Baul-Fakir musicians to enthrall Bangaloreans

August 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Traditional music of Rajasthan sung by the minstrels of Langa and Mangania communities, European gypsy music, flamenco and urban folk music will be the highlights of the Rajasthan International Music Festival (RIFF) at the sprawling Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur Oct 1-5. The festival, announced Tuesday, this year is trying to revive dying folk musical genres of the state and will promote the traditional music of the European gypsies, who are said to have migrated from Rajasthan at least 1,000 years ago, the organisers said.

August 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The sprawling Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur will come alive with the sounds of European gypsy music, flamenco, urban folk music and the traditional music of Rajasthan sung by the minstrels of Langa and Mangania communities Oct 1-5 at the Rajasthan International Music Festival (RIFF). Announcing the 2009 edition of the Jodhpur RIFF Tuesday, Gaj Singh of the erstwhile royal family of Jodhpur-Marwar, patron of the festival, said: "Having achieved international stature within a short span of time (five years), the festival will live up to its reputation as a high quality, exclusive platform for our Rajasthani artistes where they share their astounding legacy with the world." The five-day festival has been carefully designed to highlight the variety and brilliance of the traditional musicians of Rajasthan while incorporating a myriad and distinctive musicality from across the globe, he said.

July 22nd, 2009 BANGALORE - Compromising on their daily dose of sleep, hundreds of Bangaloreans woke up early morning to witness the century's longest solar eclipse Wednesday, but clouds played spoilsport during their much awaited adventure. Around 200 scientists, research scholars and other people gathered at the Lalbagh Botanical Garden at 5.30 a.m.

July 2nd, 2009 BANGALORE - The residents of Bangalore have expressed widespread resentment over the fuel price hike announced Wednesday which, they feel, would result in increase in prices of other essential products and services. After the hike of petrol prices by Rs.4 per litre and diesel prices by Rs.2 per litre, Bangaloreans now have to shell out Rs.50.66 per litre for petrol and Rs.37.01 per litre for diesel.

May 15th, 2009 BANGALORE - As the countdown begins for the verdict of the 15th Lok Sabha elections, voters in India's IT hub are hoping they will get strong leaders who can help the city overcome the problems of economic slowdown and lack of civic amenities. 'Bangalore is facing the heat of the economic slowdown.

May 3rd, 2009 BANGALORE - The elections in India's tech hub are over and while Bangaloreans await the poll results, citizen groups have drawn up a wish list of what they want the new leaders to do. Though the voter turnout in Bangalore was not very encouraging - less than 50 percent of around six million voters cast their ballots on April 23 - it has not dampened the people's enthusiasm.

April 21st, 2009 BANGALORE - A small band of volunteers has been knocking on the doors of residents in this IT hib of India with a simple request: 'please vote in the Lok Sabha polls April 23'. No, they are not seeking votes for themselves or for any particular party or candidate.

March 13th, 2009 BANGALORE - On a partly sunny Sunday morning, when around 200 people from the city ran a distance of five kilometres inside the salubrious surroundings of Cubbon Park here, they literally opened a new chapter in Bangalore's social calendar. Organised by Runners for Life (RFL), India's largest community of runners, the event christened 'Feet on the Street' was an effort by people in Bangalore to run and raise funds for the underprivileged children of the city.

March 12th, 2009 BANGALORE - While residents of India's IT hub are crying foul about regular power outages, a survey has brought out Bangaloreans' some 'bad habits' when it comes to using and conserving electricity. The survey by Biodiversity Conservation (India) Ltd (BCIL) has found that a majority of Bangaloreans are blissfully ignorant about the enormity of the problem at hand and are making minimal efforts to keep a tab on their power consumption.

March 9th, 2009 BANGALORE - Hundreds of activists marched along Bangalore roads late Sunday to spend the night out in parks as part of a campaign to make the city streets safe for women. The march, Take back the night walk, was organised by Fearless Karnataka/Nirbhaya Karnataka (FKNK), formed a fortnight back following a spate of daylight attack on women in crowded areas for wearing western outfits.

February 21st, 2009 BANGALORE - Those who think that the threat from Karnataka's moral police brigade is going to deter people here from expressing their love for each other, take heart. Far from succumbing to the pressure, they are going to show their love on stage.

February 19th, 2009 BANGALORE - Those who think that the threat from Karnataka's moral police brigade is going to deter people here from expressing their love for each other, take heart. Far from succumbing to the pressure, they are going to show their love on stage.

January 8th, 2009 KOLKATA - Over 40 'Bauls' - mystic minstrels of West Bengal - came together here from across the state to participate in a three-day baul music festival. Baul, which means divinely possessed, is one of the few widely-known folk musical genres of Bengal sung by bards known by the same name.

December 31st, 2008 BANGALORE - This city welcomed the New Year with sombre celebrations and calls for better security measures as 2008 saw a string of terror attacks across the country. It also prayed for quick revival of a sluggish economy which has hit India's IT capital hard.

December 25th, 2008 NEW DELHI - India's green acres are now concrete jungles. Rapid urbanisation has changed cityscapes and skylines, most of which have morphed beyond recognition.