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FROM BOGOTÁ TO MONACO, COLOMBIAN MURALIST MAKES HIS MARK ON ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST EXCLUSIVE CANVASES WITH VUSE

VUSE AND THE McLAREN F1 TEAM’S DRIVEN BY CHANGE INITIATIVE SECURES NEXT OPPORTUNITY FOR UNDERREPRESENTED ARTIST DURING FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX™ DE MONACO 2022

MONACO, May 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — An emerging Colombian muralist has been given one of the world’s most exclusive canvases to bring to life his work in real-time in Monaco, over the FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX™ DE MONACO 2022 weekend.

Vuse, the number one global vape brand**, and partner McLaren F1 Team, have today unveiled a mural, created by an artist from Bogotá, Columbia, at one of the most exclusive races in the world, on the Monaco beachfront at the Grimaldi Forum. The mural marks the latest activity as part of the Driven by Change programme, which offers underrepresented creative talent around the globe the opportunity to showcase their passion and work on one of the world’s biggest and most high-profile stages – elite motorsport.

The artist, DAST, is a 38-year-old Colombian muralist who was chosen to create the artwork in Monaco because of his passion for art which has driven his creative pursuits for the past ten years. As a Bogota native, DAST is surrounded by a wealth of inspiration including the diverse geographies and rich heritage of Colombia – something completely opposite to the usual glitz and glamour seen along the Monaco beachfront. These elements inspire DAST to step out of his comfort zone and create murals that explore the relationships between people, places, and spaces.

DAST’s gritty artwork and bold persona have been expertly captured in this live mural, which beautifully juxtaposes with the classical, shiny Monaco cityscape. Chosen for his unique style, embracing geometric shapes, colours, and the relationships that occur in public spaces between buildings, streets and pedestrians to inspire and inform the abstract mural. Featuring DAST’s signature geometric composition, the mural, which DAST painted in real-time, has been inspired by themes of speed, combined with the aerodynamic design of McLaren F1 Team’s car and the vibrant papaya and blue colourway. 

DAST, Freelance Artist, comments: “I have been pursuing a career in art and design for over 10 years and opportunities like this are few and far between. When I first started creating my designs, in my home in Bogotá, I never would have thought that one day I would have the opportunity to live my dream of becoming a full-time artist. Having my work showcased at one of the most exclusive Grand Prix™  races and painting the mural in real-time on a beautiful canvas such as Monaco’s beachfront makes the opportunity even more special!”

“These last six months have been truly life-changing. It is an honour to be one of the creatives involved in Vuse’s Driven by Change initiative and I hope to see more creatives like me, take part in this incredible opportunity showcasing their work, passions and values on the global platform of motorsports.”

Driven by Change premiered in December 2021 at the FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX™ 2021, where McLaren unveiled a one-off livery designed by Arabic artist, Rabab Tantawy, celebrating the first time a female artist from the Middle East had been given this kind of opportunity. This year, Driven by Change officially started at the Miami Grand Prix™ where US photographer, Jonathan Walker, captured content around the streets of Miami and at the circuit. Jonathan worked alongside McLaren’s digital content team, gaining valuable experiences, industry contacts and skills.

John Beasley, Group Head of Brand Building, BAT, comments: “We are really proud of the opportunities the Driven by Change initiative has already provided to emerging creatives such as Rabab Tantawy Jonathan Walker, and now DAST! It is great to see DAST’s raw passion, grit, geometric style and unique vision come to life on a completely juxtaposing canvas such as the Monaco beachfront. Our activity with Driven by Change showcases how Vuse is committed to making the dreams of emerging artists a reality.”

The initiative forms part of Vuse’s ongoing ambition to accelerate creative pursuits of underrepresented creative talent across the globe, working with McLaren to identify opportunities to bring their work to life, helping introduce creatives from diverse backgrounds to the masses. DAST’s artwork will be showcased for one night only, on Saturday 28th at the Grimaldi Forum, ahead of the FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX™ DE MONACO 2022 on Sunday 29th of May.

Rabab Tantawy comments: “I could never have imagined the opportunity that Driven by Change offered me. To become the first artist to have an original piece of art racing on-track was one of the most incredible things to happen in my career. The opportunity truly changed my life. I am excited to be involved in Driven by Change this year, working alongside Vuse and McLaren to continue to change the lives of underrepresented artists, like myself.”

Launching in August, creatives worldwide will have the opportunity to apply to be selected for future Driven by Change opportunities, including showcasing work at an upcoming Grand Prix™, to once-in-a-lifetime exclusive collaborations with The McLaren F1 Team. Specific opportunities, dates and timings for submission will be announced soon.

To discover more about DAST’s story, visit Vuse and DAST’s social channels. Further information on the Driven by Change initiative and how creatives can get involved in these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities will be shared later in the year.

Notes to Editors:

About BAT

BAT is a leading, multi-category consumer goods business with a purpose to build A Better Tomorrow by reducing the health impact of its business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products for adult consumers. The company continues to be clear that combustible cigarettes pose serious health risks, and the only way to avoid these risks is not to start or to quit. BAT encourages those who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch completely to scientifically-substantiated, reduced-risk alternatives*. In order to deliver this, BAT is transforming into a truly consumer-centric multi-category consumer products business. BAT employs over 53,000 people and operates in over 180 countries, with 11 million points of sale and 45 factories in 43 markets. The company’s Strategic Portfolio is made up of its global cigarette brands and a growing range of reduced-risk* New Category tobacco and nicotine products and traditional non-combustible tobacco products. These include vapour, tobacco heating products, modern oral products including tobacco-free nicotine pouches, as well as traditional oral products such as snus and moist snuff. In 2020, we had 13.5 million consumers of our non-combustible products, a rise of 3 million on the year before. The BAT Group generated revenue of £25.8 billion in 2020 and profit from operations of £9.9 billion.

*Based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete switch from cigarette smoking. These products are not risk free and are addictive.

** Based on Vype/Vuse estimated value share from RRP in measured retail for vapour (i.e. total vapour category value in retail sales) in the USA, Canada, France, UK, Germany. These 5 markets cover an estimated 77% of global vapour closed system NTO, calculated in June –July 2021.

About McLaren Racing

McLaren Racing was founded by New Zealand racing driver Bruce McLaren in 1963. The team entered its first Formula 1 race in 1966, since then McLaren has won 20 Formula 1 world championships, more than 180 Formula 1 grands prix, the Le Mans 24 Hours at its first attempt and the Indianapolis 500 three times. McLaren Racing currently competes in Formula 1 globally and INDYCAR in the US. 

The team is contesting the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, and in the 2021 INDYCAR Series with Arrow McLaren SP drivers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist. McLaren was the first F1 team to be certified carbon neutral ten years ago and has successfully retained the Carbon Trust Standard Award, most recently in February 2021. They were also the first team to be awarded the FIA Institute’s Environmental Award in 2013, which they have consistently maintained at three-star level.

In 2022, McLaren Racing will enter a new category of motorsport when it enters a team into Extreme E, the innovative all-electric off-road racing series that highlights the impact of climate change.

About Rabab Tantawy

Born in 1971 in Cairo Rabab Tantawy grew up watching her mother draw and create. Although she did not pursue an artistic career from the get-go, Rabab always kept an interest in the arts and taught herself different techniques, ranging from very traditional mediums like oil painting to modern ones like spray-paints.

When Tantawy decided to dedicate herself to the arts she got involved in several exhibitions while also actively pursuing street art.

Working with a multitude of mediums the artist created a playful approach to the otherwise serious concepts that ground her work. Her biggest focus is on union, community, and heritage.

While often we can see artists approach these subjects from a political point of view, Rabab tries to bridge the gap and render these subjects through the lens of universality.

Rabab is an intuitive artist. She doesn’t work with preliminary sketches; she uses the canvas as a support for direct download. There’s no expectation for a final product. In a way the product is the process of creation itself.

Line and colour are the pillars of Tantawy’s work. Be it abstract or figurative the artist’s work starts from line. The lines function as a skeleton, informing the whole process of the artwork in the making. Be it soft flowing lines or strong angular ones, this step sets the rhythm of the work. While a lot of artists are choosing to work with limited colour palettes, Tantawy switches from classical earthy colours to strong neon colours in the same series with the same ease she switches between mediums.

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Reliance Digital Launches ‘Baaptaa’, a Father’s Day Campaign Celebrating the Many Expressions of Fatherhood

MUMBAI, India, June 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Reliance Digital has launched ‘Baaptaa’, a Father’s Day campaign to celebrate the many expressions of fatherhood. Built around a simple cultural observation, while “Maa ki Mamta” has long been a part of India’s collective vocabulary, there has never been a word that captures the distinct ways fathers express love, the campaign introduces ‘Baaptaa’ as a tribute to the many shades of fatherhood.

Conceptualised as an original music-led campaign, Baaptaa celebrates fathers not as idealised figures, but as they are experienced in everyday life, protective, dependable, emotional, quirky, practical, occasionally embarrassing, and always present. Through a relatable narrative, the campaign acknowledges the countless ways fathers care for their families, often through actions rather than words.

Watch Video: https://youtu.be/9XyUsJB33Ds?si=PM67vhxrzth1JEkz 

At the heart of the campaign is an original music video told from a father’s perspective, capturing the different roles he plays across life’s moments and milestones. The film brings to life the humour, warmth and unspoken affection that characterise father-child relationships, while giving a name to a form of love that many recognise but few have articulated.

The campaign stems from a simple insight: while motherhood has often found expression through familiar phrases and popular references, the unique language of fatherhood has remained largely undefined. Baaptaa seeks to fill that gap by creating a term that reflects the everyday gestures, practical wisdom and quiet sacrifices that fathers make.

Father’s Day communication often leans into familiar emotional territory, but Reliance Digital’s campaign celebrates fathers in a way that feels more culturally authentic and relatable. The idea for ‘Baaptaa’ came from a simple observation — mother’s love has been immortalised in a number of heartfelt, emotional songs, there needed to be an anthem dedicated to dad’s love. And thus was born Baaptaa – a love language that is often awkward, practical, protective, humorous and deeply felt, even if rarely verbalised. It’s a celebration of fatherhood in all its wonderfully imperfect forms immortalized by a song that you won’t be able to stop humming.

Shop for the widest range of electronics at Reliance Digital and thank your father for his Baaptaa.

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Harper Collins Publishers India is Delighted to Announce the Recent Publication of ‘People We Love’ by Preeti Shenoy

NEW DELHI, June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — HarperCollins Publishers India is delighted to share the recent publication of People We Love by bestselling author Preeti Shenoy. At once tender and sharp, this collection of stories offers intimate, truthful and relatable portraits of the people we cherish, the ones we lose, and the people we become.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The people we love never truly leave our story…

In these tender yet piercing stories, Preeti Shenoy returns to some of her most beloved characters to reveal who they were before they appeared in her bestselling novels It’s All in the Planets and The One You Cannot Have.

Aniket, a coder, carries the weight of a longing for Trisha that he cannot bring himself to act on. Nidhi abandons her corporate life to teach pottery, only to discover that clay is far more forgiving than the people she loves. A quiz competition sparks an unlikely romance between Aman and Shruti, one that must withstand parental disapproval and class divides. And Anjali, a journalist, is so busy chasing stories that she almost misses the one unfolding in her own life.

Set against the pulse of contemporary India, People We Love explores the tug-of-war between duty and desire, family and freedom, who we are and who we dare to be. Intimate and deeply felt, these are stories about love that stays, leaves and almost slips away … love that quietly and irrevocably shapes the people we become.

Preeti Shenoy, author, says, “People We Love is a collection of three long stories, prequels to my bestsellers It’s All in the Planets and The One You Cannot Have. If you have read those books, you already know how these characters’ stories unfold. But what you don’t know yet is where it all began, the loves they carried, the choices they made, and the people they were before life shaped them into who you met on those pages. Writing these prequels felt like returning to a home I hadn’t realised I missed, and discovering rooms I had never been in before.”

Rashmi Menon, Associate Publisher – HarperCollins India, adds, “Preeti Shenoy has an extraordinary gift for finding the heartbeat of ordinary lives. People We Love is a warm, wise and deeply humane collection of short stories that reunites readers with favourite characters from her bestselling novels It’s All in the Planets and The One You Cannot Have, weaving them into fresh, deeply satisfying narratives. These characters feel like people you know, and their journeys will move, comfort and surprise you. This uplifting, thought–provoking collection reminds us why we turn to stories in the first place. We couldn’t be more excited to share it with our readers.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Preeti Shenoy is among the highest-selling authors in India. She was featured on the Forbes longlist of the most influential celebrities in India. Her books include When Love Came Calling, Wake Up Life, Is Calling, Life Is What You Make It, The Rule Breakers, A Hundred Little Flames, It’s All in the Planets, Why We Love the Way We Do, The Secret Wish List, The One You Cannot Have and many others. Her work has been translated into many Indian languages. Preeti is also a motivational speaker, an avid fitness enthusiast, and an artist specializing in portraiture and illustrated journalling. Preeti lives in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS INDIA

At HarperCollins Publishers India, we believe in telling the best stories and ensuring they reach the widest readership. We publish around 250 new books every year across 10 imprints, adding to a diverse catalogue of more than 3,000 titles in print and digital formats, with an array of genres and voices that ensure there is a book for every reader. Our authors have won some of the most prestigious literary awards, and we are proud to publish many acclaimed writers, alongside new and emerging voices shaping contemporary literature. We are also the publishers of The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, winner of the Booker Prize 2008, and Girl in White Cotton by Avni Doshi, shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2020, and HarperCollins India itself has been awarded “Publisher of the Year” several times. In addition, we represent some of the finest global publishers such as Harvard University Press, Lonely Planet, Oneworld, Nosy Crow, Usborne, and National Geographic Children, bringing Indian readers access to world-class books and ideas. We are also proud to be certified as a Great Place to Work for two consecutive years, a recognition of our culture, people, and values that make HarperCollins India a truly inspiring workplace. 

PRESS CONTACT:

Nandini Tripathi, Manager – Marketing (Commercial)

Email: nandini.tripathi@harpercollins.co.in | Mobile: +91 9718928839

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

Kreativespace Incubated at IIT Kharagpur

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 Kreativespace

Kreativespace 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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