AIESEC, the international student body for young people to develop their potential, is organizing three conferences in Bangalore to mark its 25 years of presence in Bangalore.The three conferences are The Alumni Congress, UNITE - Learning Network Conference and National Strategic Conference 2007. Some of the prominent names to speak at these conference include Pradeep Kar, Founder of Microland, Vikram Gandhi, Head – Global Financial Institutions Group, Credit Suisse First Boston and Sulajja Firodia Motwani, MD, Kinetic Engineering.
On the objective for it's conferences, AIESEC says, "Through a series of discussions and seminars with global business, cultural, science, political and NGO leaders, top youth talent from AIESEC will have a unique opportunity to exchange opinions and discuss the most relevant issues affecting today's world."
The AIESEC Alumni Congress, being held in Bangalore from October 26–28, is an annual meeting of AIESEC Alumni Association members. It gathers alumni with the purpose of re-connecting members to AIESEC, as well as sharing professional experiences. The focus of this Congress will be Igniting Change. Prominent AIESEC India alumni like Vikram Gandhi, Head – Global Financial Institutions Group, Credit Suisse First Boston, Nikhil Khattau, Founder & CEO, Sun F&C, Sulajja Firodia Motwani, MD, Kinetic Engineering, Meera Sanyal, MD, ABN Amro ACES, and Neeraj Bhargava, CEO, WNS India will address Congress.
UNITE, the Learning Network Conference, will train and coach various stakeholders of AIESEC on the major socio-economic issues and how the youth leadership of the world would address these issues leading. This first such conference is being organised in Bangalore between the 26-28 October. Some prominent speakers include: Mr Parth Sarvate, Azim Premji Foundation, Mr. Manoj Chakarvati, Head CSR, Titan Industries, Dr. Ashok Agrawal, Associate Director, Azim Premji Foundation and Mr. Vishal Talreja, Director, Dream a Dream.
AIESEC's National Strategic Conference 2007 will bring together 200 young leaders from various cities in India between 1st November and 4th November. Some of the companies that will be taking workshops at this forum include TATA Consultancy Services, UBS, MAERSK-Line, Suzlon and KPMG.
Present in over 1100 universities and with over 23,000 members, AIESEC provides opportunities for leadership development for youth by offering over 5000 leadership opportunities each year. It also provides over 4000 international internship opportunities for its members.
mbauniverse.com
Sunday, October 28, 2007
South Western Railway to run special trains
BANGALORE: South Western Railway will run the following trains to cope with the seasonal rush:
Train no. 647/648 Bangalore City-Madurai-Nagercoil-Bangalore city weekly special will leave Bangalore at 4 p.m. on Saturdays. It will reach Madurai at 2.30 p.m., depart at 2.35 p.m. and reach Nagercoil at 6.55 p.m.
It will leave Nagercoil at 1 p.m. on Sundays, reach Madurai at 5.50 p.m., depart at 6 p.m. and reach Bangalore city at 4 a.m. on Monday.
The first service from Bangalore city began on Saturday, and the last service will be on January 27, 2008.
Salem, Erode
The train will run via Bangalore Cantonment, Hosur, Dharmapuri, Salem, Erode, Karur, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Satur, Kovilpatti, Vanchimaniyachi and Tirunelveli.
The train will have a three-tier AC coach, 9 second class sleeper coaches, 2 general second class coaches and 2 second class sitting-cum-luggage vans.
hindu.com
Train no. 647/648 Bangalore City-Madurai-Nagercoil-Bangalore city weekly special will leave Bangalore at 4 p.m. on Saturdays. It will reach Madurai at 2.30 p.m., depart at 2.35 p.m. and reach Nagercoil at 6.55 p.m.
It will leave Nagercoil at 1 p.m. on Sundays, reach Madurai at 5.50 p.m., depart at 6 p.m. and reach Bangalore city at 4 a.m. on Monday.
The first service from Bangalore city began on Saturday, and the last service will be on January 27, 2008.
Salem, Erode
The train will run via Bangalore Cantonment, Hosur, Dharmapuri, Salem, Erode, Karur, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Satur, Kovilpatti, Vanchimaniyachi and Tirunelveli.
The train will have a three-tier AC coach, 9 second class sleeper coaches, 2 general second class coaches and 2 second class sitting-cum-luggage vans.
hindu.com
The last bastion of rock
In the late 1977-78, a band fronted by a diminutive, muscular, longhaired man wearing incredibly tight, frayed shorts, made a Breakthrough. It was perhaps an apt title for one of India’s first original English rock albums at a time when rocking meant swinging primarily to Dum Maro Dum. At 60, Lou Majaw still sports long hair— albeit with a receded hairline —and tight and frayed shorts, and belts out songs with the vigour of a 16-year-old. But he hardly pens soul-stirring songs like Sea of Sorrow and Girls.
However, the “grand old man of rock” in the Northeast has inspired a new crop of rockers who are not content with singing cover versions of their idols ranging from Elvis Presley and The Beatles to Iron Maiden, Styx and U2. And they have been fortifying the “last bastion of rock” in India, reaching out to a wider audience with experimental fusion of haunting tribal tunes.
“Last bastion? This is the first bastion of western music in India, and its musical tastes set the tone for the rest of the country,” says music critic SB D’com, a walking encyclopedia on Northeast bands. He recalls how Delhi IITians were ignorant of the Great Punk Railroad band despite hosting a rock show in 1993.
For many in the Northeast, music is in their blood. No one exemplifies it better than Meghalaya former home minister RG Lyngdoh, guitarist and ex-member of the legendary Great Society. He was one of the catalysts behind Shillong’s two Guinness records—the largest drum ensemble and the biggest guitar ensemble. “If anything can elevate the Northeast from monotony and hardship, it is music, which also helps this divergent region unite,” he says.
That music brings acrimonious ethnic groups together was demonstrated when tribal people backed non-tribal Amit Paul all the way to the Indian Idol final. Similarly, Debojit Paul’s victory in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa last year bridged the divide between the Assamese-dominated Brahmaputra Valley and the Bengali-heavy Barak Valley in Assam. And on both occasions, a majority of voters were western music lovers who had little or no idea about Bollywood.
“Music is the panacea for this strife-torn region, and if the region produces bands by the bakers dozen, it is because of a certain madness for music,” says D’com. Harmony was primarily the reason why Guwahati-based bands like Friends and Moonwind got together to celebrate John Lennon’s birthday on October 9 with a Concert for Peace. The first of its kind, the concert aimed at promoting melody since “very few sing cover versions of The Beatles these days”. Lennon, incidentally, is the third musician after Bob Dylan and Bob Marley whose birthday is celebrated across the Northeast. For the past five years, Shillong-based musician Keith Wahlang has been organising The Roots festival across the region to commemorate Bob Marley’s birthday. And Majaw has been organising a bash on Bob Dylan’s birthday every May 24 since 1972.
The emphasis on peace is understandable. For all the appreciation, western music in the region went through a rough patch in the eighties when militancy was on the upswing. Lack of patrons and places to perform made most bands travel to the metros for sustenance. “Shillong, for instance, no longer is the rock capital of India mainly because it has lost its nightclub culture,” says Majaw. On the flipside, however, boomtown Guwahati has over the years become the hub of music with lounge bars and discotheques offering “jobs”. Mizoram band Black Stone Cherry, for instance, is a regular in the discotheque circuit. The upswing, apparently, is due to the general perception that the Northeast is no more dangerous than other parts of the country today.
Hitherto un-happening places like Nagaland capital Kohima and Mizoram capital Aizawl too are taking to music like never before. The Nagaland government, the first in India to declare music as an industry, has taken the lead in sponsoring rock shows such as Rattle & Hum. Musician-entrepreneurs like Theja Meru started Dream Cafe in Kohima for the youth to hang out and discuss music, believing that music can bring peace in a state torn by separatism. “We are looking at music as a creative employment avenue,” says Meru.
In Aizawl, a group of music lovers have come together to form M-Plat or Musician’s Platform. “We want to encourage youngsters to be actively interested in music,” says M-Plat catalyst Nono. “For the past three years, we have been sponsoring equipment and venues for upcoming bands besides assisting artists in recording, marketing and distribution.”
According to D’com, bands playing rock, jazz, blues, reggae or pop in the Northeast have the advantage of catering to all classes of people ranging from bureaucrats and students to villagers and even cabbies who often play Credence Clearwater Revival, Bee Gees and The Carpenters on their car stereo. “The bands know they have to be really good for there are many to catch on to mediocrity. It is the reason why they become so popular elsewhere in the country, and of late, abroad too,” he says.
The Northeast bands, though, lag behind when it comes to professional approach. But as Nono says, they are getting better with more tours on the domestic circuit.
hindustantimes.com
However, the “grand old man of rock” in the Northeast has inspired a new crop of rockers who are not content with singing cover versions of their idols ranging from Elvis Presley and The Beatles to Iron Maiden, Styx and U2. And they have been fortifying the “last bastion of rock” in India, reaching out to a wider audience with experimental fusion of haunting tribal tunes.
“Last bastion? This is the first bastion of western music in India, and its musical tastes set the tone for the rest of the country,” says music critic SB D’com, a walking encyclopedia on Northeast bands. He recalls how Delhi IITians were ignorant of the Great Punk Railroad band despite hosting a rock show in 1993.
For many in the Northeast, music is in their blood. No one exemplifies it better than Meghalaya former home minister RG Lyngdoh, guitarist and ex-member of the legendary Great Society. He was one of the catalysts behind Shillong’s two Guinness records—the largest drum ensemble and the biggest guitar ensemble. “If anything can elevate the Northeast from monotony and hardship, it is music, which also helps this divergent region unite,” he says.
That music brings acrimonious ethnic groups together was demonstrated when tribal people backed non-tribal Amit Paul all the way to the Indian Idol final. Similarly, Debojit Paul’s victory in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa last year bridged the divide between the Assamese-dominated Brahmaputra Valley and the Bengali-heavy Barak Valley in Assam. And on both occasions, a majority of voters were western music lovers who had little or no idea about Bollywood.
“Music is the panacea for this strife-torn region, and if the region produces bands by the bakers dozen, it is because of a certain madness for music,” says D’com. Harmony was primarily the reason why Guwahati-based bands like Friends and Moonwind got together to celebrate John Lennon’s birthday on October 9 with a Concert for Peace. The first of its kind, the concert aimed at promoting melody since “very few sing cover versions of The Beatles these days”. Lennon, incidentally, is the third musician after Bob Dylan and Bob Marley whose birthday is celebrated across the Northeast. For the past five years, Shillong-based musician Keith Wahlang has been organising The Roots festival across the region to commemorate Bob Marley’s birthday. And Majaw has been organising a bash on Bob Dylan’s birthday every May 24 since 1972.
The emphasis on peace is understandable. For all the appreciation, western music in the region went through a rough patch in the eighties when militancy was on the upswing. Lack of patrons and places to perform made most bands travel to the metros for sustenance. “Shillong, for instance, no longer is the rock capital of India mainly because it has lost its nightclub culture,” says Majaw. On the flipside, however, boomtown Guwahati has over the years become the hub of music with lounge bars and discotheques offering “jobs”. Mizoram band Black Stone Cherry, for instance, is a regular in the discotheque circuit. The upswing, apparently, is due to the general perception that the Northeast is no more dangerous than other parts of the country today.
Hitherto un-happening places like Nagaland capital Kohima and Mizoram capital Aizawl too are taking to music like never before. The Nagaland government, the first in India to declare music as an industry, has taken the lead in sponsoring rock shows such as Rattle & Hum. Musician-entrepreneurs like Theja Meru started Dream Cafe in Kohima for the youth to hang out and discuss music, believing that music can bring peace in a state torn by separatism. “We are looking at music as a creative employment avenue,” says Meru.
In Aizawl, a group of music lovers have come together to form M-Plat or Musician’s Platform. “We want to encourage youngsters to be actively interested in music,” says M-Plat catalyst Nono. “For the past three years, we have been sponsoring equipment and venues for upcoming bands besides assisting artists in recording, marketing and distribution.”
According to D’com, bands playing rock, jazz, blues, reggae or pop in the Northeast have the advantage of catering to all classes of people ranging from bureaucrats and students to villagers and even cabbies who often play Credence Clearwater Revival, Bee Gees and The Carpenters on their car stereo. “The bands know they have to be really good for there are many to catch on to mediocrity. It is the reason why they become so popular elsewhere in the country, and of late, abroad too,” he says.
The Northeast bands, though, lag behind when it comes to professional approach. But as Nono says, they are getting better with more tours on the domestic circuit.
hindustantimes.com
I love Indian food but find business boring: Mick Jagger
JODHPUR: In the 60s, a Rolling Stones tour spelled hysteria, in the 70s and 80s debauchery, and in the 90s the last word in stadium rock. Today, it’s more of a holiday. Even as he walks in, you just can’t help but sense the pulsating energy that he brings inside. The face brandishing those ravenous lips crumples into itself; a paper bag of mirth. Mick Jagger is laughing.
His lean and wiry frame makes him look far younger than his years. But the 64-year-old singer with the Rolling Stones has plenty to laugh about. It’s 40 years since his band sped into the charts with ‘Come On’ and began their tenure as the greatest rock’n’roll band in the world. Four decades later, they are still on the road, rolling.
Visiting Jodhpur on a holiday and to attend the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF), being organised by Mehrangarh Museum Trust (MMT) and Jaipur Virasat Foundation (JVF), Jagger sounds excited when he talks about India.
“India is a fast changing country. Indian music is a whole mosaic of forms, which is fantastic. I have listened to Bengali, Gujarati and Rajasthani folk music, which is very nice. In fact, the most striking thing that one notices here is the co-existence of a lot many cultures side by side. For instance, you would see a guy with a camel standing in front of a shopping mall and a host of other contrasting elements,” says Jagger.
In the UK, the Rolling Stones are often ridiculed as wrinkly rockers for having the audacity to strut their stuff post-50. But for those old enough to remember the early days of the group who invented the sex, drugs and rock’n’roll lifestyle, it’s a miracle that the ringmaster, and a granddad is still ticking.
“It’s about what I do. I am quite involved in film work, song writing, singing, performing and films. Guess with so much to do I have little time to think of anything else!” quips the front man of Rolling Stones. The rock star currently has his hands full doing a lot of writing work. He recently also produced a movie ‘The Women.’
So what exactly inspires him to write all those heart-stopping chartbusters and especially what makes the Stones sell zillions of records even after so many years?
“There is inspiration in everything. I usually go somewhere quiet to write. Man-woman relationships, human emotions, social things that come to mind are some of the things that inspire me to pen soulful lyrics,” reveals Jagger.
He is keen on a concert in India but doesn’t know when that would be a possibility. “We look forward to coming here. However, I will be unable to comment on a timeline. We’ll probably organize an entire Asia tour soon,” he says.
On a parting note, Mick doesn’t forget to compliment the delectable Indian dishes. “I love all kinds of Indian food...we do have it frequently. But, my most favourite is South Indian food,” smiles the English rock musician, actor, songwriter, record and film producer and businessman. But he is not your typical aggressive capitalist. “I find business boring and really dull. I find singing a lot of fun. Business is more of a necessity,” explains Jagger.
About politics, Jagger prefers to give it a cold shoulder. “I have nothing to say about politics...it is particularly complex in India!” But this sprightly ‘young’ man loves cricket. “Though at the moment I am not watching cricket, twenty-twenty was fun!”
economictimes.indiatimes.com
His lean and wiry frame makes him look far younger than his years. But the 64-year-old singer with the Rolling Stones has plenty to laugh about. It’s 40 years since his band sped into the charts with ‘Come On’ and began their tenure as the greatest rock’n’roll band in the world. Four decades later, they are still on the road, rolling.
Visiting Jodhpur on a holiday and to attend the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF), being organised by Mehrangarh Museum Trust (MMT) and Jaipur Virasat Foundation (JVF), Jagger sounds excited when he talks about India.
“India is a fast changing country. Indian music is a whole mosaic of forms, which is fantastic. I have listened to Bengali, Gujarati and Rajasthani folk music, which is very nice. In fact, the most striking thing that one notices here is the co-existence of a lot many cultures side by side. For instance, you would see a guy with a camel standing in front of a shopping mall and a host of other contrasting elements,” says Jagger.
In the UK, the Rolling Stones are often ridiculed as wrinkly rockers for having the audacity to strut their stuff post-50. But for those old enough to remember the early days of the group who invented the sex, drugs and rock’n’roll lifestyle, it’s a miracle that the ringmaster, and a granddad is still ticking.
“It’s about what I do. I am quite involved in film work, song writing, singing, performing and films. Guess with so much to do I have little time to think of anything else!” quips the front man of Rolling Stones. The rock star currently has his hands full doing a lot of writing work. He recently also produced a movie ‘The Women.’
So what exactly inspires him to write all those heart-stopping chartbusters and especially what makes the Stones sell zillions of records even after so many years?
“There is inspiration in everything. I usually go somewhere quiet to write. Man-woman relationships, human emotions, social things that come to mind are some of the things that inspire me to pen soulful lyrics,” reveals Jagger.
He is keen on a concert in India but doesn’t know when that would be a possibility. “We look forward to coming here. However, I will be unable to comment on a timeline. We’ll probably organize an entire Asia tour soon,” he says.
On a parting note, Mick doesn’t forget to compliment the delectable Indian dishes. “I love all kinds of Indian food...we do have it frequently. But, my most favourite is South Indian food,” smiles the English rock musician, actor, songwriter, record and film producer and businessman. But he is not your typical aggressive capitalist. “I find business boring and really dull. I find singing a lot of fun. Business is more of a necessity,” explains Jagger.
About politics, Jagger prefers to give it a cold shoulder. “I have nothing to say about politics...it is particularly complex in India!” But this sprightly ‘young’ man loves cricket. “Though at the moment I am not watching cricket, twenty-twenty was fun!”
economictimes.indiatimes.com
Diarrhoea claims 60 lives n Assam
Guwahati (PTI): At least 60 people, mostly women and children, have died of diarrhoea in Assam's Jorhat district since April this year.
Official sources said here on Friday that the water-borne disease has almost acquired an epidemic form and affected mostly tea plantation areas.
Jorhat Deputy Commissioner L S Changsan has asked the health and public health engineering department officials as well as the tea garden managements to take preventive steps in view of the outbreak of the disease.
The disease has also spread to neighbouring Golaghat district with the unofficial toll put at 37.
Several inspecting teams from the UNICEF, World Bank and Central government agencies have visited the two districts to take stock of the situation.
hindu.com
Official sources said here on Friday that the water-borne disease has almost acquired an epidemic form and affected mostly tea plantation areas.
Jorhat Deputy Commissioner L S Changsan has asked the health and public health engineering department officials as well as the tea garden managements to take preventive steps in view of the outbreak of the disease.
The disease has also spread to neighbouring Golaghat district with the unofficial toll put at 37.
Several inspecting teams from the UNICEF, World Bank and Central government agencies have visited the two districts to take stock of the situation.
hindu.com
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