News Broadcasting
Nickelodeon pulls out all stops to celebrate Christmas
MUMBAI: It’s that time of the season, where one is merry and enjoys the warm and fluffy holiday feeling. True to the festive spirit, Nickelodeon kicked off its holiday programming with a month full of Christmas specials, including Motu Patlu Movie, Dora Live Theatrical, ‘Nick Lift your Gift’ contest, Christmas specific episodes and much more. To celebrate the festival in ‘Nick’ style, the stylish Mandira Bedi joined Nickelodeon to make Christmas even more ‘Nickdaar’!
On the programming front, Nick is all set to air a ‘Christmas Special Episode’ of the awesome twosome Motu and Patlu on 25thDecember at 6 pm. Motu and Patlu take on another comic expedition, this time rescuing the ‘Real Santa Claus’ from the hands of the devil and bringing him to their home, Furfuri Nagariya. Adding to the celebration, Nick will premiere a Christmas special movie titled ‘Motu Patlu – Mission Moon’ on 25th December at 11am, where the duo travel to the moon to fight with the evil scientist who is proving to be dangerous to Mother Earth.
To announce the Christmas specials, the hilarious duo staged a live theatrical performance in Mumbai. Enacting the Christmas episode with some rib-tickling antics, Motu Patlu also had the gorgeous mummy, Mandira Bedi, as the special guest at Furfuri Nagariya, who danced to the tunes of Motu Patlu theme song and joined the audience in the celebrations.
Commenting on the Christmas special initiatives, Nina Elavia Jaipuria – EVP & Business Head, Kids Cluster, Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. says, “Nickelodeon dons the Santa hat this holiday season to entertain and engage kids of all age groups across platforms. From comic books, to a television show, 70 minutes movies and digital games, the Motu Patlu franchise has come a long way and promises to entertain kids this Christmas as well. It’s a pleasure to have Mandira Bedi join us in the celebrations, as she is a true representation of a smart and caring Nickelodeon Mother.”
Commenting on the occasion, the Multi Talented Mother of One, Mandira Bedi said, “Christmas is around the corner and nothing could be better than to celebrate it with children and watch a live adaptation of a famous television show. I have grown up reading Motu Patlu comics and I thoroughly enjoyed their live stage performance today. In fact, I am definitely going to spend my Christmas watching the Motu Patlu movie and the special episode on the 25th, you should watch it too.”
Nick is further engaging it’s viewers with the ‘Nick Lift Your Gift’ contest, running throughout the Christmas holidays. The channel is calling out to kids to participate in the contest by simply watching the two popular shows, Motu Patlu and Pakdam Pakdai, between 6 pm and 7 pm every day and spot the gift on the screen. Participants have to send the name of the gift to win PSPs, iPods, mobile phones and much more daily. To participate, one can log on to www.nickindia.com or SMS or use IVRS. [For participating via SMS, contestants have to send SMS ‘Nick’ <space> Option A or B <space> Your Name to 56882. One can also dial 5056882 from Vodafone, Aircel, Airtel, Idea, Reliance, Tata mobile & Airtel Landline or dial 1255568 From BSNL Landline, mobile & MTNL mobile.
Joining Nick in celebrating the holiday season is the action-adventure channel Sonic, which will air content that brings the best of action, thrill and comedy. In the month long celebrations, Sonic will air some very popular shows like Supa Strikers, Power Rangers Super Samurai and Zatchbell, along with other on-going power-packed shows. There’s more! The famous Nicktoon Keymon Ache, along with his friend Rohan, takes a ride to an obscure plant to rescue Nani in the ‘Keymon & Nani in Space Adventure’ movie, airing on the channel on 25th December at 9 am.
Taking the Christmas cheer beyond television, Nickelodeon, in partnership with Live Viacom18, is all set to host the widely known International theatrical “Dora’s Pirate Adventure” from the 27th – 30th December. Fans can watch Dora LIVE on stage in Siri Fort, New Delhi, as she embarks on her pirate adventure with her best buddy Boots and her cousin Diego. One can buy tickets by logging on to http://in.bookmyshow.com/concerts/dora-the-explorer-tickets/ or
http://www.mycity4kids.com/Delhi-NCR/Events/Nickelodeons-Dora-the-Explorer-Live-Doras-Pirate-Adventure_Siri-Fort-Road/23623_ed.
There is also a whole host of interactivity for the tech savvy audience. They can watch videos of their favourite show – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) by logging on to www.sonicgang.com and win cool TMNT merchandise. On the other hand, www.nickjr.com is hosting many ‘Do It Yourself’ activities to engage the parents and toddlers together while offering cool Nick Jr. goodies.
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.
