God save our country…

So there I was, sitting on the window seat of the second class compartment in the train that goes from Thane to Vashi. Its a nice windy day and I was considering myself lucky that I had arrived at the platform 10 minutes before the train arrived because I could get in the train before the other passengers and beat them to the window seat. Now, those who’ve travelled in the Mumbai local trains know very well the importance a window seat holds on a hot summer day. So this was one of those incredibly annoying hot summer days and I happened to be the luckiest person in a smelly congested second class train compartment, or so I thought. Now, Just when I’m thinking how pleasant my journey to Vashi is going to become, this gentleman sitting right next to me, leans over, reaches out for the window and spits flaming red betel juice out of the window and on to the platform. Apparently he didn’t really care much about aiming as the residues of the by product of his daily habit splattered in a small patch over the grilled window and also on my forearm . Now it so happens that I recognised that this person hails from the state of Bihar. And I decided to confront this guy speaking to him in Simple Hindi. So following is the conversation between Anand Bhaskar And Mr. Bihar:
AB: Bhaisaab, ye aap kya kar rahe hain?

Mr.B: Paan thook rahe hain bhaiya, aur kaa!
AB:(Slaps forehead in sheer anger) Aap andhe hai yaan aapko motiya bind ho gaya hai. Dikh nahi raha aap ne train ki khidki aur platform dono ko ganda kiya hai.
Mr.B: Arre bhai, kyun itna bada issooo bana rahe ho, Ab ho gaya.
AB: (I’m wondering “what the fuck is ho gaya?”) Kya ho gaya? Aap anpadh hai kya?
Mr.B: (Getting flustered) Bas theek hai, ho gaya.
AB: (raging with anger) Abe chutiye, kya ho gaya? Saale apne ghar me thook na jaake, public property kyun gandi kar raha hai?
Mr.B: Ae, ho gaya na!
AB:(These are the only words this retard is capable of speaking, so I keep quiet, though I’m flaring up again all ready to slap him)
Uncle next to Mr.B: Arre beta jaane do, jaane do.
So I went to Vashi thinking how would our country improve with such imbeciles roaming about.
NEXT WEEKEND:
I’m taking my customary train to Vashi, this time I decided to stand near the door as the train was nearly empty. An old gentleman (Maharashtrian since he was speaking in flawless Marathi on the phone) comes stands next to me. Thats when I notice the familiar grinding of teeth and then he does the same thing which Mr. B did. He spat right on the platform leaving a bright red blotch. I’m standing there staring in disbelief and I can’t believe my own luck. This can’t be happening again. Anyway, I decide, despite the failure of my last attempt to make a moron see some sense, to talk to Mr. Maharashtra. So here’s the conversation between him and me.
AB: Sir aap ye kya kar rahe hain?
Mr.M: Kya kar rahe hain matlab?
AB: Platform pe kyun thooka?
Mr.M: To kya train ke andar thookoon?
AB: Arre, kya aap apne ghar me thookenge? Aap jaante nahi ki aap public property ko kharaab kar rahe hain? Kya aapko maloom hai aap arrest ho sakte hain?
Mr.M: (Snickering) Theek hai phir, le chalo mujhe. Bulao police ko ha ha ha.
AB: Bhosadike, hans mat.
Mr M: (Shocked outof his balls, not believing what he just heard, and for some reason keeps quiet)
Mr.M alights at Ghansoli, and then turns to me:
Mr.M: Hum gaon waale hain, humein sheher ki baatein mat samjhaao!
AB: (Furious, disgusted and highly disappointed) Bhosadike, jaa gaaon me jaake ma chuda aur usi ko ganda kar!

Mr. M: Probably thinking about how relentless educated people can be.

The train is leaving the platform now, and Mr.M hurls a string of inaudible abuses at me. His volume and courage increasing proportionately with the speed of the train.

Now, if you’ve had the patience to read till now, I would like to tell you why I went through the trouble of writing about the above incidents. Ever since I’ve come to Mumbai, I’ve heard Maharashtrians and Non-Maharashtrians, people please don’t think that this is a tirade against Maharshtrians, argue about how Non-Maharashtrians have polluted Mumbai and how they don’t keep the city clean. Now, in the above two incidents, there was a Maharashtrian and a Non-Maharashtrian both doing the same thing which Non-Maharashtrians are condemned for. Public spitting and urinating are two things that have long since plagued all the efforts to keep any city clean. It doesn’t depend on where people come from, it depends on the mindset. We tend to compare people regionally and pass the buck for a problem which is faced universally by all of us. All I want to say is that its high time we stop this discrimination based on caste, creed, religion and region and realise the fine line between literacy and education. That’s why we all know that lady justice is blindfolded for a good reason!

Indian Rock

Maybe its that certain swagger when he walks, with loose fitting jeans/cargos that redefine “low waist”, a hint of a tattoo, an ear, an eyebrow or the chin pierced, with the trademark goatee and accessories to compliment all these features. He would rather worship Satan than listen to Himesh or groove to the likes of Anu Malik. There, I might just have described your regular, next door underground rock fan. Most of them usually wear their favorite bands across their chest or over their shoulders. This person is a product of a movement started almost three decades ago by pioneers of a genre that has now come to be known as “Indian rock”. A movement started by the likes of great musicians like Colorblind, Indus Creed (Formerly known as Rock Machine and now metamorphosed into Alms for Shanti), Parikrama (read defunct band that still covers AC/DC and Pink Floyd and complains why original music isn’t being appreciated), etc. and carried it on to convert it into a gargantuan wave of frenzy by the likes of bands like Pentagram, Orange Street, Acquired Funk Syndrome, Friday the thirteenth etc.

An average underground rock concert in a pub in Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore would comprise of say a 150 strong crowd, all moving to the groove created by a funky bass-line or to a general alternative sound, moshing with each other to the fury of nu-metal, or just insanely head-banging to the sharp and heavy metal riffs with blatant disregard for their neck joints, whatever the case maybe, it’s the unison, the faith, the quality of audience (both critics and non-critics involved) and a hope against hope that plays a major role in creating the motivation for these 150 people here.

When Indus Creed came out with three “all original“ albums Rock ‘N ‘ Roll Renegade (CBS) (1988), The Second Coming (Magnasound) (1990), Indus Creed (BMG-Crescendo) (1995), it broke the concept of being a cover band, which most of the upcoming bands in India were concentrating on at that time. Most Indian bands kept playing cover influenced sets with less original compositions to offer to the Indian audience till as late as 2001. The appearance of Indus Creed’s video on MTV of the song “Trapped” only strengthened the potential of Indian Rock Underground to surface as a mainstream industry. The band Colorblind also came up with an all original album in the year 1997-98 which motivated many youngsters to come out with their instruments and start composing. In early 90s a certain individual called Farhad Wadia started what is now known as Independence Rock, in 1996 Rock Street Journal, one of the most read rock based magazines in India, started an all India rock band competition called the Great Indian Rock. Almost 300 bands send in their recordings to both Independence Rock and Great Indian Rock each, only for that once chance to play in front of a ten-thousand strong crowd, the screaming fans, news reporters, media channels, the crowd singing their own songs and mouthing the words while they sing to them, a feeling that can best be described as a musical orgasm, a chance for which they practice every day of the year after school or college or work. Off late there has been another endeavor by DNA Networks in this direction called the Campus Rock Idols, which gives a chance to all college bands to compete each other on a country wide level. The winner gets to share stage with an international band. A few examples are Delhi based “Prestorika” opening for The Rasmus, “The Superfuzz” opening for Bryan Adams.

 

Some examples of Indian Bands getting international exposure would be “Pentagram” and “Orange Street” becoming regulars at electronica festivals like Glastonbury, and “Parikrama” sharing stage with metal gods Iron Maiden, things are surely looking up for the Indian Rock circuit. There are 20 albums released by Indian Rock Groups every year on an average. Mumbai based band “Zero” sold 10000 copies of their first album “Hook” and their single “PSP 12” is already a huge hit amongst Indian fans.

 

With more bands coming up with all original albums (Anu Malik should take a cue here) and more and more shows and competitions happening all over the country which help them rub shoulders with international artistes, the Indian Rock scene is definitely looking up, and it won’t be a surprise when we might just give Himesh a run for his money, its just like what John Keats once said “If it is winter now, can spring be far behind?”