News Broadcasting
ESPN bungs in more centres for School Quiz 2001
The ESPN School Quiz 2001 kicked off in Mumbai last Thursday at the Shanmukhananda Hall in central Mumbai with over 3,000 schoolchildren from 150 schools in and around the city participating for a chance to get onto the national level competition which will go on air later this year.
This year, ESPN is targeting 23 centres to hold on-ground events across India. ESPN will be holding on-ground mega-events at six centers, namely Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Calcutta and Hyderabad. The on-ground school quiz events will be hosted by Charu Sharma. In addition written tests will be held across 17 centers to cover a much wider geographical spread.
Hosted by popular presenter Harsha Bhogle, the ESPN School Quiz 2001 will invite 108 schools from all over India to participate in the on-air quiz programme. These schools will be selected from over 1000 schools which are expected to participate in the ‘qualifying on-ground sports quiz events.
The ‘All India’ winners of the ESPN School Quiz 2001 will receive, in total Rs 850,000, which will be spent for developing sports facilities at their school. Manu Sawhney, managing director of ESPN Software India, said whatever money was won would have to be spent by the school for sports development. ESPN would also look into the implementation of the prize money through follow-up visits to the school, Sawhney said. The individual team members along with their teacher will get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be flown to a major international sporting event of their choice – European Cup finals, Wimbledon, Formula 1, Cricket or NBA – that is featured on ESPN, a company release says.
The show has five main sponsors with Milo as the presenting sponsor and Nike as the on ground sponsor. Camlin and Hero Cycles are the associate sponsors of the quiz.
Sawhney said the event was really growing at a fast clip and would have 23 centres up from 16 last year.
Aditya Sharma and Ishan Wagaskar representing the Rajhans Vidyalaya in the western suburbs of Andheri emerged winners in the first on-ground event of the sports quiz. Others schools which qualified for the national on-air quiz include St Mary’s High School, Mazgaon, Bombay Scottish School, Campion High School, Modern English School, Chembur, and Chembur English High School.
Manu Sawhney, Managing Director of ESPN Software India Ltd. said: ‘We at ESPN STAR Sports are committed to promoting sporting excellence in India and ‘ESPN School Quiz 2001′ further exemplifies our efforts in this direction. The national sports quiz provides a platform for the participants to represent their school in this forum, and bring pride and glory to their institution. ESPN is known for building brand equity with their viewers, and through this quiz we take a step further to strengthen this relationship.’
Apart from the winner’s Grand prize of RS 500,000, other prizes on offer are:
* RS 200,000 per team for national semi final winners.
* RS 100,000 per team for zonal final winners.
* RS 50,000 per team for Zonal semi final winners
* ESPN Milo gift pack for all first round winners.
All participants will get ESPN certificates of excellence, School Quiz Olympiad badges and T-shirts. This year, the sports quiz will be extended on the espnstar.com website and viewers can participate in the on-line version of the sports quiz at their convenience, the release says.
‘Sports Quiz offers an opportunity for our younger audiences to experience the sports brands on-ground, on-line, on-air and off-air. It also offers a phenomenal opportunity for our sponsors and advertisers to target the millions of school children around the country,’ said Sawhney.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
