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IPL 2025 gets a fresh coat as Birla Opus Paints colours outside the lines
MUMBAI: When cricket fever hits India, even the paint industry pads up. As the IPL 2025 season bowls over fans across the country, Birla Opus Paints has stepped onto the pitch with a splash. The paint brand has partnered with JioHotstar to stir up more than just fan emotions—they’re mixing colours and cricket like a pro bartender at a Holi party.
Yes, Birla Opus Paints, under the mighty umbrella of Aditya Birla Group’s Grasim Industries, announced its official partnership with the Tata IPL 2025 and JioHotstar, rolling out a quirky campaign called the ‘Indian Colours League’. The concept? Every IPL match now spawns a brand-new paint shade, born from the merging team colours of the day. It’s cricket meets chemistry, with a splash of marketing genius.
Each time two rival franchises face off, their iconic team colours blend in real time to create a new, exclusive shade. It’s not just paint—it’s pigment poetry. This colourful concoction symbolises not just the intensity of the match but also the camaraderie, shared history and electric energy both teams bring to the pitch.
Players from the competing teams will share what their team colours mean to them in pre-match videos. As they wax lyrical, their team hues morph into a fresh Birla Opus Paints signature shade, capturing the essence of the upcoming clash. Imagine blue and yellow creating more than just green—they’re painting legacies now.
“At Birla Opus Paints, we believe in the transformative power of colours. This IPL season, through the Indian Colours League, we’re blending the colours of the rival teams in each match to celebrate camaraderie and legacy. This IPL season, we invite fans to witness the magic that happens when colours fuse – because both in cricket and in life, every interaction has the power to create something truly unforgettable,” said Birla Opus Paints head – marketing Inderpreet Singh.
JioHotstar CBO, sports revenue, SMB & creator, Ishan Chatterjee chimed in with equal flair, “At JioHotstar, we are always looking for ways to push the boundaries of fan engagement, and the Indian Colours League does just that. Cricket and colours both have a deep emotional connection with people, and this campaign beautifully brings them together. By blending the worlds of cricket and colour, we are offering fans an experience that goes beyond the game, turning every match into a visual spectacle.”
Leo – south Asia CCO Sachin Kamble made a poetic pitch, “Cricket isn’t just a game – it’s a canvas of passion, sportsmanship, emotion, camaraderie just like the colours that represent each team and their winning spirit. Indian Colours League leverages this aspect of IPL. Just how competitiveness blends with friendship resulting in a good game, two colours come together to create another beautiful shade, the colour that stands for unity bringing the country together.”
This dazzling marketing idea was co-conceptualised by Birla Opus Paints, Leo India and Wavemaker India in partnership with JioHotstar. A colourful ménage à trois, if you will.
Each shade forged in the crucible of cricketing rivalry becomes more than just a colour. It’s a limited-edition legacy. A visual souvenir of that epic clash. A brushstroke in cricket’s ongoing mural of madness. Forget hex codes, these hues come with hashtags and heartbreaks.
Launched in 2024, Birla Opus Paints is already making a splash in the decorative paints segment. Now, they’re turning matches into colour-coded memories.
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.
