OUR NAME

Shoonya also pronounced as Shunya in the mathematical context means "Zero" and in Sanskrit means "voidness" or "emptiness". It is believed that Shoonya is one of India's biggest mathematical contribution to the world by an Indian mathematician- astronomer Aryabhata around 498 AD.

At Shoonya we believe, "It all begins here!" 

OUR MISSION

Shoonya's mission is to create interactive edutainment content that is inspired by the stories and characters of the world. Why do we want to do it? It's simple. There is a great need for it.  With the growing technologies, the world in indeed "becoming flat" and children today are intrigued by cultures around the world. Our company is based out of Santa Barbara, California, which is geographically placed somewhere between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Not sure, if this is by intention or accident but our company is a perfect marriage of these two worlds; edutainment and edtech.   

We love technology and we love originality. We love our Indian roots and we love our world exposure. We love our Montessori experience and we love children. So, we are committed to creating interactive content that brings personalized digital education that entertains and educates.

Our founder

Rashi Bahri Chitnis, is the visionary behind Shoonya and the creator of "Hindi Play & Learn" cartoon characters. She is a film professional who loves to spend time and collaborate with her amazing team of designers, animators, film professionals, programmers and most importantly, the young voice artists.

Rashi has about fifteen years of film and television experience in two of the biggest film industries; Hollywood and India. Before starting Shoonya, she worked with Autonomy, an entertainment company where she managed business and creative flow on a range of projects including television production, post-production, commercials, music videos, broadcast design and corporate communication. Her direct clients were Discovery, ABC, Warner Bros, Lifetime Television and here! tv. Her other television stints are story producing reality  shows like Mark Brunett's "The Restaurant" and FOX's "Trading Spouces".  Her directional short films are"Secret Ingredient" and "Sarah" that premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2009 &2012.

In India, she was a TV host for the longest running breakfast show "Subah Savere" and a journalist with ZEE News and ANI. 

She holds a MFA Degree from the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts where she was a part of a thesis film that won the the Student OSCAR in 2004.  Her undergrad is in English Literature from Delhi University where she belonged to the prestigious theatre group, "The Players".  In her three years at Players, she had the record for the most acting and directing awards and upon graduating was honored with a College Blazer for her outstanding contribution in theatre. 

Currently, she lives in Santa Barbara with her family. When not working, she loves spending time with her two adorable sons. She also serves on the Board of Trustees at their school, Montessori Center. 

She is an ex-president of the Screenwriters Association of Santa Barbara and a member of various other creative organizations in town.