The stage is set, people slowly filling up the 750 seater hall at the J N Tata auditorium, IISC, Bangalore. The clock shows 10.30.
Registration q’s are getting longer and longer, people cant wait to get their badges and get inside. Volunteers can be seen all over working, helping delegates, speakers and guests.
Asia’s one of the biggest open source event, FOSS.IN is about to commence. I see people around me hooked to the net, perhaps a lot of them are recording the happenings of this moment in their journals in the true open source spirit. People with camera’s are clicking away, foreign speakers dressed in ethnic Indian clothes -in fact Harald Welte is looking very dashing dressed in his trademark black but this time a Pathan suit he is wearing today.
Atul is standing next to the stage, speaking with someone, just about to get on the stage and start the ceremony.
On stage now – Atul ” HALLO” testing for the echo still getting an echo -the mike the mike!! cool it works now.
Here are some excerpts from Atul’s Inaugural speech
“Good morning everyone, my name is Atul Chitnis and I am here to do a five year ramble to welcome you to foss.in 2006, the largest event in India and I am told in Asia and we pride ourselves in being extremely focused -this is not a commercial event, this is OUR event. ”
“30% of people attending this event are from outside and a lot of people are from outside India which is very exciting.”
OK, it seems I am missing a lot of what Atul is talking right now -to witness him speak, you got to be here yourself 🙂
Lamp lighting ceremony is about to begin and the people from community are going to be called on stage to light the inaugural lamp.
Kushal from Durgapur
from Goa
Atul from Delhi
Swati from Nagpur – oops i got to be on stage
From Mumbai
Tejas from Bangalore
Back from lighting the lamp
The event now is officially open.
The first speaker is in the hall. The second speaker is on his way – just landed someone got a text message and Kishore is getting him here straight from the airport.
Atul is now speaking about the delegate kits – the bags are given are cotton eco-friendly bags – reusable (claps from the audience)
There are going to be mugs given to delegates -specially made coffee mugs with FOSS.IN written on them.
Three are lot of people who made this even happen -people and specially sponsors.
One of the very few rules and regulations -don’t run cell phone running inside the hall – Atul will kill anyone having a cellphone running. There is no signal inside the hall so attendees being requested to keep cellphones off.
One major ground rule -have fun . You got to have fun -Atul declares – its is not a formal conference, it is so informal that people meet, discuss and sit and discussions on open source take place -there are specially made tents for these BOFs. Atul finishes his speech and introduces the first key note speaker Suparna Bhattacharya – India’s own contribution to the open source world.
Suparna Bhattarcharya the first keynote speaker is coming on stage amidst claps and she is about the start the keynote address. I turn back and see, the 750 seater hall is completely occupied!!
