Ironed by Maiden:)

The date was 15th feb,2009. The place Bangalore.The day was surely not a Sunday, it was Iron Maiden day. The time was 20:00 hours I.S.T. But lets not get started there. The day started with loads of anticipation, expectations and forethought. And i must say that, by the end of it, I felt a sense of pride, and unfathomable joy.
The previous night was spent mostly staring at the ceiling. Sleep was minimal. Maiden Maiden Maiden were the only words being processed by my otherwise doomed mind. Three hours of sleep, followed by three hours of travel to reach the venue. But nope, i wasn't third time lucky. I missed the last time they played, in Mumbai. 17th march was special, it was everything i could ask for, but there was no reason in hell i was going to miss this. The prospect of seeing Rime of the ancient mariner live was a good enough excuse to be as excited as i was. Three hours on the damn bus, a good breakfast in the famed C.T.R and then wham, we're at the venue. There was a pretty large hoarding of Ed force one, and well, this did trigger a few emotions. We were inside the venue by 2, not before some beer circulated in our bellies. That being said, we had some Vodka inside too. It hit me pretty bad. Now the bands.
Frankly i didn't hear much. I didn't give a shit about them. I saw a few mosh pits, and wondered why.That's about it. Lauren Harris came, shook her ass and left. I could catch a glimpse of 'Arry at the sides, and "something" finally sunk in. The guitarist was gay. period. People started pushing, i hurt my leg, used a few curse words, and squeezed my way out.
It was fucking crazy. The crowd was impatient, and lauren and her so called band were at the receiving end of the crowd's version of "wrathchild". Her music didn't impress,but her ass sure did.Period.
I went back, got me some water and made it to tenth or so row by the time Parikrama started. I don't remember much from their set. The violin guy was fucking crazy. Half an hour and soon they were gone too. Shouts of maiden maiden filled the air. OH man it was killing me. The wait. 20:00 hours.
Finally doctor doctor starts playing, followed by Transylvania. I swear on God i couldn't hear Churchill's speech, for it was masked by the clutter from the crazy ass crowd. Aces high started on a high, and man was it crazy. Bruce was at his gracious best. Jumping around, swaying, moving his arms, and the emotion in his voice. Damn. They blazed away with the first three songs. Then Nicko hit the drums for the start of phantom of the opera. I won't go into the details. It was something else. It was better than all the great moments in my life till then. Respect man, respect. The first highlight of the night, one that will be etched onto my mind forever. I'm taking this with me to grave:)
The trooper was crazy. Crowd participation was good. People knew their music. I must mention the uncle ji next to me. He was just staring at the stage. No emotions. I wanted to kick this rat bastard poser in the nuts. But that feeling came and went, for Maiden soon hit the first notes of Wasted years. I must thank the guy who led me away from the mosh. Why Why Why mosh to maiden:O
I was waiting for Bruce to say- "This is what not to do when your bird shits on you". Rime is like the stairway to heaven of Maiden songs.The second highlight of the night. It was something else live. Its equal to Pink Floyd having a re-union of sorts and singing comfortably numb. 13 minutes of madness galore. What followed next were the classics. Dave nailed the solo in powerslave, Nicko hit them drums to signal the start of run to the hills. We sang Fear of the dark for Bruce, and he returned the favour with the unimaginable scream about one minute into the number of the beast. The Powerslave set looked decent, i could only see a 'not so clear' version in youtube. Harris held the bass line really steady. Adrian and Dave were at their nonchalant best. Janick -no comment. His usual self. Brilliant.
The backdrop changed for evil that men do and sanctuary, with Eddie and a starry sky behind him. Damn forgot to mention Eddie. He was damn big. BIG. The third highlight of the night was the high octaves Bruce hit on sanctuary. I've never heard anything so loud. I am a spiritual person, bordering on agnoism. But i sure did see the Gods. My night was incomplete though. To top it all up, dinner was a zinger meal at K.F.C. Divine intervention in all its sublimity.
A sublime night. A night that will hold lots of memories, for many a night.

P:S- One can sense the pride in Bruce's face when he's waving the union jack. If only we could feel an iota of pride with the Tricolour. If not for the tainted politics.

Random

From blue to pink, from orange to gray;
A profile on the horizon is soon to be prey.
We are dazzled by its aura and mood;
Hungry though we always are, for food!
The oblivious clouds sail past us;
They're really eager to not make a fuss.
Soon the sky will be filled with stars;
Damn the pollution from them cars!
The massive mushrooms of smog and haze;
The blanket that is, the root of this maze.
Birds are always singing in yonder;
But what for, we often ponder.
For a lost cause, one can safely say;
A price that everone has to pay!
Soon darkness is all around;
It's the only thing we've ever found.
Who'll put an end to this perm?;
Who'll stand up for us and be firm.
Who'll put an end to this cold age;
One where we're trapped in a cage.
Someday, The frozen rivers will flow;
Someday, Darkness will get its final blow.
Someday, The sun will never set;
And we'll leave God to do the rest.

P.S: I know it doesn't make sense:P

Norwegian Wood

Recently, i updated my Mohammad Rafi collection. I figured I'd play a few songs simply because i used to love this guy when i was a kid.(i could also argue that i didn't have a choice). Anyways here's what happened.

I looked at the names of a few. 'Chaudvi ka chand ho' sounded familiar. So i clicked play and as the first verses played out, i was a different person in the same body. My mind was transported into a parallel world. A world we fraternize with "nostalgia"..

The year was 2001, the summer holidays after school. This was my last visit to Indonesia, the country where i was born, the country that gave me a fabulous childhood, the country that was my home for 12 years. I remember yearning for a mac-burger as soon as we landed. I remember hugging my dad, and yeah, he did have a parcel from mac. These memories are vague. They seem so momentous and meaningful right now, yet i don't know why i don't remember whether my dad bought me a burger or some good old fashioned chicken. I don't remember whether i felt happy or sad. I don't remember the emotions that ran through my besieged adolescent mind, knowing that in few weeks time, I'll be leaving this country for India. Indonesia was home.
All this got me back to reality. For, i realised that something as insignificant as burnt grass may have richness and meaning.
I was sitting on the front seat of the vehicle that was taking the four of us home. As the song played out, I clearly remember seeing grass burning on my left side, beyond the service roads. On the right side, in the opposite lane, a car had met with an accident and a guy was on his cell phone. His expression was frantic.
I don't know why this is still etched onto my mind. I don't remember what i did on my tenth birthday or the day my grandparents died. Why do i give a horse's ass about some random guy or some burning grass??
As the song ended, i was brought back to my senses. Now i realise that sometimes, significance is insignificant, and vice versa. Maybe burnt grass does have significance. Maybe I'll meet the girl I'm to marry standing by the side of the road waiting for a lift, with burning grass behind her. Now does this classify as an insignificant event?:)
One thing is for sure- I'm home now. A home away from home. But the first home was all i wanted, simply because it could invoke such memories.

P:S- Maybe i should write a book titled-burnt grass just like Haruki did with Norwegian wood.

The sinking ship

'The dastardly terror attacks that took place in Mumbai last night and today leading to the loss of many precious lives and injuries to many others have deeply shocked the nation. I strongly condemn these acts of senseless violence against innocent people, including guests from foreign countries.'- Manmohan Singh

What would a bureaucrat say that hasn't been already said. Mumbai, the Greatest Indian city has been a mute witness to previous attacks. Mumbaikars have always found courage and pride post a terror attack to get back on their feet and steady themselves. The Phoenix has always risen from the ashes. This latest attack, however is quite different for a number of reasons per Se.

This time, the Corporate face of India has been hit badly. The Taj Hotel, a century old in fires. When would one have pictured such a situation. This is a direct hit on a Country whose face value is often synonymous with growth, power and urban development. One with many phases and faces. One with dreams. One with an unimaginable urban rural divide. One where realities hit hard.

Over 150 dead. Mr Patil seemed so indifferent again. He's more concerned about his frigging looks. One expects a leader to show emotions. Yet his voice was so monotonous, lacking urgency. Money was promised again. A poor little taxi driver lost 7 of his family members. What kind of hope would keep him going? What will he do with the money. It will never get his kin back. He will never get rid of the guilt, even though he's guilty of nothing. Blame he will take for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Justice is such an ambiguous term. It surely won't be delivered soon. There is no political will to say that this wouldn't happen again. The bureaucrats would be thinking- 'aaj ki maal nahi mili'. The political forces unified just in front of the camera.

Common man cannot even vent his anger. If one makes derogatory comments, he is quickly apprehended. This blogging portal isn't safe either. The Mumbaikar couldn't even watch t.v as it was blank. No source of information on the attacks. The fear and the anger all magnified by frightening proportions. Must we get used to this Orwellian environment, with Big Brother watching us, rather than the damn militants? They came, they saw and fired. And our intelligence was sitting on its backside and sipping ice candy!!! We better get used to this soon.
But in all this chaos, i see hope. Hope for "change" (as Obama puts it). The vital ingredients for such a change being, next time, a few vvips lying in a pool of blood. This collage of images will be etched on my mind forever. Hope, my friend, is a dicey emotion! Jai Hind!

P:S- A ship with many innocents is sinking fast. An s.o.s call was sounded ages ago. Will we respond? Perhaps one of the innocents is a protege of a bureaucrat.