Tuesday, 26 June 2007
LIfe in a Boyz school...
Studying in all boys school was an experience worth having....We grew up in a community where girls had no place....from the time when girls used to be the sissies playing with dolls and marrying them and so on...it was time when we were enjoying our cycle rides, gali cricket and other outdoor activities....then came the time when we reached adolescence...now whats that?? well it was the time when we started taking notice of the surrounding...we started noticing that a different species exist on the planet who were till now hidden somewhere in the closets and suddenly making their presence felt....
We have our new found interests....Moving around on the streets and markets we found something which would make our heads turn and eyes getting stuck...hmmm so the hormones are having some effect....and is it only on us...NO !!....they are also looking back at us....well that was a big satisfaction and ego booster...
But then all this ogling activity was very restricted as being a good boy the daily schdule was to go to school and come straight back to home....and here comes the tragedy of being in the only boys school....no sight seeing...totally devoid of all the goodie feelings....We all would be waiting for the board exams...you must be wondering why?? hows that realted to this topic...well that was the feast time of the school....the school was the examination center for an all girls school...this period was awaited like a festival....all the boys hanging on the classroom windows to catch a glimpse...."hey !! check her out!!"...."She's a bomb..." and all the similar sounding and meaning adjectives were thrown in the air...for the few lucky ones who were outside the classroom were the most envied ones....another most awaited time was the annual school fest..where the girls from the all girls school would be taking part in the fest.. that would mean another 3 days of companionship with the fairer gender....ok ok..not companionship...just the visibility of them....but how does it matter...
But life in only boys school is not just girls.....it was a total masti time for us...being what we were....cracking the non veg jokes and the lingo containing more abuses than the nouns and adjectives...staying aways from all the b*tCh&%ng....and the faltoo ka sentiyapa....it was fun...playin volley ball for hours and hours....or fighting over petty issues..just to show our growing machoism....we werre what we were....no pretentions and no show off!!!
After all men will be men!!!!
Monday, 11 June 2007
A matter of life and death
Travelling in Bangalore is always a nightmare and specially for the two wheelers riders with the Cabs and Lorries zipping and zooming around. Though the two wheeler drivers are no less responsible for reckless driving and creating a dangerous situation for themselves. Since the day I came to Banalgore there has not been a single week when I have not witnessed an accident, luckily they were all minor ones. But last week I saw the most horrible scene in my life. While coming on the Outer Ring Road from KR Puram to Hebbal I saw a motorcycle driver crushed to death by a lorry. The accident had taken place about 4-5 mins before I reached the place. At first I could not see what has happened and there were some cars arround the place and then I saw a body lying on the road. My first intution was he is just injured and we can take him to the hospital, but then i suddenly noticed that his skull was wide open and his gray matter spread around on the road. It was a horrifying scene and I could feel blood getting freezed in my veins and my brain just stopped working. I ould not think what I should do, should I stay there and do something but what do I do? I could not stand the situation and just drove away. I know I was a coward but that moment seeing all that I could not do more and I dont think that I could have done anything staying there also.
A few kilometers down the road I found a Lorry stopped in the middle of the road and 1-2 people talking to a guy looking like the driver of the lorry. On the next traffic signal I went upto the traffic police man and told him about the accident. He got busy on the wireless and started directing the patrolling vehicle to the accident spot. Then he cam up to me and told me that the lorry driver has been caught and been beaten like a donkey by the mob, and from his tone it looked like even he was not interested in saving him. At that moment I was left wondering will beating the driver help anyone or can it bring back the life of that biker. Though it looks quite evident that the fault would have been of the lorry driver as he was driving the bigger vehicle and by default he has to be the one responsible. But I am not sure if that would be true becuase one thing that I had noticed and which got stuck in my mind was the biker's helmet was perfectly fine and single piece, that means he was not wearing a helmet at the fatefull moment. As I had not seen the accident so cannot tell who was the person responsible for the accident but I am sure the biker was reckless in taking care of himself. Driving on the Ring Road at late night was never safe and on top of that if someone is not wearing a helmet its almost an open invitaion to death.
I myself luckily escaped a similar accident during college days when I was not wearing a helmet and was stuck by a lorry on the highway, but I have lost a very very close friend of mine when hit by a speeding truck. With the stressed life we are always carrying a burden on our heads may be of not missing the project dealines or reaching office on time, we are always under the time pressure. Over speeding cars, trucks, bikes, cabs and lorries are all part of this time pressure. Looking back at these incidences is very painfull but gives me only one lesson, though the matter of life and death is not in our hand but to try to save ourselves is surely in our hand. If we drive safely and sensibly and understand our responsibilites on the road we can surely save our life and may be of others.
Sunday, 10 June 2007
Tempo Stand
Imagine a platform where you could contribute your own music, meet up with various artists form all over and even get together and release your own album!! Well TempoStand offers you that and much more…
TempoStand is a platform that promotes independent musicians in India. It is not specific to any genre. Hindustani, Sufi, Folk, Rock, Jazz, Punk, Carnatic, Blues and all other genres are invited. The more crazier it is the better. To be a part of TempoStand you only need to be original. Everything on the site is Creative Commons BY-SA, so everyone is free to mix and share.
TempoStand aims at being a complete music portal, a place where people can create, share, mix, remix music. It aims to foster creativity in music and grows with the user. It provides a common platform to all bands which dont have a banner’s, as well as solo artists in the country independent of the genre of the music they create. It is an attempt to provide a chance to the many artists, musicians, and composers who fade into the oblivion because they do not have resources to reach out to the audience.
In just 45 days of its launch they have announced their first album Light. Featuring 8 artists from Ahmedabad, Light’s music is categorized under classical, semi classical, folk, fusion, instrumental, jugalbandi, light classical and sugam sangeet. TempoStand offers its users the unique opportunity to hear the songs before actually placing an order for the album. Users can hear to the songs online and if they like them can then place a order.
Visit their official site ( www.tempostand.com )