World renowned International Artist Robert Crumb; who is one of the top 10 most influential artists of the last century will be coming along with his wife Aline Kominsky-Crumb, a comic artist herself.

Aline Crumb On behalf of both her and Mr Crumb sent a message saying, “This is my third trip to India, but I’ve never been to Delhi before. We’re both very excited, and honored to be invited to the Comics festival!”

Gary Groth, a renowned American comic book editor, publisher and critic, also, Editor-in-Chief of The Comics Journal and Co-Founder of Fantagraphics Books, and Chris Oliveros, the Founder of one of the largest independent publishing houses Drawn & Quarterly will be taking special sessions at 2nd Comic Con India too.

“I’m honored to attend Comic Con India and interview Robert Crumb, an artist I so highly esteem and one that it’s been my privilege to know and publish for 25 years now. This is my first trip to India and I’m very much looking forward to experiencing Indian culture,” says, Gary Groth, Publisher & Co-Founder, Fantagraphics.

Chris Oliveros, Founder & Publisher, Drawn & Quarterly says, “I am very pleased and honoured to be invited to India for the 2nd annual Indian Comic Con. I am looking forward to meeting attendees at the convention and, in particular, to learning more about the comics industry and its role in Indian culture.”

The event will have stalls exhibiting, promoting and selling comics, graphic novels, merchandise etc. There will be Workshops and Interactive Sessions every half hour at the dedicated stage area with Exclusive launches of Comics titles, more book signings, competitions and Cosplay.

“Fans and Visitors will surely have a gala time. The Second Annual Indian Comics Convention will boast more participants than ever before from the comics, publishing, merchandise, toys/games, animation and films industry. We are extremely fortunate to have speakers – from the legends of the Indian Comics Industry, to veterans of the industry from outside the country this year.” says, Jatin Varma, Founder, Twenty Onwards Media and Comic Con India.

“Having Robert Crumb come for Indian Comics Convention is a dream come true for us and comics lovers. It is his first visit to India and we are looking forward to having him at our convention”, Jatin Added.

Comic Con India is a unique event celebrating the illustrated medium, which brings together the whole comics industry and related fields such as Merchandise, Toys, Games, Films and Animation, along with fans of this culture from all age groups.

The tribute concert was organized by the Global Indian Music Academy (GIMA) in partnership with COLORS and Wizcraft International Entertainment. Held at InterContinental – The Lalit, the musical evening titled “Jagjit Singh – Yaadon ka Safar” saw the maestro’s family, friends, colleagues and well wishers walk down memory lane as they paid homage to his music, style and grace.

Jagjit Singh’s wife Chitra Singh attended the tribute concert along with her family. His grandson, Armaan and Chitraji launched an album of a collection of 12 unreleased songs titled “Jagjit Singh – The Master and His Magic” before the intimate gathering.

An artist of many dimensions – singer, writer, composer, music director, activist and a philanthropist, Jagjit Singh stirred the souls of millions of fans across the nation solidifying him a place in the history of Indian music. Known as one of the greatest voices of the 20th century, he gave the world nearly 46 years of musical performances. The evening saw over 20 artistes pay tribute to the legend rendering his greatest hits, having sung his soulful music and stirring lyrics. His long time friend Ghulam Ali made a beautiful tribute as he performed on Chupke Chupke among others; he also spoke about their friendship and journey together as artists.

Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi shared heartfelt and fond memories of the ‘Ghazal King’. Audiences embarked on a fascinating and moving journey through the life of this incomparable artist, his music and cultural history.

Social Activist and Padma Bushan awardee, Shabana Azmi, in a very soulful and sombre mood, said “It’s very strange the way in which Jagjit Singh left us. Three days before he was hospitalized, he was having a long chat with Javedji and they were planning a world tour together. And here we are today.” She added, “I’m very fortunate that three of his most famous and popular songs were picturized on me in Mahesh Bhatt’s Arth. The manner in which he so beautifully strung the lyrics with the pain that he was trying to convey left me with very little to do.”

The evening was hosted by Dia Mirza and saw a great line up of performances like Ustad Rashid Khan who sang Yaad Piya Ki Aaye. Kavita Krishnamurthy & Dr. L Subramaniam performed a beautiful duet on Meri Tasveer Mein Rang Aur Kisi Ka Toh Nahin. Sonu Nigaam captivated the audiences with some of his famous hits like Hey Ram and Hoshwalon Ko Khabar. Shaan sang Koi Ye Kaise Bata De Ki Wo Tanha Kyun Hai and Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar. Other performers were Anup Jalota, Bhupinder & Mitali Singh, Talat Aziz, Suresh Wadkar, Hariharan, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Kunal Ganjawala, Richa Sharma, Hans Raj Hans, Ghansham Vaswani and Papon who were inspired by his music and notably helped form their careers.

Sabbas Joseph, Director – Wizcraft International Entertainment Ltd. said “In addition to being a legendary artist, Jagjitji was a wonderful man. I’m so glad we’re finally able to pay tribute to him on the occasion of his 71st birth anniversary. He has been an inspiration to millions around the world and will continue to be one for years to come. We are blessed beyond words to have the biggest names in Indian music be able to revisit some of his most popular songs.”

Sunburn gave all its fans the ultimate lifestyle experience with the top of the line DJs Above & Beyond headlining with a killer set! As the day progressed, temperatures rose along with the music as each act was more phenomenal than the other. The Sunburn venue seemed like heaven as the electronic music Gods descended on Candolim beach all at once.

As Above & Beyond was the star of the night at the Illa Stage with the funky caterpillar, Michael Woods and also the Toolroom Knights artists – Prok & Fitch and Tocadisco shone at the fabulous Muah stage! Other fantastic acts who brought the roof down were the legendary Pete Tong & Norman Doray who played at the Cubezoid stage with original 4D mapping technology that brought their music alive like never before! The 4D Mapping is being brought to India for the first time by Dark Force, an international company who have given their technology for the biggest artists including Tiesto, Armin van Buuren and many more.

The eclectic Skazi, Perfect Stranger and Janux enchanted the audience with their killer tunes played at the Coollu stage with the funky owl! The Groovadelic stage explored the experimental genre with some stunning sets from the ultra-cool Reggae Rajahs and many more, ending with Shrilektric.

As the DJs brewed the mix of best that EDM has to offer, the Sunburn fans enjoyed the break at Leave No Trace Libraries. Many were seen unwinding with relaxing massages; women were heading in for a quick makeover at the Lakme Sunset Lounge and bike fans had a good time watching the Vardenchi Boys put together the Sunburn Chopper right from scratch. Last but not the least, as part of their environmental- friendly “Leave No Trace” initiative, Sunburn has an electrifying “Lights Out” moment in the evening where all Sunburn fans were united in the cause of electricity conservation.

As the sun set at Sunburn, people were left wanting more! The Sunburn experience redefined the Goa vibe for all present, putting up a spectacular extravaganza that the enormous setup has to offer. Even Bollywood stars couldn’t get enough of the Sunburn magic, where Rana Duggubati, Prateik Babbar were seen having a hotshot “guys night out” and grooving non-stop! For those who are missing it, don’t lose your heart as Sunburn is being streamed live across 80 countries of the popular platform of Youtube, so be sure to catch the magic and come close to witnessing the ultimate lifestyle experience!

With the crowd tripling up this year as more than 50,000 Sunburn fans come together at Candolim, safety and security practices ensured that all went off smoothly to give everyone the perfect Sunburn experience. With 6 levels of security, 1000 CCTV cameras, 8 watch towers and extensive security personnel; they were in full control of the safety of the attendees.

“I always look forward to the week in Chennai. The conditions suit my game and I have played some great matches in this stadium. The atmosphere can get very electric, the crowd is very enthusiastic, and that’s something I like,” he said, ahead of the 17th edition of the India’s only and South Asia’s leading ATP World Tour event to be held at the SDAT-Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium from January 2-8.

“The draw is very interesting and it will be a great tournament for sure,” he said of the impressive field of Indian and global stars that included Serbian world No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic, world No. 10 Nicolas Almagro of Spain and big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic.

“Tipsarevic has showed in 2011 that he is one of the contenders for the top 10 in 2012; Raonic is a young player with an impressive game who loves to play on any fast surface and will for sure cause some upsets in the next few months. Almagro is a big fighter and always a tough opponent,” said the Beijing Olympics doubles gold medallist who will be starting his fourth successive season at the Aircel Chennai Open.

“As I said, I’m looking forward to defend my title. I’ve played some great tennis here and hope that it will be the case again this year. The tournament has a great line-up and it will be very challenging. The level in men’s tennis is great and you have to play your best to be able to win matches, not even talking about reaching finals or titles. But I’m confident that I can do well again, hopefully with the support of the crowd.”

“I can’t wait to kick off the season after working hard during the off season,” said the fan o the music band U2.  “I love those events at the beginning of the year and hopefully I can do as well as last year or maybe even better. Breaking back into the top-10 would be great and is always one of my goals. I’m not that far and feel that I can do it,” said Wawrinka, whose favourite basketball player in Kobe Bryant.

“My preparation was great. I spent some time in Gstaad in the Swiss mountains where I did a lot of physical work. Then I went back to Lausanne where I practised a lot on the court with some Swiss players. I feel like I’m ready and well prepared.”

“Helping to bring Switzerland back into the World Group in Davis Cup was one of my biggest achievements in 2011. Roger (Federer) has confirmed his participation for the first round tie against the USA. We haven’t discussed all the details yet but we will fight hard to defend our title at the Olympics in Wimbledon,” he said.

“This will be my fourth time in Chennai. I always feel very welcome here. Tournament director Fernando Soler and his local team are doing a great job. The event is very well organized and the Indian people are very kind, making us feel very welcome.”

The ceremony held at the SDAT-Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium, officially marked the start of the countdown to the 8 day long extravaganza of the most stylish sports tournament hosted by India. The prestigious kits were handed over to all the Line Officials, Ball Boys, Player Transport, Ushers among others by Karti P Chidambaram, Chairman, Tournament Organizing Committee and Vice President, AITA.

Slated to commence from January 2 to 8, 2012 in Chennai, the 17th edition of one of the most awaited premier tennis tournaments’ will see in action the best Indian and International tennis players including world number 9 Janko Tipsarevic and world number 10 Nicolas Almagro. The impressive line-up also boast about the Indian favourites Somdev Devvarman, Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi, among others, who will be vying for the Aircel Chennai Open title to be held at the SDAT Stadium in Chennai.

IFFTI which is a leading international forum for the fashion industry that has metamorphised into a significant gathering of industry shapers, begins on March 17, 2012. Pearl Academy of Fashion is proud host of the five day event in India.

The theme of the IFFTI 2012 conference is ‘Fashion Beyond Borders’ and addresses issues such as multicultural identities, virtual connections, commercial opportunities and educational responses amongst others. The conference is scheduled to include prominent names from the fashion sector including Yohji Yamamoto, Romeo Gigli, Simon Lock, Jeffry Aronsson, Rajeev Sethi, Manish Arora, Ram, Sareen, Christopher Sanderson –drawn from all corners of the world to share their thoughts and vision on the business of fashion. Think tanks in Design, Technology and Business of fashion from 40 member institutions of IFFTI representing 19 countries, along with large enterprises and institutes from India, will converge to discuss issues and opportunities pertaining to the vibrant and rapidly evolving sector.

Dr. Satoshi Onuma, Chairperson, IFFTI said “The first decade of the new millennium has exhibited interesting and significant trends. The idea of fashion has struck a universal chord with multiple fashion weeks occurring across continents. Despite these global market trends, Fashion and Design haven’t quite evolved as mainstream career options in India. The fashion and design excellence being brought into India through IFFTI will place India on the global platform of fashion education and change mindsets significantly.”

Dr. A.K.G. Nair, Group Director, Pearl Academy of Fashion said “It’s indeed a great honor to host the prestigious 14th Annual IFFTI Conference. The IFFTI 2012 conference will have industry representatives from all parts of the globe, ensuring a cross-border exchange of fashion ideas and trends, thereby enriching all stakeholders. Cognizant of the global interests of Indian fashion designers and manufacturers, the IFFTI 2012 conference provides an unique opportunity for our talents to show the world what India has to offer.”

Since its inception fourteen years ago, IFFTI has grown into the most comprehensive and prestigious international organization representing leading fashion higher education institutions in the areas of design, technology and business. The foundation presently comprises 35 members from 19 countries.

The grand award ceremony was held in London on 12 December 2011. The award was given by Lord Meghnad Desai, Professor, London School of Economics,  Anirudh Dhoot, Managing Director, Videocon and  Deepak Kaistha, CEO of Power Brands for Narasimhan’s contribution in managing the corporate reputation of the largest IPP in India – Lanco Infratech Limited.

Mr. Narasimhan has worked closely with the director, corporate communications at Lanco Infratech which is one of India’s leading business entities. LANCO Infratech Limited has been driving growth in the domains of Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC), Power, Solar, Natural Resources and Infrastructure over the last two-and-a-half decades.

Commenting on receiving the accolade, Mr. Narasimhan, said, “It gives me great pleasure to receive the Power Brands Hall of fame Award. It is continuous support of my management and my colleagues that has helped me grow to such heights. I dedicate this recognition to my Director, Mr. V Sreenivas and to the entire team at corporate communications vertical at Lanco Infratech. I have been happy that the company has a coherent corporate identity and very good corporate philosophy. I hope to continuously grow through the coming years and conquer new heights of innovation and quality in bringing corporate communications to new heights”.

POWER BRANDS India is a research driven power book of India’s most powerful brands. A brand bible which garners the country’s most aspirational brands which have fortified their presence in the hearts and minds of the Indian consumers making them their most favourite brands. The POWERBRANDS Corporate Leaders and Corporate Icon Awards honours the Leaders, who have carved a niche for themselves with their remarkable strategies that have channelized growth and been instrumental in taking the organisation ahead.

The high profile event witnessed the presence of some of India’s biggest business Icons and dignitaries such as Sir Robert Worcester, Saharasri Subroto Roy, Lord Bilimoria, Lord Meghnad Desai, Lord Swraj Paul, Guy Kawasaki, Canadian Politician Dr. Ruby Dhalla, British MP Priti Patel, Dr. Rami Ranger, Siddharth Mallya, Dr. Raghupati Singhania – Vice Chairman, & MD JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., Ace F1 Racer Karun Chandhok, Actor – Director Farhan Akhtar, Shreyas Joshi – President, Park Avenue, Raman Roy – Chairman & MD, Quattro BPO Solutions, Ace Photographer Atul Kasbekar, Vandana Luthra, Gurnam Arora – Joint MD Kohinoor Specialty Foods, Mehul Choksi – Chairman & Managing Director, Gitanjali Group, Subas Allirajah – Chairman Lycamobile, Milind Kangle – CEO Lycamobilealong with many others.

The grand function of the awards was presided over His Excellency Shri K. Sankaranarayanan, the Governor of Maharashtra. A veritable Who’s Who of renowned celebrities and public figures from Media and various other walks of life turned up to applaud the winners for their selfless work and achievements.

Apart from the eight illustrious Maharashtrians who won the Lokmat Maharashtrian of the Year 2011 awards, the President presented film legends Amitabh Bachchan with the Lokmat MOTY MANBINDU Award and Dilip Kumar with  the Lokmat Jeevan Gaurav (Lifetime Achievement) Award for their immense contributions to the world of cinema and entertainment. Both received a trophy, a citation and Rs 5 lakh each.

The eight winners of the Lokmat Maharashtrian of the Year 2011 for significant work and service in various areas were:

Paromita Goswami from Nagpur for Social Service & Public Service; Dr Himmatrao Bavaskar from Mumbai for Science & Technology; Raju Shetty from Kolhapur for Politics; Hanmant Gaikwad from Pune for Business;  Bandopant Rakhmaji Khedkar from Pune for Art; Kishor Kadam from Mumbai for Literature;  Veerdhawal Khade from  Kolhapur for Sports,  and Sheikh Nasir-Sheikh Niyaz from Nashik for Entertainment

The winners received an individual citation, a trophy and a cheque for Rs one lakh as a token of Lokmat Media’s appreciation of their immense contribution to the progress of Maharashtra.

Vijay Jawaharlal Darda, MP Rajya Sabha and Chairman -  Lokmat Media Limited, said, “The winners here today represent the best spirit of selfless and dedicated service to our glorious state, and truly deserve to be saluted with ‘Jai Maharashtrian’. I am confident that receiving this high award from the Her Excellency Smt Pratibha Patil, the President of India, will inspire them immensely, and will also encourage others to emulate them.” He thanked Her Excellency Smt Patil for having graced the occasion as Chief Guest. Mr Darda also thanked His Excellency Mr K Sankaranarayan, the Governor of Mumbai, for having presided over the awards function.

It was a keen contest for the top honours amongst a final shortlist of 39 nominees, who were chosen through a process through a robust process that has involved senior editors and the editorial board of Lokmat and IBN Lokmat, and a stellar independent jury of eminent Maharashtrians. This independent jury comprised well known and respected Maharashtrians (in alphabetical order of first names) Dr. Achyut Godbole, Mr. Ashutosh Gowarikar, Mr. Dhanraj Pillay, Mr. Julio Ribeiro, Ms. Medha Patkar, Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai and Ms. Shobha De.

Jatin Varma, Founder, Golden Kela Awards, commenting on this year’s nominations, said, “Generally speaking, this year’s films haven’t been all that bad – which may have been good for Indian audiences, compared to the last few years. However, our ‘cracked’ team of researchers has dug deep to find the worst of the lot for this year.”

The nominations are out and voting lines will open on January 2’ 2012. Log on to www.goldenkela.com to check out the categories, nominees, updates and cast a vote for vengeance.

The steady growth in the export of engineering goods from India has been a process of continuous innovation. India has always set quality standards in manufacturing and delivering services. Intertek, a leading global provider of quality and safety solutions partners annually with EEPC to acknowledge the developments in the engineering exports. This award covers the Manufacturers and Exporters of engineering goods and services.

“Intertek feels immense pleasure to partner with EEPC.  As the engineering sector is extremely diversified, it’s imperative to ensure that all possible & potential Indian products reach out to the global markets.  We are sure that Aquasub Enginering and Auto Shell Perfect Moulder are the best players in their respective sectors and can be good case studies for others to showcase quality in exports”, said Rajesh Saigal, Managing Director, Intertek India.

The winners Aquasub Enginering, manufacturer of water pumps and exporter to countries in Middle East, Africa and Europe and Auto Shell Perfect Moulder- the award winning cast iron manufacturer and exporter represent the best in the industry through the practices they follow and their due diligence in ensuring the all round quality for their products.

“We are honored to be felicitated with the EEPC-Intertek Quality Excellence Award. This award is one of the most prestigious and revered award in the industrial sector.” said G Nataraj, Director, Auto Shell Perfect Moulder Ltd. on receiving the award.

“With Intertek and EEPC, the export sector would certainly see a drastic change in implementing the quality and safety standards while shipping off engineering goods. Being the winner of this prestigious award definitely raises the goodwill and the brand name in the industry and further strengthens our credentials.” said Mr. Krishan Kumar from Aquasub Engineering on receiving the award.

‘EEPC- Intertek Award’ is one of the most respected awards in the engineering export sector.  The award recognizes the best talents from large Corporate Houses, Star Trading Houses, Small & Medium Scale Units (SME), with a strong hold of 60% of the awardees from the SME sector. The selection panel consists of 34 engineering sub-sectors with a group of 13,000 strong members of the Council representing almost the whole engineering sector.