Bar Camp

Delhi

8 December

If you log on to http://barcamp.org/BarCampDelhi, you’ll come across an interesting definition of Barcamp: a new kind of ‘unconference’—organized by attendees, for attendees. For those familiar with the new-age Internet world, anything user-generated strikes an instant empowering chord with the online fraternity.

The Delhi event was being held after a gap of one year, and one saw several parallel tracks—each anchored by a participant and attended by curious enthusiasts. There were 20-minute tracks on varied themes such as usability guidelines on mobile devices, newer technologies such as ruby-on-rails, popular user-generated applications, mash-up opportunities with open source tools, new product demos, etc. Information about the tracks was put up on post-it notes on a wall.

Close to 300 people turned up. If you’re a regular at these events, you’d come across many familiar faces. The camaraderie among the participants was evident at the post-event beer party, which offered a good opportunity to take any remaining discussions offline.

It’s interesting how the Indian digital ecosystem is unravelling through informal networks created by forums such as Barcamps, Mobile Monday Meets and Proto. The entrepreneurial buzz we’re seeing here today finds its breeding ground at such places, a la Silicon Valley.

Aditya Khanna is business head at Delhi-based online advertising start-up Tyroo Media Pvt. Ltd. Yahoo Inc. is a strategic investor in the firm. People who want to get involved in similar events can do so by emailing aditya.k@tyroo.com

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