Brands
ITC Mangaldeep lights up Ayodhya with AR magic
MUMBAI: ITC Mangaldeep is taking Diwali devotion to the digital domain as it launches Digital Deepotsav, an Augmented Reality (AR) experience that lets devotees across India virtually light a diya and be part of Ayodhya’s iconic Deepotsav.
Through the immersive microsite at ayodhyamangaldeepotsav.com, participants can offer prayers to Lord Ram, contribute their virtual diya, and watch as their light joins a collective glow illuminating the holy city on 19 October. Each virtual diya corresponds to a real diya lit in Ayodhya, making the celebration truly participatory.
The brand aims to light a spectacular 1 lakh diyas arranged in a special design to convey faith, positivity, and unity. Visitors will also experience the mangaldeep khushboo path, with 25 five-foot agarbatti sticks and 25 maha havan cups filling the air with a divine fragrance, adding a sensory layer to the spiritual spectacle.
ITC divisional CEO of matches and agarbatti Rohit Dogra said, “Devotion is timeless, but the way we experience it can evolve. Digital Deepotsav blends the sacredness of tradition with the possibilities of technology. Through AR, millions of devotees can light their diyas virtually and feel connected to Ayodhya’s spiritual energy.”
With this initiative, ITC Mangaldeep reinforces its pioneering role in making devotion immersive, inclusive, and experiential, showing that faith and technology can shine together to create memorable celebrations.
Brands
MakeMyTrip partners with OpenAI to boost AI-powered travel planning
Conversational AI now guides travellers from inspiration straight to booking
GURUGRAM: MakeMyTrip, India’s leading online travel company, has teamed up with OpenAI to bring a fresh twist to AI-driven travel planning. The collaboration integrates OpenAI’s APIs into MakeMyTrip’s app, making it easier than ever for travellers to move from chatting about dream trips to booking them.
The move centres around MakeMyTrip’s Myra interface, a GenAI trip planning assistant that now handles over 50,000 conversations a day in languages ranging from English and Hindi to Tamil, Telugu and Bengali. Myra helps travellers explore options, create itineraries and book flights, hotels and extras without the usual hassle of searching and filtering.
MakeMyTrip co-founder and group CEO Rajesh Magow said, “With OpenAI, we turn curiosity into confident decisions. When travellers start their journey through conversation, MakeMyTrip becomes a seamless extension of that discovery process. AI combined with our travel data makes it possible to deliver personalised, bookable options at scale.”
OpenAI managing director- international Oliver Jay added, “MakeMyTrip is showing how AI can make travel planning feel more like a conversation than a chore. Advanced AI isn’t just about back-end efficiencies, it’s about transforming the way travellers experience and engage with the platform.”
MakeMyTrip has long invested in AI across the travel lifecycle, from inspiration and discovery to booking and post-sales support. Nearly half of Myra’s queries now come from tier-2 and smaller cities, and voice interactions are booming outside metros, making AI travel assistance more accessible than ever.
With this partnership, MakeMyTrip is not just keeping up with AI trends, it’s aiming to lead the way, turning every traveller’s whim into a smooth, bookable adventure.
