NEW DELHI: HomeShop18, India‘s first 24 hour home shopping channel, launches "Assured 50% money back" promotion during the month of February. Television viewers will receive for the first time, an unprecedented value proposition while watching television. During this promotion cash back offer will be available across all categories such as consumer electronics, mobiles, jewellery, home appliances, toys, beauty products, kitchen utensils and more.

Through out the month of February every shopper gets assured gift vouchers worth 50% of the total purchase value. The cash back will be refunded in the form of gift coupons of various denominations. These coupons can be used for the next purchase and can be redeemed on or before 30 April.

Announcing the launch of the promotion, Sundeep Malhotra, CEO, HomeShop18 said, "Since our inception we have always been providing unmatched value to our consumers. This innovative new format of cash back is really about bringing maximum value to the consumer‘s doorstep. I am sure that this promotion will be readily acceptable by consumers across the country especially during the recessionary times".

HomeShop18 is India‘s First and only 24 hour Shopping Channel and it is becoming highly popular and acceptable across the country. The channel has build a loyal fan following and after two highly successful Diwali and New Year consumer promotions. HomeShop18 saw a doubling of its "repeat customer" base just in the months of November and December. The channel has been growing at a rapid pace of 30% month-on-month basis since its launch in April and is now adding a new customer every 20 seconds. The success of the new shopping destination is attributed to its exciting channel content, wide product portfolio, exceptional on-call service backed by a 24 hour call centre and 2000 city logistics reach.

MUMBAI: The second day of the DigitAll Movement (DAM) 09, the digital entertainment festival organized by Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication took shape with the screening of an edited version of reputed activist and filmmaker Anand Patwardhan‘s award-winning documentary War and Peace. The film unveiled the reality behind the fa?ade created by common-place yet complicated concepts such as democracy and nuclear nationalism.

The controversy that arose from the blatant accusations leveled against the government, political parties and the people in power in the film caused Anand Patwardhan to go through tedious rounds of court appeals and cases so that he could receive permission for War and Peace to be broadcasted on Doordarshan.

Discussing the film in an hour-long interactive session after the screening, Anand Patwardhan said, "The film is extremely complex; not by any conscious attempt, but because of the sheer nature of the subject. Covering reality requires the movie to be complex."

Patwardhan believes that the development paradigm prevalent among the people in our country keeps shifting at regular intervals according to the change in their ideologies.

The serious tone of the seminar was lightened with the entrance of advertising guru Prahlad Kakkar. A role model for all advertising aspirants and professionals, SIMC Director Prof. Ujjwal Kumar Chowdhury aptly introduced Kakkar as ‘the man with an eye for talent‘.

Walking away from the podium, he promptly set about capturing the audience‘s interest with his own unique definition of a ‘brand‘. He recollected humorous stories of some of the most successful ad campaigns like Nestle, Maggi and Pepsi.

The interactive session that followed the seminar was a revelation with the audience discovering that he was a man of many hats, literally. With his love for traveling, scuba diving and food, Prahlad Kakkar was a dynamic personality who ensured a great finale for the day‘s seminars.

NEW DELHI: COLORS‘ sizzling and sumptuous dance reality show ‘Dancing Queen‘ is all set to ablaze your television screen with the entry of very sensual and incredible dancer ‘Shveta Salve‘ along with her prot?g? ‘Aashnay‘ into the show on Friday, 6th February 2009.

Shveta trumps her second innings in television with her entry into ‘Dancing Queen‘ after a long hiatus. Shveta has been in the television circuit for eleven years and has been well appreciated for her acting in various soaps on the small screen. Some of her serials include Kittie Party, Kahin Kissi Roz and Lipstick to name a few. But she came into limelight with her participation in ‘Jhalak Dikhla Jaa‘, in which she lost out the title to Mona Singh.

She was one of the most talked about and the strongest contenders whose graceful movements and incredible dancing skills were widely appreciated by one and all. Currently, she is busy shooting for Dharmesh Darshan ‘Bhanvraa‘.

Says Shveta, "I am very excited about coming into Dancing Queen as I am very passionate about dancing and this show will give me yet another opportunity to showcase my talent. Earlier I was being trained by a choreographer but now I will be training Aashnay and this will be another big challenge for me to prove my capabilities. I am not exactly here to win for myself but indeed to share my experience with my prot?g? and groom her."

With Shveta and Aashnay entry, what will follow is an eye-for-eye and tooth-for-tooth competition between all the pairs. Watch the sensuous and sassy Shveta Salve along with her prot?g? Aashnay on Dancing Queen, every Friday - Saturday at 10:00 pm only on COLORS.

MUMBAI: The category winners and contenders for the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2008 have been announced. Chief Minister (Bihar)- Nitish Kumar, Olympic Gold medallist - Abhinav Bindra, HDFC Bank MD - Aditya Puri, The thinking actor - Aamir Khan, G Madhavan & Chandrayaan team and the Golden Globe winner A.R. Rahman have been chosen by the citizens and intelligentsia of the country as Indian of the Year in their respective fields.

The stage is all set to award the Indians, who with their unflinching dedication and indomitable resolve, have emerged as the best in their respective fields. Promising the audience of a glittering outcome, the award ceremony will be held in the presence of cr?me de la cr?me of the nation in New Delhi on February 02 at Hotel Taj Palace.

Amongst these category winners and role models of a billion Indians, the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2008 will be chosen. The awardees in their respective categories are:

Politics: Mr. Nitish Kumar - For his consistent performance in turning around one of the most under-developed states of India and showing that ultimately, every adversity crumbles in the face of vision, belief and resolve.

Business: Mr. Aditya Puri - For steering HDFC ahead on the path of growth under tough economic conditions. His sharp business acumen coupled with the breadth of his vision has inspired countless other Indians to dream big, without giving up ever.

Sports: Mr. Abhinav Bindra - For winning India‘s first ever individual gold medal at the Beijing Olympics and inking a glorious new chapter in the country‘s sporting history. His landmark achievement marks a giant step in India‘s sporting journey.

Entertainment: Mr. Aamir Khan - For being the most versatile and ‘hat ke‘ film personality who commands an inimitable stature in the Hindi film industry because of his immense dedication, outstanding range and steadfast commitment towards the cause of superior, meaningful cinema.

Public Service: G. Madhavan Nair & Team CHANDRAYAAN - For being at the forefront of space research in India through a string of innovations and novel scientific techniques and turning the crucial ‘Chandrayaan‘ project into a huge success with their unparalleled dedication and team spirit.

Global Indian ? Mr. A. R. Rahman ? For being one of the true Indian music composers respected and acknowledged by the whole world and for putting India on the global entertainment map with his Golden Globe Award and Oscar nominations for his indisputable music in Slumdog Millionaire and compositions for hits like Ghajini, Jodhaa Akbar, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN18 Network said "I would like to convey my heartiest congratulations to all the winners for being chosen the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in their respective fields. The category winners were selected for the award after a rigorous and transparent 4-tier selection process. Regardless of the winners, the effort of all the nominees is laudable. We hope to honour many such achievers in coming years through this event."

MUMBAI: Zee TV brings to you a unique dance reality show ? Lux Dance India Dance ? ‘Sabse bade dancing star ki khoj‘, a show about the common man and great dancing. As established with Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, the show that aims to unearth the best musical talent, Lux Dance India Dance will endeavor to bring the best dancing flair in front of the viewers. The undisputed disco king Mithun Chakraborty himself is the grand master for the show. The show will be judged by three masters made famous purely by their great work in bollywood ? Geeta Kapur, Remo D‘souza and Terrence Lewis. The Gujarati ‘chokro‘ with the chocolate boy looks, Jay Bhanushali, and the popular radio jockey, Tarana Raja, are the sutradhars. Lux Dance India Dance goes on air from 30th January 2009, every Friday and Saturday at 9:30 pm.

Speaking on the launch, COO Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., Mr. Nitin Vaidya said, "Zee TV is known for creating platforms like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and India‘s Best that allows a common man to exhibit his talent. Where other channels are focusing on celebrity based reality shows, Zee TV goes back to its ethos, this time capturing a different form of art, Dance. We have selected the best dancing talent from the nook and corner of the country. These are common people who are passionate about dancing. That‘s the kind of ardent worship towards this art form that we were in search of. Getting Mithun Da to be the grand master was a step towards ensuring that the final judgment lies in the hands of someone who is tantamount to dance. This format was a big hit on Zee Network‘s regional channels and we are hopeful that the legacy continues on the flagship channel, Zee TV, as well. Our title sponsor for the show is Lux."

The auditions saw some very unique participants who amplified the channel‘s belief that a platform that salutes and explores the spirit of dance was required. Lux Dance India Dance celebrates and presents this very platform.

Lux Dance India Dance is a dance reality show that extends beyond just the individual participants. It is a contest between 18 participants who have been divided into three groups of 6 participants each named after the masters. The units are called Geeta ki Gang, Terence ki Toli and Remo ke Rangeele! The masters have entered the battlefield armed with their respective teams in the quest to find the deserving winners.