Entertainment
Amjad Ali Khan awarded for excellence in Indian classical music
New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) Veteran Sarod player Amjad Ali Khan has been conferred with the Dayawati Modi Award for his contribution to Indian classical music.
The Dayawati Modi Foundation conferred the ‘Award for Art, Culture and Education’ for the year 2017 on the veteran sarod player on Friday, said a statement.
The award comprising a cash prize of Rs 2.51 lakh, a silver shield and scroll of honour was presented to the distinguished artist to mark the 102nd birth anniversary of late Dayawati Modi.
Amjad Ali Khan thanked god for all the love bestowed upon him.
“Every award at every stage of one’s life is like an encouragement and a testimony of your journey. I thank god for all the love that has been bestowed upon me. However, I am still a student and have to learn so much. This is the beginning,” he told IANS.
“I am so honoured to receive the Dayawati Modi Award for Art, Culture and Education. Dayawatiji was a great philanthropic lady. She was a dedicated educationist and social worker believed in the education and upliftment of women and children, particularly those among the underprivileged.
“It’s very humbling to know that Mother Teresa and His Holiness The Dalai Lama have been past Awardees,” he added.
Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot felicitated Amjad Ali Khan with the award at an event held in the capital at Sri Sathya Sai Auditorium, on Lodhi Road, here.
While congratulating Amjad Ali Khan, Gehlot said: “His contribution towards Indian Classical Music has been immense throughout these years. I also wish to thank the Dayawati Modi Foundation for its continuing and untiring efforts in recognising the talent and work of gifted persons in the fields of art, culture and education.”
–IANS
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Entertainment
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
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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