News Broadcasting
NDTV forays into online wedding market; raises funding from CerraCap
MUMBAI: In a bid to capitalise on the lucrative $40 billion India wedding industry, NDTV has now forayed into the online wedding market space with Special Occasion Limited.
For the new wedding and festival platform, NDTV has raised funding at a valuation of $20 million from US based venture capital firm CerraCap Ventures.
The company has named Sachin Singhal as CEO of Special Occasion Limited. With 10 years of experience in key startups in the country, Singhal has been instrumental in setting and scaling up leading brand likenaaptol.com.
“The wedding industry in India is a $40 billion market, which is highly disorganized and has operated the same way for decades. With India’s growing tech savvy populous; this market is ripe for disruption. Special Occasions has the right team, vision and platform to enable this disruption and be a leader in this space,” said CerraCap Ventures managing partner Saurabh Suri.
NDTV Group president revenue Smeeta Chakrabarti said, “I am delighted to welcome CerraCap and Saurabh Suri as a partner in this exciting venture. The wedding business in India is growing at huge 20 per cent year on year. There are 10 million weddings every year in India and this is a massive opportunity. Not just weddings, festival spending is also huge and this platform will be the go to destination when you are getting married or attending a wedding or celebrating any special occasion.”
Sports marketing, entertainment & licensing firm Baseline was responsible for the partnership between NDTV & CerraCap.
Baseline managing director Tuhin Mishra said, “It is always a pleasure to work with an NDTV enterprise and to facilitate CerraCap’s foray into this venture of NDTV. We are very excited with this tie up and are so gung-ho about the concept of wedding and festival e-commerce that Baseline will also be investing in.”
On his appointment, Singhal said, “People are looking for answers on how to achieve their dream wedding. How to navigate from dream to reality? The new platform will be a game changer and will provide 360 degree solutions in the wedding and festival space. With the growing internet population and the adoption of smart phones, this space will disrupt too.”
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
