Aaah Paris

No matter what I say, I can never get tired of this city...It always has something new to offer (this time it was a whole new look for the Eiffel Tower). Time moves on and yet the city seems unaffected, always enchanting, always exciting, always beautiful.
During World War II, General von Cholitz was ordered by Hitler to destroy all monuments of Paris but refused to do so. God bless him!

Nothing but a Tune

There are those songs and then there are those songs. The types that strike you suddenly while playing randomly on your playlist. The types you come across in a movie which impact you more than the movie itself. The types that get buried in the B-sides of albums, lost to the more superficial world of glittering singles and music videos. And the types which are simply too old to be paid any attention to! Here are a bunch of those striking songs that I have come across in the recent past. Have a listen and tell me what you think! (For some reason, I'm unable to embed the videos, so I am posting the links).

I Dig Love - George Harrission
Bob Dylan was undoubtedly the creator of the most enigmatic music. But someone who in my opinion can actually come close to his stature is George Harrison. While the innovations of The Beatles were of a playful and outrageous variety, Harrison worked on these techniques and moulded them extremely effectively to a level of music that can only be called intriguing. Behind the lovable and straight-forward facade of 'My Sweet Lord', his album 'All Things Must Pass' contains a bunch of highly interesting songs. 'I Dig Love' is my pick of the lot. The lyrics on first glance evoke another happy-go-lucky Beatles number:

I dig love
I dig love
I dig love
Hm, I dig love in the morning
I dig love in the evening
I dig love and I want you to know I dig love

The tune to the song however is strange, it sounds ironic and skeptical (don't ask me how, it just does). It seems to move up and down representing varying levels of enthusiasm in a relationship. And these same lyrics are sung in a deadpan, indifferent manner. At the end of the song, you don't know whether its supposed to be about a man who's in love with the idea of love but never found it...or a man who's felt it so many times that he doesn't care anymore. Harrison then adds another random lyrical twist in the next verse, singing 'I love dig' with the same above lyrics instead. Again you're confused as to what he's trying to say and wonder whether he's just playing with those who are jobless enough to interpret his lyrics (kind of 'I Am the Walrus'-esque). Whatever be the case, its one song that has stayed in my head after just one listen..certainly one of the most interesting songs I've heard.

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=GGvxdh5dZIo


Little April Showers - Some Amazing Choir..from the movie Bambi
A rather radical departure in genre you might think, but that's the power of music. It can move you in any form if you appreciate it enough. This song is in my opinion one of the greatest achievements in choral singing. It is picturized in the movie 'Bambi' on Bambi the young deer's first experience with a thunderstorm. Its introduction into the movie, the synchronization with the various images represented, the amazing vocal effects which convey the sense of a high speed gale, the layering of the harmonies...I have not heard a more perfect song in a very long time! Even more impressive is the speed at which the song is sung. The singers (God bless them, whoever they are) have still managed to get their timing and coordination perfectly. They would have had a lot of retakes I'm sure, but still..this song is definitely one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard...a song that can actually be described as 'pretty'. (for those interested, the musical score of Bambi is quite a marvel by itself)

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=eJZnIHwzvzM&feature=related

Loveless Love - Billy Holiday
This would fall in that category of songs too old to be remembered, except perhaps Billie Holiday fans and some American old timers. But 'Loveless Love' is a song that is both suited for and way ahead of its times. In its lyrics, 'Lady Day' paints a picture of a cruel, heartless world which has become used to 'souless soul' and wishes she had 'wings like a aeroplane' so that she could fly away from it. Its a song that must have undoubtedly rung true during those war stricken times of the 30s the 40s and its lyrics have relevance even today. Because, while in those times there was still some hope, some positive feeling that after this war, there would be no others, these current times seem pretty hopeless (Don't they? Or is that just what I think). The music is poignant and melancholy and Holiday sings with feeling and a yearning totally 'hits the spot'.

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=w4fUASlvCYo

Love Reign O'er Me - The Who
When you think of over-the-top emotional songs, your mind probably goes to Meatloaf or Whitney Houston type people. But The Who surprisingly has made a rather effective contribution to this genre, the pricipal differnece being, its not about love..and its a masterpiece of rock opera. The song is the last to appear in the album 'Quadrophenia' and talks about the hero 'cleansing his soul' as it were, in the rain on a rock in the sea. Everything in this song seems designed to convey the raw emotion and desperation of a man who is disillusioned and finds his world shaken, the things he held dear snatched cruelly from him. Roger Daltry delivers a bravado vocal performance letting his voice frequently crack while singing and Keith Moon as always goes crazy, pounding the drums to signify on one end, the crashing of waves on the sea-shore, the crash of thunder and the hero's own frustration. Pete Townsend's orchestral arrangements are once again fantastic; he uses horns and violins to give the whole song a feel similar to an operatic climax. Never have I heard a song more designed to make an impact, and that it certainly does!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBs8taB0vWU

There are many other songs, but these are the ones which came to me first and have hence affected me the most. The experience of finding a gem of a song on your playlist is exciting and enriching , it constantly serves to reaffirm the fact that the world of music is indeed vast, most of its territories uncharted. It lets you know that, no matter how much you may have heard, there's always something out there that eludes you...a piece outside your preferred genre that is worth a listen, a song that defined songs of its genre for generations to come...another tune that captures your imagination in fascinating ways. Music is undoubtedly the loveliest creation of man (apart from the Eiffel Tower) and I would say, his single redeeming factor.

And after all, we're all just ordinary men

Us, and them
And after all, we're all just ordinary men
Me and you
God only knows its not what we would choose, to do

Rick Wright was after all an ordinary man like all the rest. He had to pass away. But he has immortalized himself, in the haunting keyboard melodies that were an essential part of Pink Floyd's music. To say that he made Pink Floyd what they are, icons of progressive and psychedelic rock, would be a gross understatement. Here's to the man who in my opinion possessed the most soulful voice of the band and wrote/ sang some of my favourite songs of their's (Great Gig in the Sky, Us and Them and Echoes). He will be sorely missed....

The Common Tie of Womanhood

Being a part of the feminine species has always been a rewarding and entertaining experience. The the only thing possibly better than being a woman would be..chocolate. (Cliched? Oh well).
I will however comment in this post on one particular aspect of womanhood that I just love i.e. the ability for us to overcome all our issues, differences, bitchiness, shyness, whatever when the other member of our species...loses weight! Believe me, it is an extremely interesting and exciting phenomenon. As you all might be knowing, I have successfully managed to effect a dramatic change in my waistline (if I may say so), of late. The reactions it provoked were quite fantastic. Firstly at my gym, two ladies who had thrown me general 'oh-here's-one-of-those-young-upstarts-with-headphones' looks in the first two weeks of my gymming career opened their hearts to me towards that later period. One lady told me about her son who was in engineering and how he was finding hostel hard and so on and so forth, after commenting on my grit and determination on the treadmill and how remarkable my progress was. Another lady told me about how she used to have an acne problem (acne is also a good conversation topic) and how she used some very effective cream and how I should also use it, following which she congratulated on my butt reduction techniques. It was most delightful.

Of course the widespread reactions in college have been amazing. I knew whispers followed me as I passed but I was bombed when one senior came and asked me how I lost weight and said "I heard that you were following this one diet.." I mean, wow! There are rumours doing the rounds about which diet I followed. And then there was the random LLM lady who kindly commended me on my efforts. The number of people who I have never spoken to who have come and asked me for tips, advice, blessings etc. is quite mind numbing!

Weight loss is a most effective bridge to any communication gap. Had Hitler and Churchill been women, Churchill would have just had to knock off a couple of those pounds and the two of them would have been chilling together in some sauna room somewhere discussing the benefits of low carbs versus micro-biotic diets. And World War II might never have happened, think about it!

I don't know if feminists will agree with this post..I don't know even if I am sanctioning the objectification of women herein. But I do know that everything stated in the above lines is absolutely true and that's why I simply love being a woman!

La Vie En Rose

I am right now listening to Edith Piaf. I can't understand a word she's singing, my knowledge of French is limited to a few catch-phrases and a basic understanding of phonetics. But I love her melodies, basic and singable yet beautifully and soulfully constructed. And of course the voice and the way in which they are sung! Whether the song is a celebration of love or Paris or a lament, the emotion is conveyed with grace with an underlying sense of poignancy indicating that everything is transient and passing anyway. The songs bring to mind, with an ever aching heart, the sunlit streets of Paris, walks down the boulevards and waltzing in front the Eiffel Tower to lilting tune of the accordion...Highly recommended for late night listening!

The City of Dreams: Part 1

I shall finally tell you about my stay in Bombay, this being the first in a series of entries. Bombay is one big obstacle course. Everything is systematically designed to make your life tougher. The population is too much, its really dirty, the rains clog up the roads and tracks, the trains are madly crowded, the women in the trains are pure evil, the weather is so humid that you never feel clean entirely...this and I am sure there are several other things people can come up with. But Bombay is beautiful, it grows on you and once you leave, you are practically addicted to the city and its spirit. I can't wait to get back.

When I first came to Bombay in class 8 or so (I used to live there as a baby apparently, but I don't remember jack), I was very fascinated. Mainly because I didn't know that cities with sky scrapers existed in India. Bombay's tall buildings and the dramatic curve of Marine Drive seemed to open up a world of possibilities and dreams, a thought that many before me had voiced. When I came this time, excited about the prospect of living there, slightly worried because I had no fixed place to live yet and rather apprehensive about the rains, I confess I didn't like it all that much. The place was too crowded, the weather really sucked, everyone hurried too much and there seemed to be no time to just slow down and talk and to top it all, the rains made the whole place even more wet and dirty. By the third day, I was whining about how I wanted to get back. And yet subconsciously, I was falling in love with the place. I loved the sea breeze, I loved the trains although I almost got smothered in them and my morning bath was rendered useless by the time I emerged from them, sweaty and disheveled, I loved the spirit of the people and I loved the fact that there was so much to do there. So I waited for the moment where I could get a bit free and tramp around. Any enthu traveller will agree that a safe city with a good public transport system is tourist heaven and walking is the only way to explore areas and I am a firm believer in this. So I gave in to my touristy urges, put on my trusty crocs and set off in my characteristic fashion without a map and any clue where I wanted to go! Recorded below are a few of my experience, as a tourist and as a 'Mumbaikar':

A Crowded Train from Lower Parel:
This was to be my day of unfavourable encounters with the public transport system, even if it happens to be on the better side. On my fourth day, I was asked by my office people to go to Lower Parel to meet a guy who could tell me more about my job. I liked my office..all the people there were good fun and drank beer and all the women called each other 'babes'. It was in short, a place I would enjoy :) So went to Lower Parel and finished my meeting and tried to catch a cab to the Lower Parel station, from where I could catch a train to Bandra where I lived. However, no cab was willing to take me and I concluded that the station was close by. I was hesitant to ask anyone as everyone looked so busy and pre-occupied. Then I spotted a crowd of 30 to 40 people heading in one direction and decided to follow them. Let my empahsize that these people looked like the types who'd finished a day's work and wanted to go home. Sure enough, I found myself walking into the station about 10 minutes later, with the added advantage of now knowing where the Lower Parel station was and how I could get to High Street Phoenix (a large mall) from there. I then boarded the terribly crowded train to Bandra. Now this train's compartment contained the by far worst crowd I had ever encountered in my whole life. The world's population plus the population of a few minor planets seemed to be crammed into that space. To top it off, I didn't know the station before Bandra and had no idea when I should start making my way to the door. A lot of women scolded me because I was invariably in their way. When the Bandra station came I began to push though I was rather far behind, trying to squeeze my way out but there was no way past those women. When I finally reached the door, the time for people to dis-embark had passed and women started getting on the train and pushed me back in. For good measure, they also yelled at me. With a lot of 'fuck you's and 'fat bitch's muttered under my breath, I manage to stay put at the door somehow and get off at the next station which was Khar Road. I then took a train back to Bandra. At Bandra station, I was further greeted with cold and contemptuous stares from auto drivers when I told them the adress of my dwelling place. I don't know why all auto-drivers say no with this oh-my-god-why-do-you-want-to-go-there-its-way-below-my-dignity-to-take-you-there expression. So i asked nearly 20 auto-drivers if they would go..some of them smirked at me, some of them made impatient noises and some of them shook their head as if my locality was abhorrent and foul. I also waited feebly for the bus, which never came. Of course during all this time it had been raining and the whole place was smelling of fish and urine, neither very pleasant. I finally walked back feeling very sorry for myself but also strangely elated that I had managed to negotiate all that. I soon evolved a strategy to tackle local trains, after observing one lady who elegantly weaved her way to the crowd that day. I am happy to say it worked beautifully and I will share it with you:

1. My strategy works on the hypothesis that local train crowds operate in convection current. People get in at stations and move towards that center, pushing out the people on the edge. So the key is to finally get to the people on the edge as it is the law of nature that you will then keep getting pushed out till you are actually at the door when your station arrives.
2. About three stations before, starting pushing slowly towards the door. Ask people where they are going and if they are going to a station further than you, move ahead of them. Wait for one station to come. As people out of the train, slowly edge and I mean edge (unless you wanna get screamed at) you way to the door. Stay inconspicuous. Most of the women will move to the center and you will find yourself moving towards the door rather automatically and not even of your own accord! If everything goes according to plan, you will reach the door in time of your stop and will again be pushed out by the crowd of impatient women behind you.
   
3. Just to add, in order to get into the train you need to..push....push....PUSH!

Trains Generally:
Apart from that one experience, I quite delighted in taking the trains. Certainly the most enjoyable experience is traveling on the footboard, though I was warned not to do it. Feeling the wind on your face, whipping up your hair, with the thrill of electricity pylons and other trains that zip past you without quite touching you is pretty amazing. I also found watching the approach of a train a particularly surreal experience (I guess I was just looking for cheap thrills). Its almost un-scientific, the way a train approaches the platform or another train so silently and stealthily and then suddenly, it becomes this whirlwind of noise and colour, whooshing past you...and then equally suddenly, there is silence only punctuated by the occasional blast of the horn. I know the Doppler effect deals with this phenomenon but it never ceases to endlessly fascinate me. Having said this, I traveled by trains as much as I could..the further my office sent me on errands, the better. The Bombay local train system is no doubt a supreme human achievement with respect to connectivity and engineering. It brings with great ease, all parts of the huge city within 20 -30 minutes of each other..I know there is a London Underground and so on and so forth but in terms of sheer traveling pleasure, entertainment and joy this system is incomparable!

Coming up next...some actual sightseeing!

Watch it

Lots to write about but pressing issues have to be addressed first. Bangalore has witnessed serial bomb blasts in the past 24 hours. A total of 9 blasts apparently took place in prominent areas around the city including Richmond Town, Mysore Road, Langford Town, Madiwala and a bunch of other places. The moral of the story is that Bangalore is finally cool enough to be a target for terrorists!

Its rather unfortunate, I hope nothing further happens and the this is not the prelude to something worse...its like the whole world, the only world you've ever known has suddenly taken on frightening proportions and is experiencing things you didn't think possible. I hope the city can survive this and anything else that the terrorists have in store.

Take care Bangy, we're behind you!

'To Dance Beneath the Diamond Sky, with One Hand Waving Free'

May be I could have only done the above when I was drunk but I did it, thats what matters (and scared a couple of second years in the neighbouring terrace in the process, I think). I was rather drunk yesterday and not ready to go to sleep yet so I grabbed my newly serviced i-Pod (yaay!), swigged some whiskey and shot off to the terrace. The initial plan was to lie down and general look at the sky. It was a lovely night, and as I was seeing double of everything, the sky looked quite full of stars (I guess this is what they mean by 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'). However the mosquitoes played spoilsports as usual plus once the warmth of the whiskey died down, it proved to rather cold. So I got up to walk around and a couple of high energy songs were effective enough to send me dancing, jumping, spinning and practically falling off the terrace. I was also singing at the top of my voice and I guess for DISCO (disciplinary committee for the uninitiated) creating a ruckus while in a drunken state, which was is a showcausable offence, but somehow tonight, rules as much meaning for me as archaic Tam songs (which is in effect, nothing).

It was an amazingly lovely experience, possibly even better than traveling on the footboard of a Bombay local train. No one came to check on me, though when I peeped down into the hostel quad once, I did see a certain someone peeping down.

And that my friends is the wonderful result of this potent combination of adequate alcohol, music and a starry night - a catharsis on one hand and on the other, a silent cry to the world, for someone to see me, talk to me, even showcause me for all its worth. I encourage you to try it all sometime...believe me, when you get drunk, don't go and crash on the bed...do this!