Latest news with #Champak
Mint
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Mint
In Pics: IPL 2025 top moments leading up to the championship showdown
In Pics: IPL 2025 top moments leading up to the championship showdown 7 Photos . Updated: 02 Jun 2025, 11:35 AM IST Share Via The Indian Premier League 2025 is approaching its thrilling finale. Here are some of the top moments from this action-packed season. 1/7The robotic camera dog, named Champak, made its debut in IPL 2025 on April 13th during the Delhi Capitals vs. Mumbai Indians match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. (PTI) 2/7At just 14 years old, Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest player in men's cricket history to score a century. (REUTERS) 3/7Virat Kohli has amassed 505 runs in 11 innings during IPL 2025, marking the 8th time he has crossed the 500-run mark in a single season. (PTI) 4/7For the first time in IPL 2025, a match between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) went into a Super Over, adding to the tournament's intense drama. (X) 5/7Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) recorded their highest-ever IPL total of 286/6 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on March 23, 2025, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. (ANI) 6/7Phil Salt's explosive half-century powered Royal Challengers Bangalore to a commanding eight-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1, earning them a place in the IPL 2025 final. (HT)
India Today
20-05-2025
- India Today
The lost summers of 'Naani Ka Ghar': What 90s kids had that Gen Z doesn't
In the India of the 1990s, summer vacation didn't begin when the last exam ended. It began with a question whispered in excitement-"Kab jaa rahe ho Naani ke ghar?"That one destination held the power to transform two plain months into a magical saga. Whether it was Kanpur, Coimbatore, Bhubneshwar or Bhopal, Naani ka ghar was the annual pilgrimage of joy. Trains were booked months in advance. Cousins were counted. Gifts were packed. The smell of mangoes and pickle-making would hit you the moment you entered the house. There were no resorts, no five-star itineraries. Just a floor to sleep on, ten people in one room, and a kind of happiness that came from shared meals, shared stories, and shared TRAIN JOURNEY WAS THE VACATION Back in the 90s, the summer vacation didn't start at the destination-it began the moment we boarded the train. Mothers would pack steel tiffin boxes with aloo-puri and mango pickle wrapped in newspaper. A bottle of water from home and a stash of Tinkle, Champak, or Chacha Chaudhary comics kept us entertained long before smartphones ever was always that one chatty co-passenger who would share stories, snacks, or sometimes even life advice. And then, as the train neared the final stop, the real excitement kicked in. We'd stand by the open door two stations before, faces lit up with the rush of wind and anticipation, looking out for familiar landmarks, shouting, "Agla station Naani ke ghar hai!" That thrill-the kind that came with no seatbelts, no selfies, just pure, unfiltered joy-is what many kids today might never THE FIRST AND FOREVER GANG advertisement Cousins weren't distant relatives; they were your friend , philosopher and guide. Summer was your yearly reunion-one long sleepover that lasted weeks. You didn't need a Netflix account when you had seven cousins, each funnier than the played cards, you fought over ludo, you took turns on the bicycle with a broken pedal, and you never needed an adult to keep you THEN, CAME THE ULTIMATE GAME: DARK ROOM. A game that turned ordinary rooms into haunted mansions. Lights off. Curtains drawn. One person blindfolded. Everyone else hiding behind curtains, under beds, behind doors. Shrieks, giggles, accidental bumps, and the thrill of being "caught" - all in the name of innocent NIGHT SHIFT: GHOST STORIES UNDER BLANKETS Once the power went out (and it always did), a new ritual began. You gathered under mosquito nets or on the terrace, under a blanket of stars, listening to someone-usually the eldest cousin-whisper ghost stories. Some were made up, some inherited from older cousins, all older cousin would whisper ghost stories that he claimed were true. We were petrified, but no one left the circle. That's how memories were made-no filter, no phone, just fear and fun," -laughs Maitreyee Ghosh, a writer and mom of a result? Nobody wanted to use the bathroom alone, and everyone ended up sleeping in a huddle. But oh, this fear created memories instead of THIS GENERATION IS MISSING Fast-forward to today:Naani ke ghar is now a video are scattered across cities, countries, and school is filled with structured productivity-online courses, hobby workshops, and carefully planned of playing dark room, kids play Call of of ghost stories, they watch horror shorts on real loss? Connection. Chaos. generation may have better gadgets, but they've missed out on the warmth of sleeping next to five cousins on a mattress on the floor, stealing mangoes from the kitchen, or laughing until your stomach hurt because someone farted during the 90s, the extended family played a central role in raising children, and summer vacations were often seen as a time to strengthen those bonds-especially through long stays at grandparents' homes with cousins. But with rising urban migration, the growth of nuclear families, and increasing career demands, many parents today opt for experiential or aspirational getaways-be it resorts, beaches, or amusement parks-as a way to compensate for limited family time," explains Ms. Kshitija Sawant, University Psychologist-Counselor at Somaiya Vidyavihar adds, "We are living in a hi-tech, AI-driven world where aligning with global trends has become the norm. This shift toward Western models of development has restructured traditional family systems-many children now grow up in nuclear or single-parent households, often without siblings or close relatives nearby. As a result, the focus for parents has moved away from fostering extended family bonds to prioritizing physical growth, personality development, and skill-building. Enrolling children in courses, bootcamps, or summer camps is now seen not just as productive, but also as a marker of economic prosperity and modern parenting."advertisementWHY WE STILL CRAVE THAT TIME Ask anyone who grew up in the 90s, and they'll tell you: no vacation, no foreign trip, no five-star experience compares to the joy of a summer spent with your entire ecosystem under one roof."The things we remember from childhood aren't the gadgets. They're the moments. The stories. The mess. I want my kids to have that,"-says Nidhi Arora, a schoolteacher in We Bring Some of That Back?Maybe we can't fully recreate those 90s summers, but we can revive parts of that train ride. Visit Naani without an cousins together for a few days, no screens, no your kids to dark room, chor-police, or storytelling fix their boredom-let them sit in it. That's where imagination is born."We recently stayed with my wife's family for a week. My 9-year-old daughter said it was the best part of her year-just being with her cousins. That made me realise how starved this generation is for unstructured joy,"-shares Abhishek Dubey, a 90s kid-turned-parent from themselves, when given a taste of the old-school summer, light Can't Stream a Memory Today's kids may never know the joy of getting 5 rupees from Naani to buy orange bar ice cream, or the mischief of secretly using her talcum powder to play 'shaadi shaadi'. But maybe, if we pause, unplug, and let go of the urge to fill every hour with a purpose, we can give them a taste of what we the greatest summer memories are not made in malls or on tablets. They're made under fans with no speed regulator, in homes with too many people and too little space-but hearts overflowing with Reel
India.com
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
This beautiful sports presenter returns to IPL 2025, she is a daughter of CSK legend..., her name is...
In this collection of pictures we shall know about the sports presenter who returned to IPL 2025. She is the daughter of Chennai Super King's star cricketer. Let's dive in. Grace Hayden's return to IPL 2025 as a host with mascot Champak quickly took the internet by storm, gaining massive traction across Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and X for her lively presence and magnetic appeal. Grace Hayden's lively moment with IPL's mascot Champak at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium lit up the scene — featuring spontaneous dancing, interactive crowd activities, and viral-worthy highlights. Despite carrying a last name linked to cricket legend status, Grace Hayden has carved out her own path as a dynamic sports presenter and style reporter, showing she's far more than simply Matthew Hayden's daughter. Grace Hayden's heartfelt homage to India, saying "Everything's louder, bigger, and better here," resonated deeply with audiences, strengthening her bond with Indian cricket enthusiasts. Having previously worked at the 2023 Cricket World Cup and Racing X, Grace Hayden adds international media experience that complements the IPL's ambition to engage a worldwide audience. Garnering millions of views after her IPL introduction, Grace Hayden's sponsored features and exclusive backstage glimpses are generating huge natural traction for Star Sports and its brand partners.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Meet 'Champak': IPL's viral robot dog that is winning hearts and redefining broadcast innovation
Axar Patel with IPL's robot dog. (PTI) Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. IPL's robot dog has been named as Champak by the fans. (PTI) Poll What aspect of the robot dog do you find most appealing? The viral response it has generated Its unique design The technology behind it Its interaction with players New Delhi: Every season, the Indian Premier League ( IPL ) endeavours to bring in new features and aspects to its coverage of one of the biggest sporting leagues in the world, and undoubtedly the biggest cricket league. This year, the robot dog has become the cynosure of all 'Champak', which has resulted in a lawsuit at the Delhi High Court, after a crowdsourcing effort, it made its debut on April 13 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium during the match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai curious looking device is a product of wTVision , a global leader in broadcast technology, in partnership with technical partner Omnicam and the Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI ).Equipped with a microphone, a speaker, built-in voice recognition module and voice-interaction function, the four-legged robot, shaped like a dog, interacts with players, umpires and spectators during matches. The extent of interactions ranges from handshakes, jumps, making heart gestures and even a Namaste to Rajasthan Royals coach Rahul objective behind the robot dog was to "add another flavour or colour to the broadcast," explains Divyajot Ahluwalia, Founder and Director of wTVision Solutions Pvt. Ltd. which is based in Noida."We didn't come up and say, okay, we want to make a dog. We were looking for something that is technology driven and something that is not entirely cricket and something that would work in this setup," says Ahluwalia."When we came across (it), we saw a few things and a lot of things came together and we got hold of this product. And the moment we saw it, we saw potential around it. Everybody seemed to be happy around it because when was the last time you saw a robot, which is really supposed to be dry and technology driven, come and wave to you and move around you," he product has been six months in the making and was kept under wraps as conversations happened with the BCCI and the broadcasters. During this process, they identified the need to embed a camera to present a point-of-view from the 'dog'."The challenge was that it's a very shifty platform and the camera footage would be very unstable and shaky. So, we had to get a gimbal in place that could withstand that. And not just withstand that, it had to be very, very small, almost miniaturised," explains Ahluwalia."And because it's remote controlled, we also had to do a RF (radio frequency) based video transmitter. And we had to do a pan tilt kind of a mechanism, all remote controlled. And yet it had to be very, very small," he adds to explain the technical hiccups do not end there. Just one robot means it has to be dismantled after each use on an IPL night and then travels to the next location. Upon arrival, it is put together in an-hour-and-half before magic can begin all over logistical challenges around travelling with hardware persist too. With limitation on battery capacity on flights, a dedicated team is required to work in tandem for the eight-week first glimpses on social media created plenty of noise. On X, it has been watched 95,000 times with 255 reposts. On Instagram it reaped 576,000 likes. The response has taken their team by surprise."We knew that it will have a role. We knew that players will interact with it. We knew that we will get good shots.""We knew that there will be some traction to it. But the moment when they put the whole piece together, and when they started putting out their promos, that's when we realised, 'Oh, this can go (in) this direction. And after that, it's been a wildfire in a way," says began as an experimental concept to enhance viewer experience with an ever-evolving IPL, has become a viral mascot of sorts — charming players, fans, and millions of viewers alike.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
When Virat Kohli revealed the secret behind his nickname ‘Chiku' in a conversation with Aamir Khan
The beloved cricketer Virat Kohli goes by many names. King Kohli is one of the names that the cricket fans chant as soon as he touches the ground. However, his most loved nickname that his fans can never get enough of is - 'Chiku.' Interestingly, there is a very sweet story behind this fruity name of the cricketer, which he once revealed during his conversation with Bollywood's perfectionist Aamir Khan. A couple of years back, when Aamir and Virat sat together, they spoke on several topics, one of which was about Kohli's sweet nickname. While speaking to Aamir, Virat shared, 'Ab log mujhe aise Chiku bulate hain jaise padoos mein rehte ho (People call me Chiku with so much comfort as if I am their neighbour.' When Virat Kohli blamed MS Dhoni In the same conversation, Virat shared, 'Mr MS Dhoni ke wajahse yeh naam famous ho chuka hai (with the entire crowd chanting his nickname Chiku in unison). Dhoni saheb ne stump-mic pe bol diya toh bas tabse. (It is because of MS Dhoni, as he once said the name in the stump-mic, and since then everyone calls me 'Chiku') The story behind the nickname Chiku The question remains: how in the first place did Virat turn into Chiku? And believe it or not, he wasn't named after a fruit; he was named after a popular comic book character. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Transform your future with affordable online programs Degree Online | Search Ads Learn More Undo "I got this nickname from a coach in the Ranji Trophy. I used to have big cheeks then. In 2007, I thought I was losing hair. I got my hair cropped, and my cheeks and ears stood out. I got the name from a cartoon character. The rabbit in the comic book Champak," he said. Virat Kohli and Avneet Kaur's controversy Currently, Virat Kohli, who stays in the headlines either for his cricket or beautiful lifestyle, is in the news for an internet activity. Allegedly, Virat Kohli, who tries to maintain a distance from social media, allegedly liked a post from Avneet Kaur's fan page. In no time, the internet was abuzz with speculations and rumours about the player. Following the same, Virat issued a clarification saying, 'I'd like to clarify that while clearing my feed, it appears the algorithm may have mistakenly registered an interaction. There was absolutely no intent behind it. I request that no unnecessary assumptions be made. Thank you for your understanding.' While some of the netizens believed Kohli, many took this opportunity to start a meme fest, which took over the internet in no time.
