Nikki Shah - A Budding Actress from Michigan

Nikki Shah who is currently taking theatre classes at Wayne State University is a young budding actress from Michigan. Nikki recently starred in a independent film titled "Woman of His Dreams". Nikki's role is for just few minutes in the film but with this role Nikki has progressed to lead roles in two other projects.

Nikki has a lead role in "The Heartbreak Away from Hell". This short film is about two characters, Cynthia and John, and the relationship between them. The characters are married, and both want different things. Cynthia wants to settle down and have kids, while John wants to continue his career as a composer and stay in the city. This movie will be turned in to the Ann Arbor Film Festival. It will take about two weeks to edit and finish the film.

The other project Nikki is working on, is a webisode. The first one is named Orientation. This one has 4 characters: Eve, Misty, Jan, and Zach. Nikki plays the role of Misty. All the characters are in college. The three girls live together. The first epidode shows how Misty and Jan both bully Eve, by making her clean up the place and hiding her stuff from her until she does as she is told. Misty played by Nikki has a huge crush on Zach.

We all wish Nikki Shah Best Wishes!!

Michigan Indian Temples in Google Maps Street View

(cross posted from mibazaar.com)
I have created so many mashups but never created one with Google Maps Street View. So here it is ... a mashup showing Indian Temples in Metro Detroit. This mashup shows the temples in Street View along with a Satellite view of the temple location.

The information window in map view has a forward and back arrow which will take you to the next or previous temple location. This mashup page also has a sidebar with Temple listings which when clicked will show you the Google Map Street View of the Temple.

If there are temples in the area I missed please do let me know.

Supriya Kelkar - Screenwriting Talent from Michigan

Meet Supriya Kelkar a talented screen writer from Michigan who is in the writing team of Bollywood Producer/Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Vidhu Vinod Chopra is particularly known for producing the Munna Bhai films, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., and Lage Raho Munna Bhai and more recently 3 Idiots.

Supriya was one of the writers on Lage Raho Munnabhai and Eklavya. She also helped out with smaller things in the background for "3 idiots" and has an "assistance" credit. Supriya is also writing for "Broken Horses" which is Vinod Chopra's hollywood debut.

About Supriya

Supriya Kelkar is a recipient of the 2005 Writer's Arc Fellowship in Los Angeles. Supriya Kelkar was born and raised in Michigan. She studied screenwriting at the University of Michigan, where she met Vidhu Vinod Chopra at a Bollywood Film Festival. Supriya joined Chopra's writing team the following year in 2002, after graduation.

Holi Celebrations in Metro Detroit

Missed out on Holi Celebrations? Worry not because there are couple of upcoming Holi events which you might be interested in.

Uttar Pradesh Association of Greater Detroit
"RANG BARSE" (A colorful evening filled with fun, food and friends) on Saturday March 27th 2010

Event starts at 5.30PM

Place: Bharatiya Temple, 6850 Adams Road, Troy MI 48098

For more info check out UPAD website.

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Michigan Indian American Cultural Association
Holi and Vaisakhi Celebration scheduled for Sunday April 18th, 2010 from 5.00PM to 9.30PM at the Costick Activities Center, 28600 Eleven Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI.

For more information check out MIIACA website.

Talent Hunt for Singers in Canton, MI

SPYCE Entertainment which has a established band with professional musicians, singers is organizing a "Talent Hunt" for Singers. The event called "SUR SAMRAAT" is scheduled for April 3rd at Ashoka Indian Cuisine in Canton, MI.

The winner of this Talent Hunt gets to sing in the group @ Bollywood Galaxy - the biggest live musical coming up on 8th May 2010. The winners will also get opportunities to perform in other events organized by SPYCE Entertainment.


SPYCE Entertainment is also organizing a zee tv style ANTAKSHARI on Apr 17th. For more details on these events please contact

• Abhinav Verma at (586) 354-0316
• Amit Deshpande at (248) 227-5682
• OR Email at SPYCEUSA@YAHOO.COM

Bhangra Fusion - A Punjabi Dance Music event comes to Detroit

Bhangra Fusion Eleven a Punjabi Dance and Music event takes place this Saturday, March 20th at the Fillmore Detroit (formerly known as the State Theatre) in Detroit, Michigan.

Bhangra Fusion is an annual professional competition where teams compete against one another, demonstrating a fusion of culture and creativity. This year marks the eleventh competition since Bhangra Fusion One back in 2000. For more details on the Detroit Bhangra Fusion event please visit Bhangra Fusion website.



So what is Bhangra

Bhangra is a lively form of folk music and dance that originates from Punjab. People traditionally performed Bhangra when celebrating the harvest. During Bhangra, people sing Punjabi Boliyaan lyrics, at least one person plays the the dhol drum, and other people may play the flute, dholak drum, or other musical instruments. While Bhangra began as a part of harvest festival celebrations, it eventually became a part of such diverse occasions as weddings and New Year celebrations. Moreover, during the last thirty years, Bhangra has enjoyed a surge in popularity worldwide, both in traditional form and as a fusion with genres such as hip-hop, house, and reggae.

Indian Dance and Music event in Traverse City, Michigan

The Dennos Musuem Center at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City will present the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble in collaboration with the Wharton Center at MSU on Sat, March 20 at 8:00 pm in the Milliken Auditorium.

So what is Nriyagram Dance Ensemble?

The Nrityagram Dance Ensemble is much more than just a dance company. It is a crucible of inspiration and ideas, a coming together of creative minds. It is a space where dancers, musicians and choreographers live together for years, developing their skill, perfecting their technique and complementing their learning of dance with a study of mythology and the epics, Sanskit and yoga, meditation and the martial arts.

Tickets for this event are $25 in advance, $28 at the door, $22 for Museum members. Tickets may be be purchased by calling 231-995-1553 or on line at www.dennosmuseum.org.

In addition to the public performance, the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble will be performing two concerts during the day for schools in Milliken Auditorium on March 19. For more information contact Diana Bolander at 231-995-1029.

Opening in association with the dance concert will be a photographic exhibition on Varanasi, India by Chicago based photographer Larry Snider. An exhibition preview will take place at the Dennos for concert goers from 7-8 before the dance concert.

Indian Community in Grand Rapids area to celebrate India's cultural Holidays

India Link a non-profit organization in the Grand Rapids area is sponsoring Springfest 2010, a simultaneous celebration of the Hindu holiday, Holi, and Baisakhi, a Sikh harvest festival.

The cultural gala will be celebrated at 6 p.m., March 27 at East Grand Rapids High School. All are welcome to attend. The Mardi Gras-like festivities include cultural dances, traditional Indian costumes, an array of Indian cuisine and music.

For more information visit India Link website.

(via MLive.com)

Bollywood Music Spoof - Hilarious!!

Check out Winston Spear a stand up comedian from Toronto Canada, lip synching "Kehta Hai Pal Pal" from Bollywood Hindi Film - Major Saab.



Here's Ajay Devgan lip synching "Kehta Hai Pal Pal"




more later...

"The Sky Below" to be screened at Michigan State University

"The Sky Below" a documentary film which looks back at the division of India and Pakistan back in 1947, will be screened on March 18th in Room B106 of Michigan State University's Wells Hall. Admission is free. Director Sarah Singh of "The Sky Below" will be present at the screening. A Q&A and a reception will follow the film.

(via Lansing City Pulse)

Anuja Rajendra of Ann Arbor mentioned in "The Hindu"

Congratulations to the Talented Anuja Rajendra of Ann Arbor, Michigan for being mentioned in today's edition of "The Hindu" in Life & Style / Metroplus section, under the title "Jive to the Beat". Anuja was the choreographer who taught the silver medal Ice Dancing skaters Meryl Davis and Charlie White at the recently concluded Winter Olympics at Vancouver, the basics of Indian dance, made suggestions for music and spent months helping to put together the choreography.

Here's a quote from the article

The movements of skaters Meryl Davis and Charlie White are Bollywood tango, and the music is from “Devdas”. Anuju Rajendra, who combines Bollywood music and dance with exercise at her BollyFit studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is credited with showing them the Indian dance style and suggesting the music. Couldn't have chosen a better tune to enlarge the fan base, Meryl told an interviewer.

Congratulations Anuja!!

mibihar.com - a new community website in Michigan

Check out mibihar.com, a new community website in Michigan

Rachna Bardaiyar Kumar launched mibihar.com early this year (2010), with philanthropic vision and a sense of service for all.

The website title “Friends of Bihar and Jharkhand in Michigan” is a tribute to the great states of Bihar and Jharkhand in India. These two states not only have a rich culture, heritage and history, but the natives of these states have moved on to be very successful and productive members of the community. Bihar and Jharkhand however, has also endured years of corrupt politicians and their conniving politics, leading to a social and economic downfall of the states. Fortunately, today these both states are back on the road to recovery with the joint efforts of all Indians. “Friends of Bihar and Jharkhand in Michigan” under the web name mibihar.com is a similar attempt to energize those efforts by a group of local members of the Michigan community.

mibihar.com offers a multitude of options for its visitors. Everyone is welcome to visit and provide feedback. There are easy to navigate menus catering to the various needs of all its viewers. The most popular Announcements, Movers and Shakers and Young Stars sections is aimed at keeping the readers informed of the events and people All community members are strongly encouraged to participate. Posting any information, event, business or advertisement is absolutely free of cost. Join the discussion by clicking on the Forum section, or enjoy the monthly miBlog…..look at the Must Watch Videos or stop by the picture gallery!!! There is something for everyone and the best part is that YOU can be a part of it all by contributing to the website. “Friends of Bihar and Jharkhand in Michigan” Group and Fan Page can also be found on FACEBOOK!!! Join them…to follow along.

Swami Nithyananda Scandal Tweets

Cross Posted from mibazaar.com

I did not hear about Swami Nithyananda up until yesterday. Now a lot of people know about Swami all over the world after news came out from India about Swami's sex tape with a Tamil Actress. There is a lot of Twitter activity from India related to #nithyananda and some of it is hilarious. I have created this Google Maps Mashup of latest #nithyananda tweets from India. The map moves on to the next tweet location after every 7 seconds.