News Broadcasting
BBC World invites entries for a show on Indian weddings
MUMBAI: Looks like the big fat Indian wedding with its diverse facets is becoming a strong subject for channels. Last year Discovery’s lifestyle channel Travel and Living had kicked off its localisation plans with The Great Indian Wedding.Now news channel BBC World is inviting applications from soon-to-be-married Indian couples for its forthcoming programme on Indian weddings. The programme scheduled to air in the summer will focus on the business that Indian weddings generate, in addition to the traditions and mystique.
BBC World will telecast the wedding of one Indian couple, across the world. Produced by Pulse Media, this programme will give a couple who are scheduled to get married in March, an opportunity to have their wedding featured on the channel. The short-listed entries will be chosen on the basis of their profiles and auditions will take place in Delhi.
BBC World commissioning editor Narendhra Morar says, “With this innovative series we plan to exhibit an Indian wedding from a business perspective which we believe will be a revelation to audiences across the globe. From the bridal trousseau to the banqueting options and the wedding planners, Indian weddings provide a commercial opportunity across many industries. By showcasing a real wedding, we believe BBC World will be able to effectively capture the fascinating customs while at the same time accessing the financial intricacies of modern-day marriage in India”.
The entries for BBC World’s wedding series auditions are open until 14 January 2007 for Indian couples getting married in March 2007. Filming will take place that month. Profiles and pictures of candidates can be emailed to bbcworld@pulsemedia.co.in or BBC World Audition, c/o Pulse media Pvt. LtdT 95A, CL House, 3rd Floor, Gulmohar Enclave, New Delhi 110049. BBC World will contact short-listed applicants on an individual basis.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
