MAM
Hindustan Media Ventures appoints Samudra Bhattacharya as new CEO and KMP
MUMBAI: Hindustan Media Ventures Ltd has appointed Samudra Bhattacharya as the chief executive officer (CEO) and key managerial personnel (KMP) effective 1 November. Bhattacharya joined the company as COO print business in last July.
Prior to joining HT Media, he was president of PepsiCo Joint Venture, and was based out of Manila, Philippines from March 2017 to mid-July 2019. Bhattacharya has worked across several roles and geographical locations for the last 24 years. The company updated Bombay Stock Exchange.
After graduating from the Indian Institute of Management, he started his career with P&G in India, and after four years, joined Asian Paints in the Middle East where he served sales and marketing as well as general management roles for almost seven years.
The previous CEO and key managerial personnel Rajeev Beotra vide his letter dated 31 October 2019, tendered his resignation as CEO to take on a new role within the company.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
