News Broadcasting
ET Now launches Pioneering Spirit 3 with Lufthansa
Mumbai: Lufthansa is partnering with ET Now for the third time for the television series Pioneering Spirit.
Starting today, the show will air every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 6.30 pm, in which pioneers of today will select pioneers of tomorrow.
The show provides budding entrepreneurs a chance to transform their business. A total of 30 entrepreneurs are shortlisted from 20,000 entries. They will compete over 10 episodes to win a Canaan sponsorship for a business programme at Cambridge, a mentorship from The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and a Lufthansa Business Class ticket to Europe.
Hosted by ET Now senior editor and anchor Shaili Chopra, each episode will feature one icon, who will then select a ‘pioneer of tomorrow’ among the three contestants that present their business plans.
ET Now, Times Now and Zoom CEO Avinash Kaul said, “The success of the show lies in its unique format that adds a completely new dimension to reality television, and the fact that it goes one step further to actually help transform the business of these spirited entrepreneurs.”
An accompanying poll has been organised by Lufthansa India on Facebook calling for popular vote on the ‘pioneer of tomorrow’ among the shortlisted participants on each episode.
Lufthansa South Asia director Axel Hilgers said, “The overwhelming response to the show, with over 20,000 submissions received this season, reflects the pioneering spirit of Indian entrepreneurship. It is a privilege for us to partner the success of such trail blazing businesses that reflect a core leadership and customer service values shared by Lufthansa.”
The industry icons being showcased this season include HSBC India group general manager and country head Naina Lal Kidwai, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, Fabindia MD William Bissell, Hero MotoCorp Joint MD Sunil Munjal, People Group Founder and CEO Anupam Mittal, Fortis Healthcare executive vice chairman Shivinder Mohan Singh, NIIT Group chairman and co-founder Rajendra S Pawar, Rajshree Sugars and Chemicals chairperson and MD Rajshree Pathy, Hotel Leela Venture chairman Capt CPK Nair and Sona Auto Comp Group founder and chairman Surinder Kapur.
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.
