An Attempt at a 'Conversation'

What happens when the Frustrated Common Citizen (FCC) meets the United Alliance of Superficiality and Cowardice (UASC)? Read on:






FCC? You, me, or for that matter, anyone else affected by the ongoing situations.



UASC? These are the combined forces of our eminent leaders/parties like the honourable MNS, RSS, Shiv Sena, Pramod Muthalik, some pseudo politicos and the likes.



FCC- First things first. I, as a representative of the masses, want to tell you that we are really angered at the state of affairs presently!



UASC- Thank you, we are glad we affect you in some way or the other!
FCC- What makes you think you can target specific celebrities just to highlight your cause, which in itself is hollow?



UASC- How else do you think we would gain publicity? Will we be having this conversation in the first place if it wasn't for our dear celeb friends? It is a mutually beneficial relationship you see. Our gain is theirs and indirectly, yours too. By the way, did you just call us hollow? We must clarify, we are not hollow but superficial and we revel in it!



FCC- It’s almost the same. But the point is how can you call your actions mutually beneficial when that is something neither they want nor us?



UASC- It’s not a matter of you wanting it or not. We are used to having our way around. Even if you don't want it you will be forced to do so. We look at the larger picture. We are always there for our country and fellow countrymen.
FCC- Oh yeah? How about fellow countrywomen? Beating them up in pubs and limiting their freedom seems to be your idea of 'help'.



UASC- Yes, my friend, you are right. We are helping women by preventing them from breaking the social, cultural and moral barriers of our society.
FCC- 'Social, cultural and moral barriers’ set by who?



UASC- By us.
FCC- And who appointed you as the custodians?



UASC- We are self-appointed, thank you.
FCC- I am at a loss of words! Anyway, moving on, what makes you discriminate people on the basis of something as minor as their region?



UASC- Now that is something we feel strongly about. We believe there is so much in a name. That is why we are all anti-Shakespeare.






FCC- Does it really matter? We are Indians first and then Maharashtrians, Gujaratis, Parsis, and so on.



UASC- Yes it does matter, and to a great extent. After all, how will we form groups and claim each region as our own and gain power?
FCC- Reminds me of the age-old Brit theory of “divide and rule”.



UASC- You are smart! Had it not been for those goras, we would not have been what we are today. We owe them lots. But you missed one point. Its not only region, we also specialize in dividing people on the basis of religion, caste, class. In fact, we are exploring new arenas to spread our network. Not to forget our most successful achievement- that of dividing people on the basis of countries.
FCC- Countries? Or is it a specific country?



UASC- You can say we ain't no Spiderman, your friendly neighbourhood. We just wait for any opportunity to jeopardise cordial relations between the two countries and grab it as soon as it comes.
FCC- Why is it always a garbed attack, then?



UASC- (sheepish grin) Deep inside we aren't exactly as, err, bravehearts as we project ourselves to be.
FCC- That's why you are so aptly named.



UASC- *@$%#?!
FCC- There we go again! Alright, what if no one buys your idea of sovereignty?



UASC- Then we will thrash commoners, tear posters, burn effigies, beat women, target famous personalities, vandalize and basically, just boss our way around, as we are used to doing.
FCC- I will conclude by warning you that this won't last long. Your artifice can easily be seen through and we won't bear with the likes of you any longer!



UASC- Ha! Hard chance! Try your luck.
FCC- You are hardly a handful and we are millions. It’s high time for things to change. Your time is going to be over.



UASC- We know how to play our cards well.
FCC- And we know how to co-operate to dominate (from Chetan Bhagat's novel 'Five Point Someone’. See CB? You got your due!)



UASC- What rubbish? How do we hear a voice stronger than ours?
FCC- Because this is the voice of the entire nation. Count your days, sirs. We are one and slowly but steadily, we are rising!



UASC- What? No! How? When? This can't be....We will....Wait! How dare you? Where are you....Noooo.... (voice trails off)

Kashmir: The Broken Paradise

With Tufail Mattoo, rebellion found a cause. Tufail Mattoo who? A seventeen year old student, who died in a police tear gas shell on the 11^th of June, and whose death sparked off an unexpected agitation on part of hundreds of Kashmiris. No, this is not a religious riot; nor is it a political upheaval. It is not as much about the India-Pakistan divide on the ‘Kashmir issue’; nor so much about a garbed terrorist attack. This is an outburst of emotions you would experience when you have been living in a place where ‘normalcy’ is a term only to be found in dictionaries, where the first colour a child would recognise is khaki, where your own sense of identity is juxtaposed with the identity of the state and the country, where get-togethers mostly take place in the form of funerals. Of course there is a crisis. The crisis is human, and the victims are the people of Kashmir.

It is not just about Mattoo. His death has triggered off a revolt that lies much deeper. The youth of Kashmir are angry, and the anger stems from decades of suppression and passive acceptance. Their anger is representative of the anger of generations. They are frustrated, and why not? The State Government had already given them reason enough to feel cut-off from the rest of the country and this sense of alienation has given rise to a feeling of mass dissatisfaction. The youth agitation grew more because of the manner in which it was tried to be curbed. What logic can one put behind attacking unarmed youth for raising their voices against the powers that be? Oh, wait. They were armed. They were armed with stones! Clearly, that was weapon enough for the security forces to retaliate in ‘self-defence’.

The strange silence of the Prime Minister and the bungling handling of the issue by the State Government have added fuel to the fire. Wajahat Habibullah, Chief Information Commissioner, and a recognised expert on Kashmir matters, feels that it is wrong to put all the blame on the Central Government and this is a case exclusive to Kashmir leadership. A point well-made, considering the fact that the State Government hasn’t taken any initiative on its part to approach the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

I still remember that tiny glimmer of hope that rose inside me when Omar Abdullah took the oath of office. He had a dynamic vision and his promises had a decent future, at least on paper. But he did not utilise the peace period to win people’s trust and the youth started feeling gradually distanced. This is the point on which the opposition capitalised and in the political fights, the victims were the common people. The inept governance can partly be attributed to a lack of political will and honesty.

Labelling the youth as ‘miscreants’ and ‘stone-pelters’ only provokes them to justifiable anger. Most of the people that died in the youth versus security face-off happened to be teenagers and it is appalling no end to see the lax attitude of the government as it deepens the wounds even more. It saddens me to see Kashmiri youth proclaiming on social networking sites that they don’t want Kashmir to be a part of India any more. The rebellion loses its purpose owing to such distorted constructions and propagates a deep-rooted resentment among the youth, and this is something that needs to be addressed immediately. Mindsets have to be changed, systems have to be overturned. Kashmir can regain the paradise? A far-fetched dream, but not unattainable.

Book Review - Karan Bajaj's - "Keep off the Grass"

Karan Bajaj’s introspective debut novel ‘Keep Off The Grass’ is a witty and intriguing account of an unplanned quest for identity and the frivolous vanity of human hopes. The protagonist, Samrat Ratan, is a Yale valedictorian and a hot-shot Wall Street investment banker, born to immigrant Indian parents, earning half a-million dollars a year. A contented and comfortable life would ensue, right? Well, a slight twist in the tale. Samrat quits his job and ends up at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore, instead. What follows is a mad flurry of his wild escapades which include ‘visiting’ Rajasthan, Dharmsala, Benaras and.....jail! Through his sojourn, he wonders at his metamorphoses from a leader to a follower. He is always going through an internal conflict which marks his actions. He tries to escape from one place to another but one thing that keeps following him is the smell of ‘grass’. He ends up getting stoned at the weirdest of places, giving company to banjaras and sitting at the banks of Ganga with a cannibal.

The novel earns brownie points for its sheer spontaneity as also for the no holds-barred honest insights of the writer. His ability to take the reader completely off-guard to deliver the punches coupled with his wicked sense of humour gives more merit to his writing style. Karan Bajaj is certainly a name to watch out for! His use of language is impressive and his story narration is engaging enough for the reader to keep returning back to it. The novel is highly entertaining and mostly engrossing except for a few parts where you wish Bajaj had not tried to round them up so abruptly as it breaks the continuity. However, his clever portrayal of the rapidity of events maintains the equilibrium.

The very fact that in less than a year into its publication Karan Bajaj’s debut novel made its way to the semi-finals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award speaks volumes for his literary skills. ‘Keep off The Grass’ is hilarious, has style and is recommended for its originality which enhances the enigma of the novel.

The Politics of Terrorism

“Terrorism is not an expression of rage. Terrorism is a political weapon. Remove a government’s facade of infallibility, and you remove its people’s faith.”

-Dan Brown, ‘Angels and Demons’

A two-year old girl dies in a terrorist attack in Varanasi, the latest bomb-blast claimed by the banned terrorist outfit Indian Mujahedeen, leaving several others injured. Before she could even learn whether to open her hands to offer namaz or to fold her hands to offer prayers to a Hindu God, she became the victim of the aftermath of the court’s verdict on the ever-disputed Ayodhya land; her fault being a ‘normal’ citizen of the country caught in the power battle between the government and terrorists. 

We say terrorism is an act of cowardice, which it certainly is. But why does the cowardice reek of defiance, of an open challenge thrown at our faces that seems to say- “There, we did it again and we don’t care a rat’s tail how it affects you since anyway there ain’t much you can do about it”? As much as the government would have us believe that all security measures are in place, this recent incident at a place as public as the banks of Ganga makes one question the veracity of the statement. It is not just about a lax government, it is also about an alarmingly unaware and shockingly uncaring public opinion. When something like this happens, we are stirred, yes. For two days. It is touching indeed to see people gathered with candles in their hands to commemorate the anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks; but my question is, doesn’t it spoil the entire purpose of not following in the trap? The Prime Minister appeals to the public to “maintain peace and calm”. Well, Sir, help create a situation of calmness first and then ask us to maintain it. We would be more than glad to help you, help ourselves. It is not as if our government sleeps while attacks happen all over the country. Off course they spring into action and depute their most trusted and reputed team to safeguard the public interest. And they do it right after another attack.

The government is only too pleased when the public itself holds these marches and ceremonies to display solidarity with the families of and in the memory of the deceased, it takes the burden away from them and the fingers pointed at them are diverted by this sentimental display. Meanwhile, they resort to their trademark quality exclusive to them: the blame-game. Right after a terrorist attack, there is a huge public outcry. The government appeals for calm. Opposition parties cry foul. Investigation speeds up. People calm down- and everything is back to square one. It’s a vicious circle. It is a completely different matter altogether that in the midst of this circle are trapped millions of innocent people who have placed faith in their government because it has promised them electricity in their villages and bridges in their cities. Ah, the promise that a promise holds!

Going back to what Dan Brown said, we have to stop terrorism from becoming a political tool before going into the dynamics of finding out why terrorism is such a ‘terror’ in the first place. The fault lies with us, with the two-faced government, with the double-edged sword of politics. Look thyself into your own mirror, before demanding someone else’s reality.

The 11th Osian’s Cine Fan

The 11^th Osian’s Cine Fan film festival kick-started with the gala opening of the Romanian movie ‘Hooked’ on 24^th October and ended on 30^th October with ‘Waltz with Bashir’. Did I miss anything? Oh, yes! In between was a whole new world of the best of Asian and Arab cinema, a highly enriching experience for all us cinema lovers. Osian’s Cine Fan included movie from Asia and Arab, some for competition and some for screening. Either way, the quality of cinema was way beyond anything I have seen.

This year, Osian gave special emphasis to Indian cinema; with the screening of films like Aamir, Kaminey, Luck By Chance, et al. All the same, world cinema registered its presence with elegance. The variety of films gave everyone the choice to watch experimental movie and go through a different experience each time. Apart from the movie screenings (which were wonderful), there was lots going on. The screenings were held in the Siri Fort Complex and at Alliance Francaise. This year, there was an auction of Indian and Asian antiquities and modern art, organised by Osian’s centre for archiving research and development. There was an exhibition on the History of Indian Cinema which was awe-inspiring, to say the least. Different sections were devoted to the legends of Indian Cinema, like Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, V.Shantaram, Bimal Roy, Mehboob Khan and so many others who carried on the legacy of Indian Cinema. The exhibition included classic stills of movies of these directors and the actors and actresses, and also the hand-painted posters of that time. There were booklets containing synopsis of movies, with the song lyrics in both Hindi and English. A section was devoted to Satyajit Ray and Bengali cinema, while another showcased different adaptations of Devdas- right from P.C.Borua’s 1935 version to Anurag Kashyap’s latest. There was section on the cinematic history of the silent era and also a section on the chemistry of hearts!

The NewStream section showcased films that have redefined mainstream Indian cinema last year; and their film makers and others associated with the film interacted with the audience via Q&A sessions, lectures, exhaustive panel discussion, etc. Noted lyricist Gulzar was honoured the Lifetime Achievement award. As for the competition, ‘The Long Night’ (Syria) won the Osian’s Cine Fan award as well as the NETPAC-FIPRESCI award (Network for The Promotion of Asian Cinema Federation of International Film Critics). ‘Khargosh’ (India) won the Special Jury award at both Cine Fan and NETPAC-FIPRESCI; as well as the Audience award. ‘The First Film’(Iran), won the award for Best Film in the Shorts competition, where ‘Vithal’(India) got special mention.Mr.P.N.Srivastava, an avid cinema enthusiast, who comes all the way from Lucknow especially for Osian, wisely comments, “This festival of Asian and Arab films is not reaching the audience it deserves. Media focuses more on European cinema which has got the tag of ‘world’ cinema. Asian cinema deals with a much better movie concept. These movies have a cinematic language that transgresses all borders. People should know the kind of cinema Asia has to offer, especially Iran and China. These films make us sit back and think. They don’t need any special effects to make an impact. For me, this is real world cinema.”

 The 11^th Osian’s Cine Fan film festival kick-started with the gala opening of the Romanian movie ‘Hooked’ on 24^th October and ended on 30^th October with ‘Waltz with Bashir’. Did I miss anything? Oh, yes! In between was a whole new world of the best of Asian and Arab cinema, a highly enriching experience for all us cinema lovers. Osian’s Cine Fan included movie from Asia and Arab, some for competition and some for screening. Either way, the quality of cinema was way beyond anything I have seen.

This year, Osian gave special emphasis to Indian cinema; with the screening of films like Aamir, Kaminey, Luck By Chance, et al. All the same, world cinema registered its presence with elegance. The variety of films gave everyone the choice to watch experimental movie and go through a different experience each time. Apart from the movie screenings (which were wonderful), there was lots going on. The screenings were held in the Siri Fort Complex and at Alliance Francaise. This year, there was an auction of Indian and Asian antiquities and modern art, organised by Osian’s centre for archiving research and development. There was an exhibition on the History of Indian Cinema which was awe-inspiring, to say the least. Different sections were devoted to the legends of Indian Cinema, like Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, V.Shantaram, Bimal Roy, Mehboob Khan and so many others who carried on the legacy of Indian Cinema. The exhibition included classic stills of movies of these directors and the actors and actresses, and also the hand-painted posters of that time. There were booklets containing synopsis of movies, with the song lyrics in both Hindi and English. A section was devoted to Satyajit Ray and Bengali cinema, while another showcased different adaptations of Devdas- right from P.C.Borua’s 1935 version to Anurag Kashyap’s latest. There was section on the cinematic history of the silent era and also a section on the chemistry of hearts!

The NewStream section showcased films that have redefined mainstream Indian cinema last year; and their film makers and others associated with the film interacted with the audience via Q&A sessions, lectures, exhaustive panel discussion, etc. Noted lyricist Gulzar was honoured the Lifetime Achievement award. As for the competition, ‘The Long Night’ (Syria) won the Osian’s Cine Fan award as well as the NETPAC-FIPRESCI award (Network for The Promotion of Asian Cinema Federation of International Film Critics). ‘Khargosh’ (India) won the Special Jury award at both Cine Fan and NETPAC-FIPRESCI; as well as the Audience award. ‘The First Film’(Iran), won the award for Best Film in the Shorts competition, where ‘Vithal’(India) got special mention.Mr.P.N.Srivastava, an avid cinema enthusiast, who comes all the way from Lucknow especially for Osian, wisely comments, “This festival of Asian and Arab films is not reaching the audience it deserves. Media focuses more on European cinema which has got the tag of ‘world’ cinema. Asian cinema deals with a much better movie concept. These movies have a cinematic language that transgresses all borders. People should know the kind of cinema Asia has to offer, especially Iran and China. These films make us sit back and think. They don’t need any special effects to make an impact. For me, this is real world cinema.”

The 11^th Osian’s Cine Fan film festival kick-started with the gala opening of the Romanian movie ‘Hooked’ on 24^th October and ended on 30^th October with ‘Waltz with Bashir’. Did I miss anything? Oh, yes! In between was a whole new world of the best of Asian and Arab cinema, a highly enriching experience for all us cinema lovers. Osian’s Cine Fan included movie from Asia and Arab, some for competition and some for screening. Either way, the quality of cinema was way beyond anything I have seen.

This year, Osian gave special emphasis to Indian cinema; with the screening of films like Aamir, Kaminey, Luck By Chance, et al. All the same, world cinema registered its presence with elegance. The variety of films gave everyone the choice to watch experimental movie and go through a different experience each time. Apart from the movie screenings (which were wonderful), there was lots going on. The screenings were held in the Siri Fort Complex and at Alliance Francaise. This year, there was an auction of Indian and Asian antiquities and modern art, organised by Osian’s centre for archiving research and development. There was an exhibition on the History of Indian Cinema which was awe-inspiring, to say the least. Different sections were devoted to the legends of Indian Cinema, like Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, V.Shantaram, Bimal Roy, Mehboob Khan and so many others who carried on the legacy of Indian Cinema. The exhibition included classic stills of movies of these directors and the actors and actresses, and also the hand-painted posters of that time. There were booklets containing synopsis of movies, with the song lyrics in both Hindi and English. A section was devoted to Satyajit Ray and Bengali cinema, while another showcased different adaptations of Devdas- right from P.C.Borua’s 1935 version to Anurag Kashyap’s latest. There was section on the cinematic history of the silent era and also a section on the chemistry of hearts!

The NewStream section showcased films that have redefined mainstream Indian cinema last year; and their film makers and others associated with the film interacted with the audience via Q&A sessions, lectures, exhaustive panel discussion, etc. Noted lyricist Gulzar was honoured the Lifetime Achievement award. As for the competition, ‘The Long Night’ (Syria) won the Osian’s Cine Fan award as well as the NETPAC-FIPRESCI award (Network for The Promotion of Asian Cinema Federation of International Film Critics). ‘Khargosh’ (India) won the Special Jury award at both Cine Fan and NETPAC-FIPRESCI; as well as the Audience award. ‘The First Film’(Iran), won the award for Best Film in the Shorts competition, where ‘Vithal’(India) got special mention.Mr.P.N.Srivastava, an avid cinema enthusiast, who comes all the way from Lucknow especially for Osian, wisely comments, “This festival of Asian and Arab films is not reaching the audience it deserves. Media focuses more on European cinema which has got the tag of ‘world’ cinema. Asian cinema deals with a much better movie concept. These movies have a cinematic language that transgresses all borders. People should know the kind of cinema Asia has to offer, especially Iran and China. These films make us sit back and think. They don’t need any special effects to make an impact. For me, this is real world cinema.”

 The 11^th Osian’s Cine Fan film festival kick-started with the gala opening of the Romanian movie ‘Hooked’ on 24^th October and ended on 30^th October with ‘Waltz with Bashir’. Did I miss anything? Oh, yes! In between was a whole new world of the best of Asian and Arab cinema, a highly enriching experience for all us cinema lovers. Osian’s Cine Fan included movie from Asia and Arab, some for competition and some for screening. Either way, the quality of cinema was way beyond anything I have seen.

This year, Osian gave special emphasis to Indian cinema; with the screening of films like Aamir, Kaminey, Luck By Chance, et al. All the same, world cinema registered its presence with elegance. The variety of films gave everyone the choice to watch experimental movie and go through a different experience each time. Apart from the movie screenings (which were wonderful), there was lots going on. The screenings were held in the Siri Fort Complex and at Alliance Francaise. This year, there was an auction of Indian and Asian antiquities and modern art, organised by Osian’s centre for archiving research and development. There was an exhibition on the History of Indian Cinema which was awe-inspiring, to say the least. Different sections were devoted to the legends of Indian Cinema, like Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, V.Shantaram, Bimal Roy, Mehboob Khan and so many others who carried on the legacy of Indian Cinema. The exhibition included classic stills of movies of these directors and the actors and actresses, and also the hand-painted posters of that time. There were booklets containing synopsis of movies, with the song lyrics in both Hindi and English. A section was devoted to Satyajit Ray and Bengali cinema, while another showcased different adaptations of Devdas- right from P.C.Borua’s 1935 version to Anurag Kashyap’s latest. There was section on the cinematic history of the silent era and also a section on the chemistry of hearts!

The NewStream section showcased films that have redefined mainstream Indian cinema last year; and their film makers and others associated with the film interacted with the audience via Q&A sessions, lectures, exhaustive panel discussion, etc. Noted lyricist Gulzar was honoured the Lifetime Achievement award. As for the competition, ‘The Long Night’ (Syria) won the Osian’s Cine Fan award as well as the NETPAC-FIPRESCI award (Network for The Promotion of Asian Cinema Federation of International Film Critics). ‘Khargosh’ (India) won the Special Jury award at both Cine Fan and NETPAC-FIPRESCI; as well as the Audience award. ‘The First Film’(Iran), won the award for Best Film in the Shorts competition, where ‘Vithal’(India) got special mention.Mr.P.N.Srivastava, an avid cinema enthusiast, who comes all the way from Lucknow especially for Osian, wisely comments, “This festival of Asian and Arab films is not reaching the audience it deserves. Media focuses more on European cinema which has got the tag of ‘world’ cinema. Asian cinema deals with a much better movie concept. These movies have a cinematic language that transgresses all borders. People should know the kind of cinema Asia has to offer, especially Iran and China. These films make us sit back and think. They don’t need any special effects to make an impact. For me, this is real world cinema.”

Censored, Uncensored

• 
  

  ·         Channel 1- The now infamous reality show ‘Big Boss 4’ shows contestant and small-time actor Dolly Bindra in all her gaudy, flashy glory; shouting black pearls of obnoxious non-wisdom at a suitably meek Shweta Tiwari, her co-contestant on the show. Sameer Soni, another contestant (or inmate, as some would say) steps in to save the day for his friend Shweta. Everyone shouts at everyone, and Dolly and Sameer get thrown out of the house. Apparently, this makes for compelling viewing nationwide.

  ·         Channel 2- Self-proclaimed item number queen and any-time news channel fodder Rakhi Sawant, on her show ‘Rakhi ka Insaf’(!), gets into an unacknowledged fight with the participants over who gets to be the more melodramatic. Sawant, by virtue of her being the (mis)judge of the show, has the license to call the accused impotent. A few days later, the guy dies and his family accuses her of instigating him towards his death. Rakhi remains her brazen self, and the battle continues.

  *A day later*

  ·         Random news channel- The Information and Broadcasting ministry finds these two shows “not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition, especially at prime-time when a large number of children are watching television.” Found guilty of vulgarity and abusive language, the I&B ministry directs these shows to be aired only between the 11 p.m.-5a.m. time band. After appeals, the decision is deferred by a week, because ‘Big Boss’ has to flaunt the buxom international beauty Pamela Anderson (one word-Baywatch) as a special guest- TRPs sky-rocket assured; and Rakhi Sawant has to, well...cry hoarse her defiance across all news channels and very thoughtfully test the limit of the viewers’ patience, thereby inculcating in them the art of patience? (A kind soul, that).

  
  

  While this fairly strong decision comes as a first for the law-making powers that be, I wish the transparency would have been better and the decision more noninterventionist. Agreed, the content on these shows extends beyond the acceptable norms of vulgarity. At the same time, one must also realise the intent and be able to see through the in-your-face drama. Yes, it makes one cringe (as non-judgemental as I would like to call myself, I can’t help wanting to punch Dolly Bindra and Rakhi Sawant in their faces the moment they open their mouth to utter a single word of their (un)quotable quotes), and yes, it is not by any standards recommended for children; but then, who are we kidding in the age of technology? Also, the hypocrisy surprises me. These shows have been shifted to the late-night slot because they make for unsuitable viewing for the children. However, on every second channel, we have those Manforce and the like condom advertisements; and subtle they are not. This is what makes me question the supposedly all-too-protective decision that the governing bodies think it is.

  Television today is a far stronger medium than it is assumed to be. Hauling up these particular shows for bordering on the already thin line of indecency and vulgarity would be giving too much importance to these shows that are anyway bragging over the roof-tops about the sudden surge in their viewership. As they say, the forbidden fruit is always tempting. If the culturally and socially demeaning daily soaps can be accepted as normal viewing by the young and the elderly alike, I don’t see any reason why these two shows should be specifically classified as inappropriate viewing. One always has the choice. We don’t really have to decide who is more charming between Dolly Bindra and Rakhi Sawant or go through the ordeal of watching a news channel devoting their prime-time slot to the ‘female-Ravana’- the new loud-mouthed media darling Dolly Bindra. One always has other options, or at least the rationality and freedom to decide what they do or do not want to watch, and that much freedom of choice should be left with the individual. Is this asking for too much? (Oh wait, I now hear the moral police...!)

  
  

The Great Indian Rock

The long awaited Great Indian Rock festival took place at Hamsadhwani amphitheatre in Pragati Maidan on 24^th and 25^th October, presented by the Rock Street Journal.Popularily known as GIR, it is one of the most sought after music events; and it sure lived up to the hype. A vast array of bands played various genres of rock including some international bands that were, quite obviously, the headlining bands. It was a treat to all rock music lovers.

The bands included Rabbit is Rich, Undying Inc,Circus,Another Vertigo Rush,Boomerang,Scribe,Bhayanak Maut,Indigo Children and many others, and off course, the international bands-Intronaut(U.S.A.).Benea Reach(Norway), and Solstate(New Zealand),with the later two performing on Day 1 and Intronaut headlining the second day. According to Ryan Hazarika, a hard-rock addict, “The first day was mild in comparison to the second day. Only the international bands and Undying Inc were good. Circus lived up to its name as it was more of a circus than a rock act. Clearly, the second day was the clincher.” Bands like Another Vertigo Rush, Boomerang, and Scribe involved the audience and were well appreciated, though Boomerang did not have much of an audience, being the first ones to perform. Bhayanak Maut, despite their weird name, got everybody’s attention right on. The atmosphere created by them was dampened by Indigo Children as they lacked the zing. Strange, considering they were winners of the 2007 edition of Channel [V] Launch pad. US based Intonaut were the real deal; they hypnotised the crowd with their classical rock act. Their drummer was awesome and the gig was truly ‘international’. Priyanka Adhikary, who was there for the entire duration, said, “Had a blast! My neck went stiff with constant head-banging. Bhayanak Maut was killer.” A few girls got hurt in the moshpits but all in all, the crowd was amazing-so apt for a ‘ROCK’ show.

The slight nip in the air was consolidated with the heat generated by the bands. Their energy levels were reciprocated with the crowd’s enthusiasm. The event was well organised, it started and ended on time, without much of a problem. It surely was one helluva ‘rockin’ night!