Issue 8

The CheeZe Work Force Departments Editorial Department SHISHIR THADE (Editor in Chief) ABHIMANYU JULANIYA (Senior Editor) Editors: ANJUM GUPTA MADHULIKA MALLIK PRAGYA AGGARWAL SAHIL SINGH Creative Department HASHMEET SINGH VIRDI (Creative Editor) Designers and Photographers: SABINA Support and organization PR and Marketing ANKIT AHUJA Illustrations and Photography HASHMEET SINGH VIRDI ANAMIKA DUTT SAURABH MEHTA SHIBANI DUTTA MANISHA PRAKASH

Web Design HASHMEET SINGH ANKIT AHUJA

The CheeZe office Box 34, Vinay Marg Chanakyapuri, New Delhi-110021. Tel: +919810716296 , +919654429013 Volume 1, Issue 8; July 2010 ŠCopyright CheeZe publishing. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner of the content is prohibited. (With exception of images compiled from the internet).

Ownership of CheeZe publication: Hashmeet Singh Virdi & Shishir Thade..

The CheeZe logo is trademark of CheeZe Publications.

Naxalism and youth The word Naxalism brings to mind communism, image of poor people up in arms, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, fiery speeches of Home minister against Naxals and the recent Dantewada killings.

This was not the case 50 years back when the whole world from US to Europe to Africa to China was in revolution in different forms. Something which was always in the limelight was a “revolution”. It attracted many young people throughout the world and it became a sign of rebellion, an out cry against those imposing their ideas and governments throughout the world came on the hit-list. Che Guevara was the icon and free speech, equality and civil rights the words of the time.

Indian youths also romanticized the same thing - “a revolution”. Young girls and boys from top colleges of country started to foray into this domain.

Frustrated with government policies and fall of Nehru’s idea, the youths wanted to make a difference by themselves.

“Naxalbari was like a clarion call” says Rai Chaudhuri then 23 years old.

He retired as the head of the Presidency College’s Physics Department in 2004 and was one of those to be mentioned in V S Naipaul’s India: A Million Mutinies Now. “We were elated. We had only read about the armed peasant struggles in China and Vietnam. Now it was actually happening here in our land,” says Rai Chaudhuri. Soon posters supporting

Naxalbari started to appear in College Street and elsewhere .Slogans such as ‘China’s Chairman is our Chairman’ suddenly sprouted on Kolkata walls. The lawns of Presidency College became a meeting ground for students from Calcutta and neighboring areas, and the informal group came to be known as the Presidency Coalition.

Youngsters were recruited in large numbers from all across the country to liberate the country. Students from colleges such as Stephens would leave their dream to study abroad or to enter the IAS. “China’s path is our path, China’s chairman is our chairman” read on a wall in St. Stephen’s. Had it been some other time, people would have considered it a prank, but it was not.

When the high wall of St Stephen’s —that rarefied oasis for the nation’s elite — was used as a pad for radical propaganda, it confirmed what most observers already knew: an influential section of Stephanians had fallen to Naxalism. Slogans appeared on lecture-room blackboards and one such work read, “Reactionary teachers, we will have your skin for shoes for the poor”!

At the height of militancy, contemporary insiders put the number of core Naxals in the college at no more than 30 — not a big figure, but by most accounts the single largest Maoist presence among all DU institutions. In 1968, history student Arvind Narain Das had run for president of the college student’s body elections on an openly Naxal platform. He won. “We were ready to storm heaven,” Dilip Simeon, a leading member of the group, was to write

“By then, they (the students) were well into the vortex and almost out of hearing,” writes the pastor.

The campus was tense. TOI reported a ‘plot’ to burn the college library and bomb the chapel. “We didn’t know it then, but some students and teachers close to us were spying for the police,” says Ray. Just then, Das and Ray went underground. Between 1970 and 1971, 12-13 Stephanians followed, leaving studies to join the revolution.

Das and a few others were arrested; the rest returned on their own — disillusioned and scared.

Rajiv Kumar, an Economics student, was in third year when he left for Bihar in midDecember, 1970.

For three months, he stayed with CPI-ML sympathizers, including a bricklayer in Munger. “One of the reasons for my return was the prospect of being asked to kill people,” he says. “We were a bunch of romantics who just didn’t know that we were being fed with lies.”

Just then, Das and Ray went underground. Between 1970 and 1971, 12-13 Stephanians followed, leaving studies to join the revolution. Das and a few others were arrested; the rest returned on their own — disillusioned and scared. Rajiv Kumar, an Economics student, was in third year when he left for Bihar in mid-December, 1970.

For three months, he stayed with CPI-ML sympathizers, including a bricklayer in Munger. “One of the reasons for my return was the prospect of being asked to kill people,” he says. “We were a bunch of romantics who just didn’t know that we were being fed with lies.”

1996: 156 deaths

Dipesh Chakrabarty, a Presidency College student of the 1960s who now teaches in University of Chicago, recalls: “Many urban youth who went to liberate rural areas came back after some weeks with acute bowel problems.”

2000: 50 deaths

Over the years the urban youths stopped taking part in such processes and only some were left to do the fighting. It was now the time for youths from rural areas to take forth someone who was actually affected by police brutalities or were misfortunate to be sliced in between the on going battle. Soon in 1980 the battle became more intense and last decade has surpassed all expectations by increasing the death toll manifolds.

The situation now is not of romanticizing but rather that the fact poor and angry young men and women, who see no future for themselves, are easy targets for terrorists and extremist recruiters. It is only because of unemployment that the younger generation takes to terrorism in order to generate income and fulfils its needs. So the youths knowingly or unknowingly embrace Naxalism. In some cases, people are driven to the Naxal world by the Naxalites themselves and are paid attractive amounts.

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs estimates the following yearly deaths from the violence:

1997: 428 deaths 1998: 270 deaths 1999: 363 deaths

2001: 100+ deaths 2002: 140 deaths 2003: 451 deaths 2004: 500+ deaths 2005: 700+ deaths 2006: 750 deaths 2007: 650 deaths 2008: 794 deaths 2009: 1,134 deaths

In order to eradicate this problem the government needs to take hand of the situation and a rapid development of the region is required. Naxalites should be brought to mainstream and if they have issues they can form a political party and if they really want to make a change. This situation is going to affect Indian youths the most and also India at a broader level.

A solution needs to be found for the problem for those who are dying are INDIANS after all.

Bundelkhand: The forgotten India

For the past two years Bundelkhand has been in the news all for the wrong reasons. For the residents of Bundelkhand even that is good news because at least someone is interested in

them! The Bundelkhand region lies in central India and was home to great personalities such as Rani Laxmibai, Singer Kishore Kumar, Hockey great Major Dhyanchand, and Osho Guru Rajneesh and is home to Khajuraho.

For over 8 years, this region is facing a drought. As is usual, the politicians across party lines don’t care about it because the region lies between two states, namely: Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Due to the moneylender’s trap (you borrow money at a very high interest rate and are not able to pay back even the interest as your crop is poor because of the drought), the farmers are committing suicides, selling their land, cattle and even their wives. One problem is that the soil here retains very little water unlike the black soil in other regions of Madhya Pradesh. If it does not rain at the right time with the right consistency, the drought-related distress affects the next year’s Rabi crop as well.

Another problem is the myopic drought policy - relief is given only if the standing crop fails. Many farmers who wait for the rains to begin sowing do not qualify as distressed because the monsoon failure does not give them an opportunity to plant. The irrigation facilities in Madhya Pradesh are a total disaster and on the side of Uttar Pradesh no one seems to care.

When the case of wife selling came out - the debt-ridden farmers are selling their women to money lenders at rates varying between Rs 4,000 and 12,000. The prettier the face, higher the amount the woman fetches - all hell broke lose for good reasons.

The deals were being finalized on legal stamp paper under the garb of ‘marriage.’ The stamp paper heading said ‘Vivaha Anubandh (Marriage Contract)’.

A n d o n c e t h e new husband has had enough of the woman, she is sold to another man.

Some turn to prostitution. According to the police, many of these wifeturned-prostitutes have been rescued in the last two years. Even the international media seems interested in the “plight” of these people because selling one’s wife in one of India’s multiple poverty stricken districts is something that their audiences would love to hear and it would re-affirm their long held stereotype of India.

When the news of farmer’s suicides from this region came in, it joined the likes of Telegana and Vidharba in being treated with indifference by politicians. Thankfully Gandhi Junior’s involvement and interest saw the region get a 7,000 Crore relief package. His demanded for a separate body for the development of the region is yet to see light from the Government. He is said to have discussed with PM, a detailed view of the budget and an all out development project for that would not only include agricultural activities but also improvements in education and industrialization of the region.

The whole deprivation has led to the people of Bundelkhand to demand a separate state so that they can take the matters into their own hands and not have to rely on the hierarchies of the government. This way they can undertake economic activities that will benefit them and would ensure that the money meant for them from the center actually reaches them.

The issue of a separate state is not new for Bundelkhand. At the time of Independence it was a separate state but was later dissolved and dispersed between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The centre, however, seems reluctant to carve out a new state citing the failure of the three states created by the NDA namely: Jharkhand, Uttrakhand and Chhattisgarh.

The implementation of the current schemes such as NREGA might bring about a part of the required. But for the long term sustenance of the region a larger plan needs to be chalked out. A plan where a region is not left behind in the overall development of India, even if it means creating a new state.

JULLU YADAV (CST HERO) - as told to Shishir Thade and Pankaj Balani

It’s not always about Super-Heroes and Celebrities.

How often we forget those men who show sparks of heroics in time of need.

6. First thing he did when the encounter ended 7. What is it like, since then, going back to Many of you must remember the video from the cctv work everyday and seeing the station again of Victoria terminus on 26/11 but the Constable I feel proud, because I could serve my country, I’m combating the terrorists with a mere 303 riffle is being called at different places and welcomed over easy to forget. there, and people came and shook hands with me I am sure you haven’t heard of him…neither will refor what I’ve done. It felt nice to be appreciated. member him for long after completing this article, (smiles with a certain degree of pride) but what you might remember is that he saved at least 50 lives that day. He isn’t a Hero, he is a man 8. Thoughts on terrorism doing his job, when those around him ‘just fled’.

1. Recount the incident, describe what you saw, heard, how it started 2. First thoughts when the terrorists arrived The first thing that came into my mind was to identify their location. How should I knock them out…

How can I save the citizens of my country and save the railway property?

3. You were unarmed at the time when the shooting started, were you scared for a moment, how did you manage to keep your nerve and find the gun?

Thoughts.. Govt is preparing itself to defend the country from terrorism.

10. You have become an inspiration for every citizen of this country and every man in administration for how to perform one's duty to the fullest. Any message you have for your fellow countrymen on the things we can do everyday to ensure the safety of ourselves and people around us 11. MESSAGE TO YOUTH Become as brave as me, serve your country in a way like I have done with all their tan ,man dhan

When I saw them I just wanted to kill them because they injured the citizens of my country, there was no 12. Tell us about your family. How many time to think about anything else. members? Do you want your children to jon the force 4. How long the shootout lasted, factual details about backup arriving and so on 30-40 mins 5. Were you at any point worried about your safety or thinking about your family and whether they are safe?

No!! at that time I was so preoccupied with other things, I was more concerned about saving the passengers at that time

There are three members in my family, three boys.

Two are in their own line, and I am planning to make the third one join the force…so that he can also get an opportunity to serve his country.

13. When you recall that day, then what comes into your mind, how do you feel?

I feel that if I would have had my gun with me that day then I would have killed them then and there, and they couldn’t have caused that damage then.

Here is what the streets look like

Here we are back, bang on, with a new dope on street fashion.

But this time it is slightly a high end profile but uber-stylish and cool.

Karishma is as charismatic as her name and looks stunning in a basic black vest and blue denims. Don’t miss the bag and the super babe hairstyle.

Dikky is wearing a haute style quotient.

Her belt, wristlet, the neck piece in black thread and the vintage brown leather handbag made her stand out even with the platonic colors. And the gladiators are so enviable. Get them at Aldo.

Urvi has a superb dressing sense and looks pretty in her indigo outfit. The beaded neck piece looks in sync with the wide black belt. The platform flip flops look cute!!

Sneha looks like a doll straight out from a Barbie edition. Her pink outfit is a head turner and the fringed hairstyle complements it. The bag is unique and ultra cool.

This is just the perfect way to get the doll look.

Cheryl’s off white top is really fashionable. Wear it with leggings in bright floral prints to achieve great contrast.

Sakshi is wearing this dungaree in a neutral shade with a black inner to bring out more contrast.

Don’t even dare miss the cream colored bag.

Definitely a must have.

Location: 1.

Select

Citywalk, Saket 2.DLF Place, Saket

Coming up next: Street fashion sported by guys!!

Couldn’t feel more refreshed!

Long Island Lassi

Peach Margarita Smoothie

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

2 cup Sweetened yogurt (chilled)

3/4 oz. tequila

1tbsp chopped Mango

1/2 oz. peach schnapps

2tbsp chopped Strawberries

1/2 cup Peach Sorbet

2tbsp chopped Pineapple

1 1/2 cups peach (diced)

1/2tbsp pulp Blueberries

1 tsp. lime juice

Mixing instructions:

Mixing instructions:

Mix all of the above ingredients in an electric blender, till smooth. Pour into a suitable glass, garnish with a mint leaf and serve chilled.

Dice the peaches and place all ingredients into a blender. Pulse until mostly blended and becomes smooth. Pour into a cocktail glass and garnish with an orange wheel.

This makes one serving.

A cup of frothy goodness

Lemonade with a Twist

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

3tbsp Coconut cream 2tbsp Vanilla ice cream 3tbsp Crushed pineapple 2tbsp Crushed strawberries

1tbsp Grated ginger 5-6 Mint leaves (fresh) 1 ½ tbsp Sugar Lime juice of 1lemon Soda

2oz light rum Mixing Instructions:

Mixing Instructions:

Put all ingredients into an electric blender with 2 cups of crushed ice. Blend at a high speed for a short length of time.

Strain into a Collins glass and serve with a straw.

Crush the ginger, mint leaves and sugar until the sugar melts and it turns into a homogeneous coarse mixture. Add the mixture, lime juice and soda in a container and mix well. Strain and pour into a margarita glass with ice.

Serve lemonade with lemonade ice cubes. Pour lemonade into an ice cube tray and add a small mint leaf to each cube.

When serving the lemonade, add the lemonade cubes. It prevents the drink from watering down and keeps it cool.

Nonmint-lovers can freeze a raspberry or blueberry into each ice cube.

Menswear Report

Well tailored suits 2010 Men’s trend proves that classics will always rule when it comes to men's fashion. It is not surprising that when it comes to classic, it’s always men's suits.

While suiting and formal-wear trends for men aren't seasonal and play out over several years, 2010 and 2011 continue the change in men's suiting that rose to the fore in recent years. For the foreseeable future the trend in men's suiting revolves around the tailored classics, but more specifically modern takes on the classics. A good suit for this decade will take the best elements from the peak eras of men's suiting and apply them to a modern silhouette.

Accentuating with bling We are always receptive to any and all types of glistening objects; but we tend to pay extra attention to them towards the end of the year. This is not the problem anymore because wearing a sequined silhouette as an accent has become a timeless trend. This year, we are smitten by the power of the ‘bling’. The audacity of the trend has been so staunch, that the trend has found its niche in the wardrobe of quintessential men.

Tailored Vests This is good news for all menswear-trend lovers.

Now the vest can be put together to give relaxed boyish look, worn with t-shirts and short shorts or with loose shirts and bermudas, since this season it’s all about a grown-up look. A tailored vest will keep you cool while offering you a bit of an edge. The key to pulling off the look is a clean and tailored appearance, with the vest being proportioned to the pants. In other words, make sure the vest hits the belt right and that the vest isn’t boxy but form fitting.

Striped Shirts Stamp Out Boredom with a Print . Sometimes men become bored wearing solid shirts every day for work and mundane events. But this season you will have a choice of fresh new prints to help you become ‘summer fashionforward’ in 2010. Choose a few subdued prints to add to your tailored haberdashery look while you give your suit, sport coat, or casual attire greater versatility and comfort. Look for new interpretations of classic prints including multi-stripes, single stripes or plaids. The new checked and striped shirt is really capturing the spotlight this season.

Comfort fit and ripped jeans For the past few years or so the world of denim has been headed by the skinny jeans style, as worn by many pop and indie bands. However for those of us who do not have the legs to pull off this look, or just plainly don’t like it, things are about to change. During the early Autumn/ Winter previews and now Spring/Summer 2010 fashion weeks around the globe, bagginess/comfort is being brought back into style by many brands, especially the big denim giants including Levis and Diesel. Channel a denim that is comfortable, and has a nomadic touch with nonchalance.

The Great Indian Wine

Its quite a fad these days. Wine seems to be the next fashion statement, and why not. Its tasteful, classy and even affordable now. The Rise of the Indian Wine has made consuming good wine a very realistic proposition. You don’t have to be a millionaire or 60 anymore to enjoy fine wine, just willing!

Served at: 18-20 degree Celsius

Here is CheeZe’s take on some of domestic wines you Must try.

It is one of the famous Childs of the Nasik valley family.

*Price : Rs. 480/-

2.Sula Dindori - Reserve Shiraz

Red wines are the flavor of the issue, It has an elegant flavor and is rather sparkling and white and rose wines smooth. will follow suite in the coming issues.

Its beautifully silky with a predominant berry flavor.

Served at: 15-18 degree Celsius *Price: Rs. 700

1.Shiraz – Chateau de Banyan Fermented for 8 days at 24 degree Celsius, it is a rather popular wine.

They are matured for a minimum period of 6 months in the cellar before bottling.

3.Reveilo Syrah

4.La reserve From Grover

A color to die for – violet purple colored wined

Aged in French oak barrels,La reserve is made from a blend of cabernet sauvignon and syrah grapes.

A rich taste of spice peppers and the customary berries Its very smooth tasting and great for those entering the world of wines

Fruity and spicy at the same time, it has a superimposing flavor of the oak.

Served at: 16-18 degree Celsius

Served at : 18-20 degree Celsius

*Price: Rs.550

*Price: Rs. 540

*(Prices are tentative and may vary over time and for states)

Accompany the Red wine with: Spicy food - Mexican dishes, Pizzas, and Spicy red sauce pastas.

Some tips on tasting wines the correct way. Trust us it matters.

The wine must always be at the right temperature. Red wines always consumed in and around room temperature - and yes most of us do have wines in an air conditioned room.

The Glass – There is a particular glass for each type of wine. Also never hold the wine glass by the body. You don’t want to transfer heat on to the wine.

Taste - sip slowly and let the wine spread across your entire mouth before gulping it in. let it stay on your tongue for long enough to understand it flavor.

Start with these, and we will slowly work our way up to the real intricacies of wine tasting.

(PS: Restrict yourself to a Glass or two. And Please do not Drink and drive)

I N T E R V I E W Waiting at the venue on that very hot day, I was surely expecting a lot from this interview and got a way lot more. A Hip- Hop group this popular was bound to be intimidating and I expected at least some traces of arrogance.

But I was wrong....!!

This group of 6 guys could be spotted from far away. Dressed in their whole casual hip-hop style, they looked no less than celebrities. This bunch of Punjabi Delhi guys are just one amongst us who hang out in Mochas and CCDs. They came across as friendly, humble and a modest group.

With many singles released and numerous live performances, with the limelight as the opening for MIMS with their special dedication “This is Why I’m Hot REMIX”, music runs up their heads as opposed to their success.

Considering an Artiste like “Jay Sean” being an Asian and still been accepted

so well in the US hip-Hop industry is phenomenal. They believe that the Race or Color doesn’t matter. If you’re making good music & if you have the potential to entertain the masses, you will make it to the top, irrespective of where you’re from. Just believe in the music you make and be true to it.

1. How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?(origination of D-Soldierz) Its been a year since we all met. We met through the internet, before which each one of us was doing their own things at their ends. Destiny got us all together.

Me and my brother O Pozitive were making our own tracks, more focused on commercial R & B, while Nifty and BIR professionalized in Gangsta-Rap. Now, D-Soldierz is like an army, and a real strong one, with four of us as the majors and DJ Big Dreamz and Beat-boxer Onkar as the captains. ‘D’ is for ‘Desi’ as well as ‘Delhi’- We are Desi Soldierz akaDelhi Soldierz!

2. What inspired you to make music together?

We came together and we were great in our own respective domains. We got inspired by the Hip Hop Culture after listening to the “Rags to Riches” stories of many famous Hip Hop Artistes like Tupac Shakur, Jay Z , Snoop Dogg , 50 Cent etc. The Money , Fame & Power factor just drove us crazy & we decided to put our Life into it.

3. Considering your genre to be Rap and Hip-hop, how well do you think the audience accepts it as compared to other genres?

Music like Rock is definitely more popular than hiphop because of the main reason that this genre has been really explored and highlighted, unlike Hip Hop in India. Not many talented hip-hop artistes are able to earn the place in the industry just because their talent has not been showcased & promoted properly.

Good Promotion is definitely the key to the success of a song. But, we believe, and rightfully so, that the song should be equally powerful & the audience should like it. If its pleasing to the ears, they like the rhythms and the beats, its not Page 25 at all difficult to get them rocking!

NEWSLETTER TITLE

4. What is the secret behind the names ‘O positive’, ‘Eleven’, and ‘Nifty’?

O Pozitive : Its my blood group and music runs in my veins.

Magik Eleven: The number 11 creates magic for me. Throughout I’ve had experiences which are somehow related to that number.

It’s pretty spooky!

Nifty: That was the first name that popped in my head when I thought of keeping my rap name. Its simple and fun.

BD: I have big dreams for myself, and so goes the name!

BIR: That’s my initialized name.

Onkar: I preferred keeping my real name

5. Rap music isn’t very common in India. Was it difficult to make a mark in the music industry?

Yes it is, because most people here don’t understand it. It took us quite sometime as HipHop/RnB is not a very popular Genre in India. But we presented it in such a way that the youth in our country can relate to it and feel the music we make. Our songs are made for the International as well as the Desi Audience because we provide different flavors of music to the market which include International Rap , RnB & Punjabi Rap. The Blend of Desi & International Music is unique & liked by people.

6. Punjabi Rap is really picking up on the market right now. What do you think took so long for it to evolve?

BIR: Rappers like Baba Sehgal were great but they couldn’t make a mark. The revolution started with Bohemia. He took Punjabi rap to the next level and made it international. Hence, it came into the limelight and got the status that it has now. Slowly, Punjabi rappers are coming up to popularize this genre.

7. How much fun and how much not, is it to work with your brother in the band? Do the other members have to deal with a lot of sibling rivalry?(O+ and Eleven) Oh its fun! Well, yes it is a pain in the ass sometimes but I guess we understand each other best so it helps a lot. It keeps Mom happy too! We are also each other’s best critics. (Looks and smiles exchanged between Onkar, Nifty and BIR) These guys would never say I was bad, EVER. They would always be like, “Sure that was good”, but it’s my brother who takes the other way.

8. Which is your favorite track in the album and why?

O+: When We Walk Magik Eleven: Parking Lot Onkar: Click Click Boom Nifty: Click Click Boom BD:BabyLove BIR:PaisaBolda Page 27

NEWSLETTER TITLE

9 What is your message to the youngsters who aspire to be rappers?

Be original. Be ready to work hard because it’s a huge struggle. Don’t play safe. Don’t give up. We guys left our careers and studies to pursue this. If you really want to make it big, give your 100% concentration here only. It doesn’t work otherwise!

10. Define your music in one word.

O+: Motivation Eleven: Belief Onkar: Fun Nifty: Respect BD:Passion BIR: Energy

11. What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?

Themes vary depending on how ready you are to experiment. If you go commercial, Club songs are here to stay. However, if you want to stand out, just explore and experiment like International Artistes do.They have a track called ‘LOL smiley face’. We have some cool themes too like ‘SMS love’ and ‘You can be my laptop’. They are new, refreshing and catchy.

12. What are your immediate music career goals? ( in 1-3 years) O+ : To be all over the TV & Media Worldwide. Eleven adds: Or probably on the Empire State Building, performing in NY. When we go drinking sometimes, I tell these guys that 2011 is the year this is going to happen since its 11. That too on the 2nd of Jan. We brothers share our birthday on that day

16. Do you feel Rap/Hip-Hop is here to stay for long?

Rap- especially Punjabi rap- is picking up like crazy. Almost every bollywood movie has a hip hop track included in it which has the Desi masala touch included. Its popular because its unique and yes, it does plan to go a long way.

Page 29

NEWSLETTER TITLE

DSoldierz and the CheeZe moments

DSoldierz: Youth Nexus was our very best live performance.

We got the best crowd with the huge screen flashing our name on it.

We even distributed lollypops as that was our theme for the performance.

BIR adds: It was great when some hot chicks of the fashion show, taking place the same day, came up running to me and said they loved my track and stuff. It was embarrassing but felt good that we are popular.

Eleven: Parents should let their kids have some space.

I would definitely want my son to different and try something new and not be satisfied with an ordinary life like most people.

BIR: People from Tuborg refused to people we are from India as they judged from our music that we’ve got be UK Punjabis.

Good music is always appreciated.

DSoldiers: MIMS were bad that day…Dressed very casually too…It didn’t seems like MIMS wanted to perform in India at all…

Probably took it too casually…

The crowd literally said we guys saved the day!

Page 31

NEWSLETTER TITLE

Demystifying the Greats—Contd...

Most of you do not care about technique. You don't care whether the bass player is slapping or tapping. Or whether that sax player has a proper embouchure. Or for that matter, whether the drummer has done his paradiddle homework. Indeed, why should you? All you care about is whether it sounds/feels good and perhaps if it looks good. Seems the simplest thing, isn't it?

It is, but most musicians just don't get it. Most of us (and I count myself among them) tend to focus so much on the technique part, that we forget what we are conveying emotionally—refer to the previous edition of the article in issue 7(something to say). After all, if good music makes you feel a particular way, it has to be communicating something to you, making it a language. But many people tend to focus on how fast the trill is or how complicated the tapping sequence is. Which is alright, but that is like saying a person who only works out in the gym is guaranteed to be a great football player. Granted, he will have the advantage over a poor old burger eating slop such as myself, but a good player knows just as much on the field as off it. Similarly, musicians must think as much about what they are saying, as how they say it.

That settled, one cannot stress enough on how important good technique is. The great Victor Wooten has draws a comparison between a person with poor technique and a child. A child doesn't have the technique to express what s/he wants, so s/he cries instead out of frustration. Quite

an analogy, isn't it? Basically a technique provides us the way to express something that could not have been expressed, had that technique not been there.

It is in this light, that I'll draw your attention to the techniques that some of the great musicians in the past have brought to their respective instruments. Take Larry Graham, who invented slapping on the bass. Before he came along, the bass player was mostly just playing the bottom note of a chord and was generally being ignored. The genius of this man is that he took the lack of a drummer in his band, and strove to emulate the sound on his bass. And lo! The central sound of a 70% of all funk music was born. Another great example is Andres Segovia, the legendary Spanish classical guitarist. Though not the first to adopt the techniques of picking the strings with a combination of nail and fingertips, he was the first to take it to widespread popularity, creating a sound that had never been heard by an international audiences. This hybrid picking style is now a staple of classical guitar technique today. If we look at both these people, they expressed something that hadn't been adequately expressed before, and opened up the tonal palette of their respective instruments. If I were to extrapolate, I'd say that they gave humanity yet another way to express their innermost feelings. Isn't that amazing?

It is, but that is not all. It might sound strange, but while precise technique can express a lot, the lack thereof can also be equally expressive in the right hands. And for the example of those right hands, I need point no further than the towering figure of Jimi Hendrix. His combination of raw power and sometimes not entirely precise phrasing on the guitar was as characteristic as his clothes and look. It expressed more to millions than any other guitar player before, or perhaps, since. Come to think of it, we all have differences in technique, which is why two people playing the same thing on the same instrument can sound different. Indeed, that is why we sound different when we talk!

So, while overdoing of technique (which is sadly the case these days) is a very bad thing indeed, an utter lack of technique can only lead to frustration and perhaps like the aforementioned child, tears. After all, there is something that the greats have which mere mortals such as us dont!

Arunabh Satpathy Visit www.thatdoesntsoundright.wordpress.com/ for Music Reviews.

EMAIL: arunabh121@gmail.com

Page 33

NEWSLETTER TITLE

In Rainbows—Radiohead Album : In Rainbows Artist: Radiohead Genre : Alternative Rock Track Listing 1. "15 Step" – 3:58 2. "Bodysnatchers – 4:02 3. "Nude – 4:15 4. "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi – 5:18 5. "All I Need" – 3:48 6. "Faust Arp" – 2:09 7. "Reckoner – 4:50 8. "House of Cards– 5:28 9. "Jigsaw Falling into Place – 4:09 10. "Videotape" – 4:42 This is an album which apart from its revolutionary concept of distribution, stands out as a masterpiece made by 5 gentleman. In Rainbows is Radiohead's 7th studio album and has elements from all the previous albums. This album came up after the end of their contract with EMI. Radiohead grew tired of the way the record labels were eating up the creative freedom of artists and how they were being so manipulative and developing dogmatic ideas. They developed a concept of releasing the album on the internet and evolved a pay what you like scheme, here the fans could pay (and not pay) from 3$ to 3000$. A brilliant but risky idea turned into landmark in the history of popular music. Amidst such intellectually sound concepts one must not forget the music.

Radiohead continues with its depressive aura, but here we have some happy hippy vibes as well. This album features a variety of instruments like the vibraphone, various keyboards and samplers apart from the traditional guitar, bass, drums. The album opens with "15 step", a really complicated track which is full of such happiness that one cant stop smiling at the sweet guitars and vocals, such happy tracks are rare in a Radiohead album, I guess that's what makes this so special. "Bodysnatchers" is the hardest and perhaps the fastest song on the album which is inspired from Victorian tales of spirits and exorcism, so those head bangers can have a moment of joy here. The album gets darker with "Nude" a ballad which is so gripping that one cant stop listening to it again and again, it sounds partly

like Sigur Ros and partly like something no one has and will ever hear> With gripping lyrics and a haunting tune "Nude" for me is the best song in the album. Weird Fishes is about getting eaten by fishes and Radiohead makes it sound like we are sitting under water and being eaten by fishes and we watch them helplessly and hopelessly, (that is really hard to achieve for any band) the music is so hypnotic that one cant help getting into a trance (only when you listen to the song properly).

-Ritwik De

Aurora – AVISHAI COHEN – 2009 -by thatdoesntsoundright

Those of you who follow the blog (all three of you) will know that we have set ourselves upon completing the discographies of some of the more significant artists we have reviewed, before we move on to newer pastures. The latest in my sights is this, Cohen’s Aurora. For those of you who know enough about music will know that artists of such high caliber won’t ever come up with a steaming turd of an album. There will only be varying degrees of excellence. So let’s get hopes of an unnecessarily acerbic review out the window, shall we? Right.

Since I only have two other Cohen albums to reference this with, let me lay down the differences first. The biggest change is undoubtedly the introduction of vocals into the mix of the music, and it is a great change, by all means. It brings out Cohen‘s vastly eclectic tastes in music to the fore,

since most folk music isn’t really instrumental, and only supports vocals.

And the songs which do use vocals thankfully don’t use very studio ready voices. They are quite raw and folksy, which is wonderful, and is a distinct change from the big(ish) band sound of At Home and the straight-up jazz trio that wasGently Disturbed. It is quite excellent, with the blend of Middle-Eastern Hebrew vocal harmonies mixing with jazzy piano to make a truly compelling record. “Morenika”, “El Hatzipor” and “Leolam” are all quite excellent. I’m sure there is a touch of African music as well, as I would have sworn I heard snatches of what could easily have ended up in a Salif Keita or Tinariwen record.

I would have sworn I heard snatches of what could easily have ended up in a Salif Keita or Tinariwen record.

The second big change is the scope of the record. Gently Disturbed was clearly a trio record

and At Home a big band jazz record. Avishai Cohen is clearly staking his claim as a composer and not as a bass player. This is evident, because his albums have progressively featured less bass playing and more songs as a whole. Always a good thing, that.

I don’t really get the lyrics, but I’ve always maintained that music that is performed with some other language makes the voice itself like an instrument, which is a good thing. The irony here is that despite understanding the lyrics of “Winter Song” and “It’s been so long”, I like neither. That said, the latter has beautiful electric bass playing. Oh, and “Still” doesn’t cut it for me either.

Later on in the track listing, we have “Shir Preda”, which basically a piano-voice duo until a lovely electric bass solo in the end, and “Alfonsina”, which has a guy singing in Hebrew (presumably) with a BIG voice. Finally, we have my favourite track of the album, “Noches Noches”, which despite the silly sounding name, sounds haunting and beautiful and like an invocation of Christ’s second coming, or something. Fantastic.

His best album so far.

I said earlier that Cohen has definitely shifted his focus from being a bass player to being a composer, and draws liberally from his own identity of being from Israel, which is quite at the crossroads of Asiatic, European and African culture. The resulting mix is his best album so far. This sounds very right.

-El Bajista

The Story of Ganga

Ganga! A name very close to every Indian’s heart. Mother of an entire civilization & culture - Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb is dying a slow death. And that too in the holy city of Benares/Kashi-Varanasi.

Ganga & Kashi are the very basis of physical and spiritual existence. Ganga or Gangaji, as referred to by 2 million residents of the city, receives more than

A study has revealed that the water quality at Varanasi is not safe for human use. Result shows that Fecal coliform (20.9×103/100ml), Fecal streptococci (93/100ml), total bacterial density (1.43×103/l), total coliform (25.4×103/100ml) Escherichia coli (6.9×103/100ml) and Clostridium perfringens (396/100ml ) were substantially high and much beyond the permissible limit of ISI and WHO. The dying river has become a grave threat to the health of people who are bathing in it and are living on its bank.

Their only fault is that they love the river, worship it as if it were their mother. High incidents of gastric and enteric diseases have been recorded amongst the residents close to river.

40,000 visitors every day. All the pilgrims wash here to wash away their sins in this pure river. The very purity, however, is at stake as the city lacks a well developed sewage management system. According to an estimate, around 200 million tons of domestic sewage is disposed into the river daily in Varanasi (Benares) alone.

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) has been found to be very high due to the decomposition of organic wastes, which leads to further eutrophication.

The overall rate of waterborne/enteric diseases incidence, including acute gastrointestinal diseases, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis-A, and typhoid, was estimated at 66% during the one-year period prior to the survey.

Logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between the occurrence of waterborne gastro-enteric disease and the use of the river for bathing, laundry, washing utensils, and brushing teeth.

Thirty-three cases of cholera were identified among families exposed to washing clothes or bathing in the Ganges while no cholera cases occurred in unexposed families.

Ganga & Government In spite of the fact that the “Ganga Water pollution Issue” has been in limelight for few decades, little has been done to address the real cause of the problem. Recently, the Government of India has declared the transnational river as the “National River of India”. However, the situation remains unchanged and has even worsened.

A glimpse of the Ganga Action Plan.

The first phase of the Ganga action plan (GAP) was started in 1986 by Rajiv Gandhi. To oversee the implementation of the GAP and to lay down policies and programmes, the Government of India constituted the Central Ganga Authority (CGA) in February 1985. CGA was renamed, the National River Conservation Authority (NRCA) in September 1995 and put under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister. The Government also established the Ganga Project Directorate (GPD) in June 1985 as a wing of the Department of Environment, to execute projects under the guidance and supervision of the CGA. The Government renamed the GPD as the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) in June 1994.

Naming & Renaming but no output Core sectors of GAP included the interception and diversion of domestic wastewater including the construction and rehabilitation of sewers and pump houses. The non-core sector schemes aimed at installing crematoria, river front development and aesthetic improvement, implementation of low cost sanitation systems, and miscellaneous activities such as water quality monitoring, research programmers, and identification and management of waste from grossly polluting industries. More than Rs 2,000 crore later nothing has been achieved; instead the conditions have only become worse. Tall claims are made by the Government officials but the ground realities are totally different.

The miserable failure of the Ganga Action Plan can be attributed to lack of conceptualization of the real problem, lack of Satyagraha – A ray of hope political will political and corruption.

The 2nd phase of Ganga Action Plan has been initiated; however, its success de-

In all this chaos and silence of government, a small revolution is creating a ray of hope. Tulsi Ghat where Goswami Tulsi Das penned down Ram Charitra Manas, is again a center of attraction. Prof. Vir Bhadra Mishra has founded Sankat Mochan Foundation to connect people with the river. The Government of India is now involving Ganga Satyagrahis in rejuvenating the river and has accepted the foundations proposition of Integrated Waste Management. The proceedings have started. pends on proper planning and execution. Hope the Mother Ganga is saved! Amen!

The water treatment plant set up at Bhagwanpur, Varanasi can treat the sewage water only up to the secondary level. Moreover it caters only to a small part of the city.

According to some people the disposal of half burnt corpses and ash into the river is another cause of concern. Electric crematories have been set at the shamshan ghats, but they remain nonfunctional.

-Arunava

FOOD BILL HORROR : SHOW ME THE MONEY!!

When I was still younger, I used to crave chalks and stole them out of the classrooms to have them all for myself, relishing every bite of that dust. I knew it was unhealthy, to say the least.

But these young kids in Ganne, a village 45 km east of Allahabad (one of Uttar Pradesh’s biggest commercial centres) are eating silica-laced mud to alleviate their hunger pangs, even as a group of top union ministers meet to redraft the food security bill. This is happening in a nation that is trying to emerge as the global hub with a burgeoning economy to boast about. It’s evident that this nation has a lot of loud mouths in the assembly that seldom work for providing even the basic necessities of life to its citizens.

The food bill, highlighting the “Right to Food” has fallen flat on its face when it was openly declined and refuted by the UPA. However, the bill was approved by the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM).

The change asked by Madame Sonia in the current food bill is - the correct number of headcounts of the poor living below the poverty line and those in the vulnerable sections of the society. Apart from this there is also a discrepancy in the issuance of food coupons to the poor and the status of the ration cards, which faced criticism.

The following facts and figures clearly mock the condition of our Food distribution: Integrated Child Development Scheme: Addresses nutritional needs of children under six; 1.4 million centres nationwide. Outlay for 2010-11: Rs 7,807 crore (With an amount as huge as that, there are still starving children?)

Midday Meal Scheme: Provides meals to retain children in government schools.

Outlay for 2010-11: Rs 9,440 crore.

National Social Assistance Programme: Pensions for old age, widows and disabled. Outlay for 2010-11: Rs 5,710 crore Public Distribution System: Subsidised food through half a million fair-price shops. Outlay for 2010-11: Rs 55,578 crore

Something that’s highly annoying is that the ministers of this country don’t even have a count of people bellow poverty line. And quite surprisingly they don’t even have the slightest idea of what is happening in this erstwhile district of Ganne, where children eat mud because it tastes like gram powder. Add to that, only 45 families out of 149 have the BPL card. Ironically, the nearest community health center is atleast 10 kilometres away from this district, despite of the crores of our currency that is spent in their development. Just where does all the money go?

The story of Ganne district is not one of a kind; there are places where our people survive eating ants and other insects. Across Harro, another village cluster, out of the 3,600 families only 107 families hold the BPL card and they are usually given out to the families of the Village pradhan. The health services have been irregular and do not visit such regions to avoid the pain. There has never been any official survey in theses villages and thus, there was never a genuine headcount. The national oldage pension scheme was rolled out eight years ago, but many complain they never received pensions. Other anomalies abound.

While the Suresh Tendulkar Committee says, 37.2% Indians qualify as poor, as per the Planning Commission’s yardstick the figure is 27.2%. Yet another estimate from state governments puts the figure at 10.52 crore families or 45%. Let’s just hope these guys decide on one thing, at the very least.

Without food, power and water for the citizens, the country in nowhere close to the path of glory; consider it is a sadist remark on the face of world economy.

Micro Hydro Power Generation

Hydropower is among the oldest renewable energy techniques known to mankind. Hydropower energy generation has turned out to be relatively inflation free due to absence of fuel cost. With mature technology characterized by highest prime moving efficiency and spectacular operational flexibility, it accounts for 25% of India’s total installed

electricity generator, a grinding mill or some other useful device.

The basic principle of hydropower is that if water is piped down from a certain level, then the resulting water pressure is converted to work. If the water pressure moves a mechanical component then that movement involves the conversion of the potential energy of the water into mechanical energy. Hydro turbines convert water pressure into mechanical shaft power, which can be used to drive an

Micro hydro plants are comparatively easy to manufacture and install indigenously, thus boosting local employment, economic activity and the industrial base

Sustainable Development through Micro and Small Hydro plants

Supply of clean and reliable energy is considered one of the main inputs required to raise the standards of living of the people and to minimize the damage to the ecosystem. MiMicro Hydro/ Pico Up to 100 kW cro hydro can provide electricity to rural comHydro munities that otherwise will be left for years Mini Hydro 101 kW – 2 MW without electricity. The target sites for small Small Hydro 2 MW to 25 MW hydro plants are the isolated areas (usually at a higher level) that which are not connected to power generation. the grid. The target beneficiaries are the rural people residing at a considerable distance Hydro power projects are generally away from transmission line and distribution categorized as either small or large plants. The networks. mandate for small hydro power (up to 25 MW) is given to Ministry of New and Renewable En- The main advantages are: ergy. Small hydro power projects are further The components of Micro hydro can be locally classified as: manufactured and system required can be locally built Technology

The Small hydro plants can be locally managed, operated and don’t require high skilled labor.

Potential and Policy Framework An estimated potential of about 15,000 MW of small hydro power projects exists in India. The total installed capacity of small hydro power projects in 2009 was around 2,500 MW. The Ministry’s aim is that the SHP installed capacity should be about 7,000 MW by the end of 12th 5 Year Plan.

Social Impact

Environmental Impact – Electricity supplied to previously unelectrified areas helps in reduction of kerosene and firewood, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The local watershed of the village becomes a source of power and hence the community is more involved in protecting 23 States in India have announced the forest and surrounding areas. policies for setting up commercial SHP proLivelihood – Improved lighting jects through private sector participation. stimulates education. Reduction of use of The facilities available in the States include firewood improves quality of health. Power wheeling of power produced, banking, buy- used by micro-enterprises and cottage inback of power, facility for third party sale, dustries increases income. Energy supplied etc. Each state has specified different in- for agricultural and supporting activities centives and buy-back price for the power increases productivity and reduces wastage generated. of crop.

Capacity building and community empowerment – Supply of clean and reliPresent costs of generation: around Rs able energy by utilisation of water provides 1.5/kWhr a huge impetus for overall development of the village community and empowerment Capital costs of its people.

Pico Hydro – Rs 2.0 lakh/kW Estimated Cost

Micro Hydro –Rs 1.5 lakh/kW Mini and Small Hydro –Rs 0.6 lakh/kW Operation and Maintenance costs: 2% of capital costs

Road to Sangam The film starts slowly with ashes being taken from a state bank locker. In the parallel story we are introduced to Hasmat Bhai (Paresh Rawal), General Secretary of the local Mosque Committee in Allahabad. A ‘mistri’, he uses the term mechanical engineer instead. Passionate about his work, Hasmat is excited to receive an old Ford car engine for repair work from the city museum. The work is near impossible given the state of the machine, but Hasmat is all the more ready for it. The deadline too is demanding, and he gears up his small team to get on with the work.

Around that time, bomb blasts rock the city, causing the police to pick up random, yet all Muslim suspects, many with no criminal background angers the community.

The mosque committee initiates a protest march during which a young member of the community dies. Om Puri, who plays the head honcho of this outfit, speaks with a command egged by his maulvi assistant (Pawan Malhotra, fabulous and Unknowable due to his heavy makeup). They decide that all Muslims in the area shut shop until they hear an apology from the government. Members, who fear for their livelihood, don’t dare protest.

Halfway done repairing the Ford engine, Hasmat is in two minds whether to shut his shop.

While he wishes to be with the committee, his professionalism doesn’t let him break the commitment. The twist comes when a TV reporter informs him of the stature of the car engine.

The motor that had carried Gandhi’s ashes right after his death in 1948. If repaired, this engine would make the trip with the Mahatma’s ashes to the Sangam River where Yamuna and Ganga meet. Alarmed and honored, Hasmat’s dilemma deepens.

The film then explores Hasmat’s struggle to follow his chosen path; a decision that proves to be harder than he imagined. The film creates an emotion that puts patriotism forth religion. First time director-writer Amit Rai pulls up a great act and this film is definitely to watch out for with power packed actors, the important subject and well furnished writing. It clearly deserves a four on five.

Cast: Paresh Rawal - Hasmat Ullah Om Puri - Mohammad Ali Kasuri Pawan Malhotra - Maulana Qureshi Javed Shaikh - Dr. Banerjee Swati Chitnis - Aara •

Masood Akhtar - Zulfikar

Yusuf Hussain – Gaffar Writer and director – Amit Rai Producer –Amit Chheda, Sunil Sharma

Lucky-Alice Sebold "You save yourself or you remain unsaved" Alice Sebold’s Lucky is a story of a brutal rape, the victim and a cold-hearted rapist, of flying aspirations even with dwindling hopes, of the struggle of a woman who ‘saves’ herself.

This book is not meant for everyone. The detail description of the rape, which occurred during her freshman year at Syracuse University, in the very first few pages pulls your veins out and makes you feel wretched. Reading a sex scene in any other novel might make you blush and mushy but this one makes you uncomfortable in your seat and mocks your helplessness.

The fact that this is a true story makes every line, every word, and every syllable more compelling than any other book I have read.

It is in your face and gives you a first person account.

The world is divided for this young lady into two - of victims and criminals. The script has its share of twists and turns. It not only talks about the pain and agony of the victim but also of her awe inspiring moves in the aftermath.The definition of rape in the dictionary might be restricted to sexual assault but according to the author, it is worse than murder and takes away everything.

The road to recovery is detailed too but the scars of that unfortunate night remain etched in both the reader’s and the author’s mind. The book talks about the importance of virginity and the fact that the author was a virgin when raped makes the story even hard hitting. It is motivational in its own sense.

Reading the novel becomes an oddly exhilarating experience because of its portrayal of the resilience and the hope that manages to spring from violence and sorrow.

And because of the seemingly effortless way Sebold pulls off one risky move after another. Even though her account of the rape is too much to bear - an overdose of honesty kills -still it is just hard to put down the book.

At the end of the book, you might just be thinking of tuning into celibate and cutting the balls off of all the rapists, which Sebold wanted to; as is evident from her moving poem, which binds the evil side of her to that of the rapists’ and certainly seems revengeful.

Read the poem to have a look inside a rape victim’s head and read the book to reckon the fact that life is not always hunky dory and has its own tunnels and secret passages leading to unknown lands and spaces..

The i-Phone Killer: Motorola Droid -Mandala Shiva Venkata For many years there has been speculation that the next phone from Apple’s competitor will finally beat the iPhone at its game. But it’s all came to naught. Phone after phone released, each claiming to finally be the coveted one, but each failed to excel or even keep up with the i-Phone’s superior functionalities. Many phone manufacturers tried their hand at such a phone and all of them failed including the likes of Sony that was touted to usurp the throne through Xperia.

huge screen and a slide out full QWERTY keyboard. It has a metal and plastic body which just exudes class, and that coupled with the gold accents makes it truly lust worthy. The screen on the DROID is a 3.7inch capacitive touchscreen - a full glass display with a WVGA resolution clocking

That, however, was before Google decided that Apple was running free run in the market and turning unstoppable, and that it was time to take matters in its own hands. Google launched its own Operating System for mobiles, the Android platform. What makes it different from the attempts of other phone manufacturers is that it is open source, fully customizable, and the best part is that it has been made

by Google.

Motorola was failing when they launched the Droid (or Milestone), people said they were going to file for bankruptcy. But their last gasp attempt, the Droid is turning out to be a resounding success in putting them well on the path to recovery.

The Droid looks beautiful, with a

in a 480 x 854 resolution. The responsiveness on the DROID is at par (if not better) with most of its Android contemporaries; gestures and flicks register with little or no lag.

The Droid runs on Android 2.0 and that itself is reason enough to choose it over its competitors. The only other OS which manages to manage such exhilarating performance is the i-Phone OS. Give Android time (it is open source!) and it’ll soon have Apple at its mercy. Android offers a smooth touch based interface, lots of apps, and full customizability that easily rivals the iPhone’s OS, but loses out mainly because of it lacks the number of Apps as is available for i-Phone users.

Inside the DROID beats an Arm Cortex A8 CPU (a 600MHz, OMAP3430 chip down clocked to 550MHz), 256MB of RAM, and 512MB of ROM; the CPU is the same as in the i-Phone. The fast processor ensures the Droid does not hang or stutter as could be the case with i-phone.

The Droid sports a 5MP camera with dual-LED flash. The camera application has also been extensively tweaked by Google, and offers a variety of scene and mode options. As a result, the camera takes photos that are better than most phones, barring the likes of a few such as Nexus One, and certainly something the people at Apple should look up to.

tening to music or using the earpiece during a call was a great experience and videos seemed amazing on the huge screen.

The presence of Android 2.0 in the phone adds a whole lot of new software to the party. Multiple email clients now have a common inbox, the web browser is definitely much better, Facebook is integrated, and the overall look and feel of Android has been enhanced. The number of third party apps has also been growing steadily, and there are quite a few apps to choose from now.

One of the biggest pieces of news (perhaps the biggest) to come out of the DROID launch was the introduction of dedicated, fully realized turn-by-turn navigation that integrates Google Maps.

Google has gone all out on this, providing a rich mixture of its satellite, map, traffic, and location info with text-to-speech directions. Of course, the big G takes it one step further and adds features such as parking info, ATM spots, restaurants, and gas station locations (amongst others) to the stew, making the navigation more robust than many dedicated PNDs. Needless to say, the navigation app worked beautifully for us.

To conclude, I would like to say that the Droid is certainly a phone to consider, one that will hold against the i-Phone. As of now, it is one of the best available in the market. Also, the Droid is consideraThe DROID is capable of shooting bly cheaper (MRP Rs 32,000, you can get at a 720 x 480 resolution and was verified it for Rs 28000) compared to the i-Phone with our test videos coming out crisp and (Rs 39000). And that just sweetens the sharp. deal, doesn’t it.

The Droid handles multimedia especially My choice? The Droid. well - with crisp and well balanced audio and with sharp and vibrant videos. Lis-

The Art Of Overclocking -Mandala Shiva Venkata

Clock-rate is the frequency of a particular type of signal used in electrical circuits such as CPU’s. You may recognize the labels on your laptop or your desktop’s CPU marking the processor as 1.5 GHz or 1.33 GHz. The 1.5 GHz or the 1.33 GHz is nothing else but the clock rate. From a very basic understanding of computers, one would probably conclude that higher this figure for CPU’s better would be the performance. Isn’t that how we look at electronics – more the value of the parameter, better it must be. Perhaps that is not always true.

Overclocking is the process of running a computer component at a higher clock rate than it was designed for or was specified by the manufacturer. This is usually done by computer buffs seeking to increase the performance of their gadgets.

This enables people to get more out of their existing hardware People who overclock their components mainly focus their efforts on processors, video cards, motherboard chipsets, and random-access memory (RAM). The enhancement is done through manipulating the CPU multiplier and the motherboard's front side bus (FSB) clock rate until a maximum stable operating frequency is reached (Sorry for the technical terms, for those who are not aware of these terms, assume it is technological noise or if you are really keen, you could try google).

The following are the main considerations while overclocking: Power Draw: Most components need more power when overclocked significantly. This can be done by increasing the voltage to a chip. However, too much voltage could result frying out the chip.

Cooling: Overclocking a component requires a competent cooler; the stock cooler just isn’t enough in most cases. There are many aftermarket coolers that use high performance materials to provide good cooling. Most extreme overclockers, however, use liquid cooling which is by far better than air-based coolers, however, they are costly and difficult to setup and even more difficult to maintain.

Life and warranty: When overclocked, the life of the chip reduces; depending on how high the temperatures go when overclocked. Also, most manufacturers do not cover overclocking under warranty, because it is treated as an invasive procedure when not undertaken by the manufacturer.

CPU Overclocking There are two main types of CPU’s: ones with unlocked multipliers and the ones with a locked multiplier. AMD’s Black Edition CPU’s and Intel’s Extreme Edition CPU’s are the ones with the unlocked multiplier. Unlocked multipliers are simpler to overclock because all one has to do is to bump up the multiplier; in fact, AMD allows you to do that even from Windows. For example, let us take a CPU with a core clock of 200MHz. With a 14 X multiplier, it has a speed of 200 X 14=2800MHz or 2.8 GHz. If the multiplier is increased to 16 X however, it will run at 200 X 16=3200MHz or 3.2 GHz. For the other type of CPUs, overclocking from the Motherboard Bios is the only way out. An overclocker will have to slowly bump up the core clock and frequency of the CPU until a maximum clock speed is attained, at which the computer does not crash under full stress. For example, in the above case, with a locked multiplier, you would have to increase the core clock of your CPU to 228 MHz (228 X 14=3200MHz).

Extreme overclockers also need to bump up the voltage, which also can be controlled from the Bios. Please note that having an overclocking option in the Bios is also necessary: most budget motherboards don’t even have the option.

GPU Overclocking Overclocking a Graphics Card is relatively simpler. Most new graphics cards can be overclocked directly from Windows using softwares such as Rivatuner, EVGA Precision, MSI Afterburner, etc. Some graphics cards, the higher-end ones, support voltage tweaking, and this is the only place where you can go wrong. Also, graphics cards produce a lot of heat, so make sure you keep the temperatures under check (read under 80°C). While overclocking a graphics card, increase the core clock/shader clock/memory clock while running a graphics stressing program such as Furmark, and increase it till the maximum stable overclock. You will realize that point when the artifacts start showing on your screen or your computer freezes and the graphics card resets to its default speed.

Overclocking is especially useful when a person’s computer is bottlenecked, i.e., slowed down by one component. In that case, the person just has to overclock the slow component a little bit to keep up with the rest of the system.

So, if you have to improve the performance of your present computer that is going too slow for your liking, you don’t have to spend a few thousand Rupees in buying a new gadget. You can solve your problem by over-clocking.

Goldman Sachs: Wolf in the skin of a sheep?

Days after a marathon 10-hour hearing before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Goldman Sachs learnt that it is the defendant in a criminal investigation conducted by the U.S. attorney in Manhattan. Goldman has been accused of fraud by the SEC (in a civil suit) in connection to the sale of complex securities (CDOs) tied to subprime mortgages. Allegedly, the CDOs were designed to fail. The charges have questioned Goldman's public profile and caused severe damage to its image as a company that serves the interests of its clients.

Goldman, obviously, denied the allegations, claiming that the firm itself lost $90 million in the deal. If found guilty, Goldman could owe the investors up to $1 billion.

and challenging the accuracy and completeness of Goldman Sachs' disclosure".

Of the six complaints detailed in the 8-K filing, five relate to individual shareholders and one is an amended joint filing on behalf of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 Pension Fund.

The public is watching with attention the developments in the case and video clips from the senate subcommittee hearings have been widely circulated on the Internet and used as fodder by latenight comedians. The severity of the ongoing recession has created a need to find a scapegoat, one company that more than any other reflects the recklessness and scale is none other than Goldman Sachs.

Goldman Sachs stock price Although in the letter, Goldman dropped 13%, sparking a broad sell off of also rejected claims that it profited from financial stocks that resulted in the markets closing the day down - 126 points for the mortgage market meltdown. the Dow and 19.5 points for the S&P 500.

Two US pension funds are among a number of plaintiffs filing class action lawsuits against Goldman Sachs in the wake of the US Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) decision to sue the company for fraud. The company documents show six shareholder complaints against Goldman Sachs, its board of directors, and certain officers and employees of the firm and its affiliates. The legal actions allege "breach of fiduciary duty, corporate waste, abuse of control, mismanagement and unjust enrichment in connection with collateralized debt obligation offerings made between 2004 and 2007,

``Our short positions were not a 'bet against our clients,''' Goldman said in the letter. ``Rather, they served to offset our long positions. Our goal was, and is, to be in a position to make markets for our clients while managing our risk within prescribed limits.''

Suicidal Not By Chance...

I feel there has never been any reason, big enough that makes hurting one’s own self, justifiable. When I saw my best friend’s slashed wrists, it was too much to bear. Not the physical pain but the mental agony she had gone through that made her do it. This article is dedicated to all those, who are insanely in love but their nerves are just not strong enough to hold them up from falling.

But it is not always about the strength. Some times, it is too much to take. Love and passion come with their own pros and cons. But hurting your own system is never the solution. What makes many of us do such acts, is not specific. Some do it out of their own will to prove to their loved ones that they are hurt mentally and that they are enduring this physical pain to minimize the other.

Some of us use it as a sympathy gainer or use it as a tool to indulge in some emotional atyachaar, the physical way. And some of us do it just to comply with our dark rules and fill the voids and emptiness around with oozing blood. Be it slashed wrists, substance abuse, sleeping pills or just any other “ God knows what” way, it all boils down to just one motive at the end- “Attention”.

No one likes to be alone or be less cared of.

hurt yourself. Shutting out yourself in a No matter how strong you might just be, alone, some day you realize that even you need some attention from those around you before they crumple you and throw away

shady room and lying in a pool of blood might end your pain forever but it scars the memory of those around you, badly.

All of these ways are self-centered and self - absorbed.

This natural tendency of making your presence felt to your partner becomes a paranoia soon if remain unchecked.

Talking it out with your partner always helps. Just let them know by words and not actions that you don’t feel loved

Such attempts often succeed in anymore or whatever may be the reason. leaving your loved one aghast and broken. You can always find atleast a hundred reaThey affect not only the person; it was in- sons for not ending your life against one – tended for, but even your family and for the motion. All you need to do is, dig friends. Revival and survival are the other further deep inside, and make your living more substantial than consequential. shores from this side of the world.

Your loved ones will always under-

Having done it all and seen it all, I

know this for sure that suicidal attempts stand and if they don’t. than taking your are never the end. They always mark the life is never going to be good enough for beginning of the era where you become them. We all ought to have a little more more vulnerable and sensitive to those self respect. around you. Your precious life might just

As John Herschel said

be taken for granted and every time you push yourself to the edge the results you “Self-respect is the cornerstone of all virexpect start diminishing. Believe you me tue.” no one respect this man who does not respect his own life. And if you think that your loved one means more than this life to you, he/she will never ever want you to

P.S. I really don’t know who he is, but his quote implies a lot to the meaning of life..

Eavesdropping I am in this sulky metro right now and this scorching heat is killing me already, and the air conditioners are working just for the namesake. Before I die cribbing about this weather and the heat I would like to dedicate my last seconds to the people around me.

My ears I guess are of a different species. I am not voyeuristic but I am shameless enough to listen to what goes around in lives of the people around me. Though we assume that our privacy would not be invaded in the busiest of depots but people like me have all ears to your grievances, complaints and disappointments. I am apologetic for doing this but it will be apt to say that it is my hobby.

People talk just about everything. For instance this guy standing next to me, is whispering to his, I assume, ex – girlfriend, loudly enough for me to hear. “Why did you slash your wrists? You are about to get married. What?? You had an arm wrestle with your mother? Beep. Beep. But you were wrong in the first place. Then why did you name me? Next time onwards I don’t give a beep to you and your household. “

That ended the talk and judging by the demand and supply talk, it was followed by a business call on that fellow’s number. The best gossip can be “overheard” from the girls in bright pinks and greens and yellows talking about their love encounter and trustworthy “baauyfraands”. “He took me for a movie but I did not let him touch me. He is cute naa? Did you see his photograph on orkut? I know, Shradha is such a bitch. How could she wear such revealing outfits to a coed bash?”

Now, I do realize that this is unethical but even you believe that such talks are juicy enough to make a silly boring journey, enjoyable. Just yesterday, while sitting at some posh pasta joint, I heard or rather “overheard” a couple talking. They were breaking up for sure because I heard a chunk of their conversation, slyly. While, my friend next to me was enjoying his meal I was busy listening to what was being served and spoken on the next table. The girl talked relentlessly about the efforts she has made to prevent that relationship from falling apart. The guy looked more dominant and kept ranting about how difficult it was for him to make public appearances with her anymore. Then there were a few hush-hush tears and the guy banged the table and left.

Pretty much the usual!

Break ups are depressing but listening to their reasons is real fun. And so are the saas – bahu sagas, aunties sitting next to you keep on talking about when you are traveling by public transport. “She makes me cook dinner even if I reach home at 9, from office. She is really irritating when she drinks her tea with a slurp.” Or even better, “I think she is fond of Khanna Uncle, living in the next building.” Followed by wicked giggles!

Sometimes it is difficult not to listen. In fact, people should not be so oblivious to their surroundings and neither should they take their ‘privy’ senses over board because people like me, unabashedly listen to what is cooking.