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First Phase of IIPD Kasaragod, a Model Project to Empower Individuals with Disabilities, to be Completed in 2026, Fully Operational by 2029

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India, Aug. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The first phase of the International Institute of People with Disabilities (IIPD) in Kasaragod – aimed at empowering individuals with disabilities, including those with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and ADHD – is expected to be completed in 2026, professional-magician-turned-philanthropist Gopinath Muthukad said on Monday. He also said that the IIPD, designed to accommodate 1,000 beneficiaries, is expected to be fully operational by 2029.

“The success of the Different Art Centre (DAC) in Thiruvananthapuram inspired us to establish the IIPD in Kasaragod. The DAC promotes the holistic development of individuals with disabilities by providing personalised therapies and training in various art forms – including magic, music, dance, drama, and painting – entirely free of cost. Through the arts, the DAC transforms them from a marginalised group into self-reliant and confident individuals. It also offers regular opportunities for them to showcase their talents before diverse live audiences,” Muthukad said. “The DAC provides stipends to individuals with disabilities, while their mothers earn a livelihood through small-scale manufacturing units, including handicraft-making facilities. Since its establishment in 2019, the DAC has brought positive changes to the lives of hundreds of individuals with disabilities. It currently supports above 150 students with disabilities. The IIPD will be an expanded version of this model.”
Muthukad further said that both the DAC and IIPD are model initiatives that can be replicated to enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities. “These are not merely institutions offering therapies; their ultimate goal is to empower individuals with disabilities and their families – socially, emotionally, and even financially. DAC and IIPD stand as models that other states and countries can adopt,” he added.
Muthukad has been using magic as a medium to raise awareness about the need to empower individuals with disabilities for several years. In 2024, he conducted his fifth national awareness expedition themed Inclusive India, travelling from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. The expedition promoted the message of social inclusion for individuals with disabilities. Between October and December, he covered more than 22,000 km, passing through every state in India. The expedition featured specially designed magic shows aimed at promoting inclusivity and challenging the social stigmas associated with disability.
“I was a professional magician who performed on hundreds of stages. Recently, I have shifted my full focus to the welfare of individuals with disabilities, and now my life’s mission is to create a world where they are fully included and valued. A family with an individual with a disability needs the support of society. Individuals with disabilities face steep challenges – from physical barriers such as inaccessible buildings and staircases without ramps to limited access to quality education, therapies, and future job opportunities. Social stigma, lack of affordable assistive devices, and financial strain on families only add to their struggles,” he explained.
He further added that what they need is far more than sympathy. “They need inclusive schools, accessible infrastructure, skill training, job opportunities, affordable healthcare, and platforms to showcase their talents. A model project of DAC, ‘Magik Homes,’ promotes inclusivity. Under this initiative, individuals with disabilities receive houses with customized accessibility features. The plan is to construct one ‘Magik Home’ in each district of Kerala. So far, four ‘Magik Homes’ have been handed over to individuals with disabilities in Kasaragod, Idukki, Malappuram, and Wayanad. The keys of the fifth Magik Home will be handed over in August in Thiruvananthapuram. The IIPD will continue for decades beyond my lifetime, empowering them and enabling them to live with dignity,” he said.
To promote awareness of the IIPD project, Muthukad recently staged a magic show in Kerala titled Illusion to Inspiration. The event was a resounding success, drawing significant public attention to the IIPD initiative. The presence of P. C. Sorcar Jr., who inaugurated the magic show, brought nationwide attention to the event. The IIPD project, with an estimated cost of ₹100 crore, is being developed on 25 acres of land in Kasaragod.
About DAC
The Different Art Centre (DAC) was established by renowned magician Gopinath Muthukad from Kerala, India. The centre was inaugurated on 7 November 2019 by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. DAC is a world-class institution that not only provides high-quality training in diverse art forms such as music, dance, painting, and musical instruments but also creates opportunities for children with disabilities to present their talents before a wide and appreciative audience. Through its carefully designed programs, DAC promotes both mental and physical development, enabling students to achieve independence, self-confidence, and a meaningful place in society.
About Gopinath Muthukad
Gopinath Muthukad is an Indian magician, motivational speaker, and philanthropist. He is a UNICEF celebrity supporter for child rights activities. He has also received the International Merlin Award, the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award, and the Kerala Sree Award. He began learning magic in childhood, drawing inspiration from the Indian performing magician Vazhakkunnam Neelakandan Namboothiri. He has performed on hundreds of stages across India and abroad, captivating audiences with both wonder and wisdom.
He founded the Academy of Magical Sciences in Thiruvananthapuram in 1996 with the vision of teaching and popularizing the art of magic. The Magic Academy aims to dispel superstitions and uplift street magicians. He undertook five national expeditions from Kanyakumari to Kashmir – Vismay Bharata Yatra (2002), Gandhi Mantra (2005), Vismay Swaraj Yatra (2007), Mission India (2010), and Inclusive India (2024) – to spread Gandhian values and promote peace and social inclusion. In 2019, he established the Different Art Centre (DAC) in Thiruvananthapuram to empower children with neurodevelopmental conditions, including Autism, ADHD, Intellectual Disabilities, and genetic disorders.
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2752435/Mr__Gopinath_Muthukad_DAC.jpg
 

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MSEED and SCOPE Global Skills University Sign Strategic Partnership to Shape the Future of Experiential Marketing Education

MUMBAI, India and BHOPAL, India, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Premium education institute MSEED (The Management School of Events and Experience Design) today partnered with SCOPE Global Skills University, Bhopal, to introduce a two-year MBA in Event Management and Experiential Marketing.

Besides boosting students academically, this association intends to equip them with the evolving demands of events and the experiential marketing ecosystem. Furthermore, the collaboration will be fueled by industry expertise and academic structure, helping students build a career in the fast-growing fields of events, entertainment, and experiential marketing.At a time when experiential marketing is ‘evolving from a tactical activation to a strategic growth engine for brands’, this collaboration serves right.Speaking on this exclusive partnership between MSEED and SCOPE, Joshua Newman, Vice-President – Marketing & Partnerships, MSEED, said, “Our focus has always been on outcomes, not just education. This partnership allows us to extend that vision by working with SCOPE Global Skills University to create a program that prepares students for real careers. From curriculum to classroom delivery and industry exposure, every aspect is designed to ensure that students graduate with confidence, clarity, and practical experience.”The MBA program is designed to:Provide a recognized postgraduate qualification with a specialized focusBuild practical skills through real-world projects and case studiesOffering industry interaction, mentorship, and exposureSupport students with internship and placement opportunitiesDr. Vijay Singh, Vice Chancellor of SGSU, hailed the launch as a landmark moment for the city. “This is a remarkable event not just for our university, but for the city of Bhopal. We are witnessing a paradigm shift in how specialized education is delivered in Madhya Pradesh. By launching this MBA in Event Management, we are providing our youth with a platform to master the art of execution, creativity, and management right here in their home state,” he said.The partnership was formally cemented through the signing of an agreement between the two institutions in the esteemed presence of Mangubhai C. Patel, the current and 19th Governor of Madhya Pradesh, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of industry-integrated education in India.For more information on events and experiential marketing, please visit our website.Media Contacts:For media inquiries, please contactTasneem Limbdiwalatasneem@mseededucation.com About MSEEDMSEED, a part of EVA Group, India’s one of the largest live event companies, and backed by 200 odd industry veterans, the institute brings with it deep-rooted industry expertise and real-world insights. It is a creative business institute designed for the next generation of storytellers, strategists, producers, and brand builders. The mission is not just to prepare students for jobs, but to lead industries. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2971835/MSEED_SCOPE_Agreement.jpg 

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Firstsource Partners with Typeface to Launch Agentic Marketing Services

New full-stack offering turns content operations into an agentic growth engineNEW YORK and MUMBAI, India, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Firstsource Solutions Limited (NSE: FSL) (BSE: 532809), an RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group company, today announced the launch of a new offering — Agentic Marketing Services — in partnership with Typeface, the marketing orchestration engine for the world’s leading enterprises. The offering is designed to help enterprises move from marketing ambition to scale by transforming, implementing, and operating AI-native marketing systems. It transforms marketing operations into a scalable growth engine and delivers measurable top-line revenue growth beyond operational efficiency alone.
  Agentic AI is redefining how enterprises think about the customer lifecycle, and marketing content sits at the center of that transformation. Enterprises deploying AI-driven personalization are seeing up to 40% higher revenue compared to their peers. Content operations is both a growth lever and an efficiency play for CMOs: roughly 30% of CMO budgets go to content; approximately 55% of content work is manual — resizing, localization, brand compliance — while 90% of those manual workflows can be AI-enabled.”At Firstsource, our approach has been about moving beyond traditional boundaries to build adaptive, intelligence-led ecosystems that deliver measurable outcomes. Content operations is now the most disrupted layer of the modern marketing stack, with Large Language Models reshaping the entire value chain — from ideation and production to governance and distribution — making it both the biggest near-term efficiency opportunity and the most exposed surface area in enterprise marketing,” said Ritesh Idnani, MD and Chief Executive Officer of Firstsource.”CEOs and CMOs are not looking for a consultancy that hands off a roadmap or an agency that operates in silos — they want a partner who can transform, implement, and operate marketing systems end-to-end. By combining micro-segmentation, personalization, and deep industry context, we help clients build acquisition, engagement, and retention engines that are intelligent, compliant, and scalable. Typeface brings the AI technology to generate personalized, on-brand, compliant content at scale, and Firstsource brings deep experience in customer operations, especially in regulated industries like banking, financial services, healthcare, and retail. Together, we enable enterprises to plan, build, and run modern marketing — turning content operations into a compounding growth engine and delivering outcomes, not just effort.”The partnership extends the capabilities announced with Typeface’s recent Marketing Orchestration Engine launch — bringing governed AI systems into full-stack marketing operations for regulated enterprises.”AI only transforms marketing when it’s embedded into the workflows that drive real customer outcomes,” said Abhay Parasnis, Founder & CEO of Typeface. “Firstsource brings deep industry expertise and operational rigor in highly regulated environments. Together, we’re helping enterprises turn AI ambition into operational reality, embedding governed intelligence into the systems that power durable growth.” While Typeface provides the orchestration layer that unifies brand intelligence, AI agents, and enterprise systems, Firstsource brings the operational expertise and insights to enable effective decision making and implement and run these systems in complex, regulated environments. Together, they redesign how growth is driven — focusing on the moments, segments, and mechanisms that truly move the needle — enabling enterprises to shift from fragmented activity to scalable, revenue-led execution.Industry view”In retail, seasonality and micro-segmentation are where revenue is won or lost. Every peak moment demands thousands of personalized variants across marketing, service, and customer operations — and the retailers who get this right see real movement on acquisition, conversion, and retention, not just efficiency. What makes the Firstsource–Typeface offering different is that it is not another tool — it is an operating capability. Pairing agentic AI with embedded marketing operations is exactly what retailers need to move from broad campaigns to true lifecycle-driven engagement. For the industry, this is a meaningful step-change in how growth gets engineered.” – Dave Kimbell, Ex-CEO Ulta Beauty; Firstsource Advisory Board Member”Healthcare payers sit on a real paradox: a huge share of member communication is locked inside PHI and claims workflows where the rules are clear and rightly strict — but the biggest lever on affordability lives outside that envelope, in how payers engage members on wellness, prevention, plan literacy, and proactive disease management. That is a white-space opportunity the industry has barely touched. This is where marketing AI services can genuinely move the needle. With micro-segmentation and agentic content, payers can reach the right member with the right nudge at the right moment — entirely within compliant, non-PHI pathways — and shift the engagement model from acquisition and retention to lifelong wellness. That is how you make healthcare more affordable, improve member experience, and strengthen the economics of the plan at the same time. The Firstsource–Typeface offering is one of the few capabilities purpose-built to operate at that intersection of compliance, personalization, and outcomes.”- Paul Sanford, Ex-EVP Operations, Cigna Group; Firstsource Advisory Board MemberAbout FirstsourceFirstsource Solutions Limited, an RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group company (NSE: FSL) (BSE: 532809), is a global intelligence partner to enterprises across healthcare, banking and financial services, communications, media, technology, retail, and utilities. Its inch-wide, mile-deep practitioners work collaboratively to reimagine business process management.With operations across the US, UK, India, Philippines, Mexico, Romania, Trinidad & Tobago, South Africa, and Australia, Firstsource combines over twenty-five years of domain expertise with an agent-first delivery model to design, build, and operate intelligent enterprise operations. Through its Intelligence That Operates promise—powered by Kairos, the operating system that makes it real—the company unifies consulting, implementation, and operations into a single full-stack engagement and underwrites outcomes, not effort, turning deep domain intelligence into a compounding operational advantage for firms in the world’s most regulated industries. (www.firstsource.com)About TypefaceTypeface is a marketing orchestration engine for the world’s leading enterprises, coordinating brand intelligence, AI agents, and enterprise systems across cross-channel marketing operations. Built for large organizations, Typeface combines shared brand intelligence, governed agent workflows, and deep enterprise integration at scale — connecting seamlessly with platforms like Salesforce, Microsoft, and Google — to help teams scale what works without sacrificing quality or control. Trusted by Fortune 500 companies, Typeface enables organizations to operationalize AI inside real marketing workflows, turning brand standards, approvals, and performance signals into coordinated systems that improve over time. Typeface is backed by Lightspeed, GV, Salesforce Ventures, Madrona, Menlo, and M12, and has been recognized by Fast Company, Gartner, TIME, LinkedIn, and Adweek as a leader in AI for marketing. Learn more at www.typeface.ai.Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2515360/Firstsource_Logo.jpg

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Shaping Future-Ready School Leaders: Woxsen University Leads Design Thinking Initiative for Principals

HYDERABAD, India, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The School of Arts and Design at Woxsen University, in collaboration with the Public-School Principals’ Association (PSPA), conducted a Principal Leadership Programme on April 27, bringing together 30 principals from leading schools across Hyderabad for an immersive, design-led learning experience focused on rethinking leadership in contemporary education.

Participating institutions included Delhi Public School, Sloka International School (Tukkuguda), Jain Heritage Cambridge School, AVN Vida International School, CMR School (Medchal), and Gitanjali High School, among others. Designed as a hands-on, studio-based workshop, the programme moved beyond traditional formats, enabling participants to engage in collaborative problem-solving, systems thinking, and real-world leadership challenges.The programme was delivered by Woxsen’s Centre for Learning Design (CLD) and the David Dunne Design Thinking Lab, and was guided by the university’s ERS (Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability) framework, reflecting an integrated and purpose-driven approach to leadership development.Through guided design thinking exercises, principals explored new approaches to decision-making, innovation in school ecosystems, and building student-centric learning environments. The interactive format encouraged peer exchange and practical application, making the experience directly relevant to institutional leadership.Rajendra Prasad, President of the PSPA, said, “The School Principals’ Leadership Workshop at Woxsen University was well organized and delivered with great impact. The sessions were highly engaging and insightful, and the programme received overwhelming positive feedback from participants for both its content and overall experience.”Dr. Ashok Pandey, Member of the PSPA Leadership Team, shared, “An inspiring day at the picturesque Woxsen University campus, engaging with exceptional school leaders committed to designing the schools of tomorrow.” Dr. Adity Saxena, Dean, School of Arts & Design, said, “This programme is aligned with Woxsen’s core pillar of Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability, reinforcing our commitment to purpose-driven education. We see our role as bridging ideas, institutions, and impact in education, and we are grateful to PSPA and Rajendra Prasad for this meaningful collaboration.”The initiative reflects Woxsen University’s commitment to strengthening the school education ecosystem in Telangana by building leadership capacity and fostering future-ready thinking among educators. Following the workshop, the PSPA leadership team engaged in a strategic discussion with Dr. Adity Saxena to explore future collaboration opportunities.Building on the momentum of the programme, Woxsen University and PSPA are exploring the launch of a structured Principal Leadership Certificate Programme. The proposed initiative aims to institutionalize leadership development for school heads and further strengthen the region’s education ecosystem through sustained, practice-oriented engagement.About Woxsen University, HyderabadWoxsen University, located in Hyderabad, is one of the first private universities in the state of Telangana, India. Renowned for its 200-acre state-of-the-art campus and infrastructure, Woxsen University offers new-age, disruptive programs in the fields of Business, Technology, Arts & Design, Architecture, Law, and Liberal Arts & Humanities. Woxsen also houses Asia’s largest Sports Infrastructure, spread over 60 acres. With 175 Global Partner Universities and a strong industry connect, Woxsen is recognized as one of the top universities for Academic Excellence and Global Edge. Woxsen has also secured the QS Business Masters World Ranking 2025, Rank #9 All India, Top 100 B-Schools by Times B-School Ranking 2025, Rank #6, Asia Pacific, Bloomberg Best B-School, and features in India’s Best B-Schools beyond IIMs by Dalal Street Investment Journal 2025, in 4th consecutive year. Woxsen is ranked as one of the Top Professional Colleges in India by Outlook I-CARE for its undergraduate programs, securing All India Rank 12 among the Top 130 BBA Private Institutes, All India Rank 20 among the Top 160 B.Tech Private Institutes, All India Rank 3 among the Top 25 Design Private Institutes, and All India Rank 3 among the Top 30 B. Arch Private Institutes.Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2969917/Woxsen_PSPA_1.jpgPhoto: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2969918/Woxsen_PSPA_2.jpgLogo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1771070/5365059/Woxsen_University_Logo.jpg 

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