MAM
Aashirvaad Svasthi ghee adds a love aroma to Ayodhya Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha
Mumbai: During the sacred occasion of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Lord Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on this month, Aashirvaad Svasthi, ITC’s Ghee brand, is set to spread and imbue the ‘Aro-Ma of Love’ in the Temple. In a gesture of devotion, ITC will be providing Aashirvaad Svasti pure cow ghee which will illuminate thousands of Diyas (lamps) during the auspicious day marking the homecoming of Lord Ram in the newly constructed Ram Mandir.
Also, in celebration of the Ram Mandir’s inauguration in Ayodhya, ITC’s social investment program, Mission Sunhera Kal, has strengthened its collaboration with the Ayodhya Nagar Nigam. The Swachh ‘Teerth’ campaign has been launched encompassing multi-dimensional interventions. As part of this effort, over 1,000 dustbins made from recycled plastic have been distributed to local vendors. These vendors have taken a ‘shapath’ that is committed to a pledge to ensure the effective utilisation of these bins, contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable environment in the city.
As part of the Swachh ‘Teerth’ campaign, more than 200 Plastic Collection Boxes, constructed from recycled plastic and with a capacity of 290 litres each, have been strategically placed at various locations. A team of over 200 trained volunteers will be actively involved in overseeing the waste collection process. ITC has been associated with Ayodhya Nagar Nigam and collaborates with the Urban Local Body under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Uttar Pradesh. In the coming months, the installation of composters and bio-gas units is planned with the support of Ayodhya Nagar Nigam.
ITC Aashirvaad Svasthi Ghee takes pride in actively participating and enhancing the celebrations of the devotees during the Ram Nadir inauguration. To become a devotion enabler, ITC has collaborated with the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra to contribute to the momentous occasion of the Nutan Vigrah Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ram Lallaji.
In a warm gesture to welcome all devotees visiting the sacred city of Ayodhya, ITC Aashirvaad Svasthi Ghee has adorned prominent locations with banners and signages. These welcoming displays can be found at key locations such as the airport, railway station, entrance of the Ram Mandir and other significant temples across the city.
The Pran Pratishtha ceremony in the New Ram Mandir, is a momentous event for Hindus, signifying the establishment of the life force within a deity’s idol. This transformative ritual endows the idol with divine essence, allowing it to receive prayers and bestow blessings on devotees. Believed to be enduring, the divine presence persists for eternity after the ceremony. The Ram Mandir signifies and is revered as Lord Ram’s birthplace, holds immense spiritual importance and is poised to become a key pilgrimage site, attracting devotees from across the world.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
