Top designers to associate with LIVA Protégé 2016

Upcoming fashion designers to get Launchpad with Liva Protégé

Monday, 12th December, Mumbai: LIVA, the leading fashion fabric brand from Aditya Birla Group has launched the 2nd season of LIVA Protégé, a nationwide search that seeks to recognize & reward the rising stars of the Indian fashion industry.

The first season of the talent hunt received huge appreciation & applaud from the industry stalwarts, this year LIVA Protégé has become bigger and has already created lot of excitement amongst aspiring fashion designers and fashion connoisseurs in India. Some of the biggest names in the fashion industry will be a part of LIVA Protégé 2016 in mentoring role such as Nachiket Barve, Shivan & Narresh, Anuj Sharma, Sounak Sen Barat & Dev R Nil.

This annual, pan-India search for budding fashion designers in India is open to final year fashion designing students. It is a perfect platform for them to showcase their talent at a national level and get mentored & trained by the visionaries in the industry. Over 100 students have already submitted their entries from fashion designing institutes across Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, South (Bangalore & Chennai). The entries for the first round will close on 14th December, 2016.

Post which, shortlisted 25 semi-finalists (Five from each city) will go through a grilling round of selection process by eminent jury and mentors. Top 10 finalists, will then be mentored and trained by these designers, who ultimately will create their signature fashion line using LIVA fabrics for the grand finale, which will be held in February 2017.  The three winners will be chosen amongst the finalists who will get the title winning place for LIVA Protégé 2016 along with cash prizes.

Celebrity fashion designer Nachiket Barve has recently won the prestigious “International Woolmark Prize”, which is considered as the ‘Oscars of fashion industry’

Shivan & Narresh is India’s first luxury swimwear brand that creates unique beach essentials. Recently, they designed customized swim trunks for Ranveer Singh for the film ‘Befikre’ which received a lot of attention from the audience.

Innovative fashion designer Anuj Sharma's brand ‘Button Masala’ uses rubber bands and buttons and allows wearers to use the same product multiple times. His designs have been a hit across India and he has even had his own section at a Ted Talk feature in India.

Sounak Sen Barat, Bangalore based designer has designed for premium brands like Peter England, Van Heusen Woman before launching his own fashion label House of Three. Recently, he also launched House of Three Menswear with CFW 2016.

Dev and Nil, are highly regarded for bringing contemporary designs to Indian fashion. They started in Kolkata in 2004 and ever since have bagged a few awards. They have also worked with film directors designing costumes for films and were part of movies like Rituparno Ghosh’s ‘Areki Premer Golpo’, Onir’s National award winning movie ‘I Am’ and Suman Mukhopadhya’s ‘Shesher Kobita’.

TATA ClassEdge launches ‘Thinking About Values’ books for children

Books will be available for Classes 1 to 5

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

December 12, 2016, Mumbai: TATA ClassEdge, a provider of innovative technology based learning solutions for schools, launched ‘Thinking About Values’, a series of books on values and life skills for classes 1 to 5, at their Principal Leadership Programme at Mumbai. ‘Thinking About Values’, based on NCERT’s values framework, is a unique contemporary take on values and life skills for children. These books were launched during Tata ClassEdge’s programme on leadership for school principals.

                                                                                                                                                                 

On the occasion, Sanjay Radhakrishnan, Chief Commercial Officer, Tata ClassEdge said, “In today’s rapidly changing world, increased exposure coupled with nuclear families and lack of guidance at home have made values and life skills a very important topic for discussion with children. However, these discussions are often seen as ‘preachy’ by children. Instead of a list of ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’, children need to be taught how to confront situations or ethical dilemmas where they have to decide what action to take.”

The series includes visually rich stories and poems, exercises that encourage children to make decisions, easily accessible videos of the story and a journal section that involves discussion with family. Moreover, it covers contemporary topics such as needs v/s wants, sportsmanship, use of gadgets, dealing with strangers, helping at home, civic sense and more – all told in riveting ways. For example, punctuality is discussed through a story about a superhero who is always late; being inclusive is discussed through the story of a boisterous girl who loves football.

Dia Mirza marks a year as the inspiring Ambassador for GF initiatives

The second edition of ‘40 CEOs Sing for GF Kids’ ends on a rocking note

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• CEOs from 3 cities come together take center stage to raise funds for the treatment of critically ill under-privileged children

Mumbai, December 11, 2016: Genesis Foundation today held the second edition of its one-of-a-kind fundraiser – 40 CEOs Sing for GF Kids, in Mumbai. Business leaders from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore came together once again to compete as teams, giving high-energy performances of old, new, Hindi and English songs, to support the treatment of critically ill under-privileged children in the areas of heart, cancer and thalassemia. 

The evening of spell-binding musical performances by leaders of boardrooms, divided in three teams from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, saw a friendly competition, where the corporate honchos exalted the audience with their repertoire of songs ranging from popular western to Bollywood! There were some leg-shaking performances, some gave us goose-bumps and some were purely inspiring.

The event was hosted by popular anchor and singer Mihir Joshi. The performances were evaluated by celebrated personalities like Zila Khan, Indian Sufi and classical singer, Lesle Lewis, Indian and Western fusion singer, and Ashish Manchanda, noted mixing and recording engineer, remixer and music producer.  We also saw singer Harshdeep Kaur of give a surprise performance.

The Delhi team, comprising of CEOs from Jubilant Foodworks, SAP, iBus Network, Global Access Learning Solutions, Cargill India, Napino Auto and Electronics, Modern Foods and McKinsey were announced winners. From Indipop to old Hindi film numbers the Delhi team were true to their name ‘Dil Se’ and gave a rocking performance of mostly upbeat numbers—straight from the heart.

Speaking at the event, Prema Sagar, Founder Trustee, Genesis Foundation expressed her gratitude and delight, “A delightful event with every person giving their time, effort and best wishes to support critically ill children. What more can one ask for! Just like last year, I am amazed at the commitment that our CEO supporters have for the cause to come all the way from different parts of India to participate in this event. It has been an incredible year for us and I want to express our heartfelt gratitude to each person associated with not just tonight’s event but with the Foundation in any big or small way. The task at hand is huge, but our supporters give us the reassurance that it’s not impossible.”

Also gracing the event, Dia Mirza, Actor, Producer, Humanitarian and Ambassador of Genesis Foundation said, “What an exciting, fun evening this was, coupled with the joy of supporting a beautiful cause! Every person associated with Genesis Foundation brings with them an energy that is positive and infectious and I have been fortunate to experience that this past year. These CEOs, setting their busy jobs and inhibitions aside to sing with abandon, the tireless team, the generous supporters—all make for a powerful force in the fight against the critical illnesses that under-privileged children are facing."

The CEOs who gave their valuable time—which is the most precious thing they have—for the event included:

This unique fund-raiser was supported by Fitbit, Inc, Star TV, Monster.com, Pernod Ricard, Gionee, Red Label Tea, ITC Hotel, Encompass, NewsVoir, Step Up, Quik Relations and GBM Content & Design Bureau.

An initiative to ‘Give Life A Chance’

Over the years, ‘CEOs Sing for GF Kids’ has created a community of CEOs who wholeheartedly support GF’s fund-raising initiatives to Give Life a Chance. In keeping with the Genesis Foundation’s core to build a participatory culture of giving, musically-inclined CEOs come together each year to raise funds for the critically ill and underprivileged children. “Over the years, the CEOs Sing events have created a community of supporters who don’t just give their time to participate in the singing events, like tonight’s 40 CEOs Sing For GF Kids, but with their influence, they also inspire their colleagues and other people to give their support to the cause of Genesis Foundation,” said Jyoti Sagar, Founder Trustee, Genesis Foundation.

Other fund-raising initiatives by Genesis Foundation

In order to raise awareness and resources to facilitate medical assistance to GF Kids, GF has created unusual and unique participative fundraising events involving music, art and food. Some of these events are Kasauli Rhythm & Blues Festival, CEOs Cook for GF Kids, Music for Life events, among others. Last year saw the addition of another musical event called the Goa Rhythm & Blues Festival, held in Goa for the first time.

About Genesis Foundation  

Genesis Foundation facilitates medical treatment for critically ill under-privileged children in the areas of Heart, Cancer and Thalassemia.

Genesis Foundation facilitates medical treatment for critically ill under-privileged children in the areas of Heart, Cancer & Thalassemia. Support from GF in the said critical illnesses, varies from specific medical intervention, recovery and recuperation, to extended treatments like surgeries, chemotherapy and follow-up medicines post surgeries.

GF has provided support to 1000-plus critically ill children and hope to Give Life a Chance for many more. 100% of funds raised are dedicated towards treatment of critically ill children as all overhead costs are borne by the trustees.  

GF is registered under section 80-G of the Income Tax Act of 1961, which entitles 50% tax exemption.  To know more, visit - www.genesis-foundation.net.

Supporters:

Manisha Sood, Country General Manager-India, Fitbit Inc.

"It has been an evening spent well and we are proud to be the title sponsor of Genesis Foundation’s flagship event in our third year of association. We hope that our endeavour and efforts will help in spreading smiles through the treatment of critically ill children. The Genesis Foundation team has done some fantastic work to treat the kids and we had a fabulous time with the audience today that took time out of off their busy schedule to contribute for this noble cause.”

Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, Monster.Com, APAC & Middle East

“It was an absolutely enthralling evening of music and celebration of life. Clearly we saw that music does cut across boundaries and creates magic when it is for such a noble cause. It truly has been enriching for all of us at Monster to consistently partner with Genesis Foundation and team GF visibly love what they do. We appreciate their spirit, hard work and dedication and congratulate them for putting together this successful show.”

Performing CEOs:

Shireesh Joshi, Head Strategic Marketing for Godrej Group

“I have been associated with Genesis Foundation right from the year they started in Gurgaon. It’s an honour and a pleasure to be a part of this association as they try to give back to the causes that they support through music, which is my first love as well. Hence it’s the best of everything, it’s a chance to give and a chance to have great fun with friends you love being with. I have done most of the charity in my life through Genesis, it’s the 6th year and counting and have managed to do a few others as well.”

Sanjay Kapoor, Chairman iBus Networks

“It’s a fulfilling feeling to be able to do something for the under-privileged kids that are associated with Genesis Foundation. I have been associated with Genesis Foundation since over three years now and it’s been an incredible journey. Events like these give CEOs like me a chance to unwind and unbridle from our daily lives.”

Sanjiv Sarin, MD and CEO of TATA Coffee Ltd

“I have been associated with Genesis Foundation for the past 5 years now. Genesis has put together a very brilliant platform and the kind of work they are doing has given a chance to everyone to come together to sing for a common cause. I believe in giving back to the society in every possible way I can and what Genesis does is helps critically ill children and bring a ray of hope in their lives. I feel I am blessed to be able to be a part of such an organization and hope to continue this association in the years to come.”

Honor smartphones and Sports For All come together to bring a wave of change in grassroot sports

Ace Badminton player and Honor smartphone’s brand ambassador, Saina Nehwal graces the SFA 2016 to celebrate Girls Day

India, December 11, 2016: Honor, Huawei’s Smartphone e-brand for digital natives, partnered with Sports For All (SFA), an initiative that is aimed at revolutionising the way school sports is played in India. And in their endeavour to encourage larger participation of girls in sports, SFA had organised a special ‘Girls Day’, which saw the Ace Indian shuttler and brand ambassador for Honor, Saina Nehwal showcased her support towards this initiative and encouraged young sports enthusiasts to pursue their passion at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.

At the event, Saina lauded the efforts of the SFA and thanked Honor for rendering support towards this initiative. The 2012 London Olympics bronze medalist was overwhelmed to see the number of girls participating in various sporting categories and felt the current scenario where schools and parents are not stepping back from encouraging girls to take active part in sports, only augurs well for the future of sports in India. The former world no. 1 not only gave an inspirational rendition to the young champions present in the venue but also took time out share important tips with them. Speaking on the occasion Saina said, “It’s a pleasure to be associated with an event of this stature that brings together young Indian athletes and gives them an opportunity to learn and develop their skills. Being a sportsperson myself, I do realize the importance of professional training and fitness regimes and I’m glad this initiative aims at bridging the necessary gaps. It’s a great feeling to see so many girls pursue sports as a profession and I feel proud of the immense sporting talent our country has. Thanks to companies like Honor, these talented individuals will now have an opportune platform to hone their talent.”

Speaking on the association, Mr. P Sanjeev, Vice president (sales), Huawei India Consumer Business group said, “The youth today believe in being brave and aren’t afraid of treading onto unconventional paths. Honor, too, has believed in supporting brave initiatives like the SFA that leave a lasting impact on society. Our association with SFA enables us to nurture the young sporting talent in India and celebrate the spirit of sportsmanship. Saina has had a brave story to tell and is an inspiration to many young boys and girls. We are glad to have her with us at the SFA Mumbai 2016.”

At the SFA Mumbai 2016, Saina encouraged young and aspiring badminton champions and handed over Honor fitness bands to them. The event, that saw over 30,000 kids participate in the three-week sporting extravaganza which includes 25 different sporting categories.  SFA is a singular, integrated and an all-inclusive platform for young athletes, coaches and sporting services for schools with a focused approach and is committed to the cause of creating future champions. SFA is an endeavor to enable the next generation athletes to have access to a sporting environment that match international standards and aims enable the next generation athletes from every school who aspire to represent India. 

Rishikesh Joshi, the founder and the brain behind SFA, lauded Honor for extending their support towards the initiative and believes that it is the continued support from companies like them that will help in creating a good sporting culture in the country. Adding to this, Rishikesh Joshi, Founder SFA, said, “We are glad to partner with Honor in our endeavor to realize the true sporting potential present in India. We aim at nurturing the Indian sporting talent from a very young age through annual multi inter-school tournaments at top notch venues. We at SFA believe that to build a strong sporting culture in the country, we will have to groom them young, make the kids believe in their dream and create a system which will enable to grow into a professional athlete,” Rishikesh Joshi said.

UFO Moviez’s ‘Curtain Raiser’ Platform Leveraged by Shah Rukh Khan To Launch Raees Trailer Live on Big Screen Amidst Fans

-UFO’s revolutionary  technology empowers King Khan to interact with thousands of fans Live on screen across Mumbai, Delhi, Indore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Surat and Moga–

Mumbai, 7th December, 2016:Today, Digital Era saw yet another path breaking initiativeby UFO Moviez.The world’s first-ever Big Screen trailer launch of movie ‘Raees’ on 7th December 2016 mesmerized audiences in 10 theatres across Mumbai, Delhi, Indore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Surat and Moga, thanks to UFO Moviez’slatest initiative ‘Curtain Raiser’.Curtain Raiser enabled King Khan to launch the much-awaited Raees Trailer simultaneously in the theatres and gave him an opportunity to interact live with audience on Big Screen. The platform –‘Curtain Raiser’, introduced by UFO Moviez, empowers a brand to interact live with audiences across their network of over 5000 screens.

The remarkable affair began mid-morning with a brief introduction of UFO Moviez, the initiative and release of thrilling trailer of “Raees”. The Baadshah of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, stationed at UFO Moviez’s central studio, interacted with the audiences for an hour, with fans fervently asking for more. The audience sitting in theatres in the selected 10 cities could see and interact with the actor himself. The staggering enormity of the initiative truly came across when viewers at one location could hear those at another, while they interacted with Mr Khan.

With King Khan live on screen in virtually every big city, all eyes were locked on the event. With this phenomenal event, UFO Moviez has ignited a spark that will provoke a revolution in the digital wave of Indian cinema. The name of the theatres participated for the interactive session are Mumbai - Gold Cinemas (Milan Mall), Moga (Punjab) - Neelam Nova Cinemaz, Jaipur - Golcha Cinema (Nile), Kolkata - Menoka Cinema,Delhi - Delite Theatre, Indore - Madhu Milan Cinema, Hyderabad- VenkatramanaMegaplexAhmedabad - City Gold Ashram Road, Bengaluru - Q Cinemas, and Surat - DR World (INOX).

To promote the Trailer Launch, a short teaser was shot wherein King Khan himself invited people to the theatres to be part of this first of its kind of trailer launch. The teaser went live on UFO screens across India 1st December 2016 onwards and has reached approximate 6 million unique viewers till 6th December 2016.

Founder & Managing Director of UFO Moviez, Sanjay Gaikwad, said on the initiative: -“It was great to execute and present the World’s first-ever Interactive Big Screen Trailer Launch. We are glad that through ‘Curtain Raiser’, the King of Bollywood, ‘Shah Rukh Khan', was able to interact live with audiences in 10 theatres through the Big Screen while audiences across UFO  screens enjoyed this exhilarating event live on-screen. The audience response to the event was astounding. We are delightedwith the commencement of our platform ‘Curtain Raiser’ and hope to see the same overwhelming response in the future.As India’s largest digital cinema distribution network and in-cinema advertising platform, UFO Moviez takes pridein emerging as the leaders of the new digital era.”

Commenting on the initiative, Veteran Producer - Distributor Mr Pahlaj Nihalani, and President of Movie Image Makers said, – I am really impressed with UFO’s latest initiative ‘Curtain Raiser’. The LIVE promotion vide the digital technology encourages additional footfalls at the cinemas many of which are going through low occupancy. It was a real gratifying experience for the cinema audience as it brought them closer to their stars and gave them an opportunity to interact with them. This kind of innovative promotions will help enhance revenues for the entertainment industry.

Commenting on the Raees Trailer Launch on UFO’s Curtain Raiser, the film’s Producer, Mr. Ritesh Sidhwani, said, “The trailer of the film has released in as many as 3,500 screens Pan India. The launch is a revolutionary concept which has helped us reach out to a larger audience and celebrate the movie goer in its purest form through the advanced technology of UFO Moviez. We have had a fantastic association, and hope to collaborate on future projects that bring innovation and excitement to the theatre going audiences."

LAUGH OUT LOUD @ INTERNATIONAL CLOWN FESTIVAL AT INORBIT MALLS

~A 10 day extravaganza for your entire family with shows, performances and workshops~

Mumbai, December, 2016: Laughter is the best medicine and you are invited to get your dose of laughter. Inorbit malls across the country – Malad, Vashi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Vadodara, invites you to the International Clown Festival. Block your dates between 16th and 25th December 2016 to witness spectacular performances and acts that will tickle your funny bones. 

This would be first of its kind a 10-day event providing pure family entertainment. The festival will have daily performance by an International clown. The kids can also participate in workshops to learn the art of juggling, balloon sculpting and balancing. Also, join us for a Santa Parade on 25th December 2016.

The fun and excitement quotient rides high with special performances and meet & greet on 16th & 17th December (Inorbit Mall, Malad) and 18^th and 19^th December 2016 (Inorbit Mall, Vashi)

The event is spearheaded by Martin D’souza, Vice President of World Clown Association, he has been in the clowning and entertainment business for over 25 years.

Stand up comedies is a passé, now experience a new genre of entertainment this Christmas.

Details:

International Clown Festival: 16^th to 25^th December 2016

Venue: Inorbit Mall, Malad and Vashi

Time: 3pm to 8:30pm 

Special performances by Martin and his team: 16^th and 17^th December 2016 @ Inorbit Mall, Malad

                                                                                 18^th and 19^th December 2016 @ Inorbit Mall, Vashi

'मी पाण्याला घाबरते पण समुद्राला नाही!' नम्रता कदम

जेव्हा विद्या पटवर्धन यांनी  बालमोहन शाळेतील सहावीच्या वर्गात एक प्रश्न विचारला 'कुणाकुणाला नाटकात काम करायचे आहे?' तेव्हा एका विद्यार्थिनीने कुतूहलापोटी हात वर केला. नाटक कशाशी खातात याची तिला यत्कंचीतही कल्पना नव्हती. परंतु त्यावेळी वर केलेले बोट तिला, जिला तोपर्यंत डॉक्टर बनण्याची इच्छा होती, अभिनयक्षेत्रात घेऊन आले. वयाच्या अवघ्या बाराव्या वर्षी तिने रंगभूमीवर पाऊल टाकले व मोठा कॅमेरा फेस करत टी व्ही सिरिअल्स मधेसुद्धा भूमिका करायला सुरुवात केली. तेव्हाची लहानशी मुलगी, नम्रता कदम आजही, इतक्या वर्षांनंतरही तिच्या यशाचं श्रेय विद्याताईंना द्यायला विसरत नाही. 

मूळची मुंबईचीच असल्याकारणाने बाहेरून येऊन स्ट्रगल केल्याच्या हृदयद्रावक कथा तिच्याकडे नाहीत. खरंतर मुंबईबाहेरून मनोरंजनविश्वात करिअर करण्यासाठी येणाऱ्यांना  सगळे सोपे असते. त्यांच्या ध्येयासाठी ते कुठलेही कष्ट करायला तयार असतात कारण तेच एकमेव उपजीविकेचे माध्यम असते. उलटपक्षी मुंबईकर निवारा आणि पोटाची चिंता नसल्यामुळे तेवढ्या पोटतिडकीने या विश्वाला भिडत नाहीत. नम्रताला जरी ह्या विश्वात बोट धरून आणले असले तरी इतकी वर्ष तग धरून राहणं तीला नक्कीच आव्हानात्मक ठरलं असणार. लहानपणीच नाटक, सिनेमा, सिरिअल्स मध्ये काम करण्याची संधी मिळाली व तिनेही त्या संधीचं सोनं केलं. सई परांजपेंच्या बालदूत व बेहना या हिंदी मालिकेत आणि जब्बार पटेलच्या डॉ. बाबासाहेब आंबेडकर मध्ये काम केलं. तिच्या टीन -एजमध्ये त्याच सुमारास व्यावसायिक नाटकंदेखील केली. टेक-इट-इझी, भूल भुलैया, मी.अँड मिसेस सारख्या नाटकात तिने आपल्या अभिनयाची चुणूक दाखवली. सोळाव्या वर्षीच ती आभाळमायात श्रेयस तळपदेबरोबर प्रेमाच्या त्रिकोणात दिसली. त्यानंतर उत्तरोत्तर प्रगती करत कळत-नकळत, अग्निशिखा , लक्ष्मणरेषा, पिंजरा, बे दुणे दहा, कस्तुरी, पुढचं  पाऊल अशा मालिकांमधून वेगवेगळ्या भूमिका साकारल्या. हल्लीच संपलेल्या तिच्या पसंत आहे मुलगी सिरीयलमधील  तिच्या कुमुद वहिनी च्या भूमिकेचे खूप कौतुक झाले. 

नम्रता मराठीप्रमाणे हिंदीतही तेवढ्याच सहजतेने वावरते. तिची मुख्य भूमिका असलेली 'आ मुस्कुरा' ह्या हिंदी चित्रपटाचे ऑस्ट्रेलियात मेलबर्न इंट. फिल्म फेस्टिव्हलमधे अनावरण झाले. तिचे हिंदी नाटक मिताली जोशी दिग्दर्शित 'कनुप्रिया' प्रेक्षकांची वाहवा मिळवतेय. ही पोरगी कुणाची (२००६) ह्या चित्रपटाद्वारे तिने मराठी सिनेसृष्टीत पदार्पण केलं व त्यानंतर प्यारवाली लवस्टोरी व हल्लीच गाजलेला व्हेंटिलेटर केला. व्हेंटिलेटर मधे तीने  सहाय्यक दिग्दर्शक व कास्टिंग डिटेक्टर रोहन मापुस्कर बरोबर असोसिएट कास्टिंग डिरेक्टरची जबाबदारीही पेलली. 'मी पहिल्यांदाच

बिहाइंड-द-कॅमेरा काम केलं आणि त्यामुळे सिनेमाच्या सर्व अंगाचं नॉलेज वाढलं. आणि ह्याचा मला भविष्यात नक्कीच फायदा होईल', असं  नम्रता सांगते. सध्याच  तिचं  नवं-कोरं नाटक 'एक शून्य तीन' चा शुभारंभ झाला आसून तिच्या अभिनयाचं कौतुक होत आहे.

ही मुबईची मुलगी चांगुलपणावर विश्वास ठेवते व माणसं जोडण्यावर भर देते. गंमत म्हणजे ती पाण्याला प्रचंड घाबरते पण समुद्राबरोबर गट्टी करते. 'समुद्र मला जगण्याची खूप भरारी देतो' नम्रता कदम प्रांजळपणे कबुली देते आणि ह्या तडफदार गुणी तरुण अभिनेत्रीला यंदा कर्तव्य आहे!