It's all thanks to "Kalpana
didi". Come July, Kamlika Chandla and Sanchari Bose --
students of Tagore Bal Niketan School in Karnal, Haryana -- will be off to NASA's Johnson
Space Center for a prestigious "space-experience" programme. Among 30 students
picked from 14 countries, they're the first Indians to get there. And it all began when
Indian astronaut Kalpana Chawla, an alumnus of their alma mater, asked the school to
recommend two of their best. Chirps Chandla: "I'm excited." Adds Bose: "I'm
already on cloud nine." Now for the stars.
Mister Clean?
Politicians are known for
playing dirty. Getting their hands dirty is rare. So when a preacher from Madhya Pradesh
gave a call for kar seva to clean the sacred river Kshipra, nobody expected Chief Minister
Digvijay Singh to respond. He did. He also went beyond the usual brief
appearance and photo op. Toiling for close to two hours under the scorching sun, Singh
immersed himself in the slush and slime amidst cheers from the thousands gathered. "I
feel fulfilled after the darshan of Kshipra and participating in the voluntary work,"
he murmured modestly. Is he coming clean, do you think?
Give and Take
Akshay Kumar
pledging to give his heart away ... What's this? A movie mag's latest "scoop"?
Actually, it's the promo for the film Ek tha Dil Ek thi Dhadkan, the story of a
young man who has a life-saving heart transplant. Taking up where Aishwarya Rai left off
in her eye-donation plea, Akki asks viewers to donate their hearts. Director Shahrukh
Mirza tells us he has also approached Madhuri Dixit, who's still making up her mind.
"It's a commercial film but with an educational message," says Mirza. "It
is a noble cause and hats off to Akshay for agreeing." Hearts off to him too.
Windfall under the Waterfall
Ever since Karen Lunel
bathed her way into ad-world folklore, the Liril girl has a special place in our hearts.
So bagging the Liril contract is a big splash for Aneesha Dalal, 19. The
latest young thing to prance under a waterfall has many nevers to her credit: she's never
done a major ad film, never made a portfolio, and never sought name or fame. Things just
happen to her: she just happens to be the star of Shiamak Davar's dancing troupe, just
happens to be one of the dancers in Yash Chopra's Dil To Pagal Hai, and just
happened to be "so vivacious and expressive" (as Usha Bhandarkar, creative
director of Lintas, puts it), that she was picked from 55 aspirants for The Big Contract.
So what happens next, kid?
It's all thanks to "Kalpana
didi". Come July, Kamlika Chandla and Sanchari Bose --
students of Tagore Bal Niketan School in Karnal, Haryana -- will be off to NASA's Johnson
Space Center for a prestigious "space-experience" programme. Among 30 students
picked from 14 countries, they're the first Indians to get there. And it all began when
Indian astronaut Kalpana Chawla, an alumnus of their alma mater, asked the school to
recommend two of their best. Chirps Chandla: "I'm excited." Adds Bose: "I'm
already on cloud nine." Now for the stars. 
Politicians are known for
playing dirty. Getting their hands dirty is rare. So when a preacher from Madhya Pradesh
gave a call for kar seva to clean the sacred river Kshipra, nobody expected Chief Minister
Digvijay Singh to respond. He did. He also went beyond the usual brief
appearance and photo op. Toiling for close to two hours under the scorching sun, Singh
immersed himself in the slush and slime amidst cheers from the thousands gathered. "I
feel fulfilled after the darshan of Kshipra and participating in the voluntary work,"
he murmured modestly. Is he coming clean, do you think? 
Akshay Kumar
pledging to give his heart away ... What's this? A movie mag's latest "scoop"?
Actually, it's the promo for the film Ek tha Dil Ek thi Dhadkan, the story of a
young man who has a life-saving heart transplant. Taking up where Aishwarya Rai left off
in her eye-donation plea, Akki asks viewers to donate their hearts. Director Shahrukh
Mirza tells us he has also approached Madhuri Dixit, who's still making up her mind.
"It's a commercial film but with an educational message," says Mirza. "It
is a noble cause and hats off to Akshay for agreeing." Hearts off to him too. 
Ever since Karen Lunel
bathed her way into ad-world folklore, the Liril girl has a special place in our hearts.
So bagging the Liril contract is a big splash for Aneesha Dalal, 19. The
latest young thing to prance under a waterfall has many nevers to her credit: she's never
done a major ad film, never made a portfolio, and never sought name or fame. Things just
happen to her: she just happens to be the star of Shiamak Davar's dancing troupe, just
happens to be one of the dancers in Yash Chopra's Dil To Pagal Hai, and just
happened to be "so vivacious and expressive" (as Usha Bhandarkar, creative
director of Lintas, puts it), that she was picked from 55 aspirants for The Big Contract.
So what happens next, kid?
