VIBES- Nov 2010 by Eclectic Publications

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

EAST H T R O N BY HEART

Paul Mazurkiewicz FOR MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT NOVEMBER 2010 R 30

Webcerts

Go LIVE on the web

Dwar

5 years down the line

R A F A ALI Ze, act some Sing som

Onir

Director with a difference

Gaurav Jani

One for the road

10 Best OSTS of all time

TRACKLISTING VOLUME- I ISSUE-4

A Pakistani pop sensation who might very well be the next Indian superstar

An exclusive interview with the Cannibal Corpse pounder

REGULARS 17 FYI 31 WOC 27 ON DEMAND 37 TRACK RECORD

Folk music has come a long way, thanks to Bollywood

TRACKLISTING VOLUME- I ISSUE-4

Online live concerts are the new thing in the Indian music scene. Will they work? Wait and watch The quintessential biker on what made him choose the highway as his home

‘Do your own thing’ is the new-age mantra for today’s generation of teens

Potter mania resurfaces this month with the release of the first installment of the seventh film

07 EVENTS 38 JOCK TALKING 40 CAMPUS CALL 48 VIBES CORNER 50 BHEJA FRY

His films aren’t the usual run-of-the-mill formulaic types. So what makes this director different from the rest?

Should marriages be arranged? Find out

EDITORIAL

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

THE ROAD LESS TAKEN... g hese days we often hear about young guns turnin evolved entrepreneurs. A concept that has arguably been s have in this century and it proves that we as young Indian dual indivi own our lished estab and d create successfully own set-ups. Not following the herd and making one’s ing. inspir and le endab mark in today ’s crazy economy is comm time. Shows The media extols these young entrepreneurs all the your own do you when that prove Pitch and up Start like Young Turks, as the rated celeb as thing you are surely going to be noticed as well risk made have who faith, of leap minds who have dared to take a ss. succe of cles pinna the ed reach have and ’ their ‘middle name one’s heart can Being different and having the courage to follow l terms, the ntiona conve In . safely be summed up as a recent trend regular a get and s studie one’s lete ‘comp so-called agenda is to kids and their back ts Paren ed. chang have times now but 9-to-5 job’ the and plan a has she or friends and relatives wish them well if he g. biddin ’s heart the will to get out there and do some such This November we try to bring to you an array of succeeded have and individuals who have dared to do the different otes of anecd ing inspir of host a beyond measure. We bring to you ika, Hazar nath Amar d. beyon and east north successes from across out based oser the internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist and comp Being ’. heart the by doing and of Boston, is one such story of ‘living all the facets of his multi faceted is one thing, but being successful at Zafar’s story, the chosen route is pretty commendable. Also read Ali he dreamt of as what ed blue-eyed boy of Pakistan, who has achiev a painter as actor, le endab comm a r, singe a 15-year old — a popular l. mode d-off well as an on-an Young and the With many more such meaningful stories — ‘The a few — Eclectic name to ‘Onir’, and ay’ Restless’, ‘His Way is the Highw ed minds matur with guns young these rates celeb Vibes salutes and them! I to Kudos who have dared and cared to do their own thing! s realm ional tradit the d beyon hope such stories will help us think be. to seem may they big ver Howe s. dream our and goad us to follow Cheers!

(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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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.

October 2010 Could music lovers in the northeast ask for anything better than Vibes? Your team is doing such a fabulous job month after month. The magazine looks very classy too. Giving all the Northeast bands a platform to perform is another commendable job that you guys are doing. Thanks! Hail Vibes! Vika, Dimapur Thank you Vika, for being such a wonderful reader. Your letter made our day — Team Vibes

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Kudos to the EV team for bringing out such amazing work every issue. I’m a big fan of your magazine. I am in a band of my own and hope that one day we would be featured here too. Needless to say I eagerly wait for the ‘Hot Artistes to Watch Out For’ every month! Keep up the good work. Deepak Mushahary, Guwahati Thanks Deepak. And yeah, keep jamming hard. We’ll find you soon enough — Team Vibes

I really like your magazine and have been following it from the March issue which covered Eluveitie. You guys are doing a great job. But it would be really cool if you could dedicate a section to metal alone because there is a huge section that listens to metal from the Northeast. I read the interviews of Periphery and Lamb of God. Really nice stuff, man! I particularly enjoy reading the write-ups by Kaushik Barua, Pooja Chakraborty and Jai. I would also like to thank Khalid Wani for the Lamb of God interview! Ashish Sharma

Congratulations on a truly commendable magazine. The stuff you cover truly rocks. I like Kaushik Barua’s articles and I really digged his story on blogging. Also, Kaushik Hazarika’s interview with Parikrama was really nice. I had first heard Parikrama when I was 19 years old. Now I have a 9-year-old myself. It’s really nice to see the band going strong even after so long.Keep up the good work guys! Pooja Das Mazumdar Thanks a lot Pooja. Your appreciation means a lot. Keep reading and stay in the loop – Team Vibes

As a regular reader of Vibes I liked your latest issue a lot. I like the story on Street Stories, the Shillong band and the ‘Hot Artistes’ to Watch Out’ section. Hope to see more bands from Shillong on Vibes.Keep rocking, guys. Ruby Tekseng, Arunachal Pradesh Thanks Ruby. We’re so glad you loved the last issue and we hope you’ll like this issue even better – Team Vibes Hey Guys, the piece on Indus Creed was amazing! I have been a big fan and always wanted these oldies to come back together to belt it out again. Also the piece on Alice in Chains was such a great read. Thanks for the dope! Micheal Teron, Diphu We know how you feel about Indus Creed for that’s how we feel for them too. We’re glad you enjoyed the piece. Thanks — Team Vibes It was so good to read about the shooting range in Guwahati. I never knew we had a facility like that. Thanks for bringing that out. Sailesh Saikia, Guwahati Glad that you liked it. We’ll unearth more such stuff. Keep reading — Team Vibes

Thanks a lot, man! Your letter’s given us a real boost. We’ll try to churn out more metal stuff for sure — Team Vibes

WRITE TO US AT: The article on Emo was unusual and a very refreshing read. We can always look up to Vibes to keep up with the changing times! Nancy Langthasha, Haflong Thank you Nancy for such encouraging words. And yeah, keep watching the space for more such stories — 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

Jugalbandi jodi: Pankaj Sarma and Gautam Sarma

WHAT, WHERE, WHEN WHAT: No Tobacco -Youth for Youth musical event organised by Voluntary Health Association of Assam (VHAA) WHEN: September 25, 2010 WHERE: Don Bosco School auditorium

PLAY ON: Skit performed by the Sipajhar group, Sarcha

FLUTE TRUTH: Dipak Sarma

ARTISTES ALOUD: Henjoy & David Goldsmith

PHOTO: NASSIF AHMED

ROCKING AFFAIR: Axis

VIBES EVENTS

ON A SWEET NOTE: Dhruva Sharma cuts the birthday cake

IN CHORUS: Ambar Das, Girish Pradhan, Tinat, Sreemoyee, Dhruba Sarma and D’com Bhuyan

WHAT, WHERE, WHEN WHAT: FRIENDS celebrated the 70th Birthday of John Lennon and 50 years of Beatles WHEN: October 9, 2010 WHERE: Racquet and Billiards Club, Guwahati CHEERS ‘N’ CLAPS: The crowd at its jiggy best

BAND PLAY: Dhruba Sharma’s performance

THE MISSING PEACE HEART TO HEART: Andy Lalfakzuala of Solatis Sphere

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Reuben Masangwa with Sakah Masangwa

WHAT, WHERE, WHEN WHAT: Heralding Hope — A Peace Concert, organised by the North East Student’s Forum, Hyderabad WHEN: October 9, 2010 WHERE: Open Dias, University of Hyderabad

PHOTOS: Abhishek KR & Chetan Chauhan RAPPING RIGHT: Michael M Sailo ALL FOR A CAUSE: Northeastern Choir of Hyderabad University

VIBES FAD

lasses, tuitions, addas, computer games, internet and dating — yes, that’s what most teens do these days. Once in a while, though, you do come across a few young ones who dare to do something different. Of late young India has seen a resurgence as teenagers and 20-somethings are not just going the academic route and struggling to somehow get hold of a 9-to5 job. They have opened up new vistas for themselves and Asmita Aasavari, Rishabh Verma and Abhinav Sood are three such industrious youths. While Rishabh and Abhinav have gone the entrepreneurial route, Asmita fights for causes that are close to her heart. Rishabh is only 15 and Abhinav and Asmita are in their early 20s. They belong to three different cities but what’s common among them and what sets them apart from others is their individuality and their zeal to do a little bit more than what kids their age tend to do.

bhinav Sood belongs to Hoshairpur, Punjab and is presently pursuing his final year degree in Computer Science ABHINAV SOOD and Engineering in Chandigarh. But that’s just his academic identification. Abhinav, by profession creates websites and web applications. “That pays for my bills and for all the cups of coffee that I guzzle all the time,’’ he smiles. His company Inspirit Interactive provides premium web-based services to organisations of all sizes, from companies and non-profits to one-person start ups and individuals. Inspirit Interactive offers creative logo design, graphic/ web design and development services of the highest quality. “I have helped clients from

the US, the UK, India and Indonesia to get their visual identity on the web. I create modern designs that are visually appealing and carry a high usability quotient,” he says. He has been romancing computers from a very young age. “Over the years I found out how I loved to write codes. I also discovered that I can make really good looking interfaces that are usable and that actually work,” Abhinav exclaims. His parents wanted him to pursue the IITs or the NITs and that’s how he landed in Chandigarh but he soon realised that that wasn’t his cup of tea. What he did then shaped up the young man he is today. He spent his time at cyber-cafés where he read about programming, technology, social and new media, the web etc. He downloaded web applications and played with their codes to see what would happen when he changed a part of it or added to or removed from it. He would later start writing about his experiences with technology on a blog and that garnered quite a following. “I also earned some money from selling ads on the blog. With this money, I bought my ﬁrst domain, inspiritblog.com,” he beams. Abhinav founded Inspirit Interactive around this initiative and he now operates under its aegis.

uch like

Abhinav, Rishabh Verma is hooked on to computers as well. But this one’s much younger. A Class X student of Little Flower Convent School, RISHABH VERMA Chandigarh, he plans to sit for the SAT exams and go to the US for his undergrad. “I dream of getting into an Ivy League university like MIT or Stanford,” he gushes. This passion for computers started when Rishabh was in the 5th standard and there’s been no looking back since. He got into the Semantics of computational technology and he’s stuck to it even now. “Semantics basically means extracting

eanwhile, unlike the two young boys who have gone the entrepreneurial route, there are some youngsters who work to simply ASMITA AASAVARI spread some joy and earn love. Asmita Aasavari is one such girl. She is presently pursuing her Bachelors in Sociology from Miranda House, Delhi. Since 2007, Asmita has been doing her internships in rural areas outside Delhi. “My ﬁrst such stint was with the Delhi and Gujarat based NGO Anhad when I was in class XII. Since then I have also been associated with a people’s movement working in the Narmada valley called the Narmada Bachao Andolan,” she informs. Not just these

meaning out of content. It’s a simple yet intuitive concept which helps us to decipher meaning from large amount of data. I am trying to create tools which will help us make the web more personalised,” says the young man. What started out as a passion for games has now metamorphosed into a business venture. Rishabh is now involved in L-Pad, he has also started StinsonLabs and is busy creating Spojit. Sounds geeky for sure, but these are just complicated names for some very simple web-based services. While L-Pad is a start-up service for individuals wishing to start their own business, with StinsonLabs, Rishabh plans to create simple solutions to the complex problems on the web.

Asmita has also worked in the mass movement in Rajasthan called Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangthan. And earlier this year she spent the summers working with a Bhopal based NGO Eklavya, in the ﬁeld of education. Apart from her internships Asmita is also an active member of Pravah. “Through them a bunch of likeminded people of my age have initiated a project called Project Unnamed wherein we are interacting and working with asylum seekers,” she says. She is also working with the Women’s Development Cell of her college wherein they work with a community in the slum cluster of Bhalaswa which is in Jehangirpuri, in northwest Delhi. But why would a girl her age wish to spend her summers doing social work?

Spojit, meanwhile is the Slovak word for connect, and in layman terms it will enable individuals to connect through the virtual medium by way of virtual business cards. Coming from a 15-year-old these concepts are not just innovative but ingenious to say the least. But how did he think of getting into all this? “It’s just an extension of my interest. I enjoyed working on the computer and I simply wanted to learn more,” he says. And what about all the money that comes in? “I basically spend it on buying computer goodies,” smiles the lad.

“I have always been a very socially conscious child because my parents have exposed me to these issues, either through plays, ﬁlms or demonstrations. And after my ﬁrst internship I was hooked,” she says. Asmita has worked for several causes but what’s really close to her heart is gender and development and she wishes to do a lot more for the same. “I am planning to specialise in gender studies or development studies for my post graduation,” she says. So is she planning to be social worker? “No, not really! I do want to see a change and be a part of it but not as social work. I’d rather be a civil servant and be part of the system and try to make ‘change’ happen,” she aspires.

Asmita, Rishabh and Abhinav are just the tip of the iceberg as there are several other youngsters who are doing a lot more than what’s normally expected of them at their age. It’s a positive trend — a trend that needs to be emulated and encouraged. WORDS: BIDISHA SINGHA

VIBES FAD

Webcerts have managed to bring LIVE concerts right into your den. Aiyushman Dutta tracks down this new phenomenon

live and did not have the money or time to buy a ticket or brave the journey to the venue, do not worry for there is a much easier alternative at hand. With webcerts, all you need is a computer and a broadband internet connection! Soumini Paul of Artist Aloud feels that webcerts are well on its way to becoming the rage in the country. “Live performances have become a regular occurrence with local performances achieving easier popularity at the regional level. The Webcert is just an extension in the sense that it gives the consumer the opportunity to experience great performances even without being physically present in front of the artiste. Today’s consumer wants entertainment to come to him rather than him having to go to it.”

SHIBANI KASHYAP

he concept of playing live for a virtual audience has ﬁnally arrived in India. Webcerts, as these concerts are called, have within a very short space of time become an instant rage amongst the country’s digital audience, primarily because of its ability to bring to life the magic of live performances right in front of your desktop or lappy! The ﬁrst webcert, which was conceived and organised by popular web portal Artist Aloud, a couple of months back, featured Shibani Kashyap as the main act and was preceded by an opening act of Nakash

Sargam. The event was streamed live on the music portal’s website, targeting a global online community of music lovers all over the country and the world. As a concept, webcerts are truly unique. Though live broadcasting or streaming of performances over the net is nothing new, India has till now never seen a complete concert being streamed live into the internet. Besides enabling the performers to reach a much wider range of fans spread over a big area, webcerts have become an instant hit among urban audiences because of the minimum hassles involved. So if you ever wanted to watch your favourite artiste perform

AMBAR DAS

So if you ever wanted to watch your favourite artiste perform live and did not have the money or time to buy a ticket or brave the journey to the venue, do not worry for there is a much easier alternative at hand. With webcerts, all you need is a computer and a broadband internet connection!

PARIKRAMA

TECHNICAL APPARATUS REQUIRED: A PC or a Laptop with a good internet connection COST INVOLVED: For the organisers the cost includes bandwidth cost, sound, light, production and camera crew and of course artiste fee. For the consumers, it comes free

But despite the flexibility of time and space offered by webcerts, lack of infrastructural support might prove to be a major constraint. One can take the instance of the Northeast which, despite having a highly vibrant music industry, lacks the required infrastructure as internet is yet to fully penetrate into the rural areas. Soumini agrees, “Our biggest hurdle is definitely infrastructural support. However, having said that, our aim is to provide a seamless viewing experience for those who have access to a PC and a good internet connection,” says Paul.

But senior Guwahati-based drummer Ambar Das feels that connectivity shouldn’t be such a big issue as there are “many netizens in the Northeast” which can make for a sizeable audience. At the same time he lays stress on the initial impressions, “This concept can be viable, but only if the first impressions are good and good artistes and bands are showcased.” Since the first webcert with Shibani Kashyap, performers like Parikrama and Raghu Dixit have also had their own exclusive digital concerts, playing live in front of thousands of net-goers all over the country. Techno stuff aside, whether these digital performances can manage to strike the emotional chord the same way a live performance can remains a big question mark. According to Oliver Rai, the programme officer of Shilpgram in Guwahati where live performances are held frequently, it is time the regional musicians moved ahead. As he says, “The Northeast is musically advanced. In our experience we believe webcerts will work well, especially because in Northeast India both musicians and music lovers are evolved. There is a lot of talent in the Northeast that needs to be tapped. Concepts like WebCert would help these artistes present themselves not only within India but globally and help them build a fan base.” In a region where musicians have long faced discrimination, there is no end to the possibilities.

RAGHU DIXIT

Since the first webcert with Shibani Kashyap, performers like Parikrama and Raghu Dixit have also had their own exclusive digital concerts, playing live in front of thousands of net-goers all over the country Ambar, who has now shifted to Mumbai due to the paucity of avenues in the Northeast for musicians, adds in a similar vein, “If this concept works out, the possible beneﬁts for musicians and bands are endless; right from procuring gigs in proper venues to landing record deals.” With the independent music industry in the Northeast yet to receive the much needed impetus, webcerts might very well be the answer musicians here are looking for!

VIBES PASSION

henever it comes to exploring or travelling or hitting the dirt track most Indians would shy away. It’s a kind of thrill which we normally associate with Europeans or the

Americans. They travel far and wide in cars and bikes, set up tents at the most unchartered of places and move around like gypsies. Even India has been explored to the hilt by these Westerners and places like Dharamsala, Bodhgaya and Gokarna are teeming with

foreigners. But among these host of goras, there is also an Indian who has made the road his home. And that’s Gaurav Jani. A wanderer by soul, GJ or Bhatku, as he’s commonly known, used to work as an assistant director to Ram Gopal Varma but he quit all

If going alone, you can opt not to plan your journey. Just ask around, research and carry a road map. Don’t refer to guides / writers / articles as that’ll kill the thrill. If you plan everything, where is the fun?

that to hit the highways. The fact that he had an Enﬁeld bolstered his decision to leave his regular job and go for something he really wanted to do. “Motorcycling comes naturally to me. I do it because I like it,” he says. During one such ride to Rajasthan, he hit upon the idea of forming a club for Indian motorcyclists. So 60 kph, a non-proﬁt motorcycle travel club was formed. He wanted to create a network of dedicated riders all over India who would help each other share routes and maintenance tips. “And all that’s required to join this club is a motorbike,” he grins. The club has no moderator or owner and every member needs to take it forward. But what inspired him to start a club like this? “It was the love of seeing remote places in India and

Bike spares and tools are a must. Little bit of clothing that’s suited to the region you’re travelling would be the best. If you know it might rain, protection for the luggage and yourself is needed. If it will be cold, pack outer layer of protective clothing like a good jacket, and something like denim or a thicker pant. That would even help in case you have a fall! But avoid carrying too many clothes. A descent map always helps. Just by talking to the local people, you can get a lot of local info. You might also end up making a friend!

Carry fruit packets and dry fruits. Eggs, fruits and vegetables can be bought. Start your day with a heavy breakfast, skip lunch, have an early dinner and go to sleep.

Luggage carrier is the best! Keep one bag on the back seat with your tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat. One bag can have the spares and tools and one for the clothes. Carry a small bag which will have small utensils for cooking with 2-3 water bottles. You can tie up one bag to the tank. It can have dry fruits, maps, a small torch and other small stuﬀ that you might need.

Know your motorcycle well. Before every ride, get it serviced. Sit with the mechanic, watch him repair the vehicle, understand the nuances and be conﬁdent because if something happens on the way, you can repair it yourself. Carry a foot pump so you can ﬁll air because that can happen at the unlikeliest of situations and with the best motorcycles in the world.

VIBES PASSION

TRIP TIPS Depends on the place. Camping is best for less crowded places like Arunachal. For hotels, you’ll need to enter the cities and spend some good money. Best is to ﬁ nd a nice spot in the evening which has some acceptable water and go camp. Next morning, wake up and you are straight on the highway in less than 30 seconds! After 3 - 4 days of camping, go to a nearby city to replenish your food supply and spend a day in a hotel to enjoy a nice bath.

Because of the lack of oxygen, high altitude sickness is normal; no matter how ﬁt we are! If you’re going to high altitude areas, choose to climb through high altitude passes. If you’re new to any high altitude zone, don’t spend too much time at the passes. Drink adequate water and avoid booze and smoke.

Basic medicines, safety kit, your licence, money, bike papers and keys.

It’s good if you know all the people well. Though it’s a safe option, everyone might not look at the ride in the same way. You cannot choose an aimless ride while in groups as there are diﬀerent mindsets. Someone might like planning, some might want to ride fast and some might have constraints! Most importantly, if going in groups, make sure you have responsible and matured people who believe in team work. If the ride is as long as 30 days, then 3-5 people are good enough because a small group is manageable. There can also be two groups, 5 people in each group who can do the same road with one or two days gap. Keep meeting each other but both groups should move as separate entities. CHECK OUT GJ’S WEBSITES AT http://www.dirttrackproductions.com http://www.60kph.com

also abroad. To meet like-minded bikers who don’t think it is a crazy idea to take a 50-day trip,” GJ says. Though travelling was his passion GJ soon realised that he needed money to fuel this passion. He, therefore, started working part-time on projects with different directors. Finally, he clubbed his passion and work together and started making films about his travels. “We started Dirt Track Productions in 2004 and have made two documentaries so far — Riding Solo to the Top of the World and One Crazy Ride”, he reveals. While Riding Solo… is a film about his journey from Mumbai to the Changthang Plateau in Ladakh, One crazy ride films his expedition across the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The biker in him loves the Northeast and that can be seen in his frequent visits to the region. From 2003 to 2009 he has spent six months in Arunachal Pradesh across three trips! “I think the whole Northeast is beautiful and pristine. Not a lot of people know about it which is good because not many people are visiting the place and spoiling the tranquility,” he confesses. For GJ, travelling is all about losing one’s identity and becoming a part of the land and the people. He feels that it’s the only way a traveller can achieve what he sets out to achieve — to return from a trip, notice the changes and never forget. “Throughout our day-to-day life, we keep judging things. But once we get into the travel groove and leave

FROM THE MAKERS OF

RIDING SOLO TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD

Dirt Track Productions and 60kph, Motorcycle Travel Club India present

oNe CR A ZY rIDE A FILM BY GAURAV JANI

www. Dir tTr a c k Pr o d u c tio n s .c o m DIRECTOR : GAURAV JANI • RIDERS : NICOLITTA PEREIRA, VINOD PANICKER, SANJEEV SHARMA, GURSAURABH SINGH TOOR AND GAURAV JANI • PRODUCER : DIRT TRACK PRODUCTIONS • CREATIVE PRODUCER : RAJIV B. MENON • EDITOR : KISHOR JADHAV MUSIC : VED NAIR • MIXING ENGINEER : DWARAK WARRIER

aside our city traits, we observe, appreciate, absorb and learn things. It’s the stage of mind which takes you to your destination and reaching that stage of mind to get to your destination is like an addiction”, he exclaims. Though GJ might make it all sound like a joyride, it ain’t really that easy. A lot of planning and hard work goes into each trip. But for the thrill-seeking traveller nothing’s as enticing as a trip down the winding roads on a beaten-down motorbike. So, the next time you plan a trip. Go Vroom! WORDS: HIMAKSHI GOSWAMI

VIBES MUSIC FYI

REVIEWS

BY: KAUSHIK BARUA

DIRT BEYOND BEAUTY Silver Tears Genre: Experimental/Progressive metal Rating: 3.5/5 If you’re a fan of stuff like Dream Theater, Textures and Symphony X then you’ll surely value what ST does on Dirt Beyond Beauty. The E.P rocks and thrashes along the same progressive/ experimental vein, with crunchy, groovy riffs and shrewd drum beats fitting in nicely to bring to mind albums like Silhouettes and Divine Wings of Tragedy. It’s a complete guitar-oriented album, something that the throbbing production job clearly highlights. Duo Ishan Das and Brittanta Das Mahanta churn out some wicked grooves when it’s needed (Drifter) and they are also not above hammering away wildly in numbers like Euphonious Odyssey and Dirt Beyond Beauty. The accompanying wild-dynamics presents what is by far the most impressive aspect of the album.

THE SUBURBS Arcade fire Genre: Indie Rating: 4.5/5 Arcade Fire gave the world a sneak-peek of The Suburbs back in May. At that point of time it seemed like they were trying to slip away with it without anyone noticing. Releasing a 12” (12-inch) single only in select independent record stores in a few areas, giving very little away in terms of interviews or press — it seemed like the band was trying to avoid the inevitable hype or perhaps trying to create one. But then when you’re a band like Arcade Fire, whose debut album Funeral was as critically acclaimed as it was commercially successful, everything that follows is going to emerge in a tidal wave of hype, whether you like it or not. And trying to live up to that is always going to be a difficult task. First up, it’s a bit of a concept record. No big surprise there; pretty much everything the band has done in the past has had some kind of theme running through its veins. This album takes in a lot of themes — the alienation of modern living, the bleakness of suburban life, a critique of the hipster lifestyle — it’s all in there somewhere.

ALL NIGHT LONG Buckcherry Genre: Rock Rating: 5/5 Saviours of unpleasantness, the L.A. skuzzy rockers are disciples of the Sunset Strip circa 1987. Singing songs of crazy bitches and cocaine which are scored to secondhand Joe Perry ripoffs stripped of boogie so they’re turned into lead-footed stomps. Rock & roll doesn’t need to be convoluted it’s often better if it isn’t. But if it’s going to be the soundtrack for a night of binge drinking at strip clubs, it damn well better make wallowing in filth sound irresistible, not drudgery. With All night long they piss on the Dead Kennedys, swipe power ballads from Motley Crue and pluck Guns N’ Roses with absolutely no sense of glee. It’s dutiful cardboard cock rock. If the band played with any sense of enthusiasm, this could be tempting toxicity — music you know is bad for you but you can’t resist. But Buckcherry are so far gone on the road of rock & roll indulgence they wind up repeating the same stupid excesses not because they’re fun, but because they don’t know how to do anything else.

BY :JAI

VIBES MUSIC BAND OF THE MONTH

HOW DIFFERENT IS DWAR? DO YOU GUYS STICK TO THE SAME OLD METAL STUFF OR IS IT ANYTHING ELSE? Our music is “metal”, that’s for sure, but with a blend of melodic rock, progressive grooves and a touch of thrash riffs, here and there. If we have to define our genre, it’s progressive-melodic-metal. AND HOW DID YOU GUYS START OUT? Dwar, as a band, was formed in November, 2005. Jonathan, Freddie and I went to the same school and we wanted to be in a band since those days. But it was only when we started college that we got more freedom. Freedom to do what we wanted and that’s when we formed the band. BUT WHY THE HINDI NAME DWAR? We chose to name us Dwar, because it relates to what we write about. Dwar is Hindi for “door”. And this door signifies a way or a passage through which one’s dreams, hopes and aspirations can be realised.

Five years down the line and still going steady, that’s Dwar, the metal band from Shillong. Guitarist Imti lets us in on their story, Pooja Chakraborty listens…

n the Northeast, metal music rules the roost. Be it the headbanging kind or the somewhat mellowed version, people here love the metallic resonance. The credit for which, no doubt, goes to bands like Dwar. This four-piece metal outﬁt from Shillong is just perfect for all those listeners who do not like the growls or the freakish heavy

metal sounds. In fact they mesmerise with their uncharacteristic simple and “melodic” metal sounds. Be it Freddie’s inspiring vocals, Jonathan’s stormy drumming, Arbor’s bass moves or Imti’s guitar riﬀs; Dwar is in perfect sync when it comes to making some highly commendable metal music. So, what makes Dwar any diﬀerent from all other bands in the region? Let’s hear it from Imti:

IT’S BEEN ALMOST FIVE YEARS SINCE YOU GUYS STARTED OUT. ANY LINEUP CHANGES AS YET? Yep, we’ve made a couple of changes. Our original bassist Huebert left the band in December, 2008, then Arbor ﬁlled his shoes. We’ve had two key board players Melam n Brandon, both played for six – nine months with us. Then there was Mankhraw, who played rhythm guitar during the initial stages of the band. He left as well but came back after three years and

played for a few months. But then he left again because he got a job or whatever…same old story. Huh! OKAY. BUT, EVEN YOU GUYS HAVE ALTERNATIVE CAREERS. RIGHT? Yeah. Freddie is a government employee. Arbor works with Mahindra Automobiles. Jonathan is doing his law and I have just

PEOPLE IN SHILLONG DO LOVE ROCK BUT WHEN IT ACTUALLY COMES TO SUPPORTING BANDS THEY ARE A BIT HESITANT. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE GO FOR INTERNATIONAL CONCERTS BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY GO FOR CONCERTS BY LOCAL OR NATIONAL BANDS. EVEN BAND GIGS HAPPEN ONLY ONCE A WHILE. IT’S VERY SEASONAL HERE

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT? Lyrics are just as important as the melody, the groove and the structure. Everything compliments each other. As far as writing’s concerned, I have composed and written all the songs till date. But the arrangements are done by the whole band. BY YOUR SIDE IS ONE OF YOUR POPULAR NUMBERS. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT? I wrote this song in parts actually. I just wrote some lines on my diary way back in 2006 and I would keep adding more lines to it every now and then. It was not until late 2007 when I struck a melody on my guitar and I took out my diary and looked over what I had written. That’s when I started to edit and compose the now slightly famous song By Your Side”. HAVE YOU GOT ANY PROPOSALS FROM RECORD LABELS FOR YOUR DEBUT ALBUM TO RELEASE NEXT YEAR? We have actually and we were very ﬂattered and humbled that a record was interested in us, but we had to refuse it. Since it’s going to be our ﬁrst album we want to do everything ourselves. We want to be in full control of our little baby. WITH PIRACY BEING SO RAMPANT, DON’T YOU THINK RELEASING AN ALBUM WILL BE A MISTAKE? Releasing an album is never a mistake.

graduated and am concentrating on music full time. But I do teach guitar to a few kids. OKAY. WHO AND WHAT ARE YOUR INSPIRATIONS? Nature, people... it’s everything around us. As for bands, we love TNT, Mr. Big, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Dio, Circus Maximus, Threshold, Pagan’s Mind, Opeth. And that’s just oﬀ the head. SO, YOU GUYS PREFER SINGING COVERS OR YOU LIKE TO STICK TO THE ORIGINALS? Deﬁnitely, originals! To get to play the songs that we’ve worked so hard to create, LIVE on stage. Man, what a feeling! WHAT ABOUT THE WRITING PART THEN? WHO DOES IT AND

Band Members: Freddie (Vocals), Arbor (Bass), Jonathan (Drums) Imti (Guitars) Popular Tracks: Beginning to an end Never again By your side Link: www.myspace.com/dwarshillong www.youtube.com/dwarband

VIBES MUSIC BAND OF THE MONTH

Besides, if it was not for piracy we would have never got to listen to half the bands that have inﬂuenced us. HOW’S THE MUSIC SCENE IN SHILLONG? The rock scene has been thriving here since the ’70s. But honestly, it will be better after, say 30 years. We’re not saying it’s bad but it’s not as great as people think. It’s picking up, though. Lots of good bands are coming up and each band is doing their own thing. We just need to work harder and be more serious about our music. We also need better promoters and people to sincerely support the bands. WHAT ABOUT THE TAG THAT SHILLONG IS THE “ROCK CAPITAL OF INDIA”? I think it’s too over-rated. People in Shillong do love rock but when it actually comes to supporting bands they are a bit hesitant. Thousands of people go for international concerts but how many people actually go for concerts by local or national bands. Even band gigs happen only once a while. It’s very seasonal here.

DWAR IS HINDI FOR ‘DOOR’. AND THIS DOOR SIGNIFIES A WAY OR A PASSAGE THROUGH WHICH ONE’S DREAMS, HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS CAN BE REALISED BUT ISN’T MUSIC A GOD GIFTED TRAIT IN THE PEOPLE OF NORTHEAST? True! But we cannot deny that there are many god gifted musicians in other parts of the country as well. IS THAT WHY NOT MANY BANDS FROM HERE GET SELECTED FOR GREAT INDIAN ROCK, THE PRESTIGIOUS ROCK FESTIVAL? WHAT DO WE LACK? One word and that’s — Production!

OKAY. ANY PERSONAL FAVOURITES FROM THE NORTHEAST? We like Project Blend Ltd, Midnight Garden Factor, Plague Throat, Digital Suicide, Dia Tribe, Street Stories and Dementia AND WHICH HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE GIG? The Unseen Underground gig in Guwahati and the RAGE 2010 Concert in Shillong are one of the best gigs we’ve had. WHAT ABOUT REALITY SHOWS, DO THEY HELP BANDS? HAVE YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY SHOW? They are okay. They do help in spreading the music to a wider audience. We did participate in one recently. It was a whole new experience but we weren’t too happy about the results. SO, WHAT’S NEXT FOR DWAR? We’re totally into the album right now. So that’s that.

VIBES MUSIC ON THE RECORD

nterviewing people always gives a great high and if a person turns out to be super hot, it’s all the more fulﬁ lling. It’s like a Diwali bonus! And after watching Tere Bin Laden, I HAD to interview Ali Zafar, that “good looking ullu da patha”. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Be it his drop-dead gorgeous face or his Kishore Kumar-ish voice or his surprisingly candid acting skills, Ali Zafar is deﬁ nitely the discovery of the year. But then he isn’t really new. Th is Lahore lad is to Pakistan

VIBES MUSIC ON THE RECORD

fan list. After TBL these two Bollywood biggies have been going gaga over Ali. Salman even invited him over to his place. Ali, though is only humbled by their appreciation. “They have been very kind and generous,” is all that he says. I say, he’s just being modest. But modesty does come naturally to a man who comes from a sound background. Born to two academicians, who both worked at Punjab University, Lahore, Ali has had humility in his genes. Much like his learned parents, maybe the young Ali had also dreamt of academic pursuits as he

what Michael Jackson is to the world. Known as the Prince of Pop back home, this hunk has fans to the hilt and acting and singing oﬀers by the dozens. And after the

rave reviews Ali garnered for TBL, his ﬁ rst Bollywood ﬂ ick, those numbers have only gone many notches up. In fact you can now count Salman Khan and Karan Johar in his

had topped in his matriculate examinations. But no, that wasn’t his dream, he says. “As a child I was a painter and I wanted to be a cricketer,” he informs. Very few people know that Ali completed his graduation from the College of Arts and Design in Lahore. So he was indeed a painter fi rst. So, how did music happen, then? “I was 16 and in college when I realised that I wanted to be a singer.” He passed out from college in 2002 and the very next year Ali released his fi rst album Huqa Paani which featured his hit single Channo. Half a million copies were sold off in just the fi rst week and 5 million copies thereafter, making it the biggest hit in Pakistan’s music history. And the rest, as the cliché goes, is history. His singing may have made him popular but Ali did start out his career in the world of entertainment through acting. “I did my fi rst TV serial in 1999 and I also walked the ramp before I got into music,” he says. And to garner some extra cash for his musical ambitions, the young Ali spent his evenings painting live portraits at the lobby of 5-star hotels. He still remembers the day he sold his fi rst painting for Rs 500 when he was 18

☼

Well minus the model. Rest is cool ☼

Robert Plant, David Gilmor, Roger Waters, Eric Clapton, Sting, RD Burman, Madan Mohan, Khayaam, Khwaja Pervaiz ☼

Thai ☼

Scent of a Woman ☼

Sketching and writing ☼

I spend time with friends and family. I also write. ☼

Shows ☼

Both equally

years old. But all that’s a distant past now. At the moment he’s a star, a star who can paint as well. Th is was proved at a recent charity event for ﬂood victims in Pakistan, where one of his paintings was auctioned at $ 3500. And why not, the man is now busy shooting for a ﬁ lm under the Yashraj

banner. It can’t get bigger or better than this. “The ﬁ lm also stars Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif and the director (Ali Abbas Zafar) shares my name,” he quips. The ﬁ lm is named Mere Brother ki Dulhan and Ali plays one of the leads. Rumours abound that Yashraj Films may have even signed him for two more

fi lms. But he would rather not comment on that. Though, he is in talks with some other big producers. Even before TBL, Ali had received several Bollywood offers owing to his music videos which had done very well in India. But he wasn’t looking for a run-ofthe-mill role and was ready to wait it out. And then TBL happened. Unlike most Pakistani singers who have jumped into playback singing for Hindi movies, Ali has tried to be different by going the ‘hero’ route. But why? “There

VIBES MUSIC ON THE RECORD

ZAFAR WITH WIFE AYESHA FAZLI

is some very good music being produced in Bollywood and some not so good like everywhere else. But everyone wants to be a part of it because it is an enormous industry. I might playback as well but right now I want to concentrate on acting,” he assures. Ali did sing his own songs in TBL, though. Apart from the fi lms he’s working on, Ali is also busy giving fi nal touches to his next album, Jhoom. It is a Sufi album, unlike his previous works, which were on the peppier side, and its set to release later this year. For all those who think that Sufi might not be the way to go for this pop

prince, check out Coke Studios on YouTube. Th is popular Pakistani TV show featured Ali at his musical best as he rendered some memorable classics to a live audience. His suggestion to all his Indian fans: “Do download the songs from the Coke Studio website.” We’ll sure do, Ali. So, does he prefer Sufi over pop? “I have no particular favourite genre. There is just good music and bad music,” he says. And what’s the music scene in Pakistan like? “People back home listen to all kinds of music. It’s very potent and vibrant. Unlike India where the music scene is Bollywood dominated, in Pakistan it’s free driven,” Ali asserts. He may be planning to get full-time into acting these days but you can’t take the music out of the man. Recently one of his tracks was used in the background score of a big budget Hollywood fl ick. He had been approached for the project by one of the makers but he didn’t realise that the fi lm was the Michael Douglas-Shia LaBeouf starrer Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. On the personal front, this 30-year-old loves his privacy and you’ll hardly see or read much about the man and his muse. In this case his long-standing sweetheart and wife Ayesha Fazli, whom he married in 2009. The couple also has a seven-month-old child. But doesn’t all the female adulation get to Ayesha? “I don’t think so, she is very understanding,” he smiles. What about fatherhood, isn’t it tougher than singing or acting? “Nothing is tough, unless you want it to be,” Ali says. Yeah, rite! Who knows it better than him? WORDS: BIDISHA SINGHA

VIBES MUSIC ON DEMAND

HOT ARTISTES TO WATCH OUT FOR BY: KAUSHIK BARUA

/O is a very promising young poppunk band that originated from the underbelly of the Shillong ‘Alternative’ scene. The band’s Reverbnation page boasts of a decently produced demo — Come alive, one that’s filled with heaps of tongue-in-cheek lyrics and half-way solid composition. Their Maroon 5 meets Boys like Girls approach into song-writing is a simple yet effective manifestation of feel-good indie pop-rock which with a little bit of polishing and tightening can actually go the mile. With a sound that’s not so dissimilar to that of the present generation punk would-be and should-be, I/O, seem like close cousins to their neighbours POT-FM and Street Stories in many ways. A band

ima Project, from Nagaland is an interesting amalgam of Rock, (I-kissed-your-mother in the) ’80s pop and Nu-age acoustic/blues elements. This is the kind of music that you’re bound to be stuck on because it has the ability

with a very promising demeanour, this one’s a fine addition to the north eastern Punkrock cluster. Link: http://www.reverbnation.com/iomusic# to prickle your deepest sentiments. Breezy guitar tones, soothing bass lines and mind-warping lyrics, this one’s a fine example of how catchy things can get in the experimental terrain. The lyrics come in sharp and smooth-just like a kid grabbing hold of his candy. And for a change we get strong and bona fide vocal lines and structures instead of rehashed and pretentious ones. Just in case you were beginning to use your head a bit too much again. No! This is not another lacklustre exploration in the fusion territory; this is the kind of music that is here to break and crush regional barriers and re-establish your belief in fusion again. Link: http://www.myspace.com/dimaproject

’m sure you’ve never heard technical metal the way Nekrosys shoots it at you. A Bangalore based four-piece; the band has been in existence for almost a year now and has amassed great fan-following owing to their distinct ‘Almost-Djenty’ brand of technical metal and their tight stage act. Unconsciously wobbly and a bit derivative at times, the band’s debut single Protean Sun displays a fair amount of potential and song-writing brilliance but is mellowed down by the slapdash production quality. Nevertheless, solid composition keeps the engine running. Presently striving hard to break through the competition scene, this band is still building their original set-list and plans to come out with an E.P when they’re done. Here’s hoping it won’t be too long before their talent pays off ! Link: http://www.myspace.com/nekr0sys

VIBES MUSIC SOUND OF THE SOIL

rom the pine crested hills of Shillong to Kuala Lumpur’s International College of Music and ﬁnally to the hallowed halls of Boston’s Berklee Institute, Amarnath Hazarika has come a long way. This twenty-ﬁve year old jazz guitarist, who prefers to be acknowledged as a composer rather than a performer, started pretty young and hasn’t looked back ever since. He took up tabla at age six and moved on to guitar by age 13 and that teen association has now turned into a full

grown passion for all things musical. Settled in Boston, Amarnath is presently writing and recording music for his Masters application to the New England Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music. Apart from that he keeps busy with his R & B and Soul gigs with his band Uyunga. “The band is named after Uyanga. She’s a Neo-Soul / R & B singer-songwriter and a Berklee student. The focus is to play her original music. The band includes three core members and I’m in charge of the arrangements, logistics, guitars,

organising rehearsals, managing personnel et al,” he informs. The other members are Berklee students as well and they come in and play their parts as and when they are free from their classes. But that’s not all. Amarnath is deep into his own jazz project as well. “It’s an ensemble called the Amarnath Hazarika Quartet or Quintet or Sextet or Big Band. The name depends on how many musicians I have.

I change my musicians around a lot. The only thing that stays the same is the music that we play,” he says. He describes this music as jazz combined with several world influences. Not only does he draw heavily from South American, Afro-Caribbean and African rhythms, Amarnath’s compositions are also influenced by Michael Brecker, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Flying Lotus, and many others. Even MJ seems to have influenced this classically sound musician. “I’m a huge fan of Michael Jackson since I first heard the album Dangerous. I also listen to a lot of reggae and dub — Burning Spear, Cultura Profetica, Steel Pulse, Jimmy Cliff, King Tubby and of course Bob Marley,” he proclaims. Living in Boston, playing for a band and planning for a Masters might seem like a fine way to live for any musician. But you still need a day job to pay for the bills. “I work at the Rayburn Music company for that,” he smiles. This company gives lessons and supports music education in the various school systems around Massachusetts and they also have a retail music store. “I am responsible for pretty much anything to do with string instruments. So I teach beginner level students who come in for lessons (guitar or music theory). I manage and maintain the String inventory in the retail store. And I also help kids with minor string instrument repairs,” Amarnath says. So, does that mean he’s a teacher as well? “Yeah, I teach at Rayburn now. I taught privately in Hyderabad as well as Malaysia and also worked as a music tutor in Berklee,” he grins. He teaches Music theory which includes Jazz harmony, arranging and composition, Counterpoint, Ear Training, Basic Traditional Harmony, Guitar and its technique, improvisation, sight reading, Jazz / Blues / R & B / Pop / Rock et al.

Being a teacher comes easy to Amarnath because he has had his basics right as a student. He completed his ﬁrst two years of graduation in Music at Kuala Lampur and his ﬁnal two years at Boston where he majored in jazz composition. Getting exposure to such musical arenas polished his ingrained skills and made him the musician he is today. “The best thing is the high level

Settled i n Boston, A marnath is presently w riti ng aand nd record i ng music for h is Masters appl ication to the New England Conservatory and Man hattan School of Music. Apart f rom that he keeps from busy w ith h is R&B aand nd Sou l gigs w itithh h is band Uy u nga of professionalism among the musicians here at Berklee and Malaysia. One of the most incredible experiences I had was going on tour and playing the Malaysian Independence Roadshow. We travelled all the way from Kuala Lumpur in the south up to Terengganu in the north, close to the Thai border, playing at universities and stadiums along the way,” he reveals. When asked about the greatest lesson he learnt in his Berklee years Amarnath emphasises the importance of being focussed and sincere, “The most important lesson

I’ve learned is that hard work, reliability and professionalism goes a lot further than talent. Most people here aren’t very impressed by just sheer talent and technique, mostly because there’s so much of that in a music hub like Boston. Also being around so much talent motivates you to take your own game up a notch,” he smiles.

Amarnath’s game is jazz even though this genre has very few takers. “Jazz has never really been a mainstream genre. It is not

VIBES MUSIC SOUND OF THE SOIL

IN FACT PROFILE Composer / Performer / Educator and Freelance Musician

STRINGS SPECIALIST AT Rayburn Music

GENRE Folk / Jazz / Soul

LOCATION Boston, Massachusetts, US

POPULAR COMPOSITIONS Consolation, Cyclops, Shifting Hands

LINK:

http://www.myspace.com/amarnathhazarika http://www.myspace.com/uyangamusic

as commercially viable as other genres. It’s synonymous with improvising, evolving, exploring and pushing the limits of modern music, as opposed to creating formulaic songs tailor-made to suit current trends and sell as much merchandise as possible,” he extols. Even in the musically rich Northeast jazz musicians are few and far between. So is there any hope? “Why not? It’s just a matter of availability and exposure. Once we have a few groups that play jazz-related styles, people will become familiar with the genre and then some will love it and follow it,” he points out. As for the heavily touted music scene in the region, Amarnath acknowledges the

presence of talent but disapproves the lack of organisation and infrastructure. “There is an almost limitless supply of talent for music, theatre, dance, ﬁne arts and we need to set up institutions that can tap into this talent,” he exclaims. And he feels that there is a need for a merit-based government scholarship for people who want to go for studies in music or the ﬁne arts. Amarnath also recognises the lack of venues in the region. “There are way too few venues that can accommodate live music. More venues mean more opportunities for bands to play at and the more they play the more exposure they get. What guys like Keith

Wallang and Springboard Surprises are doing is exactly the sort of thing that will help achieve that,” he says. What about his own contribution to the scene. “I feel that the best way for me to contribute to the scene in the NE, apart from performing and collaborating with other artistes, is to work with younger musicians and create a sort of support structure where musicians can come to get information about music theory, performance, composition, opportunities, competitions, higher education or even network with other musicians and professionals,” he says. Amarnath’s only goal is to play music, not just jazz and make it available to people who want to listen. He believes that an effective and meaningful system of music education, at least at the elementary school level is absolutely essential. “This is something that is totally non-existent in the country, and I’d like to help make that happen,” he says. With plans to come down to India this December Amarnath’s plans may reach a definite goal. His willingness to be part of a cultural revival in the region and the country might as well come true this time around. Keeping fingers crossed!

VIBES MUSIC WOC

Bass guitars, amplifiers and effects — here’s all the ‘bass’ basics that’ll help you kick up a musical storm STRING SPECIALISTS: Bass guitars

Imagine music without bass guitars! You can’t, right? These stringed wonders add that much needed punch to any kind of music, provided you have the right gear. YAMAHA BB414 FENDER PRECISION BASS

This one looks sleek with an alder body, rosewood fretboard and a maple neck. But don’t just go by the looks as this mean machine is equally perfect for rock, jazz and even funk.

IBANEZ BTB475

Packed for the professional player, this five-string guitar has a neck-thru construction and deeper cutaways that will improve your playability. Its versatility can be seen in its Bartolini MK2 pickups and onboard 3-band EQ.

It’s Yamaha’s lowest-price bass guitar and is the immaculate mix of looks, tone and playability. With a solid agathis body, chrome tuners and bridge, dual P/J style pick-ups, this one’s highly recommended.

LOUD AND CLEAR: Bass amplifiers

Now that you’ve got your instrument you need to play it loud and for that you’ll need these... MARSHALL MB150 150W BASS AMPLIFIER

FENDER RUMBLE 100 BASS COMBO This one’s best for the beginners. Features include a 100 W amp, 15” special driver and piezo horn, a 4-band EQ and XLR line out.

This one packs a mean punch with its 150 W power. With two channels, viz. Classic and Modern, this Marshall product provides you with two sounds. The classic Marshall sound as well as an edgy and aggressive one.

ROLAND CUBE 100 BASS AMPLIFIER A 100 W amp, 12” speaker, 4-band EQ, compressor plus extension speaker makes it apt for any stage or studio or even for some in-house jamming. Moreover, it’s small and light weight and has five digital effects to boot.

ADD SOME ZING: Bass guitar effects

You may not wish to add effects to your playing but if you get hold of these processors, you might just change your mind. BOSS GT-10B

This GT-10 sibling provides the massive power of BOSS’s latest custom made sound processor along with Parallel Effects Chain, Phrase Looper, and EZ Tone features. It’s user-friendly but fit for professionals, and its USB connectivity makes it useful for studio recordings as well as on stage.

LINE 6 BASS POD XT LIVE

KORG AX3000B

This one’s packed with 50 stompbox, synth, and studio effects, and it delivers six effects simultaneously. And what more the effects can be routed to suit your style.

72 effects, an LCD backlit and 32 preset programs make up this bass effects masterpiece. What more, the ESS will help you store the effects and replay them if and when you want to.

VIBES MUSIC FEAT.

BHUMRO FROM MISSION KASHMIR

decade as well. Magic was created by singers like Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar with memorable pieces like Laga chunari mein daag, Chalat musaﬁr, Mohe panghat pe among others. Even the ’70s and ’80s weren’t short of the folk taste as hits like Rang barse from Silsila and Lambi judai from Hero topped the charts for weeks and months. While Amitabh Bachchan proved that he was no mean singer with the Holi number, Reshma became a sensation with Lambi judai.

STILL GOING STRONG

olk is an intrinsic part of any musical culture. Yet its identity seems to be blurred as it depends on other forms to gain popularity. And in India the platform which gives voice to any form of music, be it rock, jazz, classical, thumri, ghazals, sufi et al, is Bollywood. Sad but true! Sad because these genres, by themselves, are rich beyond measure. But having to depend on whimsical fi lm music for its sustenance is quite a blow to their presence. Having said that, we cannot totally deride film music for using elements from other genres. Because whatever the reasons for such use, it cannot be negated that without Bollywood, all this genres would remain oblivious to the mass.

TRIED AND TESTED Bollywood, of late has been experimenting with a whole lot of genres but one genre which has been tried and tested over the years has been the Indian folk bastion. Indian folk encapsulates the taste

and fervour of various different cultures and communities and this huge stock of music is a treasure trove for music directors. Whenever there is a dearth of musical rhythms, composers would dig deep into the folk basket and pull out a soul stirring number. Folk in Hindi film music goes back to 1950s, to the time of S.D. Burman, Salil Choudhury and Naushad. These master composers realised the richness of Indian folk and duly arranged magical numbers around them. SD Burman struck gold with gems like Mere saajan hai us paar in the movie Bandini, Kahe ko roye in Aradhana and Allah megh de in Guide. Even Salil Choudhury created some indelible numbers like Bichua in Madhumati which depicts the folk melody of the tea tribes and Aja re Pardesi from the same movie which has a captivating rhythm, typical of rural music. Naushad Saab, meanwhile, had composed Dukh bhare din bitere bhaiya for the iconic film Mother India. What these three composers started in the ’50s was carried forward in the next

If the previous decades were any indication, it was evident that folk music wouldn’t die down for Bollywood. In fact it saw a resurgence in the ’90s. Several new voices came to be discovered, folk singers from diﬀerent parts of the country landed up in Mumbai. And music directors were only too happy to oblige. Punjabi, Rajasthani and Haryanvi folk reverberated through Bollywood and singers like Sukhwinder Singh, Swapna Awasthi and Rekha Bharadwaj made their presence felt. Sukhwinder’s Chaiyya Chaiyya is a classic now and it also proved the versatility of AR Rahman as a composer. Although Punjabi folk seems to have hogged all the limelight there have been certain other folk tunes which have made the mark. A prime example seems to be the Kashmiri folk number Bhumro, bhumro in Mission Kashmir. Another very popular number, Morni baga ma bole from Lamhe is a Rajasthani folk number, so is Madhe hiwda mein nache mor from Hum Saath Saath Hai as well songs like Nimbooda and Kaipoche in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.

NAMES TO RECKON WITH Singing folk numbers is an art and music directors in Bollywood have been smart enough to realise that the usual voices aren’t right for such compositions. Th at’s why singers like Alisha Chenai, Daler Mehndi, Mika, Ila Arun, Swapna

GULZAR

NAUSHAD

SALIL CHOUDHURY MANNA DEY

S.D. BURMAN

Awasthi, Gurdas Maan, Kailash Kher, Mohit Chauhan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan have thrived. Swapna Awasthi was a little known folk singer until her Pardesi number in Raja Hindustani, she followed it up with the Shilpa Shetty hit in Main aayi hoon UP Bihar lootne in Shool. Another aspect of folk music in Bollywood is the lyrics. Unless the lyrics display a rustic appeal, the composition will deﬁ nitely fall ﬂ at. Th at’s when the genius of Gulzar comes in. His Kajra re in Bunty aur Babli is conspicuous of a Lucknow mujra, while his Naina from Omkara is soul stirring poetry and Beedi jalaile is rustic folk at its best. What’s even more interesting to note is that most of Gulzar’s folkish lyrics have been composed by Vishal Bharadwaj. In the realm of folk music Vishal Bharadwaj is a name to be placed high on the pedestal. As a composer he would invariably place a folk song in most of his

LATA MANGESHKAR

WHENEVER THERE IS A DEARTH OF MUSICAL RHYTHMS, COMPOSERS WOULD DIG DEEP INTO THE FOLK BASKET AND PULL OUT A SOUL STIRRING NUMBER albums and as a fi lmmaker his albums would be a rich package of some brilliantly earthy folk numbers. His fi rst major hit number was Chappa Chappa from Maachis, a Punjabi folk version which is at once chirpy yet poignant. His other musical hallmarks include Omkara, Kaminey and Ishqiya. Of late almost every other fi lm has at least one folk inspired number for sure. Peepli Live had Mehengayi, a Bundelkhandi

REKHA BHARADWAJ

folk number. Love Aaj Kal had Aahun aahun and Aaj din chariya. Even the Dabanng number Munni Badnaam Hui is folk inspired. In such a situation when folk seems to be flourishing in Bollywood, it is rather difficult to say whether that’s a good situation to be in or not. Should be we applauding the fact that folk music is not only alive but kicking as well? Should we thank the fi lm industry for making it accessible to the masses? Or should we crib about the fact that a pure and sacred form of music has been tarnished by the commercial aspect? Whatever the take, as a listener, one should simply be thankful that out of all the fi lth that’s being churned out in the name of music, there’s at least some of it which keeps us hooked on to Bollywood music. And yes, that’s indeed the folk touch!

VIBES MUSIC

VARIOUS ARTISTES

MASTERS OF METAL C

annibal Corpse has been in the circuit for over two decades now and it’s been quite an eventful 20 years. This death metal band from Buﬀalo, New York has been in the news ever since they started despite the fact that they had very little radio or TV

exposure. Their brand of music has drawn a lot of ﬂak from many quarters but it has also managed to garner a cult following among metal fans. CC’s lyrics and album art draws heavily on horror ﬁction and has thus been branded controversial by many. So much so, that they have been banned in several

countries down the years. Despite all the controversies and the negative press, Cannibal Corpse has a fan following that transcends all boundaries. And when their 11th studio album, Evisceration Plague, hit the stores last year, the number of fans went many notches up. One such

fan, Kaushik Barua chats up with the CC drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz. Excerpts: As a drummer you’ve used a click track in Evisceration Plague for the first time. Was it a different experience for you? It was different at first. I was always a drummer who didn’t want to use a click. I was self-taught and it never came across as something I wanted to do. This time around we wanted to be as solid as we could be, and wanted to improve the band in any way possible. When that was suggested, I was all for it. It was definitely difficult in the beginning, adjusting to it. But now I look back and wish I would have done it years ago. It really helped my playing and helped tighten up the screws a little bit more. It made for the tightest recording we could do. That was huge. We’re not going to use a click live, but in time I hope it will get a little bit easier. As a band, have the songwriting duties been spread out among the band members a little more efficiently, especially in the last album? Everyone is a good songwriter. We know

* They started out in 1988. * Up until now the band has released 11 studio albums, one box set and one live album. * Their present band members are George Fisher (lead vocals), Rob Barrett (guitars), Pat O'Brien (guitars), Alex Webster (bass), Paul Mazurkiewicz (drums, percussion). * Some of their popular songs are Hammer Smashed Face, Hatchet to the Head, Sanded Faceless, Fucked with a Knife etc. * Link: http://www.cannibalcorpse.net/

they have the capability to write Cannibal songs. Over the last few years it seems like Alex had a lot of ideas, and a lot of them came together very quickly. On Evisceration Plague Alex wrote seven of the songs and collaborated with Rob on one other one. Pat wrote two, Rob wrote one himself, and

Corpse I have written lyrics too. Pat’s just not a lyricist, and since Alex does so many lyrics with his songs I have no problem writing the lyrics to Pat’s songs. That’s how it’s been going these days lyrically.

I wrote one song. But a couple albums back Pat had four songs. It just depends on the time frame and who’s come up with what at a given moment. Alex wrote most for this new album.

make any changes to them before recording? It’s pretty much as written. Some things might change here and there. If we get into the studio and something isn’t working syllable wise or isn’t coming across clean enough, they might be changed. If anything is changed, it’s usually pretty subtle.

So, it’s Alex who mostly does the lyrics? Yeah. It’s primarily Alex and I that write the lyrics. On Evisceration Plague Alex wrote all the lyrics to his songs, Rob wrote the lyrics for his song. I wrote the lyrics for the song I wrote, and I’ve always written lyrics for Pat. Every song that Pat has written for Cannibal

So, as a vocalist does George never

You worked with producer Erik Rutan again on the last CD. What is it about his style that clicked with you guys? He did a great job on Kill and we wanted

VIBES MUSIC VARIOUS ARTISTES

We really work to make the songs memorable while simultaneously being brutal, and I think that is something that other brutal death metal bands might have trouble doing. There may be other bands that are faster or more offensive lyrically, but I think we have a lot of song-writing talent and that trumps just about everything. What was with Jim Carrey specially requesting you guys for Ace Ventura? We were all quite shocked and happy as well. It still seems quite surreal that he even knew who we were. Why do so many politicians hate Cannibal Corpse? Have you ever considered just writing songs about various politicians? We’re an easy target, that’s why they target us. We don’t have the resources to fight back against their bullshit. Anyway, I don’t know if we’d want to have songs about politicians. Murderers, perverts, maniacs, sure but politicians, well that’s just going a little too far. Do you guys ever just look at your song titles and start to laugh? There’s a couple that could definitely be seen in a humorous light, although we really don’t intend them to be so. Out of the blues question — If you were a vegetable, what vegetable would you be? Well, I got a few tomatoes from the market a while ago. So, I want to be a tomato for now. (Laughs) to work with him again and see if we could do even better. The big thing is, he’s one of us. He’s a good friend of ours, and he plays guitar in a death metal band. What more do you need from a producer than a guy who’s in the thick of it like that? It’s key. He has built his way up to be the producer that he is today. Being from that death metal background is such a big plus and hard to get from other producers. Is age becoming an obstacle in maintaining the brutality and extremity in your music? More physically than anything. Just playing it. We’re not getting any younger, and the songs aren’t getting any easier. When it

comes to the edge, I believe that we’ve been doing it long enough and we are set in our style of how we write and how we play. When we have to write, everyone gets busy and it starts ﬂowing. It’s something internal at this point. But the older we get the harder it is going to be to maintain stamina. Knock on wood we’ve been fortunate that everyone’s been relatively healthy. We’ve got to use our maturity and brain to our advantage. We have to be physical. It’s what we do and that’s the way we play. But you learn how to use your muscles properly, learn stamina. We’re playing better live than we ever have. What do you think sets CC apart from other brutal death metal bands?

See, this is what I’m talking about, you’re such a normal guy. But, when I first saw you as a kid in the Hammer Smashed Face Live video, I thought you’d be… Yeah, I get what you’re trying to say but what people don’t get is that our music, like any art-form on this planet is just an artistic thought and means of expression. When we talk about a goblin coming out of a person, we don’t actually mean it, dude. These are just horror stories we build up for our music. It’s like a canvas we paint.

WORDS: KAUSHIK BARUA

VIBES MUSIC TRACK RECORD

Singles (1992) - Various Artistes When you have Soundgarden, Jimi Hendrix, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Chris Cornell and Pearl Jam collaborating on the same album, it has got to be something! This legendary album is responsible for revolutionising the Seattle grunge scene and bringing it to the mainstream. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)- The Beatles Recreating the Ed Sullivan Show hysteria, the Fab Four stormed their way into our TV sets in the early ’60s with classics like A hard day’s night, Please please me, And I love her. We can’t think of a better definition of a great soundtrack.

TOP 10 ROCK SONGS OF THE MONTH Say you’ll haunt me - STONE SOUR Animal - NEON TREES Another way to die - DISTURBED Little lion man - MUMFORD & SONS

- AVENGED SEVENFOLD Lay me down - THE DIRTY HEADS(FT. ROME) Radioactive - KINGS OF LEON Savior - RISE AGAINST Tighten up - THE BLACK KEYS Lisztomanina - PHOENIX Nightmare

Grease (1978)- VJim Jacobs & Warren Casey This original high-school musical enjoyed cult status in the late ’70s with Olivia New John and John Travolta’s gyrating grooves someway finding new fans every passing year even 30 years after it was released. This is a soundtrack that almost everyone must have heard.

Purple Rain (1984) - Prince Purple Rain catapulted Prince to legendary status with a killer combination of various genres such as psychotropic trance, powerful balladry and classic rock.

TOP 10 JAZZ SONGS OF THE MONTH Crazy Love - MICHEAL BUBBLE Fellowship

- LIZ WRIGHT

Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershin - BRIAN WILSON

The Sound of Music (1965) - Richard Rodgers The remarkable story of singing siblings and their musical governess in Nazi Austria includes classic such as My Favourite Things and Do-Re-Mi. Anyone who appreciates the power of music can’t deny the strange uplifting charm of this admittedly sappy movie. Superfly (1973) - Curtis Mayfield The soundtrack of this ‘blaxpoitation’ film with a combination of soul and classic was an instant hit. Superfly was one of the pioneering soul albums with socially relevant lyrics about poverty and drug abuse, which at that time was unique. Trainspotting (1996) - Various Artistes The popularity of this film prompted a second release with songs that did not make the cut the first time. Vanity Fair ranked it as the 7th best OST in history! This soundtrack mixed ’90s Britpop with classics from Lou Reed, New Order and Iggy Pop. Psycho (1960) - Bernard Herrman The harpy chorus of violin shrieks that accompany Marion Crane’s death changed the art of scoring as surely as Psycho altered film history.

Chamber Music Society

- ESPERANZA SCALDING

Heart and Soul - KENNY G Your songs - HENRT CONNICK JR. Backatown - TROMBONE SHORTY Home - JANE MONHEIT XII - BRIAN CULBERTSON Jazzmasters VI

- JAZZMASTERS

The Godfather (1972) - Nini Rota A mournful trumpet slowly building up to an orchestration as the opening credit of this mafia saga, the Godfather’s soundtrack was something that was unusual at that point of time and put Rota firmly on the American consciousness. Saturday Night Fever (1977) - Bee Gees with Various Artistes Even though disco might just not be the thing now, this album was the rage when our parents were hip in bell bottoms and flared collars! It sold over 30 million copies worldwide, which makes it the crowning achievement of the disco era by leaps and bounds.

VIBES MIX

RJ Hansie on office bickerings, back-stabbings and bad-mouths

t’s the end of the third quarter and now’s the time for the much abhorred corporate appraisal. I hate it as I’m not the one getting a piece of the cake. Office politics! I say with great detest. Or else why should an in-form workaholic like me be deprived of the peanuts that come at the end of every fourth quarter? Nonetheless the show goes on and I find myself in the midst of many a distorted discussion. Offices seem to be great working zones until you discover that behind the well-lit ventilated rooms and cozy chairs exists an ugly beast that’s about to rise from it’s forty winks. And lo! Before you realise what hit you hard on the face you would be a sitting duck in muddy waters. Thoughts would mould into words and eventually find articulation through the dirty tongues of a few. Some people are particularly proficient in executing the art of office politics, a talent that’s considered to be an indispensable step

in the success ladder. Shit! That’s all I can say at this point of time. Because I’ve experienced it, digested it and above all forgotten the fact that I had committed the same blunder earlier as well. Committing a mistake is not a crime but repeating it is and I’ve paid dearly for that. Although our annual meets would symbolically highlight the need to refrain from the three C’s — complain, condemn and criticise — yet some of my colleagues are pretty good at doing otherwise. I failed to comprehend the first time when a few of my colleagues deliberately tried their best to make me ‘news’ of the office. It was when a short, stout bespectacled bitch approached me for help and I was in my chivalrous best. For someone like me with firm faith in team integrity I was only eager to help. However, I failed to capture her curly intentions which were as curly as her hair and I became the ‘headline’ for the next few days. Forget any form of gratitude she was rather happy bitching.

The British left this country more than six decades ago but left behind the formula of ‘divide and rule’. I say a word, he says another and then he says the final word with contradictory conviction and a verbal duel begins. The “who said what, when and how” gives rise to a kind of politics that would put our ministers to shame. Mind you, politics in office doesn’t result in hurling sandals, nor does it involve in demolishing office furniture. It occurs subtly and if you aren’t clever enough than you wouldn’t know who pricked you in the race to earn the maximum in minimum time. Also office politics is never gender biased. Men and women are equally capable of achieving more in less time. And if you are good in manipulating things and can put the best foot forward every time, you surely get the toffee. In my case though, I know how the system works but I don’t know how to work the system.

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VIBES MIX

ILLUSTRATION: KAMAL

arriage is an institution based on love, mutual trust and the desire to share one’s whole life with another person. Also, it is an end to not-so-subtle (read cheap) jokes, heavy metal music, late night-outs, irregular bath routines, leftovers for breakfast, the shaving cream and toothpaste dilemmas and many more privileges of “singledom”. All this goes right out of the window for the hope of a life full of love and happiness and peace and you know the rest of it. My question is how many of us want this hope to be based on an “arrangement”? Or rather arranged marriage? The amount of risks involved in arranging a marriage and the number of people still participating in it amuses

Marriage is an end to not-so-subtle (read cheap) jokes, heavy metal music, late night-outs, irregular bath routines, leftovers for breakfast, the shaving cream and toothpaste dilemmas and many more privileges of “singledom”

and scares me at the same time. There are too many “what ifs” in an arranged marriage. And I am not even talking about the broad philosophical diﬀerences. It’s the basic small ones that freak me out. What if the person snores? What if the person goes to bed at 8 pm or 4 am? What if the person is a huge Britney Spears fan? What if the person is obsessed with Tweety or Winnie the pooh or other such threats to human intelligence? And the list doesn’t end here! All these questions can’t be answered in a few phone calls, or single digit meetings (generally under parental supervision,

as the protocol is). The whole element of surprise in an arranged marriage is a bit too overwhelming. If I am about to buy a pen, I make sure to try and test it. If I can’t buy a pen without making sure it works properly, I would never buy one. Then how is it that I have to spend my whole life with someone I haven’t known long enough. It doesn’t make any sense! When two people get “arranged” into a marriage, I am pretty sure, they see a family right out of a Rajshri Pictures movie — a honeymoon with three songs, aﬀectionate inlaws, understanding spouses and all that blah.

They hope that the violently shaking roses, when the universe has conspired for a kiss, are replaced by, you know, the real thing. But then what they discover is a documentary and that too in a foreign language. Without subtitles! I am not saying that arranged marriages never work. But I’m just not convinced that it is worth taking the risk. Moreover, we live in India. Couples don’t get divorced because the husband killed a pet or the wife ruined the morning coﬀee. Divorce and splitting up are still socially discouraged. The complex social equations often lead to a patched up life. Does all this sound very skeptical? If it does, then so be it. I stay in Bangalore, one of the most urban cities, which boasts of a modern cosmopolitan culture. The same city is host to a lot of wives and husbands living through the worst. The point is, education and standard of living are not a correct measure of a good life partner. It is not just love marriage versus arranged marriage. It goes beyond that, to realise the enormous trust and responsibility in choosing a life partner. In the end, it is always about what seems worthy of taking this risk by all reasons.

VIBES MIX

After My Brother Nikhil, Onir is back with another true-to-life film, I Am. Here’s the unorthodox filmmaker in conversation with Pooja Chakraborty

nir aka Onirban Dhar — a director, producer, writer and editor in the big bad world of Bollywood. But unlike most upcoming filmmakers, who would rather play safe and stick to the age-old formula of Rom-Coms, Onir makes movies with a twist. His cinema talks about socially relevant themes, raises questions about social dogmas and makes the viewer sit up and notice. Case in point: My Brother Nikhil (2005). This debut vehicle of his brought homosexuality out of the closet and also made him a popular name in film circles. The fi lm, though, not a commercial success earned Onir a lot of accolades for his bold attempt. My Brother Nikhil was followed by Bas Ek Pal (2006) and Sorry Bhai (2008). Even these two films bombed at the box office but the young man is undeterred and is now ready with his latest offering, I Am.

I Am is quite an unusual name. What’s the idea? I Am is a fi lm that celebrates the individual’s right to choice and to freedom. It’s about people moving on and asserting their self in spite of all odds. Also the way this film has been made is in a way an assertion of oneself as a film maker and of the audience as the new age Indian audience.

What is it about? It’s a ﬁ lm with four interwoven stories shot in Kolkata, Srinagar, Bengaluru and Mumbai. These are stories of modern contemporary India. Of people who have broken lives but unbroken dreams.

Okay, but how is it different from films like Dus Kahaniyaan or Love, Sex aur Dhoka, which also have multiple storylines? Most of these are Bollywood feature length ﬁlms. But each director ﬁnds his own space through his narrative and distinctive visual style. There are not too many directors who venture into multiple narratives. I have my own style and that will bring the uniqueness into the subjects that have not

been seen on Indian screen before. Also I Am is probably India’s first crowd sourced film. We have over 400 people from 35 cities across the world supporting the film as volunteers and financers. And all this was done through social networking sites. This is in a way democratising cinema by taking the process of filmmaking to the audience.

You’ve also managed to bag the who’s who of Bollywood for your film. (Smiles) Yeah, I Am can boast of some of the best names in meaningful cinema. We’ve got Juhi Chawla, Manisha Koirala, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das, Purab Kohli, Shernaz Patel, Abhimanyu Singh, Arjun Mathur, Radhika Apte as well as directors like Anurag Kashyap and Anurag Basu. And yes, there’s also Sanjay Suri who is the producer as well.

Yeah, Sanjay Suri has been a part of all your four films. Is he your lucky charm? (Smiles) Sanjay and I have a production house together, it’s called Anticlock Films and we make ﬁlms we believe in. I have been extremely fortunate to have such a courageous and good actor to support me by accepting the kind of roles he does for me. Not too many in Bollywood would agree to do these roles.

You did your first and most popular film, My Brother Nikhil, with Sanjay Suri. What encouraged you to make a mainstream film on homosexuality and AIDS? My Brother Nikhil became my first fi lm purely by accident. My previous four scripts didn’t find any financers, despite all the stories being unconventional. I had read about Dominique De Souza the first known HIV case in INDIA and his story haunted both me and Sanjay and we felt that his story needs to be told. That’s when I wrote a story that could be produced by us. Real stories inspire me and motivate me. I never wanted to do what everyone else was doing. For me my identity as a film maker is important and I want to make the kind of fi lms which others do not venture into.

Okay, how did you get into this field? Why films? I have always wanted to be a ﬁ lmmaker. But it was a series of co-incidences that

Dream project Every ﬁlm one makes is a dream come true. If it’s not then it’s not worth making.

What does Onir do when he is not making movies? (Smiles) He tries to make his next film. Four films in five years took up a lot of time and energy. But yes I like to find time to travel, read, swim, learn to play the guitar and also cook.

If not a director… I think I would have been too depressed to survive because this is all I know and want to do. This is my world. Even the thought is like a bad horror movie.

Secret desire It’s a little vain, but I think I’d like to become the prime minister of India. (Laughs)

Last words… “Where the mind is without fear, and the head is held high...”. Through my cinema I too wish to achieve that world.

brought me here. Film Studies in Kolkata which led to a scholarship in editing in Berlin, then back to Mumbai where I was working as an editor, writer, art director and music producer. That’s when I met Sanjay Suri. He was instrumental in turning my dreams into reality. He encouraged me to start putting my ideas on paper. I wrote four diﬀerent scripts in four years and we tried to get a ﬁnancer but to no avail. In 2004 Sanjay suggested that I write something that we can produce ourselves. That was how My Brother Nikhil was made.

You have always attempted making movies on bold issues. Do you think the Indian audience has become more receptive and open now? Of course the audience has opened up. But my experience has taught me that we are still a long way to go. A critic had written for Sorry Bhai, “It’s a sin to watch this movie, why should the audience pay to watch sin”. In a country where Tagore had explored the same subject in Broken Nest more than a century ago, where Satyajit Ray had made one of his best films, Charulata, decades ago we still have such regressive comments being made. I think film makers like Shyam Benegal, Mahesh Bhatt, Ketan Mehta, etc. have made pretty bold and progressive fi lms in their times. Compared to them we hardly produce any powerful films anymore.

VIBES MIX

ingardium Leviosa, Petriﬁcus Totalus, Expecto Petronum, Expelliarmus, Sectum Sempra — if all that sounds gibberish, you need not continue reading this. And thank your lucky stars, I didn’t do the Avada Kedavra, or you’d be dead by now for not knowing these most common Harry Potter spells. But for all those who do know their spells and incantations, November is a “bloody” cool time. As it’s this month that we, Harry Potter buﬀ s, get to see the much-

awaited first installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. For the uninitiated few, who are still reading this, The Deathly Hallows is the final book of the seven-book Harry Potter series. And despite the fact that no true-blue Potter fan enjoyed the last six fi lms as much as they enjoyed the books, we still are eager to see how this penultimate version has turned out. What’s more, it’s the first in the series to be releasing in full 3-D. Blimey! Each of the first six books has been made into fi lms that have grossed millions all over

the world. The makers, however, thought it impossible to translate the last book into a single fi lm as many key moments had to be incorporated. Thus the seventh book will be released in two parts, the first one this month and the second installment in July, next year. God Bless, Warner Bros. for coming up with this brainwave. The November edition kicks off with Harry, Ron and Hermoine setting off on their mission to destroy the Horcruxes, wherein lies Voldemort’s immortality. Meanwhile, Voldemort has once again taken

know and though the makers have tried their best to keep it hush-hush, the secret is out, or so it seems. A preview piece by Entertainment Weekly states that the split occurs at the end of Chapter 24, when Voldemort has managed to get hold of the Elder wand, which allows the owner to conquer death. Meanwhile, actor Jushua Herman, who plays Goyle, revealed at a fan convention that the ﬁrst part ends when the trio are captured by the snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor. But Warner Bros. has clearly stated that they may not keep that as the split point. So, your guess is as good as mine.

Filming facts

h M. Night Shyamalan was interested in directing this installment. h Despite having stated that she would not be returning as Professor Sybil Trelawney for this film previously, Emma Thompson will indeed be seen in the last two fi lms. h The film’s budget is estimated to have been £150 million. h Rhys Ifans (remember, Hugh Grant’s weird roommate from Notting Hill) will be playing the cross-eyed wizard, Xenophilus Lovegood, Luna Lovegood’s father.

The ﬁ lming for both the installments is already over. And thankfully, there are quite a few scenes which stay true to the book. These are the Seven Potters Chase, Bill’s wedding, Gringotts, Shell Cottage and the Battle of Hogwarts.

h J.K Rowling told Alan Rickman (Snape) the reason behind Severus Snape’s strange behaviour towards Harry years before it was disclosed in the Deathly Hallows book. Snape’s love for Lily Potter, Harry’s mother, is the reason he both detests and wants to protect Harry. h In the epilogue in Deathly Hallows Part 2 the cast play their characters in the future, using a combination of prosthetics, computer generated imagery. In this epilogue the wife of Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), Astoria Greengrass, is played by his real life girlfriend Jade Olivia.

over the wizarding world and the only thing that evades him is Harry Potter. “Neither can live while the other survives” — the two trying their best to prove this prophecy right.

Those who have read the book do know what to expect but the visual medium tends to surprise one and all. And even though I wouldn’t want to kill your enthusiasm by giving out spoilers, I think you’d deﬁnitely like to know what to look forward to. So here goes:

Now, that’s what most HP fans want to

The director, David Yates, has a favourite scene in the movie, which incidentally is not a part of the book. The scene sees Harry dancing with Hermione as they exchange information about their mission. Yates has also revealed that Harry will be seen naked in two pivotal scenes in the fi lm. One when Ron sees images of Harry and Hermione kissing and embracing. And the other when Harry almost dies and sees Dumbledore at King’s Cross. So, you see, even if you’re not really a Potter fan (but you’ve still hung around reading this) I guess you should just go for the fi lm anyways. If not for yourself, maybe for that one Potter fan in your family. And I know there definitely is at least one in each ‘muggle’ household.

WORDS: BIDISHA SINGHA

VIBES CORNER

f you’re a Northeasterner in Bangalore and you’re looking out for a place close to home, don’t fret. We have just the right place for you. Head out for Tibetan Market on Brigade Road and get an up-close feel of your homeland. Not that it’s only thronged by Northeastern people but at Tibetan Market you are sure to find many an old friend or foe. Or you may just strike up new kinships with people from back home. Apart from the emotional attachment that Tibetan Market provides, it’s a great place to splurge as well. Variety is the buzzword here as their collection has to be seen to be believed. From shoes to belts, junk jewellery to wallets, trendy tees to skinny jeans, colourful stoles to fancy scarves, denim jackets to warm coloured cardigans — you name it, you got it! Of course, the women have more choices to pick from, but the men don’t be disappointed as you’ll get your fair share too. The prices can seem a tad high for college going kids but the stuff is totally worth it. Shopping aside, there’s one more reason why Tibetan Market is such a sell out. And that reason is MOMOS!

DROP IN AT

As a new comer to the city, almost a decade back, I used to throng this place not quite for the shopping as for the amazingly scrumptious dumplings or momos. It is available at Taste of Tibet, the eat-out located at the second level of the shopping complex, which also serves up a delectable platter of noodles

TIBETAN MARKET Basement to Level 2 Indo-Dubai Shopping complex Rest House Road Off Brigade Road Bangalore -1

and thupka. The place is almost always packed with happy diners, which goes to show how impressive the fare is. Even the prices are pretty reasonable. So, all you newbies from the Northeast, dying for a bite of your much loved momos in Bangalore — now you know where to go. Don’t you? WORDS: POOJA BARKATAKY

VIBES CORNER

WHAT THE

antra, People Tree and 1469 — move aside! We now have our very own brand of T-shirts to speak out for us. Yes, FOLK CULT – the heart made tee shirts, a 100 percent Assamese brand has been creating quite a buzz since its recent launch. With strategically placed hoardings at the city’s prime locations, the creators of Folk Cult made their launch a much-awaited happening for Guwahatians. The concept, a brainchild of two local lads, Dibjyoti and Amardeep, has seen fruition in their quaint little store at Zoo Road near the Baskin Robbins outlet. Dibjyoti, an IIM Ahmedabad collegian and Amardeep an alumnus of NIFT Hyderabad, came up with the idea of creating T-shirts with the ghorua (homely) feel. With their whacky one-liners infused with typical oxomiya (Assamese) humour and engravings of local folklores, these tees are a

breed apart. They have even got a mascot for Folk Cult and it’s none other than ‘Ramen da’, a personiﬁcation of the typical Assamese

lover boy. How cute! So, guys and girls, what are you waiting for, go and grab your ﬁrst FC T-shirt and take pride in being Assamese and in being you!

GRAB YOUR BUCKET!

inally, everybody’s favourite ‘chicken’ is in the city! Bringing great cheer to chick lovers here, Kentucky Fried Chicken made its appearance last month. Situated in Lachit Nagar, this eatery is a twostoried haven for meat lovers. Founded in 1952 by Colonel Harland Sanders, KFC has 15,000 outlets in 109 countries. The quintessential Bucket, the Zingers (both veg and non-veg) and the Zing Kong Box invariably ﬁgure on the must-have lists with new entrants Chicken Popcorn and the Crushers. Other mouthwatering delectables include the Twisters, the Box Master and all the Chicken Delights. For those who haven’t yet experienced the “ﬁnger lickin’ good” fare, this joint is a must visit. And for those who have, you already know why this one’s the ultimate snack zone. Never mind the calories!

BHEJA FRY

ILLUSTRATION: KAMAL

BEING UNFAITHFUL… AND LOVING IT M

en are not the only one to fantasise about ‘you know what’. Women do too. And I’m one such woman. Last night I was watching a movie and I realised the thrill and excitement of being an ‘infidel’. Married for three years, I am already feeling quite a few ‘itches’. Being a housewife I have ample time to let my mind run haywire. And of late I have been thinking of cheating on my husband, who is in fact quite good looking though not quite the ‘performer’. To kill such idle thoughts and to get a ‘Kareena size’ I started taking yoga lessons. And here’s where I met ‘someone’ who seems to be just an extension of me. We both love coffee, like to puff a few Davidoffs, hate shopping and most importantly we both feel lonely. One evening after our yoga class we went for a smoke and as conversations warmed up, we did too. We got physical but just up to the preliminary stages. The excitement, the hiding, the cheating gives me immense satisfaction. Yet somewhere deep down there is an ache and I am sure I will get over ‘her’. Surprised? Me too! Yes, I fell for a woman! After being ‘straight’ for years I wonder what the hell happened to me now. Has my orientation gone for a toss? Or have I just lost all morals and dignity? At the same time, I love being in love. But then again will I get bored with her too? ANUSHKA

erfectly ironed greys, shining heeled pumps, co-ordinated accessorising and not to forget the oh-so businesslike walk. Sounds smart, right? But I hate it! I work for a multi-national company and have been doing so for the last six years now. Yes I know it’s been a long time and I should have got used to it by now. Well, my bad! I remember our HR activation day when the team was supposed to raise complaints or put up compliments to the HR Head. Issues which they promised to take care of. When it was my turn I asked them or rather accused them for making these silly dress rules (which come with colour guidelines as well) but my accusations fell on deaf ears. They called it the Employee Happy Day! Duh! But that was not the end of my agonies. I have very long hair and I would like to show oﬀ my silky mane once in a while. But the HR lady thinks otherwise. She said it’s not part of the dress code and that I should tie them up. “Am I in kindergarten or do I work for this God damned company?” I curse. And there goes my Diwali incentive. Being a Goan I am born to be free-willed. But out here I have to abide by the rules and tie my hair so tight that my head spins by the end of the day. But I did have my revenge when the HR lady’s niece joined her team some time back. This young girl wants to make the work environment fun and casual leading to some friction between the two ladies. And I did my bit by adding some fuel to the ﬁre. My boy friend tells me that it’s not nice to hurt their relationship, but I have a retort ready: “Too bad they messed with my hair coz now it’s their turn to get tangled.”

SUSHMITA

ILLUSTRATION: KAMAL

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