The festive season brought together a diverse mix of cultural, social and consumer occasions, with celebrations extending from neighbourhoods to housing societies, eateries and retail outlets. Recognising the breadth of these experiences, Coca-Cola India and its bottling partner Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) brought their festive presence to life through a series of films built around the thought that festivals are for all.

The campaign captured the festive season as a collective experience, bringing the focus to the people, businesses and everyday moments that shaped the celebrations. It brought Coca-Cola India’s beverages into these occasions, alongside the retail and distribution ecosystem that enabled consumers at every touchpoint to access their favourite beverages throughout the festive period.

Watch the film: https://youtu.be/2Tu3cqIcTcc?si=xp-54X5Cel0VG_Pg

The lead film offered a glimpse into this wider festive journey, bringing together the different consumer engagements and the people behind them, from experiences across the city to the retailers and teams working to keep the celebration moving.

Desmond Nikhil Dsouza, Vice President – Integrated Operations (HCCB) & Commercial, Coca-Cola India & Southwest Asia, said, “The festive season has a special significance across Maharashtra, bringing people together through traditions, shared experiences and a strong sense of togetherness. We’re honoured to play a small role in these moments by keeping consumers refreshed and creating engaging experiences across the different ways they celebrate – at home, over shared meals or on the go. Backed by the strength of our bottling partners and retail ecosystem, our focus is on making refreshment accessible, while also creating economic opportunities for local vendors and retailers.”

Vinay Nair, Chief Commercial Officer, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), said, “Maharashtra’s vibrant festive season brings communities, neighbourhood businesses and local markets together in a unique way. Our manufacturing and distribution capabilities, strengthened by a robust last-mile retail network, help ensure seamless availability of Coca-Cola’s beverages across the state. Beyond availability, we remain focused on strengthening the wider retail and supply chain ecosystem, supporting the local businesses and partners that play an integral role in these celebrations.”

Where Every Moment Comes Together

Watch the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcWXjWrv2AE

From pandals and food destinations to housing societies, neighbourhoods and retail outlets, Coca-Cola India brought its portfolio into the many occasions that make up the festive experience. Sprite X Spicy engaged consumers around spicy food, Minute Maid offered on-the-go sampling, while Maaza’s Society Anandotsav brought the celebration into housing societies across Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, with more than 400 societies participating.

Bringing these experiences to life also meant ensuring that beverages remained within easy reach as consumers moved across the city. HCCB’s retail and distribution network, supported by neighbourhood retailers, trade partners and quick-commerce platforms, helped maintain availability through the festive period, while Coke On Wheels brought chilled Coca-Cola to high-footfall festive spots and transit routes.

Making Space for a More Responsible Celebration

Watch the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ge4WhfbmgU

The scale of the festivities also brings a focus on what happens after consumption. Anandana -The Coca-Cola India Foundation and HCCB, along with NGO partner Sangam Pratishthan and Safai Saathis, joined hands to conduct used PET collection drives at pandals, enabling cleaner festival spaces at high footfall areas.

Not only this, at Parel Cha Raja, the ‘Waste to Wonder’ live art installation extended this effort through creative reuse, transforming discarded bottle caps and labels into large-scale street art in association with Doodle Mapuls. The live artwork offered visitors a direct view of how everyday waste materials can be creatively reimagined, while adding an artistic element to the festive experience.

From the people who build the celebration to those who keep it moving, and from the moments shared within communities to the experiences that unfold across the city, every contribution adds to the occasion.

The films brought these different perspectives together to show how individual moments became part of something larger – a celebration shaped by everyone, and shared by all.

The post Festivals Are for All: A Celebration Shared Across Maharashtra and Other States, Brought Together by Coca-Cola India and HCCB first appeared on Press Release India.

Korean culture is no longer confined to screens and streaming platforms. From music and fashion to food and fandom, its influence is increasingly shaping how young Indian consumers discover new experiences. As interest in Korean-inspired flavours continues to grow, a new generation of brands is emerging to make the category more accessible, contemporary and culturally relevant.

Gimi Gimi, the Korean-inspired food brand from Alimento Foods, is positioning itself as one such challenger brand, building at the intersection of food and K-culture rather than treating Korean food simply as a product category.

Bringing this proposition to life, the brand recently participated in Seoul Street, a street-style experience in Delhi that brought together Korean-inspired food, games, creators and cultural cues. Held on 30 September, the event gave consumers an opportunity to engage with Gimi Gimi beyond the pack and experience some of the moments, energy and cultural references that inspire the brand.

At the centre of the Gimi Gimi experience were interactive formats designed around food, play and K-culture. Ramen Mafia challenged participants to keep a straight face as a secretly super-spicy bowl made its way into the group, while the Wind Tunnel brought an energetic, high-action element to the experience. The Toki Flashmob added a lively K-culture moment, while visitors could also interact with Toki, Gimi Gimi’s mascot, through a K-pop-inspired photobooth experience and take home instant keepsakes from the event. For Gimi Gimi, the ambition is to build a brand that actively participates in the culture surrounding Korean food rather than simply selling into it.

Mugdha Bhagchandka, Co-Founder & COO, Alimento Foods, said:

“The opportunity with Gimi Gimi goes beyond introducing another Korean-inspired food product to the market. We see a consumer who is already curious about Korean culture and increasingly willing to explore the food, flavours and experiences associated with it. We want Gimi Gimi to be a brand that meets that curiosity with a point of view, making Korean-inspired food more accessible while creating experiences and conversations that feel culturally relevant to Indian consumers.”

That ambition is reflected in the way Gimi Gimi approaches consumer engagement. Rather than relying solely on traditional food marketing, the brand is building experiences and cultural associations around its products, creating opportunities for consumers to discover the brand through food, play, creators and shared moments.

The brand’s presence across quick-commerce platforms, including Zepto, is also helping shorten the journey from discovery to consumption, making Korean-inspired flavours accessible for everyday occasions and spontaneous cravings.

As the Korean food category continues to evolve in India, Gimi Gimi is looking to carve out a space that is distinctly its own: a challenger brand bringing together Korean-inspired food, contemporary Indian consumer behaviour and the cultural energy surrounding Korea.

The post Gimi Gimi Brings Korean Food and K-Culture Together for a New Generation of Indian Consumers first appeared on Press Release India.

As part of her virtual Mentorship and Leadership Platform, “Beyond Power; Leadership, Global Influence and Impact,” Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, has published a new leadership article titled “Leadership Beyond the Obvious: Universal Rights Need Local Understanding.” Through the article, Dr. Kelej reflects on why universal principles must be translated into action that responds to local realities, priorities, cultural contexts and the needs of the communities being served.

To read the full article and access the platform, visit:

https://rashakelej.substack.com/p/leadership-beyond-the-obvious-you

Speaking about the article, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.) shares, “Human rights do not become less universal when we adapt our approach to local realities and priorities. They become more achievable.”

“A program designed for one society cannot simply be copied into another and expected to have the same impact. While the principles may be universal, the priorities, methods and communication must respond to local evidence, immediate risks, available capacity and cultural context,” she adds.

In the article, Dr. Kelej highlights several examples from her work at Merck Foundation, including infertility stigma, cancer care, mental healthcare, girls’ education and inclusion of people with disabilities. She emphasizes that addressing these challenges requires more than providing an individual intervention. Building local healthcare expertise, engaging communities, addressing social attitudes and working with partners who understand the local context are all essential to creating lasting change.

Dr. Kelej explains that this approach is reflected in Merck Foundation’s work across 42 critical and underserved specialties in Africa, where the Foundation invests in training healthcare professionals and works with governments, healthcare providers, First Ladies and Presidents, educators, media, artists and communities. She emphasizes that each partner has a different role in helping translate universal principles such as dignity, safety, opportunity and access to care into meaningful change in people’s daily lives.

She further highlights the importance of building people and local capacity to carry change forward. Training a local specialist may require more time and effort than providing an immediate solution, but that specialist can care for patients, train others and help build services that continue to grow independently. For Dr. Kelej, this is how an initial investment can create lasting and multiplying impact.

The article is available through Dr. Rasha Kelej’s Mentorship and Leadership Platform, “Beyond Power; Leadership, Global Influence and Impact,” through Substack, which has been launched to create an accessible resource designed to inspire, guide, and support future leaders, particularly women and young future leaders in Africa, Asia and Global South countries. The platform is accessible to all, ensuring that aspiring leaders from diverse backgrounds can access valuable mentorship, leadership insights, and practical guidance.

Link to Dr. Rasha Kelej’s Mentorship and Leadership Platform:
https://open.substack.com/pub/rashakelej

The articles can be accessed on Dr. Rasha Kelej’s website:
https://rasha-kelej.com/

The links to the articles can also be accessed on the Merck Foundation website:
https://merck-foundation.com/

The links can also be accessed on the social media channels of Dr. Rasha Kelej and Merck Foundation.

Through the Mentorship and Leadership Platform, Dr. Rasha Kelej is committed to sharing her 32 years of knowledge and experience to support and guide aspiring individuals in unlocking their hidden potential, achieving their professional and personal goals, and becoming the leaders of tomorrow.

To learn more about Dr. Rasha Kelej’s journey, visit her Social Media Handles: Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube.

And Merck Foundation Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

The post Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation Shares Why Universal Rights Need Local Understanding first appeared on Press Release India.

As India’s managed workspace market becomes more enterprise-led, the role of the partner ecosystem supporting workplace delivery is also evolving. Table Space brought this ecosystem together at the Table Space Nexus – Partner Innovation Summit, creating a forum for partners to contribute ideas, capabilities and innovation beyond the requirements of individual projects.

The Summit, held on September 17, at Taj West End, Bengaluru, brought together more than 190 attendees representing 80 partner organisations. Under the theme “Intelligent. Sustainable. Built to Scale”, it featured 28 Innovation Labs showcasing solutions across workplace design and interiors, furniture and finishes, building systems, enterprise technology and security, facility and soft services, sustainability, and workplace experience.

The initiative reflects a broader shift in the industry. As managed office operators take on larger and more complex enterprise requirements, the role of specialist partners is expanding beyond project execution to contributing expertise across innovation, design, sustainability, technology and scalable delivery.

“The managed-workspace industry is moving into a different stage of maturity. As enterprise requirements become more sophisticated, the ecosystem around us also has to evolve,” said Karan Chopra, Chairman & Co-CEO, Table Space.

“The opportunity is to move the partner relationship upstream from responding to a finished brief to solving the problem together. When partners understand where enterprise requirements are heading, innovation becomes part of the operating model rather than something discovered project by project.”

India’s office market is already reflecting this evolution. As per the CBRE report, Flexible workspace operators accounted for 18–23% of total leasing across the top nine cities in CY2025, up from 12–17% in CY2022 and emerged as one of the fastest growing segments within the corporate real estate landscape in India. At the same time, GCCs accounted for nearly 40% of gross leasing activity in India in CY2025. Flexible workspace stock across Tier-1 cities stood at 102–106 million sq. ft. at the end of CY2025 and is forecasted to reach 162–166 million sq. ft. by the end of CY2028.

The summit also brought Table Space leaders and its partner organisations together in a series of panel and fireside conversations across technology, design and build, and sustainability, examining how these areas need to evolve as enterprise workplace requirements scale.

The summit saw participation from Table Space’s senior leadership, including Karan Chopra, Chairman & Co-CEO; Kunal Mehra, President & Co-CEO; Krishnaswamy Nagarajan, Chief Operating Officer; Ashwin Chandrasekar, Chief Information & Technology Officer; and Megha Agarwal, Chief Marketing Officer, alongside leaders and specialists from across its partner network.

The post From Vendors to Innovation Partners: Table Space Brings 190+ Attendees Together at Nexus first appeared on Press Release India.

Recently, the corporate community convened at Zahee APEX 135 in Sector 135, Noida, for the HR & Admin Recognition Evening 2026. Presented by Renvora, powered by venue partner Zahee, and supported by The Symmunity as Community Partner, the evening delivered an intentional blend of high-level discourse, peer honors, and celebratory entertainment.

Rather than treating Human Resources and Administration as peripheral operations, the gathering placed both disciplines center stage.

Perspectives from Zahee’s Leadership

Reflecting on the importance of creating dedicated spaces for workplace architects, Ashish Gupta, Founder and CEO of Zahee, emphasized:

“At Zahee, our vision has always been to build spaces where milestones turn into memorable experiences. Human Resources and Administration professionals are the true bedrock of organizational culture—they craft environments where entire teams can thrive every single day. Hosting this evening at Zahee APEX 135 was our way of giving that quiet, relentless dedication the premium recognition, hospitality, and grand platform it truly deserves.”

Highlighting the strategic synergy behind the collaboration, Neelesh Singh, Chief Business Officer at Zahee, added:

“Modern corporate gatherings need to transcend standard networking mixers; they must deliver genuine value, community-building, and celebration. Partnering with Renvora and The Symmunity allowed us to demonstrate what Zahee does best—blending purpose-driven business forums with world-class hospitality and entertainment. When you bring operational leaders together in an inspiring setting, powerful conversations naturally follow.”

Dual Tracks: The Panel Discussions

The core intellectual programming of the evening was bifurcated into two dedicated sessions, tackling the strategic evolutions occurring within people operations and workplace infrastructure.

Panel 1: HR Recognition – “Employee Experience: The Heart of Business Growth”

Moderated by Meenakshi M (HR Professional & Public Speaker), this panel focused on positioning EX (Employee Experience) directly at the center of business resilience, sustainable productivity, and talent retention.

The panel featured a versatile bench of talent leaders:

• Jalaj – Associate Director of People, Watermark Insights India Pvt. Ltd.
• Parveen Sehrawat – Associate Director, Deloitte
• Amrita Roy – Training Manager, Aditya Birla Capital Ltd
• Khushi Mahajan – Manager, HR, Djubo
• Vijay Giri – HR Analytics, Prescient Healthcare
• Mohd Tabrez Khan – Director, Head HR, MB Informatics

Discussions emphasized how employee journey mapping, data-driven HR analytics, and proactive leadership training work together to build work cultures where people thrive, rather than just function.

Panel 2: Admin Recognition – “Admin 2.0: From Support Function to Strategic Business Partner”

Moderated by Mayank Ahuja (Founder, The Human Quotient / HR By Nature), this session dismantled traditional perceptions of facilities and office administration, analyzing their rise as indispensable strategic drivers of workplace continuity and employee well-being.

The discussion brought forward practical insights from seasoned administration leads:

• Varun Miglani – Manager – Administration, TestMu AI
• Mukesh Singh – Manager – Administration, TO THE NEW
• Murli Manohar – Senior – Administration, Meridian Solutions

The panelists broke down modern administrative challenges: navigating hybrid work logistics, managing agile real estate footprints, negotiating vendor partnerships, and engineering secure, efficient physical environments that directly impact workforce productivity.

Celebrating Impact: The Awards Ceremony

Following the panel deliberations, the spotlight shifted to the Awards Ceremony. Leaders and emerging practitioners across both domains were recognized with industry honors for their contributions over the past year. Categories recognized operational excellence, crisis response, cultural stewardship, and transformative workplace initiatives, offering overdue visibility to professionals whose accomplishments often occur behind the scenes.

Unwinding in Style: Sufi Night to High-Energy DJ

Setting this gathering apart from standard industry conclaves was its curated post-awards entertainment.

As formal proceedings concluded, the lights softened for a live Sufi Night. The introspective, soulful melodies provided a warm atmosphere for meaningful debriefs, unhurried networking, and authentic connection among peers.

The energy then surged into a vibrant DJ set, transforming Zahee APEX 135 into an open dance floor where attendees, panelists, and organizers celebrated collective achievements well into the night.

A Unified Effort Across the Ecosystem

The event owed its smooth delivery to seamless collaboration across its partners:

• Renvora: Spearheaded and presented the forum, designing an agenda tuned into the modern pain points of corporate operators.
• Zahee: Provided venue management, hospitality, and end-to-end event execution at Zahee APEX 135, offering tailored acoustics, stage production, and dining hospitality.
• The Symmunity: Mobilized a highly participatory peer community, ensuring dynamic interactions throughout the evening.

By pairing sharp industry discourse with genuine celebration, the HR & Admin Recognition Evening 2026 proved that honoring the individuals who power corporate India is best done with substance, style, and community.

The post Zahee APEX 135 Hosts HR & Admin Recognition Evening 2026 in Noida first appeared on Press Release India.

Varaha Heritage is the museum-authenticated replica maker in the country, and it has just crossed a defining milestone: more than three thousand exact, museum-certified replicas of sculptures older than a millennium, bringing pieces once locked behind museum glass into Indian homes. In the six years since it was founded, the company has made museum-grade replicas of more than three thousand objects, drawing on documentation from over forty museums, working directly with more than eight museums and indirectly with over twenty other heritage collections. Its replicas travel in two directions: some go to other museums, since not every museum can hold the original of every object it would like to show; others increasingly go into people’s homes.

A Heritage Out of Reach

India has never been short of history. What it has lacked is access to it. The country’s finest sculpture is concentrated in a handful of museums in a handful of cities, or in temples that demand a long journey and, often, some knowledge of what one is looking at. Outside those places, most people meet their heritage in textbooks, as flattened, captioned photographs. For a young Indian in a small town, the distance between curiosity and the object itself can run to hundreds of kilometers.

Hitesh Kumar, Varaha Heritage’s founder, came to the problem as a museum designer. “Museums have to be far more than repositories,” he says. “They are the places for learning. They should be able to capture people’s sense of belonging, and their pride in a heritage we all share. And objects have always been at the heart of that emotional connection.” In his view, a museum with limited space and resources can only do as much to strengthen the very bond it exists to build.

“Our objective is not simply to recreate objects,” Kumar says. “It is to make the stories, craftsmanship and cultural significance behind these objects accessible to people who may never have the opportunity to experience the originals in a museum.”

Out of the Vault

The company did not begin by making things. For more than three years, Kumar and his co-founder, Hemkant Tripathi, built a 3D scanning and virtualization platform that lets people examine museum objects online. Their first major project brought a hundred objects out of a government safe deposit of archaeological material, where they had been kept out of public view. The team scanned and researched each object and published them on heritageverse.net. More than twenty-five thousand people have viewed them since.

The digital archive proved that there was an audience. It also showed the limits of the screen. The company’s answer was what it calls a physical–digital–physical approach: record the original object digitally, then use that record to put a faithful physical object back into someone’s hands. “Holding a replica of a museum object in your hands is one of the most remarkable connections you can build with a museum and heritage,” Kumar says. “But it needs a real commitment to keep the dignity of the object and its story intact. Only then is it a piece worth keeping.”

The Discipline of the Copy

A replica is not the original, and Varaha Heritage does not pretend otherwise. Its claim is narrower and harder to meet: fidelity. Tripathi built not only the company’s technology framework but also its workflows for making physical objects, and he set up the workshop and the processes by which they are produced. The aim is to carry over more than the outline of a piece: the depth of a carved fold of cloth, the wear on an inscription, the small irregularities that give away a human hand. Tripathi is wary of technology for its own sake. “Technology must enable better experiences,” he says. “It should never become a fog screen for the absence of a great story.”

Every replica is certified by the museum that owns the original. The certification does two jobs: it confirms that the replica is correct, and it records the museum’s participation in the project. Each piece also comes with a researched keeper’s card and a certificate of authenticity. The certificate also records provenance: which original the piece is copied from, where that original stands and what it meant to the people who made it.

That documentation is what separates the enterprise from the souvenir trade. A trinket commemorates a visit. A well-documented replica, sitting on a desk or a classroom shelf, invites a question and then answers it. Seeing an object sparks curiosity; living with one sustains it.

From the Margins to the Main Stage

On 17 September 2025, in Dhar district in western Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived to lay the foundation stone of the PM MITRA Park, a textile park meant to anchor the region’s industrial future. Before the speeches, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav presented him with an idol of Nar Varaha, the boar avatar of Vishnu. In the Puranic telling, Varaha dives to the bottom of the cosmic ocean and raises the drowned earth on his tusks. The sculpture the idol was modelled on is more than a thousand years old; the idol handed across that stage was not. Varaha Heritage had recreated it surface by surface.

The Dhar handover was the most public of the company’s appearances, but not the first. Varaha Heritage curated the museum display at the exhibition for the PM Vishwakarma scheme, the central government’s programme for traditional artisans, which the prime minister inaugurated. It has also been exhibited at the International Museum Expo organized by the Ministry of Culture.

Its most ambitious venture so far is commercial. Launched last year, varahaheritage.com sells replicas and souvenirs, and the company describes it as renowned e-commerce platform of its kind authenticated by museums. “It connects people, objects, and stories,” Kumar says. “And the museums earn from it, so they become partners in the mission, not just lenders to it.”

The push to grow is led by the third co-founder, Ajay Arora. He spent his career scaling national consumer businesses for Bennett, Coleman & Co., Hindustan Times and Samsung, then left it to join the company. “I believed in the idea,” he says. “My job is to take Varaha from local impact to a global brand without losing the mission along the way. When you think of Indian heritage, I want you to think of Varaha.” He has also led the creation of new ways for people to encounter that heritage, including Varaha Walks and Varaha Originals, which take the company well beyond its original mandate.

The timing matters. Museums and archives across the country are experimenting with digital documentation and looking for ways to reach audiences who did not grow up visiting them. The question facing the sector is no longer whether heritage can be preserved. It is whether heritage can stay present in the lives of people who will never see it behind glass. Faithful reproduction is one answer, and with three thousand objects already made, Varaha Heritage has gone further than most in testing it.

The company’s name draws from the Varaha avatar of Vishnu, credited in Hindu tradition with recovering the earth rather than creating it anew. Varaha Heritage says its own work follows a similar principle: much of India’s heritage is not missing, but simply inaccessible, held in storerooms, safe deposits and distant sanctums. The company’s stated goal is to make more of it visible, one certified replica at a time.

To explore Varaha Heritage’s museum-certified replicas, visit varahaheritage.com.

The post Varaha Heritage, India’s Museum-Authenticated Heritage Company, Brings India’s Lost Heritage Home first appeared on Press Release India.

As part of her virtual Mentorship and Leadership Platform, “Beyond Power; Leadership, Global Influence and Impact,” Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, has shared her insights in an article titled “Leadership Beyond the Obvious: You Can Copy the Recipe, but You Cannot Copy the Soul.” Through the article, Dr. Kelej explores whether inspirational leadership is underestimated and explains why the passion, inspiration, and judgment of a leader cannot be fully captured in any strategy or process.

To read the full article and access the platform, visit: https://rashakelej.substack.com/p/leadership-beyond-the-obvious-you

Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.) shares, “I strongly believe that the recipe can be copied, but the soul cannot be. Successful initiatives often appear straightforward when viewed from the outside. A strategy can be documented. Processes can be mapped. Objectives can be listed. Teams can be structured. Results can be measured. Yet, even when another person or organization follows the same visible steps, the outcome may not be the same.”

Dr. Kelej connects this leadership philosophy with her work at Merck Foundation, particularly their long-term approach to developing healthcare capacity. She explains that while the strategy of providing specialized education and scholarships for healthcare providers can be described and replicated, the belief in investing in people and developing local expertise is what drives the sustained commitment behind the work.

Merck Foundation has provided 2,750+ scholarships for healthcare providers from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved specialties, contributing to the development of specialized human capacity that can continue to serve communities for years to come.

She further emphasizes, “Passion does not replace strategy, expertise, structure or accountability, but gives them purpose. For me, leadership involves knowing when to insist, when to adapt, when to encourage, and how to keep people connected to the mission when results take time.”

She also highlights the importance of building teams around a shared purpose, explaining that even talented people need a reason to give their best to a particular mission and moment.

The article is available through Dr. Rasha Kelej’s Mentorship and Leadership Platform, “Beyond Power; Leadership, Global Influence and Impact,” through Substack, which has been launched to create an accessible resource designed to inspire, guide, and support future leaders, particularly women and young future leaders in Africa, Asia and Global South countries. The platform is accessible to all, ensuring that aspiring leaders from diverse backgrounds can access valuable mentorship, leadership insights, and practical guidance.

Link to Dr. Rasha Kelej’s Mentorship and Leadership Platform:
https://open.substack.com/pub/rashakelej

The articles can be accessed on Dr. Rasha Kelej’s website:
https://rasha-kelej.com/

The links to the articles can also be accessed on the Merck Foundation website:
https://merck-foundation.com/

The links can also be accessed on the social media channels of Dr. Rasha Kelej and Merck Foundation.

Through the Mentorship and Leadership Platform, Dr. Rasha Kelej is committed to sharing her 32 years of knowledge and experience to support and guide aspiring individuals in unlocking their hidden potential, achieving their professional and personal goals, and becoming the leaders of tomorrow.

To learn more about the Dr. Rasha Kelej’s journey, visit her Social Media Handles: Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube.

And Merck Foundation Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

The post Merck Foundation CEO, Dr. Rasha Kelej Shares Leadership Insights: “You Can Copy the Recipe, but You Cannot Copy the Soul” first appeared on Press Release India.

Ahead of its fourth edition, ART MUMBAI 2026, presented by Birla Opus Paints, has announced its programme of conversations, guided walks and performances, bringing together artists, poets, curators, institutional leaders, technologists and cultural practitioners from India and internationally.

Taking place from 12–15 November 2026 at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Mumbai, the ART MUMBAI programme and Speaker Series complement the 94 Indian and international exhibitors with conversations that explore issues shaping the art world in India and internationally.

ART MUMBAI Speaker Series

The 2026 Speaker Series examines developments across the art ecosystem, from the growth of institutions and public art to creative collaboration, women artists and emerging technologies.

• Scaling Up: The Future of Art Institutions in Asia and the Middle East
  Lydia Yee • Manuel Rabaté • Minal Vazirani
  A conversation on how art institutions across South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East are expanding their programmes, audiences, digital presence and international reach.
   
• A Poet and a Painter
  Javed Akhtar • Baaraan Ijlal
  Moderated by Ranjit Hoskote
  Inspired by their collaboration, this conversation explores how poetry and painting translate memory, belonging and contemporary urban life across two creative forms.
   
• Decades of Vision
  Krupa Amin • Geetha Mehra • Amita Malkani • Naman Ahuja
  Moderated by Siddharth Somaiya
  Representatives of organisations marking significant anniversaries in 2026 reflect on their interconnected histories, evolving visions and role in shaping India’s cultural landscape.
   
• Women to Watch
  Indu Antony • Vidya Shivdas • Veeranganakumari Solanki • Minal Vazirani
  A conversation on Indu Antony’s multidisciplinary practice and the themes explored through her work, presented in the context of the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ Women to Watch initiative.
   
• Enter the Art: How Immersive Tech Is Redrawing the Gallery Walls
  Alap Parikh • Sonia Parekh
  Moderated by Asad Laljee
  A look at how artificial intelligence, augmented reality and immersive technologies are changing the ways artists create and audiences encounter art.
   
• Reframing the City: Public Art in India
  Ranjit Hoskote • Vishal Dar
  Moderated by Veeranganakumari Solanki
  From SITE Jodhpur to the sā Ladakh Biennale, this conversation considers who commissions public art, who it serves and what allows it to endure beyond a moment of visibility.

ART MUMBAI: Across the Arts

Alongside the conversations, guided walks of the fair will return, offering guests a closer look at artists and practices presented by exhibitors. Stage programming will also include talks, performances and musical presentations, extending the programme across disciplines. On Friday and Saturday evenings, extended hours will give visitors more time to explore the fair and its cultural programme. Further details will be announced shortly.

As ART MUMBAI continues to grow, its programme complements the experience of looking and collecting, offering context around the artists, practices and ideas encountered at the fair. For established collectors, as well as those beginning to build a collection, ART MUMBAI remains a place where collections take shape.

ART MUMBAI 2026
12–15 November 2026

Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Mumbai

The post ART MUMBAI 2026 Announces Speaker Series and Expanded Programme first appeared on Press Release India.

The post University of Melbourne Strengthens Global Standing, Continues to Lead Australia in the Rankings first appeared on Press Release India.

The third edition of the India Water Sustainability Forum 2026, organised by SoulAce recently at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, brought together senior CSR, sustainability, corporate and development leaders to examine how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can contribute to long-term water security, sustainable rural livelihoods and climate resilience.

Held around the theme “Securing Water Resources and the Role of CSR,” the Forum featured three panel discussions focused on Watersheds and Sustainable Livelihoods, Watershed Conservation and Water Security, and Water and Climate Resilience. The discussions highlighted the need for CSR interventions to move beyond the creation of physical assets and focus on measurable outcomes, community ownership and long-term sustainability.

Opening the Forum, Mr Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director, SoulAce, said, “Water security is closely connected to livelihood security and community resilience. CSR interventions need to look beyond the creation of infrastructure and ask whether water assets are being maintained, whether communities are benefiting economically and whether these interventions are strengthening their ability to cope with future water and climate risks. A long-term, outcome-oriented approach will be critical to building sustainable water systems.”

The first panel, “Watersheds and Sustainable Livelihoods,” examined how improved water availability can strengthen rural economies. Speakers discussed the potential of watershed interventions to support agricultural productivity, crop diversification, livestock-based incomes and local employment. The discussion also considered the need to ensure that women, small and marginal farmers and communities vulnerable to water stress are able to benefit from these interventions.

The first panel featured Mr. Chandra Shekhar Gowda, AVP and Head – CSR, Sun Pharma; Mr. Himanshu Nivsarkar, Sr. EVP and Head – CSR & ESG, Kotak Mahindra Bank; Mr. Sunil Padmanabhan, Head – CSR, CQS, Asian Paints; and Ms. Zarine Commissariat, Head – CSR, Shapoorji Pallonji & Co, and was moderated by Mr. Satyajit Bhatkal, CEO, Paani Foundation.

The second panel, “Watershed Conservation and Water Security,” focused on the sustainability of water conservation initiatives. Discussions covered groundwater recharge, soil and water conservation, pond rejuvenation, catchment treatment and community-led maintenance. Speakers emphasised that the success of such programmes depends not only on the number of structures created or water conserved, but also on local stewardship and responsible water-use practices.

The second panel featured Ms. Mandira Nagrath, Lead – Sustainable Community Development Program, Hindustan Unilever; Mr. Yogesh Raut, Deputy General Manager, Lupin Foundation; and Mr. Deepak Ram, Senior Manager, TVS – Srinivasan Services Trust.

The final panel, “Water and Climate Resilience,” explored how communities and institutions can prepare for increasing risks from erratic rainfall, droughts, floods and heat. Speakers discussed water-risk planning, efficient water use, resilient infrastructure, local preparedness and equitable access to water during periods of climate stress.

The final panel featured Ms. Anantika Singh, Senior Director – CSR, Pernod Ricard; Ms. Rituparna De, Group Head – CSR, Epsilon Carbon; Mr. Rushva Parihar, Head, OmniActive Improving Lives Foundation; and Ms. Satya Naidu, Manager – CSR, Marico. The panel discussion was moderated by Mr Adarsh Kataruka, Managing Director, SoulAce.

SoulAce Case Study of Water Conservation Project

At the Forum, SoulAce showcased a compelling case study highlighting its expertise in assessing the impact of complex CSR-led water conservation programmes. The assessment of a multi-village watershed initiative in Maharashtra combined hydrological analysis, satellite evidence and on-ground validation to measure changes in groundwater recharge, water availability and agricultural outcomes.

The study demonstrated measurable improvements in groundwater levels, irrigation access and farm resilience, underscoring the importance of robust impact assessment in helping organisations move beyond activity reporting to evidence-based CSR decision-making.

SoulAce Landscape Report on the Impact of CSR on Skill Development

SoulAce launched the “Impact of CSR on Skill Development 2025–26”, a cumulative landscape report covering 100+ CSR skill development interventions. The report brings together insights and evidence from diverse programmes, highlighting how CSR-led skill development is strengthening employability, livelihoods, income opportunities and inclusive economic participation across communities.

The Forum concluded with a shared emphasis on community ownership, long-term partnerships and outcome measurement as critical elements of sustainable water interventions. The discussions highlighted the opportunity for CSR to connect water conservation with livelihoods and climate resilience, creating solutions that remain relevant beyond the duration of individual projects.

The post 3rd India Water Sustainability Forum, Organised by SoulAce, Calls for Long-Term, Outcome-Oriented CSR Programs for Water Security first appeared on Press Release India.