News Broadcasting
Priyanka Shah triumphs on Zoom’s ‘Levi’s Diva Quest’
MUMBAI: In a ceremony at Intercontinental The Grand, Mumbai Priyanka Shah of Pune was declared as the winner of the Levi’s Diva Quest.
This was a hunt to find an anchor for Zoom.
The show was judged by a panel of style icons including ace photographer Subi Samuel, makeover specialist and choreographer Achla Sachdev, celebrity tarot-card reader and television host Sunita Menon, ad-film maker Prahlad Kakar, TV host Mini Mathur and fashion designer Rocky S,
Shah will be the new face of Zoom. She has won herself a 1-year contract to host shows on the channel. Dimple Anand from Delhi and Malvika Rane from Mumbai were chosen as the first and 2nd runner-up respectively. Parmita Katkar from Mumbai won the title of ‘The Worldspace Miss Talented’.
Diana Hayden and Zoom anchor Siddharth Kannan anchored the event whuch had performances by Anuradha Pal, Anaida, international artists Nic and Nicole as well as a dance performance by Yana Gupta. The contestants walked down the ramp showcasing the D’damas Vivaha collection and special costumes designed by Neeta Lulla after facing the judges with two rounds – ‘2 min of Fame’ – where the beauties exhibited their talent by doing a filler act to get the loudest applause followed by a rapid Q&A round with the judges.
Attendees at the event included former-Miss India World Sindhura Gadde, the ‘celebrity’ choreographer Hanif Hillal, television actress Kanchi Kaul, choreographer Imam Siddiqui, Nicolo Morea, Rohit Verma, Sherrin Cheroke from the Band of Boys and Page 3 socialite Kishin Mulchandani.
Levi’s Diva Quest has been a seven episode series which has been airing on Zoom every Saturday and Sunday at 9 pmsince 21 October, 2006. The show is hosted by ramp model and an anchor of Zoom Aparna Kumar. The final episode will be a one-hour special and will air on Zoom on 11 November, 2006 at 9 pm.
Zoom business head MK Anand said, “Zoom has set highest standards in packaging and presentations on Indian Television ever since its launch where anchors have been an integral part of this. We are now poised to get into the next stage of our life cycle and there are host of new initiatives both in terms of content and marketing that is slated to launch in October-November this year. Diva Quest is a stepping stone in that direction that we have taken. The launch of Levi’s Diva collection couldn’t have been timed better. We are extremely happy to have them as our associates in this endeavor.”
The Presenting Sponsor for the event is Levi’s Diva Jeans while the Associate Sponsors are D’Damas Vivaah Diamond Jewellery, WorldSpace Radio, Lenovo, Samsung D 900, InterContinental The Grand, Mcdowell Signature & Planet M, and telecom partner for the event is BPL Mobile.
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.
