Latest news with #Maruti800
NDTV
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- NDTV
Video Shows Elephant Pulling Stuck Toyota Fortuner Out Of River In Kerala
A video from Kerala has gone viral on Instagram, showcasing the incredible strength and intelligence of elephants. In the clip, a majestic elephant is seen effortlessly pulling a white Toyota Fortuner SUV out of a riverbed, highlighting the animal's immense power and its ability to assist humans in need. The video shared on Instagram opens to show a white Toyota Fortuner SUV stuck in a shallow river, with only the front left wheel visible above the water. The situation appeared dire until a mahout, accompanied by his elephant, Thiruvegappura Sankaranarayanan, arrived on the scene. The elephant successfully dragged the vehicle, weighing between 2,105 kg and 2,135 kg, out of the water body within minutes. Notably, the Toyota Fortuner's gross vehicle weight can reach up to 2,735 kg, making the elephant's feat even more impressive. The video was shared on Instagram with the caption, "Thiruvegappura Sankaranarayanan… Our little elephant…". View this post on Instagram A post shared by Said Alavikoya (@saidkoya90) Elephants have been revered in Indian culture for centuries, worshipped for their wisdom, strength, and loyalty, and have played a significant role in many Indian dynasties. The viral video is a perfect example of their capabilities, demonstrating how these majestic animals can provide valuable assistance to humans in challenging situations. The video sparked widespread praise, with many celebrating the animal's power and agility. One user wrote, "We use elephants instead of tow trucks—eco-friendly and majestic." Another commented, "This Fortuner in front of the elephant looks like a Maruti 800." A third said, "Pulled like a toy."
Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indian Express
Watch: Elephant pulls stuck SUV out of river in Kerala, the Internet is amazed
Elephants are revered for their intelligence, strength, and loyalty, and once again, one has proven why. A jaw-dropping video from Kerala is going viral on Instagram, showing a majestic elephant pulling a white Toyota Fortuner sports utility vehicle (SUV) out of a riverbed with ease. The video begins with the SUV stuck in a shallow river, its wheels, except the front left, submerged. Unable to move, the situation seems hopeless until a mahout (a trained elephant handler) arrives with his elephant, Thiruvegappura Sankaranarayanan. We next see the elephant gripping a rope tied to the vehicle's front axle with his trunk. Under the mahout's guidance, Sankaranarayanan begins to pull with sheer strength, managing to drag the heavy SUV onto solid ground within seconds. The force and precision displayed have left viewers stunned. The video was shared on Instagram by user @saidkoya90 with the caption, 'Thiruvegappura Sankaranarayanan… Our little elephant…' and has since amassed over 2.4 million views and 172,000 likes. A post shared by Said Alavikoya (@saidkoya90) Comments poured in, celebrating the animal's power and grace. 'This Fortuner in front of the elephant looks like a Maruti 800,' wrote one user. Another noted, 'We use elephants instead of tow trucks—eco-friendly and majestic.' A third user said, 'There are people who are suitable for everything here. This is Thiruvagapuren.' This isn't the first time elephants have gone viral. Recently, another video surfaced showing an elephant disabling an electric fence with remarkable precision, proving once again that elephants are not only strong but also incredibly smart. In India, elephants have traditionally played important roles, not only in festivals and ceremonies but also in industries like logging. While the use of elephants in labour has decreased due to ethical concerns, some domesticated elephants are still employed for specific tasks like logging timber and rescue and relief in difficult terrains under expert supervision.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Sheetal Maulik: I enjoy going on road trips with my daughter and husband
With the approaching, nature is at its best. Actress Sheetal Maulik believes there's no better time to hit the road. Known for her vibrant screen presence, Sheetal finds a different kind of joy off-screen — in road trips with her family. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'I haven't taken any solo road trip yet, but would like to go for it soon. I enjoy going with my daughter and husband on road trips even more. It gives me a different high. It's like we're just three friends travelling together. The weather makes it better. Windows down, music on, and the people you love beside you — it's the best feeling,' says the actress. Recalling her first major road trip, she says, 'We went to Ashtavinayak — the eight Ganapathis — in a Maruti 800 with my parents, husband and a few other relatives. It was my first ever road trip, which was adventurous and unforgettable." Sheetal feels that such experiences bring people closer. She says, "I feel road trips with family and friends are more than just scenic drives, they make your bond better. You adjust to situations, like when the car breaks down or there's a puncture. Those moments teach you how strong your connection is, and you enjoy together.' On the work front, she has been part of shows like Gutar Gu, Suhaagan, Pyaar Ki Luka Chuppi and others.
Mint
24-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
The battle to put a phone in every Indian's hand
The idea that you could walk into a neighborhood store, buy a phone, insert a SIM card and start calling family and friends within hours would have been the stuff of science fiction in pre-1990s India. Which is why the telecom sector is considered the poster child of the transformative powers of the reforms of 1991, which threw open a moribund government monopoly to the private sector. But a phone in every Indian's hand isn't a story of a smooth and steady transition. It is a tale of bitter business rivalries, some wise and some inept government handling, fierce maneuverings in courts, and a whole host of characters who played significant parts in the decades-long drama. It is also a story of the rise and fall of many entrepreneurs who cut their teeth in this most demanding of industries, culminating in a rank outsider, Sunil Mittal, emerging as the champion of champions. Above all, it's a tale which wasn't fully captured in any book so far. Former journalist and author Deepali Gupta steps in to fill that breach with her new book, Telecom Wars, and does so with skill and substance. Sensibly, her book follows a straightforward chronological order, which allows even those who were eyewitnesses to the revolution to catch up on minor but critical elements. Take the incident where Analjit Singh of Max Telecom went for a meeting at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in 1993 to demonstrate his company's newly launched pager service. A chance remark by an official there convinced him that the future of communications lay in mobile telephony rather than in pagers. Singh would go on to be one of the big financial winners with the sale of his telecom business to Vodafone. Another opportunistic winner was Warburg Pincus, which bought into Bharti Airtel against the advice of its consultants. Its $30 million cheque in 1999, which allowed Mittal to go on a shopping spree on his way to becoming an all-India service provider, would grow to over $300 million by 2001. The private equity firm eventually encashed its 19% stake for $1.8 billion in 2004. No story on Airtel is complete without mention of its first jingle composed by the music maestro A.R. Rahman. Gupta says the signature tune became so popular that it 'could even be heard in the reverse gear alert of the small family car Maruti 800." Anecdotes aside, the book also provides detailed accounts of the battles within the battle, including the crucial choice of technology standards between rivals, Code-division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), or the scramble between equipment vendors like Lucent, Motorola, Ericsson, Siemens and Nokia for a slice of what would grow to be the world's second largest telecom market. In addition there are the backstories of some of the more mysterious characters in the decades-long drama; men like the tea-trader Mahendra Nahata whose company Himachal Futuristic would twice play a huge role in the evolving sector. The first came with his eye-popping ₹85,000 crore bid for the first set of telecom licenses in 1995 which had Parliament in a tizzy, leading to angry exchanges between the colorful telecom minister, Sukh Ram, who would eventually be arrested and jailed, and opposition members like Pramod Mahajan from the Bharatiya Janata Party and Nilotpal Basu from the left. Nahata, would surface again in 2010 when his company, Infotel Broadband Services, became the only one to win broadband spectrum in all 22 zones in India in the auction, only for the company to be immediately bought by Reliance Industries. Gupta is in her element while detailing such oddities including that curious hybrid entity, incredibly named Batata, a three way partnership between Birla, Tata and AT&T. The marriage of two of India's largest conglomerates with the world leader in telecom services turned out to be an ill-fated one. The flurry of action through the first two decades when multiple companies from India and abroad lay claim to a piece of the turf, gave way by 2016 to a battle between a powerful new entrant and a dozen incumbents. Jio's epic launch started a devastating race to the bottom. Only three of those who started, finished: Kumar Birla's Idea Cellular, Vodafone and Bharti Airtel. Much of Gupta's material is sourced from media reports over the years including many which she filed. By piecing together these reports, editorials and columns, along with analysts notes and conversations into a single cohesive story, she's able to present an engaging and insightful book. By no means is this a comprehensive account of the events surrounding the privatization of the sector, though. That would need an entire case study. To the author's credit she has avoided making it one, refusing to editorialise or offer her own interpretation or even hold out lessons for others. The book is at its weakest in its conclusion, which reads more like a news report on the current situation. Perhaps publishing deadlines didn't allow for a more elaborate chapter than the short three-page apology to the present at the end. Sundeep Khanna is a business columnist and author of business books. Also read: Disfrutar versus Noma: A tale of two Michelin meals
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Business Standard
Osamu Suzuki: The Japanese automaker who motorised middle-class India
Osamu Suzuki, the former chairman and CEO of Japan's Suzuki Motor Corporation, was posthumously awarded India's second-highest civilian honour, Padma Vibhushan, for his exceptional contributions to the Indian automotive industry. The recognition comes a few years after Suzuki had been awarded India's third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan. The recognition underlines Suzuki's role in motorising the Indian middle class and shaping the country's automotive landscape through the Maruti Suzuki venture. Here is a look back on Osamu Suzuki's life and how his work in Japan transformed the lives in India. Who was Osamu Suzuki? Born in 1930 as Osamu Matsuda, he later adopted the Suzuki surname after marrying into the founding family of Suzuki Motor Corporation. He graduated in law from Chuo University and joined the company in 1958. At the time, Suzuki was still evolving from its origins as a loom maker and had only begun experimenting with compact vehicles. Osamu Suzuki rose through the ranks to become president in 1978 and later chairman, guiding the company for over four decades. His leadership was marked by frugality, an eye for emerging markets, and an unwavering belief in the future of small, affordable vehicles. The rise of Suzuki Motor Corporation Under Osamu Suzuki's stewardship, the company expanded its global footprint, especially in developing countries. He steered Suzuki towards becoming a key player in compact and efficient automobiles, setting it apart from other Japanese carmakers that focused on larger vehicles. By the 1980s, Suzuki had already made inroads into markets such as Pakistan, Indonesia, and Hungary, but his most significant impact would come in India. How Suzuki entered India India, in the early 1980s, was a protectionist, license-controlled economy with limited options in the automobile sector. Recognising the opportunity, Osamu Suzuki personally championed a joint venture with the Indian government. In 1982, Suzuki Motor Corporation partnered with the Government of India to establish Maruti Udyog Limited, with the aim of manufacturing modern, affordable cars for Indian consumers. This venture led to the launch of the iconic Maruti 800 in 1983, a model that revolutionised car ownership in India. At a time when cars were a luxury, the Maruti 800 offered reliability, fuel efficiency, and affordability, which targeted the rising middle class. 'Without his vision and foresight, his willingness to take a risk that no one else was willing to take, his deep and abiding love for India, and his immense capabilities as a teacher, I believe the Indian automobile industry could not have become the powerhouse that it has become. Millions of us in this country are living better lives because of Osamu San,' Maruti Suzuki Chairman RC Bhargava had said on his passing. Maruti Suzuki: The success story The Maruti Suzuki collaboration soon became the most successful Indo-foreign joint venture in the country's history. Osamu Suzuki's localisation strategy, which focused on Indian suppliers, workforce training, and adapting to local tastes, helped build a strong ecosystem around the automobile industry in India. On his passing, many of those who had worked with Suzuki recalled how he frequently visited Indian facilities, maintained close relationships with stakeholders, and encouraged constant innovation tailored to local needs. In an interview with Japanese broadcaster NHK television, he once said, 'Making good quality and low-price products is the basis of manufacturing... We cannot lower costs while sitting in the offices of the president or chairperson, so I have to be in a factory to understand the work and get ideas.' Beyond manufacturing, his insistence on service networks and customer satisfaction played a vital role in the brand's dominance. From the Alto to the Swift, WagonR to Baleno, Maruti Suzuki introduced several models over the decades that were tailored for Indian roads and wallets. Suzuki's legacy: Brand building, job generation While Suzuki's impact was global, his contributions to India were unique in scale and depth. He not only helped build a brand but also shaped an industry, including creating jobs, fostering industrial development, and setting standards for quality and efficiency. He received several international honours, including India's Padma Bhushan in 2007. With the posthumous Padma Vibhushan in 2025, India has now recognised Osamu Suzuki not just as a businessman, but as a nation-builder. Osamu Suzuki's son collects Padma Vibhushan award Toshihiro Suzuki, his son and the current president of Suzuki Motor Corporation, accepted the award on his late father's behalf. Osamu Suzuki passed away on December 25, 2024 at the age of 94 due to malignant lymphoma. The honour marks a full-circle moment in a decades-long partnership between the Japanese automaker and India.
