MAM
Vedantu appoints Maninder Bali as head of brand marketing
Mumbai: Homegrown online learning platform Vedantu on Tuesday announced the appointment of Maninder Bali as head of brand marketing. Based in Bangalore, Bali will report to Vedantu’s chief operating officer, Arvind Singhal.
In his new role, Bali will further build the brand and bring alive the Vedantu experience at every touchpoint. He will navigate the brand marketing playbook and drive impact at scale for Vedantu, said the press statement.
Bali is an industry veteran who has 16 years of experience having worked with prominent advertising companies across India and Singapore, including Leo Burnett, Publicis Singapore, BBH, and Open Strategy and Design.
Welcoming Bali on board, Arvind Singhal said, “His versatile experience will enhance our student-centric approach and strengthen our relationships with our stakeholders, allowing us to deliver excellence across all platforms. I extend a warm welcome to Maninder, and I am delighted to work with him.”
Speaking about his new role, Bali said, “One rarely gets a chance to craft an entire brand out of a company’s culture and belief system. This is an extremely opportune time for me to be a part of the Vedantu journey. I’m excited to create a brand that becomes a force multiplier for our mission and creates impact at scale.”
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.
