Latest news with #Horlicks
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
‘Pesticide in biscuit sample': Karnataka HC quashes criminal proceedings against Hindustan Unilever CEO
The Karnataka High Court has quashed criminal proceedings lodged against Hindustan Unilever CEO and managing director Rohit Jawa after a biscuit sample was allegedly found to contain pesticide. The order, passed on July 3 by a bench consisting of Justice J M Khazi, was made publicly available recently. The court said, '…in the present case, the company is not arraigned as an accused, and therefore the petitioner, who is the sole accused, cannot be proceeded against.' It, however, stated that a fresh complaint could be filed by implicating the company too, as the initial complaint did not name it. The grievance in this regard was filed by a food safety officer in 2023, under provisions of the Food and Safety Standards Act, based on the discovery that a sample of Horlicks biscuits from a supermarket in Bengaluru contained the pesticide Chlorpyrifos beyond the safe limits. In India, Horlicks is owned by Unilever. Jawa's counsel argued that the tests prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations were not applicable to finished products such as biscuits. It was also pointed out that the company (Hindustan Unilever) was not named in the case, and as per the law, the CEO was not the manufacturer. Hence, the trial judge should not have taken cognizance of the matter. On the other hand, the opposing government counsel argued that the MD was responsible for the company's business. He added that in the event that the proceedings are quashed because the company was not named as an accused in the complaint, liberty ought to be granted to file a fresh petition and implead the company. Allowing the petitioner to do so, the high court subsequently stated, '…the criminal proceedings against the accused are liable to be quashed…the complainant is at liberty to file a fresh complaint by implicating the company also, and thereafter proceed further.'
The Hindu
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Watch: Umayalpuram explains how to play for the stalwarts of Carnatic music
Mridangam maestro Umayalpuram Sivaraman shared his experiences of accompanying great musicians — each possessing exceptional mastery in their respective fields — and said that it became easier for him after undergoing rigorous training. He likened the experience to visiting a sweet stall. 'You will be bewildered about what to buy,' he said during a conversation with CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby at The Hindu office. 'You should have the reflexes to play immediately. Whatever is in your brain should come out through the mridangam. Through hard work, you reach the top and maintain your place by constantly improving. Otherwise, others will overtake you,' he said. Recalling his experience with Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, he said the veteran often sang in madhyama kalam, and sometimes the mridangam player had to establish the tempo before he began the kriti. 'I wanted to accompany him in one desadi thalam, but for a long time, we didn't get the opportunity. Then one day, he sang it, and I said, 'Today I am very happy, mama.' He replied, 'Only today do I have the confidence that you will play well,'' Mr. Sivaraman recalled with a smile. Mr. Sivaraman said one could never deviate from kaala pramanam (sense of timing) while playing for Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar. 'He would say, 'Ennathu? Odapidathe. No running. Nothing.' And you had to play with abandon because his voice was so powerful,' he said. In one programme, to showcase Mr. Sivaraman's scholarship, Chembai gave him five thani avarthanams in a single concert. 'After that, he asked me to drink Horlicks from a flask. He said, 'I will not stop singing, and you should not stop playing.' At the end of the programme, he said, 'I have earned name and fame. I also got money. You should earn all that too.' Then he sang the Mangalam,' Mr. Sivaraman reminisced. Playing for Madurai Mani Iyer was a different experience. The mridangam player could never deviate from shruti. 'The great T.R. Mahalingam said of Madurai Mani Iyer: 'If you want to worship Swara Devatha, here is Mani Iyer's music.' When Madurai Mani aligns with the tambura, there is no dichotomy. You have to tune the mridangam accordingly. If it's not in tune, he will look at you,' Mr. Sivaraman said. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer was known for sarva laghu singing. 'It is like the running of a horse. You won't have time to tune,' he said. G.N. Balasubramanian was famous for brigha-laden music, and Sivaraman had to adapt his playing accordingly. 'The Alathur Brothers were pallavi experts. When you ask them, they would say, 'There's nothing you don't know.' But then they would sing something I wasn't familiar with. While singing Thiruppugazh, if you didn't play aruti, they would ask why hadn't I played it,' he said. He added that while accompanying Musiri Subramania Iyer, he had to play the niraval properly and also provide the aruti. 'If you accompanied flautist T.R. Mahalingam, you would never know what he was going to play. He might play a misra gathi adi tala varnam. You had to be ready,' he said, and even demonstrated by singing Viribhoni Varnam. With Viswanatha Iyer, Sivaraman said he had to embellish his playing because Viswanatha Iyer himself knew mridangam well. 'These are all the ways I learned so many things. Everyone is great,' he said. Mr. Sivaraman also shared his experience of playing Simhanandana Thalam with 128 beats for Mudikondan Venkatarama Iyer at the Music Academy. 'He had a tuft. He would keep the thalam correctly. Sometimes, his tuft would come undone — he would stop to tie it back, but he never missed the thalam. You also had to play thani avarthanam in that thalam. So when you go through all these drills, it becomes easy. You really have to pass through all this,' he said. Asked whether playing for T.N. Seshagopalan was tough, Mr. Sivaraman said he was a very great musician in all aspects — composition, niraval, swaram, pallavi, and Thiruppugazh. 'When you play for Seshagopalan, he will also put you to the test. The thing is, you have to really prove your worth and create something great in the concert so that he will appreciate it,' he said. Reporting: B. Kolappan Video: Johan Sathyadas, Thamodharan B, Shiva Raj Editing: Shiva Raj
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Market sentiment to improve on rural Boost, lower inflation: HUL Chairman
Mumbai: Hindustan Unilever (HUL) chairman Nitin Paranjpe expects improvement in market conditions in the near and medium term, driven by better agricultural yield, lower inflation and normal monsoon forecast. " Rural economy should continue to do well, but the reduced inflation, along with the taxation changes, which puts more money in people's pockets, as well as some changes in the monetary policy, will benefit the economy and the sentiment in this market. As a result of which we should see an improvement, a gradual improvement, but an improvement nonetheless, in the overall environment," he said at the 92nd annual general meeting of India's largest fast-moving consumer goods company. HUL, whose performance is considered a proxy for broader consumer sentiment in India, has been grappling with slow value sales growth, which has been between flat and 4% for almost two years now. Its volume, or the number of packs sold, increased just 2% in the March quarter as well as the entire 2024-25. On May 1, the company revised its guidance for near-term margin to 22-23% from its previous forecast of 23-24%. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Direct Shopping From Adidas Franchise Store, Up To 50% Off Original Adidas Shop Now Undo "During FY25, HUL has done a good job in very difficult circumstances. This doesn't mean we are satisfied. We are trying to work to strengthen our performance as we move forward. It was a difficult year. Market growth was muted. Rural growth was recovering, but slowly, and urban growth was moderating right through the course of the year," he said. "There were also very significant fluctuations in commodity prices. As a consequence of this, price-led growth did not happen in this year. Now in that context, your company did very well. We restored volume led growth." He said, "Our aspiration is to deliver earnings growth of about 10%-plus as we move forward." Over the past year, demand in urban markets - which account for nearly two-thirds of HUL's sales - moderated owing to a high base, low wage growth and consumers cutting down on discretionary spending amid inflationary pressure. The maker of the Horlicks malted food drink and Dove bathing soap, however, said it had strengthened its competitiveness and taken other interventions to strengthen its portfolio and build capabilities that augur well for the future. Live Events HUL has been working on revamping its portfolio to modernise big brands such as Lifebuoy, Horlicks and Glow & Lovely. Nearly a decade ago, it had launched 'Winning in Many Indias' (WiMI), a strategy aimed at transforming the company from a four-branch structure at the front end into 14 distinct consumer clusters. This resulted in consistent market share gains and deeper reach, especially in central India. This was followed by another initiative within WiMI in 2021 to target non-metro states and understand consumption habits in these markets. The company is now looking at WiMI 2.0 to tap into the affluent class, part of its wider strategy to grow the share of its premium product portfolio by nine percentage points in the beauty and wellbeing business - its biggest profit generator currently - although it will extend to other categories as well. "Our strategy codenamed Aspire framework is designed to meet the growing aspirations of over a billion Indian consumers through taking interventions which will enable this company to succeed," he said. "It is about strengthening our portfolio, both the core, but also the future core and new segments which are going to be developed. It is about finding new ways of demand generation."
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
On Father's Day, Rs 5,000 crore man remembers his father's priceless gift: ‘He gave me nothing, but …'
A father's love and support are as integral to raising a well-rounded child as a mother's. Every year, Father's Day is observed on June 15. This is the day reserved for acknowledging how fathers serve as the backbone of the family, and paternal love is as beautiful and irreplaceable as a mother's. A Billionaire's Emotional Tribute On this special occasion, Dr. A. Velumani , the founder of Thyrocare and one of India's most inspirational entrepreneurs, shared a deeply personal message in memory of his father. Through a heartfelt post on social media, he described how his father, despite not being able to provide luxuries or material comforts, gave him something far more valuable—unrestricted freedom. He wasn't raised with gadgets, extra coaching, branded drinks, or expensive bicycles. There were no lavish birthdays, vacation trips, or indulgent gifts. Yet, his father offered him something profound—the freedom to choose his own path in life. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Velumani grew up without the things most children today take for granted, but he was allowed to decide what he wanted to study, where to live, what to purchase, and whom to marry. This freedom, he says, is what shaped his happiness and success. He encouraged others to offer their children the same liberty, believing it leads to deeper joy and fulfillment. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Top 25 Most Beautiful Women In The World Articles Vally Undo "No money. No comfort. No coaching. No gadgets. No Horlicks. No Atlas. No holidays. No birthdays. No toys. No pampering. But gave me absolute freedom to choose," wrote the business tycoon. — velumania (@velumania) Humble Origins, Extraordinary Journey Dr. A. Velumani's story is one of unwavering grit and vision. Born into poverty in a village near Coimbatore, his father was a landless farmer, and his mother sold buffalo milk to support the family. Their lives were built on hard work and simple values. Despite these limitations, Velumani pursued higher education with determination. He earned his PhD in thyroid biochemistry while working at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), proving that one's circumstances do not define one's potential. Building an Empire From Scratch The true turning point in his life came when he ventured into entrepreneurship. With relentless dedication and business acumen, he established Thyrocare, which grew into a nationwide diagnostic brand. In 2021, Velumani made headlines when he sold a majority share of Thyrocare to PharmEasy for a remarkable ₹4,500 crore. What made this achievement even more extraordinary was how he did it—without loans, external investors, or media hype. He built his empire through disciplined reinvestment and steady growth, eventually owning over two-thirds of the company. A Legacy Rooted in Freedom In essence, Velumani's success is not just about business; it is about how a father's silent decision to grant freedom became the cornerstone of a son's triumph. On Father's Day, his story serves as a poignant reminder that true support doesn't always come wrapped in money—it often lies in trust and freedom.
Scottish Sun
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
B&M brings back ‘blast from the past' retro sweets after 20 YEARS as shoppers race to fill trolleys
The sweet, which was discontinued at the turn of the century, was relaunched for the 150th anniversary of the brand RARE FIND B&M brings back 'blast from the past' retro sweets after 20 YEARS as shoppers race to fill trolleys Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) B&M fans are in a frenzy after spying retro sweets back on shelves. Eagle-eyed shoppers are delighted by the find, calling the sweets a "blast from the past". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Eagle-eyed shoppers have spotted the return of a discontinued sweet Credit: Alamy 2 The chewable sweets were first launched in the 1930s Credit: Facebook Posting in the Food Finds UK Official Facebook group, a public group with 560,000 members, one shopper beamed: "A blast from the past, found in B&M." Alongside the post, she shared a picture of Horlicks Original Tablets, which were priced at £1.75, in the bargain retailer. The chewable version of the malted beverage originally launched in the 1930s, and was given to troops in WW2 to help boost their energy. They remained popular into the 1980s, but had disappeared from shelves by the end of the 20th century. However, back in 2023, Horlicks brought back the sweets, for its 150th anniversary. Horlicks revealed that it brought the sweets back "in response to unprecedented demand from consumers across the nation." And now, two years on from the relaunch, the sweets have been spotted again in B&M stores. The post was flooded with comments from excited shoppers, sharing their love for the sweets. One person said: "I haven't see these in ages omg." Another person said: "They've been reduced to 10p in ours." 'So excited' say Cadbury Ireland fans as new chocolate bar flavour to hit shelves TODAY Others tagged their friends to let them now about the find. This follows speculation that another popular snack, which was discontinued in 2003, is returning to stores. TikToker Minstrel Munches recently caused a buzz on social media, after speculating that White Maltesers will be making a return to stores. In a recent TikTok post, she said: "They are coming back. How to save money on chocolate We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don't have to break the bank buying your favourite bar. Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs... Go own brand - if you're not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you'll save by going for the supermarket's own brand bars. Shop around - if you've spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it's cheaper elsewhere. Websites like let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you're getting the best deal. Look out for yellow stickers - supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they've been reduced. They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged. Buy bigger bars - most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar. So if you've got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger. "They are expected to be released in the middle of June or the start of July." The popular Food Finds UK Official Facebook group also claimed that the chocolate is making a comeback, but Mars has yet to comment on the claims. And chocolate fans were left devastated recently, after Fry's Coffee Cream bars were discontinued by Cadbury. The British chocolate makers said: "We continuously adapt our product range to ensure it meets changing tastes whilst supporting growth for our customers and our business. 'Our Fry's Coffee Cream multi-packs were introduced as a limited-edition product in summer 2023 for fans to enjoy while stocks lasted. "They have since been discontinued but we still have plenty of other delicious Fry's products for consumers to choose from, including Fry's Chocolate Cream and Fry's Peppermint Cream Multipacks."
