MUMBAI: The Commonwealth Youth Games 2008, recently held in Pune, India from October 12 to 18, ran on a next-generation data network infrastructure set up by Nortel* [NYSE/TSX: NT].

The always-on, highly available network supporting 1,000 users, ran multimedia applications including real-time schedule updating, statistical analysis, resource coordination and media coverage helping ensure the Commonwealth Youth Games 2008** (CYG 2008) ran smoothly.

The CYG 2008 Committee chose Nortel because of its track record of being selected as the Official Converged Network Equipment Supplier for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the Official Network Infrastructure Partner for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In addition the company deployed the communications networks for major sporting events such as the Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games and the Special Olympics World Summer Games held in Ireland in 2003. One of the key selection criteria for technology vendors for the CYG 2008 Pune was to have provided IT solutions for at least one Olympic, Asian or Commonwealth Games in the last five years.

"Nortel came with great references as it has been chosen to provide the networking infrastructure for the upcoming two Olympic Games. In addition, Nortel‘s past experience supporting the sporting events at Turin and Ireland was a major reason for us to select them for the Commonwealth Youth Games 2008" says Vijay Gautam, IT Secretary, Government of India.

CYG 2008 Pune included 1,300 athletes and 350 officials from 71 countries. The Games were held on a campus spread over 200 acres, housing nearly 30 buildings.

"We needed the ability to share information instantly in a manner that united many different applications across many different devices for many different users. To make this a reality, we required a highly reliable network that would work across the campus, and be flexible to the users wherever they were," says Rohit Srivastwa, director Technology, CYG 2008, Pune. "With the Nortel solution and design, we did not see any downtime. And that helped us make the CYG 2008, Pune a huge success."

"This builds on our strong momentum in delivering the ultimate experience for the fans and participants of the Games. We have recently won deals to outfit some of the world‘s most sophisticated sports stadiums and more importantly, the next Summer and Winter Olympic Games will be brought to you by Nortel," says Hitesh Lokhandwala, managing director, Nortel India. "It was a very complex design, which our team worked hard to simplify. And with our next-generation switches, the business of conducting this mega sporting event had become simple."

The CYG 2008, Pune network was able to support 1000 users at a time, and was running several online software applications to track the various events. The gaming statistics software ran on the network to capture all current action and produce accurate results of each event, real-time event analyses and comparative information on records established.

Hundreds of volunteers were deployed to assist in the various events of CYG 2008, Pune. The Nortel network running the software coordinated the movements of these volunteers on a real-time basis. Various media teams covering the CYG 2008 used the network to compile reports and sent it to their broadcasting teams. Online broadcast of the schedule of events and the participants was also updated on a real-time basis over the Nortel network.

With so much activity happening simultaneously, the network was required to be completely reliable. Nortel solutions built in redundancy, as well as resiliency through a sub-second failover architecture - ensuring that if any network element failed, a back-up solution took over within a second, with no interruption and no drop in performance.

Nortel scored over other vendors in being able to give a solution which would accommodate all the connectivity requirements of the organizers. For instance, the network had to support fiber as well as copper termination interfaces: Nortel‘s Ethernet Routing Switches (ERS) 5530 were capable of supporting both interfaces, while the solutions from other vendors could support only one interface.

MUMBAI

: Femina is India‘s number 1 English women‘s magazine and has reflected the changing face of the Indian woman at every step of its 50-year journey. Being the market leader, Femina has now taken up the initiative of being the first English women‘s magazine to be published in Hindi.

Femina sees a huge opportunity in coming out with a quality magazine in Hindi, as there is a big market at the top end of the Hindi speaking women‘s segment. This is a large segment with immense purchasing power that many advertisers would be keen to access.

Tarun Rai, Chief Executive Officer of Worldwide Media said, "This is Femina‘s 50th year and we felt it was time to reach out to a much larger audience and offer them quality content that women across India have come to expect from Femina English. Femina Hindi at its core will be the same as Femina English, though some of the content may change. We believe, Femina Hindi will be a huge success at the top end of the segment and, in terms of readers, be even bigger than Femina English."

Tanya Chaitanya, Editor-Femina said, "India is changing and, I believe, many issues - relationships, health, careers, beauty, fashion - are issues that concern the Indian woman of today, irrespective of the language she speaks. Femina Hindi‘s objective is to be a platform for women to discuss and understand these issues."

Femina Hindi is a monthly, priced at Rs. 40/-, the same as Femina English. There is no other Hindi women‘s magazine at this price point and there is no other Hindi women‘s magazine that offers the kind of content that Femina Hindi will offer. Therefore, in terms of value the readers will be more than satisfied.

Femina Hindi will be available across North, West and Eastern India for now.

MUMBAI: Night at the Museum Starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams and Carla Gugino
Directed by Shawn Levy

Good-hearted dreamer Larry Daley (Stiller, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story) may be down on his luck, but he?s sure he‘s destined for something big. He soon gets his wish when he accepts what appears to be a menial job as a nightshift security guard at New York?s Museum of Natural History.

During Larry‘s watch, extraordinary things start to happen. Roman gladiators, historical figures and cowboys come to life and step out from their displays to wage epic battles. As Larry tries to maintain order, a Neanderthal discovers fire, Attila the Hun pillages his neighboring exhibits and a T-Rex reminds everyone why he‘s history‘s fiercest predator.

The only person Larry can turn to for advice is President Teddy Roosevelt (Williams, The Final Cut), who helps our hero restore order, stop a nefarious plot, and save the museum.

MUMBAI: Iss Nach Mein hai twist. Expect a new twist and loads of excitement every week from the dance floor of Pantene Shine Nach Baliye 4. This week 12 celebrity jodis perform on a novel theme ? ?Aamne Saamne?, where the jodis adorn elaborate dresses and perform as opposites (viz: Good & Bad, Angeilc & Devilish, Black & White?). Get ready to be a part of all the excitement, drama, fun and above all, catch the mind-blowing performances by the dhamakedaar 12 jodis on the most popular dance show on Star Plus this Friday 31 October, 2008 at 8 pm.

Each celebrity jodi is geared up to put their best foot forward and prove their talent in this weeks theme of ?Aamne Saamne?. So will the evil rule over the good? Will white out shadow black? Will the couples be able to do justice to their theme? What will be the judges? reaction to their performances? Who will be the dheela dhakkan jodi of this week? All this and much more only on Pantene Shine Nach Baliye 4!

Keeping a close watch on every move of the jodis is an eminent panel of judges consisting of iconic celebrities like ace director Farah Khan, suave Arjun Rampal and charismatic Karisma Kapoor.

Each week promises to be a treat for the viewers, as the Jodis dance on unique themes, songs, costumes and moods. Produced by Wizcraft, Pantene Shine Nach Baliye 4 promises to entertain viewers with loads of intriguing moments as the journey of the show is set to showcase the tensions, apprehensions, nervousness, competitiveness and bonding between the jodis.

Get ready to be a part of this nerve wrecking, nail biting journey of the 12 jodis!

Tune in to Star Plus on Friday 31 October, 2008 at 8 PM for the real dhamaka on Pantene Shine Nach Baliye 4!

MUMBAI: Entertainment Network (India) Limited (ENIL) announced the appointment of Vikram Ahuja as Marketing Head in Mumbai for Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM, India‘s hottest Radio station. This move will further strengthen the marketing team in Mumbai.

Vikram in this new role will focus on marketing initiatives that will add on to Radio Mirchi‘s brand value. He will take over the challenging responsibility of strategising and directing his team to drive in more revenues and thus increasing Radio Mirchi‘s market share.

Vikram, a Graduate from Carnegie Mellon University, USA, is an authority in the media industry with special expertise in media and entertainment marketing. Prior to his association with Radio Mirchi in Mumbai, Vikram was involved in marketing activities in Radio Mirchi, Delhi as Marketing Head.

With over 7 years of experience at companies such as SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT (Los Angeles), FAST Search and Transfer (Los Angeles), Radio Mirchi (Chennai), FCBDRAFT-ULKA (Chennai), besides marketing his professional skills also comprise of his experience in brand management, new media, research, creative operations, business development and strategizing.

Welcoming the new member in the team Kavita Bagga, National Marketing Head, Radio Mirchi, said, "We are happy that our Mumbai marketing team is expanding both in terms of business and people. Under the aegis of Vikram we are confident that Radio Mirchi will witness exponential growth. The team is looking forward to work with Vikram and gain from his expertise and in-depth understanding of the media marketing. We are sure that his presence in Mumbai market will benefit the brand and we wish him all the best."

Expressing his happiness on his new role, Vikram Ahuja said, "I have always been happy to be associated with Radio Mirchi. Here we get ample opportunities to showcase our talent and expertise. I am excited about the new upcoming challenges and responsibilities and really look forward to value-add and support the team."

Vikram also holds an MBA from KJ Somaiya, Mumbai and Certificates in Advanced level Search Engine Optimization and Advertising from Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization (SEMPO) to his credit.