Nine years ago, Dr. Avinash Kurupati and his family packed a few suitcases and moved from India to Canada.  Prior to moving, he had practised as a dentist for four years. He settled in Toronto for eight years where he worked in a call centre and awaited his acceptance into an accreditation program for dentistry.

He applied at universities throughout Canada and the United States, although staying Canada was ideal for him.

"Only about 65 students are accepted across the country into the international program so the competition is pretty stiff," he explained.

In May of 2012, he moved to Winnipeg when he was accepted at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Dentistry at Health Sciences Centre.  

Avi, as his friends call him, chose to make his home in Riverbend because it is safe and quiet yet is only a 15-minute commute to downtown.  

"There is a nice mix of people from all walks of life," he says.

He enjoys that Riverbend does not seem as congested as other areas of the city.  

"Open space is a premium, especially coming from India and Toronto."

He describes the Riverbend community as appealing, with many amenities that he can walk to.
Photography is a pastime that has always been of interest to  Kurupati. His preferred way of exploring outside Winnipeg is turning off the GPS and just driving until he feels like stopping. With his Nikon D 5100 camera on hand, he enjoys getting out of the city on the weekends and heading to areas such as Hecla Island and Riding Mountain National Park.

His love for the outdoors did not stop when the snow came. He embraces everything to do with winter, from driving in the snow to spending time outdoors.

"It was very eerie standing on top of the ice on Lake Winnipeg," he said, describing his latest photography adventure.

His next plan for photography and adventure is to drive towards the Rocky Mountains, where the roads are not straight and the landscape is not flat. When he is ready to come home, he will turn the GPS on and find his way back to Riverbend.

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Open Mic Nights are being held at Shooters Family Restaurant (2731 Main St.) on March 2, 16 and 30 at 7 p.m.  Come down early to sign up and enjoy live music and great food. Please contact Peter for more information at: shootersopenmic@gmail.com

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Spring sports registration at Red River Community Club for baseball, basketball, softball, mini soccer and rec soccer will take place Feb. 25 from 6 - 8 p.m., March 5 from 6 - 8 p.m., and March 10 from noon - 2 p.m.  
Please visit www.redrivercc.com for further information.

Christina Hiebert is a community correspondent for Riverbend and Rivergrove. You can contact her at christina.hiebert@gmail.com.