News Broadcasting
Yaari.com brings mobile social networking to India
MUMBAI: Yaari.com, a social networking site for Indian youth, has released Yaari Mobile, India’s platform for mobile social networking.
Co-founder and CEO Prerna Gupta said, “The benefit of integrating a social networking site with mobile phones is that it keeps users connected to their network of friends from anywhere, which is especially relevant in India where people do not always have continuous Internet access.”
The product release includes two primary features: Ywords and Ychat. Ywords allows users to browse the network and interact with other individuals on the site using simple Sms functionality. For example, if a Yaari member sends an Sms command ‘Y profile prerna gupta’ to Yaari, she will receive Prerna’s profile information in the form of an Sms on her phone. She could then go on to browse Prerna’s friends in the same manner, and also send them ‘pinches’, a unique way of interacting with other Yaars.
The other feature, Ychat, uses Sms to enable group chatting on the go. Users log in to Yaari.com in order to create their Ychat groups and invite their friends to join. Once the group is in place, members can join group discussions via their mobiles and can broadcast messages to every person in the group with a single Sms. They can also reply to messages sent by other members, both from their mobiles and online.
Yaari.com also plans to introduce non-Sms based mobile features, such as photo and video upload, in the near future, added the release.
“There are 25 million active Internet users in India. While this figure is large and growing rapidly, it is just the tip of the iceberg. With over 100 million mobile phone users, more than half of which are youth, India is ripe for a mobile social network,” added Prerna.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
