MUMBAI : Times Drive was ranked the number 1 show across Auto shows in the month of January with a TVR of 0.36 (CS M25+ AB ALL 1MN+ Markets) beating all the well established shows by a huge margin. The ratings received for this show are far higher than those garnered by older shows in the auto category.

It will be an action-packed episode of Times Drive this weekend. The show that gained major viewership in the initial weeks of its launch will start off with a look at Fiat‘s most important car for India yet; the Linea. Now there‘s a lot riding on this quintessentially Italian car, and TimesDrive will roll up to Dilip Chhabria‘s front door to talk to him about his cars, designs and his world. All that plus a dose of extraordinary features, including second-hand buying advice, news from the auto world, and the best of cars on the web.

Speaking on the occasion, Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief, TIMES NOW says, "The spectacular experience offered by the show for auto-enthusiasts is indeed going great with the audience which is evident in our ratings. Our sensual mode of delivering to our viewers the experiences of the drive has let to this shift in increased viewership. This is just the beginning. Going forward, we have some of the best experiences in store for our viewers and for all their automotive requirements."

Timings of the show
Saturday 11.30 am and 7.30 pm
Sunday 1.30 pm and 6.30 pm

MUMBAI: Taking forward its ‘Open Up Tomorrow, Today‘ campaign to save our planet, NDTV supported by Toyota, will be telecasting a first of its kind 24-hour nonstop programming -THE GREENATHON- urging Indian citizens to take a pledge towards a greener tomorrow. The Greenathon starts across the NDTV network on the 7th of February 2009 at 7pm. The programming will showcase a series of on-the-ground activities such as round-the-clock clean up drives in Mumbai city and Yamuna Ghats in Delhi; a 24-hour marathon run by Milind Soman; a musical extravaganza by renowned Bollywood stars and simultaneous green activities taking place across the country.

Speaking about the campaign, Dr. Prannoy Roy, Chairman, NDTV Ltd, said," Greenathon is the biggest event NDTV has ever produced. Because we believe environment abuse and resulting climate change is the single biggest danger we face today. In the 24 hours beginning 7th February 7pm, we hope people and corporates across the country will join hands with us and pledge to make a visible change in their lifestyles towards a greener tomorrow."

Sharing his views on the The Greenathon, Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa, Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motors added, "At Toyota every issue that concerns nature is our concern. The ‘Open Up Tomorrow, Today‘ campaign that we are conducting in India in collaboration with NDTV has helped create awareness amongst the public about the environment protection and road safety. In accordance with our global policy and this campaign, Toyota in India has been conducting various eco friendly activities like waste water treatment, air pollution control, etc.

NDTV having similar responsibility towards nature and society at large has shown for the last one year what each one of us can do for ourselves and the society. I wish with all my heart that this 24 hour programming becomes a great success"

A host of events have been organized throughout the country as a part of The Greenathon:

Cleaning up the Yamuna - The NDTV-Toyota Environment Campaign in partnership with an NGO Swechha will hold the first ever 24-hour Yamuna Clean-Up Drive on the 7th and 8th Feb ‘09. In a simple and effective way to bring cause of the Yamuna to the minds of citizens and the government, people from all walks of life including Delhi‘s Chief Minister Sheila Dixit, Activist Nafisa Ali, Designer Rina Dhaka, etc. will join hands to leave a visibly cleaner Yamuna. The campaign will conclude with a monument of waste being constructed by the volunteers. This clean up drive will start at 7pm at Qudsia Ghat, Delhi.

Marathon Man- Model, actor and our Marathon Man Milind Soman will run for 24 hours supporting our cause of saving the environment. Milind will start his run at 8:15pm from Yashraj Studios, Mumbai on 7th Feb ‘09.

Special programmes on environment will also be showcased:

A musical extravaganza where some of India‘s most popular film stars - Bipasha Basu, Govinda, Madhuri Dixit, Dia Mirza, Arshad Warsi will perform with Shiamak Davar‘s troupe. Some of the country‘s talented singers- Sunidhi Chauhan, Shaan, Kailash Kher, Sukhwinder Singh and Palash Sen will also perform at this event. These celebrities take the green pledge on The Greenathon at 8pm on 7th Feb ‘09.

Green Gadget Hour - Rajeev Makhni along with Aamir Khan, Malaika Arora and Mandira Bedi will take his viewers through some of the trendy new gadgets which are environmentally friendly at 12 noon 8th Feb 09.

Organic Food - NDTV‘s food connoisseur Seema Chandra along with Ritu Dalmia will share tips on organic and healthy food that leaves the least carbon footprint. Watch this show at 1pm on 8th Feb ‘09.

Morning Raga Session - A one-hour session of classical morning ragas with Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan and Hari Prasad Chaurasia will take viewers closer to the nature, on 8th Feb ‘09 at 7am.

MUMBAI: He can?t walk down the street in India, without getting mobbed. Now, with the success of the film ?Slumdog Millionaire?, Anil Kapoor is firmly in the global spotlight. Kapoor is a Bollywood hero and the star of CNN series ?My City My Life? airing in the first week of February.

The 49-year-old actor plays the role of the Quizmaster in Danny Boyle?s coming-of-age drama about the Indian version of ?Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. The film has just scooped four top awards - including best picture and best director - at the Golden Globes. ?Slumdog Millionaire? has earned ten nominations at the 81st annual Academy Awards, including best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay and has also been nominated for eleven BAFTA awards.

In ?My City My Life?, Kapoor shows us "his" Mumbai, from Asia?s largest slum to the hang-outs of Bollywood?s elite. Along the way Kapoor relays his own ?rags-to-riches? story and how he?s reaching his dream of being an international movie star.

Talking about the spirit of Mumbai, Kapoor recalls a particular scene of his movie, Mr. India, Bollywood?s science fiction superhero film where he playing the role of a mentor of the orphan kids,has no money, no food to feed them but he is cheered up by these kids who said, ?don?t worry we will sleep without food?. That scene very much shows the spirit of Mumbai and the spirit of these children, in spite of not having anything to eat and no money - still they are full of life and they have a lot of hope,? Kapoor added.

On his experience of working in Slumdog Millionaire and the film?s portrayal of Mumbai, Kapoor expressed, ?Slumdog is like my story, I also started from scratch, from rags to riches, I started in Chembur (Mumbai suburb) and I slowly climbed and god has been kind in that way.? He further added, ?It?s a fairytale, basically a love story but shot in a very realistic way. The film is not choreographed at all, it?s very natural and real, there is nothing which is exaggerated or nothing which is downplayed. There is the other side of Mumbai where the rich and the poor live comfortably and live with each other without any problems.?

Sharing his thoughts on the changed sentiments of Mumbaikars and people of India post the terrorist attacks, Kapoor said, ?The recent terrorist attacks is basically the third major thing which has happened in Mumbai. There are few incidents which have taken place and this has shaken the country and all of us. We started questioning ourselves, why weren?t we ready enough? So we have to pull up our socks and that is what the country, the city is doing, I can see that. People are still angry, people are still upset, people are still insecure, people are still scared, all these emotions are still there. You find everything normal but internally there is a certain sense of insecurity definitely. I think this has really united the whole country and united everybody in Mumbai and I?m sure we are trying our best to ensure this doesn?t happen again.?

To view past episodes and special features please visit www.cnn.com/mycitymylife

Airtime: Indian Standard Time
Thursday, February 5th at 1500 hrs
Saturday, February 7th at 1500 hrs, 2330 hrs
Sunday, February 8th at 2100 hrs

NEW DELHI: HomeShop18, India‘s first 24 hour home shopping channel, launches "Assured 50% money back" promotion during the month of February. Television viewers will receive for the first time, an unprecedented value proposition while watching television. During this promotion cash back offer will be available across all categories such as consumer electronics, mobiles, jewellery, home appliances, toys, beauty products, kitchen utensils and more.

Through out the month of February every shopper gets assured gift vouchers worth 50% of the total purchase value. The cash back will be refunded in the form of gift coupons of various denominations. These coupons can be used for the next purchase and can be redeemed on or before 30 April.

Announcing the launch of the promotion, Sundeep Malhotra, CEO, HomeShop18 said, "Since our inception we have always been providing unmatched value to our consumers. This innovative new format of cash back is really about bringing maximum value to the consumer‘s doorstep. I am sure that this promotion will be readily acceptable by consumers across the country especially during the recessionary times".

HomeShop18 is India‘s First and only 24 hour Shopping Channel and it is becoming highly popular and acceptable across the country. The channel has build a loyal fan following and after two highly successful Diwali and New Year consumer promotions. HomeShop18 saw a doubling of its "repeat customer" base just in the months of November and December. The channel has been growing at a rapid pace of 30% month-on-month basis since its launch in April and is now adding a new customer every 20 seconds. The success of the new shopping destination is attributed to its exciting channel content, wide product portfolio, exceptional on-call service backed by a 24 hour call centre and 2000 city logistics reach.

MUMBAI: The second day of the DigitAll Movement (DAM) 09, the digital entertainment festival organized by Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication took shape with the screening of an edited version of reputed activist and filmmaker Anand Patwardhan‘s award-winning documentary War and Peace. The film unveiled the reality behind the fa?ade created by common-place yet complicated concepts such as democracy and nuclear nationalism.

The controversy that arose from the blatant accusations leveled against the government, political parties and the people in power in the film caused Anand Patwardhan to go through tedious rounds of court appeals and cases so that he could receive permission for War and Peace to be broadcasted on Doordarshan.

Discussing the film in an hour-long interactive session after the screening, Anand Patwardhan said, "The film is extremely complex; not by any conscious attempt, but because of the sheer nature of the subject. Covering reality requires the movie to be complex."

Patwardhan believes that the development paradigm prevalent among the people in our country keeps shifting at regular intervals according to the change in their ideologies.

The serious tone of the seminar was lightened with the entrance of advertising guru Prahlad Kakkar. A role model for all advertising aspirants and professionals, SIMC Director Prof. Ujjwal Kumar Chowdhury aptly introduced Kakkar as ‘the man with an eye for talent‘.

Walking away from the podium, he promptly set about capturing the audience‘s interest with his own unique definition of a ‘brand‘. He recollected humorous stories of some of the most successful ad campaigns like Nestle, Maggi and Pepsi.

The interactive session that followed the seminar was a revelation with the audience discovering that he was a man of many hats, literally. With his love for traveling, scuba diving and food, Prahlad Kakkar was a dynamic personality who ensured a great finale for the day‘s seminars.