Orkut gives birth to Indian rock band

BANGALORE, INDIA: This has to be a first of its kind. When Bangalore based rock group 1939 AD strummed and hummed its way into the Jayamahal Durga Puja in the city on October 17, little did the audience know that this rock band from Bangalore had its roots in Orkut -- the well known social networking site.

Orkut has been in the news for all sorts of reasons, some of it not very good. However, this has to be very positive kind of news -- giving birth to a rock band.

Amitabh De, the band's lead singer and director, told the audience how he wanted to pursue his interest in music on arrival in Bangalore. He initially posted messages on Orkut to find like-minded people. His search was duly rewarded -- in the form of 1939 AD. He narrated how he came in touch with various music lovers who showed interest in forming a rock band. This initiative got converted into 1939 AD.

The name of the band itself is interesting. It is the birth year of the legendary music director, late Rahul Dev Burman, better known as Panchamdaa. In fact, quite a few rock bands from India are greatly influenced by R.D. Burman's music.

Coming back to the band, 1939 AD now has its own site on Orkut. According to their site, the description of 1939AD is: "Our Tribute To Panchamdaa through Our Band."

Orkut does allow people to start various communities, and most of us join some of those communities. However, this is a first instance of a rock group originating from the leading social networking site.

There are other social networks too, such as Me.com, Ning, etc., to name a few, which allow users to form their own social networks. Ning, the brain child of Marc Anderssen, the founder of Netscape, and Gina Bianchini, is said to the only online service where users can create, customize, and share their own social network. There are others, like LinkedIn, which is a professional network.

It is a clear sign of the times that social networks have been gathering steam, and is the way to collaborate. If those networks can provide more rock bands, enterprise groups, etc., it will be a very encouraging development. Such initiatives need to be promoted and nurtured.