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Ajay Adlakha joins Kickboxing Super League launch as co-founder
Haryana: Ajay Adlakha, a long-time player in India’s advertising and rural marketing circuit, has added a new title to his portfolio, co-founder of the Kickboxing Super League, signalling a move from boardrooms and brand strategy into the business of sport.
The league marks Adlakha’s latest entrepreneurial bet after more than two decades in advertising, media and market development, where he built a reputation for rural outreach and niche brand building.
Adlakha continues to serve as managing director at Infinity Advertising Network, the agency he founded in the mid-1990s, and remains the force behind Rural Marketing, described as India’s first magazine and portal dedicated to rural and agricultural markets through RuralMarketing.in. The platform focuses on agriculture marketing, rural innovation, development, policy and the evolving links between urban and rural demand.
Over the years, Adlakha has positioned himself as a specialist across broadcast television, print, research, digital and emerging technology, arguing that brand-building is about speaking smartly rather than loudly. He has also been active in pro-bono consulting and startup mentoring.
Industry bodies have taken note. Adlakha has been counted among India’s 50 most influential rural marketing professionals and received a gold standing recognition as a most admired rural marketing professional by ACEF.
His media footprint extends through earlier leadership at i9 Media, a rural-focused knowledge and media outfit launched in 2012 to build what it called a large rural knowledge repository. The group also rolled out Rural & Marketing, a monthly English magazine aimed at corporates, administrators, NGOs and business schools, with a focus on analytical and data-led insights on rural India.
Adlakha is also an author, with the Amazon bestseller “Why Nobody Cares for Your Brand”, a blunt take on the gap between marketing noise and consumer attention.
The Kickboxing Super League now becomes the newest arena for that branding instinct. India’s sports leagues have multiplied in recent years, chasing media rights, sponsorship and regional fan bases. Combat sports, once fringe, are drawing younger audiences and digital viewers.
For Adlakha, the move fits a pattern: spot an underdeveloped market, build a platform and sell a story around it. From rural India to the fight game, the playbook looks familiar.
Brands, villages or fight cards, the pitch is the same. Find attention, build trust, scale fast. This time, the contest just happens to come with gloves.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
