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Insync founder Ratish Tagde bags Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship award
MUMBAI: Perfect Octave Media Projects founder and managing director Ratish Tagde received the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award in the Most Promising category in a gala ceremony held at Hotel Taj Palace New Delhi on 21 March, 2015 midst of who’s who of corporate industry. He won for his contribution in preserving and promoting classical based Indian music.
The Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards recognizes and honours business leaders who have shown outstanding performance and tenacity in developing innovative business models through out of the box thinking within the region.
Organized by Enterprise Asia and supported by local governments and businesses, the awards aim to brand entrepreneurs across the region to spur greater innovation, fair practices and growth in entrepreneurship. It hopes to be a platform to encourage continued leadership towards sustainable economic development for the region.
Over 1200 top business leaders and entrepreneurs have been awarded the prestigious Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards since 2007 in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Hong Kong, India and China.
Tagde is the brain child behind Perfect Octave initiative in setting up India’s first satellite-based 24×7 television channel dedicated to music genres such as Hindustani, Carnatic, Devotional, Sufi, fusion, Ghazals as well as traditional dance.
Over a period of time, Perfect Octave has built up content library of Indian classical music and other genres based thereon possessing approximately 600 hours of High Definition video content in targeted music genres, which is arguably the largest video library.
Insync completed one and half year in broadcasting and is being beamed into more than 14 million Indian homes. Its advisory board comprising maestros like Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt Shivkumar Sharma, Shankar Mahadevan, Ustad Rashid Khan and Pt Vijay Ghate.
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.
