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GradRight and Prodigy Finance come together to support Rohit’s dream of international higher education

HYDERABAD, India, Jan. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ —

When aspirations were threatened by Covid-19
Rohit grew up in a humble, middle class family. From his childhood days, he dreamt of studying at a top university in the US. Like most of his peers, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, found a job in the IT sector in India, and bided his time to find the right moment to apply abroad. He knew that funding his study abroad dream would be a challenge, but he was determined to work hard and take up a loan if required. Just as he was about to take the plunge, the pandemic struck, his father lost his job, and the family’s financial condition deteriorated. But Rohit remained committed to his dream.
Before the pandemic struck, almost 600,000 students were issued student visas to study abroad in 2019. Despite a temporary slump due to Covid travel restrictions, the trajectory of Indian students studying abroad remains strong. The number of students who manage to travel abroad form a thin slice of the large pool of aspirants planning to study abroad from their teenage years. Most students miss out on their plans due to the steep cost of an international education. Students hailing from humble backgrounds lack personal financial resources as well as the financial know-how to navigate the world of education loans and scholarships. Rohit found himself in a similar position in 2020.
GradRight opens the doors to Prodigy Finance for Rohit
Despite the challenges, Rohit kept himself motivated, balanced his job with studying and planning, took the GRE, scored well, applied to his dream universities in the US, and got accepted to three of them. He was confident of his academic abilities and brought himself thus far. However, he wasn’t well versed with the inefficiencies of the Indian education loan marketplace and got turned down for loans by five different lenders. While some required collateral, some cited poor credit history. A few said that his father was not a reliable guarantor as he had lost his job. Dejected, Rohit was about to give up. But with a stroke of good fortune, he stumbled upon GradRight. The team guided him on how he could leverage his academic profile and admissions offers to secure a collateral free loan with partners like Prodigy Finance.
Prodigy Finance goes the extra-mile, faster than anyone else
While all other banks had taken 1-1.5 months to process and eventually reject Rohit’s loan applications, his education loan got approved by Prodigy Finance in a couple of days. Prodigy Finance is one of the select few tech-powered, student-centric lenders which provides approvals to deserving students in a matter of minutes. Through GradRight’s education loan bidding platform, Rohit received three more loan offers, but he chose Prodigy Finance as it offered him the lowest rate of interest and the best service experience. “I am immensely grateful for the support that GradRight and Prodigy Finance have extended to help me realize my aspiration of studying at my dream university in the USA. Platforms like these bring hope in the lives of students who find the current financial system cumbersome. The entire process was unbelievably easy to follow. I hope that more aspirants like me can fully utilize such platforms,” says Rohit.
Rohit’s cause for celebration didn’t end here. Both GradRight and Prodigy Finance understand how young India’s aspirations to study abroad are often crushed by the existing paradigm of education loans and financing. The Co-Founder of GradRight, Mr. Aman Singh, says, “We, at GradRight, understand how crucial a study abroad opportunity is for students to enjoy social mobility. To do away with the prevailing information asymmetry, GradRight aims to partner with students, universities, and financial institutions like Prodigy Finance to soothe palpable anxiety and uncertainty regarding the vital decision of choosing a college and subsequently financing partners. Ultimately, we have built a one-of-its-kind ed-tech platform that promises optimum results to all of its stakeholders.”
To encourage Rohit and others from similarly humble backgrounds to remain committed to their dreams, they offered Rohit a scholarship worth USD 5,000. Going forward, GradRight and Prodigy Finance remain committed to offering scholarships to bright, young minds like Rohit in 2022.
“If you analyse the numerous Indians who are currently leading global companies, an obvious recipe comes to light. A majority of these visionary leaders, after completing their undergraduate studies in India, stepped out of their comfort zones and chose to study abroad. The experience of working with the best, brought out their A game and enabled them to attain phenomenal success. We at Prodigy Finance aim to unlock this potential for students from 100+ countries across the globe, including from India,” says, Mayank Sharma, Country Head – India, Prodigy Finance.
Today, Rohit is pursuing his master’s degree in electrical and computer technology at Ohio State University. Coming from a middle class background, he is grateful for the mentorship and financial assistance provided by GradRight and Prodigy Finance. He smiles generously and shares his plans for the future – he wants to be an entrepreneur too. He says, “I truly believe that I am privileged to study at such an esteemed institution. By utilizing the knowledge I will earn through the international exposure and world-class curriculum, I wish to help others move up the social and economic ladder through my entrepreneurship skills. If my experience can make a difference in the lives of people who are hustling for employment and education opportunities, I would have achieved my purpose.”
About GradRight
GradRight is an ed-fin-tech startup focused on global higher education. We are committed to enabling global youth aspirations by helping students find the “right education” at the “right cost.” Since September 2020, we have received over US$500 million in loan requests and successfully secured over US$75 million in loan approvals for more than 1600 students. GradRight is now the one-stop destination for Indian students applying for higher education abroad. GradRight was founded in 2019 by Sasidhar Sista, an alumnus of BITS Pilani, and University of Pennsylvania; and Aman Singh, an alumnus of  the Indian School of Business and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Know more about us on www.gradright.com
Media Contact:
Anand Patingeanandp@gradright.com
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1730580/GradRight_and_Prodigy_Finance_Logos.jpg  

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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 BOOKThe 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 INDIAAt 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 9718928839Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2997583/HarperCollins_People_We_Love.jpgLogo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2105077/4665143/HarperCollins_Logo.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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