Aravinth's real world

Rahman won the first Grammy of the pre-show at the Staples Center in the best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture category before his “Jai Ho” won in the best motion picture song category moments later.

“This is insane, god is great again,” Rahman said as he accepted his second award before a VIP audience.

Rahman’s rivals in the soundtrack category included Steve Jordan for “Cadillac Records,” Quentin Tarantino for “Inglourious Basterds”, and the producers of “Twilight” and “True Blood.”

In the best song category Rahman’s beaten rivals included Bruce Springsteen for his song “The Wrestler”, from the Oscar-nominated movie of the same name.

The Grammy success comes after Rahman earned two Oscars for his music in “Slumdog Millionaire” at last year’s Academy Awards.

The talented music maestro picked up the best original score statuette before scooping the best song Oscar.

It’s a year Indian IT sector would like to forget for more than one reason. Even as the industry was braving a global meltdown, its reputation was hit early 2009 when Satyam Computers founder B. Ramalinga Raju confessed to a $1.4-billion fraud.

As the year progressed, the top 20 firms managed to survive the slowdown since the middle of 2008 by tightening their belts and exploring new geographies, but small and medium vendors took the brunt, leading to mass layoffs and dwindling compensations.

But 2010, they hope, will bring the much-needed respite.

‘It has been a year of shock and awe, as it began with the world looking like coming to an end. But as the months passed, the world changed and the market became more competitive,’ said T.V. Mohandas Pai, director of IT bellwether Infosys.

‘Hope and growth are coming back as we enter 2010,’ Pai told IANS.

The tech industry shrugged off the Satyam fiasco as a one-off scam. The government intervened to pull it out of a financial quagmire and minimise its impact on exports and the Mahindras bailed out the Hyderabad-based firm by acquiring it.

But for the industry as a whole, the global recession and slowdown posed a challenge that saw vendors pulling all stops to stay afloat, even as downsizing at corporate houses overseas presented new avenues for outsourcing.

Gibraltar’s Kaiane Aldorino won the 2009 Miss World crown at a glittering ceremony here on Saturday, defeating 111 contestants from across the world but Miss India Pooja Chopra disappointed by failing to make it to the final round.

Miss World: Crowning moments

An HR Clerk by profession, the 22-year old blonde brought her country the Miss World title for the first time. “Thank you South Africa, this is the most wonderful moment of my life,” said Aldorino with tears in her eyes.

Miss Mexico Perla Beltran finished second, while South Africa’s Tatum Keshwar took the third place.

Former Miss World and Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra was one of the judges in the contest whose final round saw a close contest between seven beauty queens.

Aldorino was crowned by Kseniasukhi Nova, the Miss World 2008, of Russia.

Miss India Pooja Chopra, who participated in the contest, nursing an injured ankle, made it to the semi-final along with 15 other contestants but was eliminated in the penultimate round.

Chopra earlier won the ‘beauty with a purpose’ title for supporting the save the girl-child initiative back home.