Category: Uncategorized

Born in Abu Dhabi to Mangalurean parents, Raaj Rao, an alumnus of Nitte Engineering College, Mangaluru, is now an international multi-award winning actor, director and producer.

His latest short film, Calling, which was filmed in 12 hours, has taken the international short film festival circuit by storm, securing 14 major awards across 5 countries in just 5 weeks.

A Meteoric Rise

Written and directed by Raaj, Calling is a psychological drama, inspired by his personal experiences, has captivated audiences and judges alike, winning accolades such as:

Best Director in India
Best International Short Film in India, the US, the UK, and Malaysia
Best Actress in India, Sweden, and Malaysia
Best Editing in India and Malaysia
Best Trailer in Malaysia and many more.

Watch ‘Calling’ trailer:

‘Calling’ recently dominated the Uruvatti International Film Festival in Chennai with five major awards and is a finalist in three categories at the World Film Festival Cannes. “I want this film to resonate with my audience and remind them that they are not alone,” Raaj shared, turning a simple story into an award-winning masterpiece.

No stranger to the international short film world, Raaj’s earlier films have made significant waves. ‘Magnificent Man’, which he both acted in and produced, garnered 19 nominations globally and was screened at Comic Con. His other works, ‘Timing’ and ‘Work in Progress’, earned a combined total of three nominations and one award.

Filmography

With over 200 projects spanning Hollywood, Bollywood, short films, TV, theatre, and social media, Raaj’s portfolio is impressive. His notable works include a parallel lead role in the upcoming Hindi feature The Buk, a feature role as a villain in Nagarjuna’s The Ghost, streaming on Netflix, and appearances in high-profile commercials with Hrithik Roshan, Mahesh Babu, and Shahrukh Khan. He also stars in R Madhavan’s upcoming film Amriki Pandit.

Raaj has collaborated with esteemed film schools like New York University Abu Dhabi and SAE Institute Dubai as an acting coach and actor in multiple short films.

Despite a background in engineering and working on oil rigs, Raaj’s passion for acting was undeniable. Dreaming of the silver screen since the age of eight, he trained under Bollywood veteran Anupam Kher at the prestigious Actor Prepares Institute in Mumbai.

A Multi-Talented Maestro

Beyond acting, Raaj ventured into directing during the pandemic, crafting award-winning short films with his unique storytelling style. He is also a renowned bilingual voice artiste, lending his voice to radio promos, Bollywood films, award shows, and television ads for brands like Ariel, HP, Brooke Bond Red Label, Coca-Cola, Garnier, and Huawei. Notably, he was the voice of the Expo 2020 mascot in the official animation film.

A trained dancer by the Mangalore Excellent Dance Academy and Shiamak Dawar in the UAE, Raaj competed in inter-college competitions and represented the UAE in Dance India Dance Season 2. As a martial artiste, he is one of the UAE’s prominent fight choreographers, acting coaches, and action directors for feature and short films.

Engaging with the Audience

Raaj has hosted TV game shows for online channels and numerous high-profile events in theUAE, including the Ramadan Street Food Festival. He is a frequent podcast guest, discussingfilmmaking, directing, and acting, sharing his wealth of knowledge with aspiring filmmakers.

Raaj Rao’s ascent from UAE to international acclaim is a testament to his unwavering dedication to cinematic excellence. His journey is not merely one of personal triumph but a shining beacon of inspiration for aspiring artists around the globe.

Renowned for his powerful storytelling and a remarkable track record of leading his actresses to award-winning performances, Raaj Rao is a formidable talent destined to leave an indelible mark on the world of cinema, as both an actor and director.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

Mysuru, known as the Cultural Capital, also boasts many museums, educational and research institutions. Adding to its accolades is the ‘Unique Health Museum,’ the first-of-its-kind in India, quietly taking shape at Teachers Layout. This museum aims to create health awareness among the public with special focus on students.

On International Museum Day 2024 (May 18), with the theme ‘Museums for Education and Research,’ Star of Mysore spoke to Dr. N.M. Shama Sundar, the man behind the ‘Unique Health Museum.’ This museum is the second in the world to showcase plastinated organs.

Speaking about plastination, Dr. Shama Sundar, an Anatomy Professor, explained, “Normally, specimens are preserved in bottles using formalin, a liquid that can cause eye and skin irritation. This method can cause specimens to lose their actual colour and may not appear realistic.”

Plastination, however, is a dry preservation technique that maintains specimens in their original colour and shape for a long time. When plastinated specimens are on display, one can touch and feel them in their natural form, providing better information than conventional preservation methods, he said.

“I am a surgeon, and when my junior wants to learn surgery, living patients cannot be used as juniors are not trained or qualified. Bottled specimens in formalin are inconvenient due to their irritating smell and form, making them unsuitable for cutting and stitching practice. Plastinated specimens have no smell and are real specimens, not plastic models. They are convenient for junior doctors to learn from and serve as alternatives to patients,” he said.

Former Dean of JSS Medical College and current Visiting Anatomy Professor at various Medical Colleges, Dr. Shama Sundar, adds, “When conducting workshops on organs like the heart or kidney, carrying bottled specimens is inconvenient and uncomfortable due to the smell and risk of spillage. Abhishek, a Science Communicator and Founder-Secretary of Gravity Science Foundation, Chamarajanagar and I frequently travel to conduct workshops. Plastinated specimens are easy to carry and provide hands-on experience, allowing the audience to see and feel both healthy and affected organs.”

“We conduct workshops and exhibitions at schools and summer camps for high school students and above. Usually, children see organs only in drawings or books, which do not convey the real size or colour. When they see real specimens preserved through plastination, they get a true sense of an organ, making learning more effective,” he added.

Some may hesitate to touch the specimens as they come from deceased bodies, so they can be covered with transparent covers for display. The museum features hearts, kidneys, lungs, brains, models, and photos to educate visitors. Apart from plastinated specimens, there are games and physics-related models in the museum to keep it interesting. Well-dressed dolls convey the message that a ‘healthy family is a happy family’ at the front of the museum. The overall idea is to make the museum engaging and convey the importance of health and happiness.

When asked about record body donation registrations during his tenure as Secretary of the JSS Body Donation Association, Dr. Shama Sundar explained, “40 years ago, there were fewer medical colleges and one body was sufficient for 10 students for an academic year. As the population and need for doctors increased, new colleges emerged, raising the demand for bodies.”

“Back then, we often received bodies of beggars. When they died, the Police would verify that the deceased had no relatives to claim the body and that the death was natural. The Police would then take signatures from residents and communicate to the medical college that the body could be used for teaching and research purposes,” he said.

“As the number of medical colleges increased, so did the need for bodies. We anticipated a shortage and sought a long-term solution. We decided to promote body donation. I feel that from a scientific perspective, burying or cremating bodies is wasteful, despite the sentimental and religious aspects,” he opined.

“I gave programmes on Akashvani and TV and wrote articles in newspapers and blogs in both Kannada and English. During lectures, we shared our idea of body donation, emphasising that hands-on experience with real bodies is essential for medical training. We simply conveyed that one cannot become a doctor by studying on computers alone,” he revealed.

The public responded positively and many pledged to donate their bodies. As a result, JSS achieved the highest body donation registration in India, with nearly 4,000 pledges.

Although the Body Donation Association was first set up in Belagavi, it received a weak response because just putting up a board was insufficient. We needed to create awareness actively. “I attended many programmes to speak about the importance of body donation, which garnered significant publicity and support,” he noted.

In body donation, family members of the deceased had no expenses. “We provided the ambulance, consoled the family and took the body. The biggest advantage was preserving the body for over 15 days, allowing relatives to pay their last respects. This was particularly beneficial for families with members abroad who arrived later. In some cases, even if parents had registered for body donation, their children might opt for cremation or burial instead. Both my mother’s and sister’s bodies have been donated to the Anatomy Department and plastinated,” Dr. Shama Sundar said. 

The ‘Unique Health Museum’, which was formally inaugurated on Oct. 23, 2023 by Padma Shree Prof. S. Ayyappan, former Director-General, ICAR, is open between 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm every day and shortly the Museum will be thrown open to public from 10 am to 8.30 pm.

A 10 Rupees Doctor !

Dr. N.M. Shama Sundar is a Senior Professor of Anatomy with over 36 years of experience and served as the Dean of the Faculty of Bio-Medical Sciences at JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research (JSS AHER) for five years. He studied at Yuvaraja’s College and did MBBS and MS (Anatomy) from Mysore Medical College.

He established JSS Body Donation Association 26 years ago, achieving the highest number of registrations (3,814) and donations (497) in India. He is the first in India and second in the world to design ‘Plastination’ technique. He has received over 185 awards and honours and has instituted the ‘Dr. Mannar Krishna Memorial Gold Medal’ in his father’s name, awarded for the highest marks in Anatomy.

Dr. Shama Sundar’s father was a veterinary doctor, his mother a housewife, and his siblings and their children are engineers. He has been a family physician at Mini Clinic in Siddarthanagar for 39 years, charging only 10 rupees, earning him the nickname ‘10 Rupees Doctor.’ Specialising in paediatric surgery, he has performed over 3,000 minor surgeries at low cost.

Gravity Science Foundation

Established on Oct. 15, 2018, the Gravity Science Foundation (GSF) aims to popularise science in rural areas and society while promoting basic science research among school and college students in Chamarajanagar and other underserved regions of Karnataka through comprehensive science education.

Recognised as one of the top 100 Meritorious Science Clubs in India, with only one from Karnataka among 3,367 clubs, the GSF conducts health camps, science talks, awareness programmes and demonstrations in schools and colleges across villages in Chamarajanagar, T. Narasipur, Kollegal, and beyond. — BNR

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

Biocon Biologics said on Tuesday that the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has approved the company’s first-to-file application for Yesafili, a biosimilar drug for treating eye ailments.

The company said the medicine is similar to the reference product Eylea (aflibercept) intended for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), visual impairment due to macular oedema secondary to retinal vein occlusion, visual impairment due to diabetic macular oedema and visual impairment due to myopic choroidal neovascularisation. Studies demonstrate that Yesafili matches Eylea in quality, safety, and efficacy, it added.

“The FDA approval of Yesafili (aflibercept) as the first interchangeable biological product to Eylea is a significant milestone for Biocon Biologics, marking our entry into ophthalmology, a new therapeutic area in the United States. This approval builds on our successful track record of bringing the first interchangeable insulin, Semglee, the first biosimilar trastuzumab, Ogivri, and the first biosimilar pegfilgrastim, Fulphila, to patients in the United States,” said Shreehas Tambe, chief executive officer and managing director, Biocon Biologics.

In the US, 19.8 million people live with AMD. In 2023, sales of aflibercept, a common treatment for AMD, were valued at around $5.89 billion, the statement added.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)