MAM
Sandip Soparrkar named Cube sport brand ambassador in India
NEW DELHI: Bollywood’s internationally renowned choreographer Sandip Soparrkar is the new brand ambassador for Speed Cubing Mumbai Unlimited (SCMU).
The aim is to bring Bollywood and sports – two of the most loved fields – come closer for the promotion of Cube sport.
Soparrkar, who was recently seen doing a photoshoot with various cubes, said, “I am having a great time. I feel honoured that SCMU asked me to represent them as their brand ambassador. Cubing is a fantastic sport, which sharpens not just the mind but even develops the motor movements in a person. It is an amazing sport for kids as well as adults and I am glad that I have been chosen as the face of the brand.”
The photoshoot will convey that the cube is just not a toy but a complete sport in itself. Cube is not just a hobby for kids but can be helpful for working professionals too to tackle everyday challenges in life and is a great stress buster.
SCMU head Girish Bhatia added, “We are proud to announce our association with Bollywood’s ace choreographer Sandip Soparrkar as our brand ambassador. He got addicted to speed cubing through his cuber son Arjun who shares a similar passion and wants to take speed cubing to a greater level.”
SCMU is a group of speed cubers from Mumbai formed in 2011 by Akshay Rao who later left the group to pursue higher studies. Since then, the organisation has actively promoted Rubiks Cube as a sport and not as a hobby.
The group currently headed by Bhatia has about thirty active members who are collectively referred to as Team SCMU. Since 2011, the team organized and supported over 40 cube competitions, and is the only organization in India to promote speedcubing at a professional level.
Their competition in January 2015 was Asia’s largest competition and world’s eighth largest. Their June 2015 competition was held in Juhu, which turned out to be the world’s largest single day event.
In 2013, the Team made a Rubik cube mosaic of Sachin Tendulkar, which gave them entry into the Limca book of Records for Rubik’s cube for a mosaic made with 6240 cubes.
Their next competition – SCMU Freedom open 2015 – will be held on 15 and 16 August at Phoenix Market City, Kurla, Mumbai. It’s an International competition associated with World Cube Association (WCA), where India’s best talents would compete against time to solve the most challenging Rubik’s cube in a matter of few seconds.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
