NEW DELHI: Assembly elections in the hilly State of Himachal Pradesh will be held on November 9 and the counting of votes will be held on December 18, the Election Commission announced on Thursday. 

Though the EC did not announce the dates of assembly polls for Gujarat, it said that polling there would be held before December 18. 

Announcing the schedule for Himachal Pradesh assembly polls, Chief Election Commissioner AK Jyoti said that a model code of conduct, a set of dos and don’ts for political parties for their election campaign, will come into effect from Thursday. 

For the 68 assembly constituencies in Himachal Pradesh, Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs with the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system will be used in all polling stations. In the last assembly elections, the Congress had won 36 seats and the BJP 27 while independent candidates had bagged five seats.

Polling in Gujarat will be held before December 18, the day of counting of votes in Himachal Pradesh, so that the result of Himachal cannot affect the voting in Gujarat. The CEC said: “We will, in a few days, announce the dates for Gujarat election, but I can say for sure that voting in Gujarat will happen before December 18.”

Both the Congress and the BJP which has ruled Gujarat for the past one and a half decade have sounded poll bugle in the two poll-bound states.

Juvenile Arthritis (JA) usually affects individuals under 16 years of age; it can affect children at any age although rarely in the first six months post birth. It is a chronic inflammatory condition which may involve one or many joints. It usually manifests in children between 1 to 3 years of age and girls are more prone than male children. Due to the lack of standard diagnostic criteria, determining the exact prevalence becomes difficult. It affects approximately 1 in 1,000 children in any given year with about 1 in 10,000 taking a severe condition.

Diagnosis and test

The term juvenile arthritis encompasses several types of arthritis that occur in children or young individuals. Diagnosis of the condition is difficult as initial symptoms may not indicate arthritic pathology. Additionally, no diagnostic test is available presently. Individuals may show low red blood cell and elevated white blood cell counts in hematological investigations, but these findings are not characteristic of JA. It is often diagnosed only at advanced stages when joint inflammation becomes visible. Criteria for diagnosis include onset before age of 16, persistent, objective arthritis in 1 or more joints for at least 6 weeks, and exclusion of other potential causes of childhood arthritis.

Symptoms and Causes

Presentation of JA may begin with repeating fever, intermittent rash etc. Apart from these symptoms, typically an individual may complain of stiffness in joints especially in the morning, difficulty performing fine motor activities etc. Joint swelling however, may not be apparent until months or years of onset of symptoms and systemic inflammation. Overtime, disability progresses to the extent that movement is completely restricted. In addition to disability, JA also has an impact on the psychological well being of the child. In mild cases however, symptoms may not progress into adulthood and quality of life may remain unaffected.

 

Immune system dysfunction has been implicated as a cause of JA. Genetic predisposition has been suggested as a factor, but the condition develops only after exposure to an infection or other triggers. Synovial membrane, which is the lining of joints is targeted by the malfunctioning immune system. The end result of the pathogenic process is joint inflammation and destruction.

Treatment

Conventional treatment for JA involves use of anti-inflammatory medications and physiotherapy rehabilitation. These agents aid in temporarily alleviating an individual of symptoms, but do not halt progression of the disease. Disease modifying anti-rheumatoid drugs or agents, steroids may also be advised, however may be associated with adverse effects when used for long durations.

 

In recent years, regenerative medicine and cellular therapy has been showing promise in treatment of conditions previously thought to be untreatable. Cellular therapy aims to harness the power of the human body’s own reparative mechanisms to treat various conditions. Mesenchymal stem cells have anti-inflammatory, immune-modulatory and tissue repairing properties which are effective in treating arthritic pathology. Source of mesenchymal stem cells may be autologous (from one’s own body) or allogeneic. In addition, T cells which possess the ability to regulate or modulate the immune system may also be effective in treating JA.

 

This form of therapy is more effective in young individuals owing to better healing ability and general absence of co-morbid health conditions (as seen in older individuals) that may affect overall outcome of therapy.

 

The overall goal of cellular therapy and rehabilitation (physiotherapy etc.) is to control symptoms, prevent joint damage and maintain function. Being a non/minimally invasive therapy and cells being harvested from the patients’ own body, cellular therapy is a definitive and safe treatment modality for juvenile arthritis.

Prevention

There is no definite cause that has been implicated in disease pathogenesis. Therefore, prevention of the condition, currently, is not possible. Early identification of symptoms may aid in diagnosing the condition and planning appropriate interventions to limit disability.

 

Lifestyle and dietary modifications play an important role in autoimmune conditions as these are associated with modulating the core pathology of the disease. Moderate intensity exercises, swimming etc. can aid in maintaining strength of muscle groups and preventing disability. Additionally, maternal or paternal screening for presence of autoimmune antibodies is imperative in identifying possible manifestation of the condition in children.

Arthritis, apart from being an autoimmune condition, is also associated with our way of life. Sedentary lifestyle habits, improper dietary practices cause the condition to progress at a more rapid and severe rate. It is therefore important to follow a disciplined lifestyle along with regular monitoring of health in order to identify the condition at the earliest and plan appropriate interventions.

(The Author is Regenerative medicine researcher at StemRx)

In spite of an overall decline in the rate of marriage among young girls across most of Indian States, Bihar continues to have a comparatively higher percentage of marriage before girls reach the legally prescribed age of 18 years.

According to the recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4, 2015-16) data, 39.1% of women within the age-group of 20-24 years are married before 18 years. In simpler terms, 2 of every 5 adolescent girls are married off before they complete their higher secondary education.  

A comparative analysis done by CRY—Child Rights and You–the trend recorded by two consecutive National Family Health Surveys (NFHS-3, 2005-06 and NFHS-4, 2015-16) reveals that the State has registered an improvement of 20 percentage points in under-age marriage over the last decade. The findings of NFHS-3 had recorded that 60.3% of women within the age-group of 20-24 years were married within their teens.

Worryingly, 12.2% of women within the age-group of 15-19 years were already mothers or pregnant at the time of the survey. 

As per District Level Household Survey data (DLHS-4, 2015-16), the status of child marriage in the intervention areas of CRY-supported projects in Bihar, Supaul had the highest percentage of underage married, closely followed by Begusarai, Jamui, Samastipur and Gaya districts. Supaul accounted for more than 56% of girl child marriage, while Begusarai (53.2%), Jamui (50.8%), Samastipur (49.6%) and Gaya (47.6%) closely followed. 

In fact, statistics from DLHS-4 and DLHS-3 show that the percentage of child marriages had gone up in several districts. In Munger it went up from 30.5% (DLHS-3) to 32.6% (DLHS-4), Supaul from 44.2% to 56.9% during the same period, Begusarai (42.2%) to (53.2%), and Vaishali (41.2%) to (46%).

However, girls of Bihar will have one big reason to celebrate the Girl Child Day this year on a more positive note, as the State government has recently announced the launch of a full-fledged state-wide campaign against child marriage and dowry system prevalent in the society. 

Welcoming the govt. decision Mohua Chatterjee, program head, CRY (Eastern Region) said it was a positive move, as the government has actually taken into cognizance the gravity of child marriage situation in the state.

According to her, “Education can significantly play the role of a game-changer when it comes to adolescent girls getting married off and bearing children before they are prepared, both physically and mentally.”   

“As the latest Census (2011) data reveals, there are over 13 million adolescent girls who are married between 10 to 19 years of age and a startling 3.8 million adolescent girls in India have children and are shouldering the responsibilities of motherhood. Of these 3.8 million underage mothers 1.4 million had 2 or more children, even before completing adolescence. A brief analysis of their education profile reveals that, 39% of girls who were illiterate had begun child bearing, compared to 26% among the girls who were literate, proving that even a little education goes a long way in empowering girls,” she added.

Lack of access to school is a big reason why girls are often dropped out at the secondary and higher secondary levels. To address the issue, the state govt. should set up a residential school for girls’ at each block of all districts, she added. 

“While the campaign shows a strong political will and commitment towards the issue of child marriage, there is a need to direct this campaign towards developing and strengthening women’s agency and ensuring their access to all kinds of benefits, rights, entitlements, decision making – not only to reduce child marriage but also to bring in change in quality of lives for the girls and children,” she added. 

Meanwhile, to mark the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, Ms Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India has said that the day  is a global opportunity for recognising both the value and power of girls and revisit the barriers and discrimination that girls face in the pursuit of their rights and happiness. The work and vision of the Population Foundation of India (PFI) has been guided by the principle of gender equality, and advocating a framework for policy that is empowering for women and girls.

The theme for this year is `The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030’ that calls upon all of us to think of our vision for girls and we see them grow into healthy, educated and empowered women. 

 We envision the end of sex-selective abortions; we see equal opportunities, a future where every girl has access to education and healthcare. We want to see them gainfully employed, confident about their bodies and minds, women who set an example for future generations of young girls and boys to come. Therefore, it is critical that we take a hard look at the progress so far and address the gaps to ensure that our girls have equal opportunities,’’ she has said. 

It is a priority for civil society organisations, governments and elected representatives, to join hands – forge effective collaborations that help girls remain in school, break away from the shackles of early marriage and unwanted pregnancy. “We have all seen how empowering girls and women enable improvements to their health, education, nutrition and employment. Girls can break the wheel of oppression, ensure that the possibilities are limitless, and change the narrative not only for them but for the generations to come; we just need to give them the chance,’’ Ms Muttreja has said. 

Diplomatic missions in India have reaffirmed the strong commitment of their respective countries’ to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and the advancement of their human rights. On October 11, the missions will come together to mark the International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC) through a range of actions encouraging greater opportunities for girls.

Activities include interactions with students at academic institutions, distribution of IDGC activity guides to schools, illumination of office buildings as well as the organisation of “Girls’ Takeovers”. With the support of Plan India, a child rights organization which strives to advance children’s rights and equality for girls, the ‘takeover’ will provide an opportunity for young women of different backgrounds to interact directly with Ambassadors and High Commissioners and take on their role for a short time, followed by a large gathering to exchange experiences and discuss girls’ empowerment. These actions reflect our year-round support for promoting gender equality, according to a joint statement issued by the diplomatic missions in the national capital.

The International Day of the Girl Child, celebrated every year on October 11, is a UN-declared international observance day to support greater opportunities for girls and awareness of the gender discrimination they endure worldwide. It also recognizes girls as powerful agents of change and as leaders of tomorrow.

“Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Also, as children are among the most vulnerable, they need special attention and we have to protect their rights. When a girl is safe, healthy, educated, and effectively supported by her family and community, she is free to pursue her goals, and the advantages of her success ripple outward to touch all of society. Girls, boys, men and women all have an important role to play in building a society that empowers every member to reach their full potential,’’ the joint statement said.

“We, as diplomatic missions in India, are committed to working together, and with the Government of India and civil society partners, to continue to raise awareness around the issue and to advocate for greater gender parity and equal access to opportunities. Investing in girls is investing in peace and prosperity,’’ it further added.

Baiju Bawra according to legend lived during the Mughal reign and sought revenge from Tansen, whom he held responsible for the death of his father. The film was a biopic of Baiju Bawra and his legendary vocal duel with the great Tansen .Vijay Bhatt’s classic, at the time of its making, was dismissed as a patsy while being shot primarily at Prakash Pictures, Andheri East. It was the year of Mehboob Khan’s Aan which was the talk of town that year. None of the crew of Baiju Bawra ever felt during its making that they were working on a film that would become a musical milestone. 

During the making of Baiju Bawra, friends and even his elder brother derided Vijay Bhatt’s vision and passionto make a film totally based on a classical music! The film went on to become not only the second biggest grosser of the year and was the 8th biggest hit of the 50s, but was classified a blockbuster hit  whereas Aan was termed a super hit, the naysayers had to eat a crow.

Baiju Bawra is one of the prime examples of Bollywood style of storytelling, the elements of which exist in the cinema of today. It has a singing hero, a demure heroine, a comic sub-plot, a rivetting jugalbandi between Tansen and Baiju that nothing but a blood feud, and then when you don’t expect it, a tragic end. Before Ranbir Kapoor became a symbol of the archetypical artiste slaving to his craft at Hazrat Nizamuddin’s Dargah in Rockstar (2011), or becoming a singer songwriter after having his heart broken Ae dil hai mushkil (2016). It was Bharat Bhushan who, as it happened, set the precedent 60 years ago. The film may have a revenge plot, but the film’s real message that strikes a universal chord even after nearly seven decades is that an artiste must first overcome his ego if he is to achieve knowledge or mastery over his craft. 

Vijay Bhatt’s film had, Bharat Bhushan and Meena Kumari in lead roles. Dilip Kumar and Nargis were the first choice as the lead pair, but date problems and fee wrangles made Bhatt settle for Bharat Bhushan and Meena Kumari. Bharat Bhushan according to director had the visage of a tragic musician, an image trap that later would become his undoing! Meena Kumari, on the other hand, was introduced by Bhatt in Leatherface (1939) as a child artiste. It was Bhatt who had rechristened six-years-old Mahjabeen Bano as Baby Meena. Dilip Kumar has always expressed regret over the decades for not taking up Baiju Bawra. 

Meena Kumari won the first-ever Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1954, the first of four Best Actress trophies she won in her career. Naushad, also received the inaugural and incidentally his first and only Filmfare trophy as Best Music Director Award for the song, Tu ganga ki mauj, based on the raga Bhairavi! Mohd. Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Shamshad Begum, and renowned classical vocalists Ustad Amir Khan and D. V. Paluskar lent their voices to the score. It was perhaps the foremost array of playback singers that the Bollywood had witnessed! 

The Baiju Bawra- Tansen musical duel in the court of Mughal Emperor Akbar was to filmed as in form of the jugalbandi, Aaj gaavat man mero jhoom ke, was rendered by Ustad Amir Khan and Pt. D.V. Paluskar in one of the most historical moments of Hindi cinema. Ustad Amir Khan (also music consultant of the film), had been persuaded to lend his voice for Tansen by Naushad and Vijay Bhatt.However the quandary that who would portray Baiju the victor was excruciating? But great Ustad Amir Khan solved dilemma of Bhatt and Naushad by recommending Pt. D.V. Paluskar as choice for Baiju, the only artiste he held not only in highest esteem, but also didn’t mind being defeated on celluloid! 

Bharat Bhushan was earmarked for the role of Baiju because he had the face of a tragic musician, an image that refused to leave him all his life, driving him to reprise the same kind of role over and over again. He had when he was offered the role of Baiju after. Meena Kumari, on the other hand, was a Vijay Bhatt discovery, having being launched by him in Leatherface in 1939 as a child artiste. 

Since Bhatt was musically inclined and interested in literature, he had been thinking of making a film that could combine his two passions. He had read about Tansen, but it was the legend of Baiju Bawra that he felt compelled to film his own version. The doomed end to his film possibly came from the legend of Laila-Majnu. 

Naushad worked with Bhatt and his elder brother Shankar on the screenplay for nearly six months, signifying the kind of close involvement by which the film’s music was created. Naushad was discouraged by Shankarbhai Bhatt that the film full of classical music and ragas wil not go down the ordinary folk’s craw! An adamant Naushad wanted to change public taste and remained steadfast to his dictum that instead of commercial and crass music the public be  presented with music from our culture for a change and it worked.

The lilting bhajan man tarpat hai hari darshan ko aaj, the therapeutic  power of which brings Baiju’s mentor Swami Haridas back on his feet, is a striking example of India’s secular ethos; it’s a bhajanwritten, composed and sung by three Muslim artists who were master spirits of the time— lyricist Shakeel Badayuni, his brother-in-law Naushad, and Naushad’s ardent disciple Mohammed Rafi! The bhajan was reportedly confessed by the singer to be one of the toughest songs of his career as his mentor the perfectionist pushed him to nearly sound like the legendary singer. 

Vijay Bhatt wanted Kavi Pradeep as lyricist for Baiju Bawra as devotional songs like O duniya ke rakhwale were need of the musical. But Naushad and Shakeel Badayuni were an unbroken alliance since Andaz (1949) and Naushad insisted that Bhatt hear Badayuni’s lyrics first. It is said that an extremely keen Kavi Pradeep went to meet Naushad. However Naushad kept him waiting endlessly. An outraged Kavi Pradeep left, swearing not to work with Naushad in future!

Bhatt was overjoyed after hearing Badayuni’s compositions-Bachpan ki mohabbat ko, Jhoole mein pawan ki, Man tadpat Hari darshan ko aaj, Tu ganga ki mauj and Mohe bhool gaye saawariya, and  Baiju Bawra became musical milestone in careers of both Naushad and Badayuniand also forged an alliance that lasted another 17 years!

Every scene of Baiju Bawra was sketched by art director and artist Kanu Desai. And as most of its unit members and technicians, including the editor, sound recordist and production manager, were from Bhatt’s extended family. The shooting went on without any glitches, and the film was completed in a year’s time. 

Vijay Bhatt would always be on the verge of a nervous breakdown prior to his film being released, he would retreat to a hill station. In case of Baiju Bawra also his brother Shankar despatched telegrams to him to apprise him of his film’s box office status urging him to return, as the picture had been a huge hit.

Bhatt wanted Baiju Bawra be as visually stunning as De Mille epics like Cleopatra (1948), Samson and Delilah and The Ten Commandments. The river scenes were homage to DeMille as Bhatt was smitten by the way DeMille used special effects in the ‘parting of the Red Sea’ scene from The Ten Commandments. On a US tour in 1947, Bhatt met DeMille and sought his autograph. The Hollywood mogul signed with an emotional message: ‘Greetings from one director who is still trying to make good pictures, to another director, who will make great ones long after I am gone.’

NEW DELHI : World’s top 150 detectives from over 50 countries will gather in the Capital for a three-day international conference starting October 12 where they will brainstorm on emerging challenges regarding overall security scenario, anti-corruption and cyber threat issues.

Being organized under the banner of the World Association of Detectives (WAD), the 92nd WAD Annual Conference holds special significance as important issues related to India, which includes blackmoney, counterfeit currency, anti-corruption challenges, cyber security threats, will be discussed threadbare. Lt. Gen. (retd) Rajinder Singh, former Director General (Infantry), Indian Army and former Commander of UN Peace Keeping Forces, will inaugurate the Conference.

“Over 150 super sleuths, global investigators and detectives will gather to discuss emerging challenges in our sector and how to prepare to face them. The conference will bring together international experts from various fields like security, police, defense, private investigation and forensic sciences fields,” said Kunwar Vikram Singh, President of WAD, who is also the head of the Security Sector Skill Development Council (SSSDC). 

Interestingly, Mr. Singh, who is also Chairman of Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI), will take over as first-ever Indian Chairman of WAD at the end of the international conference.

Delhi event will see discussions and seminars of currently relevant topics like Cyber Security and the Dark Web; Anti-Corruption Partnerships; Threats to the Security Environment and Role of Interpol; Doing Business in India–Opportunities and Challenges. 

During their three-day stay in Delhi, global detectives, private investigators and security experts are likely to call upon key Indian ministers and government authorities to discuss challenges and threats being faced by India vis a vis issues like terrorism, corruption, trafficking, counterfeiting etc.

This is the second time that WAD is holding its annual conference in India. First was held in 1984 at New Delhi. WAD, the largest and longest established association of its kind in the world, represents investigation and security practitioners in more than 80 countries. It promotes and maintains the highest ethical practices among its members and fosters cooperation between investigators globally.

New Delhi : Experts across the globe agree that mental well-being is not merely an absence of disorder but a state of positive well-being. According to National Mental Health Survey (2016), 1 in 20 people suffer from depression in India. Depression, anxiety and substance abuse problems together are called Common Mental Disorders (CMD). CMDs are affected by a wide range of socio-cultural, economic and political factors. Yet when it comes to addressing CMDs, it is often seen in the limited view of “clinical” diagnosis.

 

According to National Mental Health Survey (2016), 10% of the Indian population suffers from common mental disorders.

 

The patriarchal structure of Indian society implies that the risk of these diseases are even higher for women. Depression is more common amongst women and is very closely linked to the experiences that they face from the inequities in the patriarchal social structure.

 

According to the Union ministry of health and family welfare, the country needs 11,500 psychiatrists while India only has 3,500 psychiatrists. India’s entire mental health workforce, comprising clinical psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric social workers and psychiatric nurses, stands at 7,000, while the actual requirement is 54,750. These numbers are alarming, especially, for a developing nation like India.

 

According to Gracy Andrew, Country Director, CorStone India Foundation, “The universal promotion of positive mental health can be done using a strength based or a positive resilience based approach to promote awareness about mental wellbeing in the general population. Let people become aware that as communities, they can support each other in times of distress. The recognition and management of depression and anxiety should be integrated within the government welfare schemes for health. For e.g. PHC’s already have family planning counsellors, if they are made aware of recognizing depression and providing counselling, along with regular counselling provided by them, would go a long way. If mental health is perceived in such a holistic manner it will be easier to spread awareness about the topic and provide services. This would eradicate the stigma attached to mental health.”

 

It is very well known that health spending within the country itself is low. Within health, unless carefully allocated and regularly monitored, funding for mental health tends to get eclipsed, or mental health services are often forgotten. Given the rising incidence of CMDs in the country, it is crucial to ensure that public health programmes view mental health as matter of over-all well- being and not just absence of diseases.

India’s two universities, Chennai-based SRM University and KIIT University in Bhubaneswar have secured the IET (The Institution of Engineering and Technology) Accreditation, an internationally respected benchmark awarded to high-quality programmes that provide an ideal preparation for aspiring professional engineers. This prestigious accreditation was last awarded to Amity University in 2011.

The IET is one of the world’s leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community and IET accreditation, licensed by the Engineering Council, covers a broad spectrum of engineering and technology subjects.  It is recognized globally as an indicator of quality through the Washington and Sydney accords, governed by the International Engineering Alliance (IEA).  Departments with IET accredited programmes are eligible to apply for the EUR-ACE label, awarded by European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE).

KIIT and SRM University completed the accreditation process this year. As the next step, Nigel Fine, Chief Executive, The IET issued the IET Accreditation & Academic Partner Certificate to both the partners on the sidelines of the IoT India Congress 2017, held in Bangalore.

The affiliation allows students gain access to cutting-edge knowledge content on various engineering disciplines. It provides links to key industry stakeholders globally in an attempt to make them more industry-ready. The programme also includes activities like industrial visits, seminars, conferences, technical workshops to expose students to practical aspects of engineering as well as problem-solving skills in addition to theoretical aspects covered in the syllabus.

According to Dr. C Muthamizhchelvan of SRM University: “SRM encourages students to enroll in reputed national and international professional bodies. We believe in providing the maximum exposure to our students from all the relevant bodies. Receiving the IET accreditation is indeed a great honour and recognizes the highest standards of education we maintain for our students.”

Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT University says: “We are elated at this association with the IET. This accreditation definitely aligns with our objective to provide the best for our students.”

Founded 146 years ago, the IET is one of the world’s leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community with more than 167,000 members in 150 countries.

New Delhi : Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has embarked upon several digital friendly steps for extension of the benefits of APY to the citizens of India. PFRDA has developed the process to offer APY enrolment through eNPS platform for wider reach. Under this channel a complete end to end digital environment for subscription is enabled without submission of physical form at the convenience of the customer without visiting bank or post office.

So far APY is available for subscription through Banks, BCs and through internet banking. Now, APY is available on eNPS platform and any eligible Indian citizen can enroll through the APY@eNPS channel by visiting www.enps.nsdl.com. The customers of the Bank can visit eNPS portal and submit Aadhaar/ Bank Name and Savings Bank Account Number to join the scheme. 

The benefits of APY@eNPS are:

Paperless registration

No need for visiting Bank Branch.

Online enrollment can be made 24*7 at the customer’s convenience.

No Need for having internet banking Id.

Punjab National Bank is the first Bank to operationalize APY@eNPS and quite a few other banks are expected to launch this platform shortly offering Aadhaar enabled APY enrollment.

Any person in the age group of 18 to 40 years with a savings bank account and Aadhaar can register for APY by providing the minimum information in the APY@eNPS portal as rest of the information will be auto populated from the respective bank. This new feature not only makes it easy for the subscriber to join the APY but also reduces the workload for the Banks/Postal Branch which are implementing the APY.

Cloud-based Video Conferencing in its new and open avatar is changing the digital landscape like no other technology. It has the potential to disrupt like few other technologies and become the most important pillar of the digital disruption that we are witnessing across the globe. 

From what was hitherto considered a domain of the large corporations, video conferencing has moved from the boardrooms of large corporations to the laptops and mobile phones of SME and even individual service providers. The ever reducing costs and easy adaptability is helping its mass adoption.

Today’s $2.41 billion global web conferencing market is expected to be worth US$8.9 Billion by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period between 2017 and 2025 (Source: Frost & Sullivan and Transparency Market Research).  The overall market is seeing accelerated demand propelled by easy-to-use, lower-priced, simplification, and migration from stand-alone audio to web conferencing and collaboration.

Flexibility is driving adoption and opening up newer segments. From what was just a boardroom phenomenon, based on propriety hardware and software, its moved to open technologies like WEBRTC. Both technology and infrastructure problems are being eased at rapid rates. We are seeing the growing adoption both in businesses and consumers. 

Products like DUO (Google), Chime (Amazon) and Skype (Microsoft) are addressing the needs of consumers through their apps which are currently being given free. The growing usage of these apps has broken down the barriers that people had in using video as a tool to communicate regularly. This has also increased the adoption of Video in business communications.

Collaboration needs of organizations both within the organization and with potential and existing customers have seen a large increase. Both large companies and SMEs are now integrating video meeting in their various processes, like, cross-office collaboration, sales meetings, customer care, product demo etc. They have clearly benefited from the adoption by reducing travel times of their employees, increased productivity and reducing the cost of sales and customer care and also improved response times to various stakeholders. The key has been to integrate the video meetings as a part of the existing process. Newer players like GoConsult are solving the problems of flexible integration and ease of using video meetings. They are bringing the services to the doorsteps of the small and really small players. Want to have a like call, don’t have to go Facebook, do it from your own website. Want to consult online, don’t have to ask your customer to come to skype etc, do it from your own website. And all this happens quite incredibly easily.

One of the most innovative adoptions has been by the consulting fraternity. They have now been able to extend the reach of their services beyond their localities. Imagine an Indian Astrologer or a Vastu consultant now being able to extend his practice sitting in Jaipur to the UK and USA. Companies like Goconsult.inare now providing the complete solution for these people who can seamlessly get integrated into their websites and they can start their services. Similarly Imagine Financial consultants, Doctors, Lawyers etc managing their customers from the comfort of their homes and simultaneously being able to extend their geography of services.

To enable speedy adoption of video-based communications where Video is a part of the workflow, a large number of platforms providing specialized solutions are coming up. Platforms which can help hospitals extend their services to locations where they don’t exist currently, a platform where financial institutions can do eKYC. Online portal for hiring where we can get to see the interviewee online before have an in-person meeting.

Government is showing great keenness in adopting cloud-based video conferencing in a large number of their process like courts getting to testimony online, jails getting the inmates to talk to their visitors online, hence reducing the risks. 

The video-driven transformation has truly begun. Businesses will have even more sway on their customers if they are encouraging them to directly interact with the brand – in real time and all from wherever they are. Entrepreneurs are now holding meetings, training employees, and encouraging a collaborative approach to doing business. Using technology to engage with customers worldwide is no more a thing of the future. It’s here. From now and beyond, brands and consumers will be pushing the boundaries to build business relationships without affecting productivity – and those who don’t embrace live video communication just might get left behind.

(The writer is a digital expert and CEO of Eyas Ventures.)