Student innovators demonstrate disruptive ideas in the semi-finals of 7th India Innovation Challenge Design Contest

India, Bangalore, April 15, 2017: The DST & Texas Instruments India Inc. Innovation Challenge Design Contest 2016 enters its semi-final phase with the start of the first of the two semi-final rounds today at IIM Bangalore.  The contest saw the participation of ~11000 students from 624 engineering colleges from across India. The semi-final event was inaugurated by Mr. Sanjay Srivastava, Director - University Program, Texas Instruments India & Mr. Nagaraja Prakasam, Mentor, NSRCEL IIM Bangalore. 

30 student teams from 30 engineering colleges presented their innovative products to a panel of evaluators who are thought leaders and accomplished achievers from various walks of life.  The panel consisted of entrepreneurs, professors, bureaucrats and entries were judged based on customer validation, strategic innovation, marketing innovation, business interdependence, etc. The second semi-final is scheduled to be on April 22, 2017 at BML University, Gurugram.

IICDC over the years has become a platform that nurtures innovation. Engineering students have displayed path breaking innovation that has the potential to bring about socio economic change for India. It aspires to foster innovation at the formative years of a student. Most of 2016 entries have corroborated closely with the Government’s vision of Swaach Bharat, Digital India, Smart Cities projects, etc. Most solutions that have been shortlisted to the semi-finals have the potential to solve pressing problems across various sectors and to help bring positive change to the lives of millions of people. This contest aims to propel the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative through student start-ups and contribute to the country’s manufacturing ecosystem.

Texas Instruments has taken this contest to greater heights by collaborating with IIM Bangalore and DST. IIM Bangalore through its efforts at NSRCEL will mentor the top 10 teams and help them to incubate their innovative product into start-up ventures. DST will fund INR 3.5 crore to the student start-ups, which will go towards the product development fund of INR 1.5 crore and seed fund of INR 2 crore for the top teams to incubate their start-ups.

“Texas Instruments India, through India Innovation Challenge has been the pioneer in creating a platform for young engineering students across the country to showcase innovation. It is heartening to see around 11,000 students across 624 top engineering colleges participating in this contest. The scale of this year contest would not have been possible without the unrelenting support from partners IIM B, DST and MyGov. Some path breaking innovations are being witnessed this year and we are confident that with the support of our partners the students are well poised to bring a change in the eco-system making it safer, cleaner, smarter, productive and more efficient” said Sanjay Srivastava, Director - University Program, Texas Instruments India.

Professor Suresh Bhagavatula, Chairperson, Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development, at IIM Bangalore, said, “IICDC is an excellent platform for the students who are having a dream to convert their ideas to successful enterprises. The last few months, we have encouraged and mentored some of the talented engineers and with semi-finals they are very close to build their own start-ups to get incubated at the Nadathur S. Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) from IIM Bangalore”.


 “DST plays a pivotal role in promoting science and technology in the country. Collaborating with India Innovation Challenge we were able to witness innovations that had the right amalgamation of ideas and technology to help build and transform this nation into an economic power house”, said Mr. H.K. Mittal, Advisor and Head, NSTEDB, DST, GOI.
About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments semiconductor innovations help 100,000 customers unlock the possibilities of the world as it could be – smarter, safer, greener, healthier and more fun. Our commitment to building a better future is ingrained in everything we do – from the responsible manufacturing of our semiconductors, to caring for our employees, to giving back inside our communities. This is just the beginning of our story. Learn more at www.ti.com.

About IIMB & NSRCEL
The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) builds leaders and entrepreneurs through holistic, transformative and innovative education. An EQUIS accredit school, IIMB is an acknowledged hub of academic activity in India and globally. IIMB’s research centres include the Centre for Public Policy, the Nadathur S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning, the Centre for Financial Markets & Risk Management, the Centre for Corporate Governance & Citizenship, the Centre for Software & IT Management, and the Centre for Supply Chain Management. The N S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) incubates start-ups and provides free mentoring for budding entrepreneurs. NSRCEL currently incubates 18 start-ups – perhaps the largest number for an incubation center in an academic institution.  In 2015-16, NSRCEL conducted 400 mentoring sessions and 34 events. Through its rapidly growing open mentoring initiatives, it is conservatively estimated that NSRCEL may have directly impacted in excess of 10,000 entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs or other participants in the ecosystem since it was established in 2000.

About DST
The Department of Science and Technology (DST), set up in 1971 by the Government of India plays a pivotal role in promotion of science & technology in the country. The department has wide ranging activities ranging from promoting high end basic research and development of cutting edge technologies on one hand to service the technological requirements of the common man through development of appropriate skills and technologies on the other. One of the mandates of DST is to support innovations, science and technology based entrepreneurship development and technology business incubation activity through National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (https://www.nstedb.com/). The board engages with academic and R&D institutions and also partners with leading industries to promote entrepreneurship across the country

Texas Instruments India host’s “DIY with TI” Worldwide Program in Bangalore

Bengaluru, April 12, 2017: Texas Instruments (TI) India, today, hosted the “DIY with TI” event designed to recognize and encourage TI hobbyists who innovate in their spare time using TI devices, and showcase their creativity with innovations that help solve real-life problems. More than 40 engineers got together in teams at TI in India and showcased their passion for creating simple and innovative solutions by showcasing 15 interesting demos across home automation, agriculture, education, personal electronics, renewable energy, healthcare, etc.

This year, S KeerthiBala, Priyankar Mathuria, Ankur Patel, Aarti Malgaonkar won the Chief Geek award for their DIY project ‘Non-invasive Blood Sugar Prediction’. The winners were chosen based on the potential of this application for creating future smart cities. Also, Abhijit Ray, Tarunvir Singh, Gaurang Kuchchal were recognized as runners-up for their project on ‘FINDO-track your valuables’. There were other notable projects in the realm of making solar energy harvesting with a smart tracking system, cloud based tracker to measure electrical power consumption in home, a pen that can remember what you scribbled- no paper required.

“We are proud to continue to host the ‘DIY with TI’ in India to encourage TI hobbyists, develop and demonstrate their innovations by collaborating & sharing ideas with other DIY-ers. These innovations are created in their own time. The worldwide program, works as a catalyst to enhance their problem solving skills in the most engaging manner. This helps us to recognize the talented engineers across all TI offices globally,” said Santhosh Kumar, President and Managing Director at Texas Instruments India.

‘DIY with TI’ is a global event held within TI in its U.S., Germany, China and India offices. The event aims to nurture a culture of innovation in TI by providing a platform to TIers that helps them explore alternate and newer ways to solve a problem by doing what they love. 

SRL Diagnostics honored and felicitated 7 exceptionally spirited women from the city of Bangalore (occasion of International Women’s Day)

Bangalore, 8^th March 2017: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, SRL Diagnostics, a leading global diagnostics chain, today honored and felicitated 7 exceptionally spirited women from the city of Bangalore, who have a commendable contribution towards women empowerment and have emerged as winners and are a role model for many. Theexceptionally spirited women were honored by SRL Diagnostics with Healthy Lady Packages to initiate the concept of good health.

Thewomen who were felicitated included Rema Devi T K, first air traffic controller of Navy.Rumni Dasgupta, apolitical socio analyst who completed her education despite being thalassemia major.Currently she is working as a teacher in a private school. Dr. Rajalakshmisj, who after losing both her legs at the age of 21 became Ms. Wheelchair India 2014.Inez d'costa, a business woman who boldly is running her husband’s business after his accidental death. Today, she’s financially supporting numerous people by helping them for their medical needs, education, housing and other basic amenities of life. Sujatha Bhat, runs an NGO Asha Jeevan which works towards providing quality care to the inhabitants and offers residential services for the destitute and elderly who suffer from mental and psychological ailments.Vandana Sharma has served in the Indian army for 10 years across Indian geographies in war and peace from places like Ladakh, Rajasthan toNorth East. She hasfought theKargil War in 1999 and hasset a strong example for women to establish a powerful identity in male dominated society. Shakuntala, the only lady cement dealer in north Karnataka. She has been the no.1 in this field for almost 25 years.

At the felicitation event, Ms. Debjani Roy, Chief People Officer, SRL Diagnostics­­­­said“SRL Diagnostics, one of the leading chains in India takes immense pride in felicitating the women across India who are a true model for courage and faith. We are here to celebrate the third season of ‘Women of Substance’ with an even bigger vision and mission to spread the importance of good health and a positive spirit.”

Honda Cars India launches All-New Sporty Lifestyle Vehicle ‘Honda WR-V' in Karnataka

Bengaluru, March 20^th, 2017: Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), leading manufacturer of passenger cars in India, today introduced its much-anticipated new model, Honda “WR-V”. The WR-V is an all-new Sporty Lifestyle Vehicle based on Honda's globally successful Jazz platform. It features a Sporty and Sophisticated exterior design, high quality spacious interiors with advanced equipment, top of the class fuel efficiency, powerful performance and full range of safety features. 

WR-V is the first model developed by Honda R&D India along with Honda R&D, Japan, to match the needs and aspirations of young Indian customers who are looking for status, comfort and have an active lifestyle.  The R&D in India has specifically worked on design & engineering concept suitable for right-hand drive and India-exclusive powertrains.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Jnaneswar Sen, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Honda Cars India Ltd. said, “The fast-evolving Indian market has shown strong demand for compact vehicles that are stylish, comfortable and have premium features. With the launch of the Honda WR-V, we would like to provide joy for recreational usage and comfortable driving for daily use in the city for customers in India. We are confident that WR-V will help us to fortify our premium image in all segments.”

The WR-V has been developed under the concept of “Refresh for Urban India” which is built around 3 core concepts of Urban Active Lifestyle that is high seating stance & ground clearance, Smart Compact Exterior with Spacious Interior along with Versatility & Utility, Pleasurable high quality interior & class leading fuel efficiency.

EXTERIOR

The new WR-V has a striking road presence with bold looks. It has exclusive day-time-running LED DRL & position lamps and the front grill with solid wing face. All this accentuates its premium appeal with intense, sharp and stunning look. The large glass area offers excellent driver visiblity and sense of space for all occupants.

Key exterior features

·        Front Solid Wing Chrome Grille ·        First-in-segment Electric Sunroof with One-Touch Open/Close Function with Auto Reverse ·        R16 Alloy Wheel design with gunmetal finish ·        Headlamp Integrated Signature LED DRLs & position lamps ·        Premium Split Type Rear Combination Lamps ·        Front Fog Lamps & LED High Mount Stop Lamp

·         Turn Indicator on ORVM ·         Silver Finished Roof Rail Garnish ·         Armor like protective body cladding with big tires ·         High ground clearance ·         Chrome door handles

INTERIOR

The interior design concept of the new WR-V is “Novelty Urban” that expresses fun, youthfulness, and progressive feeling. The new WR-V comes with 2 interior color themes – Urban Casual: Black and Bluish grey seat fabric and Urban Sophisticated: Black & Silver seat fabric. Based on Honda’s Man Maximum Machine Minimum concept, the WR-V offers luxurious space, which is more than even cars in higher categories. 

Key Interior design features

·            Advanced Multi-information Combination meter with LCD Display, Blue Backlight and silver finish ·            Eco AssistTM  Ambient Rings on Combimeter ·            User-friendly smart interface for automatic climate control  ·            Sliver finished AC vents, door ornaments, dashboard ornaments

Intelligent storage spaces ·              Front Centre Armrest designed to fit Tablets and iPads USB plug and accessory socket  ·              Front console box with separate pocket ·              3 cup holders  and 4 bottle holders

POWERTRAIN

The WR-V adopts the best of Honda’s powertrains to achieve a perfect balance of performance and fuel economy.

Engine	Transmission	Power	Torque	Fuel Efficiency
1.5L DOHC i-DTEC Diesel	6 MT	100PS@3600rpm	200NM@1750rpm	25.5 KMPL Best in Segment
1.2L SOHC i-VTEC Petrol	5 MT	90PS@6000rpm	110NM@4800rpm	17.5 KMPL

The 5-speed Manual Transmission of petrol WR-V is a newly developed transmission to maximize the performance of WR-V with the 1.2L i-VTEC engine.

KEY SPECIFICATION OF WR-V

Length	Width	Height	Wheelbase	Ground Clearance	Bootspace
3999 mm	1734 mm	1601 mm	255 mm	188 mm*	363 L

*Minimum ground clearance mentioned is in unladen condition

CHASSIS

The suspension of WR-V has been designed to match the active lifestyle of the customers with greater roll stability and improved rigidity for better handling performance.

·          Mac-Pherson strut front suspension.

·         Twisted torsion beam rear suspension

 ADVANCED EQUIPMENT

Honda WR-V offers a host of Advanced Interior Equipment that offers information, entertainment and direction for the tech-savvy young Indian customer. Everything that the customer may need to stay connected with the outside world is just a touch away.

·        17.7cm Advanced Infotainment with audio , video and navigation system - Digipad

·         In-built Satellite Linked Turn-by-turn Navigation

·         My storage Internal Media Memory 1.5GB

·         Mirror Link support for Smartphone Connectivity

·         Internet access for Browsing, Email and Live Traffic via optional Wifi Receiver

·         Voice Commands for Media, Navigation and Calling

·         Smartphone Voice Assistant Activation

·         Bluetooth for Handsfree Telephone and Audio Streaming Support

·         AM/FM Digital Radio Tuner, MP3/WAV, i-Pod

·         Micro SD Card Slots for Maps and Media (2 Nos.) & HDMI-IN port

·         Steering mounted controls for HFT, Audio, Voice command and Cruise control

·         Automatic Climate Control with Touch Control Panel

·         One Push Start/Stop Button with white and red illumination

·         Honda Smart Key System with Keyless Remote

·         Cruise Control

·         Front Centre Armrest with Storage Console

·         Power Steering (EPS) - Tilt and Telescopic

SAFETY FEATURES

WR-V is equipped with a wide range of Honda’s active and passive safety technologies, which are offered as standard equipment across all variants.

·         Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE^TM) Body Structure

·         Dual SRS front airbags

·          Anti-lock braking system (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)

·         Impact mitigating front head rest

·         Pedestrian injury mitigation technology

·          Intelligent Pedal (Brake Over Ride System)

·         Multi-angle rear view camera with guidelines – Only in VX grade  

GRADES & COLOURS

The Honda WR-V is offered in two grades S and VX   in both Petrol and Diesel variants.

The Honda WR-V is available with a choice of 6 color options: Premium Amber Metallic (New), Modern Steel Metallic, White Orchid Pearl, Carnelian Red Pearl, Alabaster Silver Metallic and  Golden Brown Metallic

SALES, SERVICE AND WARRANTY 

Deliveries of the Honda WR-V will begin immediately from the HCIL dealer network of 336 facilities in 224 cities across the country. The Honda WR-V will offer complete peace of mind with 3 years / Unlimited Kilometers warranty as standard benefit to the customer. Additionally, customers can opt for Extended Warranty for additional two years / Unlimited kilometers for extra peace of mind.

LifeCell launches Community Stem Cell Banking

Bengaluru, 14th March, 2016: LifeCell International – India’s first & the largest stem cell provider, a pioneer in stem cell research– announced the launch of Baby Cord Share, Community Stem Cell banking to address the need for creating a large inventory of stem cells in the country. BabyCord Share brings together the unique benefits of private and public banks, while effectively addressing the challenges of sourcing matching stem cells in India.
 The Current Gap in India: 1 in 20 lifetime risk of diagnosis of an individual for 80+ conditions where stem cell transplant is eventually required 80% of these conditions would require stem cells from a donor, with the remaining requiring own stem cells 70% of patients are unable to find a match in India due to limited stem cell donors - only 1,80,000, which is less than 1% of global donor base 40-50% of donors either are unavailable or refuse a donation at time of transplant request As per study funded by ICMR, an inventory of 250,000 cord blood units are required to provide Indian’s with a similar or higher matching probability (against current inventory of <5000 units at public banks) 

Community Stem Cell Banking is a first of its kind global initiative of LifeCell, which allows sharing of preserved umbilical cord stem cells amongst the community of parents. This provides larger access to donor stem cells within the community and higher probability for finding a matching donor stem cell for treatments. Community banking also helps parents and siblings in accessing stem cells from the community pool, thus providing a comprehensive family benefit for treatments.



According to statistics, individual risks of acquiring a blood or immune related conditions that are eventually treatable by stem cells is 1 in 20.  80% of these conditions would require stem cells from a donor, with the remaining would require their own stem cells. Despite the large need, the transplants that are done are relatively very few, due to lack of availability of matching stem cells for treatment and prohibitive costs in sourcing matching stem cell units.



India has a listing of 1,80,000 bone marrow stem cell donors, which is far less than 1% of the global stem cells donor base, despite accounting for 20% of world population. Moreover nearly 40-50% of these bone marrow stem cell donors are either unavailable or refuse to donate at the time of request.



Mr. Mayur Abhaya, MD & CEO, LifeCell said, “With increasing awareness amongst the parents preserving their baby’s stem cells, community banking could help increase the inventory by more than 50,000 every year. Through community banking of cord blood units, India has the potential to become the largest inventory of stem cells globally, increasing the scope of potentially lifesaving stem cell transplants for babies, their families, their communities and others of Indian origin worldwide.



 As per a study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), if 2.5 lakh stem cell units of Indian origin are made available, chances of patients in India finding a matching stem cell unit will exceed that of even a patient in advanced countries such as U.S. Moreover, the cost of sourcing matching stem cells from public banks from elsewhere in the world could cost around INR 15 to 20 lakhs making it unaffordable to many.



Dr. Prasad Narayanan, Senior Consultant - Medical Oncology, MD (General Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology) said, “At a time when certain conditions require donor stem cells for transplants are almost 4 times higher than conditions that use patients’ own stem cells, Community stem cell banking is a welcome move from LifeCell, addressing access to donor stem cells of Indian origin which will help future generations stay protected”



Everyday around thousands of babies are born in India and the availability of an umbilical cord donated and stored could be abundant to treat many medical conditions.





Dr. Jyothsna Madan, MD (OBG) Sr. Obstetrician & Gynaecologist said “Off late there have been awareness and trend amongst parents in preserving their baby’s stem cells at birth. With community stem cell banking, the decision towards preserving umbilical cord stem cells gains larger significance with added protection for the child and the additional protection for the family too”



In order to encourage more people to donate to the Community Bank, LifeCell offers benefits like zero retrieval cost, open access to any matching unit, immediate availability and a large inventory, thereby increasing probability of getting the right match. The cost of stem cell transplant for the donor or sibling would be compensated by LifeCell as token of gratitude for signing up for the community bank. The community member can also avail a full refund of membership fee if the sample is released to another member, thereby incentivizing the donor.



Everyday around thousands of babies are born in India and the availability of an umbilical cord donated and stored could be abundant to treat many medical conditions.



Mr. V. Ravi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, LifeCell said “Community banking is a new perspective where the baby can bless the family with the protection of stem cells. With an addition of 50,000 units to the community bank every year, notwithstanding the existing inventory of 2,00,000 units of existing customers which may get added to the community.’’



The community stem cell banking will be available to customers with immediate effect at a starting price of Rs.16,990 with an Annual Storage Fee of Rs.4,000 per annum. LifeCell also offers additional long-term plans wherein customers can choose to prepay the storage fee.



About LifeCell

LifeCell, established in 2004, is India’s leading provider of preventive healthcare services for family wellness, such as stem cell banking and diagnostic testing, with facilities at Chennai & Gurgaon with a network spanning over 200 cities in India and abroad.



BabyCord, LifeCell’s umbilical cord stem cell preservation services, is world’s second largest with over 50,000 parents preserving their baby’s stem cells with it each year and over 2,00,000 parents already having trusted LifeCell. With the recent launch of BabyCord Share, a community-based approach towards stem cell access is a global first and aims to provide families in India better future access to stem cells than even currently possible in advanced countries such as the US. LifeCell’s processing, storage and testing facilities are the most accredited having received recognitions from domestic and global bodies such as the AABB (formerly American Association of Blood Banks), College of American Pathologists, National Accreditation Board for Laboratories, World Health Organization, amongst many others, and is also US FDA registered.



BabyShield, LifeCell’s preventive genetic screening and diagnostic testing services, is India’s market leader for newborn screening services and recently forayed into prenatal screening.

Visit us at : www.lifecell.in

Herbalife Nutrition Partners with Syngene to Establish Nutrition Research and Development Lab in India

Bangalore, March 2^nd, 2017: Herbalife (NYSE: HLF), a global nutrition company, today announced the launch of its first Nutrition Research and Development Lab in India, in partnership with Syngene, Asia's leading contract research and manufacturing organization. The strategic partnership will help Herbalife Nutrition develop and formulate world-class nutrition products for Indian consumers.

The new Nutrition Research and Development facility spans 3,000 sq ft, and is located within the Syngene campus at Bangalore. The facility also houses a separate Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) formulation lab to support product testing, sampling and end-product development.  

The Nutrition Research and Development Lab will house a group of Syngene scientists that will work for Herbalife Nutrition on various research and development projects. Herbalife will work closely with Syngene in the areas of research and development in the field of nutrition - including product development, sensory evaluation and testing, scientific content writing pertaining to nutritional products and supplements, project management, formulation development, analytical service, stability study and other related services – and ensure that the right systems and processes are followed to deliver world-class nutrition products for Herbalife India.

Speaking at a press conference held in Bangalore, Ajay Khanna, Vice President and Country Head - Herbalife International India Pvt. Ltd, said, “Practicing good nutrition habits is fast becoming a way of life and it is imperative for us to ensure that we consistently deliver high quality and affordable products to our consumers. Apart from bringing the global portfolio of products to India, we also endeavor to develop flavors that appeal to the Indian palate. Setting up the Nutrition R&D Lab in collaboration with Syngene will give us the ability to turnaround new products faster, and introduce them to the market quicker.”

SulaFest 2017 – What an incredible 10th edition!

Bangalore, 8th February 2017:
The country’s most gorgeously situated Gourmet World Music Festival went several notches higher in its 10th edition!
The event saw festival goers from across the country at a weekend to remember and this year was an even grander production with even more amazing memories.
SulaFest partygoers enjoyed a mega-mix of great music, wine, drinks, gourmet food, fashion, shopping, activities and more at the idyllic environs of Sula’s scenic vineyards!
The festival this year being a 3 day affair – adding Friday dedicated to Indian artists had also added one more stage – The ‘Tropical Stage’. Friday’s highlights were Nucleya at the Atmasphere Stage and Indian Ocean at the Amphitheatre Stage. Sula’s all new musician talent hunt competition “Rise and Shine” contest winner - Anhad performed to a thrilled audience at the Tropical Stage.  
The Bloc Party from the UK made their India debut and rocked the Amphitheatre stage on Day 2, Saturday – while Loco & Jam from Germany performed to a haven of fest-goers at the Atmasphere Stage. The Tropical Stage highlight this day was Peter Schumann’s performance.
Amphitheatre Sunday headliner – Infected Mushroom from Israel set the stage on fire! German ensemble Jan Blomqvist & Band created magic at the Atmasphere Stage located amidst the vineyards.

The 10th edition of SulaFest was presented by RAW Pressery. Like Sula, RAW recognises recycling as one of its most important objectives and they used the festival as a platform to raise environmental awareness & conscious engagement. The brand introduced their innovative recycling ingenuities through active art installation, recycling plastic bottles generated at the festival. The plastic bottles collected through this initiative, will be recycled to make t-shirts, which will then be distributed to underprivileged children.



Kick started at SulaFest, RAWcycle is expected to activate collection drives in 4 cities through 600 points of collection via retail, direct to home and event led channels. RAW also launched a coconut water at the festival.
In Sula’s aim to become the world’s most sustainable wine producer and with this mindset, SulaFest this year, went all sustainable by using only recycled and eco-friendly material for stall and other décor. Only natural material was allowed at the festival making it one of the most environmental friendly events in the world!
Another new addition to the festival this year was the ‘Globe in a Glass’ stall where fest-goers had the opportunity to meet and taste with the people behind various brands from the Sula Selections portfolio. The renowned wine profile Robert Joseph was attending the festival for the first time showcasing his brand Le Grand Noir.
Sula also launched their new limited edition Valentines wines at the festival, this being a big hit. Also, a SulaFest 10th edition signature drink ValenSeco had been created - a mix of Sula Seco Rose and RAW Pressery Valencia Orange juice.
In addition, there was Whisky, Beer, Vodka, Liqueur, Tequila, Sambuca and even Bourbon on offer - Jack Daniels, Budweiser, Monkey Shoulder, Cointreau, Grant’s, Skyy Vodka, Aperol, Antiqua Sambuca and Jägermeister to name a few!
The festival welcomed Hershey's premium chocolate ‘Brookside’ on board this year. Fest-goers had the opportunity to try three exotic flavors - Pomegranate, Raspberry & Goji and Blueberry & Acai! They also paired well with a wide variety of wines.
Brightening up the weekend even further was the SulaFest Bazaar with a selection of fun and funky items for sales.
Adding a sporty element, fest-goers could participate in SulaFest sunrise yoga sessions - and even partake in a morning SulaFest fun run to get their energy levels back on track!
As always, SulaFest goes out to benefit locally based NGO’s and non-profits. Apulkee (farmers welfare), Sharan (animal welfare), Hausla (children welfare), Awhaas (animal welfare). This aligned with Sula’s long-standing commitment to give back to communities and causes in need.

Celebrities seen over the weekend were Kabir Bedi and Parveen Dusanj, Vineet Jain, Sapna Bhavnani, Aparna Badlani, Kim Sharma, Anjana Sukhani, Narendra Kumar, Arjun Khanna, Prahlad and Mitali Kakkar, Ranvir Shorey, Sonnalli Seygall, Vikram Raizada, Cecilia Oldne, Kelvin and Andrea Cheung, Malini Agarwal, Mona Juneja, Santino Morea, Dinesh Vazerani and Mayank Ruia to name a few!
Speaking about SulaFest 2017, Cecilia Oldne, Global Brand Ambassador and Vice President - Marketing, Sula says, “Cheers to 10 years! What a beautiful weekend and what an amazing crowd!  See you next year!”
Raimund Imo, Festival Director of SulaFest 2017 says, “What an incredible weekend this has been! The vibe has been electric with thousands of fest-goers and the best line up so far! We could see that people had the time of their life! All of us have been touch by the joy spread around. Next year, we embark on the beginning of another decade of SulaFest and we promise that we will have many more surprises for you in store then!”
Anuj Rakyan, Founder and Managing Director – RAW Pressery says, "Being a part of SulaFest this year has been an amazing experience for us. Good vibes and the flowing energy resulted in a great celebration of music, art and food. We loved our interactions with the festival goers and were heartened with their response specially around our newly launched Tender Coconut Water and our RAWCycle recycling initiative – both introduced at this year’s festival. Our aim to recycle all PET waste at the festival into wearable apparel was especially well received. At RAW Pressery, we are strong believers of healthy living and a wholesome lifestyle and I was extremely elated to see this spirit resonate through the three days.
The brand's philosophy, ALL GOOD. NO BAD was effortlessly integrated into the SulaFest spirit and we look forward to more integrations going ahead.”