MUMBAI: It?s the grand premiere episode of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. We had the entire Deol family marked their presence at the opening episode of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. We have all the 11 contestants introduced by personalities like Helen, Govinda, Mohinsh Behl, Anushka Sharma etc. Well this is not the end of it our very own Jury Malaika Arora Khan & Remo also shake a leg and entertain the audience??

Don?t forget to tune into Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa on 12th December, 2010 Sunday at 9:00pm only on Sony Entertainment Television

MUMBAI: CNN-IBN the No.1 English news channel of India has also emerged as Asia?s best after bagging three awards at the 15th Asian Television Award 2010 held in Singapore yesterday. With these prestigious wins, the channel holds the distinction of being the only Indian TV channel to win three major awards in 2010 at the prestigious Asian Television Awards. The award is the industry?s most significant and celebrated event, recognising excellence in TV programming, production and performance.

The channel received awards for its outstanding, inclusive programming and content in the following award categories:

? India at 9 with Rajdeep Sardesai - Best News Programme for the 2nd consecutive year

? The Citizen Journalist Show - Best Cross-Platform Content

? Karan Thapar for Devil?s Advocate - Best Current Affairs Presenter for the 5th time

?India at 9? CNN-IBN?s flagship primetime daily newscast anchored by Rajdeep Sardesai that won the Best News Programme for the 2nd consecutive year presents the day?s top stories in the most informed, compelling and intelligent manner. It showcases the newsmakers of the day, along with live debate with top players who influence the country‘s socio-political agenda. The show over a period of time set very high editorial standards backed by strong production values.

?The Citizen Journalist Show?, CNN-IBN?s flagship inclusive initiative that gives the citizens a platform to stand up and ask why, won the award for the Best Cross-Platform content. A Citizen Journalist has the spirit to be the change he wants to see. Equipped with a camera and the passion to uncover the truth, CNN-IBN CJs have unfolded compelling stories that have had an impact and have lead to policy changes.

Karan Thapar, the country?s most incisive interviewer was also recognised as the Best Current Affairs Presenter for the 5th time for his show ?Devil?s Advocate?. This hard hitting show aimed at uncovering nothing but the truth sees Karan putting a contention to test with a noted personality.

The award ceremony also ?Highly Commended? some of the most watched and critically acclaimed CNN-IBN shows and specials under the following categories:

? Best Documentary Programme (30 Mins or Less) ? Toxic Story (a documentary on the 25th anniversary of Bhopal Gas Tragedy)

? Best Single News Story/Report - Toxic Story (a documentary on the 25th anniversary of Bhopal Gas Tragedy)

? Best Talk Show - Devil?s Advocate

CNN-IBN was also ?Highly Commended? under the Cable & Satellite Channel of the Year category. While IBN18 Broadcast Ltd that broadcasts CNN-IBN, IBN7 & IBN-Lokmat was ?Highly Commended? under the Cable & Satellite Network of the Year category.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN-Lokmat said, ?We are very proud to be the only Indian TV channel to win three awards at the Asian Television Awards 2010. This is really an unprecedented feat that asserts the fact that CNN-IBN?s dominance goes beyond borders. We thank our viewers for showing immense faith in us as we continue our quest to deliver the best and the most path-breaking news programmes.?

MUMBAI: UTI Mutual Fund, the Fund House with the largest number of investor accounts (As of September 2010, source: AMFI website) and CNBC?TV18, India?s No. 1 Business medium honoured the best financial advisors in the country at the fourth edition of the prestigious ?Financial Advisor Awards 2010? held in the city. Mr. M. D. Mallya, Chairman, Bank of Baroda was the Chief Guest at the awards who felicitated the winners.

?UTI Mutual Fund and CNBC?TV18 Financial Advisor Awards 2010? have honoured financial advisors who have set a benchmark by maximizing the investors? returns through sound advice. These are authoritative awards that recognize the potential of the nation?s best financial advisors and felicitate them for their unparalleled service and contribution.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. M. D. Mallya, Chairman and Managing Director, Bank of Baroda said, "We are seeing India positioning itself into a sustainable growth mode. From the level of 6% GDP during 2002 to a level of 8.5% growth in 2010 and dreaming of taking the GDP growth to over 10% in the next couple of years, there has been a huge transition from what we were doing in the past to what India as a country is capable of doing. The key factors influencing India‘s transitional growth includes the improving demographics of the country, the reduced dependence in terms of proportion, the fundamental structural reforms which have been consistently introduced as far as the country is concerned, the improved efficiency in both private and public sector as far as the corporate is concerned and the enhanced pace of financial deepening which we have witnessed in the recent past. All these factors together have contributed to the strong financial system in the country and therefore from the level of an emerging economy, India now can be called as a mid-size economy with a capacity of outperforming China in the years to come. Resultantly, India‘s wealth creation rates have kept on increasing and therefore have witnessed a paradigm shift.?

Adding further, Mr. Mallya said, ?In India there is a need for sound financial advisors and wealth management services in the institutional investors segment, retail investors segment and the household investors segment that are a part of the country‘s developing economy. With an increase in new investors and their lack of ability to make informed decisions, both in short and long term investments, the role of financial advisors has become critical. Business channels like CNBC-TV18 who disseminate financial information also have an important role to play since they provide financial literacy to those individual retail investors who do not have adequate finance to pay a financial expert in order to make informed financial decisions.?

?I would like to compliment CNBC-TV18 for their initiative of recognizing the contribution made by the financial advisors and UTI Mutual Fund for supporting this initiative. A small beginning which began four years back, the Financial Advisor awards has gained momentum and respectability with an increase in the number of aspirants and overall applications for these awards. I congratulate the winners for the work they have carried forward."

Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Senthil Chengalvarayan, President and Editorial Director, CNBC-TV18 said, ?The year 2009 had been a year of recovery as well as a learning experience for investors. While investors guarded and weighed each investment decision, it was the prudent advice by the financial advisors that helped in restoring investor confidence. Financial Advisor Awards 2010 honours their role not only as financial advisors but also as conduits for long term sustainable wealth creation.?

Speaking on the occasion Mr U K Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director, UTI Asset Management Company Ltd. said ?There are professional services in this Country which have not received the recognition commensurate with their contribution to the society. Financial Advisory service is one such service. It has been in existence for decades and has shown maturity. It has played a stellar role in spreading the benefits of the growth of the Indian economy across the length and breadth of the Country. Instituting this award is a small step on part of UTI Mutual Fund and CNBC to acknowledge the role and the contribution made by the Financial Advisors. .?

Mr Jaideep Bhattacharya, Chief Marketing Officer, UTI AMC said, ?Financial Advisors play a critical role in the expansion of the Indian mutual fund industry. Financial Advisors Awards is recognition of their efforts to create long term wealth for their clients.?

MUMBAI: MTV Girls Night Out, produced by Miditech Pvt. Ltd, heads for the finale of the 13-part hair-raising series which will air on MTV on 12th Dec 2010. MTV Girls Night Out, India‘s first horror reality show is woven around fear, scare and paranormal activities. The three finalists, Mumbai based Yoshnika Shah, Delhi based Damini Raizada and Kavita Rana will prove their ultimate fear quotient.

The winner of MTV Girls Night Out will be awarded a cash prize of 5 lakh rupees. The finale judges the girls‘ fear quotient, team spirit and presence of mind in adverse conditions in supposedly haunted locations. As performed in each episode, three girls are sent to spooky, eerie and haunted locations across the length & breadth of the country. These are spaces that have a past, spaces that have stories to tell. Helping them is VJ and anchor of the show Rannvijay along with a team of certified paranormal investigators, known as GRIP (Ghost Research and Investigators of Paranormal). The investigators use science, logic and latest technology to support their investigations. GRIP uses equipments like K2 Meter, EMF Readers, Laser Thermometers, Night Vision HD cameras, EVP High frequency Audio recorders, Digital Cameras and various softwares for analysis. GRIP is affiliated to the global organization - Para Nexus - the world wide research association for anomalous investigations based out of US who deals with paranormals, UFO‘s, haunting, mysterious events, cryptology etc.

Vidyuth Bhandary, business head, Miditech says "MTV Girls Night Out experiments with the fear of the unknown. It is about real people, real places which have interesting, historic stories and the paranormal occurrences seen through the eyes of contestants and the electronic devices. We have set out to create gripping content, stayed true to "Reality" in this era of "Reality TV", with the support of globally renowned organizations, equipments so that we could create a benchmark in this genre."

The grand finale for MTV Girls Night Out will be aired this Sunday at 7 pm. "We have traveled the lengths and breadths of the country looking for paranormal occurrences. And we have saved the best for the finale" adds Vidyuth.

Gaurav Tiwari, GRIP Lead Investigator, says "MTV Girls Night Out is our next level of experiment to investigate the paranormal. The experience is not just limited to our team, but provides an opportunity to the fairer sex to gain some wild experience and show their guts to those who think women are weak, while we gain some real knowledge through their experience."

The team had identified certain places-like a morgue in North - where they had to get out immediately as the energy presence was so overwhelming and infectious. Heavy anxiety levels, unwelcome feelings, shadows, weird noises were everywhere. And, for the safety of the crew and the contestants, the team decided not to shoot in such locations.

"I have never believed in the existence of paranormal. But this series has proved me wrong. The entire experience of Girls Night Out has been full out shrills, adventure and engagement. The finale brilliantly showcases the deepest fears of the contestants and therefore brings to the viewers a never seen before episode." says Aien Longkumer, Project Head, Miditech.
 

MUMBAI: The fourth round of the Indian National Rally Championship in Bangalore witnessed some dramatic rallying. The Bangalore rally witnessed the longest phase of competition which was around 30 kms, which proved to be the testing stage for the cars. Only 8 cars from the entire lot managed to wade through the ?competition stage? of 30 kms. Despite of all the difficult levels and rally oath, the UTV Action car proved to be the BEST and bagged the FIRST POSITION in the rally. The weather was in favor which helped the cars to speed up to their fullest but with speed comes the need to balance which let down a lot of cars but not the UTV Action car.

The race saw an extremely convincing victory with a phenomenal distance of 40 secs between the UTV Action car and the car which was on the second place. The UTV Action car was the only car from Mumbai which managed to reach till round four. During the race quite a few cars overturned and many could not wade through the competition stage of 30 Kms. The UTV Action car has been consistently performing well and even had bagged 3rd position at the Jodhpur car rally.
Kaushik Shinde, Driver, UTV Action Car Comments ?With just 3 rallies together we are more than happy with the way things are proceeding. Historically RSC is the toughest class to compete in as it is more about the team than about the car. Ninan and I have managed to find the right balance which helped us in going this far and winning the rally. This was a convincing win and hope UTV Action team continues its form?
Kunal Mukherjee, Marketing Head, UTV Action- ?The UTV Action car has pulled up one more glorious victory at the INRC ? which just reinforces the fact of our gaining popularity in all domains of action and adventure in India. With back to back podium finishes in Jodhpur and now in Bangalore, our winning streak continues. This clearly shows our allegiance and seriousness towards the genre and our edge over others in this sphere. A hearty congratulations to the duo for bagging the first position at the Bangalore rally!?
 

MUMBAI: After a huge success of the NDTV-Toyota environment campaign Greenathon I & II, NDTV in partnership with Toyota had announced the ?Greenies Eco Awards? earlier this year. The winners of India?s first national environment awards- ?Greenies Eco Awards? were announced at an award ceremony in New Delhi today graced by the President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil.

A first of its kind in India, the ?NDTV-Toyota Greenies Eco Awards? are aimed at encouraging, acknowledging and awarding the champions of the Earth for environmental leadership. It showcased examples of excellence and best practices in finding innovative solutions to the environmental challenges.

The nominations of NDTV-Toyota Greenies Eco Awards? were selected from all over the world. An eminent jury comprising of India?s best known environmentalists including Mike Pandey, Kartikeya Sarabhai, Karan Grover, Chris Miller, MK Jiwrajka, Prasoon Joshi, Dr R K Pachauri, Vikram Kirloskar, and Anish Andheria judged these awards.

The awardees received a cash prize of Rs 100,000, a certificate and the Greenies Trophy.

The chief guest of the evening Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, President of India said, ?I want to congratulate NDTV for taking this initiative. These awards are recognition of the environmental consciousness shown by individuals, institutions, organizations and businesses. I want to congratulate all the award winners which include legendary figures and also who are working with deep commitment to follow green ethics. Climate change has impacted every aspect of our lives. Today we face a situation where human existence and capacity to survive will depend on how creatively we can weave the environment agenda in our lives. As a nation, India is committed to contribute, in accordance with its capability, to the global endeavor to deal with climate change?

Announcing the winners of the Greenies Eco Awards, Dr. Prannoy Roy, Chairman, NDTV Ltd, said, "The first and second years of the NDTV-Toyota Greenathon have been huge successes both in the magnitude and in what we have achieved. The NDTV-Toyota ?Greenies Eco Awards? is our attempt to honour and celebrate those contributing the most towards protecting our environment. Being a global award, our jury had a mammoth task of adjudging the most deserving individuals and organizations who have made a difference. I congratulate the Green heroes of today.?

Speaking on the occasion Minister for Renewable energy Dr. Farooqh Abdulla said ?I am very happy to be here and want to congratulate NDTV and the winners. For environment, what we have to do, we must do. We should take the initiative and do our part whether it is carbon emission or green buildings, let?s move and let the world follow us. People want to make a difference, government and all of us should work towards making green technologies like solar energy cheaper and affordable.?

National Green ambassador Priyanka Chopra, said, ?The issue of environment is about saving ourselves and environment as a subject is very close to my heart. I am very privileged to be associated with this important initiative once again. I believe that the Green Awards are such a great idea. Acknowledging the efforts of all those people involved in this very worthy cause. Congratulations to all the winners.?

Speaking on the announcement of the awards, Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa, Managing Director, Toyota Kirolskar Motors commented, ?We believe in sustainable development, which means achieving synergy between environment, conservation and economic growth. To achieve this synergy it is imperative that the cause of the environment is publicised as widely as possible and green initiatives be recognised and adequately awarded. We are glad to be associated with India?s biggest Eco awards.?

Dr. RK Pachauri, Director General TERI and Chairman IPCC, said, ?It is heartening to attend this event and meet people who devoted their life for green cause. NDTV & TERI association is getting strengthened since we joined hands to embark on Greenathon initiative and brought light to millions of people living in rural India. As we award the Green warriors today, it is a very encouraging step and I am sure it will sensitize people at large and galvanize much needed awareness and support for the environment.?