Akshat Can Dance.There were many striking things about 8-year-old India’s Got Talent semifinalist Akshat Singh’s recent visit to ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show.’ Here’s just a sampling:
-Akshat’s entrance, where he rides a small motorbike on to the stage and busted out into some high-energy moves, Salman Khan style.
-Ellen’s post-performance greeting to the young star, in which she haltingly attempts to speak in Hindi by saying “Namaste! Mera naam Ellen hain.”
-And Akshat’s declaration that he wanted to appear on India’s Got Talent to show the world that “motu can also dance.”
(We were disappointed that Akshat’s on-set translator didn’t explain that last one to the host).
Watch for yourself:
An Update on the South Asian Skiers in Sochi. This Wednesday, Alpine skier Himanshu Thakur competes after finally receiving his equipment. Thakur’s Himalayan hometown of Manali is at a higher altitude than the Rosa Khutor giant slalom race course in Sochi.
With Himanshu Thakur and Nadeem Iqbal – My fellow Indian Olympians! All the best guys! #Sochi2014 pic.twitter.com/G67GD3PLES
— Shiva Keshavan, OLY (@100thofasec) February 14, 2014
And last week, long after the event’s leaders had finished, cross country skiers representing Peru, Nepal, India and Bermuda continued on their path to the finish line, inspiring competitors and spectators with their perseverance and dedication.
Second last in 86th place was Dachhiri Sherpa, 44, of Nepal who was also given a hug by Cologna at the end of his race.
“I`m quite happy because now I am 44 years old and at this age to make a competition with those less than 30 years old is quite difficult. The level is very high here.” [ZeeNews]
Noureen DeWulf Blogs from Sochi. Actress Noureen DeWulf (Anger Management) is in Sochi cheering on her husband Team USA hockey goalie Ryan Miller, and she’s blogging for People. Follow her Instagram, Twitter and writing on People to keep up with her Sochi activities such as a patriotic manicure, a beach visit, and visiting the McDonalds in the Olympic village. [People]
A Poem About a Penguin Problem. Writer, activist and translator Meena Kandasamy has a poetic response to Penguin Books pulling Wendy Doniger’s The Hindus from shelves in India. You can read the entire poem on Kandasamy’s Facebook page. [Twitter]
Guess Who’s Not Jacking Up Perfume Prices in Jackson Heights? The grass in Jackson Heights might smell like fried onions, but thanks to Mohammed Kasem the neighborhood’s 37th Ave. where he set up a perfume shop should smell a little sweeter and offer more minimally marked-up perfumes. The Russian-speaking Kasem’s personal story is compelling too — orphaned by the Bangladesh Liberation War, he moved to the Soviet Union as a teen before traveling to the US later in life. [DNAInfo.com]
March Open Mic. Celebrating South Asian talent and building community in New York City, Subcontinental Drift – NYC is coming to Manhattan’s Juke Bar in March. Playwright Deen will make an appearance. RSVP for the Thursday, 3/6 event, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
The Politics of South Asian Music. San Francisco State University professor Falu Bakrania’s book Bhangra and Asian Underground: South Asian Music and the Politics of Belonging in Britain looks at two different music scenes and how they represented British Asian identities. [SF Chronicle]
Sid Sriram’s Sagetron. Take a walk through the woods with singer-songwriter Sid Sriram in his Sagetron video. The song and visual are an introduction to his upcoming Fall 2014 album Insomniac Season; West Coast Nightfall pt. II.
Pavani Yalamanchili is a co-founder and editor of The Aerogram. Email her at editors@theaerogram.com. Find The Aerogram on Twitter @theaerogram or on Facebook.
