American lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret has signed a new roster of female brand representatives that includes Indian actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas, to replace its supermodels (or Angels as they were called), and focus on women empowerment, giving a platform to female athletes, activists and entrepreneurs. Victoria’s Secret announced on June 18th of the creation of two new partnerships, designed to positively impact the lives of women. The brand’s previous campaigns had come under scrutiny for their embodiment of male fantasy over an accurate representation of what women seek in undergarments.
The new partnerships are ‘The VS Collective’ and ‘The Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers.’ Chopra, being one of the founding members of both the partnerships, will be leading this drive to positive change. She and six other new brand ambassadors called the ‘VS Collective’ will model for Victoria’s Secret products, advise the brand and promote it on social media. Announcing her collaboration with the brand, Chopra posted on her Instagram handle, “Representation matters. It’s crucial for us to show EVERYONE all over the world that they matter and are seen! As a founding partner of #TheVSCollective and advisor to the business, this is exactly what I intend to do.”
She added, “It’s been so incredible to see your reactions to yesterday’s announcement. It’s fueled me further and I am excited to bring about meaningful change at one of the world’s most iconic brands. I’m so proud to be in the company of the Collective of incredible women that will helm this change.” “Ps: thank you to my dream team for always thinking big with me. For going on the wild rides I want to embark upon. And for fighting the big fights! Love u and am especially proud of u on this one!” Chopra concluded the post.
Besides Chopra, the roster comprises American soccer star Megan Rapinoe; Brazilian transgender model Valentina Sampaio; 17-year-old Chinese American freestyle skier; soon-to-be Olympian Eileen Gu, 29-year-old biracial model; inclusivity advocate Paloma Elsesser; photographer and Los Angeles-based media personality Amanda de Cadenet; South Sudanese-Australian model AdutAkech. “At Victoria’s Secret, we are on an incredible journey to become the world’s biggest and best advocate for women. This is a dramatic shift for our brand, and it’s a shift that we embrace from our core. These new initiatives are just the beginning. We are energized and humbled by the work ahead of us,” said Martin Waters, chief executive officer of Victoria’s Secret.
Among the first initiatives, the founding members of ‘The VS Collective’ will share their stories in a 10-episode recurring podcast hosted by award-winning broadcaster, Amanda de Cadenet. Each episode will showcase the remarkable experiences and perspectives of a member of the Collective, as well as reveal further details of their partnership with the brand. Furthering on their mission, ‘The VS Global Fund for Women’s Cancers’ with longstanding partner, Pelotonia, will fund innovative research projects aimed at progressing treatments and cures for women’s cancers and investing in the next generation of women scientists who represent the diverse population they serve.
Through the partnership, Victoria’s Secret will grant and award at least five million dollars annually to examine and address racial and gender inequities and unlock new innovations that improve cancer outcomes for all women. Annual grants will be awarded to individual scientists or research “dream teams” who are collaborating across institutions. Victoria’s Secret, which introduced raunchy lingerie to the masses in the ‘70s, has been overshadowed in recent years by brands that have openly embraced both ethnic and bodily diversity. After ages, the brand has now decided to drop Angels in a step towards women empowerment.
Dr. Thomas Abraham, GOPIO Chairman; said “GOPIO International has been raising funds and GOPIO Connecticut and Manhattan chapters have sent Oxygen concentrators to India while other chapters in the US and around the world are providing medical supplies and food for the needy.” Dr. Abraham complimented GOPIO-Manhattan, NYC for taking this initiative and organizing several other programs during the covid period in the last one year.ShivenderSofat, President GOPIO-Manhattan; thanked the singers for making the evening lively and supporting the charitable event. He shared few pictures and slides of health kiosks to be set up in five villages in India that will be supported from the donation proceeds collected by GOPIO-Manhattan.
Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF festival director offered his thoughts and prayers to the lives lost in the covid-19 crisis in India. “But we made a promise to our audience in the United States and elsewhere. The show must go on. We present the best of Indian cinema from 2020 and 2021,” he was quoted saying in the press release.
Salman Khan Films’ spokesperson added, “It’s imperative that we all come together and think of out-of-the-box solutions for cinema as an industry during the current pandemic situation. We will support the theatre owners by releasing the film in as many theatres as we can, keeping in line with the rules and protocols laid down by the government. But, considering the guidelines and safety measures, we also need to devise ways to ensure that the film reaches all of our audience. We don’t want to deny the audience the choice of entertainment in the comfort of their homes during these times.”
The ceremony — fashioned as a movie of its own and styled as a laid back party — kicked off with opening credits and a slinky Regina King entrance, as the camera followed the actress and “One Night in Miami” director in one take as she strode with an Oscar in hand into Los Angeles’ Union Station and onto the stage. Inside the transit hub (trains kept running), nominees sat at cozy, lamp-lit tables around an intimate amphitheater. Some moments — 
In Waffles + Mochi, the puppets learn how to make mazamorra morada, a sweet purple corn desert, in Lamay, Peru. Each episode is focused around a specific ingredient. In the sixth episode, the puppets are sent on a mission to collect different types of eggs to bring to chef 
Rajinikanth has extended ‘deepest gratitude’ for all the love, greetings, and wishes he received after the announcement. The award will be given to the star for his stupendous contribution to the world of Indian cinema. The ‘Robot’ actor took to Twitter and extended his deepest gratitude to all those who took out time to wish him. “For all the love, greetings & wishes I’ve received from eminent political leaders, my film fraternity friends & colleagues, well-wishers, media, every person who took the time to wish me & my beloved fans from across India & all over the world .. my deepest gratitude and thanks,” tweeted Rajinikanth.
He has delivered hit films such as ‘Billu’, ‘Muthu’, ‘Baashha’, ‘Sivaji’, and ‘Enthiran’. Rajinikanth was last seen in AR Murugadoss’s ‘Darbar’. Currently, he is shooting for his upcoming film ‘Annaatthe.’ Among his numerous hits are films like “Baashha”, “Sivaji” and “Enthiran”. He is known as Thalaivar or leader by his fans.
“Life Of Pi” actor Suraj Sharma plays Hassan Ahmed, who is one such character. Hassan’s passion for filmmaking is destined to take him from Purani Dilli to Los Angeles. He gets admission at film school in the US, so his father (Adil Hussain) takes a loan to fund his dream.
“We take pride in making movies that entertain the masses and have the potential to shake off the inertia. Jathi Rathnalu has emerged as a reason to laugh and as producers, that’s what we aimed for. A big thanks to the writers for cultivating humour that sat so well with the audience and the critics. We have the world to thank for the success that the film is currently witnessing overseas,” says a spokesperson of the film’s production house, Swapna Cinema.
Madhuri was last seen in Kalank and Total Dhamaal last year. She is currently working on her production venture, Panchak. Actress Madhuri Dixit-Nene went down memory lane and shared how she was bitten by the acting bug.
The highlight of the ceremony was Dr. Joseph M. Chalil assuming charge as the Chairman, while Dr. SS Lal became the President of Indo American Press Club. Also, along with the two dynamic leaders, several new members of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee members, and Local Chapter leadership were administered the oath of office. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Chalil said, “Your choice humbles me, and I promise to do my duties with the best of my abilities.” Describing current phase in human history as “unprecedented times for the journalists and the media,” he pointed out that “AT LEAST 146 JOURNALISTS HAVE DIED FROM CORONAVIRUS IN 31 COUNTRIES.” The new Executive Committee led by Dr. S S Lal, Annie Koshy, C G Daniel, James Kureekattil, Prakash Joseph, Sunil Manjanikara, Biju Chacko, Andrews Jacob, Raj Dingra, Annie Chandran, Neethu Thomas, Innocent Ulahannan, Baiju Pakalomattom, O. K. Thyagarajan, Shiby Roy and Korasan Varghese were administered the oath of office by Chairman Dr. Joseph M Chalil. 
In his Presidential Address, Dr. Lal highlighted the importance of journalists and the need to coordinate and bring together journalists under one umbrella. “And it is the commitment and sacrifice of the leaders and members of this organization that has helped us build collaborations between the journalists and writers of the US and India,” Dr. Lal said. Ambassador Pradeep Kapur, in his keynote address stressed the importance of the media, especially in these challenging times as they work hard to bring the truth before the public. Dr. Shashi Tharoor, a Member of Indian Parliament, in his message stressed the importance of media and congratulated IAPC for its contributions to the society. Isaac John Pattaniparambil from Khaleej Times in Dubai, MG Radhakrishnan from Asianet NewsTV, Srikantan Nair from 24News, Preetu Nair from Times of India were others who addressed the IAPC members and felicitated the organization for its growth and success in a short period of seven years, 
BOB MIGLANI: Bestselling Author, Speaker and Founder of Embrace the Chaos – a change & transformation company. His Washington Post Bestselling book titled, Embrace the Chaos:How India Taught Me to Stop Overthinking and Start Living – celebrated the India experience of dealing with uncertainty and learning to embrace change in our daily lives and to always be moving forward. Bob’s other books include Treat Your Customers, about business lessons he learned working at his family’s Dairy Queen store and Make Your Own Luck, which he launched in India in November 2019. Today, Bob speaks, writes and advises companies on change and transformation. He lives in New Jersey, USA. 
BADAL SHAH: Badal Shah is another recent exemplar of an Indian coming from humble background from India and fulfilling his American dream. A 22 year old pharmacist who came to US in 2012, in search of his dream, rose through the ranks to become the youngest Managing Director of QPharma Inc.- a premium Medical, Commercial and Compliance partner of Pharmaceutical companies and was recently declared as one of the top 100 healthcare leaders in 2020 by IFAH (International Forum on Advancement in Healthcare). He pioneered the unique approach of “How to achieve effective medical communication and optimize field force during drug launch” which helped in successfully launching more than 25 drugs that were paramount in treating various diseases. He created the entire Health analytics services in last three years at QPharma and created unique platforms and solutions, which are being used by more than 2500 pharmaceutical leaders from top 20 pharmaceutical companies all over the world. 