Mumbai: Network recognized in the Cultural Issues Category for Trapped by Tradition: a CNN Freedom Project Documentary
In recognition of CNN‘s exceptional and courageous reporting, the network has been honored with the ‘Gold World Medal‘ in the Cultural Issues category at New York Festival‘s International TV and Film Awards 2012 for ‘Trapped by Tradition: a CNN Freedom Project documentary.‘

"We are delighted that ‘Trapped by Tradition‘ has been recognized with this prestigious award," said Tony Maddox, executive vice president and managing director of CNN International. "The award reflects the CNN Freedom Project‘s continued commitment to help bring an end to modern day slavery and is testament to the uncompromising dedication of our newsgathering teams as they seek to shine a light on this horrific practice and provide a voice for victims who cannot speak for themselves."

"I am very pleased that Trapped by Tradition has been awarded this distinguished award," said Indian film luminary Anil Kapoor who was a special contributor to the CNN Freedom Project for ‘Trapped by Tradition‘. "Human slavery is unacceptable and we must all work towards ending it. The awareness generated through documentaries like Trapped by Tradition is very important for combating this serious global issue."

In ‘Trapped by Tradition‘, Anil Kapoor visited the Bharatpur district of North India to highlight how many young girls and women are sold into the sex trade, often by members of their own family. The documentary followed Kapoor as he spent time with young girls and women who had been forced into joining the sex trade. The documentary also highlighted the on-ground changes which are coming out via better education and the efforts of organizations like Plan India as young girls and women learn about lifestyle choices outside Bharatpur and India‘s sex trade.

Excerpts from the documentary can be viewed at
http://cnn.com/video/?/video/international/2011/10/07/kapoor-trapped-in-tradition-1.cnn
http://cnn.com/video/?/video/international/2011/10/07/kapoor-trapped-in-tradition-2.cnn
http://cnn.com/video/?/video/international/2011/10/07/kapoor-trapped-in-tradition-3.cnn

Mumbai: They say, in Punjab every second born is a singer. Blessed with amazing voice, many talented Punjabi singers aspire to reach the pinnacle of vocal recognition. Through Voice of Punjab, every year PTC Punjabi provides a unique platform to aspirants to compete and show their mettle to the entire world. The best of Punjabi Music Industry judges these contestants and hones their aptitude towards mainstream career making in singing.

Voice of Punjab Talent Hunt is a high decibel exercise and invites entries from nook & corners of Punjab and Haryana with centralized auditions in 9 major cities of Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Faridkot, Bathinda, Sangrur, Patiala, Karnal and Chandigarh.

The winners (1 Boy & 1 Girl) will get a chance to record a Music Album.

The channel has invited entries for Voice of Punjab Auditions held across various cities of Punjab/Haryana through on air promotions on PTC Network Channels, Posters in colleges, Dedicated IVR and Registration Forms kept across various Music Academies and Retail outlets in Punjab & Haryana. The contest is open for contestants between the age group of 18 to 27 years as on 1st May 2012. All entries received will be screened for Voice talent and knowledge of Music in the city Auditions by an esteemed panel of judges. The successful candidates will be called for a Mega Audition in Chandigarh.

After an extensive Audition exercise, a few selected contestants will battle it out in Studio Rounds in Delhi.

"These contestants will be mentored, groomed and in many ways, prepared for a lifetime of challenges as they surge ahead on their Musical Journey. Their journey will be encapsulated across Reality Show Episodes on PTC Punjabi. Renowned Bollywood Singer Saleem and Music Director Sachin Ahuja are the judges for the Studio episodes. ", said Rajiee M Shinde, COO - PTC Network.

A total of 8 to 10 contestants will contend for the Voice of Punjab Title in the Grand Finale to be held in Punjab later this year. The Grand Finale will be telecast LIVE on PTC Punjabi.

Audition will be conducted in Amritsar (7 May), Jallandhar (9 May), Ludhiana (11 May), Faridkot (14 May), Bathinda (16 May), Sangrur (18 May), Patiala (21 May), Karnal (23 May), and Chandigarh (25 May).

Mumbai: Bindass, the 360 degree Indian youth entertainment brand presents the ?Bindass Swarathma Rest Less tour that will take place across 3 cities beginning May 11th 2012. In sync with Bindass? refreshed brand campaign REST LESS, this tour promises to make you ROCK MORE and REST LESS! It does not stop at this! At the end of the tour, Swarathma will put together an exclusive ?Bindass anthem? that captures the REST LESS spirit of the youth; the composition will be based on the bands interaction with youngsters during their multi-city tour.

The Bindass Swarathma Rest Less Tour marks the launch of the band?s second full-length album titled Topiwalleh. This album follows their critically acclaimed eponymous debut release in January 2009, which introduced the world to their brand of folk rock and won the band the JD Rock Award for Best Band, Album and Song of the Year.

Commenting on the association of Bindass and Swarathma for the Rest Less Tour, Kunal Mukherjee, Director Marketing, UTV & Bindass Networks ?Bindass as a youth brand has evolved over the years and has become much more than just a television channel. Music is the language the youngsters speak and it is important for a youth brand like Bindass to give them a world class music experience. Folk Rock is an emerging genre and Bindass believes that it has strong following amongst the youth and a band like Swarathma with their unique footprint in folk rock fit the bill. It will also be interesting to see the composition of a Bindass anthem by Swarathma that will resonate the brand?s refreshed philosophy encouraging the youth to do more and rest less.?

Since their first album, the Swarathma has quickly grown to become one of India?s premier live acts, with performances over the world including festivals across the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Morocco. This time around, acclaimed composer/producer Loy Mendonsa worked with the band, helping them polish their new compositions, while retaining the ethos of the band?s identity. This album also represents a subtle shift in the Swarathma sound. While they stay true to their folk roots, the compositions reflect the development in the band members? individual musicality over the last three years.

Girish ?Bobby? Talwar, Co-Founder OML and Artist?s Manager says, ?Swarathma?s Topiwalleh album is going to be like a shot in the arm for the Indian folk rock scene, it?s going to be big. The writing process has been mentored by Loy Mendonsa who is one of the most diverse musicians and producers in our country. Having a brand like Bindass on board only ensures that Swarathma?s unique sound will reach out to the largest group of the coolest people in the country and more importantly, the people that really enjoy Swarathma?s blended genre of music?.

Loy Mendonsa, the producer of the album says, ?They are a great live band with a lot of color and a nice Indian touch to the performance. I have always liked the kind of songs they have written and the social messages their lyrics carry. I have tried to bring in the theatrical angle of their performance into the album? Vasu Dixit the vocalist from the band says, ?It?s great that a popular youth brand like Bindass promotes Folk rock as a genre, this will definitely help us reach out to our audience on a much larger scale. All of us in the band are really excited about the Bindass Swarathma Rest Less tour and more so about the anthem that we are going to put together. It?s the first time that we will document our experiences with inputs from the youth and compose such an anthem?it?s truly going to be a unique sound.?

Mumbai: Have you ever witnessed the anger of a mother leopard when her cubs are taken away for their vaccinations? How do orangutan mums? maternal instincts help them bring their babies up in just the right way?

There?s nothing quite like a mother?s love and moms from the animal kingdom are no exception. This May, on Mothers? Day, Animal Planet celebrates the occasion with its viewers through a special marathon dedicated to the devoted mothers in the animal kingdom. The Mothers? Day Special on Animal Planet highlights the special bondage between mothers and the young ones among different animals in the wildlife surrounding us.

The Mother?s Day special programming marathon airs on Animal Planet, on Sunday, May 13, from 8am to 8pm.

Capturing the most intimate and dramatic moments of motherhood in the wild, the programmes like Forest Tigers - Sita?s Story, Cheetah - The Winning Streak, Baby Planet Maternal Instinct, Bengal Tiger?s Motherly Love, Wildwives Of Savannah Lane, Echo And The Elephants Of Amboseli, Mutual Of Omaha?s Wild Kingdom will spotlight some of the rarest and greatest creatures on the planet share their motherly love and affection with their young ones.

Mumbai: TABcab announced that it has launched Taxi Ads with three brands ? TATA Salt Lite, TATA I Shakti Daal & Regus ? being displayed on its new Toyota Etios cabs in Mumbai. TABcab displays TATA Salt Lite, TATA I Shakti Daal & Regus on the boot and all the four doors of its Toyota Etios cabs.

TABcab is a new radio taxi service in Mumbai with a license to operate 4000 cabs tendered by MMRTA. TABcab deploys the most updated technology platform that greatly reduces the booking v/s delivery turnaround time for customers. The platform also minimises the response time for customer calls. Currently, TABcab runs 1000 cabs in Mumbai.

As brands move their spends from static to dynamic and transit mediums, Taxi Ads are gaining momentum and have been used by some major brands across the world and in cities in India. TABcab offers high visibility and engagement platform through Taxi Ads, reaching out to every nook and corner of the city which is not possible through other static or transit mediums.

TABcab has installed mobile tablets in its cabs for in-cab entertainment. These tablets run on 3G network and deliver spots, banner ads, brand apps, brand games, research interface and microsite integration kind of opportunities for advertisers in a captive environment. Considering that the average time taken to travel by an individual is 1.5 hours, the tablet offers high engagement point and reach for passengers who find it extremely interesting because of entertainment and live content, which includes latest English & Hindi movies, songs, promos, videos, news and search.

Announcing the launch of Taxi Ads, Prasenjeet Bagchi, Chief Marketing Officer of TABcab, said ?TABcab offers a complete campaign to an advertiser in Mumbai to reach out to its target audience. With the fleet size increasing up to 4,000, and with Taxi Ads and in-cab engagement & communication platforms, the campaign will ensure maximum reach, visibility and engagement resulting into unparalleled impact that no other transit or outdoor media platform can offer.?

MUMBAI: Reliance Home Video & Games has released the Blu-ray and DVDs of Tom Cruise-starrer Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

Boasting "a bullet train of action and an arsenal of cool gadgets" (David Germain, Associated Press), Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol delivers non-stop thrills and breathtaking stunts including a dizzying ascent up the world?s tallest building that Roger Ebert called "one of the most spellbinding stretches of film I?ve seen".

The film has Tom Cruise returning as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, along with an exceptional cast of actors including Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Simon Pegg (Star Trek), Paula Patton (Precious) and Michael Nyqvist (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo).

The cast also includes Anil Kapoor with certain portions of the movie also being shot in India. Blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates Ghost Protocol.

Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency?s name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know.

The film, directed by Brad Bird and produced by Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk, is based on the television series created by Bruce Geller.

While the DVD is available at Rs.599, the Blu-ray is available at Rs.1299. The film is also available in Hindi (DVD - Rs.125; VCD - Rs.115), Telugu (VCD - Rs.99) and Tamil (DVD - Rs.125). Fans of the franchise can pick up the Blu-ray 4-Movie Set for Rs.3999 or DVD 4-Movie set for Rs.1299 that includes all the four Mission Impossible films in one box-set.