VST Tillers Tractors and Union Bank Partner to Make Farm Equipment Finance More Accessible

Partnership to facilitate affordable financing for VST’s range of tractors and farm mechanisation products through its 1,000+ dealer network across India

Bengaluru, India | Sept 02: VST Tillers Tractors Limited (VTTL), a leading manufacturer of compact tractors and farm mechanisation solutions, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Union Bank of India to facilitate retail finance for customers purchasing VST’s range of agricultural and farm equipment.

Under the MoU, Union Bank of India will facilitate retail loan facilities for customers purchasing VST Tillers Tractors’ products, including Tractors, Power Tillers, Power Reapers and Power Weeders. The initiative is aimed at making farm mechanisation more accessible to the farming community by providing affordable and convenient financing options.

The financing facility will be available through VST’s extensive network of over 1,000 dealers across India, enabling farmers and customers to access financing closer to their communities and support the purchase of suitable farm equipment.

Dr. HT Vasappa ,GM, Union Bank of India said “We are pleased to partner with VST Tillers Tractors to facilitate convenient and affordable retail finance for farmers and customers looking to invest in agricultural mechanisation. Through this collaboration, we aim to strengthen access to credit and enable farmers to acquire modern farm equipment through VST’s wide dealer network. This partnership reflects Union Bank of India’s commitment to supporting the agricultural sector and contributing to the financial empowerment of the farming community.”

On VST’s partnership with Union Bank of India, Antony Cherukara, CEO, VST Tillers Tractors Ltd said “at VST Tillers Tractors, we believe that access to affordable financing is an important enabler of farm mechanisation. Our partnership with Union Bank of India will make it easier for farmers to access financing for our range of tractors and farm equipment through our extensive dealer network. This initiative reinforces our promise to empowering the farming community with accessible, efficient and technology-driven mechanisation solutions that can support greater productivity and sustainable growth.”

The partnership is expected to strengthen access to mechanisation solutions for farmers, helping them adopt modern agricultural equipment while managing their investment through accessible financing options.

Mr Sohil Bhargava appointed Director – Operations at THE Park Hotels’ upcoming hotel

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Sohil Bhargava, Director – Operations for the upcoming hotel, added, “It is an honour to be part of THE Park Hotels and take on the responsibility of leading operational preparations for the upcoming hotel. I look forward to working with the team closely to create differentiated experiences, deliver excellence and bring the Anything But Ordinary™ spirit to a new market.”

IRHPL Pioneers Travel Retail at Vizag’s New Bhogapuram International Airport with 16-Store Launch

Sept 2: India Retails & Hospitality Private Limited (IRHPL), a leading name in India’s airport retail and hospitality industry, today announced the launch of 16 stores in its first week of operations at Bhogapuram International Airport — officially Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport — the gateway serving Visakhapatnam and North Andhra Pradesh. Two more partner brand stores are set to follow in the coming week. The rollout is also another step in IRHPL’s journey towards its 100th store nationally, with the count now at 96.

Bhogapuram International Airport was developed by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL) to serve the Visakhapatnam metropolitan region, replacing the city’s existing civil-enclave airport. Built to handle 6 million passengers a year in its first phase, with room to scale up in later phases, the airport has a 3,800-metre runway, a dedicated cargo terminal bring a sharp rise in passenger traffic, tourism and business travel to the region, one of the reasons IRHPL moved in early and at scale.

At this airport, IRHPL has done something that most airport retail operators talk about but rarely execute well: it has curated a retail journey rather than simply filled a concourse. The portfolio runs on two tracks that are designed to work together. The first is built around IRHPL’s own concept brands, each created for a specific kind of traveller need. Artport brings handmade art, jewellery and home décor; Sthanika (Newest own concept brand) celebrates the rich craft heritage of Andhra Pradesh through textiles, traditional handicrafts, food, art and artisan-made products; four Neo Travel outlets cover travel essentials; Mishthaan offers Indian sweets; Lumière carries luxury eyewear; The Olfactive focuses on fragrances; and Toycraft serves younger travellers with toys and games. The second track brings in established partner brands, including W, Da Milano, Accessorize London, Sarvani Sweets, Bombay Shaving Company, Cookieman, Lavie and Almond House, spanning fashion, accessories, grooming and confectionery. Together, the two tracks create something a single-brand or single-category retail approach cannot: a layered, varied experience where a traveller moving through the terminal encounters something genuinely different at each point. That is the philosophy behind IRHPL’s retail model, and Bhogapuram is one of its clearest expressions.

“As pioneers in Indian travel retail, we have always believed that a great airport retail experience is built through curation, not just presence. At IRHPL, our dual-enginemodel, where our own concept brands sit alongside some of the finest partner brands in the country, is what makes that experience distinctive. Bhogapuram is one of the clearest expressions of that philosophy, and it reflects the standard we hold ourselves to across every terminal we operate in,” said Naresh Sharma, CEO, IRHPL Group of Companies. 

The Bhogapuram launch underscores IRHPL’s position as a successful name in the Indian travel retail segment, building its own retail formats in-house while partnering with leading national and international brands to cover a wide range of traveller needs. It also gives the company an early, large-scale foothold in one of India’s fastest-growing airport markets.

GAP Contemporary presents The Still Life of Sentiments

A Home woven with stories, staccatos, framed works, furniture, and fervour

Curated by Priyanshi S Preview: 10 September 2026, 6:00 PM onwards On view: 11 September – 10 October 2026 Venue: GAP Contemporary, F-213B, Old M.B. Road, Lado Sarai, New Delhi – 110030

The exhibition is open to all from 11 September to 10 October 2026, Monday to Saturday, 11:00 AM – 6:30 PM at GAP Contemporary, F-213B, Old M.B. Road, Lado Sarai, New Delhi – 110030.

Gallery Art Positive is having an identity reform. After two decades as Gallery Art Positive, we are delighted, and actually ecstatic, to be reborn as GAP Contemporary. 
The gallery marks this new chapter with The Still Life of Sentiments, a new exhibition curated by Priyanshi S, which brings together contemporary art, furniture, objects, books and design within a deliberately domestic setting.

Rather than treating the gallery as a conventional white cube, the exhibition will transform the 5,000 sq. ft. space into a series of lived-in environments—a living room, a study and an anti-room—where artworks sit alongside furniture, greenery, lighting, books and objects. The intention is less to prescribe how art should be encountered and more to consider how art might actually exist in our lives: around us, among our things, and as part of the spaces we inhabit.

The exhibition brings together artists and design practices across disciplines and generations, creating an environment that is as much about contemporary living as it is about contemporary art.

Among the artists being shown are Bashobi Tiwari, Boito, Enii Living, Meghna Patpatia Singh, Poorvi Sultania, Pranshu Thakore, Protyush Paul, Suryan Saurabh, Urvi Sethna, and Vikalp Durga Mishra, among others.

The design component includes studios such as Hatsu, Objectry, Phantom Hands, This and That, Turn Black Official, Umber Furniture, Vahe and Vakr Studio, alongside object and lighting practices including Fig Living, Kathakaar Studio, Dhruv Agarwwal, and Clay Ventures.

The exhibition will also include a selection of books and other, more unexpected additions.

An exhibition that keeps changing

Like a lot of Priyanshi’s exhibitions, this one keeps morphing through its duration. At the heart of The Still Life of Sentiments is the concept of dynamism—where the exhibition keeps getting amended, pieces being added, deducted, altered throughout its duration. Some will leave because they have found new homes; others may simply make way for something else. As a result, the exhibition will not remain entirely static from opening to closing.

The format is intended to encourage audiences to return to the gallery, and always find something new to engage with. 

Curated by Priyanshi S

Priyanshi S is an art advisor, curator and writer whose practice engages with South Asian art, its history and culture. Her work is particularly concerned with making art more accessible and questioning the traditional barriers between art and its audiences, including those created by language.

She was the Curatorial Director of Pulp Society, New Delhi, and advises contemporary galleries and collections. Her recent curatorial projects include Taqiya Kalaam for Delhi Contemporary Art Week in 2025 and भीड़तंत्र x लोकतंत्र at Latitude 28 in 2023. She was also Curator and Director of the Amdavad Art-é-Summit 2022 and a reviewer for the 2022 Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowship applications in Arts and Culture Management.

She has worked with contemporary and modern South Asian galleries on institutional acquisitions and international art fairs, with art foundations and on cultural projects including a collateral project at the 56th Venice Biennale. She has written extensively on contemporary art and art markets, contributing to Art Residencies of India (Studio 118, Mumbai, 2021) and SMART ARTIST (Artbuzz India, 2019), as well as GQ India, AD India, Vogue India and Take on Art, among others.

From Art Positive to GAP Contemporary

Founded by Anu Bajaj in 2005, Gallery Art Positive has spent more than two decades building a programme around contemporary art, while working with both established and emerging artists, collectors and cultural institutions. Its Lado Sarai space has also hosted talks, workshops and the flagship GAP Art Award, alongside its exhibition programme, and the art advisory practice.

In its 20th year, the gallery is rebirthing as GAP Contemporary.

The rebrand marks an evolution rather than a departure: a new identity for a gallery that has grown alongside the changing Indian art, and culture landscape, and the curiosity and colour of South Asian art across the globe. GAP Contemporary will continue its work with artists and collectors while expanding its engagement with art, design, culture, wellness and contemporary living.

The Still Life of Sentiments is the first exhibition in this new chapter.

Berger Paints’ Construction Chemicals Business Crosses ₹1,500 Crore Milestone

Business records over 25% CAGR in the last three years, significantly outpacing the broader waterproofing market

Sept 02: Berger Paints India Limited has crossed the ₹1,500 crore milestone in its construction chemicals business, including waterproofing, in FY26, reinforcing the company’s growing presence beyond its core paints portfolio.

Built over the last seven to eight years, the business has expanded across waterproofing, repair, tiling and allied construction applications, as demand for specialized construction chemicals gains momentum across new construction and repair. The business has recorded a CAGR of over 25% over the last three years, well ahead of the broader waterproofing market, which is estimated to grow at around 8–10%. The wider Indian construction chemicals market is also poised for strong growth, with rising infrastructure activity, renovation and reconstruction, and increasing adoption of specialized solutions driving demand. According to a June 2026 report by Mordor Intelligence, the market is estimated at US$2.53 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach US$4.47 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 12.06%.

Commenting on the milestone, Abhijit Roy, MD and CEO, Berger Paints India, said, “We see construction chemicals as a natural extension of our role in building and protecting the spaces that matter to consumers. Over the years, we have invested in understanding evolving construction needs, developing differentiated products and building greater awareness around the category. As the market continues to formalise and adoption deepens, our focus will be on scaling the business responsibly, strengthening our presence across geographies and creating solutions that address the needs of both construction professionals and consumers.”

The company’s construction chemicals portfolio is led by Home Shield, which houses its waterproofing solutions. Berger has focused on product development to address emerging needs, including Home Shield Waterproof Putty, which combines the application of putty to create a uniform wall surface with waterproofing functionality. Another addition is Roof Cool and Seal, which provides roof waterproofing along with a cooling benefit. Launched around two years ago, the product has a Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) of over 111%, enabling high solar reflectance and contributing to a cooling effect.

Berger has also expanded into tiling solutions, including tile adhesives, tile grouts and other adhesive products, strengthening its presence across the broader construction chemicals value chain.

The business has a pan-India presence, with particularly strong traction in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Going forward, Berger sees further opportunity to deepen penetration in existing markets, expand into newer geographies and build on its growth trajectory through continued product development across construction chemicals.