Delhi Jazz festival 2012 ended last Sunday at Nehru Park, New Delhi, India

Delhi Jazz Festival 2012 was celebrated at Nehru Park in New Delhi for 3 days, which started on last Friday and ended on Sunday. (16th March- 18th March, 2012). I also thought of visiting it for some time on second day which was off for me from office. I reached the place at 6:30 pm which was time for beginning of the evening on second day of Delhi Jazz Festival 2012. At first a local band from Delhi University performed and then next one was from Georgia. Overall environment around the place was awesome and I am still a non-Jazz fellow :) ... Will surely plan to visit Delhi Jazz Festival 2013 to really understand this form of music !

A Music Enthusiast playing Sitar during one of the evening at 14th Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2012

This photograph was shot during one of the evenings of 14th Bharat Rang Mahotsav, when Byomtesh play was being shown. There is a character in this play who plays sitar at home, although it was a scene when background music was running...

Bharat Rang Mahotsav is one of the popular international Theater festival organized by National School of  Drama, Delhi. Ministry of Culture is also one of the active organization which takes care of funding for such theater festivals. This time focus was mainly on plays around Rabindarnath Tagore. This year Ministry of Culture is celebrating as 150th birthday of Rabindarnath Tagore.

One of the prop from the set of 'Grotowski - An Attmpt to Retreat' during Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2012

Bharat Rang Mahotsav is going on in Captial City of Delhi and various plays from different parts of the world are being shown at NSD, Kamani, SRC and LTG etc. This photograph was clicked during one of the plays 'Grotowski - An Attmpt to Retreat', which are presented by a group from Poland.

Click on the photograph above in case you want to know more about this play or see more photographs...

Lakshmi Pooja on Diwali Day

Lakshmi puja is performed during Diwali which is a very popular festival of India and also known as Festival of lights. According to tradition people would put small oil lamps outside their homes on Diwali and hope Lakshmi will come to bless them.

Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped by those who wish to acquire or to preserve wealth. It is believed that Lakshmi (wealth) goes only to those houses which are clean and where the people are hardworking. She does not visit the places which are unclean/dirty or where the people are lazy.
 

 Above photograph shows one of the steps of Lakshmi Poojan, when clay lamps are ready to start pooja during Diwali evening.

Jama Masjid - A day after Eid

This is one of the photograph taken at India's largest mosque in Old Delhi - Jama Masjid !! This place is always surrounded by pigeons flying here and there. I waited for approximately 15 minutes to take this shot as movement is random most of the times. Luckily I didn't have to wait very long to get the right composition. This is what I wanted and I was happy to see the results. Hope to visit Jama Masjid again and come up with more photographs !!!

Missed Delhi's first Kite Festival which happened last weekend at India Gate !! (12th - 13th Nov, 2011)

I was listening about this Kite Festival for last few weeks and when I planned for it, something special came on the way. Every year, our official trip if organized during this time of the year and this time our trip to Corbett conflicted with Kite Festival. After coming back from Corbett, I am seeing hundreds of photographs of wonderful festival and people had good time at India Gate. Now I am truly missing First Kite Festival of Delhi and hope I make for it next time !!!

Since I had no photograph of Kite Fest, I though of putting this night shot of India Gate Here...

If you have also missed Delhi Kite Festival by Delhi Tourism, just click on the photograph above to see more... And http://life-inspires.blogspot.com/2011/11/when-hanuman-and-taj-mahal-took-over.html

Festive season in India is still ON !!!

Although Diwali is over now but still November and December remain more colorful in India. Welcome of winters with lots of other small special days. And these days all US festivals/special-days are more important in India as well. Christmas is next big day in next few months...

Classical Muscians @ BIG HORN FEST 2011 inside India Habitat Center, Delhi

 

Again Pushkar is calling for World Famous Camel Fair in October, 2011

Puskar Camel Fair is really famous among Photographers and people from various parts of the world come to see this amazing fair, which is full fun, experience and amazing break from fast life... Pushkar Camel Fair hosts lot of events like Matka Dance(which you see in this photograph), Internal Bride competition, Horse Dance, Kushti etc.. All these events are unique and people don't miss the evenings when most of these happen in Pushkar ground. Day time is more about exploring regions where Camel trades happen !!!

Girls dacing in colorful dresses at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi, INDIA

During May and June months of 2011 National School of Drama Repretory company was hosting Summer Theatre Festival at Kamani and Smmukh auditoriums and various plays were showcased multiple times. During very first play called 'Baanbhat ki Atmakatha', all the artists were dressed up in colorful dresses and there were some scenes when folks were dancing on the stage. It was wonerful to see these folks dancing in such vibrant cloths...

Mr. Tarun Gogoi - Chief Minister, Assam @ Rongali Bihu Festival in Delhi

In April month of 2011, Rongali Bihu was celebrated at Indira Gandhi National center of Arts in New Delhi and Assam' Chief Minister was invited as main guest for the evening... Here Mr. Tarun Gogoi addressing all Assamese on the special evening on Rongali Bihu Festival !! Although I missed the later half of the evening, but heard that he enjoyed Bihu dance with various performers on the stage. When I say enjoyed, he actually danced with other performers and this was one of the main story of various Assamese new papers :)

A Sitarist coming towards Stage @ BIG HORN FEST 2011 inside India Habitat Center, Delhi

Recently Big Horn Fest held at IHC in Delhi and it continued will 6 evenings of April 2011 ! I also planned to go during one of th evening and it was dedicated to Classical Indian Music.. I reached early and grabbed appropriate seat in Open Amphitheater of IHC... Here comes the first music performer of the evening along with various other folks in Tabla, Dholak, another sitarist along with main classical singer !!

Sitarvadak @ BIG HORN FEST 2011 inside India Habitat Center, Delhi

A Sitar-vadak @ Big Horn Fest 2011 in IHC Amphitheater, Delhi !!!



The Sitar a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Indian classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages. It derives its resonance from sympathetic strings which is a long hollow neck and a gourd resonating chamber.
Used throughout the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Northern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, the sitar became known in the western world through the work of Pandit Ravi Shankar beginning in the late 50s, particularly after George Harrison of The Beatles took lessons from Shankar and Shambhu Das and played sitar in songs such as "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" and "Within You Without You". Shortly after, The Rolling Stones used a sitar in "Paint It Black" and a brief fad began for using the instrument in pop songs !!!

Sounds of Classical Music @ BIG HORN FEST 2011 inside India Habitat Center, Delhi

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Recently Big Horn Fest happened in Delhi during 6 days of April 2011 !!! Different evenings were dedicated to one type of music and  I also attended one evening of Indian Classical music !!!



Indian classical music has its original in the Vedas which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition !!! Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda which is one of the four Vedas, describes music with lots of details... 


Indian classical music is considered as very elaborate and expressive form of music. Like Western classical music it divides the octave into 12 semitones of which the 7 basic notes are in ascending tonal order, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa for Hindustani music 
and "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa".  But Indian music uses just-intonation tuning unlike most modern Western classical music which is more about equal-temperament tuning system.


Indian classical music is monophonic in nature and based around a single melody line !!! The performance is based melodically on particular ragas and rhythmically on talas. Because of the focus on exploring the raga, performances have traditionally been solo endeavors, but duets are gaining in popularity.