VIBES Oct 2010 by Eclectic Publications

ARUNACHAL PRADESH • ASSAM • MANIPUR • MEGHALAYA • MIZORAM • NAGALAND • SIKKIM • TRIPURA

FOR MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

INDUS CREED KROMLEK

STREET STORIES

The pagan pundits from Germany on what makes their music uncanny yet universal

MICHAEL M SAILO He can rap, he can rhyme. He can mix it all up and still sound fine

The Shillong lads talk about pop, punk and Poker face

MUSIC AND LYRICS A look at how music has played a vital role in shaping Assamese history and society

After a decade-long hiatus, Indus Creed is back with a new sound and two new faces

REGULAR ON DEMAND Fat Larry’s Revenge, Audio Essence, Weeping Roses

FYI Hang Cool Teddy Bear, Mantis, Insane Generation

WOC Indian instruments in their electronic avatars

TRACK RECORD Check out the ten best sports songs

INDUS CREED COVER PHOTOGRAPH – DEV BENEGAL

TRACKLISTING

TRACKLISTING DJ KAY MIKADO A successful restaurateur with a passion to spin music. Some dudes do it all!

IT’S A GOAL

TRIGGER HAPPY

European football’s new season gets underway with transfers galore

Some take it up as a sport some do it for the ‘kicks’. What would your pick be?

EMOTIONALLY YOURS Is EMO just a fashion funda or something much more than that? Vibes finds out

PLUS EVENTS

TWITTER TATTLES The online domain has become a favourite fighting ground for warring celebrities

VIBES CORNER

Catch the hippest happenings in town

Red River: A little north eastern corner in Bangalore

JOCK TALKING

Cafe Live & Loud: Get groovy at Gangtok

RJ Hansie on the dynamics of male bonding

CAMPUS CALL Gauhati Commerce College

BHEJA FRY Issues, opinions, questions…feel free to raise them all

EDITORIAL

TEAM VIBES managing editor - Tanushree Hazarika tanu@eclectic.co.in

BLAST FROM THE PAST

ometime or the other, we have all experienced déjà vu — that feeling of ‘I’ve been here before’, which gets triggered by almost anything — a situation, a conversation, a sight, a smell or even a thought. There is no proper scientific explanation for déjà vu or even if there’s any, the aftereffects are usually very amusing and so we need not worry about their validity. As I write this, I too feel a sense of déjà vu — of beginning a fresh new chapter for VIBES. It’s been 12 months since we came out with this music supplement and it’s been a pretty swift and fascinating journey till now. Every month we have come across new artistes, new stories, new passions and a lot more and we have attempted to cover the best ones till date. Of course, it’s not possible to publish every exciting story but then we have only started and still have a long, long way to go. There will always be something that we missed out or have to put on hold but the effort will always be the same. To give our best, every time and with every issue! I must say that the support that we have received till now has been a huge surprise and it’s been quite a pleasant one. Sure, music has been a part of us as much as breathing and living but the response we have received from you guys has been nothing short of awesome. Even when we went from a complimentary magazine to a stand-alone there was no letting off in the flow. A huge gratitude filled ‘THANK YOU’ from our end. We really appreciate this and do keep those letters and feedbacks coming in. As October rolls in, I am hoping that we will feel another dose of déjà vu — one that takes us back to the days when we used to stare wide-eyed, glued to our TV sets, watching Indus Creed belt out ‘Trapped’ and ‘Pretty Child’. They were the Rock gods of India back then and guess what — they are back and back for good, or so it seems. They kick off their new journey from October onwards. And boy, are we excited or what! In those glory days, we even had a lot of rap artists ruling the roost and Michael M Sailo from Mizoram might just manage to capture your imagination and take you back there with his rapping and rhyming. The ’80s and ’90s were also the time when James Bond was a rage and his Walther PP was his constant companion. You need not have his looks if you can shoot like him and we tell you how to in Vibes Passion. We also have KromleK, a pagan metal band, who takes music to another level — they sing in Sanskrit and speak about the Kali Yuga. I can go on and on about the content but I guess it would be better to wrap off my editorial so that you can get on with the issue. And like I said, your suggestions have been really helpful, so don’t forget to write in to us. Ciao… for now.

(Managing Editor)

executive editor - Koushik Hazarika contributing editor - Nazneen Hussain content supervisor - Himakshi Goswami content co-ordinator - Pooja Barkataky layout artist - Himangshu Lahkar director – Bibha Hazarika admin officer - Prasanta Talukdar deputy admin officer - Monjari Mahanta

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CONTACT US head office Vibes Mag • Eclectic House • 34, PB Road Rehabari • Guwahati Assam • India • PIN 781008 landline +91-361-260 68 95 • mobile +91-94355 44836 corporate office Vibes Mag • C/O- Maverick • 10th Floor • A-Wing Mittal Tower • M.G. Road Bangalore • India • PIN 560001 landline +91-80-425 60 000

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Edited, printed and published by Tanushree Hazarika on behalf of Eclectic Media Enterprises Pvt. Ltd, Eclectic House, 34, PB Road, Rehabari, Guwahati - 781 008, Assam Printed at Swapna Printing Works Private Limited Doltala, Doharia, P.O.- Ganga Nagar, Dist- North 24 Paraganas, Kolkata- 700 132 Design ©Tattva Creations Pvt. Ltd. Copyright © 2010. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders. The publishers apologize for any omissions, which they will be pleased to rectify at the earliest opportunity. The views expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor.

September 2010 story. Stick to us as we get you info on more and more such fads - Team Vibes

For a music freak like me Vibes is a super cool magazine. I love the coverage you give to the bands and I like Weapons of Choice and Track Record. The interviews with Slain and GATC were really cool and Kaytee’s salsa moves were very sexy. And of late Bheja Fry is becoming yummier by the day. I eagerly wait for Hansie’s column every month; I think he’s very cute. Keep rocking and long live EV. Argha, Guwahati Readers like you make our day. Thanks and do keep writing in – Team Vibes

I found the Track Record list of controversial songs very enjoyable. But you could have also added some Bollywood numbers as there are quite a few of those, for sure. Imtiaz Choudhary, Guwahati Thanks. And yeah, we know there are a lot of great Bollywood songs but who doesn’t know them? Isn’t it great to go beyond Bollywood? – Team Vibes Being a dog lover, I enjoyed reading ‘Pet Perfect’. Dogs are indeed perfect. It was also good to know about the band from Nepal who sing in their own lingo. That’s something we need to encourage here as well. Jaswant Das, Jorhat

I quite like the new sections in your magazine. Good to see that all those taboo topics are coming out in the open. But I feel that RJ Hansie is being a bit too critical about one-night stands. After all it’s personal choice. Akhilesh Mishra, Shillong Wow Akhilesh! Thanks a lot for being so cool about these topics. Keep sending in your feedbacks – Team Vibes The September cover with Kaytee Namgyal looked ‘fab’. It’s good to see that you’re also featuring others on the cover now. Rini Medhi, Guwahati

LETTER OF THE MONTH I appreciate the team of Vibes for making the magazine so sophisticated and different from other music magazines. What makes it unique is that it has got a very good mix of all kinds of articles. I like Vibes Mix and WOC. So keep updating readers like me regarding the latest musical gizmos. Nitish, Guwahati Thanks dude! Do keep writing in and check out this issue for some more gizmo gyaan – Team Vibes

Thanks Rini. Hang out with us and you’ll get to know about more such individuals - Team Vibes I liked the hookah story in your last issue. Also, the “Bollywood Siblings” story was interesting. This trend of one sibling being more successful than the other is quite a strange affair. Samarjeet Dutta, Guwahati Hey Samarjeet, glad you liked the hookah

Absolutely bang on, Jaswant! And we do have quite a few bands in Assam and other states who sing in their local tongues. Stick around and you’ll know soon - Team Vibes I am an ardent fan of Vibes as it totally satiates my thirst for music. It’s great that you guys feature so many new bands every month. Half of which I hadn’t even heard of. I particularly remember the review on ‘Dabanol’ the band from Tripura. I listened to their music after reading the review and it was awesome. Rishi Das, Dibrugarh, Thanks mate! We’ll keep introducing new bands. Keep reading! - Team Vibes

WRITE TO US AT: The story on Girish and the Chronicles (GATC) was inspiring. Even I was in a band but we couldn’t stick it out. Wish we had. Good luck to those guys! Gaurav Mukherjee, Kolkata Thank you Gaurav! We wish them luck too and yeah, hope you get back your groove as well. Good luck! - Team Vibes

VIBES INBOX, ECLECTIC HOUSE, 34 P.B. ROAD, REHABARI, GUWAHATI - 781008 MAIL US AT: editorial@eclectic.co.in or SMS US AT: + 91 94355 44836

VIBES EVENTS

What: Friendly football match between Gauhati Town Club Stars and Assam Stars (comprising of Assamese cine celebrities) When: September 12 Where: Judgesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Field, Guwahati WALK THE TALK: Zerifa Wahid with a teammate

TWO TO TANGO: Pranjal Saikia with Devajit Saikia

GROUP CALL: Photo op. for both the teams

GIRL POWER: Prastuti Parasher, Florence Handique, Nishita Goswami and Zerifa Wahid

BLUE BUDDIES: Kapil Bora with teammates

DC ON FIELD: Prateek Hajela

VIBES EVENTS

Vibe Tribe, the Israeli psy-trance artistes rocked North East with two back-to-back shows last month. The underground scene here has seen such a jump in recent times that Guwahati is referred to as GOAhati these days. These two highly successful shows bear testimony to that.

WHAT: Vibe Tribe performance WHEN: September 3 and 4 WHERE: RnB Club, Guwahati & Tango, Shillong

WHAT: Song of the Rain, sitar performance by Purbayan Chatterjee WHEN: August 27 WHERE: Gauhati Town Club OTHER ARTISTES: Ruprekha Bannerjee, Indrajit Dey, Jivraj Singh, Anubrata Chatterjee and Ratan Bharti

STRING WIZARD: Purbayan Chatterjee

TABLA TIMES: Anubrata Chatterjee

SING ALONG: Ruprekha Bannerjee with Purbayan Chatterjee

VIBES EVENTS

What: Rocka Rolla Pub Rock Fest When: September 5 Where: Blues

HEAD

FANTASTIC FOUR: SOR

RS: ANGE

rama

Melod

GUITAR KING: Girish and the Chronicles

VIBES FAD

he soccer season is back! And we are sure to have more drama and even more action coming right up as the season unfolds. Last season saw the winners of two of the biggest leagues in Europe win by not more than 2 points. This season might MESUT OZIL

just prove to be history in the making. We have had an exciting list of summer transfers and by the look of it, the whole of Europe is going to be on ﬁre this season. To start with, perhaps the biggest transfer this summer was not of a player, but of a manager! Jose Mourinho leaving defending European champions Inter Milan to join Real Madrid is like a bright red cherry on top of your perfect birthday cake! “The Special One” has added German World Cup stars Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira to the array of stars in his side. Whereas rivals Barcelona have acquired the services of Spanish goal machine David Villa, Adriano and Javier Mascherano. Madrid has faced enough criticism for not delivering what is expected of a star studded squad like theirs and this year all hopes would be on Mourinho to change things for the nine-time European champions. On the other hand is a mouthwatering combination of Lionel Messi and David Villa at the head of the Catalan attack. Wait till we have our 1st El Classico this season!! Moving on to the EPL, Manchester City has spent the world to create the ultimate footballing team! Their star signings this summer include David Silva and Yaya Toure for £ 24 million each, promising youngster Mario Balotelli from Inter Milan, Aleksander Kolarov for £ 16 million, while they accepted Milan’s bid for Robinho on deadline day. Amidst all the criticism about the club trying to ‘buy its way to glory’, only time will tell if all the money spent was worth it. The players bought are world class players for sure, but can they blend in and show some quality football? Is Mancini good enough to handle the pressure or is he next in the premier league’s “sack race”? We’ll see!

ALEKSANDER KOLAROV

DAVID VILLA

JOSE MOURINHO

MARIO BALOTELLI

Chelsea meanwhile have released quite a big bunch of midfielders including Michael Ballack, who moved back to Bayern Leverkusen, the club that gave him his career’s launch pad, Deco and Belletti who both moved to Fluminense, Joe Cole to Liverpool and Defender Ricardo Carvalho off to Madrid. Meanwhile they have bought Yossi Benayoun from Liverpool and Ramires from Benfica. Michael Essien’s return to MICHAEL BALLACK

YOSSI BENAYOUN

RAMIRES

CHRIS SMALLING

the squad after a season-long injury is also relative to a £ 20 million signing itself! The defending champions look in great form after winning their 1st two league games by a margin of six goals each. They do have a very big chance of repeating a premier league win but their main target will be the Champion’s League. ManU on the other hand have pretty much the same side except the addition of Mexico forward Javier Hernandez from Guadalajara and Chris Smalling from Fulham. Arsenal have brought in young

sensation Marouane Chamakh while they sold Eduardo and released defender William Gallas who joined the Spurs. The huge issue regarding Fabregas’s departure to Barcelona did disrupt aﬀairs of the team for quite some time but they seem to be showing up the usual attacking football they have always

played and are shaping up for the challenge. Liverpool, after a pathetic previous season is hopeful for better results this time around. Joe Cole’s addition along with midﬁelders Christian Poulsen and Paul Konchesky and the continued presence of Torres might be the boost the team needed to shine. But this

VIBES FAD

ROBINHO

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVICH

season they can only shine as bright as the premier league trophy or the FA cup in the highest level as they didn’t manage to qualify for the Champion’s League this season. Tottenham are another side who could be a surprise package and the deadline day transfer of Rafael Van der Vaart has given the club the inspiration they were looking for. The English Premier League is indeed going to be a cracker this season!! Now talking about Serie A, A.C. Milan has just given its side a further attacking thrust with the introduction of Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovich. With veterans like Ronaldinho and youngsters like Alexander

Pato combining with them, the attack strength of the side would be devastating! They should be able to pose a big threat to Inter’s supremacy in the domestic league and also do well in the Champion’s League. With all these transfers, each one promising to be more effective than the other, every club is posing a threat on every other club. The leagues are going to go down to the wire and the fight for the Champion’s League is going to get red hot! There are about six teams from three leagues with almost equal chances of becoming European champions. The fight is on. Don’t miss it for the world!

VIBES FAD

“Emocore” or “emotional hardcore”. This Washington DC movement gradually spread through the US and many local bands started replicating this sound and mixed ‘hardcore’ with teenage angst. Emocore was all about confessional over-the-top songs relating to youth and their disassociation with the society. What started out as a musical outburst in the ’80s through the hardcore punk movement of Washington DC has now metamorphosed into a

PETE WENTZ

kinny jeans, spiky bangs, gothic tees and Converse shoes — today’s teens are forever garbed in these. Walk across any coﬀee shop or mall across the country and you’ll see the young ones, boys and girls alike, sporting this ‘EMO’ look. But I’m sure most youngsters following this trend do not even know what EMO is. If truth be told, even I had no idea about this latest fascination for all things ‘black and goth’! But then again, I’m no teenager. Call it generation gap or plain fashion ignorance, I could never understand why kids dress up the way they do these days. But that was until I came across the term EMO! For the uninitiated few, Emo is the latest youth subculture that’s been hitting the headlines

world over. Actually a short form of emotional, the Emo culture is inﬂuenced by goth, punk and post-punk.

Bands like Rites of Spring and Embrace are the pioneers of hardcore punk movement of the mid 1980s when it was known as

ASHLEE SIMPSON

VIBES FAD counterculture tied to both fashion and music. Emocore is not just a brand of music now, but a way of living for most youths. It’s an attitude, a style statement. There has been several such youth sub-cultures across the ages and Emo is just one of them. But it has created quite a stir in the western world as it has been blamed for encouraging suicides and self-harm

BAND T-SHIRTS: Wear a cool band’s T-shirt and make sure you know who’s cool HOODIES: It’s basically a sweatshirt with a hood. A decent collection is a pre-requisite for emo fashion JEANS: Go tight, not baggy! LAYERING: Wear an extra shirt over the band tee. More clothes mean more emo! SCARVES: Don’t ask me why, but scarves are a must. Any type will do GLOVES: Fingerless ones, for sure. They add to the layers look and look cute as well ACCESSORIES: Not that essential but a piercing or two is good. Necklaces are cool…especially ball chains SOCKS: Knee socks, thigh-highs, striped stockings or tights — all good! SHOES: Converse! MAKEUP: Black eyeliner. A little smudged for boys but clean lines for girls. As for nailpolish, black’s the best colour but girls can match it with their outfits as well

among teens. Critics are of the view that Emo music glamourises suicide. When 13-year-old Emo fan Hannah Bond hanged herself in 2007, angered parents pointed ﬁngers at the American Emo band My Chemical Romance for encouraging suicide. All over the world, Emo kids have become subject to prejudice mainly because they listen to songs that talk of dark and dreary emotions. This kind of prejudice only makes it worse. Advocates of this sub-culture insist that Emocore doesn’t encourage suicide. Emo kids are merely those shy, sensitive, introvert types who would rather sit in a corner and express their feelings through poetry than try to come out in the open. The society though thinks otherwise and looks down on them as failures.

What comes as a relief is that in India kids are merely following the Emo fashion fads. The morbid thoughts haven’t really percolated to the Indian teen psyche. It’s merely the grunged up look that’s caught the fancy of our youth. Emo advocates would surely term these kids as ‘posers’ because they are merely faking it by just following the fashion.

But why blame kids when even celebrities turn to faking it. The notion that, Emo fashion adds to the ‘coolness’ factor has been promoted by several big names in the entertainment world. It is expected that Emo band members like Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and JT Woodruﬀ of Hawthorne Heights dress up in the typical Emo way. That’s an extension of their music which is emotional and independent. Apart from them, though, there are several other celebs who have turned to Emo music and fashion at some point or another — Ashlee Simpson, Pink and Pete Wentz, to name a few. Simpson’s music down the years has ranged from pop to moody and dark, so did her fashion. At one point she was seen sporting black nail polish, jet black hair, lots of eyeliner, ﬁngerless gloves and tight

leggings. Pink, on the other hand, is considered more punk and pop than Emo but she does have quite a few emotional lyrics to her credit. And her spiky hairstyles in myriad colours, her tattoos and her lifestyle reek of Emo. But it’s Pete Wentz who’s the ultimate Emo fashion star with his black spiky hairstyle, skinny jeans and he even wears eyeliner or “guyliner” and nail paint. What more, he has even married Ashlee Simpson. They are the ultimate teen idols and it’s only imperative that their style is followed by every young person who’d like to be thought of as ‘cool’. And who doesn’t want to be cool? So, the next time you see a kid dressed up like that, don’t look at them with disdain. Simply remember that they are merely following a fad which will fade away as they grow up. After all even you grew out of your bell bottoms. Isn’t it?

VIBES PASSION

o you love to go to the small-town melas just to target those balloons with a fake gun? Are you the kind who loves to play IGI just so you can ﬁ re away at will? In short, are you the “trigger happy” kind? If yes, then no worries, we have found out just the right direction for you to channelise your interest. And that’s sport shooting. And most of you may not know this, but Guwahati has its very own international standard range for that. What’s more, it’s open for all. Shooting was mostly considered to be a game for either military men or for royal descendents. But not so anymore! If you wish to go bang, bang, bang, simply head for this international standard Shooting Range at Kahilipara. Though most of the shooters at this range are competitive level shooters, there are several who just do it for the love of it. It’s a hobby like no other. A little expensive no doubt, but the thrill of hitting a target cannot be surpassed. Pommy Baruah, is one such shooter who took it up as a hobby. “It’s a stress buster and it relaxes your mind from every little worry that you might have. You cannot think about anything else while you’re trying to shoot. It has made me more focussed and disciplined.” she says.

The complex, located at the 4th Assam Police Battalion in Kahilipara, is one of the positive oﬀ shoots of the 2007 National Games. Nestled amidst lush green hills it’s the perfect getaway for shooters. Bhaba Kalita, a national level shooter himself, and the general secretary of the Assam Riﬂe and Shooting Association, shows us around this four bigha indoor complex

VIBES PASSION

Bhaba Kalita honing his sharpshooting skills

which has a 10-metre, a 25-metre and a 50metre range. There’s also a Trap range and a Skit range in an adjacent complex. Kalita has been involved with the Assam shooting team since its inception days. In fact it’s because of his initiative and the eﬀorts of some other stalwarts that shooting gained prominence as a sport in the state. Kalita comes from a family of gun lovers and he fondly remembers holding a gun as a 12-year-old. “It started out as a hobby but there wasn’t much scope for it as a sport. I got an introduction into sport shooting at Dr Karni Singh’s shooting range at Tughalaqabad, Delhi and that’s when it became a passion,” he says. He even borrowed money to buy a Walther GSP pistol for Rs 5,70,000 from Mumbai and that gun formed the basis of the Assam sport shooting fraternity. “I guess every shooter in Assam has used that one time or the other,” he smiles. What started out as a modest dream has now become a reality with the setting up of this complex. Sport shooting now is very popular among several Guwahati civilians

with almost 85 enrolled members at the range. In fact the civilians outnumber the police personnels here. But what are the physical attributes needed for a sport like this? Th ankfully, it doesn’t require too much brawn. You need not be overtly muscular or strong to lift a pistol or gun. Yes, the rifle may be a bit on the heavier side but that’s okay. Even a scrawny fellow can hit the bull’s eye. While the men outnumber the women in the Assam shooting team, Kalita informs us that most shooters in the other states of India are women. As patience and concentration are the key attributes and women are known to be masters at that, more and more women get into shooting. Physical fitness, though, cannot be totally avoided. “You need to be physically fit and that’s why we advice everyone to do a lot of walking and swimming. And we also encourage meditation and yoga,” he says. Breathing techniques are also taught to shooters as it’s an important component of shooting. There are no issues with bad eye sight either. Even spectacles can be worn while

shooting. “I wear specs and so does Olympic champ, Abhinav Bindra,” Kalita grins. In fact there is a huge chance that people with dwindling eye sight may get better owing to the high levels of concentration demanded by the sport. And unlike the common notion that we need to shut an eye to aim at our target, here both eyes need to be open while taking a shot.

Th is is the only facility of its kind in the region as shooting ranges are a rarity in other states of the Northeast. Apart from Assam, Manipur was the fi rst northeastern state to have a shooting range as it had organised the National Games in 1999. In fact the fi rst few sport shooters for Assam were trained in Manipur. But Bhaba Kalita insists that the infrastructure here is now much better than Manipur. Meanwhile, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh are also planning to build their own shooting ranges. As for the other places of Assam, the Association arranges mobile camps at different districts and unearths talents who

Individuals from Class VIII and above are allowed to take up the course because shooting requires discipline and patience which comes with a certain age. Joining fees is R 1000 for students (below 25 years) and for working professionals, it’s R 5000. The monthly fee is R 500 for all. It’s the cheapest fee structure in India. It’s a 45-day course. After which individuals can practice as per convenience. The range is open on all days except Thursdays. Morning: 6.30 am to 10.30 am. Evening: 3.30 pm to 8.30 pm. Guns and ammunition are provided at the range. But the cartridges or air gun palettes need to be purchased at Govt. subsidised rates. There are total five ranges in the complex. The 10-metre range for air weapons only, both rifle and pistols. The 25-metre range with fire arms; the 50-metre range with fire arms, rifle and pistols; the skit range and the trap range, both with fire arms. The association has 12 guns which have been brought from outside India. Professional shooters use their own guns as they can retain their personal settings on them.

are then brought to this range. These mobile camps are the ﬁ rst of its kind in the country as the Association sets up temporary ranges in the chosen districts and trains amateur shooters. So for those outside Guwahati, these camps are a great way to learn the sport and the art of shooting.

If you’re still a bit hesitant about taking up the sport, just head out for the place. The serene atmosphere, the fabulous infrastructure and the awesome weapons on display might just tempt you to go back. And if you’re planning a Guwahati trip in November you can check out the Pre-

National Shooting championship that is scheduled to be organised at this complex. With over 2500 shooters expected at the venue, there’s sure to be some ﬁ reworks on display. PHOTO: HIMANGSHU

VIBES PASSION

n astute entrepreneur by the day and a funky DJ by night — who doesn’t dream of a life like that? But what remains a dream for many turns into a reality for those who make it happen. And DJ Kay Mikado alias Khanindra Barman is one such man. His journey begins in the hallways of BITS, Pilani, goes through the annals of Delhi’s software domains and reaches its destination in his successful business ventures. Not to forget his passion for music and DJing that kept the ﬁ re on. “I have always been into a lot of things,” he says. Apart from his popularity as a DJ, very few people actually know that Kay (along with his partner, Pankaj) owns a chain of restaurants and

night clubs in Bangalore. They have three restaurants, one lounge bar and two night clubs — The Beach and Zero Gravity. They’ve also opened the Banana Beach Bar, a very up-market place. Then there’s H2O, a lounge bar and a chain of spas called the Fifth Element. The group also runs a boutique hotel called The Olive Suites. Quite a handful, isn’t it? “Yeah, the whole business is quite diversiﬁed now. We are also looking into some prospects in Assam. We’re opening a franchise of Village here and I’ve come to design the place,” he informs. Where does his passion for music come into the scheme of things, then? “Even when I was working as a software professional in Delhi I moonlighted as a DJ in a place called Turquoise Cottage in Delhi. I was a rock and retro DJ and that was way back in 2002,” he says. Kay was never too happy in his job as he always had plans to start his own business. He did have those little niggling doubts of leaving a well paying job and putting in all his savings into a business venture. “We got into it with the plain intention that someday in life I don’t want to repent about not doing what I really wanted to do. And if Village did go for a toss, I could have always gone back to my job,” he says. Th ankfully, it worked, and it worked well. With so many entrepreneurial plans up his alley, where does the DJ in him go? “It’s my passion which is actually taking a very good shape now. And, I would not mind getting full time into it. I mean I wouldn’t be surprised if I do that tomorrow,” he smiles. Kay does have many musical plans up his sleeve. He now plans to come up with his own record label that’ll enable him to help other people with production. “I will be taking their tracks and then releasing them through my record label.” Kay started oﬀ as a DJ with more emphasis on Progressive house music, which is very similar to Trance music. But he could foresee that DJing had some limitations unless one got into production. So he’s now doing a lot of club music production. “I have a tie-up with a Portuguese record label LAD. There are many big online music stores and the biggest among them is Beatport. Among all Indians DJs I am the third highest releaser on Beatport,” he beams. It’s a prestigious thing for any DJ to have even one song on

Beatport. Only eight or nine Indian DJs have their tracks listed on Beatport. So what makes him and his music diﬀerent from all other DJs? “The biggest

DRINK - Mojito, a summer drink made of mint leaves with Bacardi beer FOOD - a big time home foodie. Dal, rice with some ﬁsh or fried chicken

HOLIDAY DESTINATION - Phuket HANGOUT - Shiro in Bangalore, not too loud, not too noisy, very up-market and posh. You can enjoy with both family and friends

PASTIME - I don’t know anything beside music BAND/MUSICIAN - Pink Floyd. His music inﬂuences my house music as well

asset for any DJ is his selection of tracks. It’s also essential for a DJ to know which track to play at what time. He should also know how to express oneself because it’s all about the flow of energy. If the energy from the DJ is not right, you cannot expect the crowd to be energetic,” Kay says. On the technical front, all DJs have different priorities as there are a number of gadgets that a DJ can use. Kay has his separate FX BOX and keyboards. He uses lot of VHCs but his host is Logic Pro which he uses on iMac. For the records, he plays on Vinyls. But is DJing really a feasible career? “I agree that it’s not an easy job for a newcomer. Getting a residency itself is so difficult and without a residency people won’t know you. But if you can create your own identity with your style of music, you’ll defi nitely grow. You have to have a USP, if you want to make it big,” he states. Kay also suggests wannabe DJs to take references from YouTube and other internet sources to make their arsenal strong. It has come a long way since those days of simply mixing tracks from here and there. It’s no more about just buying tracks

VIBES PASSION

and playing them. And Kay knows that all too well. “Today, DJs are doing remixes, mush-ups and production as well. Also, every movie has remixed versions of their songs. Th at remix is done by the DJs,” he informs. For all aspiring DJs that’s a sign of good tidings. For a man who has played in almost every city, Bangalore remains his favourite hunting ground. “A DJ can aﬀord to play little technical music in Bangalore but not in places like Chennai and Delhi,” he reasons. What about playing in his homeground, Guwahati? “It was a mixed feeling, playing in front of my own people. But the kind of music I spin is not quite popular here,” Kay says. But he does hope that a few more gigs down here will deﬁ nitely make the crowd more adventurous and knowledgeable. And to make that happen, Kay will be doing two more shows, in Shillong and Guwahati very soon. Cheers to that!

e to b i r c s b Su ANY TOURS IN THE NORTHEAST? There are two shows for October – one ARUNACHAL

• MANIPUR • ASSAM PRADESH

AYA • MEGHAL

D • NAGALAN • MIZORAM

• TRIPURA • SIKKIM

in Guwahati and another in Shillong. But nothing is conﬁrmed yet. & FOR MUSIC 0 AUGUST 201

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VIBES MUSIC SOUND OF THE SOIL

rapper in a region full of rockers comes as quite a surprise. And Michael M Sailo is Aizawl’s best kept secret. A man who writes his own rhymes and sings like any known international hip-hop artiste, Sailo is the quintessential rapper. Even his American twang adds to that image. But don’t be mistaken because he’s no NRI. In fact he hates being thought of as one. “C’mon man, can’t we have a little talent on our own?” he exclaims. Point taken, Sailo! As a kid he loved using his badminton racket as a guitar. As he grew up he moved on to singing in church choirs. Sailo never left music and the latter never let him go. But it was his stint in Pune that made the man that he is today. SNM, a Kenyan college buddy, inspired Sailo to take up rapping and the duo later performed at various shows across India. “SNM, who’s in Kenya now, showed me the way but he himself left music after college,” Sailo sighs. A hip-hopper to the core, Sailo swears by it. A culture that consists of rappers, B-Boys, DJ’s and graﬃti artistes, hip-hop, according to Sailo, is the greatest genre of all times. “It puts music back into circulation after every long decade with its remixes and sampling techniques,” he states. So why do we have only few hip-hop artistes in the North East? “Rock has been in this region ever since we knew what a guitar is. Hand over a turntable to every kid in this generation and see what the next generation turns up to be,” Sailo challenges. But what really is the diﬀerence between “rap” and “rock”? Sailo believes it’s the “originality” factor. “When it comes to rap it has to be an original composition. If others write for you, they are known as ghost writers

Ka duhaisam Kumtluang Atan Pari Zûn Back Down -http://acemaniac.hi5.com

and that doesn’t solicit much respect for your music,” he says. In rock music, however, the singer may not necessarily be the composer and that’s perfectly ﬁne. To be able to write rhyming lines one has to really master the English language and that he thinks is a major challenge for most people of this region. “You might be an MA in English but to be able to rhyme you need to be well versed in street talk or slang, have original word play and be good with punch lines It’s rare to ﬁnd all this in one person but I have seen my share of geniuses,” Sailo says. A fan of old school hip-hop, Sailo’s all time favourites are Nas and Jay Z. He is also fond of The Game, Fabolous, Drake, J Cole, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West and Sean Paul. Not to forget Wu Tang Clan! Sailo’s recent collaboration with D’luzion, the alternative experimental rock band from Guwahati, has created quite a buzz in the circuit. His song Mid of Noway has been playing regularly in local FM stations. Incidentally, he wrote the lyrics for it just 30 minutes before the scheduled recording.

And while collaborations are quite a hassle, Sailo enjoyed his stint with the band and hopes to take up more such collaborative initiatives. He even aspires to cut an album that incorporates songs of every north eastern dialect. That might be a reality soon as this master rapper also moonlights as a DJ. Known as Ace or DJ Acemaniac, Sailo plans to make a remix album with the likes of popular Mizo singers Mami Varte, SP, Gnat and others. The DJ in him has already mixed a few songs and the singer in him will add the remaining few. “It’ll be DJ Acemaniac featuring Michael M Sailo! My alter ego never lets me go,” he smirks. With so much under his belt, does he wish to win a Grammy soon? “Who doesn’t? But I’d rather like to add a BET award (Black Entertainment Award) to my kitty,” he says. The BET is given out to exceptional African Americans and other minorities in music, sports and all other entertainment categories. For a Northeasterner to win a BET would be a ﬁrst of sorts and who better than Michael M Sailo to get one home.

VIBES

ON THE

hey are the granddaddies of Indian rock. From being a “covers only” band called Rock Machine in the early ’80s to becoming the first Indian band to launch an all-original rock album, titled Rock and Roll Renegade in 1989, these guys have come a long way. When evolving tastes and demands for alternative

sound started gaining ground in the 1990s, they even changed gears and adopted a new nomenclature. Thus, was born Indus Creed. But like many before them, they split up as well. And whatever the reason, the Indian rock scene was never the same after these men went their own separate ways. Right now, though, the band is in comeback mood. Yes, you’ve

heard it right; Indus Creed is indeed coming back, albeit with some new members. So it’s not really a comeback but a revival of sorts. Along with founder members Uday Benegal, Mahesh Tinaikar and Zubin Balaporia, two new inductees will unfurl the new Indus Creed flag. What can we expect? Let’s hear it from Uday Benegal

PHOTOPRAGH – DEV BENEGAL

WE KNOW IT’S A CLICHÉD QUESTION, BUT WE NEED TO KNOW. HOW DOES IT FEEL? (Smiles) We feel good, great, excited, apprehensive but basically stoked! SO, YOU GUYS ARE HERE TO STAY OR IS IT MORE LIKE A ‘TAKE-IT-AS-ITCOMES’ PROJECT? We’re very much here for the long haul. This isn’t a one-oﬀ nostalgia trip. In fact, it’s very little nostalgia. Our focus is on the here

and now. So it’s going to be new songs, a new sound and “hopefully” a whole new journey of touring and playing. YOU ARE ARGUABLY ONE OF THE VERY FIRST INDIAN ROCK BANDS. HOW HAS THE JOURNEY BEEN? The ﬁrst leg — Rock Machine to Indus Creed — was pretty seamless as the very same guys in Rock Machine continued to be a part of Indus Creed. The change was in the name and a slight alteration of the sound.

The new avatar of Indus Creed or IC2.0 is a bigger leap. For one, there’s the whole time thing — we’ve been away for over 10 years and had our own respective travels and experiences during that period. And there’s also the change in the lineup. Mahesh Tinaikar and I are the only permanent original members in the new Indus Creed. I say ‘permanent’ because Zubin Balaporia will be involved but not as a fulltime member. And we have two brand-new bandmates — Rushad Mistry on bass and Jai

VIBES MUSIC ON THE RECORD

Row Kavi on drums. We love the fresh air they imbue into our setup. WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR TAKING SUCH A LONG SABBATICAL AND WHY THE REVIVAL? The sabbatical came out of a general feeling of unhappiness with the way the music biz was going back then. Then Jayesh Gandhi and I decided to head to New York. We felt the need for a new environment, a new space to find ourselves and what we were doing musically. We formed Alms For Shanti, our Indo-rock and funk outfit and tore through the NYC club scene and festivals across the northern continent. It was a fantastic time. 10 years later I found my way back to Bombay for reasons other than music. But the music never leaves you, man. It’s what keeps my lungs fi lled, my heart in full-pump. So Mahesh and I spoke about making music together again. At first, our schedules didn’t match so we decided to ease into it and formed our ‘little acoustic side project’ Whirling Kalapas. It’s surreal stuff, all mellow and harmonically rich neo-folk/alt-country. But inevitably the need to rock it out rose to the throat, so we decided to put together a slam-it-out rock outfit. We first asked the other guys from Indus Creed to join us, but most of them are spread out across the world with whole new lives. But they gave us their blessings and said go forth and reboot Indus Creed. COOL! SO, HOW ARE YOU PLANNING THE “COMEBACK”? We start with a gig at Hard Rock Café, Bombay on October 7 at an event called Harley Rock Riders by HarleyDavidson. An album is definitely in the making, though. Can’t say when that’ll happen, but I expect that we will hit the studio sometime in November or December.

YEAH, TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT JAI AND RUSHAD. HOW DID YOU GUYS GET TOGETHER? We met Jai ﬁrst, through another musician friend,

PHOTOGRAPH – DEV BENEGAL

HAVE THE BAND DYNAMICS CHANGED? WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE LIKE NOW? You mean like apart from almost killing each other every other day. (Laughs) The dynamics were always good. We were very focussed about making the music we wanted to make. That’s what drove us. Money and fame were never important. So we never fought about that stuﬀ. We fought about a bunch of other things, though — songs, set lists, musical directions, etc. But that was all positive energy — it was only to make the band and the music better. With the new band, we’re still at an early stage right now. But the band dynamics are really good. Mahesh, Zubin and I have a time-tested relationship and hopefully we’re a little wiser than before, so will be able to tackle the inevitable hurdles better. Jai and Rushad bring a fabulous energy to the band. Their vibe is all positive and I’m feeling it.

PHOTOGRAPH – MIKHAIL DYAKOV

and hired him to play with Whirling Kalapas. When we decided to put together the new Indus Creed we moved Jai from that band to this one. He’s great with the chilled out, mellow acoustic thing, but you’ve got to hear him play this stuff — it’ll blow your mind. Meanwhile, Jai and Mahesh spoke very highly of Rushad’s playing. And when we heard he was moving to Bombay from Pune, we snatched him up immediately. That decision has not been regretted — he’s killer. WHAT ABOUT THE OLD GANG MEMBERS? The old gang is totally with us. They know that we won’t do anything dreadful, so the name Indus Creed is unlikely to be tainted. And maybe when they visit they’ll come and sit in on a couple of tunes for old-times’ sake. WILL THERE BE A DIFFERENCE IN THE INDUS CREED “SOUND” NOW? There will necessarily be a difference in sound — old styles give way to new ideas. But there will remain one fundamental element — it’ll be high-energy melodic rock. That’s what we loved to do and that’s what we’ll continue to make. The difference will be that it’ll be a contemporary sound. We’re not bringing back ’80s or ’90s rock. Those times were great, but right now it’s only onward and upward! SO, WHICH PART OF MUSIC MAKING KEEPS YOU BUSY RIGHT NOW? Right now it’s all about writing, composing and rehearsing. We’ve got a bunch of new songs, but we’ll probably start with an equal combo of past hits and new tunes. We’re very keen to showcase the new stuff, but we have to keep the loyal fans happy too YOU TALKED ABOUT ALMS FOR SHANTI. WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT? Alms for Shanti was an expression of what Jayesh and I wanted, rather needed, to explore at that time. We melded rock and funk with a bunch of Indian stuff. We were not a fusion band. Just a funky, irreverential but fun take on the sounds and grooves we had been exposed to in India. The other musicians in the band were amazing—we had a IsraeliAmerican keyboard player (Adam Morrison), Japanese bass player (Gaku Takanashi), American drummer (Todd Isler) and a tabla player from Pune whom we’d met in New York

VIBES MUSIC ON THE RECORD

(Naren Budhakar). They were a trip to make music with. YOU WERE THE PIONEERS OF INFUSING INDIAN SOUND INTO ROCK MUSIC, IS THAT STILL A VIABLE OPTION? At this point there’s no deliberate move to incorporate any kind of Indian sound into our music. We’ve moved on from that. It’s unfiltered high-energy melodic rock. YOU ARE A MAJOR PART OF INDIAN ROCK HISTORY. WHEN YOU LOOK BACK, WHAT DO YOU SEE? (Laughs) A blur! I see great times and amazing experiences. But I prefer to focus ahead rather than spend my time gazing backward. BUT STILL, HOW’S THE EVOLUTION BEEN? WHAT DO YOU FEEL HAS BEEN THE MOST INFLUENTIAL EVENT IN INDIAN ROCK TILL NOW? The most significant change was the acceptance of original music by Indian bands. That acceptance soon led to the demand for original stuff and now it’s the norm. Our role in changing that mindset is what we’re most proud of.

JAI ROW KAVI “It’s an awesome feeling to be a part of Indus Creed. I wasn’t even born when they started out and I first heard them around 1999 when I was only 13 or so. I was hooked on to ‘Pretty Child’. And when Mahesh asked me to join them, I was thrilled. We are working pretty hard for the coming gig and we plan to go full throttle”

OKAY. AND WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BEST EXPERIENCE IN ALL THESE YEARS? Life. All of it. Also, eating choucroute in Paris on a piss-down day. It was transformative THAT’S RATHER AMUSING? I’m strange that way with food, so humour me! ALRIGHT! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE ROCK/METAL SCENE TODAY? It’s kickin’ ass, what more can I say. Go forth and plunder, young, wonderful heathens! But it does needs to get it together. The whole industry is all too fractured and disorganised. It needs to rally to a core, to ﬁnd the ground that we can all play on. AND WHAT FUTURE DO YOU SEE? SOMEONE COMMENTED THE OTHER DAY THAT THE INDIAN METAL SCENE HAS ATTAINED PUBERTY AND NOW IT JUST NEEDS TO GET ‘LAID’. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THAT?

RUSHAD MISTRY “I must have heard them when I was 13 or 14 and was blown away by their music. I mean, to come up with that kind of music at that time in India is superb. I love the way they conduct themselves on stage and how they get the crowd going. And when they asked me to join them around a month back, I was ecstatic. I’m looking forward to the experience, especially co-writing the songs with Uday”

PHOTOGRAPH – MADHU KAPPARATH

FAIR ENOUGH! ANY PRESENT FAVOURITES AMONG THE NEW BANDS? Yes! I love Sridhar/Thayil. And I love early Avial, with Ananda Benjamin Paul. Haven’t heard the post-Benjamin stuﬀ but am hoping it’ll kick equally. Thermal and a Quarter is funky; Bruce Lee Mani is fabulous. A Soulmate does it real good. WHAT ABOUT THE NORTHEAST? ANY PLANS TO BE HERE SOON? Of course! In the early days of Rock Machine and Indus Creed we used to play a lot in the Northeast — Shillong, Guwahati, Kohima, Aizawl. We loved playing all those towns; the audience was always great. I’m dying to come back..

PHOTOGRAPH – MADHU KAPPARATH

Use protection. I can’t see the future, and I’m glad I can’t. I’d rather it reveal itself.

VIBES MUSIC BAND OF THE MONTH

hoever said three’s a crowd should meet Street Stories, the trio from Shillong. Young, preppy lads with just one thing in common — their love for music. Church singing brought the three boys together and now Pezo Kruno, Riko Kruno and Matsram Sangram are hitting the air waves on a more frequent mode. Their music ranges from punk to indie to pop, rock and blues as well. It’s a fusion of rock ‘n’ roll and everything in between.

PEZO Riko, my brother, and I always wanted to get into music. But it began in reality only when we volunteered for the Praise and Worship team of the Shillong Baptist Church. Th at’s where we found Mats, our drummer, and we then started playing together as the Praise and Worship team of Shillong Baptist Church. Our band was oﬃcially formed in January, 2010. RIKO As brothers, music brought Pezo and me together. We wanted to take our

MATSRAM We’re not making music just to become famous. Our motive is solely based on our love and respect for music.

passion to the next level and that’s when we decided to form the band. MATSRAM Pezo and I were in the same school so I knew that the two brothers share the same passion for music. But I guess they realised my potential only after we began playing for the church. So they got me in and here I am with the two words that describe me the best ‘the drummer’.

RIKO As a band we want to create a kind of music that reﬂects who we are and what we’ve got to say and that’s exactly what we are doing. As for me being in this band is all about playing music and having fun. And I’m so proud that I have something to call ‘my very own’.

PEZO What we play is something that is not intentional. We didn’t intend to create a diﬀ erent genre. I guess it’s mainly rock and roll with a fusion of punk, pop, indie, rock and a bit of blues. We brought it all together with our variant tastes and musical backgrounds. I grew up listening to Punk Rock so our music has a lot of punk inﬂuences here and there and even the name of our band was taken from a Blink 182 poster which has a collage at the background with the words ‘Street Stories’ written on it.

PEZO The uniqueness of our music has made it more appealing for people who seek a new taste. Our music cannot be limited to just one genre. We took a bold step by experimenting with such music because the scene here is metal dominated. Fortunately it was all worth it.

RIKO At that point of time we were focussing on grabbing people’s attention. And Poker face was a celebrated piece. We tried to experiment with the song and infuse our own style into it.

PEZO We do not really have a speciﬁc ideology but I guess our songs reﬂect what we have to say about life.

PEZO Lady Gaga is great and we all love her. I go gaga over Gaga… (Laughs)

RIKO Our song On the line is all about second chances. It’s never too late to get back from where we have fallen. Much of what happens in this world is disappointing but I guess life still remains beautiful and it’s worth living because it oﬀ ers us choices. Choices to either give up or grow up and move on. We have songs like Senseless concentration where we depict the feelings of alienation or an absence of belonging but it has a touch of optimism infused in it though it doesn’t surface up. So, it’s basically optimism that we are trying to portray through our songs. Our other songs 6 string songs and High distorted trip are based on how music induces or controls our emotion. It’s more or less an explanation of the adrenaline rush that we feel every time we perform or play music.

PEZO To write more songs, be more innovative in our approach and do more shows across India. So far we don’t feel the need for releasing an album. So the good news for our fans is that our music comes without a price tag. RIKO Th at’s only for now, though. (Laughs)

PEZO As a band we’re fortunate enough to be who we are and where we are right now. I thank God for that, and I thank our fans and friends for their constant support.

• PEZO As a band it’s all about experimenting. Music has given me identity and has guided my emotions to a great extent.

• •

MATSRAM We had some ups and downs but the journey so far has been amazing and we’ve got a long way to go as we are still in what we call ‘The Nascent Stage’. RIKO We have evolved a lot over the last few months but yeah we still have lots of growing up to do.

VIBES MUSIC

Bhupen Hazarika

ur life’s journey is surrounded by things that aff ect our unconscious. Be it motherly love, unconditional friendship, inexplicable humanity or all those other memories. We are always associated to them through ‘songs’ of our lives! In the realms of our tumultuous sub-consciousness these songs have always had more than just the sound and musical blueprint endowed on them. Starting with the childhood favourites to the inspirational ones as well as those romantic sentimental tracks that popped up in between, we have all attached some significance to certain songs through the course of our lives. Nostalgia, poignancy, motivation — each one of us has some way or the other associated these feelings with some song and we relive these emotions over and over by listening to these songs. But then there’s more to just the personal and emotional bit of it all; when the significance and relevance

sphere encircles a whole society, culture or a nation at large. And a special song rallies past the personal mark to book an elite place in the greater socio-political landscape. Down the ages, music has had tremendous impact on social movements and political causes and on the people concerned. Be it during our days of independence or during the shaky anxieties of US-USSR ‘cold war’ or the blotted confl icts of Vietnam and Iraq — there have been trademark songs reflecting and analysing those times. At times they’ve become more than a song transcending to engulf a whole cultural sentiment; and at other times they’ve defi ned and formed an incident anthem during the course of a complete socio-politic movement. Growing up and being a testament to a beautiful yet ‘eventful’ legacy, we’ve had enough shares of ‘spurring’ and ‘revolutionary’ songs in our backyard. The volatile issues across Assam during various phases of the post-independent era have spurred song writers and musicians in underlining the significance of those periods. If we are to date back to the start of the ’60s when the language movement (Bhaxa Andulan) gathered momentum; some very retrospective songs were rendered which focussed on the feelings and sentiments of that very cause. The movement for the salvation of Assamese language at large had gradually turned violent and taken communal strides. ‘Martyrs’ for the cause included Ranjit Borpujari and Surjya Bhuyan and the growing hysteria created space for inspirational and patriotic song writing. Some prominent songs — from Padmadhar Saliha’s Janam bhumi, janam bhumi, Kirtinath Bordoloi’s Kihere pujim dukhoni saran he and Ganesh Gogoi’s Matri pujat hela nokoriba — defi ned the entire

this time include: Mukul Barua’s Ai tok kihere pujim; Babul Das’ Muzzammil nai, Anil aji nai, nai Pramod Balen Naren; Tafazzul Ali’s Sahasar Sikha Jolise and again more path breaking formations from one and only Dr. Hazarika: Ami Axomiya, Nohou Dukhiya and Mahabahu Brahmaputrar Mahamilan. Moreover sporadic events like the 1967 oil movement and the 1976 emergency also saw musicians and song writers making the mark. Jatin Bora’s Gum gum gam, byasta seipame Pipeline gadhe in a way underscored

or nationalism and eventually ensued an uprising most signiﬁcant in postindependent Assam. The convulsions in the political and socio establishments shivered the higher authorities and the uncontrollable movement promised to deﬁ ne a new horizon for the people of the state. Talking about songs of this phenomenal period, they kind of heralded a sense of renaissance across the Assamese cultural front. As always Bhupen Hazarika consolidated his grip in poetry and

the whole subdued resentment concerning the oil movement. And Bhupen Hazarika’s emergency rebellion Muktikami Lakhajanor Mouna Prakash Xunisane nai echoed the sentiments of an entire country in crisis. But all said and done, it was not until the vehemence of the Assam Movement, from 1979 onwards, that an entire generation stood up for the cause of its motherland. “Immigrant expulsion” and the subsequent formation of ULFA spurred an uncanny knack of “Jatiyatabadi”

issue-centric renditions with songs like Aji Brahmaputra hol bahniman, Shaheed pranamo tumak and Juye pura tirashi. When in 1979 under police ﬁ re Khargeshwar passed away, a subsequent massive rally in Tezpur was organised and there the anthem Jai ai Axom (music by Satish Chauhan and lyrics by Janas Mahaliya) reverberated through the reigns of every part of the state. Rubi Singh’s He shaheed tumak sahashra pranam, Tarun Sarma’s Tulashi talat jetiya sakiti jole, Ekura juye

Dipali Barthakur

quintessence of the movement and its reverberations. The 1962 Chinese invasion accounted for even more patriotic and anti-war renditions. Be it Imran Shah’s Ji jui jolala simantat or Dipali Borthakur’s He Juddha bidai and Moina xone mor or some timeless classics at the behest of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika — Koto juwanar mrityu hol, Kar jeevan jouvan gol, Ranaklanta nohou, ranaklanta nohou and the anthem-like Buku ham ham kare! The eventful traits kept lingering on and in 1965 the India-

Bhupen Hazarika

Pakistan war broke loose more inﬂux of creativity — Keshav Mahanta’s Hingsar sikmik soka taruwal and Bhupen Hazarika’s satirical snub at Pakistan’s war heads: Ayub Khan aru Bhutto Jan, siyal kun aru singha kun. Madgarbi hoi nuxunu nuxunu buli, Dutiman nongatha satyake xun. Then came the even greater volatile travails of ‘Assamese Medium movement’ (1971 - 1972), and more martyrs of the likes of Anil Bora, Muzzammil Haq enfolded the history chronicles. Songs of

VIBES MUSIC

Bankim Sarma

Keshav Mahanta

sodai buku dohe, Bankim Sarma’s Aji jiniboi lagibo, Mrinal Choudhury’s Ai tor pujar bedit and Dikhou noir parore — all had a pretext of these tumultuous and turbulent proceedings.

Around this time, there was an endless supply of nationalistic creations with Nagen Bora’s Akou jodi jabo lage Sharaighatoloi and Ai mok xajai diya ranaloi, Babul Das’ Aah aah ulai aah —signifying the enormity and gravity of the whole movement. When in 1980 many students were put behind bars, Dr. Hazarika penned Luitporiya deka bondhu tumar tulona nai. The movement didn’t quite stay within the purview of archetype revolt and at times, at the hands of political conspiracies, assumed the design of brutal communalism and senseless killings. In the underlying lament and grievances of such incidents Keshav Mahanta wrote Nijar gharate toi nijhate logali jui and Bhupen Hazarika followed suit with Mahbahu Brahmaputra, mahamilanar tirtha. The Assam Movement in its inception had a very signiﬁcant connection with ULFA

and its ideology, but never in sync with its hostility. Deriding its eventuality Dr Hazarika in its allegory said Udita surjya surjyastar phale dhabaman kiyo. Anima Choudhury’s Abhijatri and Aji bohu din hol intended to draw more upon the predicament and haplessness of the Assamese youth at large, gone astray at the hands of insurgency. The constant gust of music in our lives attains an indispensible consciousness in the core of our soul and mind. In a way, they are part of our emotions, as much as anything driven by our senses. More so with their relevance to some of the most arduously signiﬁcant periods during the course of this ‘eventful’ journey, called LIFE! SOURCE: DR. ANIMA CHOUDHURY AND HER MUSICAL FRATERNITY

VIBES MUSIC ON DEMAND

HOT ARTISTES TO WATCH OUT FOR BY: SANJIB KALITA

G T

his 5-piece metal core band hails from Guwahati and their music is mostly influenced by August Burns Red, As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage etc. Their guitar riffs are stupefying and the tapping technique is worth listening to as well but the vocals need to improve. For the last three years Weeping Roses has been performing at most of the college fests and they are now planning to release their new single on cyberspace. Crushing Sound, heavy guitar riffs, well- composed songs and accurate timing make their listeners head-bang to their songs.

roovy sound, slap bassing and continuous leads with execution techniques make their listeners jig and jive. Fat Larry’s Revenge from Aizawl is lyrically they are gnarly and they have to improve a bit on production. But even though they are new on the circuit they sound pretty well-crafted with beautifully composed songs. There music is mostly influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Wolfmother, Muse, U2, Incubus, etc. So, all those who love the classy blues do check them out on MySpace. Link - http://www.myspace.com/blackjackaizol

hen I first heard Audio Essence they reminded me of Limp Bizkit. Their sound is an influence of ‘nü metal’ with a mix of rap and technique. This experimental band from Nagaland has already performed at many concerts in Mumbai, Delhi and various other venues like Dream Café, Heritage and the International Korean film festival at Nagaland. They have also recently collaborated with Anatoly Meilnokov, a guitarist and composer from Latvia. Lyrically they are recherché or rare but their music composition needs to be worked upon. But if you’re the kind who loves to jump and scream at a concert and spell Y-E-A-H, then do head for their show when they hit your town. Link-http://www.myspace.com/audioessence

VIBES MUSIC

VARIOUS ARTISTES

agan or Viking Metal is what they call their music and KromleK has gone through a lot to keep that sound together. They started out as a three-member band called Puritan Disbelief in 2004 but became KromleK after two others joined the scene. Their ﬁrst major challenge was the Newcomer festival in their hometown Schweinfurt, which they went on to win. And that was just the beginning of their success story.

Their journey though was peppered with quite a few changes as old members quit and new ones joined. But the name KromleK only grew with each passing year. The most diﬃcult phase for this pagan force was when founder member and vocalist Alphavarg quit in 2008, owing to diﬀerences in opinion. But he returned in March, 2009. At present the six-member band is hell bent on making their second full-length album, Finis Terræ, another hallmark in their short but

shining career graph. So, here’s Mr Alphavarg talking about KromleK and his Kali Yuga connections, live from Bavaria, Germany:

KROMLEK’S IDEOLOGY “To put it in a nutshell, KromleK is about individualism. It started in 2004 when we came together with our common passion for metal in general and pagan metal in particular. The very core is still and will always be paganism. Our ideology is ‘change’

BAND BASICS MEMBERS: Alphavarg (Vocals) Nhévann and Forað (Guitar), Alex (Bass) Julian (Drums) Hrísdólgr (Keyboards) GENRE: Viking, Folk, Black, Metal ORIGIN: Germany (Schweinfurt, Bavaria) FORMED IN: 2004 ALBUMS: Kveldridhur (2005), Strange Rumours...Distant Tremors (2007) POPULAR TRACKS: Fólkthing, Herjan, Grim omens, A Pagan Storm LINK: http://www.myspace.com/kromlek “It’s the very core of what we call ‘urban pagan’. Most of us are born and raised in an urban situation. The quintessence of today’s problem is that the more we live together in confined spaces the lonelier we get. My aim is not to protect nature because nature has always been able to protect herself. Life will prevail, man will not. Man will not be able to destroy the planet nor life itself. Even if it takes thousands of billions of years, the first flower will bloom again, on its own. Kali Yuga is already here.”

EVOLUTION OF KROMLEK’S MUSIC

but without uprooting our roots.”

THE SOUND OF YOUR GENRE “We combine the bombastic sound of symphonic metal with the catchy melodies of pagan metal, spice it all up with electronic elements, the kind that you ﬁnd in industrial metal, and graft it with atmospheric, progressive Melodic Black Metal.”

IMPORTANCE OF LYRICS AND SONGWRITING “The lyrical concept may be of little interest in a live performance but it is important for the album. As for our songwriting process, we try to insure that the lyrics ﬁt perfectly to the song and for that I always start writing the lyrics when the song is completed musically.”

RELATION BETWEEN MODERN EXISTENCE AND PAGAN ASPECTS IN YOUR LYRICS

“Piracy is bad for musicians, especially for the smaller ones like us. If somebody downloads a new Metallica output illegally it’s sad but it won’t affect them economically. The smaller bands are in need of every sold record”

“Evolution is indeed the perfect word. With Kveldriður (first EP) we released a very catchy, merry and ‘party-compatible’ output. The Humppa-tracks dominated the playlist which was exactly what we wanted at that time. Two years later came our first album Strange rumours…distant tremors, in which one can obviously hear the difference. We want to break out of that image which says that KromleK’s a mere Finntroll-clone and party band. Our development from folky Humppa to serious, epic Pagan Metal was not forced by ourselves because of the so-called image, it was a natural evolution.”

THE NEW ALBUM “Through Finis terræ we hope to reach out to more listeners. It is not only a tool to satisfy our existing fans but also to open up our music for other people who are not into pagan metal. There will also be some very special guests on some of the tracks. So stay tuned!”

VIBES MUSIC

VARIOUS ARTISTE

SANSKRIT, GERMAN, SWEDISH AND LATIN IN KROMLEK’S MUSIC “I think that everything should be as authentic as possible. So when I’m dealing with lyrics about Kali Yuga it’s natural for me to use Sanskrit, and when I’m writing lyrics about crossing the Rubicon, it feels right to include Latin verses. German is my mother tongue and I love experimenting with the harsh spellings. Besides, German supports the ‘impact’ much better than English.”

INTEREST IN BUDDHISM AND HINDUISM “At the age of 14 I started dealing with Norse mythology. And around the age of 17 I also cultivated a spiritual interest in Buddhism and Hinduism. And through my research I found myself within the teachings of Buddhism. As KromleK is evolving so am I.”

“We used Viking-like costumes with furs, tunics and red and black war paint. I wore a leather helmet and used an axe…in 2008 I tried to force the band to wear black, red, golden tilaks like the sadhus use in India. I even wrote Kali Yuga in Sanskrit in my belly” THE SPLIT “Well, it was my interest in Buddhism and Hinduism that caused the split. I tried to reform the whole band into a cult-like ethno metal band with only Hindu and Buddhist influences. That did not work out because I ignored the wishes of the other band mates. Through the negotiations about my return we all agreed that I can use these influences in the future, too, but not only them. In the final analysis it’s all about compromises.”

TAKE ON PIRACY “Piracy is deﬁnitely bad for musicians, especially for the smaller ones like us. If somebody downloads a new Metallica output illegally it’s sad but it won’t aﬀect them economically. The smaller bands are in need of every sold record. I know that a

lot of people get to know KromleK because of illegal downloads. It’s good for us to gain popularity around the world but if that ruins our ‘band economy’ how will we produce more music.”

INFLUENCES “We all are constantly fascinated by Windir. As for my personal inﬂuences there’s obviously Buddhism and Hindusim, Renaissance, Plato’s philosophy, Machiavelli’s writings, psychology, diﬀerent aspects of science like metaphysics, models of society, outsiders, history and of course everyday life.”

VISUAL EFFECTS TO YOUR LIVE SET “Initially we used Viking-like costumes with furs, tunics and red and black war paint. In 2007 I got my hair cut and left out

the paint. Then in 2008 I tried to force the band to wear black, red, golden tilaks like the sadhus use in India. I even wrote Kali Yuga in Sanskrit in my belly. But the audience never understood all that. Since 2009 we’re trying to develop an ‘urban’ metal style but the search hasn’t ended yet. In a show in 2007, NhéVanN and Forað spitted ﬁre for a DVD shot. Nowadays I use a sickle, sometimes. (Smiles)”

NAMASTE INDIA “We hope that the interest in India will grow and we will convince you with the forthcoming album. It would be great to present it live in India. I’m looking forward to a cultural exchange.” WORDS: KAUSHIK BARUA & ANISH BHATTACHARJEE

VIBES MUSIC FYI

REVIEWS HANG COOL TEDDY BEAR MEAT LOAF Genre: Rock ‘n’ roll Rating: 3 / 5

ased on a short story written by Los Angeles screenwriter and director Kilian Kerwin, Meat Loaf’s latest studio craft Hang Cool Teddy Bear is a concept album about a dying soldier. Meat has woven a drapery of scenes which flash before the soldier’s eyes, each track standing as a flash forward from the soldier’s life if he didn’t die. Some are okay, some are not so good, but all of them delivered in the same bombastic rock, bellowing vocal performance that has always been a staple of Meat Loaf albums since Bat Out of Hell. But this ain’t Steinman epic lyrics or indeed the old Meat Loaf recipe that can be found in Anything for love or Couldn’t Have Said It Better. This is Meat Loaf for the new generation — chopsy guitar riffs and volatile drum beats but always with the excitement and muscle that describes Meat.

INSANE GENERATION (EP)

MANTIS

SHAA’IR + FUNC Genre: Electronic / Experimental Rating: 5 / 5

HAMMERHEAD Genre: Death/Thrash Metal Rating: 4 / 5

his sharp debut release from Guwahatibased metal quartet Hammerhead is an eclectic example of solid Death/Thrash metal that varies in both vision and production. A breathy, angst-ridden affair strewn with seemingly firm and derivative melodies; this one’s a step ahead in the present generation ‘Old-school’ sphere. The lyrics strive to showcase third-world disorder and mythical feel. But it fails to claim any real interest and instead welcomes ennui at times. It’s a record for those striving to find a release that induces largely into slayer / sepultura-reminiscent song build-ups. Yes, there is potential but it’s a long way from being fulfilled. Here’s hoping that there’s a tighter and better produced full length in the making.

lenty of bands in the Indian scene today have hooks and good songs. Loads have retro-garage sounds but none can ever even come close to being compared to the musical luminosity that Shaa’ir + Func delivers in their art. Their latest album is an exercise in pure Electro / Indie brilliance and arguably their best release to date. Monica Sharma Dogra reminds me of Alanis Morissette during her early years. And her Gnarls Barkley-ish approach to execution only adds to it all. She builds up the songs on very strapping lyrics ultimately adorned with powerful melodies and high-flying guitar work by Randolph. Intricate instrumentation, especially the guitar-patches elevate a few tracks and makes Take it personally a beautiful standout. I can’t really pinpoint what it is that makes it so special and amazing. But whatever it is, Mantis is nothing short of extraordinary; it’s S+F’s moment of clarity where everyone will have to stop and take notice and be blessed by its charisma — because in the most honest of terms, this is a masterpiece.

BY :JAI

VIBES MUSIC WOC

ou may want to have an Ustad Zakir Hussain in your band but that might just be a dream forever. No worries, though, as you can now add that similar touch with the electronic version of this popular Indian instrument. Two available options in the market are the Taal Tarang and the Taalmala Digi 60 Stereo. Taal Tarang has 31 stored talas or Indian rhythm cycles. And apart from the tabla samples, the Taal Tarang also offers samples of pakhawaj (dhrupad barrel drum), dholak (folk barrel drum) and duff (frame drum). The volume, speed and pitch can also be adjusted. There is also an integrated speaker and a battery. The Taalmala, meanwhile, produces a sound that comes the closest to the real tabla sound. It offers 60 fixed programmed thekas or rhythmic structures in different taals. The thekas can be programmed and set per your needs. The tuning, tempo and pitch can be worked upon as well. So, go ahead, make music!

he tanpura or tambura sound is a unique one and musicians all over love the stringing twang. But it ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that easy to create this sound as very few people can play it. In such a scenario the electronic avatar comes quite handy. You can pick one from these three available in the market: the Sur Master Raagini Digital, the Saarang Magic DX and the Saarang Maestro S. The Raagini Pro is used by many professionals in concerts because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to handle and it gives an excellent sound. Simply turn a knob to get the desired pitch, and another knob to fine tune. It can be connected to an external loudspeaker. The Saarang Magic DX is rather compact and so is very handy. Four strings are tuned automatically. You can also save a setting through the Auto-Save-Dual-Memory. Meanwhile, the Saarang Maestro S offers a very realistic sound and in comparison to the Magic DX this device has a larger volume potential.

he Lahara is basically an Indian electronic instrument which aims to create the sound of a harmonium or a sarangi or other melodic instruments. It produces repetitive melodies to aid students in their vocal practice. The Electronic Sunandamala Lahara is one such instrument, which creates the sound of the harmonium. In this, you can choose from 147 laharas or constantly repeated melodies in 25 different talas which are stored in it. You can even program your own lahara. The drone and the lahara volume are separately adjustable. Even the tempo is adjustable in beats per minute. All options can be selected through the keys. This instrument works on power supply as well as on battery. Mostly used to assist classical music students in their practice, this can also be used to create the sound of the much loved harmonium in your music.

ECLECTIC MODEL HUNT All you beautiful girls out there, here’s some big news. Eclectic magazine is organising the “ECLECTIC MODEL HUNT”, a mega event that will give you the most glamorous platform to prove your talent to the world. From dainty darlings to dazzling divas, if you want to turn into a star overnight, this is one place you’d do anything to be in. The winner has lots of surprises for her in store. Along with a lot of goodies, she also gets a portfolio shoot and will get to be the cover face of ECLECTIC TIMES. So, what are you waiting for? Just fill up the form below and rush in your entries to: ECLECTIC MODEL HUNT 2010

Eclectic House, 34, P. B. Road, Rehabari, Guwahati - 781008 Call us at +91 94355-44836. Email us at modelhunt@eclectic.co.in. The last date for entries is 31st October, 2010. ELIGIBILITY: You must be single, between the age group of 18-24 years, and with a height of not less than 5’2”. Fill up the form provided below with all the details and also send at least 3 recent photographs of yours.

REGISTRATION FORM NAME ____________________________________________ DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YY): _____ / ____________/ _____________ FATHER’S NAME _____________________________________________ NATIONALITY ________________________ OCCUPATION _________________________ QUALIFICATION ______________________________________________ ADDRESS ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ MOBILE: _____________________________E-MAIL: _____________________________________ HEIGHT (FT.): ____________ WEIGHT ___________ (Kgs) AGE ___________________ VITAL-STATISTICS __________

__________ __________

HOBBIES: ___________________________________________________________________ WHERE & HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US? _________________________________________________________________ WHY DO YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN ECLECTIC MODEL HUNT 2010? (In not more than 20 Words) ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ HAVE YOU EVER TAKEN PART IN ANY MODEL HUNT / BEAUTY PAGEANT BEFORE? [If your answer is yes, please state the competition you’ve participated in and the position won (if any).] Tick where appropriate. Yes: ________ No: ________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________ I, ____________________________, declare that the information given above is true. The management reserves the right to disqualify me at any point of the competition if any information that I’ve provided is found incorrect.

DATE

The contest is open only to girls from the Northeast • Incomplete forms are not valid • The selected contestants should make themselves available for the specified days of the contest • All travel expenses to be borne by the contestant • All travel risks to the venue of the event will be borne by the contestant • Management reserves the right to use the photographs, interviews, and video footage of the contestants for sales promotion, advertising, and live / recording programming • Dates of the contest can change due to extraneous events beyond our control • Prizes or gifts are non-transferable and no substitutes will be given • Any legal dispute will be subject to the jurisdiction of the Courts of Guwahati only.

NAME & SIGNATURE

VIBES MUSIC TRACK RECORD

01 Right Here, Right Now by Fatboy Slim It’s the ultimate overtime song, something you should listen to in the locker room just before you head out into the field for the final playoff. Reached No 2 in the UK charts, this song makes you go that extra mile for that elusive extra-time goal or that last minute touchdown that makes all the difference between the winners and the whiners. 02 Welcome to the Jungle by Guns & Roses Written about the notso-known underbelly of Hollywood street life, this song was adjudged the greatest hard rock song of all times by VH1 in 2009. Raucous, energetic and wild this is no doubt a great song to play for any sporting crowd. TOP 10

OCK SONGS OF THE MONTH

04 Y.M.C.A by Village People This one goes beyond the mere sing-along genre as crowds love to spell out the letters with arm movements. Village People’s biggest hit, when performed in El Peso, Texas, in 2008, a record 45,000-strong crowd did the Y.M.C.A jig at one time. This broke the previous record of 13,000 people. Need we say more? 05 Tub thumping by Chumbawamba Speciﬁcally written for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, this is one of the catchiest sporting songs ever composed. Tub thumping may not ring a bell in many minds but its peppier chorus, I get knocked down, will deﬁnitely do so. It seems like the chorus is being sung by a host of people and that’s what engages the listener to shout out the same. It’s one hell of a high!

We Will Rock You by Queen Now, who doesn’t know this one? The foot stomps, the claps, the stamps— everything evokes the much needed vigour in any sport lover’s heart. And if you wish to sing along you can do that as well. It surely rocks one and all.

TOP 10

OP SONGS OF THE MONTH

Love the way you lie - EMINEM FEATURING RIHANNA Dynamite - TAIO CRUZ Mine - TAYLOR SWIFT

California Gurls - KATY PERRY FEATURING SNOOP DOG I like it

- ENRIQUE IGLESIAS - B.O.B FEATURING HAYLEY

Airplanes

WILLIAMS Cooler than me - MIKE POSNER DJ got us falling in love

The Catalyst - LINKIN PARK The crow and the butterfly - SHINEDOWN Lay me down - THE DIRTY HEADS, FEAT. ROME Another way to die Nightmare

- DISTURBED

- AVENGED SEVENFOLD

- RISE AGAIN Lisztomania - PHOENIX In one ear - CAGE THE ELEPHANT Bad company - FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Savior

The good life - 10 THREE DAYS GRACE

Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam If you wish to taunt the opposing team or poke fun at the player who’s being removed from the game go for this peppy number. It’s the chorus again that works with the fans as it’s easy to catch and sing along.

- USHER FEAT. PITBULL

Rock and Roll Part 2 (Hey Song)

06 by Gary Glitter

This one’s played at various sporting events in the US and Canada, especially when a home team scores or wins. It’s been nicknamed as the ‘Hey Song’ mostly because that’s the only intelligible word in the whole song. It’s a ‘hey’ after every instrumental piece and even fans insert their own ‘hey’ at regular intervals.

007 9 Eye of the Tiger by Survivor If Sylvester Stallone can personally request this song for his ﬁlm Rocky II, what are you waiting for? It works best while introducing an athlete especially a boxer. So, next time you feel like ﬁghting it out, set the mood with this all-time favourite.

- KATY PERRY - JASON DERULO

Teenage dream Ridin solo

09 Get it on by Chase Primarily, a marching band song for schools and colleges, it’s a jazz fusion number with a catchy hook. You may not have heard of it but once you do its intense rhythms and tempo will surely get you. And you’ll see why it’s good for all those sporting day extravaganzas. Gonna make you sweat (Everybody Dance Now) by C & C Music Factory The opening lines may pop your eyes but this electrifying number from the ’90s will surely rock any party. Get ready to jive and twist and move in all weird ways as this song won’t let you sit down.

VIBES MIX

hey call us ‘the inseparables’, not because brotherly love runs through our veins but because we stick together like some superior quality industrial adhesive. And also for our knack of kicking the shit out of anybody, anywhere, any day! Perhaps this bond with my male friends is mainly due to the temperamental frequency that we share or more so because we always have identical views about the opposite sex. The teenage years were fun. And it was even more fun to collectively gaze at pictures of semi-naked beauties. No, I’m not a pervert because that’s what every guy does in those curious stages of adolescence. Of course, he has to have a straight orientation. After spending never-ending evenings in the darkest alleys of the city and exhaling long puffs of smoke we finally ventured into the streets ornate with bright neon lights. With unexplored vistas upfront we barged into forbidden spaces. The juvenility was sacrificed and adulthood was welcomed. And barring those voluptuously

enriched females, we started indulging in activities that were no longer considered improper or illegal by adult standards. Postschool our brotherly romance flourished and we had new worlds to explore without inhibitions. Right from getting the fi rst fag to the fi rst bottle of booze we all basked in cumulative glory. Playing pranks was second nature to us. And we were the masters of the game. We were particularly fond of pestering “alleged migrants” and we would often scout for ways to torment them. Diwali was such an occasion. Armed with crackers we would detect a prey and hurl a cracker right underneath the poor man’s lungi. Well, that’s not the end of our list of pranks. The best was when became buddies with a reptile. We had got hold of a snakecharmer and succeeded in procuring a snake from him. Of course, we paid him Rs 50 for it (we do have hearts, you know!). We would feed it and also carry it around our necks, much to the dismay of the onlookers. We would even let it loose on innocent college mates just to get the ‘kicks’ out of it. But all that merriment didn’t last long

as a rickshaw ran over our hapless little snake and plucked the life out its skin. We promised then never to play around with speechless creatures. Time went by but we dosts always exhibit the same consistency in our brotherly romance. Our relationship has and will always revolve around this mantra, “One for all, all for one” — right from organising an instant party to zig-zagging all the way up to Shillong in the middle of the night to the night-outs at the dhabas in Sonapur. Even now we keep rejuvenating ourselves with novel yet harmless pranks and they help us remain sane in this practical and rather sinful world. And although most of us have become living martyrs after wedlock we still emerge from our conjugal graves and travel back in time to get to the basics. Th ings have changed over the years but the ‘bromance’ continues. And that’s because boys are always better friends and we’ve never had a babe in our band. Cheers!

VIBES MIX

PRIYANKA

DEVIKA oungsters portant. Y se our “It’s not im cau e b o for it tal shouldn’t g ot accept pre-mari n s ut e b o t do tha society d y friends m suc h f t o p e e m cc o sex. S l never a il w ts n re a ith your then our p ’s okay to go out w It r. u imate step behavio x is the ult se t u b fter r e partn en only a uld be tak o sh h ic h w marriage.”

BANDITA be avoided to it l sex should If we get in “Pre-marita re students. a ies. e ud w st e ur us om o beca ls distracted fr t na e io g ss ht fe ig ro m p we r working fo y ’s it ka o ut b e It may b each other mmitted to s.” who are co still student hile we are w d o o g t no

“Pre-marital sex should be avoided not just because it’s unethical but also due to safety concerns. It is best to have sex after marriage because then you know the person and you can trust him. You know you will be safe and will not be infected with HIV.”

NELSON MUSAHARY “It’s a common trend among today’s generation. There’s nothing wrong with it and I will go for it. The society disagrees and that’s why youngsters do it on the sly.”

ANJANI KUMAR RAJAK “It’s a natural tendency for boys and girls to think about sex. But it should not be the be-all and end-all of life. There should be a balance between our professional and personal life.”

I s AKSH fine a MEEN sex is safe. l a it r a “Pre-m one keeps it uld s a s sho g n lo artner afety p m o Rand and s t oided be av st importan mo e h t is t.” aspec

Roshni Mulchandani on how celebrities use Twitter as their mudslinging playground

oor Sashi Tharoor lost his ministry owing to his allegiance to Twitter. Even Lalit Modi was ousted from his IPL throne as a result of too many tweets. A public forum much like Facebook, YouTube and MySpace, Twitter though has created a buzz that is beyond belief. No doubt Twitter’s a platform where people can share news and express views and opinions. But is it really necessary to wash dirty linen in public? And it’s not just teenagers who use it as a medium to display their anger, lust or disgust at friends and exes. The number of Bollywood celebs who have resorted to Twitter to settle scores is mindboggling. Actors, directors, critics and Page-3 wannabes have joined the online bandwagon much to the delight of the tabloid media. Celebs engage themselves in unwanted and unnecessary war of words on Twitter and the media gleefully laps up on them. That, my friend, becomes BREAKING NEWS! What starts out as a mere ‘comment’ transforms into a fullblown war. The warring parties then demand supporters in the battle zone, thus, drawing even more celebs into the muck. Even star-struck fans join the clash and boost their already inﬂated egos. Perhaps these are just publicity stunts or perhaps our stars are far too opinionated. Whatever the reason, these antics merely make them look like a bunch of fools. Is it just me or do you ﬁnd it a bit lame too? Decide for yourself!

This battle has drawn out to such an extent that no one cares anymore. RGV and Karan Johar have been at war even before Twitter was born. While RGV hates KJo’s genre — cheesy, fluff y, over-thetop, the latter feels that RGV makes horror flicks that are actually not scary. They have always taken jabs at each other’s films and directorial styles. And with Twitter, this mutual dislike has reached newer heights. The war has now become more brutal. RGV had recently tweeted that Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna was the scariest film he had ever seen. As a rebuttal, KJo stated that he had a dream that he was watching Phoonk 2 and holding RGV’s hand. Of course the Phoonk director retorted by saying that “holding hands with KJo” was scarier. And all this actually took place on the very public Twitter. Wouldn’t it be great if the two would just patch up and plan to make a fi lm together! Imagine: Kabhi Phoonk, Kabhi Bhoot!

Now this one got dirty. When writer/ critic Shobhaa De criticised Punit Malhotra for making a dud better known as I Hate Luv Storys, the director and his lead actress Sonam Kapoor went on to gang up on De as they called her an “old fossil ” among many other names. Of course, the uber cool and savvy Shobhaa De felt that the kids were simply being childish. And her revenge was an entire article ridicu ling star-k ids, calling them . manner-less and questioning their upbringing Sonam ke, In an attempt to rectif y her mista . Kapoor came out with a long apologetic tweet of but gise apolo to yet is otra Punit Malh course, we don’t expect one from him.

It can’t get weirder than this. Film critic Rajeev Masand called Akshay Kumar a “jackass” after the Khiladi was seen visiting RK Laxman on his hospital bed. Akshay claimed that Laxman was the inspiration behind his character in Khatta Meetha. Pictures of a smiling Kumar with the patient were plastered all over the internet. Masand merely called it what it was — a publicity stunt! Within minutes, Amitabh Bachchan intervened defending Kumar and condemning Masand. The latter was hardly perturbed as he wrote back a long tweet in reply. He didn’t mince any words in citing instances of how the Bachchans had always ill-treated the media. It was game on! When Akshay came to know about the mayhem he was overwhelmed with the Big B’s reaction. This Twitter drama became more of a media vs celebrity jung! We have always known that B-Town celebs have their own friends and foes but until Twitter the bad vibes amongst them would always remain under wraps. But now with every little known ‘somebody’ joining Twitter, these kind of squabbles have become a daily deal. How I wish they would start using other means to sort their personal pungas. Please guys, take your battles elsewhere and spare us, lesser mortals, on Twitter!

VIBES CORNER

The Red River store in Bangalore will answer all your home-décor queries, says Pooja Barkataky

s I made my way up the stairs and reached the ﬁrst-ﬂoor store on 12th Main Indiranagar, a welcome sight greeted me. A well spaced out store with an eye-catching spread of products, The Red River, is namma (our) Bengaluru’s most recent northeast handloom shoppe that opened in August. Kakoli Das, the brain behind the venture is all keyed up about this new addition to her already existing business. She had launched the brand a year back and is thrilled to bits that she could have a store space in such a short time. The Red River is a mission based organisation with socio-economic goals linking weavers of Northeast India to sustainable markets, thereby increasing sustainable incomes. Their product line can best be called vibrant and quirky, with home and lifestyle products that have been successful in harnessing the skills of artisans and weavers from the Northeast, mostly from Assam. A dynamic range of crafts — from cushion covers to colourful coasters, from beautiful curtains and kitchen linens to

everyday accessories like key rings, earrings, jholas and toys—adorn the space. You can almost drown in The Red River merchandise that comes in radiant and energetic colour shades. Their idea of combining contemporary designs with traditional skill-set is perfectly visible in the goodies. Rest assured, one step into the store and you’re sure to pick up a few. Richa Kulkarni, a fan of The Red River products, says, “I always go for ethnic yet modern designs and their products ﬁt the bill. The seasonal colours, designs, patterns liven up all my rooms. My hot picks are the blockprinted curtains, cushion covers and table runners. When I had ordered for curtains and

DROP IN AT The Red River C/O Ism, #965, 12th Main Indiranagar, Next to Yamaha Music Square, Bangalore. Contact: Kakoli Das - 99164 2229 E-mail: kakoli@theredriver.in

was confused about the colours, Kakoli and her designer personally selected options for me and created them.” What started as online trading has developed into a fast growing business. Thanks to their initial start up method of online marketing they have patrons across the world. Apart from visiting this new store, orders can also be placed through their website www. theredriver.in or through their very active social networking site http://www.facebook. com/TheRedRiver. But with this new Indiranagar store The Red River might very well be that one local brand that soon goes international. Way to go!

VIBES CORNER

ikkim might be a paradise for honeymooners. But make no mistake, it’s also home to some great music and some even cooler musicians. Credit for which can definitely be given to Café Live & Loud, Gangtok’s answer to big city Hard Rock Cafés. It’s the first and only acoustically designed live music club in the entire region. With a dedicated stage and sound equipment, seating and state-of-the-art acoustics, Live & Loud is a favourite destination for music lovers from all over the country. Music is manna here, be it Jazz, Blues, Rock ‘N’ Roll or Metal and live gigs are a staple affair. In its short but eventful twoyear existence, the biggest of names have adorned the Live & Loud stage. Soulmate, Matt Keegan, Pentagram, Them Clones,

CAFÉ LIVE & LOUD, Enchey compound, Tibet Road, Gangtok, Sikkim

Krosswindz, Crystal Grass, Insomnia, Five, Parikrama, Breathe — they’ve all been here. And not just the big names, even many small amateur bands and artistes have debuted at this very stage and have become overnight rockstars. And even though the music served here works as food for many, they do rustle up some drool-worthy fare for your taste buds. The beverages keep ﬂowing too. So, brace up guys, plan a quick trip to Gangtok, because this place is not just about hills and dales. It’s fast becoming the music hub of the region. Go Gangtok!

ILLUSTRATIONS: KAMAL KALITA

en are from Mars. Women are from Venus. So true! Men definitely do not belong to the planet I belong to. The differences are so very obvious that it sometimes blinds us to the point of not noticing them. So what exactly happens in this other planet — the male domain? Don’t they feel the same emotions like we do? Does love, pain and betrayal have a different meaning there? I think it does! The definitions of each of these emotions differ for man and woman. When a new relationship blossoms, the excitement is phenomenal. The laughter, the fun and the ecstasy is mutual. But with time the differences become evident. Men are able to steer clear of the emotional entanglement. But women can’t. I don’t know why. Falling in love comes naturally to the fairer sex. It’s almost like a female prerogative. Just like remembering important dates, or at extreme cases even the time. But when it comes to moving on, women seem to have excelled in the art. It’s pretty simple. Dig a hole, dump every trace of your every little memory and cover it with rubble of sand. Jump on it twice to make sure nothing seeps in through the crevices. All memories are buried. It’s a new beginning. At that very point the past feels like another lifetime. For men, though, “moving on” is a hard task to muster. The awakening process is slow and lethargic, often bordering on depression. They struggle to get back what seems to be lost. Apologies abound, past mistakes accepted, astronomical ‘promises’ promised and memories evoked. It’s a last ditch effort to regain lost trust. If only, the effort had come in a wee bit earlier. Sigh! WORDS: SWAGATA

working day in every major city of India starts off with a haggle with auto rickshaw drivers. Bangalore is no different. Getting an auto rickshaw driver to take you to your destination is never minus any drama. It starts off with their standard dialogue, “Rs 20 extra”. And with the new fare hikes coming into effect it has become a field day for auto drivers. They now need to just flash a piece of paper with some rubbish rates and claim what they think is their right. It is nothing less than ridiculous! I agree that fuel prices have sky rocketed and that’s a cause for worry but if auto drivers agree to take us to our destinations and not blatantly say a NO to every other passenger, they would earn more than they do now. I see no logic in refusing a passenger on a road and doing the entire stretch empty rather than earn even the minimum fare. Their logic beats me! The biggest contributors to my stress level are these auto drivers. I’d rather stay longer hours at work and hitch a ride home with a colleague, than get on the road and lose my patience and temper at the auto drivers. With the authorities turning a blind eye to the woes of commuters, God help us poor Bangaloreans!

WORDS: POOJITHA

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