Belgaum is all set to get another dose of some awesome freaking fusion-rock music this February. “Avyakta” the Mumbai based band which has Belgaumite musicians featuring in it will showcase their performance here at Millennium Gardens, Belgaum on 18th February 2012 at 6.30 pm. Avyakta will be featuring two very talented local musicians, Raj Fernandes and Satosh Gurav, who together run Harmony Music academy in Belgaum. The show is organized by Rotaract Club of Belgaum!

Avyakta means unexpressed. Kick-starting with the intent of showcasing its ideas through soulful music, the band has been playing a number of gigs until now. With initial performances in the Youth festival organized by Times of India in Mumbai to play the finals of the same competition in Delhi, the band evolved to playing solo gigs in and around Mumbai to even be the opening act for the renowned Pakistani band STRINGS for several times.After that the band has never looked back! Avyakta has performed all over India in many Music festivals and corporate events.

Feelings and emotions that often remain unexpressed, find solace in music. The band’s music is their way to belong and relate to the world. Playing across genres like Fusion and Pop-rock, the band blends in hues of western and Indian music thus giving their songs a brisk and refreshing sound. Avyakta will always be determined at creating music which appeals to them and to their audience as well. The band’s music aims at creating a balance among all categories of music lovers.

Avyakta has recently released their first single with EMI Music, in a compilation called INDIA ROCKS 2 which includes 29 best bands from India. And the song Piya Bina already has many downloads on the Nokia Music store as well as in the other music stores.

The lead vocalist Shantanu speaking to this blog told, “On my very first day at Ruia(which was in fact after a month from college started), I auditioned for solo singing to represent college for Youth Festivals. Swarupa(Drummer) was accompanying everyone on tabla there. I soon as I came down from the stage, two lads who had guitars along came to me and introduced themselves, as Vipul and Gaurav! Vipul (Lead Guitarist of Avyakta) already had some really cool sounding compositions, thus we united together, named the band as Avyakta and went for a competition by Times of India, and won our very first competition, and opened a show for well known band Strings at MMRDA Grounds in front of nearly 10,000 people.”

Shantanu Herlekar the lead vocalist for AVYAKTA, hails from Belgaum is younger son and student of Belgaum’s music personality, Shri Nandan Herlekar. He is also receiving training by Shubha Mudgal. Shantanu loves to perform with like-minded classical and fusion music enthusiasts. He has also worked as a manager for the record label Underscore Records. Shantanu hails from a very traditional family of Rigved Pandit’s and Musicians.

At the age of 10, he was awarded with a scholarship from Govt. of India for studying music. Recently he was awarded with Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar award. Shantanu has won the university youth festival as well as many other competitions such as Mood Indigo, Mahatma Gandhi award etc. He has also developed himself as a playback singer and composer and has sung/composed for many serials and films in Marathi, Hindi and Kannada.

performing at the Opera House

Lead Guitarist – Vipul

Vipul is a self taught Guitarist! A Music composer & performer by profession, his last stint was with the very talented husband-wife duo Ram Sampath and Sona Mohapatra. His sharp guitar leads and catchy riffs give every song a unique identity of their own. His amazing sense of blending music whether its Fusion or Rock, make the song so beautiful that audience gets mesmerized.

Vipul has worked in the music industry also as a Event and celebrity manager with his own company called Prism Eventz.

Drummer – Swarupa

Plays Drums in the band – Swarupa a desciple of late ustad allahrakha khan & ustad ZakirHussain, has been learning tabla for more than 15 years. Her versatile personality enables her to play almost all the percussions such as Djembe, Dhol, Dholak, Darbuga and lot more. This genius has also had the opportunity to perform with the music maestro, Oscar winner A.R.Rehman at braborne Stadium few years ago.

Apart from its 3 core members, Avyakta enjoys the company of other talented musicians for their live shows who accompany the band on Percussions, Bass Guitar and Keyboards. Playing across genres like Fusion and Pop-rock, the band blends in hues of western and Indian music thus giving their songs a brisk and refreshing sound. Avyakta will always be determined at creating music which appeals to them and to their audience as well. The band’s music aims at creating a balance among all categories of music lovers. On the bass guitar, will be Madhur and Suyash will be accompanying on the keyboard!

For tickets to the show please call

*Harmony Music Academy RPD Cross Belgaum. +91-9900260243

*Republic Machinery corporation 1934, Kadolkar Galli Belgaum. +91-9945117373

*Abhay: +91-9538102730 or Chaitanya: +91-8431114739

With the advent of digital cameras the number of photo enthusiasts has seen a tremendous growth. Not many especially the youth with very little money at their disposal were not very keen on taking photos then spending more on developing etc. With digital cameras it has become far easy for anyone to go and tale pictures and here are a group of amateur photo enthusiasts who have formed the Belgaum Photographers Circle.

The community was started on Facebook by Vinayak Talukar on May 11, 2011 with exceptional assistance from Anvith K S and they have conducted 6 outdoor group photo shoots and two Basic Photography Workshop on 7th and 8th Jan 2012 which was attended by more than 40 photo enthusiasts.

Photo taken during the outdoor shoot

Members of the group

This is a community of Photography lovers, where they share and learn tips and tricks about the awesome art.

As of today the group has 127 members and growing. The best part of the group is all are learners as Vinayak puts it. We are here to share our knowledge with each other so that we develop our own skills.

The group has done 6 outdoor group photo shoots:

1. Bhoothnath at Khanapur Road on 26th June 2011 – 6 people had attended
2. Vaijanath Temple and Mahipal Gadh on 3rd July 2011 – 6 people
3. Nandgad 18 Sep 2011 – 5 people
4. Jamboti 27 November 2011 – 4 people
5. Windmills at Kakati on 22 Jan 2012 – 10 people
6. Yellur Gad on 29 Jan 2012 – 7 people
The Founder of the group Vinayak Talukar who runs Ideaflask, told this blog, “The group was started with a very simple intension of Sharing The Photographic Knowledge we have. The only intention of the group is to enable people to take better pics. And the hidden agenda behind every Group Shoot is to have fun.”

Photo taken at Nandgad village 32 kms from Belgaum

“We are looking forward to hold further workshops like this and also we are working on conducting advanced level workshops. We plan to conduct workshops to share the knowledge associated with the camera. We plan our workshops in a very practical method, so that the attendees actually practice then and there. Along with this, we will hold regular group shoots so that we put our skills into action” Vinayak added.

Prasad Parmaj another enthusiast who was very hesitant to go on the shoots with his point and shoot camera said, “I was always Passionate for Photography & I was searching for a Platform were I could Learn many things out of it. I found out this Group to be Most Happening Group with continuous Events on Group Shoots for Outings & work shop conducted by them made me realize Camera its not just Point a thing & shoot it & also made me Find many things in Camera which I never realized.”

Anvith K.S a web developer by profession who also is an avid cyclist and one of the founder of this group told this blog, “ First and foremost, I love the outdoors. Photography lets me connect with the outdoors and also capture t the way I see it. The sheer pleasure of being in the midst of jungles is exhilarating. Secondly I love to organize trips / events. So given a chance I will jump in with both feet.

Also the trips tend to be in areas where we need to carry some snacks or food with us, and I love to eat and prepare stuff.”

Anvith told, “The intention of these shoots is to relax and have some fun. Along the way we also get to learn about photography and its nuances. But this group is not just about going to a place and photographing it. We make sure we experience the place. The sight of the rising sun, the sweet smell of mist on mud in the morning, a hot cup of coffee or tea at 5am while waiting for the others to arrive, are somethings which I look forward to in every shoot. Belgaum is gifted with great destinations and locations within a 50km radius. Our intention is to visit most of the places, in a group, photograph it from different perspectives, learn from each other, eat ( we do a lot of that.) and generally have fun.”

In respect of future he said, “We intend to conduct more shoots and workshops in the future. Also on the cards are shoots within the city for ex: an indoor shoot with a model or product. Food photography (we get to eat afterwards ) and street photography.”

Viraj Nilajkar, a student and new member of the group said that, “You see life is all about Living it in the moment and making the most of it, We here at the Belgaum Photographers Circle just wanna have fun and learn what we can from these Trips about Photography and as GIFTED as we are to stay in a Beautiful City like Belgaum which has HEAVENLY Spots on just a Foot Step away from us…. Who would not be tempted to just go out there and enjoy the serene, soothing and exhilarating Landscapes and the Mother Nature. You dont need a High End DSLR camera to be with us, Even a Point and Shoot Camera like the one I use will work or even a Nokia Phone with a VGA camera will work(Not really). We Love to Explore and make the most of it and also we have Teachers like Vinayak and Anvith Sir who teach us a little thing or two about how to Handle a Camera and also to get Lots of Food Items on the way to the TRIP. These are the little things we do here in the Group and you are more than welcome to join us and explore the BEAUTY of Belgaum.”

Rajendra Deshpande said, “I was really interested and wanted to learn photography, fortunately I met Vinayak Talukar who started this group and he taught some really nice tricks, macro photography, landscape photography, portrait photography and many more things which are priceless. Going for group photo shoot, meeting new friends clicking some awesome photos. I have never imagined it was so much fun and amazing experience. I honestly really enjoy whenever we go for photography.”

by Swatee Jog

Priya Khatav recently has successfully cleared the interview round for the “10,000 Women Entrepreneurs Goldman Sachs – ISB-AIMS Program’’ and is undergoing training program for 19 days at Bangalore.

Mrs. Priya Khatav runs Acme Computers which she started along with her husband in 1992. Starting out from a CAD training institute that trained 20000 engineers, Acme computers now offers courses in various softwares and has major companies in Belgaum as clients. Priya reminisced the initial days in business and said only hard work and relentless passion can help you gain success.

When asked, How did you venture into Computer training, having done Civil Engineering?
Priya said, “After my BE, I went to Pune and worked with an architect where I noticed the extensive use of CAD which was not available in Belgaum. So after I came back and got married, the first idea was to start something like this that would help students. We started small with just three computers. A chance meeting with a senior person in the corporate world brought upon an opportunity to train their staff in CAD and then there was no looking back.”

On asking about the challenges she faced as a women entrepreneur; Priya quickly said, ? “Challenges, yes, but not as a women entrepreneur. The biggest challenge was the mushrooming training institutes. But we faced it by being different and best. I think the key to successful business is having a great and unique business idea.”

She said, She was not aware of the Goldman Sachs program at all. “ So when I was invited by Bharatesh Global Business School, I was a bit skeptical. I came along and was fascinated by the initiative. I decided to give a try. At Bangalore, we were invited for a very nice interaction with members of ISB and some prominent entreprenurs. They gauged our passion and involvement in our business more than anything else. All the shortlisted women shared their business cards and got to know each other. That was one nice experience.”

After the grand success of Belgaum’s Got Talent season 1, the Rotract club of Belgaum North have organised season 2 of Belgaum’s Got Talent. The final event will be conducted at ‘Kala Mandir’ Auditorium Tilakwadi, Belgaum on 26th of February 2012, to bring to light the talent in the people in-and-around Belgaum & also to help them get a platform on which they can perform and gain confidence about their inner capabilities. 

Belgaum’s Got Talent Season 1 had attracted a huge response with the participation of 150 entries.

Auditions for this event will be conducted on 18th Feb 2012.

The last date of submitting the duly filled application form is 12th Feb 2012. Forms are available at Hanuman Watch World – Big Bazaar, World of TITAN – Kirloskar Road and online forms can be filled on www.allaboutbelgaum.com.

There’s no age limit and all types of talents/performances like dance, singing, skit, mime, street play, tabla, harmonium, drums, rock bands, etc.
All performances would have to go through the auditions and then the selected performers would perform on 26th of February 2012 in the Grand Finale.

1st Prize worth Rs. – 11,111/- , 2nd Prize worth Rs. – 7,777/-, 3rd Prize worth Rs. – 5,555/-.

The proceeds of this event will be used for various causes of donation towards the society.

About Rotaract Club of Belgaum North:

Rotaract Club of Belgaum North was founded on 26th of July 2010. This club associates itself with many community based activities and has organized many successful events like Belgaum’s Got Talent, Utkarsh and Vanamohatsav.
The total donations for the 1st Year of this club’s service were Rs.62,500/-. The major contributions of the club during last year were towards Vivekanand Netralaya, Mahesh Foundation, Kits for school students and Donation of Rs. 15,000/- for Eradication Of Polio.

Click here to fill online forms

City based KLE College of Business Administration (CBALC) is organizing National Level Management events BIZ WHIZ 2012 & GENESIS 2012 simultaneously on 23rd, 24th and 25th January 2012 at Dr.B.S.Jirge Memorial Auditorium, JNMC, Belgaum.

Bizwhiz is open to all the BBA/BBM students and Genesis is only for First year BBA/BBM students.
Through this event the institute is making Management students think of Managerial solutions to various problems of India as a nation like Malnutrition, Rising Prices, Infrastructural issues, Corruption etc.
During the Inaugural Function the institute felicitated three distinguished personalities of Belgaum who have selflessly served the society.

Mahesh Jadhav – Founder and Chairman Mahesh Foundation who runs Aadhar orphanage which houses 43 orphans including HIV positive chidlren.

Evan Lomax – Founder “Dr.Raymond Lomax Centre of Home for Homeless” who runs the home for the homeless in Ganeshpur.

Umesh Kalghatagi – Specialized Swimming Coach for disabled who teaches swimming to Mentally challenged, hearing impaired and also people with other disabilities.

The event was inaugurated by Shri Anshu Gupta, Founder Director, Goonj, New Delhi. Dr Prabhakar B. Kore, MP Chairman, K.L.E. Society, Belgaum will preside over the inaugural function.
Shri Sandeep Patil, IPS, Superintendent of Police, Belgaum and Shri Jagadish Bapat, Footprints, Management Consultancy, Bangalore were the Guest of Honour.

MTV- VJ Rannvijay will be the Chief Guest of the Valedictory Function.
Sixty five teams from Thirty eight Colleges from Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra are participating in BIZWHIZ 2012 and GENESIS 2012.

The cultural city of Belgaum which boats it self of making some of the best artists who are very renowned lacked a proper art gallery where they could exhibit their collections in a proper manner as is done in the metros.

The Jain Yuvak Mandal has taken efforts to build one at the Mahaveer Bhavan, Hindwadi an Art gallery which is world class and enchanting for any display of art.

Vaijanth Terni an eminent artist has guided the making of this art gallery and young and dynamic Mirang Hulbatte has designed it.

The well decorated and spacious gallery will be proper place for the artists in the vicinity to exhibit their creations. The lighting system in the gallery gives a novel atmosphere.

The art gallery would be formally inaugurated on Tuesday 24^th January, 2012 at 3.30pm.

Address: Mahaveer Bhavan, Hindwadi Belgaum.

by Swatee Jog and Uday

She loved perfumes and was always fascinated by the aroma and wondered how it was made? Now she manufactures perfumes, colognes, designer candles and exports them, meet the Best Women Entrepreneurs Award winner Rasika Kadolkar how runs her self started business “Fragrance House”. Rasika recently has successfully cleared the interview round for the “10,000 Women Entrepreneurs Goldman Sachs – ISB-AIMS Program’’ and will now go for the 19 day training program at Bangalore.

Rasika established FRAGRANCE HOUSE in 2005 and since then her company has been a trustworthy Manufacturer, Exporters and Supplier of Hand blended Perfumes and Designer Candles.

The natural products offered have attracted various national as well as international clientèle who have placed repeated orders. She has exported to countries like China, Canada, USA, European countries to mention a few and also not to forget the local Indian market where her products are labeled and resold.

Hand Blended Perfumes are a mixture of Fragrant Essential Oils and Flowers. The distinctive feature of these perfumes is that they are exclusively prepared from Natural Raw Materials and do not contain any chemicals. The perfumes are packaged in attractive packs and are available at very affordable prices. Designer Candles come in various shapes, designs and colors. Whether you’re looking for Pillar Candles or Votive Candles, our innovation collection of Designer Candles will definitely suffice your taste and liking.

Rasika’s activities in this field are strongly supported by her parents. Rasika was always busy with some or the other creative work. She has gained a lot of different arts without any course or formal training but only because of her interest, passion and hard work. She has also conducted courses like Malisian Art, Ceramic works, water fountain, Mehandi Classes, Emorydery, Charcoal Painting, Nail Work Design etc.
Rasika said that it was her dream to start an independent business. She said,”the guidance of my parents made me turned my art into business which secured both my art and wish of doing independent business”.

When asked how did she think of venturing into the perfumes business?
Rasika said “ I always had a passion for perfumes and wanted to learn how they make them. The industries in this sector are very discreet about their formulations, but fortunately a few of them allowed access to the manufacturing. That is how I got into this field.”

Telling more about her experiences at the Goldman Sachs interview, she told this blog, “I could meet many women entrepreneurs at Bangalore and I was astonished to meet a few with thousand crore plus turnover. They shared their experiences and I was humbled to see how they had grown their businesses. Now I feel even I can expand my business.”

Amruta her college buddy from BBA told this blog, “Have known Rasika as a quite and shy girl but with clear thoughts ! She knew where n what she wanted to be n she always spoke about having her own business, and today she is an entrepreneur ! Doing the best she can do. Creating beautiful things !!! Very proud of her after seeing her any one would agree good things come in small package !!! Keep it up girl.”

When we asked Rasika, does having formal education in management help an entrepreneur? And she promptly answered this, “ I wouldn’t say it is essential, but in my case, having a Bachelors degree in Business administration definitely helped me in business. It enabled me to know the aspects of business that I would have otherwise been oblivious to. I would suggest students to gain some knowledge before you venture into business. Also, doing your research helps immensely.”

Speaking further she said currently, “ I am into perfumes in a big way and also export some of them. Exporting to the European market was not easy since they are very discerning customers. But they always encourage quality which I provided. Now I am into customized candle making and also delve into niche chocolates.”

When asked about challenges Rasika very boldly said, “Getting the permissions in place was a challenge. I tried relentlessly for 2 years before I got the license for Ethanol which is the base for perfumery. Also, we had to get training in Fire Safety measures since these are very inflammable products. I was allowed to send any employee, but I decided to get the training myself. I would recommend the training to all, it was very valuable. Also, in a price sensitive market, pricing my quality products was a challenge. So initially I made my perfumes available in small sizes. People loved the products and came back for more.”

The 14th annual Lord Jagannatha Ratha Yatra Mahotsava-2012 organised by the The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) began today and will continue till tomorrow.

A Rath yatra was held today which began from Dharmaveer Sambhaji Chowk and will end at the grounds near the ISKON temple at Shukurwar peth. The grand ratha seating Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Devi will led the procession. There were many beautiful tableaus on the life of Lord Krishna. Large number of persons took part in the celebrations.

Various other programs including Bhajans, dramas and Maha prasad have been organised at the said grounds.

Creativity requires consistent encouragement and measured inputs to blossom and create its own world. Irrespective of age, creativity inborn can be cultivated and refined with learning.

A Watercolor painting workshop, for everyone who has inclination towards art and painting. It is designed to give basic knowledge on painting and handling of the medium, in short experiencing the possibilities of watercolor medium.

Eminent artist and seasoned art teacher Shri Kashinath Hiremath (from Gadhinglaj-Kolhapur), will share his knowledge and guide the enthusiasts.

The workshop is for 7 days starting from 6th Feb. to 12th Feb. for 2 hours daily. The fees for the same is Rs.700.00 which includes watercolor paper pad (25 sheets) and sketching papers. How ever the participants will have to bring their own watercolors in tube form, watercolor brushes, palette, pencils, eraser, waste cloth and water bottle with container (for mixing colors)

Venue for the workshop: Varerkar Natya sangh, near Herwadkar school, Tilakwadi, Belgaum

Program organized and managed by:

DESTINY STATIONERS, Bhagyanagar cross, Khanapur road, Belgaum M – 9243207555 (Mrs. Vrushali Marathe)

MONA LISA FINE ART PRODUCTS, M 17, industrial estate, Udyambag, Belgaum. M – 9901403586 (Mr. Sachin Upadhye)

In this fast life where Husband/Wife see each other on Facebook and twitter and the kids happily spend most of the time watching cartoons at home; as both parents are not home, we also have some Arts and Crafts fanatics who love to bond with their child by doing arts and crafts rather than watching TV with them and in turn spending some great time with the children.

Meet Children’s Art & Craft Enthusiast, Shruti Bhat who blogs about her passion at Mindful Meanderings.

Shruti Bhat, is a Quality Lead in a leading MNC during the day and an avid crafter during the night. She is originally from Belgaum where she completed her schooling from M V Herwadkar and she did her engineering from GIT Belgaum and currently stays at Bangalore with her husband and 5 year old daughter nicknamed Lil P on her blog.

Shruti’s blog focuses on the art and craft activities she does with her daughter. “It’s an amazing way to bond with her,” she said. At the beginning she wrote only about the crafts she did with her kid but now accepts user submissions as well.

In a quick interview to this blog Shruti said “ I have always been interested in arts and crafts. As a kid, I remember watching my mother paint exquisite bedsheets and embroider. I think that was when my love for arts was born. My blog started off as an online diary and when people started commenting and appreciating some of the crafts that I made with Lil P, I was inspired to try some more crafts. The monthly Artsy-Craftsy challenge was born. Its been 2 years since and there has been no looking back.”

When we asked her, who was your inspiration? Shruti said,”My mother and my grand mother both have an artist in themselves. As both mt parents were working, every vacation they used to enroll me into camps, art classes where I developed the art a bit more and also a love for it.”

She loves working with charcoals but it takes too much time and with a 5 year old demanding constant attention, that’s totally ruled out.  She is slowly exploring acrylics & craft activities that she can do with her daughter.

“ Every evening doing crafts is a kind of ritual. Her dad has to tell her a story &  I have to craft with her. We love to search the net for inspiration & then the princess chooses what she wants to make that day. My Lil P loves crafts & thankfully she has a calm nature and will follow instructions for safety and keeping the mess in control. ” Shruti added.

She mostly blogs about her daily life. A few crafts that we do, Our travel tales, Recipes. She also hosts a popular monthly artsy-craftsy challenge that focuses on a crafting theme and accepts user submissions. It is still very much a personal blog but the journey over the last 3 years has been very rewarding.

When we asked about the support from your husband? Shruti laughingly, “ he tolerates my mood swings and my cries about “It has to go on my blog right now” kind of demands.”

She advices the parents to Take small steps, each kid is different and so there is no fixed formula. Try age appropriate crafts, get a little messy and basically have fun. Let the kids get their hands dirty, use stuff lying in your home. Culture and Folk crafts can also be taught to kids with art. After all this is done next important thing is display of the crafts once your child has done it. Appreciation and creative freedom is the key to develop a child’s interest.

When asked what are your thoughts on this blog? Shruti said “I love AAB and how it has evolved  over the years.  I esp loved your series on Stars of Belgaum  and the Belgaum History and trivia. Even though I’m away from Belgaum, I stay connected thanks to AAB.  Thank you for featuring me here and keep up the good work you are doing.”
You can reach her  on FB  and now on Twitter too.