October 2022 – Global Records India

Sankar bags silver in BWF World Junior Championships

It’s been a week to remember for budding shuttler Sankar Muthusamy. Up against some of the finest talents around the world, the 18-year-old showed his prowess with the racquet to stand apart. Entering the court for his final match in the BWF World Junior Championship in Santander, Spain on Sunday, Sankar had a chance to claim the top prize and enter the history books. However, things didn’t go according to Sankar’s script as his opponent, clearly superior on the day, outwitted him to take the gold instead.

Facing Kuo Kuan Lin of Chinese Taipei, Sankar was always playing the chasing game with his much taller and stronger opponent unleashing some big cross-court smashes in the opening game. Kuo was attacking Sankar’s, who’s left-handed, backhand. Sankar also showed grit, especially in the second game but that was too little, too late. Towards the end, he saved six game points to bring the contest to life. However, Kuo maintained his composure to win 21-14, 22-20.

Despite the loss, it goes without saying the silver medal effort is a massive boost for Sankar, who had won five matches to reach final. Unlike some big performers in the country, the youngster is not from the well-known Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad or the Prakash Padukune Badminton Academy, institutes who have a reputation of producing champions at will. Coming from Fireball Academy in Chennai, Sankar had been ticking the right boxes in recent years to help him come so far.

He is also repaying the faith put on him by his parents. His father had taken voluntary retirement to give more attention to him. And it goes without saying, they have spent a lot on his travels, something that has helped him attain match practice and learn about the sport. That had also helped him No 1 status (August 2022) in BWF junior rankings, an important stat that showed that he’s someone to be watched closely. His coach Aravind Swamiappan has been with him for over a decade, helping him learn the nuances of the game.

Just a week or so back, Sankar and his coach had encountered off-the-field issues, something that forced him to sit out of the mixed team event of the championship at the eleventh hour. That had also meant that his participation for the individual event was in doubt.

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National Unity Day: HM leads birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Patel in Delhi

The celebration will also include the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas pledge ceremony near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in New Delhi.

Union home minister Amit Shah will on Monday participate in the ‘Tribute to Sardar Vallabhai Patel’ programme to mark the 147th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in New Delhi, also observed as the National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

Shah will flag off the ‘Run for Unity’ marathon from the national stadium where around 8,000 people are expected to participate. The Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory citing alternate routes and diversions from 6:45 am to 9 am to ensure safety for the participants of the marathon.

Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan will lead the ‘Run for Unity’ from Delhi University. DU vice-chancellor professor Yogesh Singh, along with principals, teachers, senior officials, administrative staff and students of CBSE schools, Kendriya Vidyalaya will also participate.

The celebration will also include the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas pledge ceremony near the Mahatma Gandhi statue and an address by Pradhan. Special exhibits on the life of Sardar Patel will be displayed at Jawahar Park.

Shah has written to all states asking them to organise 75,000 unity runs – 100 in each of the country’s 750 districts.

As part of the celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kevadia in Gujarat to pay homage to Sardar Patel at the Statue of Unity, participate in the Ekta Diwas parade and later address civil service trainees of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.

Golden jubilee of Dhauligiri peace pagoda

The stupa was built jointly in 1972 by the Japan Buddha Sangh and the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangh

Hundreds of monks from across the globe thronged the famous Dhauligiri Shanti Stupa Pagoda, a symbol of peace associated with the Buddhist culture, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar to mark the golden jubilee celebration of the monument on Friday.

The dome-shaped stupa atop the Dhauli hill on the banks of river Daya, about 10km from here, recalls the famous Kalinga war and the transformation of king Ashoka from a tyrant into a benevolent monarch. However, the monument remained neglected by the authorities for a long time.

The stupa was built jointly in 1972 by the Japan Buddha Sangh and the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangh. It was constructed under the supervision of the chief priest of Nipponzan Myohoji, Nichidatsu Fuji Guruji of Japan, who came to India in the early part of 1930s from Mt. Minobu in Japan, the original holy place of the Nichiren Sect. In late 1960s, he was requested by the Buddhist monks to set up a stupa here. Following a request from Buddhist monks, the Odisha government also agreed to provide land for the monument. He stayed at the Dhauli hill, which was revered by Buddhists because of the legend that king Ashoka had converted to Buddhism in the wake of Kalinga war here.

Here Emperor Ashoka is believed to have renounced violence after watching the bloodshed in the battle of Kalinga fought in the foothills of Dhauli and adopted non-violence after converting into the Buddhist faith.

The famous Ashokan edicts enshrining his decrees for the welfare of people and even animals within his empire are still treasured at a site close to the base of Dhauli hill. The pagoda on the hilltop is adorned by the statues of the reclining Buddha, an elephant procession, the Bodhi tree, and footprints of Buddha bearing the chakra (wheel).

Taking part in the celebrations, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik said: “Let us work together to spread the message of peace and create a safer world for our future generation.”

Delving into the glorious history of Odisha, he said that the state’s history starts with Dhauli and the Kalinga war. Although the war ended with massive bloodshed, Dhauli continues to sing about the moral victory of the entire humanity. “It is this place where Ashoka realised the futility of war and bloodshed and embraced Buddhism. In fact, Dhauli changed the course of world history by spreading the message of global peace and harmony,” Naveen said.

Stating that Dhauli Peace Pagoda is a great creation of modern architecture, Naveen said: “It bears testimony of Indo-Japanese friendship that stands for global peace and mutual cooperation. The place will continue to spread the message of peace for all the time to come.”

Offering tributes to Fuji Guruji, he said: “On the eve of this momentous occasion, I offer my sincere tributes to most revered Nichidatsu Fuji Guruji of Japan, Founder and Preceptor of Nipponzan Myohoji, for his invaluable contribution in building this “Biswa Shanti Stupa” at Dhauli. Further, the steps taken by Kalinga-Nippon Buddha Sangha to make it happen is also appreciated.”

Naveen also announced the construction of instream storage on the Daya. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 95 crore.

UNSC’s Counter Terrorism Committee To Meet In India This Weekend For The First Time

The United Nations Security Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee will meet in India this weekend. At a time when the world is distracted by Russia’s Ukraine war, the two-day anti-terror meeting will help remind the international community that terror groups continue to threaten world peace and though many major groups like the Al Qaeda and ISIS may be lying low at the moment, they can resurface any time. It is important for countries to stay one step ahead and put in place a system to counter the use of new technology by terror outfits. Since 9/11 the UN has been actively engaged in encouraging countries to work together to fight this scourge.

A host of dignitaries, including British foreign secretary James Cleverly, foreign secretary of Gabon who is also president of the United Nations Security Council Michael Moussa ADAMO, Ghana’s foreign minister Shirley Ayorkar Botchwey, UAE’s minister of state for international cooperation Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Albania’s deputy foreign minister of Albani Megi Fino is expected to attend. The UN counter terror delegation headed by under-secretary general Vladimir Voronkov, will also be present. This is the first time that the Special Meeting of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee is meeting in India.

The high profile two-day event will take place in Mumbai and Delhi. Symbolically the meeting will begin with UN members paying homage to the victims of the deadly 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai’s Taj Mahal hotel. India’s foreign minister Subramanyam Jaishankar will attend along with representatives of the UN Security Council. A wreath will be laid in memory of the victims.

Some family members of the victims of the 26/11 attack will speak at the ceremony. “We will be honoured to hear the voices of the victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks as well as the 2016 Brussels bombings. The meeting will be followed by an informal session on combating terror financing in the local and regional context,” Ruchira Kamboj, India’s permanent representative to the UN said. She was addressing a news conference in Delhi. She is the chair of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee.

Kamboj also made the point that there can be nor “good or bad terrorists” and pointedly added: “Those who propagate this distinction have an agenda and those who cover up for them are just as culpable.” This was an obvious reference to the China-Pakistan axis, and the fact that China had blocked India’s recent move to sanction some Pakistan based terrorists.

“We cannot think of a better place to hold this meeting than right here in India. Not just because it is the world’s largest democracy, but also because India is a society where a host of cultures and religions coexist and because India is an innovation and technology powerhouse,” ANI quoted David Scharia, the head of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UN-CTED), as saying : “Sadly, India is also the right place to hold this meeting because of its own long and tragic experience with terrorism,” he added.

On Saturday the members will travel to Delhi for a high level ministerial plenary session, where Jaishankar and the visiting dignitaries will get down to take stock of the situation. The focus will be on terror financing online , possible use of drones and social media by terror groups.

“The special meeting will serve to reflect on recent developments and the latest evidence-based research regarding the threats posed by the use of these technologies for terrorist purposes as well as global efforts to counter these threats while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Ruchira Kamboj said.

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India to contribute $500,000 to UN Trust Fund to counter terrorism

The special conference of Counter Terrorism Committee kicked off on Friday in Mumbai, which witnessed a ghastly attack by Pakistan-based terrorists in 2008 that left 140 Indian nationals and 26 foreigners dead.

India will contribute $500,000 to the United Nations Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism this year to aid capacity-building support to member states in combating terrorism, external affairs minister S Jaishankar announced on Saturday.

The announcement was made during the plenary session of the UN Security Council special meeting of the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) in New Delhi.

“India will be making a voluntary contribution of half a million dollars to the UN Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism this year to augment the efforts of Office of Counter-Terrorism in providing capacity-building support to member states in preventing and countering the threat of terrorism,” the minister said.

Jaishankar warned about the threat posed by the misuse of new and emerging technologies for terror activities, stressing the need for the international community to adopt measures to combat the threats.

“Internet and social media platforms have turned into potent instruments in the toolkit of terrorist and militant groups for spreading propaganda, radicalization and conspiracy theories aimed at destabilizing societies,” he said in his keynote address.

Jaishankar underlined that the threat of terrorism is growing and expanding despite the UN Security Council’s significant efforts in the last two decades to combat the menace. Jaishankar said that the technologies have also thrown up new challenges for governments and regulatory bodies given the “very nature of some of these technologies and the nascent regulatory environment.”

“UN Security Council, in the past 2 decades, has evolved an important architecture built primarily around the Counter-Terrorism Sanctions Regime to combat this menace. This has been very effective in putting those countries on notice that had turned terrorism into a state-funded enterprise,” the minister said.

“Despite this, the threat of terrorism is only growing and expanding, particularly in Asia and Africa, as successive reports of the 1267 Sanctions Committee monitoring reports have highlighted,” he added.

The special conference kicked off on Friday in Mumbai, which witnessed a ghastly attack by Pakistan-based terrorists in 2008 that left 140 Indian nationals and 26 foreigners dead. This is the first time such a conference is being held outside of the UN’s headquarters in New York.

Odia movie ‘Adieu Godard’ selected as one of 5 finalists in Cardiff Film Festival

Adieu Godard, an Odia movie that has won multiple awards, has been selected as a finalist in the feature film category at the Cardiff International Film Festival.

The film narrates how an elderly pornography-addicted man becomes an avid fan of Jean-Luc-Godard, considered the pioneer of the French New Wave film movement in the 1960s.

The online film festival is being held in the capital of Wales from October 28 to 30.

The movie, directed by Amartya Bhattacharyya, is competing with five other international films and the results are due later this week, a statement issued by the producers said.

The name of Bhattacharya’s movie, which was released on September 2, suggests that it is a tribute to legendary French-Swiss filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, but it is not a quintessential homage to the auteur.

Shot entirely in Odisha, ‘Adieu Godard‘ follows the story of an old man named Ananda who is addicted to pornography and secretly watches adult films with other men in the evening.

One day, the protagonist, Choudhary Bikash Dash, accidentally brings home a DVD after assuming it to be pornography.

And it turned out to be 1960’s ‘Breathless’, Godard’s debut film released in 1960. Ananda gets attracted by the newness and gradually develops an obsession. Then, he attempts to host a film festival on Godard in their village.

The movie which received the ‘Best Indian Film’ award at the Kolkata International Film Festival held early this year, has also been selected for the 10th Asian Film Festival of Barcelona, being held from October 26 to November 6.

The film, part of the Official Panorama section of the Barcelona festival, is competing with several other Asian movies, the statement said.

Bhattacharyya said, “It is a proud moment as we succeeded in taking this film to different corners of the globe. It is a moment of pride for us and regional cinema, as well.”

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Kohli most complete Indian batsman of my time: Australian legend Chappell

Mesmerised by the way Virat Kohli floored arch-rivals Pakistan in their T20 World Cup opener, Australian legend Greg Chappell rated the former skipper as the “most complete Indian batsman” of his time.

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In a fitting response to his doubters, who had raised questions about his spot in the format, Kohli slammed an unbeaten 82 to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Pakistan on Sunday.

Describing the innings as a “song by God”, the 74-year-old said: “None of the greats of bygone eras could have dismembered of an opponent so brutally without compromising the niceties of the art of batting than Kohli did last Sunday night.” “Kohli is the most complete Indian batsman of my time. Only the greatest of champions has the courage and the intelligence to transport their imagination beyond the mortal plane. Kohli has that. Perhaps only Tiger Pataudi has come close to transcending a similar stratosphere,” Chappell wrote in a column for ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’.

“Kohli played an innings that was as close to a ‘song by god’ as has ever been played in T20 cricket. Like a cat playing with a new skein of wool, Kohli teased then expertly picked apart an excellent Pakistan bowling attack until it lay unravelled, spent and exposed on the green carpet of the MCG.”

Legitimised T20 cricket

Chappell further said that Kohli’s innings against Pakistan “legitimised” T20 cricket. “It was an innings that showcased the art of batting like no other that I have seen in a lifetime of watching cricket.

“Ironically, it was also the innings that legitimised T20 cricket as, dare I say it, an art form, more than any that I have seen in the past 15 years. Nobody can dismiss T20 cricket as simply entertainment ever again,” said the former India coach.

Chappell said only World Cup-winning Australia wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist could have come close to Kohli in terms of sheer strokeplay.

“I can think of many of the best hitters in the modern game who could have pulled off a similar victory, and probably have, but none has ever done it with pure batting skills in the manner that Kohli did against Pakistan,” he said.

“Only Adam Gilchrist has come close in the past, but this was even more esoteric than some of his most sublime efforts. It was simply impossible to look away.” That the knock came from the strongest and most vocal supporter of Test cricket made Chappell all the more ecstatic.

“It gave me immense pleasure as it was played by one of the staunchest supporters and exponents of Test cricket of the past 145 years.

“This was the day that T20 cricket came to maturity, and the nail biting game was played between two of the younger nations of the long form of the game in front of 90,000 rapturous fans, most of whom were thousands of miles from the land of their birth,” Chappell wrote.

It was not very long ago there was a raging debate over Kohli’s selection in India’s T20 World Cup squad as he was going through the worst phase of his career after a controversial end to his captaincy from all three formats of the game.

Kohli also decided to take a month-long break to deal with ‘mental’ issues and returned with a bang in the Asia Cup, where he slammed his first international century in three years, and a maiden one in the shortest format, against Afghanistan.

He continued his form in the home series against Australia in the build-up to the T20 World Cup.

“We have known for some time that Kohli is in a rare class, but this was done against the backdrop of a pretty lean run during the last few years by his lofty standards,” Chappell wrote. “Not many are going to have to go through it in the glare Virat has. Everyone has had an opinion; most of it has been centred on his eyes and/or his technique as having waned in some way. As someone who has been down that track, I was pretty sure this wasn’t the case.

“It is likely the best T20 innings of his career, and it may also be one of the most satisfying in any format. He looked completely at home. He was in his element.”

Would have made Shane Warne proud

The innings came at Shane Warne’s home ground as 90,000-plus fans cheered every bit of it and Chappell felt had he been alive, the spin wizard would have been proud of the knock.

Warned died of heart attack in March this year.

“Shane Warne would be proud to have his name emblazoned on the most imposing stand at the stadium, presiding over the proceedings on the fateful evening.

“It was most certainly the coming-of-age of cricket’s new crown jewels. Kohli willed himself to get his team over the line, and demanded that anyone who loved the game of cricket stay and watch the spectacle until the end,” Chappell said.

The match had its share of controversies in the last over when a six by Kohli was adjudged no-ball for height and there were some debatable byes as well. “It is much like NZ being punished for accidental overthrows from the opponents bat which cost them the 50-over World Cup Final at The Oval in 2019,” Chappell said.

“India, most likely would have won anyway, but it wouldn’t have been the foregone conclusion that it became.

“I would review that rule to give the bowler credit for the dead ball if he is good enough to beat the bat and hit the stumps,” Chappell concluded.

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Family fled Punjab in the ’80s, 19-yr-old at T20 World Cup for Netherlands

Vikramjit Singh, tipped to be one of the brightest cricketing talents in the Netherlands, will take guard against India, the country of his forefathers, on Thursday, which he calls “the biggest match of my international career”.

On a cold December night in 1984, Khushi Cheema returned home and asked his wife to pack their belongings. The following day, the Sikh family from village Cheema Khurd near Jalandhar boarded a train for Delhi. During the 52-km ride, 5-year-old Harpreet kept asking his father where they were going. He only got a smile as an answer.

“I can never forget that night and the next morning. It still feels like it happened yesterday. My father took that decision to keep his family safe after the rise of insurgency in Punjab during the mid-1980s,” Harpreet tells The Indian Express over phone from Amstelveen in the Netherlands.

Cut to the present, Khushi Cheema is back on his farm in Jalandhar, and Harpreet is running a transportation company in Amstelveen.

His 19-year-old grandson, Vikramjit Singh, tipped to be one of the brightest cricketing talents in the Netherlands, will take guard against India, the country of his forefathers, on Thursday, which he calls “the biggest match of my international career”

After the win against Pakistan in the opening game, India will start as favourites against a nation where cricket isn’t a mass sport.

“I was five when I came to the Netherlands. It was very hard; you didn’t know the language, it was a completely different culture. It took me a few years to settle down,” says Harpreet.

He goes down memory lane, recollecting his family’s hardships and the discrimination he faced growing up.

“Back then, there was racism. I faced a lot because of my skin colour, turban and beard,” says Harpreet.

But with time, things eased. Khushi Cheema, who started driving a taxi in his new country, handed over his transportation company to his son before moving back to India in 2000.

“My father handed over the business to me and moved back to India. He said his duty as a father was done, we are well settled here now, and he wanted to go back to his pind (village), to his people,” Harpreet says.

The family’s bond with India was too strong to cut off. Vikramjit was born in Cheema Khurd and he moved to the Netherlands only after he turned seven. He never had to face problems like his father.

At 11, he was spotted at an U-12 tournament by then Dutch skipper Peter Borren, who spent hours and hours in the nets to groom the youngster. He also got a sponsorship from Beat All Sports (BAS), a sports goods manufacturers company that made bats for Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh.

At 15, he was already in the Netherlands ‘A’ side and two years later, made his senior team debut.

“For me, cricket started in Cheema Khurd. When I moved to the Netherlands, I used to go with my father as he used to play in the local leagues. At 12, I played alongside him when he was captain,” Vikramjit says from Sydney.

Borren got Vikramjit enrolled at his club VRA, Amsterdam, where he was captain.

“Not sure what he saw in me but I feel lucky that someone like Peter, with so much international experience, is my mentor. He has guided me throughout my cricketing career so far,” says Vikramjit.

It is not easy to be a professional cricketer in a country obsessed with football with a cricket season ending in September before resuming in March.

Here, Harpreet came to his son’s rescue. During his playing days, he had become friends with Amit Uniyal, a former Punjab and Rajasthan Royals bowler, who used to play league cricket with him in the Netherlands. From 2015-16 to 2019-20, the youngster spent six months at Uniyal’s Gurusagar Cricket Academy in Chandigarh.

“I had my doubts first. NRI kid, will he be able to train twice a day? Will he be able to get along with the local lads? But he surprised me with his temperament, his immense self-belief and hard work. He never complained and I am not surprised to see his rise in International cricket,” says Uniyal.

In 2021, Vikramjit shifted his base to Jalandhar and started training with former India U-19 player Taruwar Kohli, who also used to play for a club in Amsterdam.

“One of the reason was that Taruwar Kohli’s Powerplay Cricket Academy was near my village (Khurd Cheema), and now my mother doesn’t have to worry about me anymore. It was kind of exhausting for her too. Above all, I got to spend more time with my Dadu (grandfather),” says Vikramjit, who has gifted his Netherlands jersey to his grandfather, a die-hard cricket fan.

Ranveer Singh to receive Marrakech International Film Festival’s Étoile d’or

The award was previously given to Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan from India.

The 19th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival will pay tribute to Bollywood star Ranveer SIngh with its Étoile d’or, an award previously received by Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.

“I’m deeply humbled and thrilled to be receiving a tribute, which recognises my body of work along with this very, very special honour — the Etoile d’Or! The Marrakech International Film Festival is one of the most respected film events in the world, bringing together the best of cinema from across the world, especially Asia and Africa. As such, I’m extremely grateful for this distinctive recognition and the prestige bestowed upon me by the festival,” the actor said.

Other than Ranveer, Scottish actress Tilda Swinton, renowned US filmmaker James Gray and Moroccan film pioneer and director Farida Benlyazid will also receive this honour, in keeping with the festival’s tradition of celebrating cinema in all its diversity.

In Morocco, especially in Marrakech, Indian cinema has many admirers and Ranveer Singh is one of its most appreciated personalities for his films Band Baaja Baarat, Ram Leela, Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat, Gully Boy and 83.

“It’s hugely gratifying that my body of work is being recognised in Africa! It indicates that my work has been able to transcend geographical and cultural borders. For a humble artiste, who wishes to bring people together through entertainment, this is greatly rewarding. I cannot wait to be in Marrakesh to soak in the love of the people and express my gratitude to them,” said the actor.

Ranveer will be in Marrakech from November 11 to 13 to attend the grand inauguration and his felicitation in front of Moroccans and world cinema lovers at the historic Jemaa el-Fna Square.

International Hospitality Day Awards 2022: Professionals honoured by IIHM and IHC London

Several personalities from the industry who have made a difference through their unique ideas received the IHC Outstanding Contribution to the Hospitality Industry Award.

The International Hospitality Council (IHC) London observed International Hospitality Day through a prestigious award ceremony held on 18^th July 2022. The International Hospitality Day Awards, Mumbai paid tribute to a number of people who have contributed immensely to the Hospitality industry through their hard work, innovation and ideas.

The most prestigious award of the series, the Lifetime Achievement Award, went to Chef Satish Arora, Director, Food Production at Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. Chef Satish became the world’s youngest executive chef to handle a Five Star’s kitchen at the age of 26, casting a magical spell with his culinary talent on guests at the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. From Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles to former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chef Satish has mesmerised many global personalities with his extraordinary culinary skills. His guests include heads of states like Bill Clinton, Indira Gandhi and Neil Armstrong. While receiving his award, he said, “This award is the icing on the cake because a dream that Dr Suborno Bose saw about two decades ago is showing great results and is a boon to the hospitality industry. When I was executive chef, the industry was starved of good professionals. We had to do extensive training. But today, Dr Bose and IIHM are doing a wonderful job of helping us. IIHM students are at par with national standards. I thank IHC for this memorable award.”

The International Hospitality Day Awards recognise the hard work and tireless contribution of hospitality professionals who have put in their best efforts to revive the industry after the two-year lull brought on by the pandemic. Dr Suborno Bose, the CEO and Convenor of the International Hospitality Council (IHC) said, “The International Hospitality Day Awards, Mumbai truly signify the bounce back of the industry. The hospitality industry was one of those that was badly hit during the pandemic. But the way it had come back with a vengeance, the figures of sales and profits are equal to 2019 figures, is amazing. The industry has rediscovered and reimagined itself is truly commendable. The awards ceremony organised jointly by IHC and IIHM, India’s largest hotel school chain, is a celebration of the bounce back of the hospitality industry after the Covid-19 pandemic. I take this opportunity to congratulate all my friends in the hospitality industry in India and the world who have worked tirelessly with huge passion, enthusiasm and hope and we see the results in the form of huge success of the industry.”

Over 100 young hospitality professionals working in hotels and other sectors across India received the IHC Best Hospitality Professional Award. They were selected on the basis of merit and performance by the organisations they work for.

A special awards segment included the IHC Hospitality Leadership Awards that recognised the significant contributions of hospitality leaders and trendsetters. “We are here today to recognise all the outstanding and wonderful achievements of these icons and entrepreneurs. We must also thank all the professionals in the industry who have supported us during these difficult times. We are honouring the icons and entrepreneurs of the industry who are the artists of the industry. We must be very proud of our industry and its people,” said Prof David Foskett, MBE, Chairman of IHC.

Several personalities from the industry who have made a difference through their unique ideas received the IHC Outstanding Contribution to the Hospitality Industry Award. Those receiving this award included:

Atul Bhalla, Area Manager for ITC Hotels in West and East India and General Manager, ITC Maratha Mumbai.
Sanjay Sethi, CEO and Managing Director, Chalet Hotels also received the award.
Ranvir Bhandari, Senior VP and GM, Trident Nariman Point.
Sharad Datta, General Manager, The Westin Mumbai Garden City.
Manish Gupta, CEO, Taj SATS Air Catering Limited.
Anuraag Bhatnagar, COO, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts.
Param Kannampilly, Chairman and MD, Concept Hospitality Pvt Ltd, The Fern Hotels & Resorts.
Shib Sankar Mukherji, Executive Vice Chairman, The Oberoi Group.
Puneet Dhawan, Senior VP, Operations, Accor India & South Asia.
Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India.
Nikita Ramchandani, General Manager, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu.

Tourism is an integral part of hospitality industry and IHC took the initiative to award those who try to promote tourism in the country. The IHC Outstanding Contribution to Development of Tourism Award went to Carl Vaz, Chairman and CEO, Chairperson Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd.

IHC has always respected and applauded women achievers in the hospitality sector. These award went to some amazing women who have contributed immensely to the industry.

Ananya Banerjee, Chef, Consultant, Author, Globetrotter, Artist.
Sonal Holland, Master of Wine and wine professional. Sonal is India’s first and only Master of Wine, and also the country’s most accomplished wine professional.
Shatbhi Basu, India’s first Woman Bartender and consultant, brand ambassador and mixologist.

The IHC Outstanding Hospitality Influencer Award went to Bibhor Srivastava, MD, ITP Media India. Bibhor has over two decades of work experience in Senior Management roles in publishing, audience development and media related events and exhibitions, marketing and sales management and business development.

Hospitality’s contribution to society was recognised through the IHC Hospitality for a Cause Award. The award went to the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust (TPSWT) that was set up in December 2008, in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks. Inspired by the resilience of the survivors and the courage of those who came to their aid, they reach out to people affected by disasters with support to rebuild their lives. They also have a special mandate for the welfare of injured and disabled members of the armed forces. Since their inception, they have worked for relief and rehabilitation initiatives across the country, with a strong commitment to helping survivors regain their confidence and independence.

Hospitality entrepreneurs are making a huge difference to the industry and IHC acknowledged their contribution through the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which was awarded to Sidharth Gupta, Co-founder at Treebo, Hotel Superhero. Treebo Hotels and Hotel Superhero were Sidharth Gupta’s brainchild. Treebo is a technology-enabled hotel brand operating in the budget segment and is present in over 800 locations across 150 cities with a network size of 15,000 rooms. Hotel Superhero is a comprehensive hotel management software thatallows hotels to manage their business on a cloud-native SaaS platform.

Finally, the IHC Rising Star of the Year Award went to Anant Leekha, Cluster General Manager at Accor. Anant has a rich experience of over 16 years with groups like Lemontree and Accor.