Sound of music at Lalbagh

BANGALORE: For the first time in its history, the band stand at Lalbagh came alive with the resounding melody of the Air Warriors Symphony Orchestra (AWSO), Air Force Station, Jalahalli on Saturday. “The band stand here at Lalbagh was constructed in 1888, but this year for the first time during the flower show, the orchestra performance has been arranged” said Dr S Aswath, Joint Director of Horticulture (Parks, Gardens and               Floriculture)."The whole idea was mooted up in commemoration of the 100 years of the flower show. Added to it, on the occasion of the Independence Day, thought of  adding a tinge of patriotism to the celebration through music and flowers ,” he added.Blending Western and Eastern classical music, of the 65 AWSO members, 55 of them enthralled the audience with their performance. Starting with a patriotic song ‘Bharat ki Wayu Sena’, they went on to perform numbers from the 'Pirates of the Caribbean', Hindi numbers like ‘Vande Mataram’, ‘Dil hai chota sa’ from the movie 'Roja' and regional Kannada number ‘Anisuthide yako indu’ from the movie ‘Mungaru Male’ and popular Telegu number ‘Shankara nada sarira para’ from the movie ‘Shankara bharanam’.With an objective to interact with the masses and to create a feeling of patriotism and harmony through the sound of music, the AWSO was formed in 2002 symbolising teamwork, synergy, ethos and dedication of Air Warrior to his profession.A crowd of about 20,000 were drawn by the mesmerising orchestra performance. It was the best way to start a long weekend, said, Asish Pramanik, a techie. He said, “I had come here with my colleagues for the flower show but we did not know about the orchestra. It was something different and we enjoyed it.”Speaking to Sunday Express, a 68-year-old retired army officer, who had come with his wife, said, “It had really been a long time since I retired from the army that I had heard of real orchestra performance. It took me back to the good old days.”