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Tuesday 30 October 2012

INDIAN OCEAN CAUSES MASS HYSTERIA


Delhiites rock at Indo-German Urban Mela

The grounds of Indraprastha “Millennium” Park were abuzz with Delhiites swarming the venue as the Indo-German Urban Mela witnessed one of the most vibrant performances of the renowned band – Indian Ocean on 29th October.

Inspite of being a Monday, thousands of office goers, students including people from all walks of life thronged to the venue.

The captive audience against the backdrop of 16 shimmering pavilions and the illuminated Humayun’s tomb was a sight that people in Delhi will recall for a long time to come. 

The seminal band cast a spell with a memorable performance in the history of contemporary Indian music. Indian Ocean began with its all-time favourite number - "Melancholic Ecstasy".


The crowd at the Urban Mela grooved to the power packed performance by the original pioneers of fusion rock in India with the sound that integrates Shlokas, Sufism, environmentalism, mythology and revolution.


Performing live at the centre stage of the Urban Mela, lead guitarist of the band, Sushmit Sen said “ We  enjoyed playing for the enthusiastic crowd on the grounds of the Indo-German Urban Mela. The Mela was another chance for us to perform for our music lovers.”

The band mesmerised the audience with their unadulterated and innovative musical performance. Some of the band’s most popular numbers like "Ruk Jaa Re Bande", "Kandisa" and many more were presented at the centre stage of the Indo-German Urban Mela, with the illuminated Humayun’s tomb as the backdrop.

One of the most exciting moments of the performance was when the band played some new numbers which have not yet been recorded, especially for the audience at the Mela. These included songs like “Maya” and “Do Rahein”.

Below is a short jerky video clip of the gig:



Monday 29 October 2012

ASAD KHAN – FUSION MESSENGERS CONCERT

·       Indo-German Urban Mela in Delhi


Asad Khan and the band, "Fusion Messengers"
If Sunday was a crowd puller for guitar legend Carlos Santana’s concert at the Greater Noida’s Galotias University, Delhi’s Indraprastha ‘Millennium’ Park was not left behind as sitar maestro Asad Khan and the band, “Fusion Messengers” mesmerised a huge audience.

The group took on audiences with the most unusual mix, crossing classical Indian genres with jazz, flamenco, electronic and folk music. The crowd was left with raptures as unique renditions of the Indian and German national anthems were also performed.

The ecstatic audience at the show
“Mausam and Escape” – one of the themes from the original score of “Slumdog Millionaire” was another hit with the ecstatic audience.

“Fusion Messengers” who regularly play for A. R. Rahman during his world tours apart from many other jazz and world music festivals across the globe, gave Dellites a perfect Sunday evening with a captivating blend of music.

Asad Khan has earlier performed at the Classic Incantations tour with the German Film Orchestra – Babelsberg held in India and Germany.

“It is a matter of extreme pleasure for us to contribute to this huge project that will further strengthen the music and cultural ties between the two nations. I have been involved with the year of Germany in India since the Classic Incantations tour and it feels great to associate with the project again for a live audience at such a spectacular venue”, Khan observed.

The programme was held on the occasion of the ongoing nine-day event titled – “Germany-India 2011 – 2012: Infinite Opportunities” which is a special initiative to mark and celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Check out the video clip below: 




Sunday 28 October 2012

INDO-GERMAN URBAN MELA IN DELHI

·         Sush inaugurates the show

Saturday turned out to be a nice weekend for the Delhiites as all roads led to Indraprastha Millennium Park where the Indo-German Urban Mela commenced.

Sushmita Sen flanked by Michael Steiner and Tajinder Khanna
Former Miss Universe and Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen along with the German Ambassador Michael Steiner and Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Tajinder Khanna inaugurated the show in a grand opening at the spectacular venue.

Steiner and Khanna were unanimous that the theme – “Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite Opportunities” will help in strengthening the bonds and benefit both the nations in terms of science, technology, education and culture.

Attired in a black gown and high heels clogs, Sushmita was impressed by the pavilions and said was in 'love with Markus Heindroff' for his wonderful architectural designs.

Aerial view of pavilions by Installation Artist  Markus
“I feel proud to be witnessing such an extraordinary event between the two nations… Germany was the first country in the world to excel the field of research and innovation and I am glad they are bringing us closer to their expertise. The designs of these pavilions are proof of such brilliance in architecture. I salute Markus Heindorff for weaving in his Indian inspiration while designing these spectacular gemstones – Bravo!”, Sushmita said.

To mark the occasion, Delhi audio-visual collective B.L.O.T! and Berlin based electronic act Jahcoozi together rocked the stage and enthralled the spectators.

The eight-day event is a collaborative celebration titled – “Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinitive Opportunities”. This special initiative is being undertaken to mark and celebrate 60 years of warm and diplomatic relations between the two nations.

One of the gem-styled pavilions by Markus Heindorff
Under this programme series various projects and events have been initiated in the field of politics, business, education, science & research, and culture at its flagship event – “Indo-German Urban Mela” which has travelled through Mumbai, Bangalore  and Chennai .

The centerpiece of the Indo-German Urban Mela is a set of modern multi-purpose pavilions, designed by renowned German artist Markus Heinsdorff. He plays with spaces, building into landscapes.  Having started off as a goldsmith, Heindorff has also designed a pavilion for the Station Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China.

The concept behind the Indo-German Urban Mela combines elements of design from both countries with state-of-the-art textile technology, thus creating a symbiosis of art, architecture and technology.

Here are some of the quick photo-shots grabbed from the Indo-German Urban Mela
















Tajinder Khanna, Michael Steiner and Sushmetita

Delhi audio-visual collective B.L.O.T! and Berlin based electronic act Jahcoozi together rocked the stage




The Humayan tomb as viewed from the Indo-German Mela venue. Special lights beamed on the dome representing the flags of the two nation.