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Idea brings the ‘Power of 9’ this festive season
MUMBAI: Mobile operator Idea Cellular has launched offers for over 120 million Idea subscribers in the MP and Chhattisgarh circle, adding to the celebrations of the Navraatri season.
Idea’s ‘Power of 9‘ special Navratri packs will offer Voice calls, SMS services, and 3G Internet at Rs 9 during the festive season.
Idea‘s ‘Power of 9‘ gives the option of choosing from four recharge vouchers each priced at Rs 9, which come with customised benefits for different types of users.
Idea‘s prepaid users in MP & Chhattisgarh can opt for Voice packs which offer 22 Local minutes of Idea to Idea calling with a validity of four days, and another pack which offers 19
local minutes of calling on any network for a period of three days.
High SMS users can go for the pack which offers 45 local and national SMS with a validity period of five days.
Idea has also introduced a special 3G Internet pack which offers 20 MB of usage for one day. All packs are priced at Rs 9 and are available only in paper recharge form, except for the 3G Internet recharge which is also available on E-recharge.
Idea Cellular COO Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh Sunil Tolani said, “Number Nine is symbolic of auspicious Navratri, and we are happy to offer the ‘Power of 9‘ to our over 1.2 crore users in MP and Chhattisgarh this season. The special Rs. 9 packs have been designed keeping in mind different usage patterns of consumers and offer more value for money and convenience. We wish all our subscribers a very happy Navratri and hope our special packs add to the celebration and festivities.”
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
