SOTC innovates exclusive products for travel enthusiasts Indians

~ Launches Great Rail Journeys & Self Drive Holidays ~

Mumbai, March 5, 2018: Indian travellers today are increasingly looking for unique experiences while holidaying. SOTC has always taken pride in itself in understanding the needs of its customers in providing the best of products and services. To cater to this set of expectations, behaviour and preferences of the next rising wave of consumers, SOTC has curated two innovative products both for outbound as well as the domestic Indian traveller- Great Rail Journeys & Self Drive Holidays.

To capture high potential leisure markets for the outbound Indian traveller, SOTC has launched Great Rail Journeys in collaboration with “Great Rail Journeys” UK's leading operator with over 40 years of experience in arranging holidays by rail. This enables the travelers to discover the best of the world through truly epic journeys travelling on iconic trains across entire continents such as Europe, Asia and Americas. The Great Rail Journey Holiday package from SOTC offers personalized travel through fully ushered rail tours that provide authentic experiences delivered with complete seamlessness. Each itinerary involves travel on special trains indigenous to the region. From ultra-modern trains to iconic heritage lines, SOTC believes that traditional rail travel will give travellers the most memorable aspects of their global adventures.

Self-drive holidaying, as a travel product and a trend, is becoming progressively more popular amongst Indian travellers. To tap into this segment SOTC has launched Self-Drive holiday packages for the domestic market in India. SOTC provides self-drive car rental on a set itinerary combining with choicest hotel stays on stay & breakfast basis. The itinerary has suggestions for tourists, which they can follow if they wish to. These packages offer great value for money and convenience for customers. With a fixed package, all hotel and car arrangements are taken care of, plus complimentary road maps and a detailed route itinerary.

The unique product offerings ensure a comfortable and hassle-free journey on wheels, for families, couples and ad hoc groups of friends.

Speaking about the exclusive product offerings Amod Thatte, Head Product, Contracting & Innovation, SOTC Travel said, “Experiential Vacations is an upcoming trend with travellers today and to cater to this demand we have introduced Great Rail Journeys and Self Drive Holidays for our customers.  With an increasing number of travellers valuing the personalized experience over anything else in their travel itineraries, SOTC offers an exceptional opportunity to visit some of the world’s most incredible places through classic train journeys. Domestic Tourism is witnessing a strong resurgence and the launch of our ‘Self drive Holidays’ intends to cater to this demand. With the concept of long weekend holidays serving as a mini escape, popular drive-down locations are seeing strong interest. For today’s travel-hungry yet price sensitive audience, our focus is on simple, easy to book, Self-Drive Holiday Packages that offer the unbeatable quality assurance of the SOTC brand, coupled with great value pricing!”

He further added, “Our holiday offerings feature a number of 'hotel trains', like the Trans-Siberian in Russia, The Canadian in Canada, The Ghan in Australia, The Blue Train in South Africa etc. Every itinerary includes a balance of experiences giving our travellers the chance to see more of the country and get a more authentic flavour of the region. At SOTC, we drive customer centricity in all our holiday propositions enabling us to create cherished holiday experiences for our travellers”.

Few of the Rail Journey packages are mentioned below:

Europe:

·         15-Days Top to Toe of Italy

·         10-Days Rome, Sorrento & The Amalfi Coast

·         12-Days Grand Tour of Switzerland

·         12-Days Discover Poland

·         12-Days Slovenia, Croatia & Montenegro

·         12-Days Andalucían Explorer

·         7-Days Bavaria (All Inclusive )

·         10-Days The Enchanting Emerald Isle

·         14-Days Grand Tour of UK

Russia and Scandinavia

·         15-Days Premium Trans -Siberian Express

·         16-Days The Trans-Siberian: Moscow to Beijing

·         15-Days Highlights of Baltics & Scandinavia

·         16-Days Arctic Circle Express

·         11-Days The Northern Lights & Lapland

·         7-Days Fjords Cruise & Historic Cities Of Norway

Asia

·         12-Days Discovering Japan

·         16-Days Vietnam, Cambodia & The Mekong Delta

·         12-Days Burma's Hidden Kingdoms

USA & Canada

·         18-Days The Trans American Rail Tour

·         13-Days Las Vegas & The Golden West

·         9-Days New York, Niagara & Toronto.

·         17-Days Canada Coast to Coast

·         13-Days Canada and The Rocky Mountaineer

South America

·         14-Days Premium Brazil, Argentina & Patagonia

·         13-Days Macchu Picchu & The Andes

Africa

·         10-Days Cape Town, The Blue Train & Kruger National Park

·         15-Days Victoria Falls, Cape Town & The Garden Route

Australia

·         20-Days Australia The Ghan

Few of the Self-Drive packages are mentioned below:

Tour 1: Being Punjabi

Route: Chandigarh - Amritsar (2) - Ludhiana (1) - Chandigarh (2)

Ex: Chandigarh

Duration: 5 Nights / 6 Days

Distance Covered: 550 KMs

Tour 2: The Mughal Route

Route: Delhi - Agra (1) - Lucknow (2) - Delhi

Ex: Delhi

Duration: 3 Nights / 4 Days

Distance Covered: 1100 KMs

Tour 3: Head Over Hills

Route: Delhi – Nainital (2) – Corbett – Delhi

Ex: Delhi

Duration: 4 Nights / 6 Days

Distance Covered: 650 KMs

Tour 4: Escaping To The Green

Route: Bangalore – Bandipur (1) – Ooty (2) – Coonoor (2) – Coimbatore

Ex: Bangalore – Coimbatore

Duration: 4 Nights / 5 Days

Distance Covered: 650 KMs

Tour 5: When Sai Calls

Route: Mumbai – Shirdi (1) – Shani Shingnapur – Sula – Mumbai 

Ex: Mumbai

Duration: 1 Night / 2 Days

Distance Covered: 650 KMs

Tour 6: In Search Of A Sufi Soul

Route: Jaipur – Ajmer (1) – Jaipur (1)

Ex: Jaipur

Duration: 2 Nights / 3 Days

Distance Covered: 450 KMs

Tour 7: Chennai To Chettinad

Route: Chennai – Pondicherry (2) – Tranquebar (1) – Chettinad (2) – Coimbatore

Ex: Chennai – Coimbatore

Duration: 5 Night / 6 Days

Distance Covered: 750 KMs

Tour 8: The Rann Safari

Route: Mumbai – Ahmedabad (1) – Rann Utsav (2) – Ahmedabad (1) – Mumbai

Ex: Mumbai

Duration: 4 Nights / 5 Days

Distance Covered: 1900 KMs

Tour 9: Malvani Days

Route: Mumbai – Malvan (2) – Parule (1) – Mumbai

Ex: Mumbai

Duration: 3 Night / 4 Days

Distance Covered: 1100 KMs

Tour Cost Includes:

·         Accommodation on twin sharing basis

·         Fixed menu breakfast

·         Self drive vehicle (Without Fuel) to cover all transfers, sightseeing as per the suggested itinerary.

Infiniti Mall Malad Held The HDFC Bank Malad Run

Mumbai, 25th February 2018: To create awareness about the ill effects of child labour in Mumbai Infiniti Mall Malad in association with Joint N Motion held The HDFC Bank Malad Run today. The prominent personality like Siddharth Kannan was seen amongst many running enthusiasts who participated in the run.

Affiliated to the Mumbai Athletic Association, the run was categorized starting with 10 km, 6 km and 3 km for runners to participate respectively. Organisers of the marathon have spared no efforts in ensuring that the runners are well looked after during the course of the run. The 10-km stretch for the Elite Runners started from Infiniti Mall Malad at 6.30 am morning, passed through Mindscape garden and Inorbit mall with 2 loop to finish at Infiniti Mall, Malad followed by 6-km and 3-km at 7.15 am and 7.30 am respectively.

The Death of Architecture, Circa 2000 A Travelling Exhibition

The very nature of architecture is that at all times, it is reactive and responsive. If it ceases to assume positions of transformation, it ceases to be. Nation building leading to making of institutions, or socialism leading to experiments of housing for the masses, or the search for an Indian identity, as a counter to the globalization that started with the 80s, have been eschewed and explored directions of the past. The present poses challenges. Of a lack of a collective agreement of areas of examination, and on the other of a forced idea of identity that is being firmly if superficially applied.

If the premise that architecture is the wind sock of societies with inherent currents and turbulence is true, there is much to examine and investigate about our times today. And further open directions that can allow conversations that allow reconstructive and healing mechanisms to take root. Thirteen of India's best known and thinking firms, across varying geographies, scales, and work philosophies have assembled since a year to debate these conversations.

Using means that are artistic, and easy to relate even for the lay public, but as much for the students and practitioners of the discipline, they will each contribute to this exhibition that will examine themes of the city, or the act of building, or the idea of history, or professional process.

Participants:

The contributing architects are all leading practitioners and thought leaders:

AniketBhagwat - PrabhakarBhagwat Associates -www.landscapeindia.net

BijoyRamachnadran - Hundered Hands -www.hundredhands.com

GirishDoshi - Navkar Architects -www.prachishambhu.wordpress.com

PramodBalakrishnan - Edifice -www.edificepramod.co.in

Rajeev Kathpalia - Director VastuShipa Foundation;www.vastushilpa.org.

RiyazTaiyyabji - Anthill - www.anthilldesign.com

RupaliGupte -www.crit.in

ShabbirUnwalla

Vijay and Meghal Arya -www.aryaarchitects.in

VikasDilawari - VikasDilawari Architects -www.vikasdilawari.in

Samira Rathod - SRDA -www.srda.co.in

SuparnaBhalla - Abaxial Architects -www.abaxial.org

ZameerBasrai - The Busride–www.jointhebusride.com

Size of Exhibit:

Each firm will have 20 running feet of wall space to exhibit panels. Each panel will be 4 feet in height and 2 feet in width. The total running length of the exhibition will be 240 running feet (20 feet x 12 participants) It is likely that the exhibition will have projections/models etc; but this is under discussion.

Suggested Duration of Exhibition (In Each City):

It is proposed that in each city the exhibition will open on a Friday and will close on the following Sunday. Hence in each city the exhibition will be open for public viewing for a period of 10 days.

Travelling Itinerary:

This exhibition will travel ​from Feb18 to Jan19. It will visit the following cities on these dates (tentative): Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Baroda, Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Jaipur, Delhi, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pondicherry/Auroville, Bangalore, Cochin, Trivandrum, Goa. This exhibition is entirely a NOT FOR PROFIT activity.

Hansgrohe India partners with Death of Architecture; Circa 2000

Gaurav Malhotra, Managing Director, Hansgrohe India is delighted to announce Hansgrohe India partnership with Death of Architecture (DOA) as the principal sponsor. The National Traveling Exhibition on design and architecture – DOA is a non for profit initiative assembled by thirteen of India’s best known and thinking firms, across varying geographies, scales and work philosophies. DOA supports architect’s vision for the future of architecture and design.

The partnership with DOA aligns with what is central to the Hansgrohe philosophy – creativity and innovation. It is only natural that Hansgrohe works with creative minds globally. The collaborative relationships have led to the creation of both modern and timeless products and bathroom collections.  Hansgrohe regularly invites renowned architects and designers from all over to develop and present their bathroom visions in joint events.

Many of the most international design awards for product and design quality find their way to Hansgrohe. In the continuously updated company ranking of the independent International Forum (IF) Design, Hansgrohe currently holds 6th place and is the highest ranking company in

the sanitation industry. Design at Hansgrohe is therefore neither an end in itself nor a mere matter of sporting competition.

The Traveling Exhibition

The exhibition will open on the 23rd February, 2018 at the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai and will be on display till the 4th March, 2018.

This exhibition will then travel across India this year in an effort to reflect and discuss with audiences solutions for, better ways to build and the direction of the architecture profession. Using means that are artistic, and easy to relate even for the lay public, but as much for the students and practitioners of the discipline, they will each contribute to this exhibition that will examine themes of the city, or the act of building, or the idea of history, or professional process.  

Thomas Cook India inks a long term strategic agreement with Wildlife Reserves Singapore

~Becomes the First - Indian Travel Company to sign an MOU with WRS~

Mumbai February 26, 2018: Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., India’s leading integrated travel and travel related financial services company, has entered into a 3 year strategic agreement with Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) — an organization dedicated to the management of world-leading zoological institutions - Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Mr. Mahesh Iyer, Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Cook (India) Limited and Mr. Mike Barclay – Group Chief Executive Officer, Mandai Park Holdings (the parent company of WRS) at the Thomas Cook India Group headquarters in Mumbai.

Thomas Cook India’s internal data has revealed a strong and significant growth of Indians travelling to Singapore with a 20% YoY growth. Additionally, WRS reveals that India is one of the top five countries in terms of visitors across its four parks. Hence, in a focussed initiative to leverage this high potential growth segment, Thomas Cook India and WRS have entered into a strategic agreement and via  this three year plan, both companies will focus on a multipronged engagement that includes product development, joint consumer promotions and MarCom to showcase Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

Speaking on the announcement, Mr. Mahesh Iyer, Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Cook (India) Limited said, “We are bullish on the larger trend towards experiential holidays. Singapore as a destination has been constantly reinventing itself with its new, unified brand identity 'Passion made Possible'-that showcases the fundamentals of the nation - its cultural diversity, rich food heritage and the mindset of its people shaped by unique circumstances and promises to reshape the Singapore experience across the B2C and B2B space and we are honored to partner with them.”

He added, “Indian travellers are evolving rapidly and our research indicates growing interest in unique local experiences that include outdoor-wildlife and this MOU gives us the opportunity to create a vibrant product. Our partnership with Wildlife Reserves, Singapore also marks the start of a strong commitment to protect biodiversity in Singapore and Southeast Asia through partnerships with like-minded partners, organisations and institutions.”

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Mike Barclay, Group Chief Executive Officer, Mandai Park Holdings (parent company of Wildlife Reserves Singapore), said, “Over the years, valued partners like Thomas Cook have been instrumental to our growth. In 2017, we saw a 25 per cent increase in Indian guests compared to the previous year. With this MOU we look forward further collaborations to bring the immersive wildlife experience of our parks to Indian travelers.”

Nelito Systems Expanding Footprint in Non-Banking Financial Segments

February 26, 2018: Nelito Systems Ltd., India’s prominent financial software and services Company catering to Banking sector, has widened its horizons to provide IT solutions to Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) and Microfinance Institutions (MFI) segments. The move comes after the company decided to expand its business in the overseas markets and as a part of its renewed India strategy.

As a leading provider of India’s Banking software solutions, Nelito Systems has created a niche for itself by offering its own products as well as services. It has expanded its focus to reach NBFCs and Microfinance companies. With the government taking initiatives to promote Financial Inclusion and digitisation of the economic activities in India, the company sees a huge opportunity in smaller towns and rural areas.

At a time when PSU and other private banks are struggling with NPAs, it is NBFCs and MFIs who are providing the financial support to the rural communities with small ticket loans. *As per industry estimates, MFI’s expanded more than 60% in the last FY. The reported 166 MFIs have reached out to an all-time high of 39 million clients with an outstanding loan portfolio of INR 63,853 crore. Many of these institutions are now looking to digitise their operations for various purposes such as lending, transactions, better service delivery and so on. Nelito expects strong growth in its business from this segment and command a significant share in the marketplace. It has already created a customer base and is engaged in implementation of the solutions at more MFIs and NBFCs. 

“Nelito is focussed on providing affordable excellence through its digital consulting and solutions to make a difference to lives of the people at the bottom of pyramid. It plans to do so within India and other developing countries by providing 'Technology for Banking the Unbanked'. Our solutions are helping our customers serve millions of borrowers affordably and efficiently”, said Mr Punit Jain, CEO, Nelito Systems Limited.

He further adds, “Nelito Systems has a promising future due to its focus and expertise on Banking & Financial Services segments. It has started making inroads in overseas countries with its FinCraft^TM suite of solutions. We expect about 30 per cent of our revenues coming from international markets in next 3 years”.

Exhibition of handicrafts made by artisans from various places in rural India

From left to right 

Mr. Ramesh Date, Mr. Kiran Gorwala, Mr Sanjay Parhad, Mr. siyaram Patwa, 

Mr. Vivek Varun Prasad, Mr. Lavjibhai Vaghela, Mr. Quasim Ansari, Mr. Chetan Shet

Mumbai: 17th February, 2018.

PUSHPA (Project for Upgradation of Skilled Handicrafts and Perishing Art Forms) a Non-Profit Organisation spearheaded by Mr. Vivek Varun Prasad, organised an exhibition of handicrafts made by artisans from various places in rural India at the Campion School Cooperage from 17th to 19th of February 2018.

The exhibition was a platform for artisans in rural India to showcase their handicrafts, which have been their speciality handed down by their forefathers and are now rapidly becoming a dying art form.

The whole concept of revival of such dying art-forms was conceived by Mr. Vivek Varun Prasad, whose childhood passion is traditional art in the form paintings or handicrafts. He is deeply pained to see that in the industrialised world of today, these art forms are on the verge of becoming extinct. Hence their revival and preservation are of great importance to as they are expressions of culture of India.

This first exhibition by PUSHPA was a myriad display of exquisite expressions of traditional crafts persons, displaying crafts as close in purity to as they were conceived decades ago by their forefathers.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vivek Varun Prasad said “I have had this passion for art since childhood and have won awards for 5 consecutive years in Doon School, Dehradoon. However, the passion had to be kept in the background and was limited to making greeting cards for relatives and friends, in order to give my full attention to my Government job in the Income Tax department.

However, my passion was reignited after my retirement. I have since then researched, contacted and visited various artisans from all over the country and after curating their talent, I have invited some of them to display their products at this exhibition, which I have organised with the support of the Lalji Mehrotra Educational Trust, Mumbai, friends like Dr. Borges and the Campion school, who have been kind enough to give this space. The Khadi and Village Industries Board also assisted us in locating the artisans.”

“I am limited due to lack of resources and would be more than willing to work with other organisations to pool our strengths and resources for getting a better reach to all the artisans who are languishing in rural India because of funds and lack of a platform.”

The Exhibition showcased Coconut and bamboo craft, Banarasi weaves and Gujrati patolas, wooden carvings, warli paintings, traditional artificial jewellery designed and made by hand.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Maulik a graphic designer and working with NPO, PUSHPA, as project manager, said “PUSHPA was started in March 2017 with a vision to empower artisans to revive their art as it was decades ago with purity of the raw materials. We would love to get some funds from the CSR budgets of corporate houses. Our focus is on the ‘Artisans’ making them grow self-sufficient and revive their art by showcasing it to the world.”

“We are working with technology and digital marketing techniques including Facebook, WhatsApp etc. to spread the message - the write ups and photos of the final work of the artisans.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Maulik further added that its a challenging job to first identify and then meet the artisans and gain their trust that this NPO, PUSHPA is actually helping them and not going to take advantage out of them.  We are a small team, with shoestring budgets and limited resources and therefore looking forward to getting some financial support from corporate houses in any form-like providing resources or CSR funds or buying handicrafts for giving away as gifts/ souvenirs, etc.”

The Exhibition comprised of 9 artisans who show cased their art form such as Mr Sanjay Parhad from Dahanu, the warli artist, Mr. Ramesh Date, craftsman working on bamboo and coconut shells, and seeds, another artisan Mr. Chetan Shet from Kumta, Karnataka showcased Wood carvings, and Mr. Kiran, Warli artist. Another artisan, Mr. Lavjibhai Vaghela was showcasing Silk hand embroidered patola sarees and Mr. Vivek Varun Prasad also showcased his creations of paintings of various Indian gods. Mr. Quasim Ansari from Banaras showed a variety of weaves in cotton and silk, Mrs Seema Thakur showed a variety of Maharashtrian jewellery, and Mr. Siyaram Patwa showcased Patwa art ( beads work ). '

The exhibition attracted a lot of visitors, who also purchased many of the handicrafts and artisans were given to keep the entire proceeds of the sales. The entire expenditure was borne by the NPO PUSHPA.

Encouraged by the success of this exhibition, Mr. Vivek Varun Prasad has decided that he is going to try and hold it again next year in a bigger form with more than double the artisans.