Last year, the Indian air force created history and gave a clear message to India’s anti-terror stance when a surgical strike was conducted by the Indian air force in Balakot, Pakistan, on suspected terror training camps. The strike was a success since there were no casualties on the Indian side, and the terror camps were hit, even though Pakistan denied their presence. 

While we celebrate the safe return of our pilots, the journey was quite a tricky one. End Run, a short film inspired by events from Balakot, gives a chilling glimpse into the maneuvers and feats pulled off by our brave forces. 

End Run has been presented by Runway Lifestyle In association with Hermosa Design Studio.  Written, Directed and Produced by Shakti Pratap Singh Hada and Co-Produced by Varun Katoch and Pranjal Agarwal. The film stars Rachit Soral.

If you think this is going to be a story of rainbows and butterflies, of how the world is a beautiful place and you just step out to experience your adventure in it, you’re wrong. It takes a whole lot more than just that.

This is the story of Niyati Saxena, a 26-year-old lawyer who quit her job to pursue her dreams of traveling around the world.

Niyati is a now a trip leader with a travel company called On His Trip, that leads group trips for young adults across India, South East Asia, and Europe.

Traveling with strangers or traveling solo, takes guts. Be it a man or a woman. How will people be? Will I get along? Will it be safe? These are just some of the many questions I’ve had people ask me before booking a trip with us, here at On His Trip. And to see that every person opening themselves up to unknown people during a trip, just leaves me smiling. 

And yet, the hesitation and questions I see coming from women will always be a tad more. Understandably. A lifetime of being asked to stay safe and protected does program our minds into wondering what is and what isn’t “safe”. Last December when I was visiting Tirthan for the first time, my friend and I got off our bus at 4 am in a place with not a single street lamp. Light only came when a vehicle approached so we were shivering in the pitch dark, waiting for ours to turn up. The moment we sat in the vehicle, my friend dozed off dead to the world, snoring at shocking octaves for such a skinny person! While I was extremely sleepy, I couldn’t doze off as the gnawing thought of empty dark streets and us being in a vehicle completely in this man’s control played on my mind. As my tense self gazed out of the window, it hit me that my comfort or discomfort is solely in my hands. So, I struck up a conversation with the driver. I’m pretty sure he was tired too and wondering why is this woman being so chatty even before sunrise?! But hah there’s no shutting up this chatty Cathy. As we spoke about him, his family and his life in the hills, I developed a sense of familiarity with the man who just a few moments ago had concerned me.  Women are often taught to “not engage” anyone unknown. However, my travels have brought me the realization that when you open up yourself, to the people, to your surroundings and well, to the experience, that is when you begin to become comfortable even in unknown places. When you begin to see the other human being as simply an individual on the job or as a friendly companion or a fellow explorer, that is when the shadows creeping up in your mind die down and allow you to converse, to laugh and to just be.

Having lived in Delhi for so many years, in Mumbai and even in South India and eventually dedicating my life to traveling, has shown me that no one place can be deemed safe or unsafe in a blanket statement. Incidents happen everywhere.No, I’m not saying trust anyone, always be alert and aware of your whereabouts but at the same time give people and places a chance. You never know where and how it may surprise you. And the more you witness kindness and warmth in the world, the surer of yourself you will become. 

So how did you become a trip leader, we ask her. “Well, my best friend had traveled with Neeraj Narayanan (OHOT’s founder) on a Bhutan group trip and had raved about how good it was. This was in mid-2016. I heard he was leading a waterfall rappelling day trip, so I booked it. We had a crazy fun time there. I returned to do a few more trips with him that year, and the next, and sometime towards the end of 2018, Neeraj asked me if I would like to lead trips for On His Trip. I did think about it a lot, I had studied law and was now practicing. But I had been on his trips, and the happiness I got in traveling, I knew I would never get in my corporate job. So I joined him full time, and as of Feb 2019, I have lead 19 trips across India and South East Asia.

What else holds back women from traveling?

Beyond safety, I find women holding themselves back on account of perception. Indian women are especially so watchful of the stigmas that they step back. 

Last year I was leading a trip to Thailand and encouraged the girls in my group to get two-piece swimsuits. Not because it’s sexy or anything but simply because Indian women so often lose the ability to feel comfortable in their skins. On the morning of our island tour, I saw the girls hesitantly fidgeting a bit with the ends and straps of their costumes but by evening they had full-fledged photo shoots, they stretched out in the Sun and leisurely plonked themselves on the boat without searching or shrugs or cover-ups. Enjoying themselves and their time simply; a picture of the absolute blissful beach bums. That is what travel can do for a woman. As a trip leader, I’ve been lucky enough to see women go through this transition. Before a trip, they’ll ask me about safety and whatnot, during a trip each day their hesitation slips a little further away and eventually you’ll find them making friends with just about anyone, gallivanting as they please, partying at places they could never think of visiting, sharing a quiet moment with a stranger turned friend, overcoming phobias as they dip their feet for a taste of adventure and ending trips with hugs, laughs and promises to travel more.

Seeing girls on Instagram and Facebook, traveling the world and sharing their adventures, especially Indian girls, makes me so happy. We’re still a small percentage but slowly and steadily we’re changing that, breaking stereotypes and fulfilling our dreams. When I lead trips in small hill stations, I have occasionally had a driver or a vendor ask me, “Aap hi ho?”. How will a woman handle these 20-odd people in this terrain? So, I politely smile at them, tell them yes, work with them every day, sip cups of chai and converse, so that the next time I visit they smile and ask “Aur madame Kaise hai?”. To build an equation with them too, so that one day they’ll know that their little girls can do it all too.

So, to all the girls who want to travel, this isn’t a story of rainbows and butterflies, it’s about why you should trek up hills to catch a rainbow, why you should run in open meadows chasing after butterflies, why travel won’t just feed your need for adventure but give you a taste of independence that you will get addicted to, a sense of confidence that will follow your footsteps as you walk in everyday life, let you surprise foreigners that Indian girls are doing this too, have you play games with local kids in dim-lit lanes and share meals with folks from all walks of life, to share stories about your lives and theirs, to leave you wondering about them as they wonder about you wandering in your wild womanly ways.  

You can read more about Niyati Saxena at https://www.onhisowntrip.com/niyati-saxena/

For common folks like us fashion world, media events and makeup arts are big words that we cannot even dream to achieve and probably wonder how artists reach up to that level. But is it impossible to become one of the leading artists despite originating from the background of a common man? Yes, indeed it is hard but certainly not impossible. Amit Kumar was a common folk like us but he had a dream and will to work hard to achieve that dream. Because of hard work, Amit Kumar is now one of the prominently known makeup artists right now.

A guy who born in Jalandhar (Punjab) and worked in the saloon had the required patient and talent to stands out different from the crowd. A self-made man like Amit Kumar credits his success to his attitude of accepting the change in art. His ever-changing art always stays relevant to the time and lead the trends. His trendsetting art comes from his distinctive natural makeup look given to models. Logically if you follow the step of successful people you are more likely to be successful. This is also what aspiring makeup artists should do. Amit Kumar always starts makeup by designing an original concept which is according to the type of event. Lighting and arena of the event are always important as it is what enhances the look and everything should match the background. Amit Kumar’s way is to do everything is required proportion and do everything timely. 

For his artwork, Amit Kumar has been awarded as “best makeup artist” several times. Already a nationwide phenomenon Amit Kumar is slowly going global too. His leisure activities involve reading stuff related to the fashion world and traveling. He has been a long part of NGOs which help poor children by providing economic upliftment opportunities. He teaches his makeup art to students and whenever possible give them small projects so they can have practical exposure. What is most advisable to new artists or those who are new to the field is that finding their style then stick to it. Make it your style and keep improving it. Despite being a veteran of makeup art Amit Kumar still try to learn new things and he still believes that he can improve much further. Amit Kumar also advocates people to not hesitate to try new things. Pushing the boundaries is what elevates someone’s art.

The key to staying in the limelight in the film industry is hard work, perseverance and luck factor. Things take time in the industry as every artist has something different written in their fate. One such actor who is trying the best to make his name in the entertainment industry is Raj Hemant Tapkir, an ordinary man with some extraordinary dreams. He is from Pune and belongs to the family of farmers. Besides this, his family is into business and has a strong political background. However, the 27-year old man was always interested in acting.

Being an actor, he is a businessman and a social worker. It was during his school he realised his potential to become an actor. Extra curriculum activities like drama, dance and skit made him fall in love with the creative field. He believes that acting is a confidence booster that makes a person more physically active. Not just acting, but fashion also holds great importance in Raj’s life. He has walked the ramp for many fashion events and currently he is trying to put his best foot forward to collaborate with the top brands of India.

Raj also loves blogging and being an influencer. Sharing his views about blogging he said, “Bloggers are pretty much available all over the world. With the latest innovations in social media, people have become smarter and have chosen their careers in social media. I believe influencers have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders as they are the ones who influence the users to buy a product of a particular brand.” Apart from this, the new-age apps like TikTok and Helo have made ordinary people celebrities. “I love to interact with the audience and I know that I can be a great social media influencer”, he added. With all said and done, we wish the young man all the best for his upcoming projects.

Shlok Nair, a young entrepreneur from Mumbai is unlike any other 21-year-old student out there. NAIR seems to be clearly breaking all stereotypes and at this age & the talented young man is an entrepreneur who specializes in Digital Marketing, Celebrity Management & therefore has worked for many celebrities within Mumbai, India. Moreover, this young man also keeps in touch with celebrities from Delhi, Punjab and the Tollywood industry respectively. NAIR is the head of public relations at Dadasaheb Phalke Awards (Dpiff) & Ceo of Okbronetwork which was officially announced as marketing and media promotion partner for Dadasaheb Phalke Awards, Mumbai 2019 where NAIR was spotted with Sakshi Chopra, one of the most glamorous social media influencer and a musician.

The most important part of online branding & marketing is being able to target the right audience. Once you know your target audience you can then leverage your influence to become an authorized figure. Since he knows how to expand business through digital marketing and media influencing skills with his clients & Okbronetwork is a name you need to be on the lookout for your Social Media Growth.

Motto for Okbronetwork and Shlok is simple i.e to make creative individuals famous through multiple digital and social platforms!

A Parliamentary panel has raised serious “financial impropriety” on the expenditure on various Railway projects over the years.
Public Accounts Committee (PAC), headed by Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, in its latest Action Taken Report (ATR) on accounting of projects in Indian Railways also recommended for penal action against some of the erring officials.
The 8th report of action taken was tabled in both the houses in the current Budget session. Following the presentation of 109th report on the same subject in the last 16th  Lok Sabha,  Ministry of Railways gave their observations to that report.
After studying the observations made by the Ministry, the Committee came to the conclusion that the Ministry had failed to reduce the unsanctioned expenditure of the projects and out of 5737 on account bills, 5118 bills were passed without material reconciliation statement.

The 109th Report of PAC was based on the Audit review of accounting of projects in Indian Railways where Audit had observed that Indian Railways was not following its own rules and regulations laid down in Finacial code and engineering codes for efficient execution of projects and proper accounting of financial transactions. The committee had recommended that chief accounting authorities of the Railway board, as well as concerned accounting authorities in all Zonal railways, should be held accountable an suitable actions should also be taken against them. Though the PAC has acknowledged that Railway authorities did take some steps in this regard but it expressed its dismay over not controlling unsanctioned costs which was significant.
The report also mentions that “committee is not convinced with the Ministry’s contention that due to safety considerations works were required to be executed pending regularisations of expenditure.”  
It goes on to say “committee are deeply constrained to note that out of 674 completion certificate 409 completion certificates are yet to be drawn.” The committee recommended that “since repeated instructions have not produced the desired results , the committee recommends that penal measures should be taken against the officers for not submitting the CR certificate in time.”

The committee also deplores the vague and evasive response given by the Ministry to their recommendations on the regularisation of long-pending projects. The committee also expressed its concern on finding expenditure of Rs 5001 crore having been incurred on 625 unsanctioned projects and suggested suitable action. 

Afzal Anis, a 17-year-old Digital Marketer who started his career studying side by side had a dream of achieving something big. Along with his studies, he started his social media platform thus helping in various campaigns for a variety of industries to scale their business using the same digital marketing strategies that he utilized to grow his brand name called Gravmo Digital.

That’s what made Afzal a renowned name in the Digital Marketing world. Becoming one of the top youngest digital marketers and carrying a good amount of experience Afzal Anis left no stone unturned for maximum revenue generation and marketing through social media means. Thus passing over the same to the others. It’s his dream to become a millionaire and there’s no looking back for Afzal.

His tactics his work experience and knowledge have helped many people in different ways to achieve their targets. Afzal also has his hands in the Bollywood industry as he carries various campaigns for movies and commercials on social media.

Afzal Anis is a  public figure, who has reached millions with his social media status and inspiring youth who would like to persuade their career in the same. He is always networking and on the go. He has millions of views and followers and people look up to him as an idol in Ranchi.

This is exactly what prompted Afzal to start his firm in 2017 and start working with experts who thought like him. The fact that Afzal thinks ahead of time makes him a revered digital marketer in the industry. His techniques, which change from time to time, also put him in good stead with his clients – and he has more than 10,000 clients in the world.

Mohamad Ghayad single-handedly founded Le Mariage in 2009 in Beirut, Lebanon, with a vision to make it a world-class brand in architectural wedding designs. From Beirut he expanded to Dubai and Qatar, executing out-of-the-world weddings for the high and mighty, and the royals. He could have ruled his empire like an emperor but elected to embrace the all-inclusive style of leadership. He understands the power of people and never for once in his 10 years remarkable journey in the industry had he taken it for granted. And this has been the philosophy that has oiled the wheel of progress of Le Marriage.

With more than 40 employees toiling tirelessly for a common goal and vision in a rapidly evolving industry, Mohamad recognizes that investing in people is the key. He embraces this with obsessive passion and utmost presence of mind.

“Making every wedding unique and different has always been a challenge. The importance is finding the right people to work with, who would have a similar vision, excellent work ethics, and skills. Mohamad is always putting a lot of effort into finding new, not yet well-discovered artists, form a great and talented team, and collaborate with the right people,” a spokesperson of the company once revealed.

“The whole team is always working hard on creating unique and different designs. Investing in designers and finding experts in their fields from any part of the world is sacrosanct to the belief at Le Mariage,” the spokesperson had added.

To build an impeccable reputation like Le Mariage has done over the years, takes more than the company’s vision, its people and the alliances it had formed along the way. Mohamad says that being transparent and honest with his clients takes a big part in the success of Le Mariage. Particularly, dealing with the royals who form the largest chunk of their clientele requires not only uncommon tact but art. 

“Working with royal families requires a high level of professionalism in your work to meet their high expectations. Also, it is important to have excellent communication skills to treat royal families accordingly,” Mohamad had said in an interview.

Mohamad started his business in Beirut in 2009. However, having the burning desire, always exploring different enterprising ways to be different in his work and to change the narrative in the wedding industry, he soon expanded into Qatar and Dubai markets. The company has executed over 50 royal weddings, including the most expensive ones the world had ever seen.

The first visual look of an upcoming movie “Hawayein” has been released today, which looks very attractive and has been catching the attention of the youth audience.
Tipped as the first Bollywood film showcasing the adventures of a solo traveler, ‘Hawayein’ is OK Movie’s second film in just four months. His ‘P Se Pyaar F Se Faraar’, which focused on inter-caste love and honor killing, had released in October 2019.
The poster reveals, actor “Bhavesh Kumar” and the actress “Ester Noronha” sitting under the moonlight in the “Himalayan Valley” with the bonfire on. Sitting together they both are witnessing the beautiful mist wrapped in the moonlight. The view of the poster looks really romantic.
The movie was initially announced to be released on the 14th of February, however, due to some technical issues the release of the movie has been postponed. About this delay in releasing, the makers of the movie have said that “Hawayein” is a beautiful story of a solo traveler who visits most of the parts of India from Kashmir to Kerala. It takes a lot of time and effort to beautifully present the journey of a traveler in the form of a movie and since we wanted to meet the expectations of our viewers we have postponed the release date. It took 2 years to complete the movie. Now the movie is set to be released on 1st May 2020.
“Hawayein” is the first Bollywood movie on solo traveling and it is being produced under the banner of “Ok Movies” and directed by Yogesh Vats.
Bhavesh Kumar is in the lead role and “Hawayein” is his second film after “P se pyaar F se Faraar”.

Hawayein (The Winds) | First Visual Look | Bhavesh Kumar | Ester Noronha | OK Movies | 1st May 2020

India’s rich and diverse culture will be unveiled grandly to welcome the U.S. President Donald Trump when he lands at Ahmedabad on February 24, a first standalone state visit by a U.S. President to India. He will be accompanied by the first lady Melania Trump and a high-level delegation.

“From the moment of their arrival at the airport a little before noon on February 24, the delegates will be treated to a display of famed Indian hospitality and India’s unity in diversity. The route of their travel to the stadium is expected to have tens of thousands of ordinary citizens of India as well as artists showcasing the performing artists from different states and Union Territories of India,” Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told journalists here on Wednesday.

As many as 28 stages representing various parts of the country are being set up along the route, in what is being called the India Road Show. The route will also feature decorations depicting different events in the life of Gandhiji, whose association with the city is well-known.

President Trump will be greeted by the people outside the Motera stadium, the world’s largest cricket stadium with a capacity of nearly 1.10 lakh people. Inside the new stadium, President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would address a full-capacity audience, which would include people from different parts of the country and all walks of life, reflecting the diversity of India. President Trump will address the “Namaste Trump” event jointly with Prime Minister Modi at the newly built stadium in Ahmedabad.

It will be similar to the landmark “Howdy, Modi!” event hosted by the Indian-American community in honor of Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Houston in September 2019, in which President Trump had participated.  After this event, President Trump and the First Lady would visit Agra, where they would spend about an hour at the Taj Mahal before the sunset. President Trump’s visit will be a brief one but intense, with all essential elements of a State visit, and two additional legs in Ahmedabad and Agra, all squeezed into less than 36 hours.

In the third leg of his visit to New Delhi on February 25, President Trump will be accorded a ceremonial welcome in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan. He will then visit Rajghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. It would be followed by restricted and delegation-level talks between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi at Hyderabad House.

The talks will be comprehensive and cover issues relating to our strategic partnership in the areas of defense, security, counter-terrorism, as well as trade, energy, people-to-people exchanges, and other bilateral matters. They would also exchange views on regional and global issues of shared interests. Prime Minister Modi would host a lunch for President Trump.  In the afternoon, President Trump is expected to attend certain private events at the U.S. Embassy, including a private roundtable with industry representatives.

The final element of his visit will be meeting with President Ram Nath Kovind and a banquet hosted at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in the evening. President Trump would depart India later in the same evening.

Prime Minister Modi had met President Trump at the White House in June 2017 and extended an invitation to him for visiting India. Mr. Trump had promised to visit India in his first term. His high-level delegation is likely to have several senior members of his cabinet. This will be President Trump’s fifth meeting with Prime Minister Modi in the past eight months —  reflecting the renewed intensity of high-level bilateral engagement since the NDA Government returned to power.

Foreign Secretary said there had been three incoming visits of U.S. Presidents to India during the 1947-2000 period and post-2000 four such Presidential visits — Mr. Bill Clinton in 2000, Mr. George Bush in 2006, and Mr. Barack Obama in 2010 and 2015 — have taken place.  

He said that a relationship with the U.S. has evolved to “one of our most consequential relationships today.”  Describing it as a “strategic partnership based on shared values and geared towards the 21st century”, he said the two countries have the convergence of interests in areas ranging from countering terrorism to ensuring a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

“We have procured over US$18 billion worth of defense items from the U.S., which have enhanced our defense preparedness significantly. We conduct more bilateral exercises with each other than we do with any other country,” Mr. Shringla said.  

The U.S. is India’s largest trading partner in goods and services combined, and the overall bilateral trade increased by over 10 % per annum over the past two years to reach US$ 142 billion in 2018; it is expected to cross US$ 150 billion for the first time this year. The U.S. is now India’s sixth-largest source of crude oil imports, with hydrocarbon imports rising to US$ 7 billion in the last two years.

The India-U.S relationship also has a large people-to-people component. The size of the Indian Diaspora in the U.S. is estimated at around four million, with a million of NRIs. There are more than two lakh Indian students in the U.S. and there is comprehensive engagement among academics, scientists, professionals and other stakeholders of the two countries.