Brands
HCL Concerts strikes the right note with Carnatic Quest
MUMBAI: HCL Concerts, in collaboration with Rhapsody Music Foundation, has opened applications for the fifth edition of Carnatic Quest, a national talent hunt that hits all the right notes in discovering India’s rising stars of classical music.
Open to musicians aged 18 to 30, the competition invites entries across five categories, vocals, violin, veena, flute and percussion, promising young performers a chance to showcase their craft on a national stage.
Applications for round 1 are open till 30 November 2025, with results out on 14 December. The three-round format culminates in a live grand finale in Chennai early next year, where finalists will perform before an esteemed jury and audience.
This year’s panel reads like a concert line-up in itself, featuring legends such as Kalaimamani Sikkil Gurucharan, Sangeetha Kalanidhi Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi, Kalaimamani K V Prasad, and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardees Shashank Subramanyam and Jayanthi Kumaresh.
Since its debut, Carnatic Quest has tuned itself into one of India’s most respected platforms for emerging talent. Many past winners have gone on to perform at prestigious festivals and on HCL Concerts’ digital stage.
“Through Carnatic Quest, we aim to make classical music more accessible to young practitioners and audiences,” said HCL Group associate general manager Nikhil Soni. “Each year, we’re inspired by the depth of talent across India.”
Seven winners will be crowned this season, three vocalists and one musician each for violin, veena, flute and percussion, with cash prizes, certificates, and a professional portfolio shoot up for grabs.
As the notes rise and rhythms unfold, Carnatic Quest 2025 promises to strike a chord with tradition while amplifying the future of Indian classical sound.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
