Entertainment
Never a ‘Dal’ moment during my Srinagar concert: Adnan Sami
By Subhash K. Jha
Mumbai, Oct 13 (IANS) Famous Pakistani-origin musician and singer Adnan Sami has described the “Rhythm in Paradise” concert held in Srinagar last week as the most “memorable” live performance of his life.
Adnan performed for free at the concert, jointly organised by the Union Home Ministry and the Jammu and Kashmir government, and held at the lawns of the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre on the banks of the Dal Lake here.
“By now, I’ve done hundreds of concerts the world over. Of course, each one is special. And of course, I get butterflies in my tummy even now before every live performance. But this was in a different league altogether,” Adnan said as he thought about the experience which he describes as “magic in paradise”.
It all started with a call from Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s office.
“When they asked me if I’d perform in Kashmir, I didn’t even think about it. I said ‘yes’ without a second thought, and no money was discussed, none taken. Come on yaar, this is Kashmir. Jannat mein gaane ke liye paise nahin lete (You don’t take money to sing in paradise).”
Nor did Adnan think twice about taking his wife and newly-born daughter Medina to the troubled Valley.
“It wasn’t as if the tension in the Valley vanished for me. It is there. But we need to go beyond despair and head towards repair. This healing can only happen when more artistes from the world over perform. And what better healer than music? I am proud to say I’m the first major artiste from Mumbai’s entertainment world to perform in Srinagar, and I’ve come back supremely blissed by the welcome that I got from music lovers there,” he said.
Any regrets?
“Yes, I wish I had been to Srinagar earlier. I had been to Kashmir to shoot for my song in ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ in 2015. But that was just in-and-out. This time I got a chance to meet people, mingle with the people, sing for and with them. Kashmir has such wonderful people and is so so beautiful.
“I performed right at the foot of the Dal Lake, so we can safely say there was never a ‘Dal’ moment during my concert, ha ha. My wife, daughter and I got a chance to see some of the gardens before we returned. Now I can’t wait to go back for a longer visit and for another concert.”
–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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