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Zee to launch ‘Kanhaiya’ on 9 March
MUMBAI: Zee TV is all set to revive its Sunday morning slot. Kick starting the whole series is Kanhaiya , a weekly family entertainer, to be launched on 9 March at 9:30 am. Close on the heels of Kanhaiya are two new launches, a spiritual show Oorjaa and a fitness and health show Good Health, which will be aired on 16 March.
Sunday mornings had been a phenomenal slot, during the Doordarshan days, in the early 90’s. Though both, the media planners and channels, are in two minds about the slot in the present scenario, Zee has decided on the safest bet – a mix of serials with a heavy religosity dose and family entertainers.
Kanhaiya , which is set to air next Sunday at 9:30 am, gets its religious quotient from the Hindu religious scripture ‘Geeta’. The star of the story is an orphan boy ‘Kanhaiya’ who is adopted by the matriarch of a family despite some reservations from the family. All the members of this family are extremely self absorbed and selfish and do not care about being morally correct.
The protagonist through his simple child talk passes the messages in Geeta, just like his godly namesake, and helps out the family. The serial is produced by Gulshan Sachdeva of Film and Shots and is directed by Rajeev Bhatia . The starcast include Mukesh Rawal, Gargi Patel, Dharmesh Vyas, Adarsh Gautam, Manini Deb, Hitesh Kriplani, Jenifer, Sakshi Sen, Anameeka, Mukesh Pandey, Shailesh Raje and Ankit Shah, while starring as ‘Kanhaiya’ is a child-artiste Shriya.
Both the spiritual show Oorjaa and the fitness based show Good Health are tentatively scheduled to launch on 16 march at 9:00 am 1:00 pm respectively.
The shows, Kanhaiya and Oorjaa were long overdue as the the sole spiritual programme on the channel, for the Sunday morning slot was Jai Santoshi Maa. Hindi entertainment channel leader Star Plus has been providing the soul search via the Saakshi Tanwar-anchoredGurukul and Deepti Bhatnagar’s spiritual travelogue Yatra while Sony has Shri Krishna, Shree Ganesh and Mahabharat.
Among the new additions to spruce up the Sunday morning this month was the big budget thriller show XYZ, about a detective X played by Shekhar Suman, his girl-Friday Yaka Yamini and a dog Zorro. The plans to launch this serial has been waiting to launch for some time. The latest on this is that the Anant Mahadevan-directed effort will launch some time in April.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
