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COLLINS SPELLING BEE SEASON 5 CHAMPIONSHIP CROWNS 2024 WINNERS
GURUGRAM, India, Sept. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The excitement of words was palpable at the fifth season of the national Collins Spelling Bee Championship, held on 28 September 2024 at the HDFC School, Gurugram. After a thrilling competition filled with determination and skill, we are proud to announce the winners of this year’s championship.
Johan George Philip, Grade 8, Believers Church Residential School, Thiruvalla, took home the prestigious title of the Champion after an intense finale, demonstrating exceptional spelling prowess and composure under pressure. This was Johan’s third attempt at winning the coveted title, and he triumphed with the word, ‘Clairvoyant’.
Utkarshini Reddy, Grade 8, Sri Venkateshwar International School, New Delhi also displayed remarkable talent, finishing strong and earning the title of the First Runner-Up.
Ojas Jain, Grade 7, Manthan International School, Hyderabad, demonstrated his outstanding vocabulary skills and understanding of the language, finishing third, earning the title of the Second Runner-Up.
This year’s competition saw participation from around 6000 students (2500 schools) in the prelims from across the country, with 36 participants making it to the semifinals and 12 participants qualifying for the finale, showcasing a diverse range of vocabulary and impressive spelling skills. The event was not only a celebration of academic excellence, but also a platform for young minds to connect and inspire one another.
The adjudicator panel consisted of Mr Ajay Poonia, a well-known quizmaster and anchor, who also donned the role of a presenter; Dr Asher Jesudoss, PhD Linguist, Lecturer and Animal Protection Advocate; and Ms Safa Abdul Razak, Author, Teacher and Trainer.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the achievements of these young spellers,” said Rageshree Niyogi, Director – Product & Marketing, Collins India. “Their hard work and dedication truly exemplify the spirit of learning and competition while celebrating the love of language that brings us all together.”
Ajay Poonia said, “The five years of Collins National Spelling Bee have been an amazing learning journey. While the eligible students progress to higher grades, the newer bunch of students who become eligible bring with them the advantage of learning from second-hand experiences. In their preparation, they’re likely watching videos of previous years and going through training methodologies and word lists to avoid repeating the mistakes of others. This translates to better spelling abilities and equally importantly, better composure. So, it is hardly surprising that in this year’s final the last two spellers kept pushing each other repeatedly. Congratulations to all the winners, and of course to all the participants who I am certain will learn and come back better prepared next year.”
Asher Jesudoss said, “Spelling bee competitions epitomise mastery of the English language, its homophones, homonyms, and the varied etymology of words. It is also a test of a young learner’s composure and ability to think rationally & deal with high-pressure situations, which each of the finalists successfully demonstrated over the last two months since the competition began. I congratulate all the winners and encourage everyone to use the privilege of language to bring about positive change to all humans and animals around us.”
Safa Abdul Razak expressed, “With each passing year, the Collins National Spelling Bee continues to grow in intensity and intrigue for both participants and viewers alike. This year’s event showcased an impressive increase in the caliber of talent, with participants exhibiting remarkable determination and resilience. The fierce competition was palpable, as each student approached the podium with confidence and a desire to excel. The composure demonstrated while skillfully navigating carefully curated words reflected not only their preparation, but also their competitive spirit. It is evident that the Collins Spelling Bee sets increasingly high standards, driving participants to push their limits in pursuit of the prestigious championship. Congratulations to Johan, Utkarshini and Ojas for staying calm and focused and emerging the winners.”
The prizes were given away by Mr Anantha Padmanabhan, Chief Executive Officer, HarperCollins Publishers India and Mrs Deepa Agarwal, Author, Poet and Translator. The winners received trophies, certificates, and hampers containing exciting books among other contents, with the objective to promote reading among learners.
For more information about the Collins Spelling Bee Championship and details about next year’s event, please visit www.collins.in or contact us at spellingbee@harpercollins.co.in
About Collins
Collins has been publishing educational and informative books for over 200 years. Throughout this rich heritage it has maintained an impressive record in creating market-leading products across various sectors. As the educational publishing division of HarperCollins Publishers and one of the fastest growing companies in the K12 segment in India, Collins continues to deliver up-to-date and engaging student resources and exceptional teacher support to help schools tackle new initiatives and utilise the latest technology. The Collins catalogue includes print and digital resources catering to CBSE, ICSE, State Board and International curricula, with state-of-the-art blended learning programme – Collins Infinity – being adopted by some of the leading schools across the country. Visit www.collins.in to view the complete list of Collins resources.
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Reliance Digital Introduces High-Performance iQOO 15R to its Nationwide Store Network
MUMBAI, India, March 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Reliance Digital announces the offline retail availability of iQOO, the high-performance smartphone brand built for today’s youth and tech-forward consumers. Following strong traction in online channels, iQOO is now extending its presence into physical retail, allowing customers to experience and purchase its devices first-hand at Reliance Digital stores across India.
Known for pushing the boundaries of speed, and power, the iQOO 15R is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, delivering exceptional speed, responsiveness, and sustained performance throughout the day. It packs iQOO’s biggest battery yet in an ultra-slim 7.90mm design, making it India’s slimmest smartphone with a 7600 mAh battery.
The device features a 6.5K IceCore VC Cooling Chamber for stable performance and runs on OriginOS 6.0 based on Android 16 out of the box, supported by 4 years of software updates and 6 years of security updates. It is also equipped with a Sony LYT-700V OIS camera, a 1.5K 144Hz AMOLED EyeCare display, and IP68 & IP69 dust and water resistance, making it a dependable daily partner for professionals on the go.
The brand’s offline expansion marks an important step in deepening consumer engagement by offering hands-on access to its devices, enabling customers to explore iQOO’s powerful performance, advanced display technology, and flagship-grade camera capabilities in a real-world retail environment.
The availability of iQOO at Reliance Digital brings together two brands driven by innovation and consumer experience. While iQOO continues to build its reputation as a performance-led smartphone brand, Reliance Digital strengthens its portfolio by offering customers access to cutting-edge technology brands through its extensive nationwide retail network.
Through engaging in-store experiences, knowledgeable staff, and immersive product demonstrations, Reliance Digital aims to help consumers better understand iQOO’s performance-first DNA. This move further reinforces Reliance Digital’s commitment to staying ahead of evolving consumer preferences and serving as a preferred destination for discovering new-age technology.
With this expansion, Reliance Digital continues to play a key role in shaping India’s consumer electronics landscape by bringing future-ready brands closer to customers, while enabling smartphone brands like iQOO to build stronger connections with a growing, performance-driven audience.
The all new iQOO 15R is now available at Reliance Digital stores nationwide.
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Kotak Alts announces winner of the inaugural Katalyst Awards
Ms Himani Choudhary named Katalyst for the year – India’s Best Financial Content Creator; wins Rs. 25 Lakhs
MUMBAI, India, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kotak Katalyst Awards, a national initiative instituted to recognise excellence and responsibility in financial content creation has announced the winner of its first Katalyst edition. Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited (“Kotak Alts”) today announced Himani Choudhary as the winner. The winner was awarded a prize of INR 25 Lakhs, positioning Katalyst among the most meaningful recognitions for financial content creators in India.
Srini Sriniwasan, Managing Director, Kotak Alts, said, “The Kotak Alts Katalyst Awards were instituted to recognize content creators who are contributing meaningfully to financial literacy in India. As investor participation deepens, audiences are seeking clarity, context, and credibility. The response from creators was overwhelming and points to the new generation of financial educators. As the inaugural winner Ms. Himani Chaudhary, exemplifies the standard of financial communication that Katalyst seeks to encourage.”
The first edition of the Kotak Alts Katalyst Awards received over six hundred entries from across 19 states and in 8 languages, reflecting the growing role of digital creators in shaping financial awareness. Conceived in response to increasing clutter and misinformation in the financial ecosystem, Katalyst is designed to recognize creators who place accuracy, transparency, and investor interest at the core of their work.
The winning content, ‘Personal Finance & Major Finance Updates’ by Himani Choudhary, was recognised for its clarity, originality, and credibility. The jury noted the content’s ability to explain complex financial concepts in a clear and measured manner, supported by strong research and a consistent focus on investor education over virality.
To ensure a robust and transparent evaluation process, the awards framework was designed and audited by EY. The top thirty entries were assessed by an academic jury.
The top 10 finalists were subsequently evaluated by a grand jury comprising Kunal Shah, Founder and CEO of CRED; Radhika Gupta, Managing Director and CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund; and Alpesh Shah, Managing Director and Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group, and chaired by Ananth Narayan, former Whole–Time Member of SEBI with extensive capital markets and regulatory experience.
The Katalyst Awards recognise financial content creators who priorities financial literacy, substance, and long–term investor interest. Through this initiative, Kotak Alts aims to encourage responsible financial communication and support the development of informed and confident investors across India.
About Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Ltd: Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited (‘Kotak Alts’), a part of Kotak Mahindra Group (‘Kotak’), focuses on Alternate Asset Management and Investment Advisory businesses. Kotak Alts was set up in early 2005 and has raised, managed, and advised over USD 22 billion across different asset classes, including Private Equity, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Special Situations, Private Credit, and Investment Advisory. The asset management business and investment advisory vertical are managed by independent specialist teams. For more information, visit https://www.kotakalternateasset.com/
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Paperpal for Life Sciences Establishes HIPAA Readiness, Strengthening Enterprise Adoption of AI in Regulated Medical and Scientific Writing Workflows
MUMBAI, India, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Paperpal for Life Sciences, an enterprise-grade Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform by Cactus Communications, purpose-built for Medical Affairs and Life Sciences organizations, announced the completion of an assessment evaluating its operational and technical safeguards to support Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements. This milestone reinforces Paperpal’s commitment to meeting the rigorous standards of security, data protection, and regulatory readiness required for regulated scientific workflows.
Growing AI use in medical affairs writing and publication workflows is intensifying scrutiny on data privacy, governance, and regulatory accountability. To support these evolving needs, Paperpal for Life Sciences has undertaken an assessment of its systems and processes to evaluate readiness to support HIPAA compliance, where applicable, and now proudly offers the option to execute a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) for Protected Health Information (PHI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII). This offering gives customers the confidence that PHI or PII, if received, is handled securely and responsibly, in line with regulatory expectations and enterprise risk management practices.
Paperpal for Life Sciences provides AI writing, literature search, source-grounded summarization with citation support, and critical publication checks, powering medical affairs content creation under stringent data privacy and governance controls. The platform accelerates research-to-publication timelines by upto 25%, supporting faster dissemination of clinical evidence and earlier commercialization of new drugs and therapies.
Nishchay Shah, Group CTO and EVP, Products and AI at Cactus Communications, said, “As AI becomes foundational to regulated scientific and medical workflows, compliance and trust are no longer optional. Paperpal for Life Sciences’ HIPAA readiness measures reflect our secure-by-design approach to AI, strong data governance framework, and alignment with real-world enterprise and regulatory requirements. This milestone enables organizations to adopt AI at scale with confidence that their data, processes, and compliance obligations are protected .”
Elvira Dsouza, President, Cactus Life Sciences, added, “Medical Affairs and Life Sciences teams operate in highly regulated environments where scientific rigor, data privacy, and compliance are non-negotiable. HIPAA readiness positions Paperpal for Life Sciences as a trusted AI partner, one that enables organizations to accelerate evidence generation and scientific communication without compromising regulatory integrity .”
With this announcement, Paperpal for Life Sciences reinforces its position as a purpose-built, enterprise-ready AI platform for medical affairs content generation that supports innovation while meeting the highest standards of privacy, ethics, and regulatory compliance.
Media Contact:
Nidhi Amin
nidhi.amin@cactusglobal.com
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India Emerging as Stable Investment Anchor in Turbulent Global Economy, Say Investors at IGF Mumbai 2026
Reliance Digital Introduces High-Performance iQOO 15R to its Nationwide Store Network
Reliance Digital Introduces High-Performance iQOO 15R to its Nationwide Store Network
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