BarCamp Mumbai
2006-05-07 10:52:26
This Saturday, the 13th of May, is BarCamp Mumbai - the next in the series of BarCamps sweeping India, after Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
For some reason, we have been extremely lucky with BarCamp Mumbai - while searching for a venue, I hesitatingly asked IIT Bombay if they could help, and they not only obliged, but gave us three rooms at the prestigious Kanwal Rekhi School of Information Technology, complete with Wireless Networks, canteen, and all the good stuff one needs to hold a successful event. Holding an event like this in an educational institution makes a lot of sense - BarCamp Chennai was held in the Anna University, and it was a fantastic environment.
A few people are still puzzled about what a BarCamp is, so here is an explanation:
Many people know what a "conference" is. It is typically a planned event, with a formal agenda and schedule, with clearly defined speakers and audiences.
Barcamps, on the other hand, muddy the waters considerably.
Barcamps are also conferences, but are better described as "unconferences". The only planning is related to the venue and facilities - the content happens on the spot, with "speakers" and "audiences" often trading places.
Everything at a barcamp is impromptu, on the spot, unplanned. That's why they call it an "un-conference". That's why it is fun. Think of a barcamp as a kind of unplanned get-together by friends, with similar interests. Good stuff always comes out of such meets.
Barcamps aren't about intense gyan (wisdom), indepth info, comprehensive knowledge. They are more about "hey, check out this cool stuff and what it can do". Talks aren't planned or scheduled before a barcamp - you go there, decide that you want to talk about something, write it on the whiteboard, pick a slot, and if people are interested in your topic, they sit in, discussions start, and so on.
In terms of topics - they are literally anything. But topics tend to be technology oriented, so if you are a geek, you should feel right at home.
What makes this concept so great is that it gives people a chance not only to find out about a lot of new and interesting stuff, but actually participate in the proceedings. And interaction between the "speaker" and the "audience" tends to be much more informal and easygoing - it isn't uncommon for the speaker to end up sitting in the audience while someone from the audience stands up to explain an aspect of the topic.
For those of you who have attended conferences like FOSS.IN, this concept may sound familiar. At conferences like those, you typically have "Birds of a Feather" sessions (aka BoFs) and "corridor tracks", which tend to be the things of real value to the participants *and* the speakers. Well, barcamps are much like those BoFs and corridor tracks - except there is no conference attached! :)
Barcamps tend to have smaller audiences - at Mumbai, we don't expect more than about 120-150 people. Interaction tends to be intense. And I expect Free and Open Source Software to feature prominently at Mumbai (unlike at Barcamp Bangalore), but it won't only be FOSS - I for, example, am not even speaking on a FOSS topic. :) Instead, I will speak on mobile computing, but my talk will be a very different beast from what people saw at Chennai and Bangalore.
The best part of a Barcamp is - if you want to give a talk about some topic, you can (provided there are slots available). To participate, go to the BarCamp Mumbai wiki, edit the page, and add your name to the participant list. If you want to give a talk as well, add your topic to the list of proposed talks. Come to the event, grab a slot, and away you go! :)
If you are in Mumbai on the 13th, then do come, it promises to be a lot of fun, and an interesting learning experience. I look forward to meeting you there!
Update: Looks like lots of friends are showing up at the event - Tarique, Aasim and Swati Sani from Nagpur, Manu, Shreyas and Kaustubh from Bangalore, Manish Jethani, Bluesmoon, Sumeet and Spo0nman from Yahoo, etc. :)
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