All posts tagged: Homegrown

Sikkim’s home-grown skincare brand enters Bhutan market

Sikkim’s home-grown skincare brand enters Bhutan market

Published by Parlour News

Bhutanese dignitaries during the country launch of Agapi, a Sikkimese natural skincare brand involving a network of women.  | Photo Credit: Special arrangement   Agapi, a homegrown skincare brand from Sikkim founded in 2019 as a community-driven initiative, has entered the Bhutan market. The brand’s range of handcrafted natural skincare products was launched in Thimphu on June 14 through a strategic partnership with Bhutanese actor-entrepreneur Kelly Dorji. The launch was in the presence of Bhutan’s Queen Mother, Gyalyum Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk and two other members of the royalty, Ashi Kesang Wangmo Wangchuk and Ashi Sonam Dechan Wangchuk, apart from diplomats and business leaders. “The occasion celebrated not only the introduction of a brand in Bhutan but also the growing spirit of collaboration between the two neighbouring Himalayan regions. This expansion is deeply meaningful for us,” Rinzing Choden Bhutia, Agapi’s founder, said. She said Agapi, inspired by Sikkim’s rich biodiversity, prioritises sustainability, ethical sourcing, and women’s empowerment, working closely with local communities and creating products that combine traditional knowledge with modern skincare science. Mr. Dorji said the …

Indian Army puts up a show with homegrown dual-use AI systems

Indian Army puts up a show with homegrown dual-use AI systems

Published by Parlour News

These initiatives reflect a decisive shift towards a secure, networked, and AI-empowered ecosystem, strengthening defence preparedness while enhancing disaster resilience, cybersecurity, and national development. Photo: X/@adgpi The Indian Army on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) unveiled a suite of indigenous Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions at the India AI Summit, underlining its ongoing transformation into a data-centric and AI-enabled force aligned with India’s vision of technological self-reliance and secure digital capability. The Army’s display at Bharat Mandapam highlighted dual-use platforms designed to serve both defence operations and civilian applications such as disaster management, cybersecurity and governance. The Indian Army said it showcased several key systems, including AI Examiner, an automated assessment and feedback platform aimed at modernising education and training frameworks. Another major highlight was SAM-UN, a geospatial and AI-enabled situational awareness system designed for mission planning, disaster response and integration with smart command centres. The Army presented EKAM (AI-as-a-Service), a secure, air-gapped indigenous AI cloud platform focused on ensuring data sovereignty and secure processing of sensitive information. Complementing this was PRAKSHEPAN, an AI-driven climatology and disaster …

`Bangladesh-based terror groups using proxies, planning home-grown outfits`

`Bangladesh-based terror groups using proxies, planning home-grown outfits`

Published by Webster

Bangladesh-based terror groups Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami (HuJI) and Jamaat-ul–Mujahideen are increasingly using their proxies while carrying out activities in India, news agency IANS reported, citing intelligence agencies.  The two terror groups are also looking to create homegrown outfits in India so that Bangladesh has the deniability factor. The terrorism by Bangladeshi agencies is similar to what the Lashkar-e-Tayiba or Jaish-e-Mohammad have been doing in India, IANS reported, citing intelligence agencies. The Lashkar-e-Tayiba uses groups such as ‘The Resistance Front’ for operations in Jammu and Kashmir.  In the case of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, the proxies are the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAAF) and the Kashmir Tigers (KT).  While these terror groups are allegedly just proxies, both the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad are trying to pass them off as homegrown outfits. ISI and Jamaat-e-Islami Intelligence agencies said the ISI and Jamaat-e-Islami have significantly increased their focus on these terror groups. Most of its cadres who were in jail were released without any explanation following the ouster of ex-Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, IANS reported.  Reports also indicate that they have been …

Rakul Preet Singh snacks on some homegrown cucumber and Kakdi

Rakul Preet Singh snacks on some homegrown cucumber and Kakdi

Published by Webster

Actress Rakul Preet Singh is known to lead a healthy lifestyle, and what better than homegrown produce to stay ahead in the fitness game?  Rakul took to her Instagram stories and dropped a glimpse of her homegrown cucumber and long melon. “Homegrown cucumber and Kakdi freshness and crunch is real,” she wrote in the caption. Meanwhile, during World Health Day on April 7, Rakul shared a few easy and effective daily practices to improve overall well-being. Rakul stressed the significance of making mindful choices such as consuming wholesome food and expanding the mind through reading. She further encouraged her InstaFam to connect with nature and suggested taking up a sport. Highlighting the power of meditation, the `Ayalaan` actress recommended just five minutes a day to achieve a sense of balance for the mind, body, and soul. Rakul also penned a note that read, “It’s world health day and here are few easy things that you can implement in your life as daily practices. Fuel up with wholesome and mindful choices. Read and expand your mind, …

India’s Homegrown Trainer Aircraft ‘Hansa NG’ Set To Soar Higher

India’s Homegrown Trainer Aircraft ‘Hansa NG’ Set To Soar Higher

Published by Webster

New Delhi: India’s aviation sector is booming with over 10 crore passengers flying every year. To keep up with the demand, India needs at least 30,000 new pilots in the next few years. India’s pilots are currently trained in foreign planes. However, today a new Indian bird has come into the market, namely Hansa Next Generation trainer plane, developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories which will help in training pilots. Science Minister Jitendra Singh and Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu announced a new private sector partnership between Pioneer Clean Amps Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, which makes about 110 of these planes. Civil Aviation Minister K Ramomohan Naidu said 10 crore passengers are flying every year with just 840 aircraft, and the aviation industry has ordered another 1,700 planes. To service them, some 30,000 new pilots will be required. Hansa NG offers a domestic solution to this booming sector, he added, especially because very soon India will have 300 airports from today’s 159. “Hansa NG is a world class plane with a Make in India welcome …

Ronaldo says ‘foreign coach’, Rivaldo says ‘only home-grown’; the debate for Brazil’s national coach rages on

Ronaldo says ‘foreign coach’, Rivaldo says ‘only home-grown’; the debate for Brazil’s national coach rages on

Published by Webster

The inevitable ouster of Dorival Junior, the third coach of Brazil’s beleaguering national football side in 15 months, has revived the old, nation-splitting debate. Whether to hire a foreign coach or not, a procrastination that has plunged them to recurring tragedies on the global stage, and now shaken them on the continental dais too. The topic is as passionate as religion and politics in the country, perhaps even more because the sport is the greatest unifying force in the country. The foreign coach zealots argue about the country’s paucity of quality coaches (both in their own league and elsewhere). Amongst them is the legendary Ronaldo. “ I know I will get flak because I’m being ‘unpatriotic’ and I prefer foreigners. That is not it. We have to hire the best.” Waving the placard for domestically-raised coaches is his long-time strike partner Rivaldo. “The Seleção is ours and has to be managed by someone who has Brazilian blood running through his veins.” Nothing perhaps captures Brazilian football’s delusional and self-destructive romance with their long-gone past than …

India to soon launch its first homegrown chip with new units: Ashwini Vaishnaw

India to soon launch its first homegrown chip with new units: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Published by Webster

India is all set to launch its first indigenous semiconductor chip soon, as five semiconductor units are currently under construction in the country, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday. The Minister highlighted that India`s electronics manufacturing sector, once negligible, has now become one of the top three export sectors. Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “We have five semiconductor units under construction and will soon see our first Indian chip rollout, with telecom manufacturing significantly growing”. The minister noted that India had missed previous opportunities due to restrictive laws, but recent reforms have opened the door for rapid growth. He credited India`s economic progress to a clear policy framework established by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is based on four key pillars. “The first is the Public Investment in infrastructure where the government is investing nearly Rs 11 lakh crore in social, digital, and physical infrastructure. As a result, India has become the second-largest 5G market in the world and the Indian Railways is set to become the second-largest carrier, transporting 1.6 …

Meet the Woman Behind India’s First Homegrown Sake

Meet the Woman Behind India’s First Homegrown Sake

Published by Webster

Sake is essentially born of just three ingredients: water, rice and Koji, a type of fungus that is only grown in Japan. For Maia’s ‘homegrown’ version of the beverage, she is using Indian varieties of rice and imported Japanese Koji. “It was an absolute joy to see some of our indigenous grains from the Northeast produce good quality sake. As it’s a new grain I am also still discovering their properties, structure and reactions to a timeless fermentation process,” she tells me. The week before I got there, some members of the Japanese consulate paid a visit to test Maia’s sake versions. “They were very happy,” she says. “Sake is not just an alcohol, it is a cultural icon that I am taking from another country. I have to be very careful that certain standards are respected, and the right people think that it can be called sake.” When I meet Maia, she’s been recipe testing for three months. From four varieties of rice, she’s identified three—she won’t yet reveal which—with the right flavour profile. …

Nag Mark 2 aces field trials: 5 things to know about India’s homegrown anti-tank missile | Latest News India

Nag Mark 2 aces field trials: 5 things to know about India’s homegrown anti-tank missile | Latest News India

Published by Parlour News

Jan 14, 2025 02:22 AM IST The Nag Missile Carrier version-2 was also field evaluated. With this, the entire weapon system is now ready for induction into the Indian Army The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Monday successfully conducted field evaluation trials of India’s indigenous Anti-Tank Missile – Nag Mark 2 at the Pokhran Field Range in Rajasthan. DRDO conducted a successful field evaluation trial of the Nag Mark 2 anti-tank guided missile in the Pokharan firing ranges, in Jaisalmer on Monday.(ANI ) It is the third-generation Anti-Tank Fire-and-Forget Guided Missile which was fielded in the presence of senior officers of the Indian Army. The Nag Missile Carrier version-2 was also field evaluated. With this, the entire weapon system is now ready for induction into the Indian Army. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the Indian Army and industry for the successful field evaluation trials of the entire weapon system of Nag Mark 2. “Field Evaluation Trials of indigenously developed Nag Mk 2, the third generation Anti-Tank Fire and Forget Guided Missile was …

Bagheera movie review: Sriimurali shines in Prashanth Neel’s homegrown Batman flick

Bagheera movie review: Sriimurali shines in Prashanth Neel’s homegrown Batman flick

Published by Parlour News

Bagheera movie review: Indian filmmakers’ romance with the vigilante genre has seen some hits and numerous misses, mostly due to the lack of a convincing story. Unlike typical heroes, these characters do not have superpowers or resources, but rely on courage, wit, and a strong sense of justice. Some directors, like Shankar, have found the near-perfect formula. Now, Kannada filmmaker Dr Suri has given us Bagheera, starring Sriimurali, along with Rukmini Vasanth, Prakash Raj, Garuda Ram, Sudha Rani, Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty and Rangayana Raghu. (Also Read – Bagheera actor Rukmini Vasanth: Even if you’re a star kid, there’s a learning curve in the film industry) Bagheera movie review: Sriimurali in a vigilante superhero flick What’s Bagheera about? Little Vedanth dreams of becoming a superhero, but eventually becomes a cop like his father. But the twist is that he still has dreams of being a superhero. Though he knows he doesn’t have superpowers, he believes he can take on the biggest evil of them all (in this case, bad man Rana played by Garuda Ram). …