Veteran journalist, writer and former director of the Kerala Public Relations Department, Thottam Rajashekharan passed away in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. He was 96. His most noticeable tenure in government service came during the Emergency when he served as the Chief of Censorship in the Department of Public Relations. He has authored more than twenty literary works, including novels, drama, service story, and a translation. In 1982, he won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for miscellaneous works for ‘Cinema, Mithyayum Sathyavum.’ He has also won the T K Madhava Smriti Puraskaram for the work ‘Narayanaguru Nayakan,’ a biography published in 2011. In 2011, he published his autobiography, ‘Udyoga Parvam Utharakandam, The News Indian Express reported.

D2C menswear brand The Pant Project has appointed Confiance Communications as its strategic PR partner. Under the mandate, Confiance Communications will lead the brand's corporate communications strategy, focusing on strengthening The Pant Project's long-term corporate narrative as it scales. The agency will work to position the company as a consumer business driven by technology, manufacturing and innovation while enhancing founder visibility, investor confidence and market perception. Bushra Ismail, Founder and Chief Strategist of Confiance Communications, said the agency will focus on highlighting the brand's product innovation, manufacturing expertise and technology-driven approach as it enters its next phase of growth. Udit Toshniwal, Founder and Creative Director of The Pant Project, said the partnership will help the company communicate its growth story more consistently across business and consumer ecosystems.  

Bandhan Bank has appointed Dentsu Creative Isobar as its creative agency partner after a multi-agency pitch. As part of the mandate, Dentsu Creative Isobar will lead the bank's brand strategy, creative development, integrated campaigns and storytelling initiatives. The partnership aims to strengthen Bandhan Bank's connection with evolving consumer audiences and build a distinctive brand voice across India. The bank will focus on engaging millennials and Gen Z through culturally relevant storytelling, emotionally connected brand experiences and integrated campaigns. A Bandhan Bank spokesperson said the partnership aligns with the bank's strategy to build a stronger, more emotionally resonant brand as it evolves into a full-spectrum banking franchise. Sahil Shah, CEO, Dentsu Creative Isobar, said the agency is excited to partner with Bandhan Bank and create meaningful campaigns that build lasting consumer connections across India.  

The Chennai Institute of Journalism (CIJ) has increased its intake by 20 seats for the upcoming academic session and invited applications for its journalism programme. Aspiring journalists interested in print, broadcast, podcast and digital journalism can apply until August 10, 2026, through the institute's application portal.  

#1 · Data story SIR: Upscale Areas Trail Low-Income Segments By Alok K N Mishra   ·   The Times of India, New Delhi  ·  Page 6 Delhi's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls reveals a striking reversal of expected patterns: affluent constituencies like Kasturba Nagar (47.8%), Jangpura (49.3%) and RK Puram (51.3%) are significantly lagging in form digitisation, while lower-income outer Delhi areas like Seelampur (74.9%) and Mangol Puri (73.3%) lead the drive. With the August 8 deadline approaching, officials warn that nearly 20% of Delhi's 1.45 crore registered voters could be struck off the rolls. The story draws on granular Delhi Election Commission data across all 70 assembly constituencies, contextualising the civic apathy in wealthier areas. The story goes beyond a routine administrative update by using precise ward-level data to uncover a counterintuitive civic engagement paradox —

The vital role played by photojournalists in documenting history and bringing untold stories to the public took centre stage at Focus on News 2.0, a national-level photography exhibition, competition and training workshop organised by the Karnataka Media Academy in association with the Department of Information and Public Relations. Binuraj from Kerala won the first prize while Kunal Patil from Mumbai and Veeragoni Rajinikanth Goud of Telangana received the second and third prize among the 220-odd entries from across the country.    "I am extremely happy to receive this award. With over 200 entries and only 50 photographs shortlisted from some of the country's best photojournalists, winning an award is a proud moment. I dedicate this recognition to my entire Namaste Telangana team," said Rajinikant, who has been working as a photojournalist for the past two decades.  Inaugurating the two-day event at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Kannada film ac

TechDay has acquired three New Zealand mastheads that it will leverage to launch beyond tech via its new brand IndustrialDay The network launches with three newly acquired mastheads – Infrastructure News, Safety News and Property & Build, covering infrastructure, industry, workplace safety, aviation, property and construction, with more acquisitions planned. It will run separately from TechDay. The launch of IndustrialDay will see its platform, exposed to a new audience and clients, publisher Sean Mitchell has explained to Influencing.  “This is the opportunity to have [the] much, much faster style of news that we're used to in IT but has not really happened in those primary industries,” Mitchell told Influencing.  Mike Bishara, the New Zealand-based founder of the acquired titles, joins IndustrialDay as features editor. Existing staff – editor Michael Curreen, sales and advertising manager Nick Caffrey and administrator Anita Feria – will help get the new networ