MAM
Nokia to sponsor Mark Knopfler India concert
MUMBAI: Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler will be performing in Mumbai and Bangalore on 5 March and 7 March respectively. Knopfler will be performing some of the greatest hits of Dire Straits and will also strum his trademark guitars.
While Nokia is the presenting sponsor of the concert, the associate sponsors are VH1, Hutch, Pepsi and McDowell’s No 1 Soda.
Knopfler will perform at the MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai and at the Palace Grounds in Bangalore. Knopfler’s India Tour is being produced by DNA Networks and tickets are priced at Rs 2500 and Rs 1000.
The concert will include all-time hits as Calling Elvis, Walk of Life, What It Is, Romeo & Juliet, Sultans of Swing, Money for Nothing, So Far Away, Brothers in Arms, Pyroman, Done with Bonaparte, Junkie Doll, Prairie Wedding, Speedway at Nazareth and Telegraph Road.
“To educate your ears, you should have enough reverence for music. You have to know old stuff – get right back into it, know it, feel it,” says Knopfler.
Always playing it cool on stage, Knopfler gives his best to everything he does and lets his fingers express his passion for music. Sachin Tendulkar, a die-hard fan, is expected to attend the concert as a special invitee.
DNA Networks MD T Venkat Vardhan says, “Indian audiences are truly responsive. Our road map includes bringing the best classic as well as contemporary performers to India.”
Knopfler was a journalist in his early days and covered the music beat until the urgings of his own guitar lead him to a career in music. Known as one of the most respected and skillful guitarists in the music scene, Knopfler together with brother David, John Ilsley (bass) and Pick Withers (drums), founded the band Dire Straits in August 1977. The band got its name due to its habitual financial state!
Ever since their first album, also called Dire Straits, hit the stores in 1978, the band churned out a succession of albums. The Dire Straits magic took hold of music fans across the world in 1985 with Brothers in Arms, one of the biggest selling albums of all time. The album became a must-have for those wanting to exploit new CD and video technology. Sultans of Swing not only made a name for the band but also marked a turning point in rock history in 1998.
Knopfler has collaborated with such fellow greats as Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Randy Newman, Buddy Guy, Tina Turner, Phil Lynott, Willy DeVille, Eric Clapton, Waylon Jennings, Chet Atkins, Phil Everly, Vince Gill, Paul Franklin, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Paul Brady, Jeff Healey, Steely Dan, Sting, James Taylor and David Rawlings.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
