Unlock Your Dream Home at Bengaluru’s Mega Property Expo!

Bengaluru, Oct 7th 2024: Bengaluru, renowned for its pleasant climate and cosmopolitan vibe, continues to attract people from across India and abroad. The city has rapidly evolved, with new IT parks, townships, malls, and commercial hubs springing up. Its booming economy, combined with exceptional living conditions, has created a high demand for real estate, making Bengaluru a sought-after destination for homebuyers and investors alike.

With the ongoing growth of businesses and job opportunities, Bengaluru’s real estate sector is more vibrant than ever. 2024 has seen buoyant investments across all real estate asset classes, and the momentum is expected to continue through the second half of the year. With increasing market stability and favourable regulatory reforms, real estate investments are proving to be a reliable and profitable option, even amidst global economic uncertainties.

Whether it’s residential or commercial properties, Bengaluru is witnessing a surge in inquiries. Post-pandemic, many are opting for homes nestled in serene, green spaces away from the city’s bustling urban areas. High-net-worth individuals and startup founders are especially drawn to luxury properties and plotted developments in key locations. Real estate has also become an essential diversifier in investment portfolios, thanks to its long-term stability.

To capitalize on this growing demand, The Times of India is hosting a Mega Property Expo, in association with State Bank of India. This two-day event, scheduled for October 5 and 6, promises an excellent opportunity for prospective homebuyers and investors to explore a wide range of projects, both existing and upcoming. With more than 30+ top developers all gathered under one roof, attendees can engage in face-to-face discussions, get comprehensive project details, and make informed decisions about their next property investment.

“SBI being Country’s largest Home Loan provider is excited to collaborate with TOI for this Mega Property Expo . With its 426 Branches & 9 Home Loan Centres , SBI has wide spread presence in Bengaluru City and we are offering special home loan interest and other discounts for Loans booked during the Expo. Join us and make the most of these exciting opportunities.!”

Smt. Joohi Smita Sinha, CGM, Bengaluru Circle, SBI.

Ministry of Education organizes workshop on ‘Volunteering for Ullas’

Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education presided over a virtual workshop with students of Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) under the NCTE on ‘Volunteering for Ullas’ today. The workshop aimed at fostering Youth Volunteerism from TEIs to achieve full literacy across India as enshrined in the NEP 2020. Smt. Archana Sharma Awasthi, Joint Secretary, DoSE&L; Prof. Pankaj Arora, Chairperson, NCTE; Ms. Kesang Y. Sherpa, Member Secretary, NCTE; Smt. Preeti Meena, Director, DoSE&L, and other officials were present at the meeting.

While addressing the students and teachers from TEIs, Shri Sanjay Kumar emphasized coming together to pay special attention to promoting literacy across the country in all sections of society. He exhorted that illiterate people in our society should be given the gift of literacy. Teacher Educators and administrators should support and guide the students at their institutes in registering on the ULLAS App, he added.

Smt. Archana Sharma Awasthi presented on the agenda of the workshop of ‘ULLAS: Nav Bharat Literacy Programme’ and encouraged the students and teachers to join the program for community service and engagement.

Prof. Pankaj Arora highlighted that the National Council for Teacher Education is fully committed to realizing the dream of Viksit Bharat by achieving the goal of ‘Jan Jan Saakshar’.

Ms. Kesang Y. Sherpa presented on the Role of Teacher Education Institutions in ULLAS. While presenting the role of NCTE in the context of the implementation of ULLAS, she highlighted that for the academic session 2023-24, NCTE had directed all Teacher Education Institutions to connect 8-10 students with the ULLAS initiative and motivate them to become volunteer teachers and contribute to nation building cause. The students can earn 2 Credits for Community Engagement & Service for active participation in activities related to ULLAS-New India Literacy Programme (NILP), NSS & Other community activities, she added.

Smt. Preeti Meena gave a detailed presentation on Ullas which also covered the implementation steps of Ullas in TEIs. More than 18,000 TEIs, faculty and student-teachers were inducted during the session.

Crowne Plaza Kochi Launches Christmas with Joyful Cake Mixing Event for Ashwasa Bhavan Children

Kochi, 7th October 2024 – Crowne Plaza Kochi marked the official start of this year’s Christmas celebrations with a special cake mixing ceremony, creating a joyous and festive atmosphere. The event was made even more meaningful with the participation of children from the Ashwasa Bhavan orphanage in Mattancherry, bringing smiles and warmth to the holiday season. Renowned film artist Prayaga Martin graced the occasion as the chief guest, joining in the fun-filled celebration alongside the children.

“Christmas is all about spreading happiness and bringing people together, and this is exactly what we see in these smiling faces,” said Mr. Dinesh Rai, General Manager of Crowne Plaza Kochi about the ceremony, which was a demonstration of the true spirit of Christmas. The first batch of these cakes, once ready, will be given to the children of Ashwasa Bhavan, spreading even more joy and love during the festive season.

The event saw an extravagant display of approximately 2,500 kilograms of fruit mix, with 1,500 kilograms of dried fruits and nuts arranged in colorful patterns, including white and black raisins from Afghanistan, cloves, cardamom, ginger peel, and orange peel, all seasoned with exotic spices. The ingredients were then mixed with 300 liters of red wine and 75 liters of honey to prepare the base for the festive plum cakes. Director of Culinary – Chef Kalesh explained the process in detail to the attendees, sharing that the mixture will be allowed to ferment for 60 days before being added to the cake dough in December.

“This year, we aim to bake 10,000 rich plum cakes using the ingredients mixed today, and we’ve already started accepting pre-orders,” said Mr. Tittu Koikkaran, Director of Sales & Marketing at Crowne Plaza Kochi.

The children from Ashwasa Bhavan were at the heart of the celebration, fully immersed in the festive spirit, experiencing the joy and excitement of the holiday season. The event, followed by a delightful high tea, attracted a diverse audience, including celebrities, influencers, corporate partners, hotel patrons, and in-house guests. Together, they supported this meaningful initiative, embodying the essence of compassion and celebration.

IIM Bangalore Introduces Doctoral Student Research Paper Awards

7 October, 2024, Bengaluru: The Office of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme of IIM Bangalore hosted the Doctoral Programme Scholarship Awards ceremony to felicitate Doctoral students for their remarkable achievements, earlier today. The first batch of recipients of the newly launched Doctoral Student Research Paper Awards for 2024, was also announced.

 PhD Fellowship Award
The PhD Fellowship Award Committee selected the award winners based on academic performance at IIM Bangalore; research productivity in terms of journal publications and submissions to reputed journals; quality of research work in the pipeline, and alignment of research with award objectives.

 The Fellowship recipients for 2024 are: Sanchit Jain of the F&A area and Divya Dwivedi of the IS area (The Mirae Asset Scholars Award); Lakshmi Parvathy of the PP area and Murari Srihari Srinivasa of the DS area (The Wipro Sustainability Scholar Award); Chinmay Jayant Divekar of the DS area (JR Fellowship Award); Gopinath Annadurai of the PP area (Adani Indology Research Scholarship Award); Satyajit Roy of the POM area (Herbalife Sustainability PhD Fellowship Award), and Mareeswaran M of the F&A area and Kapil Gupta of the DS area (The Florintree Scholarship Award).

 Doctoral Student Research Paper Award
The Doctoral Student Research Paper Award aims to recognize quality journal papers in the field of management research published by students of IIMB’s Doctoral programme. This year’s recipients are: Ashish Singh Bhandari (POM area); Ayesha Arora (POM area, she has two papers to her credit); Chhavi Shekhawat (F&A); Chinmay Jayant Divekar (DS); Deepti Sharma (PP, two papers to her credit); Himanshu Shekhar (Strategy); Kapil Gupta (DS); Mareeswaran M (F&A); Ronit Neogy (DS); Satyajit Roy (POM), and Lakshmi Parvathy (PP area).

 Milestone Recognition
Other students who were felicitated include those who have cleared the Comprehensive Examination, as well as for Successful Proposal Defense and Successful Dissertation Defense.

 PhD Student Academic Committee (SAC)
The outgoing PhD Student Academic Committee members (2023-2024) were thanked and received certificates, and the new PhD Student Academic Committee members (2024-2025) were welcomed.

 Prof. Rejie George Pallathitta of the Strategy area of IIM Bangalore area moderated the event and delivered the vote of thanks. “The Doctoral students’ efforts coupled with the support from the sponsoring organizations will go a long way in enhancing the research and academic ecosystem of our country”, he observed.

 Congratulating the PhD students and thanking the corporate sponsors who are supporting research endeavors in management institutes, Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, said, “These awards will recognize the milestones and progress of the PhD students. Deeply committed to its Doctoral programme, IIMB has enhanced associated facilities and will continue to do so. Creating strong and well-developed PhD students will go on to contribute immensely to academia, research and industry, which in turn will boost the country’s economic growth and prosperity. I urge you PhD students to continue to do your best and try to connect your learnings to the world of practice. I would also encourage you to pull your skills and support yourselves as a community, since a vibrant PhD community will result in better outcomes for all. And do reach out to us if you need any sort of support, even outside academics.”

 Congratulating the students for their achievements, Prof. Ananth Krishnamurthy, Chairperson, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and faculty of the Decision Sciences area of IIMB, said that he encouraged future aspirants of the Fellowship to keep the required criteria in mind and work towards higher research productivity in their respective fields. “We look forward to great research and publications in top-tier journals from all the winners”, he added.

 Also present at the event were representatives of the scholarship sponsor organizations – Aditya Somani and Priteesh Mahajan from Florintree; Uday Prakash and Shweta A Jha from Herbalife; P S Narayan and Avinash Kumar from Wipro, as well as other faculty, staff and students of IIMB.

Godrej Properties Achieves Record Q2 and H1 Performance in Bookings and Collections

Bangalore, October 7, 2024: Godrej Properties Limited (GPL) , a leading national real estate developer, announced it has achieved its highest ever Q2 and H1 performance on several critical operational parameters including bookings, collections, operating cash flow, and new business development

· Godrej Properties delivers its highest ever Q2 and H1 bookings.

o Q2 FY25 booking value grew 3% YoY to nearly INR 5,200 crore from sale of over 5.1 million sq. ft. This is the highest ever Q2 booking value achieved by Godrej Properties.

o H1 FY25 booking value grew over 89% YoY to over INR 13,800 crore. This was achieved through the sale of over 8,600 homes with a total area of over 14 million sq. ft. This is the highest ever H1 booking value achieved by Godrej Properties.

o GPL has achieved 51% of its annual guidance for booking value for FY25. In the past 5 financial years, GPL has averaged 37% of its full year sales in the first half of the financial year.

o Sales in Q2 FY25 were driven by strong demand in some key new project launches including Godrej Vrikshya in NCR, which delivered a booking value of nearly INR 1,500 crore and Godrej Woodside Estate in MMR, a plotted development project, which delivered a booking value of more than INR 600 crore.

o GPL’s bookings in NCR, Bengaluru & MMR in H1 FY25 grew 69% to over INR 5,400 crore, more than 200% to over INR 3,800 crore and more than 100% to over INR 3,100 crore respectively.

· Highest ever Q2 and H1 collections & operating cash flow (OCF)

o Q2 FY25 collections stood at over INR 4,000 Crore representing a YoY growth of 68% and H1 FY25 collections stood at over INR 7,000 Crore representing a YoY growth of 62%. This is the highest Q2 and H1 collections achieved by Godrej properties respectively. GPL has achieved 47% of its annual guidance for collections for FY25.

o Q2 FY25 OCF stood at over INR 1,800 Crore representing a YoY growth of over 120% and H1 FY25 OCF stood at over INR 2,800 Crore representing a YoY growth of over 200%. This is the highest ever Q2 and H1 OCF achieved by Godrej Properties respectively.

· Strong start to the year for business development

o GPL has added 8 new projects in year-to-date FY25 with a total estimated saleable area of approximately 11 million sq. ft. and total estimated booking value potential of ~INR 12,650 Crore. This included 6 new projects with an expected booking value of 9,650 Crore in Q2. GPL has achieved 63% of its annual guidance for business development in H1 FY25.

Gaurav Pandey, MD & CEO, Godrej Properties, said, “We are delighted with the scale up we have achieved in the past couple of years. The sales bookings of over INR 13,800 crore in H1FY25 surpasses our annual bookings in FY23. We are pleased that this sales growth was on the back of both an improving project mix as well as strong volume growth of 89%. Importantly, our robust sales performance, has translated into record collections growth of 62% to over INR 7,000 crore and Operational cash flow growth of over 200% to over INR 2,800 Crore in H1FY25. We’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our customers and all stakeholders for their trust and confidence in Godrej Properties.

Our business development additions of Rs 12,650 crores in H1FY25 will ensure that we continue to have a strong launch pipeline not just for the current year but for years to come. This includes a number of projects at the prestigious Golf Course Road in Gurugram. We have also entered the market of Indore recently and are looking forward to our first launch in this city. We have built a deep understanding across the key real estate markets in India and are greatly excited by the potential the next several years offer for us to deliver sustained high-quality performance across all key operating metrics.”

Lawman Strengthens Footprints in Gujarat; Launches Maiden Store in Rajkot

Rajkot, 7th October 2024: Lawman, the iconic men’s affordable luxury fashion brand from the house of Kewal Kiran Clothing Limited (KKCL), today inaugurated its inaugural store in the city of Rajkot as part of its robust expansion strategy. This move aligns with the brand’s plan to strengthen its presence in the state by launching 40-plus outlets across key markets in Gujarat. The inauguration of the brand-new outlet also comes in response to the growing need of the fashion-conscious people of Rajkot to wear smart, stylish, and comfortable clothing.

 Marking its entry into the city with the largest and finest men’s fashion store, Lawman aims to accelerate its trendy and in-vogue collections in the state. Spanning 310sqft., the Rajkot outlet offers the best-in-class trending designs, and new-age fabrics, elevating the standards for men’s casual and work wear. It further provides a complete wardrobe solution with tailored fits, seamlessly dressing customers in style from morning to evening, comprising a slew of options from shorts, T-shirts, jeans, casual shirts, and trousers, casual pants, and fashion trousers.

Exuding sophistication, the store’s ambiance is defined by its modern contemporary design, characterized by clean lines, inviting lighting, and a welcoming atmosphere. The experience is further elevated by well-trained sales associates who provide personalized service, ensuring each visit is memorable. The Lawman store in Rajkot is not just a shopping destination but a must-visit for those looking for exclusive inaugural offers.

 Adding to this, Mr. Dinesh Jain (Director) – Kewal Kiran Clothing Limited, said, “We are delighted to unveil our inaugural store in Rajkot, Gujarat, which also marks our 4th store in the state. Known for its rich cultural heritage and rapid growth, Rajkot represents a strategic milestone in our expansion efforts. This move is a testament to our commitment to providing exceptional fashion and a seamless shopping experience to our customers. We look forward to becoming a part of the Rajkot community and serving our customers with the same passion and dedication that Lawman stands for.”

 Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Vikas Jain (Director) – Kewal Kiran Clothing Limited, said, “The opening of our new store in Rajkot is an exciting step for Lawman. We are happy to present our latest collections and exclusive promotions to fashion enthusiasts here. Our goal is to create a shopping destination where customers can find the perfect blend of style, quality, and innovation. We are confident that our new store in the city will become a favorite spot for fashion lovers.”

 Located at Shop no 3 & 4 Shaki Arcade, near Jilla Panchayat, Dr. Yagnik Road, Rajkot – 360001, Gujarat, the new Lawman store is a testament to the brand’s expanding presence. This well-placed location ensures convenient access and high visibility for shoppers. With this addition, Lawman continues to provide fashionable solutions to the local community, reflecting its dedication to style and customer satisfaction.

District-Level Event Showcases Outstanding Young Talent at the 28th National Youth Festival at GIIS Noida

Noida: Global Indian International School (GIIS), Noida, proudly hosted the district-level Youth Festival, organized by the Basic Education and District Welfare Departments. The festival aimed to recognise and celebrate the exceptional talents of students aged 15 to 29 from various educational institutions, promoting creativity and innovation under the theme — Innovation in Science and Technology.

The event was inaugurated by Mr. Shiv Pratap Singh, Chief Development Officer, and Mr. Mahipal Singh, District Youth Welfare Officer, Gautam Buddh Nagar. Both highlighted the importance of nurturing young talent to drive future advancements in science and technology. During his address, Mr Shiv Pratap Singh remarked, “Innovation is fundamental to a nation’s growth, and events like this are vital for encouraging young minds to think outside the box and develop creative solutions to real-world challenges.”

Throughout the day, students from various schools like Delhi World Public School, Kothari International School, Viswa Bharti School, Rajkiya Vidyalaya, Global Indian International School, JIMT College, Jagran Public School, Pragyan School, VRSB Inter college, Kalonda, NYKS, Maddy Dance Academy, RK Inter college, etc. showcased their skills and innovative projects while competing in various science and technology-themed activities. Principals from Jagran Public School and Maharishi Vidya Mandir were also present to motivate the participating students. The atmosphere at GIIS was filled with energy and excitement as participants demonstrated their understanding of technology, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.

Mr. Ganesh Sharma, Principal of GIIS Noida, remarked, “We are honoured to host such an inspiring event, which aligns with our mission to provide a platform for young minds to express their creativity and passion. We believe in encouraging students to explore innovative ideas, and this festival has truly been a celebration of their hard work and talent.”

The Youth Festival at GIIS Noida concluded on a high note, leaving participants and attendees inspired by the impressive display of talent. The festival highlighted the importance of nurturing innovation and scientific curiosity among students, ensuring a brighter future for the next generation of young leaders.