MUMBAI: Blue Lotus Communications Pvt. Ltd. (Blue Lotus) has recently bagged an impressive array of 9 new accounts across India over the last two months. The public relations agency which has been registering triple digit growth figures for the last 5 years, has a core focus on Healthcare, Technology, Brands and Finance. The new clients signed on include Nasscom Foundation, Parle 20-20, Chennai Live, and Omnia BPO services among others.

Mr. N. Chandramouli, CEO, Blue Lotus commented on the signing of the new accounts and averred, "The new accounts signed across the country are a reflection of the successful entrepreneurial model that Blue Lotus has insisted on. All our teams and offices are run as independent business units and the team leaders entirely drive the growth. They are the true heros and we‘re expanding our ownership to include more of our people all the time."

Probed on the signing of the accounts in this inflationary and with the seeming slowdown of the economy, Mr. N. Chandramouli, added, "This is definitely a time when organizations are being cautious about their spends ? while advertising has taken a hit, PR has in fact gained in prominence in the communications portfolio. In fact the addition of our new clients is a direct indication of the same. PR is an indispensable tool in building credibility, popularity and thought-leadership and when the going gets a little tough ? more people turn to public relations."

The five and half year old agency has been one of the fastest growing Public Relations agencies having grown to 115 people with 9 offices in India. Blue Lotus currently has an impressive array of 50 retainer clients and is poised to double its turnover & number of consultants in the current fiscal.

MUMBAI: Finally somebody is addressing Kolkata?s daily commuting problems? yes it is our very own RED FM 93.5, the station of expression which has taken the step towards bringing some sanity to Kolkata?s traffic issues.

Starting July 11, Red FM?s Taxi 935 has been on the roads giving free lifts to people! Not just that, the very popular RJ Vineet from Red FM?s Morning Show Nomoshkar Kolkata will also be hosting his show live from the Taxi 935. He will not just pick up and drop people to their desired locations in Kolkata, but also give them an opportunity to raise their voice on the Red Mike regarding the rising taxi & bus fares and other problems faced by the people.

Speaking on the initiative, Jimmy Tangree, Station Head, Red FM Kolkata said, ?RED FM has always been at the forefront in bajaaoing issues that concern the society under our CSR umbrella, Bajaao for a Cause. Through this initiative, we are trying to raise awareness about the commuting problems faced by the people of Kolkata with the rise in fares and are encouraging people to come up and speak their mind on the Red Mike.?

MUMBAI: You have it in you but you couldn‘t just make time?so here‘s your chance! Lucky listeners of Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM India‘s hottest radio station on Monday (July 14) got an opportunity to flaunt their acting talent. Acting Guru guru Anupam Kher with RJ Anmol judged the participants on ‘Radio Mirchi pe Crash Course in filmmaking‘.

Commencing June 23, the first ever on-air filmmaking crash course - ‘Radio Mirchi pe Crash Course in filmmaking‘ was a two-week long activity, which aimed at imparting knowledge on various filmmaking aspects. Guided by the eminent and established film experts the course provided the listeners the best of guidance from the horse‘s mouth.

Listeners benefited from the informative and educative sessions conducted by established names from various areas of film fraternity. The session guided the aspirants on various topics like acting, voice and dance, casting, direction, animation and cinematography etc.

To celebrate the finale the short listed candidates were invited at Radio Mirchi to compete against each other in front of none other than Anupam Kher with RJ Anmol.

The final winner will now get a unique opportunity to join Anupam Kher‘s Acting Academy (Actor Prepares) and will be trained by the actor director himself.

Film experts who were part of the first ever on-air filmmaking crash course were: Art ? Bijan Dasgupta, Acting & Dance ? Teachers from Actor prepares; Assistant Directors ? Abhisekh Chaube (Assistant Director to Vishal Baradwaj); Tamnay and Naznin (Assistant Director to Aamir Khan); Camera ? Thomas Xavier including various noted Editors; Casting Director, Choreographers, and much more!

So Mumbaikars! Tune in to Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM, every hour, everyday and discover the undiscovered talent in you.

MUMBAI: B4U Network, which operates and run movie channel- B4U Movies and music channel- B4U Music, has spruced up its programming and given both channels a facelift.

On B4U Movies, Awaaz De Kahan Hai, is a new half an hour show that compiles the old classic songs and scenes with the anchor and sets reflecting the era with trivia.

Another show Masterstroke is the new slot created once a month to exhibit the films of Guru Dutt, Shyam Benegal, and other noted film makers on B4U Movies. Also, a new afternoon slot Classic Zone has been created to show case some of the most magnificent black and white films which reflect the essence of Hindi cinema.

On B4U Music, two new slots of back to back music shows; Mast Mornings and Club Remix have been made.

Mast Morning is the crescendo building from mellow soft numbers to feet tapping tunes to liven your mornings on B4U Music from 7-10 pm.

Club Remix is a back to back party time music show on B4U Music in the night from 11 pm to midnight. It gets you into the groove and sets your pulses racing.

MUMBAI: The rising Crude prices, reflecting in inflation calculators ticking higher, the rising concerns on commodity prices and the trend in interest rates; is the worst over or is there more to come? S.V. Narashimhan, Director Finance of Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the country?s largest oil refiner and oil marketing company gives you an insight on the crude oil inflation, in the MF Global ?Global Market DNA? exclusive at Sunday 13th July at 8:30 only on UTVi, India?s newest and fastest growing business news channel

Interviewing Mr. SV Narasimhan will be Rahul Arora who hosts UTVi?s prime time stock market shows like Dealing Room & Tomorrow?s Bets. The session will also include eminent Economists of MF Global Phil Tyson and Anjali Verma. In the half hour interview Mr.Narismhan will speak on the speculation of the crude oil price, the significance of the dollar stability and the need of the Middle East tension easing for the stability of crude oil, the impact of the rise and fall of crude oil on bond stability, the effect of the rise in inflation on developed & developing countries, the impact of increasing interest rates on companies & individuals as well as the outlook of currencies in the fluctuating interest scenario. This episode forms a part of thought leadership monthly International Market Roundup series co-envisaged by MF Global and UTVi.

Sumit Gupta, COO UTV News comments on the genesis of MF Global ?Global Market DNA? underscoring the overall idea behind this joint endeavor. He reflects, ?the underlying thought was the pressing unaddressed need to provide a global perspective to the Indian audience, more so given the current scenario of the economy. The special episodes fulfill this need by shedding light on important aspects that influence the life of investors, and to focus on opportunities that tend to go unnoticed?

So tune in to UTVi this Sunday on 13th July 2008 at 8:30 pm for an exclusive tete a tete with SV Narasimhan.