MAM
Emerging India awards, date for sending entries extended
MUMBAI: ICICI Bank and CNBC TV-18 have announced that the date for sending in entries for participation in the ‘Emerging India’ has been extended from 7 January to 31 January due to the overwhelming response received from the Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from all over the country.
The initiative to recognise the contribution of SMEs to the growth of the Indian economy. SMEs in the country having a net worth of a maximum of Rs 50 crores are eligible for entry into the awards, informs an official release.
ICICI Bank and CNBC-TV18 have tied up with CRISIL – India’s premier credit rating agency for designing and executing the evaluation process for the awards. Tata Indicom Enterprise Business Unit and AFL will support this first of its kind initiative.
The Emerging India Awards invites entries from those SMEs that have started operations before 1st January 2000. These will be shortlisted to 25 per category based on value creation parameters of financial data provided by the entities. A second round of screening will follow where CRISIL will review the financial statements of the chosen entities to shortlist 3 entries per category.
Each of the 3 shortlisted entities per category will have to make a final round of offsite presentations about their respective businesses. Awards will be presented to winners as well as runners-up in each category.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
