Music and Youth
etc introduces SMSing to bring stars, fans closer
Predominantly music channel etc is adding interactive elements to its long-running Bollywood Birthmarks, which features filmstars whose birthdays fall in a particular week.
Bollywood Birthmarks gives details about the star’s place of birth, their high or low points in life, their likes and dislikes and interesting facets of their life. Besides wishing their favourite star via e-mail, by writing in at feedback@entertainmenttv.com, viewers are invited to SMS birthday greetings to their stars, directors and musicians by typing in ETCBMN, keying in the message and then SMSing it on 303. A lucky few also stand a chance of winning a prize for the best and innovative greeting.
The five-minute capsule will be aired on etc four times a day after the Once More programme. The capsules will air at 1:55 am, 8:55 am, 12:55 pm and 5:55 pm.
For the first week of June, etc has lined up Sunil Dutt (6 June), for the second week Dimple Kapadia and Shilpa Shetty (8 June) will be featured, while the third week sees Mithun Chakravarty (16 June) and Amrish Puri (22 June). Karisma Kapoor (25 June) will feature in the fourth week of June.
According to ETC Networks CEO Pradeep Dixit, giving viewers a chance to do something as personal as wishing stars a happy birthday, will ensure better and loyal relationship between etc and viewers.
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
