 |
 |
High-flying
Keralite |
| Kerala-born NRI Aniyan Kutty is ready to
enter India’s dynamic skies with City Air, a new
budget airline that will have its operational headquarters
in Chennai. Kutty’s Dubai-based Clarion Shipping
Services also has interests in construction, advertising
and information technology. City Air will have the advantage
of functional software availability because Clarion’s
group company Dimensions develops aviation-related software
products, which can be used by the airline. The estimated
investment: Rs 60 crore. |
|
 |
Spelling
Bee Winner |
| For all you parents of bad spellers, here’s
hope. Indian children are doing exceptionally well in
that field. Anurag Kashyap, a 13-year-old Indian American,
won the 78th annual Scripps national spelling bee. Anurag
spelt ‘appoggiatura’—meaning a melodic
tone—to win the $22,000 prize, a $5,000 scholarship,
books and a bond. His victory along with that of two other
close Indian winners has sparked a sociological commentary
on why this ethnic group is so enthusiastic about and
successful in mastering spellings. |
|
| Working
Magic |
 |
| Denver-based Indian American Manick Sorcar’s
animation films have now become the subject of a research
paper in the US for bringing Indian culture alive through
animation. “Manick Sorcar: Animations that Teach
Indian Cultures” is the research topic of a student
at the Savannah College of Art and Design at Savannah,
Georgia. Sorcar is the son of the legendary magician PC
Sorcar Sr and brother of PC Sorcar Jr. Rule of Twenty-One,
an enchanting blend of magic and animation, made by Sorcar
won the Bronze Plaque award at the 51st Columbus International
Film Festival in 2003. |
|
| Tied
up in knots |
 |
| Those Indian Guys is the name of a theatre
company that New Zealand-based Indian duo Rajeev Varma
and Tarun Mohanbhai started. Their stage comedy D’Arranged
Marriage, that won the TV2 International Laugh Festival
2002 in Auckland, tackles the eternal issue of the arranged
marriage. They recently staged it in Kuala Lumpur for
a charity gala, in aid of the National Cancer Society,
along with From India With Love, a prequel to the show.
Rajeev and Tarun take turns to perform D’Arranged
Marriage, as the seven wacky characters are played by
one actor. |
|
|
|
