An evening on the steps

I've been going to the Kala Ghoda Fest whenever I've been in town when its been held. The crowds have grown over the years to such a degree that the Fair this year looked as if a Virar fast had just pulled into platform 4 at Churchgate.

I remember going to see Alms for Shanti (with Mahesh Tinaikar joining in for an amazing rendition of Deep Purple's Hush), Zero (without Warren doing a pure energy cover of PJ's Animal and following it up with PSP) and Parikrama (playing Open Skies and a few Maiden covers) at Azad Maidan in 2006; watching a wonderful presentation by a Frenchman (?) on piano on the history of silent movies at the Asiatic Society's steps in 2007(?); and Niladri Kumar and his amazing fusion ensemble (brilliant solo spots to his band mates) at Rampart Row in 2008.

There has always been the standard college going janta - the moshers, the guys high on substances and just normal students enjoying the show. There has also been the others - the guys stopping by for a break from the mundane on the way back to catch the local home from work at VT (or CST as its now known as). These guys never seemed to be really into the show.

Not anymore.

Yesterday, the Asiatic steps were literally overflowing with people trying to get a glimpse of the show on hand. There were so many people climbing on the banisters lining the steps that the bannisters were getting bent out of shape. Thank god that security was sensible enough to get them off the banisters and made space for them.

Niladri Kumar was back alongwith The Raghu Dixit Project (RDP). Missed out on most of Niladri Kumar's set because of the aforementioned platform at the Fair. Not sure if he  played any Sitar or everything was on the Zitar. I caught only the Zitar which seemed to be overprocessed to the extent that the sound man lowered his levels when he was shredding away. Still excellent stuff.

{rant}
There was a thoroughly annoying waste of 45 minutes between the two sets promoting an upcoming film. Yes, you understand that sponsors are required for free events like Kala Ghoda, but you'd appreciate a little subtlety. But hey, this is India. If its not in your face, its not seen.
{/rant}

I'd been told that Raghu Dixit is really good from people who had earlier seen them. I'd never heard them before so wasn't really sure what to expect. What I thought was a TAAQ ripoff at first (bangalore band wearing lungis etc) proved to be a force on their own. Raghu had the audience eating out of his hand - getting them to sing along to a Kannada song, getting a wave going on demand - He owned the place.

Even better was his good humoured irreverence - while getting the crowd to clap to the songs "Security saab, aap bhi tapad maaro." and "The madam in blue in front, whats your problem? Your husband has given you new bangles or what?"

Amazing frontman.

Equally good band. After hearing Afro-Celt Sound System's Mojave, I've always thought the flute goes awesome with music with a crunch. Jethro Tull is a bit too dated for me. The flute and the guitar in RDP though, was modern and distinctly Indian too. Was telling that the Flautist and the Guitarist got the loudest cheers in the encore.

Which brings us back to the transformed audience. The sort of riffing and soloing in RDP would have been looked upon with indifference if not scorn by the non student crowd in the earlier shows I've seen. Is this just a change in audience taste? Or have the bands changed for the audience?

To me it seems a case of a bit of both. The crowd is getting younger - brought up with more external influences, are willing to hear new sounds. At the same time bands have changed as well. RDP sang in local languages, allowing the audience to connect more easily with the song (not that this seems necessary if the response to the Kannada songs in the set in Mumbai are any indicator). But the bands have blended Indian influences into their music. As Raghu mentioned - its a long toil - they've been at it with their music for almost a decade till they achieved success.

Here's to hoping more bands like RDP and Indian Ocean manage to get into the limelight. Maybe RDP should tour and try to open with bands like Shor Bazaar and Anhad

Good times for Original Indian Bands.

Monsoon Madness

The Bombay suburban network doesn't really bring images of beauty to your mind. The overflowing gutters, the garbage dumped by the railway tracks - not too pleasing to the eye.

Sometimes though, the elements and the location just combine to provide the ideal setting. There had been light rain earlier in the morning. The train pulled out from Dadar station towards Elphinstone Road where the two Central and Western lines diverge after Dadar - a great big expanse open land in the centre of Bombay with the illegally cultivated spinach, palak and god knows whatever else growing between the railway tracks. The plants had this wonderful fresh look to them. And with the early morning shower, all the dust and pollution in the Bombay air had been washed out of the sky to leave bright clear blue sky

There on a train in the heart of Bombay you were traveling through this pristine world - the green, brown and blue combine to present this idyllic scene. All to be destroyed by the onrushing train in the opposite direction. The other train passes and you are back in the world where you can almost brush the buildings on the side of the tracks. Back to the real world after a split second visit to a dreamland.

And they tell you that the rains bring only gloom.

Finally, and the absurdity of the Indian supporter

This was written in the week after india won the world cup. Looks like i didn't press publish earlier.
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So lets channel our inner Freddie Mercury and bellow "We are the Champions" at the top of our lungs. We've beaten SL in the finals and finally lifted the trophy after 28 long years. It gives the opportunity to proclaim we are the best in the world. All the leaving work early for the midweek quarter and semi finals has been vindicated.

Surprisingly, I thought there was more importance attached to the quarters than the semis. Maybe its the fact that the Aussies were the defending champions, or the fact that Ponting is the most reviled cricketer in these parts; there just seemed to be much more pleasure in the beating the Aussies. Revenge for the Sydney test, whatever the reason, people were really pumped by the Aussie win. Then on, the discussions in the office boards and elsewhere seemed to take it for granted that the we would win the cup; that nothing could stand in our way.

Obviously that was a fallacy. If not for the generosity of the Pakistani fielders and the absurd batting from Misbah, we could have been knocked out by the superb bowling of Saeed Ajmal and Wahab Riaz. The final too was on a knife edge until Captain Courageous played the innings that will henceforth define him.

After the quarters, the powers that be were forced into a public screening of the semis at workplaces  across the country. In Pune, it was being shown on a projected screen in one of the food courts. Around a thousand people crammed into the open air food court and eagerly awaited the match. This was our own personal stand. Miles from the venue, the voices chanting and cheering could not but help the team.

I have snickered in the past at the stories of Rajnikant movie screenings in the heartland. The seetis and chavannis thrown at the screen when the Man makes his appearances on the screen. Well, there was the other Man, He Who Must Not Be Named, playing. Each time the the camera panned across to him, the gathered crowd went into raptures, looked on the verge of Rajni style worship. Each review of his was accompanied with chants of fervent prayer to whatever you believed in. This Man is the One, bigger than Rajni, with his dominion reaching across the country, hell I'd wager, across the world wherever Indians gathered.

This world cup was about this one Man. But the final has shown that its more than that; a team effort, with a team of the entire nation. For a few days the euphoria of winning - and winning beating the better teams when it mattered - provided a release from the mundane day to day routine of life.

So let's sit back and enjoy the feeling before the IPL bulldozes over everything.

Crowdsourcing

40,000 people.

The voices of 40,000 people egging you on is sometimes not enough. As Nehra found out to his and the attendant spectator's horror last Saturday night against South Africa. This post could be about the stupidity of Dhoni in giving him the ball to bowl the last over. Or his own at bowling length when the batsman were looking to slog wildly. But that would just be quite pointless.

I had made it across from Pune to see the world cup match  between IND and SA. The Vidharba Cricket Association's stadium in Jamtha is an excellent one. We had great seats up in the fourth tier at long off. But more than the viewing, it was the noise - the shared joy and disappointment of the others at the ground around you that was the most memorable.

The crowds were screaming themselves hoarse with the chants of "Sachin [clap][clap][clap] Sachin" as long as he was at the crease (and everytime he dived about while fielding). He didn't let us down either and along with Sehwag and Gambhir provided a great platform for a unbeatable score. The crowd, however, was silenced by that spectacular collapse at the end of the innings triggered by the Steyngun.

There was a bunch of South African supporters sitting behind us in the stands who felt good enough about the score after the first innings that they fancied their teams chances and started to chant and sing boisterously. The Indians trying to silence them  never succeeded and it was great to hear them sing Shosholoza (the unifying song featured in Invictus)

The second innings though was a complete roller coaster of a ride - no team really getting on top. There always was the feeling that South Africa was going to make it through. That didn't deter Indian supporters who watched Zaheer bowl his heart out. The explosion of noise and the accompanied release of tension as each wicket fell topped anything that came in the Indian batting innings

 In the end, the South Africans were the ones singing "Ole ... Ole ... Ole". But it came at the end of a excellent game of cricket. Let's just hope that we are able to reverse the result in case the two teams meet later in the competition.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...

Have been doing the back and forth between Bombay and Muscat for the past few months. Was initially drafted for two months on a project there. Since then, have been shanghaied into it full time.

Looking at Muscat, its hard not to believe that every mallu household in Kerala has atleast one member in the Gulf. Food, stores, snacks, everything has a mallu influence on it.

The interior of Oman though is another matter altogether. On the borders of the Arabian desert water is scarce (costlier than petrol for a fact) and humanity scarcer. Large swathes of land where there is no permanent habitation has left it pristine.

Had taken a trip into the interiors for a night safari. The place, just of the road to Sur between Ibra and Bidiyah, offers 4x4 drive through the desert, camel rides, sand boarding (and belly dancers if you have the luck) alongwith the night stay, dinner and breakfast at a arabic desert camp for around 30 OMR (~ $70). However, mother nature put on the most impressive show for the night.

Though this place is just a few kilometers of the main highway, it lies in the valley between two sand dunes. Electricity is generated locally using diesel. So when the establishment decides to switch of the generator, there is no background light to ruin the night sky. The stars truly come alive. Coming from Bombay with its almost infinite light pollution, the skies look completely different. Even when compared to the sky as seen from the sea shore in the colony.

Bang in the middle of winter, the lead scene was Orion facing the rushing Taurus with the dogs sniping at his feet. Looking at the scene from a fresh perspective, you could actually see how the ancient Greeks imagined a hunter and a bull in the sky. You could see the barking Canis Major and Canis Minor at Orion's feet waiting for the blow that brings down the bull. Orion with his club and shield held up high holding his ground at the on rushing mad red eye (Aldebaran) of Taurus. You see the folded limbs of Taurus mid leap and imagine the Pleiades as the heart pumping blood around the enraged bull. A true canvas in the stars. Sorely regret not having a camera that would be able to do justice to the scene.

Camped around a weak fire to hold back the dropping night temperature, with a shooting star every few minutes, you could lie there waiting for Hades to come around to pick you up.

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A great pic of the two constellations. A representative diagram is available here.
Odd pics from Oman here. Also has a few pics of Muscat and Qantab beach nearby.

The calm before the storm

So I sit here waiting for the cyclone Phyan(yes, there already is a wiki up! And wiki on cyclone naming conventions) to hit. The TV channels have of course take gone berserk on coverage. Can't remember which but there was one which even asked a question comparing this to the last nov terrorist attacks. I can't understand what was the stream of thought that linked a natural "disaster" to something that was one of the most brazen attacks on India in my lifetime.

Anyway, there is an air of expectancy about the town. BMC has got out its disaster management cell and are looking less clueless than usual. Weather wise, there has been no rain for a few hours now. Maybe this is the cyclone sucking in all the moisture before hitting town. I'm getting images of early morning cartoons that used to come when I was a kid, where a cloud would take a deep breath and everything used to get sucked in. The morning rain has freshened up the trees and cleaned the air out. Am clearly able to see out to beyond Vashi bridge from home. Quiet nice actually.

Now to see if the met dept gets one prediction right for the season atleast.

Edit:- We've been had. But is it considered a success that people peacefully made their way back home and things seemed to have a semblance of control, even though the entire incident seemed mostly looked overhyped?

Looks like that is to remain my luck with cyclones.

If there only were the sandstorm

The teams were the same. There are very few remnants of those teams in both the sides. Some of the victims (Kasporowicz/ Bevan) are now commentating. More than ten years back Sachin Tendulkar was having his penultimate course of the Aussie meal for the year in Sharjah. With most of this partners out, he somehow managed to drag us through to the Final. No shot went wrong. There was even a forward defensive shot that split the field and raced away to the square boundary. No one who saw that match will ever forget how he harried Laxman into taking quick singles. A man completely in control of the game sandstorm or no sandstorm.


Yesterday was like a repeat performance. Yes, there was no Warne. Yes, Raina prob hoicked a few more than Laxman did. But still you could see, the cornerstone of the chase was Sachin. As long as he was still at the crease, we were not going to lose the match. All the shots seemed to be coming back - the aerial shots, the shots through the covers, the hooks, the pulls, the running between the wickets. That this was a man who has been playing international cricket for 20 years was hard to believe. 


There have been mentions by the greatbong and cricinfo that this performance was like the performance of the team in the mid 90s. Prob true in context of this particular game, but not the case in general. We are no longer as highly dependent on Sachin as we were earlier. Though the day he retires, there doesn't seem to be anyone in the current team that can come anywhere near as close as what he did yesterday.


That knock yesterday has to be one of his best knocks - way up there with the Sharjah back to back and the second innings century against the Pakistanis in Madras (which also we lost once he got out). Almost reaching the sublime levels of the Laxman - Dravid 2nd innings at Eden Gardens or even the Sachin - Azhar onslaught on the saffers in the afternoon session at Cape Town in 96-97.


The look on Sachin's face when he went to go pick up his MOM awards was such a look of disappointment. The first time that his true emotions have prob leaked through to the media, possibly explaining what is still keeping him going all these years. The last occasion I remember a similar reaction was after Dravid got his maiden century at the Wanderers in 1996-97 and we weren't able to get Daryl Cullinan out on the last day  to take the match.


Bring back the memories. And make some more.