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The reel of every passing year brings with a potpourri of joyous and aggrieved moments, convivial births and deaths. This year in particular witnessed some historic deaths; the most shocking ones being that of Osama Bin Laden and Mohammed Gaddafi, but especially of iconic figures whose impact of society and culture have been humungous. Let us take a moment here and remember the fond farewells that we bade in the year 2011. Steve Jobs Known for his showmanship in what is otherwise considered a geeky profession, Steve Jobs in his iconic turtle neck, jeans and sneakers took the world of technology by storm with Apple Mac and Lisa. Even when he was dethroned from his own company, Jobs moved to bring about another revolution in the world of animation with Pixar. When Apple roped him back, Jobs pioneered the ipod and the incredible radical consumer product the iPhone which soon evolved into the ipad. This legendary genius breathed his last on October 5, 2011, after battling for long with a

— by Jim Ankan Deka | Bangalore Derek Paravicini There are people we say who are gifted. There are people who are differently abled. And there are people who have triggered their talents to do extraordinary deeds. But what can we say about a person who can listen to a ten minutes piano solo once and deliver a ditto rendition instantly? Can we call that person Superhuman? Derek Paravicini is a pianist with superhuman talents. He is one of the few gifted people with 'absolute pitch'. He can listen to a song or tune once and can perform it on piano exactly the same. He can identify every note in a chord. While most musicians can pick out only five notes from a chord, Derek can distinguish up to 20. The irony is, Derek is blind and was born with a 'savant syndrome'. Derek was born to Nicolas Paravicini and Mary Ann Parker Bowles on July 26, 1979. He was a 25 weeks premature baby weighing just a pound and a half and due to the oxygen therapy given during his time i

Published: Tuesday, Dec 15, 2011, By Staff Reporter | Place: Guwahati | Agency: Times Of Assam Jim Ankan Deka with students The students of Eastern Fare Music Foundation have demonstrated brilliant performance consecutively for the third time in the annual graded examinations for Western Classical music conducted by Trinity Colllege, London . All the students at the institution that appeared for the examination conducted in Good Sheppard Institute in October, 2011, maintained an average of above 80 per cent. Among all, Anubhab Sett (99%), Vibhav S. Kalaparthy (94%) and Rishee Ramesh (94%) are the toppers. The students will receive certification from Trinity Guild Hall, London. Eastern Fare Music Foundation is an establishment in Bangalore, India, founded by an Assamese musician Jim Ankan Deka . He is the first Assamese to open a music institution and a production house in Bangalore for music lovers and aspiring musicians to hone their talent. The ages of stud

There are not many musicians who could make it to the list of  'Rock and Roll Hall of Fame', and for someone with a track record of only eight (8) months in the music industry, it could be a mammoth task. Richard Steven Valenzuela or popularly Ritchie Valens was the first Hispanic rock star who could create a record like that. Born in May 1941, in Pacoima, LA, Ritchie started his career at the age of sixteen with a band named 'The Silhouettes' as a guitarist. He was a left handed, but mastered the art of a right handed guitarist. He was known as one of the pioneers of 'Rock and Roll', 'Chicano rock movement' and 'Latin rock'. Ritchie received worldwide fame with his version of a Mexican folk song called 'La Bamba' released in 1958. The song, infused the traditional Mexican tune with a rock drive, ranked number 98 in VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Rock and Roll and number 345 on Rolling Stone magazine′s list of the 500 Greatest Songs o

— by Parmita Borah | Bangalore Once upon a time, about the time when photography was done in BW and Coco Chanel hadn’t yet inspired women to wear the pants in the house, there was a Scottish Whisky distiller, Thomas Robert "Tommy" Dewar, 1st Baron Dewar. Tommy Dewar with his sibling John Dewar drove his family label Dewar‘s to scale meticulous heights in the souk of breweries. Noted for his remarkable skills in marketing and advertising that placed his company at the apex of international spirit industry, Tommy Dewar is mostly known for fostering the philosophy of ‘Dewarism’. The urban dictionary defines ‘Dewarism’ as a social, political and economic doctrine, expressing the conviction that the journey of life can be enjoyed without giving up on the achieving of success. It’s a noun by the way, if you haven’t already figured out. Writings of Sir Thomas Dewar seem to affirm this delineation, since he strongly believed and propagated that success in life could be obtained w

(A press release by Tej Hazarika, son of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika) As the only son of my father the late Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, I have called this press conference to issue a statement concerning the extremely important work of preserving the legacy of my father. But first, on behalf of my family, I wish to thank: Tej Hazarika with Dr. Bhupen Hazarika The people of Assam and all the North Eastern States for their outpouring of condolence for myself and my family – who continue to hold him as their very own feeling a profound sense of loss and grief due to his passing from our dimension. We are extremely grateful to the huge and peaceful outpouring of citizens and the patience with which so many people endured from upwards of 8 hours standing on the line to see Bhupenda’s body at Judge’s Field Guwahati. I also wish to thank the following people:  1. The Honorable President, The Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition of India. 2. Sri. Tarun Gogoi, the Chief Minister of Assam and all hi

'Evergreen Romantic Superstar' of Indian cinema, actor, director and producer Dev Anand died of a heart attack in London on December 4, 2011. He was 88 years old. Dev Anand is known for his acting in films like Guide (1965), Kala Bazaar (1960), Hum Dono (1961), Funtoosh (1956) and House No. 44 (1955). Born on Sept 26, 1923, Dharam Dev Anand started his career in film with Hum Ek Hain (1946). He got his big break in Shaheed Latif's film Ziddi in 1948. He acted in more than 100 (hundred) movies in his lifetime. Dev Anand also produced and directed more than 50 (fifty) films. Through his film production company Navketan International Films, he introduced many new artists and talents to the Indian Film Industry. He had helped film stars like Jackie Shroff through Swami Dada (1982) and actors like Tabu and Richa Sharma to get into the film industry of India. Dev Anand worked with many noted film stars, music directors and professionals. One of his closest friends was legendary