Brands
Zed Black Agarbatti and MS Dhoni collab for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
Mumbai: In an exciting collaboration yet again, Zed Black Agarbatti, the renowned manufacturer of premium incense products, and former cricketing legend MS Dhoni have come together to celebrate the spirit of collective prayers and the power of viral prayers during the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The partnership between MS Dhoni and Zed Black Incense Sticks is truly iconic, symbolising unity and the spirit of collective goodwill.
Zed Black has always churned out quirky, radical and feel-good campaigns that resonate with the masses, be it the game changer TVC with MS Dhoni in a retro jersey look or the maiden campaign ‘Prarthna Hogi Sweekar’ that encouraged individuals to give their all in pursuit of their aspirations, these campaigns have exemplified the notion of embracing the strength of prayers.
As the World Cup unfolds with India putting forth an exceptional performance, Zed Black has launched a heartwarming TVC campaign that captures the essence of friendship, unity, and collective prayers. In the TV commercial MS Dhoni can be seen enjoying a thrilling match with a group of friends. While the group shares a nail-biting moment in the game, the Captain Cool speaks about the spirit of viral prayers in tough times. It beautifully portrays how a simple moment shared with friends can turn into a heartfelt collective blessing for our beloved cricket team.
Speaking about this partnership, Mysore Deep Perfumery House director Ankit Agrawal shared “We are truly honored to have reunited with the legend, MS Dhoni as a part of the Zed Black family since almost a decade now. His leadership and the values he stands for aligns perfectly with our brand ethos. Through this dynamic association, we hope to inspire individuals and communities to come together, celebrate moments, and extend their collective blessings”.
As part of its expansion strategy, the company is investing to double its manufacturing capacity to meet the growing demand, strengthen retail presence, expand its distribution network and add more product verticals this fiscal to meet the growing domestic demand.
MDPH operates in a vast 9,40,000 sq. ft manufacturing facility located in Madhya Pradesh, comprising of five factories, producing over three crore incense sticks daily. Their extensive product line consists of 1,200+ products, which are distributed to more than 40 countries across six continents. The company sells around 15 lakh packs of incense sticks every day.
“The new TVC, which captures sentiments of joy and euphoria is sure to make waves and strike a chord with the nation and offer their shared prayers and well-wishes for Team India. Zed Black has established a strong presence in the preferences of Indian consumers and has a significant share in the Indian market. Our strategy involves a dedicated focus on a wide array of regional fragrances, alongside our commitment to exploring innovative fragrances and research and development methods. With the upcoming festive season, we anticipate a surge in demand”, remarked Mysore Deep Perfumery House director Anshul Agrawal.
Conceptualised by Oberoi IBC the TVC will be promoted through a 360-degree approach across News & GEC Channels for the festive season. Oberoi IBC MD Anand Oberoi said, “With their products being an integral part of households across India, Zed Black has often been associated with the power of prayers and spiritual rituals. This collaboration with MS Dhoni and the new TVC underlines the belief that collective prayers have the potential to create a positive aura and bring good luck not only to the cricket field but also to our lives.”
Mysore Deep Perfumery House (MDPH), with a rich history spanning three decades, is renowned for its diverse range of top-notch products. Their portfolio includes agarbatti, essential oils, hand sanitizers, packaged tea, dhoop batti, confectionery, and more. Some of their household brands include Zed Black, Manthan, Samarpan, Coach, Orva, and Din Din.
Brands
Samsung certifies 1,000 Maharashtra students in AI and coding
The South Korean electronics giant marks its first large-scale skilling push in the state, with women making up nearly half the national programme’s enrolment
PUNE: Samsung has put 1,000 students in Maharashtra through a certified training programme in artificial intelligence and coding, the largest such drive the South Korean electronics company has run in the state and a signal that corporate India’s skilling ambitions are moving well beyond the boardroom brochure.
The certifications were awarded under Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC), the company’s flagship corporate social responsibility programme, which launched in India in 2022 with the stated aim of democratising access to future-technology education. The 1,000 graduates were drawn from four institutions: 127 from Savitribai Phule Pune University, 373 from Pimpri Chinchwad University, 250 from D.Y. Patil University’s Ramrao Adik Institute of Technology and 250 from Anjuman-I-Islam’s Kalsekar Technical Campus. All completed training in either AI or coding and programming, the two disciplines Samsung has identified as the critical pillars of the digital economy.
The programme does not stop at technical training. Soft-skills development and career-readiness modules are baked into the curriculum, a deliberate attempt to close the gap between what universities teach and what employers actually want.
“India’s digital growth story will ultimately be shaped by the quality of its talent pipeline,” said Shubham Mukherjee, head of CSR and corporate communications at Samsung Southwest Asia. “As technologies like AI move from the periphery to the core of industries, skilling must evolve from basic training to building real-world capability. This milestone in Maharashtra reflects how industry and academia can come together to create a future-ready workforce that is both globally competitive and locally relevant.”
The Maharashtra drive sits within a rapidly scaling national effort. Samsung Innovation Campus trained 20,000 young people across India in 2025, hitting its stated target for the year. Women account for 48 per cent of national enrolments, a figure the company cites as evidence of its push for an inclusive technology ecosystem. The programme is implemented in partnership with the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India and the Telecom Sector Skill Council.
Samsung, which is marking 30 years in India this year, runs SIC alongside two other initiatives, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow and Samsung DOST, as part of a broader effort to build what it calls a generation of innovators with both the technical depth and the problem-solving mindset to thrive in a fast-moving digital world.
A thousand certified students is a tidy headline. Whether they find jobs that match their new skills is the harder question, and the one that will ultimately determine whether corporate skilling programmes like this one are genuine pipelines or well-photographed gestures.
