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From Banarsi saris to golgappas, an Indian tadka for African first ladies
New Delhi: From intricate Banarsi weaves not only in saris but in a wide range of garb from traditional to modern, and a mouth-watering ensemble of dishes – and an opportunity to try their own hand at cooking, it was an enticing introduction to the arts and cuisine of India for a host of African first ladies accompanying their spouses for the India-Africa Forum Summit.
The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) collaborated with the external affairs ministry to present “Threads of Banaras” as part of the first ladies’ programme during the summit and it wowed the distinguished guests, who kept a close eye on the handloom clothes displayed while several expressed their love for “yellow dal” and the tangy taste of “golgappas.”
First ladies from the east African nation of Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda, the southern African nations of Angola, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland, the central African nation of Ethiopia, the western African nations of Equitorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Mali and Senegal and the island nations of Comoros, Madagascar, and Mauritius participated.
Coming straight away from the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple on the banks of the Yamuna here, the dignitaries looked excited to the fashion show which was going to show them the exquisitely beautiful world of Banarasi weaving.
The 25-minute show was a collection by Ekaya which ran over four segments and paid a tribute to the vivacity of Banaras and its accomplished weavers. The first segment began with traditional Banarasi saris, followed by ornate lehengas, salwar-kameez and Anarkalis, while the final showcased modern interpretations of global fashion with traditional weaves.
As Vedic chants filled the air, in keeping with the atmospheric charm of the Hindu holy city, it transported guests to a golden era of India’s richest textiles, weaves and embroideries.
“‘Threads of Benaras’ has been presented by, put together and conceptualized by FDCI along with Ekaya that has 50 years of history of working on weavers and master weavers brought the heritage and handloom of Benaras,” said FDCI president Sunil Sethi.
Moving ahead, there was culinary session with Chef Kunal Kapoor, who took everyone to the world of India’s rich diversity in food, and crunchy, tangy golgappas to crisp aloo tikkis, the first ladies enjoyed all the fare with a smile.
Many confessed to be enormously impressed with India.
“I am amazed with India, its rich colour and diversity. Its beautiful,” said one of the first ladies.
Some admitted to a keen love for Indian food.
“I love yellow dal of India,” said one of the delegates.
A few daring ones even displayed their culinary skills by making carom seed (ajwain) flavoured parathas along with Kapoor on stage.
“I try such stuffs at my home too,” said Tanzanian first lady Asha Mahmoud Mzee while giving a demo of her culinary skills.
The first ladies were accompanied with spouses of top Indian leaders including Delhi Lt.Gov Najeeb Jung’s wife Ameena Jung, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal, and Neelam Pratap Rudy, and Joram Rina Rijiju, wives of union ministers Rajeev Pratap Rudy and Kiren Rijiju, as well as Jaya Jaitly, Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi, and National Commission for Women chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam.
International online casino Casino Days has published a report sharing their internal data on what types and brands of devices are used to play on the platform by users from the South Asian region.
Such aggregate data analyses allow the operator to optimise their website for the brands and models of devices people are actually using.
The insights gained through the research also help Casino Days tailor their services based on the better understanding of their clients and their needs.
Desktops and Tablets Lose the Battle vs Mobile
The primary data samples analysed by Casino Days reveal that mobile connections dominate the market in South Asia and are responsible for a whopping 96.6% of gaming sessions, while computers and tablets have negligible shares of 2.9% and 0.5% respectively.
The authors of the study point out that historically, playing online casino was exclusively done on computers, and attribute thе major shift to mobile that has unfolded over time to the wide spread of cheaper smartphones and mobile data plans in South Asia.
“Some of the reasons behind this massive difference in device type are affordability, technical advantages, as well as cheaper and more obtainable internet plans for mobiles than those for computers,” the researchers comment.
Xiaomi and Vivo Outperform Samsung, Apple Way Down in Rankings
Chinese brands Xiaomi and Vivo were used by 21.9% and 20.79% of Casino Days players from South Asia respectively, and together with the positioned in third place with a 18.1% share South Korean brand Samsung dominate the market among real money gamers in the region.
Cupertino, California-based Apple is way down in seventh with a user share of just 2.29%, overshadowed by Chinese brands Realme (11.43%), OPPO (11.23%), and OnePlus (4.07%).
Huawei is at the very bottom of the chart with a tiny share just below the single percent mark, trailing behind mobile devices by Motorola, Google, and Infinix.
The data on actual phone usage provided by Casino Days, even though limited to the gaming parts of the population of South Asia, paints a different picture from global statistics on smartphone shipments by vendors.
Apple and Samsung have been sharing the worldwide lead for over a decade, while current regional leader Xiaomi secured their third position globally just a couple of years ago.
Striking Android Dominance among South Asian Real Money Gaming Communities
The shifted market share patterns of the world’s top smartphone brands in South Asia observed by the Casino Days research paper reveal a striking dominance of Android devices at the expense of iOS-powered phones.
On the global level, Android enjoys a comfortable lead with a sizable 68.79% share which grows to nearly 79% when we look at the whole continent of Asia. The data on South Asian real money gaming communities suggests that Android’s dominance grows even higher and is north of the 90% mark.
Among the major factors behind these figures, the authors of the study point to the relative affordability of and greater availability of Android devices in the region, especially when manufactured locally in countries like India and Vietnam.
“And, with influencers and tech reviews putting emphasis on Android devices, the choice of mobile phone brand and OS becomes easy; Android has a much wider range of products and caters to the Asian online casino market in ways that Apple can’t due to technical limitations,” the researchers add.
The far better integration achieved by Google Pay compared to its counterpart Apple Pay has also played a crucial role in shaping the existing smartphone market trends.
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