Mher bhalobhal Dajyu... :-)

It was a cold winter night. The streets of Noida were lit blurry yellow as the light merged with the moist fog.

My brother invited me for a walk followed by meeting a few pahadis and dinner. I was much free than usual, studies and mundane work could have been easily procrastinated. Meeting with Pahadis was tempting and exciting for the material and pseudo intellectual kick. But above all I could not say no to Abhishek. He promises a very accommodating and enterprising company. And so did it turned out to be. I earned a very good friend besides having an overpowering evening.

I was introduced to Marut Bisht graced with a humble, handsome and humorous personality. With no ice there to be broken, a carefree conversation set rolling. Apart from a primary information exchange and drawing perspectives about our general mentalities, the time we spent together was mostly about music.

I sang ‘Guncha’ on guitar for the first time. It was difficult to blend with Marut as I could offer him no reference points. There was a power cut for internet and I carried a primitive cellphone. Yet, we managed a good song. Khamaj by Fuzon followed. Marut shared a song from the album he would later cut with his friends. I remembered it by heart and sang it to my musical soulmate with real high standards in music. I was much appreciated by her. A few pahadi songs later and with a promise to meet as often we bid farewell.

It is sad that we couldn’t spend so much leisure time again but just a few meetings at random places. It was very soothing and cheering to know of Marut’s doing well both in career and music. The news of his marriage to his sweetheart and the traditional ceremony brings extreme delight to his loved ones and an aficionado like me. Each new video of his on youtube is an inspiring moment.

I often share with him what I feel about his music. These are honest views and I tell him my sincere feedback.  He likes it when I tell him what’s good and where it has gone overboard.

I have been professionally interacting with numerous bands every week – both Rock and Fusion. Every band has a story and the success points mainly are two – Conviction and Faith in Music. For most of them it is a startup adventure, just as Raghu Dixit calls himself as a music entrepreneur. 

Here are a few songs of Marut that I love. Kudos to him!

'Emptiness..'

'The Anthem song'

In London

A treat for a fan.. 

(New) Delhi

I wrote this when I left Delhi for Hyderabad. I never published it for Hyderabad is as beautiful a city. 

It was a personal phase then. 

                  The Quest

shocked i m that i have a dream no more,
the excitement to step forth has become a lore.
my zeal n the spirit is but a dry leaf,
amused i m tht i m habitual to grief.

i ponder, i wonder n i toss,
dreaded to regret my mighty loss.
i convince i pacify i argue with my sense,
yet they are subjective, open, rhetoric... and hence.

i hibernate now, cos around me i feel so cold,
i doubt that 'time shall heal', as i was always told.
like always it has been, i cannot win 'The Quest' alone,
i fear if some rejoice 'the moment'? cos i, m forlon

                                            *

Today Delhi seems to lure me again, coax me to bring out the volatile vibrant self which has become too complacent.

A mind without fear!

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high...

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

At a chat session with a few friends from the industry, which I realized doesn’t really happen over a cup of coffee in Hyderabad, someone smirked at the TV and said, “Look at his expressions… he doesn’t have anything leader-like in him. No dialogue delivery, no slogan screaming, no powerful blows.” And as I saw the crowd Anna was addressing, I recalled the lines, ‘De di hamein azadi bina khadag bina dhal…”.

Is Anna still a magnet for the middle class India?

Let us rephrase the question above. Do people see an idol or a role model in Anna? That way we shall rid away Anna from the numbers of sycophants and obliging followers and concentrate solely on his intentions.

Some call it his stubbornness but some others look at it as Anna’s undying conviction. Some look at it as questioning the authority but some others look at it as rising up to the bullies. Some look at it as grabbing attention but some others look at it as awakening of minds.

Today, I see no one other than Anna and a few personal mentors guiding us to create, ‘A mind without fear’.

A well crafted marketing strategy; we observe that in India mythology has become a sought after theme for the cartoon channels. The toddlers absorb the values and morals from cartoons on Chota Bheem, Hanuman, Rama which they do not see anywhere in their environment. 

Anna is the much needed role model to us and numbers do not matter. We chose our idols. We evaluate their path. We get inspired by them. At the end of the day we might not change, but we open ourselves to improvisation.

 I have always intuitively liked Ram Jethmalani. I am in awe of him after listening to this speech. His presence at the venue was enough justification of what he holds in his heart.