Fusion of east and west

The exponential performances by the classical music stalwarts is not new to city. But the experimentation of native classical music with that of the west is hitherto unknown for many of us. "A Musical Tribute to India"- a concert by the Germany's Leipzig Philharmonic Chamber of Orchestra along with renowned violin exponent Dr L Subramaniam unfolded the new vistas of orchestral opportunities (Western) for both Western and Carnatic fusion in a redefined way.
Directed by German Music Director and Conductor Dr Michael Kohler, the two-and-a-half hour orchestra at the Chowdaiah Memorial Hall was nothing but a conspicuous success for the hard efforts of more than 25 musicians from Germany as well as India. Besides rendering soul stirring compositions, the show captivated the audience with much enjoyed and applauded compositions by the legendary violinist of our country Padmabhushan Dr L Subramaniam --- Spring Rhapsody and Turbulence. Both the pieces along with some of the technical compositions by Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Haydn and Strauss were received well and impulsive coordination among the violinists helped audience in exploring the intricacies of these complex compositions.
Beginning with Mendelssohn's composition "The Hebrides Overture" which has become a mandatory part of standard orchestral repertoire in the west, the rare musical journey with committed musicians who were both professionals and students brought the audience to standstill with compositions of Beethoven and Mozart before juxtaposing the notes of western classical with the magical notes of 'God of Indian Violin' Dr L Subramaniam.
"Spring Rhapsody", a composition of Dr L Subramaniam rendered through the classical western style. The slow initiation of the composition by the solo flutist and joining of violinists at the later course revealed the exponential quality of the Dr Saab and the hypnotic symmetry maintained by the players under the direction of Dr Kohler was heard like an ethereal performance. The timely entry of the violin maestro along with percussionist who set themselves on a musical race demonstrated that both the forms of music despite the intriguing technical difference can mingle well and captivate audience like any normal rendition. Subramaniam's characteristic piece "Turbulence" composed for the Swiss Romande Orchestra, characterised with the percussion ensemble provided the audience with an insight into his mastery over the form.

Bangalore bloggers collective forum

The informative and thoughtful world of Blogs on Internet has brought in more life to the engulfing digital revolution across the globe. Ranging from intra-personal to cross cultural diplomatic issues, blogs have explored all kinds of issues. Now, the collective efforts of city bloggers comprising techies, lawyers, students and creative artists has lead to a formation of common platform among these netizens. The first ever bloggers meet was convened on Saturday on the buzzing MG Road.
Sanjukta Basu, a Corporate lawyer from Delhi and currently based in Bangalore is one among the 30 plus enthusiasts who initiated the idea of catching up with other among the blogging fraternity. "Blogs have provided us with a new platform in reaching out to the public with our own opinions. In Delhi I had seen bloggers uniting under a banner to articulate their ideas and views and they have tie up with International bloggers sponsored by BBC and other premier corporations. Close on the same principle, I thought of uniting the city bloggers at one common platform and today is the result of that thought," explained Sanjukta.
Aged between 20 to 30, bloggers represented different careers such as software engineering , graphic designing, creative and content writing, law, financial consultancy services. Dhivya, a creative writer at an advertising firm in the city said, "We all express different ideas and thought on the net. But a platform like this would definitely help us in moving forward and collectively take up social issues." Prayank Swaroop from a city software firm said, "The idea of meeting each other is to know us well through our ideas and thoughts. The individual thoughts would pave for collective features of common interest and help in building better atmosphere."
Blogging is not just fun or informative but goes on to fetch a good amount of revenue. Sridhar Rao, a software professional says, "Not many know that blogs that we host can bring us some revenue. I have been earning enough amount intermittently and pursued on a right track, it would take you to greater heights. A stage like this would help each other in knowing the world from a different perspective." Hari, another techie from the city says, "In US, meeting of like minded people is common but restricted largely to technology and related issues. But I would prefer to keep away technology aside and take up social issues which needs greater attention in our scenario. As a collective venture, bloggers can help people in understanding as well as solving the chaotic problems."
An informal meet of youngsters from different walks of life was a prelude to the quarterly 'Bar camp' (Meeting of like minded people) to be held at IIM-B later this month. Bangalore which is unfolding to the new realm of IT atmosphere, the bloggers congregation was not something ubiquitous despite thousands of bloggers in the city.

What is a Barcamp?
Bar camp is an ad-hoc gathering of people envisaging to share, exchange ideas and possibilities in an open ambience. An intense event, interspersed with discussions, demos, and interaction from participants, Barcamps are known across the world. It is an international network of events that have been held in over 31 cities worldwide. Barcamps turn around the notion of a formal conference by eliminating the distinction between speakers and delegates. Everyone is a participant, and is equally welcome to propose a discussion, speak up or add to on a topic they are familiar with.