MAM
SOCIETY TEA PRESENTS, #SOUNDSOFSOCIETY SEASON 2, EPISODE 4: ‘AKHIYAN’, PRODUCED BY URBAN BEAT PROJECT, CURATED BY LAIQ QURESHI
A celebrated household name, Society Tea, in association with Urban Beat Project, curated by Laiq Qureshi, announced the launch of the Second Season of its live musical web series – #SoundsofSociety, https://soundsofsociety.in/, and are here with Episode 4. This episode features a collaboration of two tremendously talented musicians, between one of India's finest yet under-rated singers Tritha Sinha, and multi-instrumentalist genius musician and Indophile, Mathias Durand, presenting ‘Akhiyan’.
Sounds of Society is a genre-free, no-rules, and an all-inclusive approach to presenting music-making and its associated performing arts. It features musicians and their grassroots approach to making music, in an entirely collaborative format. Sounds of Society – Season 2 is shot with minimal fuss and equipment, and will feature both, edited as well as, one-take videos, to showcase the true organic nature of each episode.
The season’s fourth episode showcases an amazing collaboration between Tritha, a vocalist, composer and music producer based in Goa, and Mathias Durand a composer, producer and singer-songwriter from France. Having worked together extensively, their work is nothing short of exemplary. This episode is a perfect example of musical harmony. While Tritha sticks to her roots, and Mathias to his, they come together as one with this fascinating arrangement, ‘Akhiyan’.
In 2014, Tritha released her debut album ‘PaGLI’ on Sony Music, earn the license to break the rules as well as unlearn and re-interpret what she had learnt in her classical methods. Her next album ‘Raagas in Paris’ released in 2016 on Silk Road label saw her fuse Indian classical with psychedelic rock with her rock band 'Tritha Electric'. Whereas, for Mathias, as a young child he learned classical music on the piano from his grandmother and is a self-taught guitarist. He plays Folk Psychedelic music, inspired by Krautrock, Experimental and Minimal composers.
An elated Karan Shah, Director, Society Tea said, “Music, an integral part of our lives, has the power of bringing together people across borders, just the way tea does. With Sounds of Society: Season 2, we aim at bringing soulful melodies by collaborating with versatile artists. This season has an amazing line-up and is all set to brew a flavourful experience, with the aim of etching music and tea onto the hearts of our audience. We strive towards keeping this spirit of innovation alive while spreading happiness.”
Produced by Urban Beat Project and curated by Laiq Qureshi, the collaborations in each episode represent the already existing and ever evolving synergies in the musical world. Much of what is captured is entirely spontaneous, without any concrete rehearsals. “Some of the best music is made when musicians come together without any real aim in mind, and when they are free of going anywhere particular with their music. Like in a jam. What comes out is pure and organic. This is what we want to showcase.” says Laiq Qureshi, founder of Urban Beat Project.
Sounds of Society departs from a need to showcase any big industry names, but hopes to feature what music sounds like on the street, on a terrace, in your bedroom, on the beach, or in your backyard. The only real aim is to document the social and cultural milieu in which we live, by presenting the sounds of today.
Artists featured so far are – DJ URI, Delhi Sultanate, Hang Massive, Delhi 2 Dublin, Vasuda Sharma, Gowri Jayakumar, Chandana Bala, Nush Lewis and more.
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
