MAM
Are You Tired Of Creepy DMs? So Are We. #IgnoreNoMore a movement by Malini’s Girl Tribe
The pandemic has spread its tentacles into just about every area of life at this point, forcing us to change our behaviours significantly. This has led to a sharp increase in digital activity, as amidst this lockdown period alone, over 87% Indians have reportedly turned to social media for all sorts of content consumption, says a survey conducted by Hammer Kops. And according to cyber experts, this has led to an alarming surge in cybercrimes such as sexual harassment, abuse, stalking, trolling and rape threats, as miscreants take advantage of the globe's new-found dependence on the virtual world.
Traditionally, many men and women are taught to simply 'ignore it' – making many of us resign ourselves to thinking this is all that one can do. This attitude has, however, caused much mental harm and keeping silent is simply not a pliable solution anymore – these are crimes punishable by the law. Keeping the current scenario in mind, Malini's Girl Tribe and Huzaifa Lightwalla have launched a campaign to build awareness and take strict legal action against these abusers. Under the #IgnoreNoMore social media campaign, Malini Agarwal (founder) has personally curated a series of educational webinars with experts from the industry who will join hands to encourage rapid and strict action against cyber bullies and cyber crime..
India figures among the top five countries to be affected by cyber crime. However, Maharashtra Cyber Department has only been able to register 410 offences so far and have arrested 213 persons in connection with these. Though Central and state agencies are constantly at work, the vulnerabilities are more pronounced, the threat more real. Malini Agarwal founder MissMalini and Malini’s Girl Tribe opines, “They spam comments, creep into our DMs and overwhelm our lives (even on Instagram LIVE). As we move to the "new normal" of living our virtual lives, the impact on our mental and emotional health is insurmountable. Most importantly, this is not just a cause for women, but equally traumatising for men as well. This problem deeply damages us all, and makes social media a nightmare for countless. We have finally found a way to take action against the abusers via the cybercrime division. Which means we can actually make a difference and need to educate everyone on their rights and the creeps of the consequences.”
Via this campaign, Malini’s Girl Tribe is spreading awareness of our digital rights and encouraging action via active dialogue, whilst educating all men and women to come forth and report more cases. It also aims to aid those accused by helping them understand the repercussions of their actions, which in many cases, are innocent youngsters who may be doing this to seem ‘cool’ and to ‘fit-in’.
We can do this by spreading awareness and making a list of the abusers you want to report, including their usernames/ URLs/handles to the cyber cell in Mumbai for a legal investigation (cyberpst-mum@mahapolice.gov.in, shubhamcybercrime@gmail.com). By gathering their virtual information and screenshots to help in the case as evidence, we can also make an online complaint on www.cybercrime.gov.in ” adds Malini.
Answering this call are celebrities/ Influencers such as Teena Singh, Shweta Salve, Nitin Mirani, Aashka Goradia, Faye Dsouza, Rohit Roy, Acquin Pais, Siddhant Kapoor, Shibani Kashyap ,Manasi Scott, Narayani Shastri , Pia Trivedi and many more
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
