Aamir tried to destroy India's brand identity: Amitabh Kant

January 19, 2016

Ahmedabad, Jan 19: Actor Aamir Khan damaged the "brand India" while being the brand ambassador of the celebrated 'Incredible India' campaign, a top official has said.

aamirDefending the exit of Khan from the campaign, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Amitabh Kant said the actor, by terming India an 'intolerant country', worked against his role as that of a brand ambassador.

"A brand ambassador promotes a brand. People will come to India and tourist flow will increase only if the brand ambassador of 'Incredible India' promotes the country as 'incredible'," Kant told reporters on the sidelines of a convocation here last night.

"But if the brand ambassador says India is intolerant, he surely is not working as brand ambassador," Kant said.

"The brand ambassador must be the best brand ambassador for promoting and marketing India, he cannot be the destroyer of the brand," he said while replying to a query on removal of Khan from the campaign, without taking the actor's name.

Khan had late last year stirred a controversy after he expressed "alarm and despondency" over rising instances of intolerance in the country in the past few months and said that his wife (Kiran Rao) even asked if they should move out of India as she feared for the safety of their children.

Kant, who was involved in conceptualising Incredible India campaign in 2002 in his capacity as joint secretary, Ministry of Tourism, today tweeted, "Being a Brand Ambassador imposes responsibilities. U can't run down what u're promoting. That's damaging d brand."

Khan actively promoted Indian tourism for a decade as the brand ambassador.

Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma had said Aamir had a contract with advertising firm McCann Erickson and not the government for the campaign.

"Since the contract with the agency is no more, automatically the arrangement with the actor no longer exists," Sharma had said.

Comments

Muhammed Rafique
 - 
Tuesday, 19 Jan 2016

Who says India is intolerant?

Else Sunny Leone wouldn't have been living and working in India

Goodman
 - 
Tuesday, 19 Jan 2016

Aamir said truth, whether it is difficult to digest the culprits and their sponsors.
He said truth, though he knew he would sacrifice the title.
We are today independent because of such people who stood against atrocities by invaders. Our people got the title of freedom fighters and martyr.
today he has to say the truth against our own men. This is hard truth. To know it, don't go away, just see around you in our own home town of Mangalore. Even now and today.
I request all celebrities like actors, sportsmen should dare to say the truth.

Rahi
 - 
Tuesday, 19 Jan 2016

Another Bhakt on stage, it will go like this till Amir's new film Dangal's release.
They are in full swing after Dilwale.

haaris
 - 
Tuesday, 19 Jan 2016

Who said intolerant now \Amir or his wife\""

HONOR
 - 
Tuesday, 19 Jan 2016

I think We should appreciate Aamir Khan for speaking the TRUTH...
These business man are blind to the killing of dalit, killing of akhlaq, terrorist minister Making BOw bow... Aamir in this case I appreciate for speaking the TRUTh.

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News Network
July 16,2020

Belgaum: Canon, Epson and Nikon reside in a house named "Click" in Karnataka's Belgaum district.

The newly built house of photographer couple Ravi and Krupa Hongal, which resembles a giant DSLR camera, has not only enamoured locals but has become quite a sensation on social media.

The three-storied camera-shaped house located in Shastri Nagar is an expression of passion and love for the art of photography of the couple whose children- three boys- have all been named after the iconic camera brands.

Their names ''Canon'', ''Epson'' and ''Nikon'' feature prominently on the house whose exterior resembles a camera. Just like a camera, the building has a glass window shaped as a viewfinder and another as a lens. It sports a wide film strip, a flash and even a memory card.

The walls of the house walls and its interior have graphics related to photography.

"I have been photographing since 1986. Building this house is like a dream come true. We also named our 3 children-Canon, Nikon and Epson. These all are three camera names. I love the camera and hence named them on camera companies name. My family were opposed to it, but we remain adamant," photographer Ravi told media persons.

Karnataka: A photographer couple, Krupa Hongal&Ravi Hongal, has built a camera-shaped house in Belgaum. Krupa (pic3) says,"It's a dream come true. We also named our 3 children-Canon,Nikon&Epson." Ravi (pic4) says,"We borrowed money for it&also sold our previous house."(14.07.20) pic.twitter.com/8Mkh1JOUk1

— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2020
The photographer says the couple had to borrow money from relatives and friend for constructing the house. "We also sold our previous house to build this house," he added.

Krupa said that it was their cherished dream to build a house like a camera.

"My husband is a photographer. It was our dream to build a house like a camera. We planned and built this house. We feel like we are living inside a different world, inside a camera. I am very proud of my husband," she said.

Canon, their elder child said, "My friends used to ask me whether it was my real name. Now, I tell them yes, photography is my father's passion and hence he named me Canon."

On social media, the picture of the unique shaped house has been shared widely.

"This is called love for the passion," said one user on Twitter.

Another user commented: "A camera-obsessed photographer from India builds a camera-shaped house! 49-year-old Ravi Hongal has spent over $95,000 building the 3-story house, which looks like a camera in the town of Belgaum in India."

The family seems to be indeed living a picture-perfect dream.

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News Network
March 14,2020

Mangaluru, Mar 14: Following the avian flu outbreak in neighboring Kerala, authorities at Pilikula Biological Park in Moodushedde, on the outskirts of the city, have taken all precautionary measures to prevent the death of birds in the park.

Park Director H J Jayaprakash Bhandari said that "the behaviour of the birds is being monitored near open water sources on the premises'.

Though no deaths were reported in the Zoo or on lake premises, the staff continue to maintain a strict vigil on open water sources like lakes. He said the Park was being sanitized.

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News Network
February 15,2020

Bidar, Feb 15: Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah on Friday demanded the State government to withdraw the sedition case against a mother and a teacher of Shaheen school immediately.

“The police can’t execute anything without the government’s permission. The sedition case against two women should be withdrawn immediately. I will raise the matter in the Assembly to draw the government’s attention,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after meeting the woman at the prison here. 

He clarified that he visited the woman not to support the school, but to extend moral support to her.

“I am an advocate and I can clearly establish based on my experience that staging a satirical play doesn’t amount for sedition. It doesn’t even defame anybody. Three cases of sedition have been registered across the state,” he charged.

He alleged that the government was following dual policy. Though the Supreme Court had concluded that the demolition of Babri Masjid was illegal, a play dealing with the demolition was staged at Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat’s school.
The sedition case had not been registered for staging the play.

He charged that there was an undeclared emergency in the country as the freedom of expression was being suppressed.

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