MAM
Cosmos-Maya celebrates 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi with its brand-new kids’ show ‘Bapu’
MUMBAI: Cosmos-Maya is launching ‘Bapu’, a new show inspired by Gandhiji, for kids. This development comes soon after the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, held recently. 2019 also marks the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma.
Founded by internationally acclaimed Indian filmmakers Ketan Mehta and Deepa Sahi, Cosmos-Maya is a leading India and Singapore based Animation Company that produces high quality 3D & 2D animation content. KKR backed Emerald Media, a Pan-Asia platform established by the leading global investment firm, for investments in the media and entertainment sector, has a controlling stake in Cosmos-Maya. The company presently has 13 shows on air including Intellectual Properties (IPs) like Motu Patlu, Inspector Chingum, Selfie With Bajrangi, Eena Meena Deeka, and is working with all major broadcasters in this space.
Out of the many gifts Gandhiji left for kids of subsequent generations, the greatest is instilling in them self-belief. “Be the change you wish to see in the world”, said the man who walked almost 400 km for the Dandi March. Cosmos-Maya has been working on the concept for the past two years. The company aims to not only empower half a billion Indian kids with Gandhiji’s values in a non-didactic format, but also to spread the Mahatma’s teachings to kids world over with entertaining, child-friendly storytelling.
“Kids are an impressionable audience. Hence parental approval is imperative. We aim to make each episode a family affair with parents giving additional commentary.”, Anish Mehta, CEO Cosmos-Maya.
Suhas Kadav, Chief Creative Officer, Cosmos-Maya and creator of the show said, “Bapu belongs to everyone and is a perpetual part of the collective conscious of us Indians. Our show ‘Bapu’ will help kids learn the value of goodness and inspire and entertain in the process.”
Anish Mehta, CEO Cosmos-Maya added, “‘Bapu’ will be a tribute to the man who had the power to shape the thinking of generations. Cosmos-Maya’s biggest IPs are all ‘Swadeshi’. With our production might, we are best equipped as story tellers in the sense that we can exercise our Creative Social Responsibility and communicate Gandhiji’s teachings in a fun but responsible manner.”
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.
