NEW DELHI: The Publications Division should make efforts to make available the annual ?India Reference Annual? globally so that people can learn more about India and particularly in the Indian Diaspora, Minister of state for Information and Broadcasting C M Jatua said.

Releasing the 2012 volume which is the 56th edition, Jatua said it was an exhaustive repository of information about the States and Union Territories, Constitutional amendments and achievements in various fields.

The issue is brought out jointly the Publication Division and the Research, Reference and Training Division of the Ministry giving up-to-date information about the country. The Minister observed that the print run of the annual had been steadily increasing over the years with over 67000 copies printed in English and Hindi in the first stage this year.

Secretary Uday Kumar Varma said that the Publications Division should try to use technology to enhance the outreach of the publication. He suggested that for the next year, the Media Unit should try to introduce the book in three formats: the printed format, CDs, and the electronic version. The Secretary wanted the Division to increase the number of print copies and ensure better marketability of the product.

India 2012 is an updated and comprehensive edition of the Reference Annual edited, published and marketed by the Publications Division. The Research, Reference and Training Division (RR&TD) of the Ministry collects the base material for the Year Books. The material is collected from Central Ministries/Departments, State governments and Union Territories, PSUs and autonomous bodies.

The reference annual gives a panoramic view of country?s progress in the fields of rural and urban development, industry & infrastructure, science & technology, art & culture, economy, health, defence, education & mass communication. It incorporates sections on general knowledge, current affairs, sports, events of the past year and latest ones too.

The publication has been chronicling India?s march to prosperity and strength over this period. The main features covered in this edition of the year book are Census 2011 which is the 15th Census of India since 1872, village electrification, MNREGA, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, National Rural Health Mission, empowerment of women etc. It is a useful handbook for students, civil services aspirants, research scholars, academicians, authors, journalists and above all the general public.

Mumbai: The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) will present the Olive Crown awards for excellence in Green advertising on March 3 rd at a glittering function to be held at the Taj Lands End Bandra Mumbai.

These are the first and only awards in the country that celebrate excellence in communicating sustainability.

The event, will see a heady mix of creativity, entertainment, a touch of seriousness, a dash of Bollywood and some of the biggest names in the advertising, marketing and media industry walking the ?green carpet?.

The Guests of Honor at the function will be cine idol Kajol and Nita Ambani Chairperson Reliance Foundation.

A special Green Crusader award will be presented to Dr.Rajendra Pachauri who won the Nobel Prize as Chairman IPCC.

?The response from the industry has really warmed my heart? says Kaushik Roy President IAA. ?Everyone seems to have adopted these awards as their own cause and have been spontaneous in consenting to be with us at the function. In just its second year, the Olive Crowns will be the most happening and meaningful event in
our industry.?

Olive Crowns will be presented to winners in 14 categories and were judged by a panel of judges that included some of the most respected creative names in the business.

9XM is the title partner of this event.

Mumbai: Have you ever wondered what goes into making our favorite stars look larger than life on big screen? Or what led King Khan mesmerize the audience as an ambitious super hero in ? Ra One?, a film that won the hearts of every age group. Prior to its release, who could have possibly imagined an evil fictional character from a video game to come to life and start destroying the real world until he was stopped by a super hero who also originated from the same game?

Be it the superheroes flying across the sky or cities drowning into an ocean, films offering great audio-visual experiences, like Iron Man and Indiana Jones have been Hollywood‘s biggest moneymakers & have always left the audience gasping for more. Nine of the 10 highest-grossing movies worldwide in the past few years relied heavily on special effects, making the industry more central to Hollywood‘s business model than movie stars are.

Back home in India too, the entertainment industry?s newfound seriousness about visual effects (VFX) can be attributed to the mega success of movies like Robot where the Matrix-like sequence was recreated by the Southern super star Rajnikanth or the most popular sky-diving scene in Zindagi na Milegi Dobaara that had the audience spellbound.

However, a few years back, Indian industry was hesitant to embrace technology. They preferred to spend on expensive outdoor shoots and sets, and ask for stock shots to incorporate in their films, note Bollywood veterans. In Bollywood, VFX has evolved only in the last five years. The Indian VFX industry came into the limelight with Hollywood producers seeing them as back-end viable and a less expensive destination for post-production. Studios saved 60-70 per cent by outsourcing their work to India. But over the years, VFX studios have moved up the value chain by getting high-end work and not just labour-intensive work.

And Visual Computing Labs the highly acclaimed digital production studio and a division of Tata Elxsi has been at the helm of providing Animation, VisualEffects (VFX) and 3D stereoscopic content for feature films, episodic television and advertising. With world-class studios in Los Angeles and India it also offers custom content development for visualization and. product marketing, and is a leading developer of mobile, online and console games.

We take this opportunity to introduce Rediffusion/Edelman India as the public relations agency for Visual Computing Labs, a division of Tata Elxsi. Request you to please feel free to get in touch with us in case of any queries that you may have in the future. Will be great if you could also keep us in loop for any stories that you may plan in the days to come. Enclosed below are our contact details for your reference.

Mumbai: Maharashtra has had a special place in the history of progressive India. It has produced leaders who have made a great contribution to the development of the country in all walks of life. Be it politics, music, sports, films, literature, theatre, fashion, business, social service, farming, journalism or medicine, Maharashtrians have scripted many of India?s grand success stories.

In this fame-obsessed time, there are people doing phenomenal work without any expectation of recognition. There are people who have contributed to the society and served their respective fields with the devotion that can inspire many. They have been appreciated well now its time to give due recognition them, now its time to honor them!

A man who collects money in the local trains to build a school. A coach who helps kids succeed at the international level in the forgotten game of Kabaddi. A police constable who lost his arm while diffusing a bomb. These are the real heroes of our society showing real courage in everyday life. We take it upon ourselves to honour these unsung heroes who, with their undying dedication and passion, are making this world a better place.

Zee 24 Taas, the first 24-hour Marathi news channel takes great pride in felicitating these real heroes of Maharashtra. Zee 24 Taas Ananya Sanman is a unique platform which gives due recognition to these real heroes who have considerably contributed in their sphere of work. People who have done great deal of work in their fields but still go un-recognized and stayed away from limelight.

In its first year, Ananya Sanman 2008 honored the Marathi achievers from various fields who achieved fame in their respective arena of work.

In the second & third year, Ananya Sanman 2009 & Ananya Sanman 2010 honored the un-sung heroes from various fields who have done in-comparable work in their respective sphere.

The fourth edition is also a continued effort for carrying forward the tradition of "Sanman" and honoring the extraordinary. There are seven different categories that have been chosen to honor unsung heroes. These categories are; Entertainment, Sports, Farming, Education, Environment, Social Service and Bravery.

The recipients of these honors will be felicitated by the hands of veterans of those respective fields.

The concluding part to this ceremonious occasion sees a life time achievement honor to a legendary person with a stature.

The previous editions have witnessed the presence of eminent personalities from politics, business, culture & sports. Hon?ble Chief Minister & Dy. Chief Minister were the chief guests for the ceremony in respective years.

Zee 24 Taas Ananya Sanman 2011 is being hosted in association with Loksatta. Tata Sumo Gold, LIC of India, Axis Bank, Ideal e-live, and Rambandhu Masale are the associate sponsors whereas TJSB Bank is the official banker.

Mumbai: At Comedy Central we believe in laughing out loud and offering the best to our viewers. 2012 being a Leap Year, we don?t want to miss out on laughing off at it too. So here we are... we?ve decided to share our ?Laugh It Off? goodies with everyone!

The rule of the game is easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy! The contest will run on the 29th of February 2012 throughout the day on Comedy Central, where viewers have to spot and count the number of ?Bleeps? they see during the day and Facebook their answers to win prizes. There will be a special tab created on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/comedycentralindia, where the participants will have to select the right number of bleeps they have seen in each show. The ones with the maximum number of correct answers stand a chance to win some super cool limited edition Comedy Central merchandise.

This is our BLEEP YEAR stunt for the Leap Year. So gear up because only 10 lucky participants will win Comedy Central goodies. Keep your eyes and ears opened to spot the ?Bleeps? that will feature in the shows. May your Leap Year be filled with Bleeps and laughter; for everything else there is Comedy Central...!

Participate to win exciting Comedy Central goodies only on 29th February, 2012 and hope you have a Bleep Year ahead!

Mumbai: The Big Switch journey is always a memorable and path changing one for its participants. After ten grueling weeks, Big Switch season 3- Life without daddy ka paisa! has come to an end. From cleaning windows of high rises to mopping floors at a high-end restaurant, the contestants of season 3 have indeed had an awe-inspiring experience. All those bratty ways have given way to an experience filled with lessons for life, value for money and hardships the commoners go through every day to earn their living.

The last man standing of season 3 is Faizan Mir. A 21 year old young man, born to an uber rich dad based in Delhi. Always surrounded with a fleet of servants, Faizan has always been the quintessential rich spoilt brat who loves partying and splurging money and the only reason he agreed to come on Big Switch 3 was to win his big wish, a blank cheque promised to him by his father. Post the show he underwent a switch, realizing the importance of having ones own identity instead of resting on the laurels of ones family. He experienced how it feels to be on the other side where there is no shortcut to success. From being a salesman at a popular mall, to being a masseuse, Faizan has paved his way through what seemed impossible at first. Such was the impact on this young man that when his father handed him his "big wish", he undauntedly returned the cheque to his father to every ones surprise.

Commenting on winning Big Switch Season 3, Faizan Mir said, "It has been a very humbling experience for me, right from the start. Not only did the show teach me the value of money, but also people. I am very thankful to god that I was born in such an affluent family. I now have just one aspiration in my life, to do something of my own and make a name for myself in this world and that?s the reason I made a decision not to accept my big wish of a blank cheque!"

"I have actually seen Faizan mould from his arrogance to being a dedicated person. I am very happy for Faizan and he is one person who has always given his best at every task. Initially he had his guard up, but as the show progressed, Faizan showed his commitment and selflessness towards his housemates. I am sure Faizan will do really well in life and prove to be a very successful man!" commented Rohit Shetty, judge on Big Switch 3.

Host Natasha Suri also agrees with Rohit Shetty, says "I was a part of Big Switch season one as a contestant, I bought the same learning to the table as the host for Big Switch 3. All the brats were guided towards a better tomorrow for themselves and Faizan just followed every guidance and tip shared with him. A well deserved winner I would say though the others performed beautifully as well."