Event Coverage
IDCA awarded the BRICS-CCI annual recognition awards 2024 for community excellence
Mumbai: The BRICs Chamber of Commerce hosted the BRICS-CCI annual Awards 2024 in New Delhi. The awards presented were for excellence, innovation, responsible business practices, community service & commitment to a sustainable future.
IDCA was conferred the BRICS CCI Community Excellence Award in this glittering ceremony. The award was received by Patron, Reena Jain Malhotra, CEO, Roma Balwani, Committee Member, Jyoti Jain, Secretary, Ajay Kumar, and Indian Deaf Cricket Association.
IDCA CEO Roma Balwani said, “It was an honour for IDCA to be given the prestigious B.A.R.A. award for Community Excellence. It underscores the importance of mainstreaming disability sport and IDCA’s endeavour is to provide a platform for talented hearing-impaired Indian cricketers, both men & women to showcase their prowess in the game of cricket. We recently concluded a successful maiden women’s T 10 tournament which was held in early January 2024 which celebrated & signalled the focus on diversity & inclusion. ”
Patron, Reena Jain Malhotra commented, “We are privileged to receive this maiden BRICs BARA award which recognised the effort and hard work of teams across India of young hearing-impaired students who have a passion for cricket. Today, I am delighted to receive this award in recognition of our hearing-impaired President, Sumit Jain & his team’s immense contribution to encourage, transform the lives of many of these specially abled Indian cricketers and give them the opportunity to play in national & international matches and be proud of their achievements.”
Executive director, co-founder of BRICS-CCI and concept founder B.A.R.A, Dr. Sushi Singh emphasised B.A.R.A’s alignment with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (The World is One), embodying a commitment to unleash the power of the expanding BRICS bloc. Under the theme “Invest in our Planet,” the awards presented during the event recognised outstanding achievements in Academia, Business, Community, Media, and policymaking from various BRICS nations.
KJ Alphons, former union minister of state for tourism and Guest of honour, gave away the awards in the august presence of chief guest, Maharaja Dr. Karan Singh, former member of Rajya Sabha.
Event Coverage
Anime India announces Amazon MX Player as co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata 2026
MUMBAI: Riding high on the success of its blockbuster Mumbai debut, Anime India is accelerating its nationwide expansion with the announcement of Amazon MX Player as the co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata. The partnership marks a significant step forward in the festival’s mission to deliver large-scale, accessible, and fan-first anime experiences across the country.
Scheduled for 14 and 15 February 2026 at the iconic Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Anime India Kolkata will launch the first regional chapter of what is set to be a year-long, multi-city tour. As the curtain-raiser for the 2026 circuit, the Kolkata edition aims to fuse the energy of global Japanese pop culture with India’s fast-growing community of anime, manga, and pop-culture fans.
A household name in digital entertainment, Amazon MX Player brings unmatched reach and cultural relevance to the Anime India platform. With its expanding focus on anime and youth-driven content, Amazon MX Player’s involvement as co-presenting partner reinforces Anime India’s vision of making anime culture more inclusive breaking barriers of language, geography, and accessibility to connect with fans nationwide.
Anime India Kolkata 2026 will showcase cosplay competitions, interactive zones led by the Indian Gunpla Community, India-39 Vocaloid Community, The Japan Curry, and Adda-o-Otaku by The Otaku Guild. Fans can join tournaments across fighting games, Pokémon VGC, and more. Acclaimed Japanese director Susumu Mitsunaka (Haikyu!!) will attend as guest of honour, appearing in panels and live sessions. Positioned as an immersive celebration of fan culture and industry collaboration, the Kolkata edition marks the beginning of Anime India’s nationwide expansion.
Sharing their perspective on the partnership, Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani expressed, “Anime in India has evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream cultural movement, driven by an increasingly engaged and passionate fanbase. At Amazon MX Player, our focus is on expanding access by bringing anime to audiences across the country for free and in multiple local languages. Our association with Anime India reflects our commitment to supporting the growth of anime in India and deepening connections with fans, while continuing to build Amazon MX Player as a trusted destination for free, high-quality entertainment.”
“Anime India Kolkata is a celebration of how anime has grown beyond entertainment into a powerful cultural and creative force. By bringing fans, creators, and industry leaders onto one shared platform, the festival is helping define the future of pop culture in India,” said Anime India co-founder and director Neha Mehta.
The debut edition of Anime India 2025 in Mumbai attracted over 29,000 fans, quickly cementing its status as a landmark celebration of anime and Japanese pop culture. Riding on this overwhelming response, the Kolkata chapter is projected to draw more than 40,000 visitors across two days, positioning it as one of the biggest anime conventions ever held in eastern India.
Anime India is focused on bringing together fans from across the country to create a truly pan-India celebration of anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese culture. With plans to expand into four key metropolitan hubs in 2026—east (Kolkata), north (Delhi), west (Mumbai), and south (Hyderabad)—the festival seeks to deliver globally benchmarked experiences while supporting and uplifting creators, artists, and fan communities throughout India.
