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Art is magic, Cinema the magician to blur lines of reality and fantasy states Imtiaz Ali at Chandigarh University, Gharuan

Famed Director Imtiaz Ali interacts with Film studies’ students, budding filmmakers, and actors 
Ali discusses finer nuances of filmmaking, current trends in industry, his journey in the Bollywood at the 2nd Chandigarh Music and Film Festival
CHANDIGARH, India, May 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — “Art transcends the boundaries of reality and fantasy and when you leave out logic in art, the magic happens,” remarked Imtiaz Ali. The renowned film director, producer, actor and writer, discussed the finer nuances of filmmaking, current trends in the cinema industry as well as his journey in the Bollywood in a candid chat at the sidelines of the second edition of Chandigarh Music and Film Festival, which commenced at Chandigarh University, Gharuan.

The annual two-day-long Chandigarh Music And Film Festival (CMFF) kicked off at Chandigarh University Gharuan, with renowned filmmakers and artists from Hindi film industry including Imtiyaz Ali, Saurabh Shukla, Abhishek Dudhia among others enlightened the audience with their insights into the art.
As many as 150 short films made by students of Film Schools are being screened during the Festival, which also witnessed Imtiyaz Ali’s Talk Show with senior journalist and author Kaveree Bamzai and interaction with University Institute of Film and Media Studies; giving a glimpse into finer nuances of filmmaking, current trends in the cinema industry as well as his journey in Bollywood.
Punjab Legislative Assembly Speaker S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan was the chief guest while S. Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chancellor, Chandigarh University was the special guest during the inaugural ceremony which also featured famed celebrities like Akhilender Mishra, Rana Jung Bahadur, KC Bokadia, Preeti Sapru, Saurabh Shukla, Gavy Chahal, Duleep Singh, Dev Sharma, Dilip Sen, Darshan Aulakh and several other eminent personalities.
Speaking on the occasion, famed actress Preeti Sapru said that Punjab deserves to prosper in a way that one should not even think of leaving this great land for another country.
“There is no Punjab without Punjabi’s. We need to preserve all the good things about our history and contribute towards their preservation,” she said, adding that efforts of Satnam Singh Sandhu towards the promotion of art and culture of Punjab were huge and would go a long way in its preservation.
In his address, S. Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chancellor, Chandigarh University, said, “Cinema is the medium of expression of ideas and thoughts. It is thus important that art in the form of cinema is preserved and promoted, and in this light, festivals like these assume greater significance. While this gathering does no justice to the stars present here, I propose that a bigger festival be organised later this year, with 50 thousand in attendance to be inspired from these personalities.”
During the special interaction session with the students of University Institute of Film and Media Studies, which was moderated by senior journalist and author Kaveree Bamzai, Ali spoke at lengths about the underlying themes in his movies, his relationship with the storyline, music and actors, besides advising the aspiring filmmakers in the audience with his wealthy experiences.
When asked to express his views about the importance of cinema in the world of art, Ali said that the boundaries of the reality and fantasy can be transcended only by the art.
“When you leave out logic in art, the magic happens. And cinema is that magician which blurs the line as it binds the audience beyond the boundaries of the reality and fantasy. Cinema is not just something you can think or express, but also something you cannot understand,” said Ali.
Asserting that some fragments of his works are related to his life, Ali also underlined that it was important to enjoy the journey, than to reach a destination. “Imtiaz of this day and Imtiaz of twenty years ago felt the same way. I am still in the middle of a journey and I am enjoying it more than ever,” he added.
Answering a student on whether he tried to ‘mock the system’ with Tamasha and whether Ranbir’s character wearing Identity Card was a ‘symbolism of slavery’, Ali said that it is our power to rationalise and think, that separates humans from animals and thus we have to think whether the system we are part of is a good one or not.
“We are sitting in Chandigarh University and here also, everyone is wearing an identity card and is administered by a system. But this system is good, it is positive and it doesn’t enslave any of us. In fact it liberates us with education. So we have to think and rationalise whether the system we are part of, is a good one, or does it require any improvements,” he elaborated. 
“I am so glad that this film festival organised by Chandigarh University is enabling the opportunity to have discussions about cinema, the genres and the characters, in such detail. The viewpoints are diverse and the discussions are deep and elaborative. This is something rare and organisers deserve all the praises for putting up a great show,” said Ali.
Ali suggested the students of Chandigarh University Institute of Film and Media Studies to train as much as possible for a successful career in the industry. “Training is a life-long process. You will always be distracted by superficial things such as the looks and the body but it is important that you stay focussed on learning and growing as an actor or director,” he said.
About Chandigarh University
Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and an autonomous educational institution approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC.
Website: https://www.cuchd.in/
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1815546/CMFF_2022_event.jpg
 

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Fulfilling PM Modi’s Dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat: India’s AI Writing Startup Kreativespace Incubated at IIT Kharagpur

Kreativespace, an Indian AI-powered writing platform founded by Vinet Kakadea, has been incubated at IIT Kharagpur and recognized by SVNIT University, Ministry of Education under Bodhan AI Conclave also through the NVIDIA Inception Program, AWS Startup Program, and DPIIT under Startup India.The platform unifies 8 AI-powered writing tools, along with AI Humanizer and Message AI feature being the latest addition into a single ecosystem, so you can generate and refine content all in one place.The company reports more than 50,000+ signed-up users, 75,000+ anonymous users, and roughly 100,000 monthly website visitors, positioning itself as the only Indian company operating at scale in the global AI writing market.SURAT, India, June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kreativespace, an AI-powered writing platform, is building out its position as the only homegrown alternative in a market long dominated by international tools such as Grammarly and QuillBot. Founded by Vinet Kakadea and incubated at IIT Kharagpur, the company has aligned its growth with the broader push behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) initiative, which encourages indigenous technology development capable of competing on a global scale.

As AI adoption accelerates across India’s education, research, and enterprise sectors, Kreativespace is among a small group of Indian startups building writing technology designed to compete directly with established international platforms.Kreativespace’s progress has been recognized by several institutions central to India’s startup and technology ecosystem. The company has been incubated at IIT Kharagpur, selected under SSIP 2.0 through SVNIT University, and chosen by the Ministry of Education to present its work at the Bodhan AI Conclave. It has also been accepted into the NVIDIA Inception Program and the AWS Startup Program, and holds DPIIT recognition under the Startup India initiative.Where many writing-tool users rely on separate subscriptions for content generation to refinement for grammar correction, paraphrasing, plagiarism checking, citation generation, and editing, Kreativespace brings these functions into a single platform as a super-app for AI writing tools. The company says its approach centers on affordability and accessibility alongside performance, aiming to make advanced AI writing assistance available to a wider range of users regardless of geography or budget.The idea for Kreativespace took shape while founder Vinet Kakadea was studying at New York University and Marymount University in the United States, where he experienced firsthand how students, researchers, and professionals often need multiple paid subscriptions to cover writing-related tasks. That fragmented experience led him to build a super-app offering each of these capabilities together, at a more accessible price point.Kreativespace combines 8 AI-powered writing tools with AI Humanizer and Message AI feature being the latest addition, allowing users to generate, rewrite, refine, and humanize content without moving between separate platforms. The product is available via web platform, mobile apps on the App Store and Google Play, browser extensions for Chrome, Mozilla, and Edge, and a Google Docs add-on.Vinet Kakadea, Founder of Kreativespace, said, “Kreativespace’s vision is to digitalize the entire Indian education ecosystem to support PM Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme.”About KreativespaceKreativespace with the Motto of Making Writing Accessible for Everyone: Kreativespace is an AI-powered writing platform built to make AI writing tools accessible, affordable, and effective for students, researchers, educators, professionals, content creators, startups, and enterprises. Founded by Vinet Kakadea, the company is incubated at IIT Kharagpur and has been recognized by AWS Startup Program, the NVIDIA Inception Program, and DPIIT under Startup India. For more information, visit kreativespace.com.

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Times of India Launches Inaugural ‘TOI AI Quotient Awards’ to Celebrate Pioneers in AI Innovation

In collaboration with Knowledge Partner Adrosonic, the premier nomination-led platform will honor excellence, scalability, and measurable impact across India’s AI ecosystem. NEW DELHI, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Times of India has announced the launch of the inaugural edition of the TOI AI Quotient Awards—India’s most credible, nomination-led recognition platform celebrating excellence in artificial intelligence adoption, innovation, and impact.

Organized in collaboration with Adrosonic as the official Knowledge Partner, the awards will bring together pioneering enterprises, technology leaders, startups, innovators, and institutions that are harnessing the power of AI to drive business transformation, optimize decision-making, and enhance customer experiences.As AI becomes a core driver of competitiveness and productivity, this initiative marks the beginning of a prestigious annual celebration. The awards aim to spotlight those leveraging AI to solve complex challenges, unlock new opportunities, and deliver meaningful, scalable outcomes across sectors.Leadership Insights”The conversation around AI has rapidly moved from experimentation to execution. For modern brands, a high AI Quotient is now a boardroom priority. The TOI AI Quotient Awards will serve as India’s most credible validation platform, spotlighting the enterprises that are successfully navigating this transition to drive real business outcomes and stronger governance. We look forward to uncovering the incredible stories of human-machine collaboration that are redefining the future of Indian industry.” — Prasad Sanyal, Group Business Head – TOI, IndiaTimes, WhatsHot”AI will not replace human intelligence, it will amplify it. The organisations that succeed with AI will be those that combine technology with human judgement, domain expertise and a clear focus on business outcomes. The true measure of AI success is not how much AI is deployed, but how effectively it improves decision making and delivers measurable value. Achieving this requires clear objectives, strong governance and responsible guardrails. The TOI AI Quotient Awards celebrate organisations turning AI potential into meaningful business impact.” — Mayank, Founder & CEO, AdrosonicAward Tracks & CategoriesThe initiative features 25+ awards distributed across 4 distinct tracks: Industry, Functional AI, Maturity-based, and Special Jury Awards. Key categories include:Sector Excellence: BFSI, Retail & Commerce, Healthcare & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Media & Content.Functional & Strategic AI: Customer Experience, HR & Talent, Risk & Compliance.Enterprise & Impact: Social Impact, Women in AI, Legacy to AI Transformation, and Native Enterprise.To ensure absolute credibility, the evaluation matrix leverages Adrosonic’s deep technical consulting frameworks for an objective initial screening. Following a preliminary audit by the expert TOI Editorial Board, the final winners will be selected by an esteemed, independent jury comprising leading AI experts, technology pioneers, industry veterans, and business visionaries.Why Nominate Your Organization?The TOI AI Quotient Awards offer more than just recognition—they provide a premier platform for national visibility and industry-wide alignment:National Recognition: Showcase your AI-led innovations and business impact before a distinguished audience of industry leaders and decision-makers.Credible Validation: Gain elite positioning backed by TOI’s powerful media reach and Adrosonic’s technical validation frameworks.Industry Benchmarking: Measure your achievements against the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem to strengthen your market leadership.How to ParticipateIs your organization setting new benchmarks in AI adoption and implementation? Do you know an enterprise driving measurable transformation through artificial intelligence?Nominate your organization or a deserving industry leader today to secure your place among India’s most forward-thinking, AI-driven enterprises.Learn more and submit your nomination here: toievents.indiatimes.com/ai-quotient-awards 

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Santokbaa Humanitarian Award 2026 Marks 20 Years of Compassion and Service

SURAT, India, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Santokbaa Humanitarian Award 2026, instituted by Shree Ramkrishna Knowledge Foundation (SRKKF), the philanthropic arm of Shree Ramkrishna Exports (SRK), marked 20 years of honouring individuals who have made a lasting difference through compassion, service and leadership. The awards were presented recently in Surat.

This year’s Santokbaa Humanitarian Award was conferred on Padma Shri Dr. Gullapalli N. Rao, renowned Indian ophthalmologist and Founder-Chair of the LV Prasad Eye Institute, and Padma Shri Smt. Reema Nanavaty, development worker and Director of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA). Their work has touched millions of lives through healthcare, empowerment and community development.In a significant addition this year, SRKKF introduced the Social Entrepreneur Award to recognise leaders who combine business excellence with measurable social impact. The inaugural award was presented to Shri Srikanth Bolla, Founder of Bollant Industries, a sustainable manufacturing company known for disability-inclusive employment and environmentally responsible practices.The event was graced by Chief Guest Shri Harivansh Narayan Singh, Hon’ble Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and Guests of Honour Shri Harsh Sanghavi, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat; along with several other distinguished personalities.Established in 2006 by Shri Govind Dholakia, Founder & Chairman Emeritus of Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt. Ltd. and SRKKF, the award reflects the legacy of compassion and selfless values embodied by his mother, Santokbaa. Over the past two decades, it has become a platform to honour individuals whose lives and work continue to inspire society.The awardees are selected through a rigorous and transparent process led by an independent jury comprising leaders from diverse fields. The 2026 jury included Shri Govindan Rangarajan, Director, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru; Shri A.S. Kiran Kumar, Former Chairman, ISRO; Admiral R. Hari Kumar (Retd.), Former Chief of the Indian Navy; Shri Rishabh Shroff, Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas; and Shri Shreyans Dholakia, Entrepreneur and Brand Custodian, SRK.Addressing the gathering, Chief Guest Shri Harivansh Narayan Singh said that the SRK Foundation is carrying forward Santokbaa’s legacy to the next generation by celebrating service, sacrifice and compassion over wealth or fame. He added that the family’s effort to connect this legacy with social entrepreneurship reflects the values of nation-building.Shri Harsh Sanghavi said the Santokbaa Award reminds us that true achievement lies not only in personal success, but in bringing light and happiness to others. Shri Govind Dholakia said his mother Santokbaa spent her life guided by truth, love and compassion, and that her values continue to inspire the family’s work. He added that the award’s 20-year journey is a tribute to changemakers whose efforts have strengthened communities across the country.Speaking on the honour, Dr. Gullapalli N. Rao said it was a privilege to receive the recognition on behalf of all those working to expand access to quality eye care. He said restoring sight restores dignity and opportunity, and praised SRK’s world-class operational systems. Smt. Reema Nanavaty said the award belonged to the millions of women whose resilience and entrepreneurial spirit continue to inspire SEWA’s mission. She noted that when women are empowered, they become agents of change for their families and communities. Shri Srikanth Bolla said his journey has shown that limitations often exist more in perception than reality, and that the award is a reminder that with the right support, every individual can contribute meaningfully to society.Over the past 20 years, the Santokbaa Humanitarian Award has honoured 20 of India’s most distinguished humanitarian and social leaders, including Shri Ratan Tata, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Dr. Sudha Murty, Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, Shri Shiv Nadar, Dr. Abhay Bang and Dr. Rani Bang, Dr. Verghese Kurien, Shri Kailash Satyarthi and Shri A.S. Kiran Kumar. With the introduction of the Social Entrepreneurship Award in 2026, the milestone celebration reaffirmed the importance of empathy, service and purposeful leadership in building a better future.About Santokbaa Humanitarian Award:Over the past 20 years, the Santokbaa Humanitarian Award has honoured 19 of India’s most distinguished humanitarian and social leaders, including Shri Ratan Tata, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Dr. Sudha Murty, Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, Shri Shiv Nadar, Dr. Abhay Bang and Dr. Rani Bang, Dr. Verghese Kurien, Shri Kailash Satyarthi and Shri A.S. Kiran Kumar, among other eminent personalities. In 2026, SRKKF also instituted the Santokbaa Social Entrepreneurship Award, with Shri Srikanth Bolla becoming its inaugural recipient.As the Santokbaa Humanitarian Award completed a remarkable 20-year journey, the milestone celebration reaffirmed the enduring importance of empathy, service and purposeful leadership in shaping a better future. The journey endures, contributing to nation-building through compassion, innovation and service to humanity.For more information, visit: https://srk.foundation/honoursPhoto: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2997209/20th_Santokbaa_Humanitarian_Award_2026.jpg 

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