especially as anti-god, anti-Hindu and anti-Brahmin. The strategy did not work in the past, it has not worked in the present, and would not work in the future, as a massive vote-getter, asserts N Sathiya Moorthy.
A day before she plays reel wife to her husband Ajay Devgn in Tanhaji: The Unsung Hero, Kajol shared interesting insights into their love story. In a post for the social media blog Humans of Bombay, the actress wrote straight from her heart and we present it here.
Neeraj Chopra's soaring javelin did not just earn India their first Olympic gold in athletics on Saturday, it also meant that the contingent will return from Tokyo with seven medals, their biggest Games haul ever.
New Zealand are better organised and clinical in terms of execution and hence could start as the favourites in the first semi-final against Pakistan on Wednesday.
Simona Halep ended Beatriz Haddad Maia's dream run in Toronto
