CNN-IBN celebrates the spirit of a ‘Rising India’ this Independence Day

Media News

New Delhi, August 07

As India enters its 60th year of independence, celebrations at CNN-IBN have already begun! In saluting the spirit of the nation, CNN-IBN has lined up an array of programming that celebrates Indian achievements from across disciplines and attempts to define what it truly means to be an Indian. These are in addition to the additional programming line up that began on January 26th leading up to August 15th under the Rising India initiative. The following are some such programming initiatives that celebrate this spirit:

State of the Nation: India and Pakistan are celebrating 60 years of Independence and to mark the occasion, ‘State of the Nation’ this year will involve a first-ever two nation simultaneous opinion poll in India and Pakistan. The basic idea is to capture the public’s opinion on the state of the two nations and invite people to reflect on their shared pasts and future. This exceptional four-episode series will comprise 3 half-hour episodes beginning August 12 at 10:00pm and concluded by a one-hour show on August 15 at 8:00 pm.

The four episode series will comprise of debates on topics of concern, which are:

Political State of the two Nations (August 12 @ 10:00pm)

The Kashmir Question (August 13 @ 10:00pm)

Region & the Globe (August 14 @ 10:00pm)

India & Pakistan - People 2 People (August 15 @ 8:00pm)

Rising India 10 Defining Moments: Rajdeep Sardesai and renowned historian, Ramchandra Guha, will discuss and deliberate the significance of the results of the IBNLive.com poll on the top ten defining moments over the past six decades in an exciting one-hour special on August 11 at 8:00 pm

Real Heroes - India’s Unsung Heroes: Beginning August 6, CNN-IBN identifies 24 unsung heroes from four zones - East, West, South, North - (six from each zone) across the country. Capsules through the day will be aired daily to celebrate their achievements along with regular stories on the news wheel and weekend specials. Every week, six heroes from a particular zone will be profiled and a dedicated half an hour will be aired every Saturday at 1:30 pm summarising the entire zone. The series will be aired as follows:

South Zone (August 11)

North zone (August 18)

East zone (August 25)

West zone (September 1)

Dil se Dil: The first ever Indo-Pak music concert is scheduled for the night of August 14 till the early hours of August 15 to celebrate the 60th Independence Day of both the countries. Eminent artists and celebrities with the likes of A.R. Rahman, Rahet Fateh Ali Khan, Atif Aslam, Shah Rukh Khan, Wasim Akram, among others, will come together across the border to create an unforgettable night of neighbourly harmony! The historic event will be televised live on exclusively on CNN-IBN on August 14 from 11:00pm till 1:00 am.

Secret Kitchen – Independence Day Special: CNN-IBN foodie Bikramjit Ray is out to discover the flavours and tastes that were brought to India from across the border in 1947 and which have now become and integral part of Indian cuisine. Taking his viewers through some of Delhi’s well-known and obscure locations, Bikramjit unravels some deliciously divine secret recipes that were once imported from what is now Pakistan. The show will air on August 15 at 11:30 am

Only in India: We Indians have a knack of doing a lot of things in our own quirky ishtyle that makes us who we are and differentiates us from the rest of the world. This half-hour light-hearted show takes a look at things like galli Cricket, lassi preparations using a washing machine, among other innovative Indian take-offs from what was originally a Western concept. The show will air on August 14 at 8:30 pm

Cricket 360 Special – Dream Team of 60 Years: A special show on Cricket with an elite panel of experts and studio audience, that would reveal the findings of an interactive cricketnext.com survey on what Indians think makes their Cricket Dream Team! The show will air on August 11 at 7:30 pm

Best of India Rocks: Hosted by AR Rehman, a special feel-good, thought-provoking, emotional and patriotic musical tribute to India on the occasion of Independence Day. The show will feature prominent Indian musicians with the likes of, Rabbi Shergill, Euphoria, Silk Route, Indian Ocean, among many others! The show will air on August 15 at 10:30 am & 9:30 pm.

Six Decades of Sports - Special: This half hour programme will not only showcase the most glorious moments in the history of Indian sports, but also reveal the findings of the IBNLive.com poll stating the Best Indian Sportsperson of 60 years! The show will air on August 15 at 7:30 pm & 11:30 pm

Splendid 60: Six Decades of Cinema – Director’s Special: The show will re-trace the major steps and developments in Indian cinematic history to gain insight into this diverse, colourful and vibrant industry that is an important part of Indian culture. In addition to remembering the eventful journey of Indian cinema, it will also focus on some of the top filmmakers choosing their personal all-time favourite film of the last six decades! The show will air on August 11 at 10:30 pm.

60 Years of Advertising: Advertising has come a long way in the past few decades – from merely a handful of agencies producing most Indian advertisements to a booming industry that is showing no signs of slowing down! The show will look back at the evolution of advertising in the country and highlight the developments that helped it become a multi-billion Rupee business involving some of the brightest and most creative minds in the country today.

Independence Day Special – Morning Show: Starting early on August 15, CNN-IBN’s special breakfast show will dip across various centres and cover stories on the different ways the country celebrates Independence Day. As a part of the same show, a special segment will cover an eight-city LIVE quiz with children to see what the nation’s future generation has to say. To air on August 15 at 8:00 am.

What is Indianness? Special capsules through the news wheel will focus on both ordinary and celebrity citizens and how they define what being an Indian means to them.

“We at CNN-IBN have been celebrating the 60th year of Independence since the beginning of the year. However, with the actual anniversary drawing nearer our special programming is picking up pace leaving viewers spoilt for choice. We have tried our best in capsulating the spirit of the past 60 years of Indian culture and its influence on the India of today.“ Said, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN and IBN 7

“Our Independence Day line-up is jam-packed with some exciting and exceptional programming to cater to all our viewers. The properties will be promoted extensively on-air as well as off-air to increase their visibility and brand-recall.” Said, Dilip Venkatraman, Director Marketing and Online Projects, CNN-IBN and IBN 7

“As our Independence Day properties will be widely promoted through various mediums they will prove lucrative for those choosing to advertise with us as it would provide their brands excellent exposure.” Said, Sanjay Dua, National Sales Head, CNN-IBN and IBN 7

CNN-IBN is celebrating 60 years of Indian independence with its ‘Rising India’ initiative - one that captures the sprit on India, a spirit that has made India a global challenger. Programming around ‘Rising India’ provides a glimpse into the past, present and the future of the Indian economy. An initiative that looks for an answer to the question - What is it that defines and unites the diverse cultural continent? From trivia and interesting facts about how India has evolved and changed over the last 60 years to the stories that inspire, stories of unsung heroes, unusual traditions and lifestyles that define India today – Rising India has it all covered for a holistic look at India then and now.

For further information, please contact:

Roshni Dhindsa

PR Pundit

Mobile:9810675710