Life Monthly (October Issue)

Editor's Note 3

Dream Team

L

ately I’ve been told by my folks and friends that both the issues of LM had no thread that connects one story to another. There has never been a theme as such; it’s always been too abstract.

I never gave a thought about that up until I was told. It was because I always believed there are so many shades to life, to cover in a nutshell, when every shade is narrating its own story. When I see it with my philosopher’s eye, I see that everything that has matter has a message to chatter. And I’ve realized that there is no message conveyed, without the central theme. We call it dor in Hindi-a thread that connects all. So starting with this issue, following further ones, there will be one targeted subject in focus. It will celebrate heroes serving the motive of the subject, cover events concerning the subject and fulfill objectives associated with the subject.

This month we celebrate heroes that bring feathers to the golden hat of the nation. Heroes who mastered in their discipline and made a mark on the global canvas, competing with nations all across the globe. I took the liberty of making my dream team, giving it an impromptu term ‘Lead India’. Prime Minister Modi is the one holding the lightning torch for the team. The speech at United Nations General Assembly and Madison Square was that of an effective and influential raconteur. His vision for the country is palpable by all. He is the new face of hope for everyone in the country, even for the little ones.

Coming down to Devoid, an Indian Thrash/Death metal band that is globally known for its studio album ‘Gods Lie’ and its last year’s performance at ‘Walken Open Air’ in Germany. After having flaunted the Indian flag on the W.O.A stage, Devoid makes place in my Dream Team.

There are several others who make space in the team with their contribution towards taking India on a competent global stand.

In this issue we celebrate all these heroes and give them the space they earned. That include good and generous folks working for the ‘Discover Mumbai Campaign’ that work in association with AIESEC, India. The campaign helps make Mumbai better by bringing in volunteers from overseas to do their bit towards uplifting Mumbai’s young wonders. In this issue we celebrate all these heroes and give them the space they’ve earned by their service for the country and its countrymen. The vision to emerge and being marketed expansively, flawlessly and fashionably may soon be achieved.

Anoop Shukla

"This month we celebrate heroes that bring feathers to the golden hat of the nation."

Anoop Shukla (@ShuklaJi_)

Editors

Anoop Shukla Pratik Shetty Design

Pratik Shetty Rishabh Shukla Ronit Dua Contributors

Shruti Rhode Ankita Mehta Vijay Vedula Abhinav Gupta Siddharth Page Aamoye Choudhary Soumyo Das Lenin Kharat Trupti Bhingare

Cover Photo By : Sandip Das

The Dynamic events occured this month that might make India a competant nation on the globe.

Ghosts of the Mind Daily Chronicle

20

3 Steps to Revolution this Month

38

Story of a couple that deals with a tragic series of events when the wife gets Mentally ill

24

#DreamProject

Cover Story

Interiors

16

14

Discovery to Change A Dream to reach out beyond Boundaries

24

Interiors The Do's & Dont's of Denim & how to carry it..

Devoid

Talking to Arun Iyer about the band & the Indian Metal Scene.

Tête-à-tête

30

In Conversation with

Style Up

55

The Denim Story

30

Assorted Checklist of th Month

55

To-Do List

44

10 Things to do this Month

44

6 Hello October

All great things do not need pressure sometimes all they need is space. Bringing you the silent, dry but serene days of October

E

veryone who has been to any kind of party involving more than 2 people knows that every party has a quiet soul. He or she is the one who exists in absolute silence and unless prodded or actively dragged into the various antics that occur over the course of the event go completely under the radar without any fuss. This character would be October for me. Lodged between September and November it goes quietly unnoticed if it was not for the immense number of public holidays. In many ways that might be the reason it is like a gust of wind that passes you on a calm summer day. It lulls you into a false sense of calm and then catches you off guard when you wake up to realise that the new year is just another month away and you

Vijay Vedula @theodore9992 still have a long to do list to ensure that you can celebrate the New Year with some iota of joy.

That is not to say that October is in any way less than the other months. It is just to drive home the point that just because some partygoers are quiet does not mean they have nothing to offer. The first case in point would have to be the fact that this is the month in which we celebrate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi himself. The association seems so naïve when viewed from Gandhi’s point of view I guess. Imagine Gandhi running around his house serving drinks and hors d’oeurve to dignitaries and royalty while waging a non violent war of freedom for the Indian sub continent. The idea of drinking at his party is so whacky that the government declared it to be a dry day. It was so abhorrent that it made people respect his greatness through sobriety which is an honour accorded to very few occasions and people in life.

Next in line is Dussera. The celebration of the feminine as well as the victory of good over evil but it is not shrouded by an epic like the Mahabharata or the Ramayana and neither are the characters in the ancient folklore quirky and mischievous or upholders of honour and integrity. In reality it is the celebration of the power trapped inside women which when unleashed justifies the saying that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Comparing it to a real life example would be like trying to date a beautiful but quiet woman. Every guy knows that you do not mess with such a character in your life cause the biological odds are not in your favour.

It was not a fool who said that beauty with brains is a lethal combination which further enhances or

Hello October 7 rather enumerates the specialty of this month and why I like to compare it to the quiet person at a social gathering.

By the way at this point October is just getting warmed up.Let me introduce you to the festival of Bakri-Eid. Once again it is not austere in its physical demands and remembered by everyone with the same gusto as Ramzan though it signifies the value of sacrifice which is a important and much needed teaching especially in these trying and constrained times .The clearest picture that comes to my mind at the mention of this festival is a butcher. A caretaker of an age old profession, no one really thinks of butchers as outgoing and boisterous characters. You imagine big well built men brandishing huge meat cleavers who silently go about the business of ensuring your life is simplified by ensuring that you have the right fillet or shoulder piece to gorge yourself upon which just makes you appreciate in many ways the value of those who operate in professions that are not glorified yet are absolutely key to our existence and like a cherry on top October has the perfect example of quiet awesomeness saved for last.

The end of October happens to be Halloween which for Indians may not be of much cultural significance but it is a shining example of what this month epitomizes. Halloween for the uninitiated is the festival where children dress up in the most horrific costume ideas designed specifically to invoke fear. After

doing so they proceed to march the length and breadth of their neighborhood along with their peers in an attempt to bag as much candy as they can. For a clearer mental picture imagine Frankenstein the cute kitty dealer rather than Frankenstein the horrific monster. The first time I heard about it I was honestly surprised and curious but the comedy of watching 4 feet mummies walking along with chubby vampires going trick or treat is truly hilarious despite the gloomy premise behind the festival itself.

In closing it seems relevant to reflect on the nature of this month because the adage that we should not judge a book by its cover, though old, remains important just like the lessons of respect, sacrifice and the importance of having a sense of humour. In many ways October is like a law firm made up of various lawyers who make a living dealing with necessary evils so to me it will always be the quiet personality that sits in a corner and watches.

Comfortable in its own skin and without prejudice it has the unique capability of making you relax in the comfort of the mundane and the tedious which depending on who you are is good or bad.

8 Public Forum

Vinaya Chaprala (EXTC. Engineer) The First thing to do is to exercise my right on October 15 and then Festive season... Diwali... Gifts.. Sweets... less crackers to prevent pollution... Get-to-gether... lots of fun... and then would be busy with my practical exams....

After that to destress myself.... I am planning to go to hidden village (it's near Mumbai Nashil Highway) with my Friends.

Avinash K R (Photographer)

A Campaign ride from Bombay to Goa. to spread awareness about cleanliness and a litter free India.The campaign will be held on the last week of October.

Manu Nair (Mechanical Engg.

Student ) I like fall as fall is the best time to think about spring, the season of renewal. That's why I get excited when October hits the calendar so that I can start renewing my plans n strategies to tackle different hurdles put forward by my engineering academics.

Also with the countdown for Diwali and New year being started... life is becoming even more pleasureable which was never fell before... Way to go October... its time for lightening

Public Forum 9

Sonali Singh (Extc.

Engg. Student) A month full of fun, festivities & awkward relatives reunions. Geared up to loosen my pockets and have a blast. Also planning a night out with girls by the end of the month.

Disha Nathani (Teacher) Its going to be a month of learning, planning, enjoying, surprises & celebrations i.e. I am going to add up a whole new chapter to remember and cherish my childhood in the form of teacher.

Rajesh Mammen (Student, LT College) Google up oktoberfest, rab up a few friends and make it a night worth it. If EDN gets you in the mood, make it to young DJ MartinGarrix's Mumbai appearance.

Photographed & Written By : Manndar Sakpal

Steel Wool

Photography L

ight painting can be made using a variety of techniques. One of the more common methods involve a very dark setting and a handheld LED light that is used to write or draw into the air while a photograph is being exposed. If done correctly, the resulting graffiti like photograph can look visually stunning. While light painting itself is a pretty cool concept, when you add a sparking wad of steel wool to the equation, it really captures the viewer’s attention In this article we will exactly tell you what to achieve incredible steel wool effect This is an awesome project for any amateur photographer who just got a DSLR camera. If you don't have a DSLR camera don't worry! I you can probably still do this Things required : 1.Camera with Manual Mode & tripod 2.Wear a hoodie or hat, long sleeves, and pants. Dark clothing, and possibly 3.goggles/glasses.

4.Steel Wool & masking tape 5.Lighter or candle 6.Strong cord (metal chain) to tie steel wool.(Flexible metal cable works best since it doesn't catch on fire.)

7.A metal cooking whisk 8. Assistant or a helpful friend How to do it Put your camera onm manual mode and put your focus on infity camera settings : shutter for 15 sec ISO 100 aperture 7/1 focal length 18mm or less Simply stuff the steel wool inside the whisk (Use masking tape to hold it in place), set it alight with the cigarette lighter, and get your helper to whirl it around in a circular motion. The burning sparks of steel wool fly out and fall to the ground, creating bright orange trails of light...

14 Daily Chronicle

H

e wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. He felt his body going warm. His pushed aside the sheet and turned towards his wife. How calm and innocent she looked in the dim light!

He would have gazed at her for a long time until he fell asleep, in another lifetime. Who would have told that this beautiful wife of his was the reason he experienced nightmares? As he stared at her, her eyes began to turn into hollow sockets, her cheekbones protruded and her lips turned dark.

She looked demonic. He was horrified. He pulled his sheets over his head and turned away, counting until sleep would conquer his mind.

At the crack of dawn, he woke up to the cries of his daughter. She slept in the other room with his mother. He ran to the other room to see her panting.

It looked like she was struggling to breathe. His mother tried to soothe her but she was becoming hysterical. He pulled his daughter into his arm and rocked her gently. He looked at his mother with concern. Perhaps it was time to do what his mother wanted.

Maithili Bhatnagar

He had ignored the initial stages of his wife's condition. She sometimes heard voices that no one else did. She would tell him about a commotion happening across the street, the couple downstairs fighting too loudly. None of it would actually be happening. She would get upset or excited with no apparent reason. He thought of it as just mood swings. She suspected him baselessly. She accused his mother of trying to kill her. Day by day her Concept Art By : Aamoye Choudary assumptions turned hurtful and full of vengeance. and took her to a self proclaimed God man. Over He tried everything to keep her happy but she was the days, he saw her tormented with the rituals. He cascading down a path that had no end. was told that his wife was possessed. She was beaten with broomsticks, made to consume obnoxiuous

His mother was getting terrified of her powders and harassed in other ways. She was a daughter-in-law. She pressed him to take her to a changed woman who no longer had the glint in her spiritual guru. He was educated and should have eyes, who no longer talked much and who grimaced known better. Instead, he listened to his mother at his touch. It was only later that he learnt that he

Daily Chronicle 15 wife was also sexually abused under the pretext of of his wife. His wife looked as normal as everyone curing her. else except for her eyes that took in everything with suspicion. He had anticipated an outburst

He heard her whimpering. He had tied her but she had remained surprisingly calm. He to the bed post last night. She had tried to strangle looked around. He did not have the means to put their daughter. She insisted that their daughter was her in a comfortable house but this place looked not their daughter but some imposter. She kept unhygienic. Many of the inmates were roughed up asking where their daughter was. His mother and for not obeying. His heart went out for his wife. No, he tried very hard to loosen her grip and had later he could not do this to her. tied her. Their daughter was traumatised and had trouble sleeping. He himself had hardly slept in He took her to the place that was once their the past few months. He had headache all the time. favorite hangout. The secluded spot by the bridge The painkillers stopped working at the usual dose where they had spent many evenings was eerily and had to be doubled. His mother was fatigued, silent. He stepped towards his wife and for the first looking after the child and being on alert so that no time in months, she did not step back. He hugged harm is caused. He felt his whole family collapsing her. Her bony hands embraced him. She leaned around him. backwards. He gave her a gentle push. She looked shocked. On her way down into the river, she had

He was in a dilemma. No body would take a smile on her face. He was going to be haunted for responsibility of his wife and he had pushed himself life. to his limits. Her attack on their daughter was the last stroke. He went to her. She was ready with abuses, but something about the way he approached her softened her. She almost looked like the wife that he had once loved so much. He released her from the bed post. She looked at him in confusion.

If only he could bring her back!

He huddled her into the auto. The medicines had made her sleepy. He wondered if timely action could have saved her. When he had finally overcome his fear of public shame, he had approached a psychiatrist. No medicine could ever heal her.

She had advanced schizophrenia. The medicines soothed her for a time but she was a victim of her delusional mind. He could not afford to keep her supervised all the time. The only thing that he could do was leave her in an asylum. His mother had been for the decision but he did not have it in him to ditch his wife. Now the water had risen above his head. His wife was turning into a monster who could harm his child.

He filled the form at the counter. The people in the asylum were grim and hardly taking notice

16 Cover Story

This Month 3 events took place that logged the countries trajectory towards development.

The Expedition of 'Mangalyaan', 'The Make in India Initiative' & 'The Clean India Campaign'.

Here's what we think about them.

Cover Story 17

Opinion Post Abhinav Gupta @abhnv05

Make In India

A

t the UNGA and Madison square garden, on 25th Sept 2014 The Indian Prime Minister started the “MAKE IN INDIA”, to attract manufactures from all over the globe, just to revive the long dead manufacturing sector of India.

The Make in India initiative plans on attracting over $100 Billion to our country and urges all major corporations to start manufacturing products in India, which might just be the best bet to revive the long dead manufacturing sector of India.

Make in India, a simple yet a smart parody of the 90s hit pop song. India today has 13%, just 13% share of the manufacturing sector in GDP, which is lower than Bangladesh. Manufacturing is at a 10 year low, primarily because of Indian policies and labour laws. Though we offer a lot of cheap labour, but the labour here is unskilled, and offers far low productivity than other countries. Compare 13% with our neighbours. Pakistan has a 17-20% share whereas the giants China had 30% in 2009. Since the past 10 years we have been looking to boost the economy through

the service sector. Although that really is an excellent prospect but it can’t fuel the economy of a country with 125 crore people, and this is where Make in India comes in. With a promise of Good Governance, And better policies, Hon. PM Modi, has lured, and mind you not invited, investors from all over the country. He proudly said that democracy and divided market is important for any industry and India has both of them.

Make in India, If, is a gift to the Indian population. Let’s get rid of the wrap and see what came in.

Hon. PM, has been busy making tours throughout the world since he came to power, and one of the most important visits was to Japan.

Yes, he played drums, Bonded with the Japanese, and also exchanged a $35 Billion deal, which Japan will invest in the next 5 years. Both the sides have also signed a 5 year deal over cooperation and assistance on development of cities, better roads, and of course the all famous Bullet

Train.

Coming to China. India and China are 2 Asian giants, often compared together, But even though China is way ahead, the only way for India to gain on it, is by its help. China will now invest $20 billion, along with industrial parks in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

What is the conclusion drawn from this? Apart from the fact that Mr. Modi is a great business man, just like every other person from the state or community he belongs. It means there is a large impetus now, for development of infrastructure. It is an area, where India has lacked since ages. Make in India, or No Make in India, India desperately needs to revive its manufacturing sector, which can not only feed the people of the country, but offer enough jobs which might just be the last block, on the road of India’s growth story.

What next? Indian Markets are emotional. Indian sentiments are Fickle, the euphoria may die out.

The speeches may stop, and soon people might actually get back to their own work, But one can say, that in 10 years, a step has been taken in the right track. The results, may come, in 10 years, 15 or 20 years, But no matter where we reach, this initiative will not be forgotten.

18 Cover Story Opinion Post Siddharth Page @Siddharth_Page

Mangalyaan

S

ome people believe that the Mars Orbiter Mission was a thoroughly planned and well executed venture.

And the funds that made it practically feasible, were a result of analytically designed investment plans, calculated risks and all other relative margins considering the postChandrayaan outcomes, current market conditions and future economic & socioeconomic fluctuations. This funds were meant to be invested (not spent) in the field of technology and research to attain respectable position in the world of science, test the existing facilities to their fullest, and to explore the endless possibilities of progress with the help of data that would be obtained, if successful. Had any visible flaws in the initial work been found, the funds would

have been used into some other research works. And not by any chance be used into filling potholes or for probing match-fixing and celebrity divorces, since research investments and municipality maintenance tenders are entirely different entities and domains altogether. But that’s just a crazy theory, roulette makes sense.

This was a brief expression and its possible explanation of the common people`s opinion about the MOM on November 5, 2013; the day of its launch. A successful launch, successful 30-day maneuvering over the earth`s orbit and after about 10 months, a successful penetration into Mars’s orbit.

Within a “fortnight”, people`s pride overtook their initial outrage. It is not very difficult to imagine what reactions were to follow had it been a failure.

It is completely understandable why the media and it`s media targets, specially the student

Cover Story 19 class emphasized most on a single achievement,’ Cleared in First Attempt’. This being the most celebrated headline, other facts were proven to be trivial.

But the reason why it was such a big success can be explained

by ISRO`s delayed entry into the mars exploration. The USSR being the pioneers, began with their mars mission way back in the 1960s, 5 decades prior to us, followed shortly by the United States in the next couple of years. It is not very surprising to know that the initial projects were found to be somewhere around ‘okay’ to ‘disastrous’.

With all the unknown conditions, parameters and only the support of postulates and assumptions; a certain errors were bound to occur. But with every following attempt, being largely improved compared to the preceding one, the first ever man-made satellite to get past mars- NASA`s Mariner4 in 1965, recorded the visual landscapes, pressure conditions, magnetic fields and other vital information. USSR`s Mars2 was the first artificial satellite to enter mars` orbit and Mars3 became the first artificial satellite to land on mars, both in the same year, 1971. The projects to follow were largely benefited by the information obtained by these missions. So, I guess it is never appropriate to mock your grandparents just because your results are better than theirs.

Another comparison that was prominently brought up was the budget. A lot of tabloids and internet sources proudly mentioned the budget ratios (ISRO`s budget being just 11% of what NASA had.). To be

clear, both the missions have different objectives, schedule durations and thus, different study devices and apparatus.

Being an orbiter, MOM has five instruments namely Lyman Alpha Photometer, Martian Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyzer, Mars Color Camera, Thermal Infrared Imaging System and Methane Sensor for Mars, all of which primarily are sensors and none are installed on the mars` surface. MOM is more of an experiment which had high probabilities of functional failures. This may also explain why the mission was equipped with lesser instruments and a low budget.

No doubt that we are currently celebrating the success of our very own mars mission, it sometimes does personally bother me that why do we usually rely merely on the end results? The efforts that were put in would have been the same, whether the satellite penetrated the mars` orbit or had it even failed to thrustpass earth`s escape velocity.

While the citizens have the

right to know where their taxes are being invested, we should also take into consideration all the knowledge and hard work at stake, spanning through the entire life-time of every member of the MOM team. I am in no position to judge any of it, I am just glad that I could witness and support an initiative that turned out to be a great source of inspiration and eventually a statistical success.

20 Cover Story Opinion Post Pratik Shetty @RealSlimShetty_

Clean India Campaign

O

n Gandhi Jayanti, PM Modi launched the ‘Clean India Campaign’, an initiative to provide the citizens of the country, with a cleaner and a sustainable world to live in. PM Modi claims to achieve the motto of Clean India by the year 2019. It is not going to be a smooth and an effortless process to execute. Although PM Modi knows that a ‘mass movement’ with media backing will not only help in reaching out every citizen, but will also awaken them to indulge in, and make an effort. It will have to be an ignited movement, whose flames grow fiercer with time up untill the motto is achieved.

The only reason being that in

a spacebound world, where breathing and sweating go hand in hand, the world has something new to offer you every minute of the day. This causes diversion, leading to the doom of the movement and therefore the cause.

History is evident to the fact of how every mass movement has witnessed mass exuberance, where people come together and work/ protest to achieve their basic rights of livelihood. Cleanliness is however a delicate subject to address. Cleanliness means different things to different people. For Instance, when a little boy is told by his mother to wash his hands and face, he may put his fingers under a running faucet and wet his lips and be done with it. But mother knows better, she takes him back to

the washroom and scrubs his hands and face with plenty of soap and water, despite his loud protest.

Standards of Cleanliness are not the same around the world, and people grow up with varying concepts of cleanliness. In times past, a clean, well-ordered school environment in many countries helped students develop good habits of cleanliness. Today, some school grounds are full of litter and debris that they resemble a garbage dump more than a place to play or exercise. And about the classroom as well. Students take the instruction “Pick it Up” & “Clean It Up” to mean that they are punished. Its also because some teachers to keep this as a measure to punish students.

Cleanliness is not a trait, it’s a fashion of living that is to be inculcated at a very young age. PM Modi understands this I believe, which is why the publicity content of the

Cover Story 21 campaign was not orchestrated by any marketting folks, but by school children. At Rajpath, The winners of the slogan and logo contest were felicitated

by The Prime Minister. If you’ve been around kids and early teenagers in a while, you’ll see an unexplainable optimism towards PM Modi. Even though they might not understand the core logic of his actions and decisions, they never stop trying. Therefore, a moment of appreciation or a guidline forwarded by PM Modi himself is of high affect amongst the little ones.

On the other hand, adults are not always good examples of cleanliness, either in everyday life or in the business world. For example, many public places are left messy & unsightly. Some industries pollute the environment.

Pollution, however, is caused not by faceless industries & businesses, but by people.

While greed is probably the main

cause of the worldwide problem of pollution and its many ill effects, part of the problem is the result of unclean personal habits. Nobody expects adults to chose cleanliness above their convenient means, but they’re expected to be a part of a mass movement that serves the purpose they always crib about in their own country— Cleanliness.

The campaign had its fire flaming across regional borders. Nobody wanted to come in the bad account of people, so politicians from other political parties were a part of the campaign as well. Shashi Tharoor, Congress’s former spokesperson was invited by PM Modi, sprinkling salt over the fleshy wound of Congress.

Arvind Kejriwal conducted it in different area of Delhi, to perpetuate the stereotype of a common man’s responsibility AGAIN. The nominated folks also included retired cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Actors Aamir

Khan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan & Priyanka Chopra, Boxer Vijendra Singh, Goa Governor Mridula Sinha and other dignitaries PM was seen has been addressing issues off his manifesto, that include Adarsh Gram Yojna, his efficient foreign policy luring in investors uplifting the Make in India initiative and now the ‘Clean India Campaign’.

These are some incessant turn of nation-shaping events that country has seen in a long time.

With ‘Clean India Campaign’, I believe country will take a huge leap from its tortoiselike move on the grounds of development.

Plateau

Kaas

Kaas Plateau, Satara

Kaas Plateau, also known as kaas pathar is a volcanic plateau located in Maharashtra, a half an hour drive from Satara and around 130 km from the city of Pune.

This 1000 hectare plateau has only recently gained popularity since it was declared a bio-diversity site by UNESCO in June 2012.

The climate is amazing at this time with light drizzles and lovely cloudy weather which makes long walks on the plateau not just easy but also quite pleasureable.

24 #DreamProject

A Dream to reach out beyond boundaries....

Discover Mumbai has been aiming at raising a social concern and awareness towards making Mumbai free from prejudices and stereotypes.

Shruti Rhode @shrutirhode

#DreamProject 25

D

ISCOVER MUMBAI CAMPAIGN has been aiming at raising a social concern and awareness towards making Mumbai free from prejudice and stereotypes.

An organization that began in 1948 to develop friendly relations between member countries is today a global association with activities in 89 countries and territories. AIESEC was originally a French acronym which is International Association of Students in Economic and Commercial Sciences with its headquarters in Rotterdam, Netherlands. A selflessly caring organization that strives to bring a ‘positive change in the society and develop themselves as well’. This non-profit organization is majorly run by students from around the world to empower the next generation to not only turn into global leaders but also birth an ‘urge to make a difference to society’. Today, AIESEC is the largest organization run by students which includes over 90,000 members.

RISE AND SHINE Initially, Europe was in the midst of recovery from war and depletion of its resources. Factories and enterprises were in desperate need of leaders, managers and executives. ‘The continent needed more than just business development, however, the war had severely damaged the relations between European nations, and many members of the community felt steps needed to be taken to address the problem’.

AIESEC was formed to raise both the issues.

Students from seven nations: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden came together in March 1949 for their first international Congress in Stockholm. A new constitution was composed for the organization and defined their purpose ‘ AIESEC is an independent, non-profit organization which has as its purpose to establish and promote friendly relations between its members’.

DISCOVER MUMBAI The representatives of AIESEC state three main problems that they see in the city of dreams: Deprivation of basic healthcare, abuse of children rights and environmental issues. Their main aim is to try and eradicate these issues and help the people who are affected by these problems. Their main project includes: ‘GENESIS: With Genesis we aim to provide the under privileged people of Mumbai with basic health care and subsequently improve their standard of living. We intend to work with patients who are suffering from AIDS, Cancer and other such deadly diseases.

FOOTPRINTS: Project Footprints deals with the issue of Child Rights. Due to the poor living conditions and over population, children are often denied basic rights and are made to work at an innocent age when they should

26 #DreamProject

actually be enjoying and learning in a classroom’s healthy environment. We work with interns and organizations to spread awareness about the rights of children.

Mumbai to volunteer for the social cause. ‘Many of them work part time in their countries to gather funds just to come to our city and spread smiles! ‘ The basic cost of an intern:

CONSERVE

Every intern comes in the city and works for a minimum period of 2 months. The basic cost of the intern is Rs. 15,000 or 250$ which involves:

With our third project Conserve we aim to tackle the most important issue. A problem which the entire world is facing today. The protection, conservation and improvement of our Mother Nature and Humanity. Our sole objective is to pass on a habitable Green pollution free Earth and a better World to the future generations.’

SOCIAL INITIATIVE

1. Accommodation.

2.

Internal travelling in the city and remote areas for their projects.

This Cost does This is the first time ever that AIESEC has initiated not include: a crowdfunding project. Crowdfunding is asking a crowd of people to donate a defined amount of • Flight Fares money for a specific cause or project in exchange • Food for various tangible, non-monetary rewards. ‘ It is • Personal Costs a very new initiative that has been started seeing *Note: All the growing popularity of crowdfunding and the the above reach of internet to all kinds of people.’ They have mentioned taken the initiative of a Crowdfunding Campaign costs are paid by on Fundlined called the Discover Mumbai the volunteers Campaign so that they can easily create a large themselves as impact on a number of people through the Funds they do not get gathered by the campaign! any stipend for working.

Every year 200 international students come to

#DreamProject 27 The work that the Interns do is as follows: 1. Awareness Campaigns – In Urban and Remote Areas.

2. Teaching the under privileged and kids.

3. on ground NGO activities like impacting drives – Giving Solar lanterns to Villages, Tree Planting Drives, besides others.

4. Going to remote areas and conducting surveys.

5. Conducting Research about a particular cause.

6. Web Designing, Content Generation and Social Media Marketing for a Special Cause.

A question often raised is how the money is collected by crowdfunding channeled.

‘The funds collected would be used throughout the year and would be used for the benefits for these had working interns.

We want to help them by reducing their cost so that they are motivated to come to Mumbai and make an impact here as well as develop themselves.’

Today, since most of the population is very social media friendly, the organization has chosen www.fundlined.com as a platform to showcase their cause. They are also promoting the campaign extensively on the social media Utility of the Funds Generated: through their Facebook page.

1. Support international volunteers financially during their stay in Mumbai.

‘We have also started a #MakeAStrangerSmile 2. To attract a large no. of volunteers in this way challenge in which a person has to click a picture to create BETTER IMPACT. with a stranger, post it on Facebook along with There are all sorts of expenses: the fees, the #MakeAStrangerSmile , #ImpactingLives cost of travelling, the cost of living and so much and the link to our campaign. The person will more which becomes hard on the interns. also have to challenge three other friends to Because of their determination to come to do the same. This challenge has become pretty Mumbai, they work hard and do odd jobs back successful and viral and is thus spreading the home to save up. Some of them have been main message of our campaign, to spread saving up for almost two years! ‘We want to cut down on this and encourage them. We want to happiness. ‘ make this internship easier and cheaper for them.’

THE VARIANT AIESEC true to their word want the youth to not only be socially alert but also turn into great doyens. They organize different events throughout the year to engage the youth and bridge the gap between them and the corporate world.

Youth to Business Forum It's an event where they try to

28 #DreamProject narrow the gap between the business and the education world. An event where they discuss current trends, leadership, entrepreneurship and various other topics.

Discover Mumbai Weekender It's an event where 100+ international interns from across India and around 200+ Mumbaikars would spend a weekend get together. They showcase Mumbai by taking them to various places in Mumbai. We would be having the largest Global Village wherein interns would be showcasing their countries which is usually held in July.

Global Business Summit Global Business Summit is an event where all the stakeholders, alumni and prospective clients (corporate, startups, SMEs, VCs...) are invited to discuss "Going Global" opportunities.

Social Business Summit It's an

event where the current clients and prospective clients are called for an evening conference session.

The conference will revolve around how to go global and business opportunities in various countries. It will focus on the global social impact.

Youth to Business Forum Workshops It's a series of workshops which happen in various colleges in Mumbai. The objective is still the same but here they try to cater to a specific crowd depending on the college we are conducting the session in.

AIESEC’s vision is “Peace and fulfillment of human kind’s potential”. Their Values provide a way for the collective leadership of AIESEC to encourage common norms of behavior across their global network which will support the achievement of the goals and will support them in pursuing their ideals. ‘They are Living Diversity, Enjoying Participation, activating leadership, demonstrating

integrity, acting sustainably, striving for excellence.’

The link to the campaign on Fundlined.com is

bit.ly/discovermumbaicampaign The link to the Facebook page is

www.facebook.com/discovermumbaicampaign To join the on-going movement on twitter #DiscoverMumbai

S

ydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education (SIMSREE) was founded in the year 1983. Since then, SIMSREE has endeavored to produce global managers of shining excellence. Today, 30 years after its inception, SIMSREE stands as one of the most popular management institutes in India. Located at Churchgate, in the heart of the financial capital of the country, SIMSREE has the advantage of being the cynosure of the corporate world and gives the opportunity to draw from the finest in the industry.

SIMERATIONS 2014 – the flagship event of Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education, was organized from the 19th to the 21st of September 2014.

The theme this year was – Beyond Confusion, There is confusion all around us and with more and more options available there seems to be no end to this ever growing phenomenon, right from the day we are born to the end we are always thinking about the right decision to make, career choices, job choices etc. With this year’s theme we plan to increase this confusion – beyond and future managers should exhibit farsightedness and confusion-less thinking in the quest to achieve their goals in SIMERATIONS. The event in its 19th year, was sponsored by ‘Blackberry Z3’ in association with Union Bank of

India and BBM. Our sponsors also included Turtle India, London Bridge, SMAAASH, LIC, NIA, DSN, TATA DOCOMO, Cult Fiction, Frapp, Snapshot Photography, Pepsi and Business Standard.

Started over 19 years ago to bring together the city's student community, the 3-day extravaganza of cultural, sports, management and literary events, it facilitates interaction between the students of various management institutes from all across the country, it encourages students' spirit of competition and at the same time gives them a chance to let their hair down and have fun.

The Management Events at SIMERATIONS 2014 were: Bulls and Bears, Convergence, Finomania, Filmark and Spotlight; General Events at SIMERATIONS 2014: Franchisor, Super Manager; Cultural Events at SIMERATIONS 2014: Just Dance, Cricket, Football, War of DJS, Treasure Hunt and Picture Perfect.

The event has gained a huge fanfare with participations for reputed colleges across India coming to be a part of this 3 day extravaganza and included teams from IIM, NMIMS, IMT and SIBM to name a few. The highlight of the 3 day event was the ‘Music Launch’ of ‘Sonali Cable’ which took place on the last day of the event with VJ Rhea, Raghav Juyal (Crocroaz) coming to the campus.

30 Tête-à-tête

Tête-à-tête 31

Anoop Shukla @ShuklaJi_ In Conversation with Arun Iyer he independent music scene in India is rising day by day. Several musicians have acclaimed a healthy amount of fame and stardom. But when it comes to an aberrant genre like Heavy Metal, the music scene still seems to be in the developing stage. When compared to the 90s, the genre was laid back and there was no metal. Later, handful of bands came out from the closet and started playing live shows where the audience only wanted to listen to cover songs of well-established bands. In 2000s, bands like Demonic Resurrection, Pin Drop Violence, Naked Earth, and Sceptre started playing originals and were appreciated.

Also, the venues like B69 Bajaao, Razzberry Rhinoceros, Kino 108 and shows like “Great Indian Rock Festival” and “Independence Rock” gave chance to the bands to showcase their talent. Metal in India was accelerating at a higher speed than it was before.

T

India became eminent in terms of metal music. More live shows were organized and bands got a stage to perform. Annual festivals started happening.

2-day festivals which are also annual held, started happening lately like NH7 which happens in Pune, Bangalore and Delhi and the recently started Bangalore Open Air where Indian bands get to share stage with International bands.

One such band is “Devoid”, a thrash/ death metal band, subgenre of Heavy Metal hailing from Mumbai. Started in the year 2005, the band never failed to live up to expectations of the fans, be it live shows or studio recording.

Their raw, straight-up-nobullshit, astounding, brutally loud and pounding thrash metal music makes them different from other bands. The

band has released one studio album called “A God’s Lie” under the label “Demonstealer Records” and an EP called “The Invasion”. The line-up consists of Arun Iyer (vocalists/ rhythm guitarist), Shubham Kumar (drummer), Sanjeev Aguiar (lead guitarist) and Abhishek Kamdar (bass guitarist). Devoid has supported international acts

Today, even though we’ve made a self-satisfactory mark, we’re all in different individual jobs for our daily bread. But we still make music, do gigs and are a part of the extensive metal scene in India.

32 Tête-à-tête like, Decapitated, Sybreed, Nervecell, and Cradle of Filth.

The band has also won the “Rolling Stone Best Metal Band Award” through popular choice and was featured on Metal Hammer’s compilation ‘Global metal’ CD along with other Indian bands in 2011. In 2013, Devoid performed at the Mecca of Metal, Wacken Metal Battle, Germany. Also, they’ve released a music video of their song, ‘The Brahma Weapon’ from the EP ‘The Invasion’. The band aired their new song, “God Complex” on VH1 Music Diaries. The band also played at ‘India’s first Slayer Tribute gig’ alongside other Indian bands. Also, they’re signed to Kunal Choksi’s ‘Transcending Obscurity Records’ alongside heavy metal band Albatross, death-grind band Gutslit, deathdoom metal band, Dormant Inferno, black metal band, Cosmic Infusion and many more Indian bands. The band is working on their new material which will be out soon. Unlike, their music which is fierce and angry, the band members are nice, warm and true gentlemen.

We had a little chat with the vocalist/rhythm guitarist of the band, Arun Iyer. He is a sound engineer/producer and runs his own home studio in Vashi, Navi

Mumbai, known as ‘MotorG Studio’ and has produced many bands including his own band, Devoid. Hit him up if your band needs to produce records.

So here’s how it went:

1. When you guys started off in 2005, did you think you would still be going strong in 2014?

Yes. We were more head strong than we are now. Back then, we decided we would play music for the rest of our lives, make a living out of it and lead a spoilt stereotypical rockstar life. Today, even though we’ve made a self-satisfactory mark, we’re all in different individual jobs for our daily bread. But we still make music, do gigs and are a part of the extensive metal scene in India. The fact that against all odds, we’ve consistently grown with time collectively as a team makes me feel content about the inception I had for the band.

2. During this journey, was there anything that you had to succumb to? In other words, what are the obstacles you’ve faced along your journey?

Yes. Monetary backing has always been a worriment factor.

Thrash/death metal is an expensive hobby to cultivate.

It requires jamming and doing gigs on a regular basis. We have Roydon Bangera, our friend and manager to get us gigs and to do the appropriate marketing for us amongst fans and folks.

3. I don’t want to dwell on history too much but it’s a good place to start. When did you realize that music was going to be your life?

My elder brother Arjun Iyer played a significant role in making me realize that. He had a band of his own named ‘Blood Bath Regiment’, he would take me to his jam sessions and I would observe everyone play.

They seemed pretty cool to me, and maybe that’s when I realized that music was going to be discipline I’ll be living for.

Later when I started off with my Junior College, Shubham and I decided to form a band.

4. Were you always into metal? If not, what did you listen to? What was the star/album/ song that changed your trajectory?

Tête-à-tête 33 festivals, and that inspired us.

We have always admired their professionalism and conviction towards their music. So various factors were collectively favourable for what we chose for ourselves.

5. Where do you draw your influences from?

It has largely been dependent on the kind of music we produce. We haven’t set out to be somebody. We’ve evolved from traditional to extreme form of Thrash metal. We have been each other’s influencers and have contributed in each other’s growth. For instance if I’ve come up with an idea of a track stuffed in a nutshell, before my band, they split it open and each one of us put in our bit to the idea and thus 4 varied minds transform an idea into a song.

6. What are your Whatever we are today is lyrical inspirations?

Basically, your because of Sahil’s role in approach to new our uprising. Not only did we material?

Before growing release our first studio album a lyrical ground, under his label, but our first we plough the

When I was a teenager, my brother bought a cassette of Michael Jackson’s ‘Dangerous’.

I loved to groove on it. Then he bought another cassette of the musical ‘The Sound of Music’.

Listening to which, my profound love for music was established.

Then, it was again my brother and his band who introduced me to thrash Metal, after which I locked my path for life. Later when Shubham and I started with Devoid, we explored a lot.

We initially covered our favorite bands and then Shubham got nasty and came up with extreme thrash content and we simply blended into it. Later, when we pursued our graduation in SIES, we witnessed ‘Bhayanak Maut’ perform their gigs in cultural

big gig was also given to us

by Sahil.

musical soil at first. When a musical note is vested, we flow in with the vibe of the musical note and then a theme is established for the lyrics to pour in and convey what it has to.

7. From playing at college festivals to being the global icons of Thrash/death metal.

What is it in particular that is responsible for your upgrade/ level up?

You mean Boys to Men Scenario?

Yes… The credit of that goes to Sahil Makhija, from Demonic Resurrection. He also owns ‘Demonstealer Records’.

Whatever we are today is because of Sahil’s role in our uprising. Not only did we release our first studio album under his label, but our first big gig was also given to us by Sahil. He took us to Shillong for a 2 day musical festival, where came a league of established Indian metal bands like ‘Black Hole Theory’ from Pune, ‘Myndsnare’ from Bangalore, ‘Demonic Resurrection’ from Mumbai and many more. It was a huge platform that transformed us and opened up our cocoons to fly off with metal wings. There

34 Tête-à-tête was no stopping us after that.

We soon released our first Studio album 8. Firstly at Control Alt delete: The Metal Chapter at Blue Frog, and then on VH1 Music Diaries, you guys featured your new song, “God Complex”. Tell us about it.

Yes, it’s a new composition that we made. The song addresses the ‘alpha male’, the one with the superiority complex that is referred to as God Complex. It exists in all of us. It’s just our call to not go with the flow of it, as it takes one to an entirely different path that leads to a separate reality, which is superficial and self-destructive 9. Your first Studio album God's lie was a huge hit.

It was stated as a Thrash metal fan’s wet dream come true. How have you experimented with your current EP ‘The Invasion’?

‘God’s Lie’ was a summation of all the tracks we made in 5 years of establishment. Each track was composed after large time intervals; therefore they were all abstract and had no co-relation with one another.

10. Then why chose ‘God’s Lie’ as cover?

‘Metallica (The Black Album)’ had no such track as ‘Black’ in it. It was just black in nature.

Similarly even we did not have a core reason to choose it as a cover. We chose God’s Lie amongst all the other

tracks, because of the fact that we were all way beyond the religious permutations and the track lyrically made sense to everyone in the band, so every one of us agreed to it. But when we talk about our EP ‘The Invasion’, it isn’t abstract. It’s more of a chronicle.

Please Elaborate...

‘The Invasion’ has a theme. It’s a narrative, addressing to the invasion of the unknown in the form of chapters. Chapter 1: ‘Prelude’ that gives you the essence of imminence of an invasion. Chapter 2: ‘The Invasion’ that describes ‘The Happening’. Chapter 3: ‘Pandemonium is now’ that narrates the human account of the invasion. Chapter 4: ‘Brahma Weapon’ delineates ‘The Helm’ of Invasion, i.e.

The Final Scene. Lastly, Chapter 5: ‘The Grand Design’ elucidates ‘The Aftermath’ of the Invasion 11. How has the response been with fans and the metal media in general towards your new album?

Its reach was a lot lesser than the previous album, as there was a step down with Sahil.

He had shut down his label ‘Demonstealer Records’. Still it’s the best a band could receive singularly, so we don’t regret it. We’re pretty satisfied with the reception.

12. Is there a track from ‘The Invasion’, whose ‘making’ is a story worth telling?

Not the track but the video

Tête-à-tête 35 making of ‘Brahma Weapon’.

Abhishek Kamdar’s friend Neale Hemrajani, was supposed to direct our video and he was here for less than 2 weeks. So we had a week and a half to conceptualize and finalize the shots and be done with the video. It was chaotic yet fun. We owe him 13. You’re seen as one of the bands that compete and stand out on a global level. How does it make you feel? Do you take this as an accomplishment for yourself and the band?

Yes I do, but I’ve never let that make me feel content. While it’s extremely flattering, it comes with a responsibility to fulfill the growing expectations of fans.

14. What has been your best and worst stage move so far?

Ok, it’s a tough one. I think my personal favourite is the one when we performed at The Blue Frog for the first time.

After our intro was done, the lights firstly fell on my face blinding my sight. I could hear the crowd roaring and then when later when I retained my sight and had a good look at my audience, the reception was overwhelming (smiles).

And the most embarrassing one is the one where in one concert me and Frank Pawar got really close on stage and with our guitars and we had a sort of “pelvic thrust”(laughs) and it was quite noticeable.

15. Have you pursued any formal music training?

No, I’ve not had any. I’ve learned a lot by watching my favorite bands that helped me

shape up and set a benchmark.

Songs like ‘Angel of Death’, ‘Creeping Death’ and ‘Battery’ have really been an inspiration 16.

When was it that you realized that you’ve established and made a name for yourself in the metal scene?

It was at Wacken Open Air, in Germany. It felt a lot different, standing in with the best of global bands. We could affirmatively figure our position amongst all of them. Wacken Open Air is anyway seen as a milestone hailed for metal bands.

Please elaborate the experience.

Needless to say, it was overwhelming and exhilarating.

Best bands from all over the globe had assembles under one shed.

Korean, German, Russian and Japanese and many more.

It was both intimidating and inspiring. Also, there was a small glitch that accidently occurred that nobody knows of, while we started off with our intro, the guitar cable stopped functioning and changes were made immediately and we gave our best.

17. Your band has had a few member addition and subtractions, except for you and Shubham Kumar. Would you care to tell us the whole story?

Shubham and I have been together since school times.

We were in college together.

We even shared the same vicinity. As I spoke earlier of how we opened up our band in Junior College, we were

36 Tête-à-tête looking for a guitarist and we found Keshav Kumar through a mutual friend.

Then came in Frank Prashant Pawar, who was from Mira Road, and had a band named ‘Tatiya Vinchoo’.

He

Before Frank Pawar joined Devoid, he had his own band named 'Tatiya Vinchoo'. It is now known as ' Atmosfear'.

came to invite

Shubham in his band, but instead left his band and stayed with us. ‘Taatiya Vinchoo’ is now ‘Atmosfear’.

Frank and Keshav left after our first Studio album ‘God’s lie’.

18. And when did Sanjeev and Abhishek come in?

Sanjeev Aguiar was my friend’s guitar teacher.

My friend suggested me to check out his music teacher’s videos on YouTube, if it would interest me. I saw Sanjeev’s video of him playing ‘Glasgow Kiss’ by John Petrucci, and every metal head knows how tough a song it is to play. Sanjeev was so good; I decided that we had to have him on board. Later Abhishek Kamdar joined us when we met him in SIES

College.

19. Is there a common ideology that prevails in every member of your band that glues you all together? Or is it just your mutual love for metal that binds you all?

The way you’ve put it, I believe it’s a bit of both.

20. What is your take on the metal scene that prevails in India? What is your current take on how can it be made better?

What barriers do Indian metal bands face, which other global bands don’t?

It’s growing and its market is improving on a global level.

Still, you cannot expect everyone to be a metal fan. EDM, House, Rock and various others have to cohabit and coexist. Metal

Tête-à-tête 37 is a niche genre. The very principle on how it works is that it’s largely anti-commercial.

Coming on the obstacles that Indian metal bands have to face; firstly, there are not too many venues for the bands, providing them the space to explore and grow more; and secondly because it’s not explored and there are very few venues, it’s difficult to gain sponsors. It all needs a mass push.

21. Is the next album on the block? Or some singles coming up? What should fans look forward to in the coming year and beyond?

Yes, studio is booked and we’re soon coming out with a few more singles. It’s in the pipeline.

22. If not musicians, what creative activity, would you

have been a part of?

I think I would still be dealing remotely with sound and music.

23. Our readers would like you to put some light on your present and previous gears?

My first guitar was Tansen. Then came in ESP EX-260. Now I’m using Schecter – Hellraiser solo 6.

24. What is your way of indulging in leisure?

Gaming. My favorite games are FIFA, Skyrim & Wrestlemania.

Sanju and I both are hardcore Wrestlemania fans 25. Who can drink the most, amongst all of you?

Roydon and Abhishek. It was me at some point of time, but I can’t say the same now 26. Word for your fans.

We’re thankful and grateful for the fact that they’re fans.

Although we write and compose tracks outside their

territory, but they’re always kept in mind during the process.

27. Is there a way they can reach out to you?

Yes. They can email me at arun.iyer.k@gmail.com The band takes everything seriously, even beer. They’ve written a song on it called, “Beer Song” which is from the debut album, “A God’s Lie”. They‘ve struggled and had ups and downs but they never let their problems stopped them from making music. You can follow their music on Facebook and Reverbnation. Buy the original music and merchandise. Stop piracy. Support the Indian independent artists. Support the Indian Metal Scene.

38 Spcl Feature

Soumyo Das @soumyodas95

The fo Benga ur day s of th l i s - Du grande e quin rga P ur - a tessenti uja is ll of w al fest home. an ult hich e ival of Read i m s a s e t a um of t ntially lo festival happin he commem , the f ng for the v ess and ibe sur inale o orate a r f all c oundin daught ultura g er com t he yea l rend ing Photo r-long ezvous graph a waited of The e Sandi p Das d By: Benga lis.

Spcl Feature 39

M

ahalaya. It is 5 in the morning and Birendra B h a d r a ’ s immortal voice takes over the radios. Doordarshan and even pre-recorded tapes run in symphony and resonance across all households.

The banks of the Ganges are overflowing with men with deceased parents, ready to take a plunge in the holy waters as an act of devotion to their memories.

The fields are overtaken by kaashful, and the air reeks of a pleasant c a l m i n g smell hitherto u n k n o w n otherwise.

Kumartuli’s craftsmen are putting the final touches to the eyes of the Goddess and it is time for the last trip for the tailor’s shop.

For us, the Bengalis, Pujo has finally arrived!

According to religious texts, Durga was a child of destiny. With Mahisasur, the evil demon raging war against the Gods, Vishnu, Brahma, Shiv and the others used

their holy powers to invoke the powers of rage and destruction alongside a motherly tenderness in the form of Durga, the God of Power. She ultimately won the battle against the evil forces, defeating Mahisasur; normalcy and happiness returned to the Kingdom of the pure forces. This formed the background of a celebration in the mortal lands since time immortal, when Goddess Durga, along with her children, Lakshmi, Swaraswati, Kartik and Ganesh arrive to the land of Kailash to her family.

Since when Durga Puja has taken the present shape of creating masterpieces in art and decorations is hard to commemorate.

But it always has been a festival of joy, of colours, of happiness. We Bengalis start a new year by taking a note of the days of Mother would grace the land of mortality in her divine ecstasy. The nostalgia surrounding the days of the festival is beyond imagination, where planning starts days and sometimes even months in advance. Pandals are

40 Spcl Feature

|| Asche Bochor Abar Hobe || themed upon social causes; the bamboo frame stitched together with jute fibres and decked in lights, in colourful robes in anticipation of the big day when the Purohit’s voice will echo through the halls bearing testimony to the fact that the Goddess has begun her earthly descent.

For any person, this might be just another religious festival. But to the Bengali, it is the reason of survival throughout the year, counting the number of days remaining till the conch shells break the unpalpitating silence. For us, it is the time of Gariahat and of New Market, of the malls and of the complexes. Shopping

for relatives and ourselves, no Durga Puja is complete without a trip to Gariahat, to the colourful lanes, jostling in the crowd, bargaining to the last penny and the sense of contemplation only a healthy bargain can provide. The tailoring shops overflow with last minute stitching and fixing orders, the shops dishing out one offer after other.

Homes are cleared out, spacing out for relatives from far and abroad who make a beeline for the next flights, ticked booked months in advance, returning to the home they had left low; to get back the feeling of closeness and happiness only a family can provide.

Spcl Feature 41

The five days of Puja can be best described as cacophony in melody.

People throng the streets in gaudy looks, not in Versace or in Jimmy Choo, but in wear ethnic to the core. Relative’s confluence and strolling around the city becomes a thing of nightly importance, a time when sleep is a thing of the day. The colourfully decked streets and the theme designed pandals wear a look of art as a thing of elegance and opulence. Mother in her different forms is worshipped in these houses of worship; conch shells overtake the sound of traffic on the streets; the days of happiness have begun. For the people, it is a time when night food means street food. According to Shoojit Sircar, eminent filmmaker, “Street food in Kolkata at this time is to die for. I love going out just to sample the sheer variety on the streets”.

The roads spill with traffic, with people taking over. Famous Puja celebration pandals get such a footfall that additional police force have to be put down!

Technically speaking, it might be a day when Goddess Durga comes to her family. But in popular Bengali sentiment, it is the time for family. When families reunite, when the feeling of being together surpasses all borders, ends all fights. Sashti, Saptami, Ashtami, Nabami and Dashami – the days of the Puja are a time when a House becomes a Home, when the simple taste of khichdi and aloo dum at lunchtime is more appetising than a heavenly buffet. This feeling isn’t temporary, it lingers long after the celebrations come to an end.

42 Spcl Feature long awaited Days.

The Pujas end in Dashami, a day when the Goddess leaves for her heavenly abode. It is the day of immersions, when the Ganga transports her back to Heavens.

For people who are closely associated with the celebrations, it is a time of Dhunuchinaach, the Dance, and the ultimate sign of machismo for the Bengali man.

It is the day when married women play with the sindoor, with vermillion, in a dance invoking ecstasy and the feeling of happiness conglomerating the preceding days. And with that, ends the

For us, Durga Puja is not just a festival; it is an enigma which binds people together. It is a time of home-coming, of emotion, of Purity defeating the Evil. It is the time people forget divisions in the society, a time when caste and status bear no significance; a time when one and all is on the streets, in glorified happiness of the Mother being amongst us.

Ultimately w h e n the 5 days come to an end,

Spcl Feature 43

it’s a wait, for another year, for another homecoming, of another time for being reunited with our Family.

44 To-Do List

GoWithTheFlow Weekender- Dj Little B

At Adlabs Aquamagica, the atmosphere will be electric, every alternate Sunday. The coolest DJs from around the world, live bands that'll play the most foot-tapping numbers and a host of other performing artists will turn our waterpark into one rocking day-time pool party destination.

So keep your best suits, swim suits that is, reserved for alternate Sundays at Adlabs Aquamagica. And do turn up without a plan in mind dance silly to crazy beats or simply laze by the pool and let the music wash over you.

31st Oct-Halloween Halloween also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Eve is celebrated to remembering the dead.

TIMES RESOURCE INDIA EXPO 2014 scheduled to be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai from 18th to 20th October 2014. The show is designed to present and promote an entire spectrum of developments in the Waste Management, Wastewater Treatment & Renewable Energy sectors.

To-Do List 45 Mumbai Festival

International

Film

Date : 14 October 2014 - 21 October 2014 Screenings of over 100 films from over 40 countries with a specific focus on documentary, short and animation films.

Venue: In cinemas throughout the city.

Website: http://www.mumbaifilmfest. org/

23rd Oct-Diwali Otherwise known as the festival of lights, Diwali is an ancient, glittering festival celebrated

by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains to signify the victory of light over dark and goodness over evil

The Judge Cast : Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall Interstellar Release Date : Cast : Matthew 17 Oct., 2014 McConaughey, Anne Happy New Fury Hathaway Year Cast : Brad Pitt, Shia Release Date : 7 Cast : Shahrukh LaBeouf November,2014 Khan, Deepika Release Date : 31 Padukone Oct., 2014 Kill Dil Release Date : Cast : Ranveer Singh, Ali October 24, Zafar, Govinda 2014 Release Date : November 14, 2014

46 Voice Of Art

Written & Concept Art By: Aamoye Choudhary @fenrir_alchemist

S

o I know a lot of you out there must be wondering what’s Manga?

The kanji (Japanese style of writing) that are used to write the word manga in Japanese can be translated as "whimsical drawings" or "impromptu sketches”. Originally an 18thcentury Chinese literati term, Rakuten Kitazawa (1876–1955) first used the word "manga" in the modern sense.

In Japanese, "manga" refers to all kinds of cartooning, comics, and animation. Among English speakers, "manga" has the stricter meaning of "Japanese comics", in parallel to the usage of "anime" in and outside of Japan.

Do you remember Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, Naruto and many others? They all have come from manga’s.

So how did it all begin? Manga was mainly an outcome of providing Japanese military with a medium for entertainment during the times of world war. Some say that it was due to the influence of the American comics bought by the US at time of war and some others believe it was continuity of Japanese cultural and aesthetic traditions, including pre-war, Meiji, and pre-Meiji culture and art. Regardless of its source, an explosion of artistic creativity certainly occurred in the post-war period, involving manga artists such as Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy) and Machiko Hasegawa (Sazae-san). Astro Boy quickly became (and remains) immensely popular in Japan and in most of the countries around the world.]

Tezuka and Hasegawa both made stylistic innovations. In Tezuka's "cinematographic" technique, the panels are like a motion picture that reveals details of action bordering on slow motion as well as rapid zooms from distance to close-up shots. This kind of visual dynamism was widely adopted by later manga artists. Hasegawa's focus on daily life and on women's experience also came to characterize later shōjo manga. Between 1950 and 1969, an increasingly large readership for manga

Voice Of Art 47 emerged in Japan with the solidification of its two main marketing genres, shōnen manga aimed at boys and shōjo manga aimed at girls.

Types of Manga’s Since Manga is so widely popular in Japan, different kinds of Manga has become known. Each has its own title and when getting into Manga, it can help to know what is what. Below is a list of the different kinds of Manga.

1. Shônen Boy’ Manga (Pronounced ShowNen) :Dragon Ball, Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, Watamote and Attack on Titan, etc.

2. Shôjo Girl’s Manga (Pronounced ShowJoe):NANA, Sailor Moon, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Fushigi Yuugi, and Ouran High School Host Club,etc.

3. Seinen Men’s Manga (Pronounced SayNen):Berserk, Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Hellsing, and Gantz,etc.

4. Josei (or redikomi) Women’s Manga (Pronounced Joe-Say):Loveless, Paradise Kiss, Honey and Clover, 07-Ghost, and Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist,etc.

5. Kodomo Children’s Manga (Pronounced Kow-DowMow):Doraemon, Hello Kitty, Chibi Marukochan, Heidi, Girl of the Alps, Anne of Green Gables, and Anpanman, etc.

Don’t let these different titles scare you; they

are just there to help differentiate the many kinds of Manga. Generally, you will be able to know if you will like an upcoming Manga title by what group it is a part of. Shonen Manga is usually action packed and humorous, Shojo Manga is often more light-hearted and involves romance.

Seinen Manga will often have more adult themes, with some containing graphic violence and sexually explicit material. There is even a group of Manga and Anime that is referred to as Hentai, which is erotic Manga. This kind of Manga is considered pornographic by most people.

Regardless of what your tastes are, you should be able to find a kind of Manga you prefer.

India has a long tradition of comic readership and themes associated with extensive religious myths and folk-tales have appeared as children's comic books for decades. Indian comics often have large publication. The comic industry was at its peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s and during this period popular comics were easily sold more than 500,000 copies over the course of its shelf life of several weeks. Currently, it only sell around 50,000 copies over a similar period. After the years of lull, new publishing companies such as the Virgin Comics has appeared on the market in the last few years. Comic publishers meanwhile have been accused by critics of lacking innovation in the face of digital competition.

Whereas Manga industry is still growing worldwide.

Publishing | Leyla Aker, Viz Media’s vice present of publishing, and Kevin Hamric, its director of publishing sales and marketing, discuss the state of the manga market and how the company’s

48 Voice Of Art books are selling through the print and digital channels (including comiXology, where Viz just signed on last month). One interesting titbit: Viz products are carried by 64 percent of Diamond Comic Distributors’ accounts (i.e., comic shops). “Some of the store owners just don’t understand manga yet,” Hamric said.

“They’re like librarians were years ago. They’re afraid of it, but if it’s children’s and Pokemon, or has a tiein, especially to anime or television, then they’re not afraid to take it.”

Manga, the comic art form from Japan is slowly gaining in popularity with Indians, according to Ed Chavez, the head of Manga Comics who was here to attend the annual comic convention.

Chavaz took the stage at Dilli Haat, the

venue of the 3rd Annual Indian Comic Con, to talk about Japanese comics in India. "We will be here in India with Manga comics very soon," said Chavez, Director Marketing of Vertical.Inc, one of the leading manga publishers in the world.

"Initial talks are on between different publishers," he added.

Founded in 2003, the New Yorkbased

publishers Vertical, Inc. are North

America's premier source for eclectic modern Japanese pop content. Beginning in late 2003, Vertical launched its first graphic novel series "Buddha". Since then the company has become US's premiere publisher for seinen manga (men's comics) and is now quickly becoming the main source for josei manga (women's comics) in the Western world."In Japan, comics are popular as movies do their business in the US. The essence of Indian comics has originated from Indian mythology.

But Japanese comics are related mainly with day to day activities of people.

It can be innovations or science fiction," Chavez told PTI. Even though the trend of comics being converted into full length movies has been in vogue for a long time now with popular series Spiderman, Batman, Superman etc now on film, Chavez says he thinks a comic loses its soul in the process."I am more of a comic person. I like to read it. I am not in the idea to do movies out of it", said Chavez. I like reading and watching movies.

But movies won't sometimes do justice to the characters," added Chavez. At the Delhi Comic Con, people from all age groups participated in interactive groups and according to Chavez they all were familiar with Manga. "This is a good time for making the brand more popular as well as increase the business," said Chavez.

It's the best time to bring in the dough (You know what I mean).

Manga is at its peak and very

Voice Of Art 49 soon is going to get conjoined to our own culture as it has served as a role model for India ever since it became a developed nation .Recent visit of our PM Sir Modi, has bought India and Japan into close relations and now you know what to expect from that.

There's a moment in the life of every diehard manga fan where they sit back and think, “Hey... I could do this!” While for most it's just a fleeting thought, there are plenty of aspiring manga creators (or a mangaka as they're referred to in Japan) looking to get into the industry at any level.

Where do you start?

As the Manga industry goes on creating a new wave in the history as a cult ,alot of young illustrator's and storyboard artist's take their inspiration from Manga, So why not make Manga .China ,U.S , Korea and Europe all have their own versions of manga it's time to bring India up to the league. Life of a Mangaka is pretty harsh, working in the entertainment Industry and Manga being renowned for not missing deadlines and continuing serializations for years is one of the most hardworking industries with very less holidays.

Living on making Manga alone is a pretty tough job. Alot of graphic designers out there after completing their degrees make manga as well as sell posters or self-publish it and get stalls at comic cons to help themselves live their dream life. The average mangaka completes an “issue” (usually around 25 pages) per month, translating to about a page per days’ worth of work.

Ask any comic book artist and they'll tell you, it's not as easygoing as you might think it to be.

In a recent interview, One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda revealed that

he sleeps only 3 hours a night! If this truly is a dream of yours, prepare to sacrifice actual dreamtime in the pursuit of it.

50 Picture Perfect

Photographed By : Sapna Singh

Photographed By : Aritro Mukherjee

Picture Perfect 51

Photographed By : Dhanraj Kedari

Photographed By : Aritro Mukherjee

M

an and nature has a lot in common. Just like nature is made up of elements like air, fire, water, space and ether, man too has different sides. Where one half of man is portrayed abstract which stands for the dark side of man and the other happy side usually portrayed by man to the world. Also, Red is for fire, symbolizes the aggressive nature of man, blue is for water that symbolizes peace, green for nature and creativity and brown for ether and body.

"It’s a dark world Haunted by the selfish, Striving hard to survive.

Fallen in the hands of the greedy mean, Like a beautiful flower which will soon wither and die.

Thirsty for love and morals that are lost, Desperate and awaiting for the impossible cure.

Master’s own property invaded by his men, Cursed and betrayed now hiding in his den.

Left with misery, prone to hell, Believing filth and hatred is the new trend."

- Krishna Sharma

Medium : Acrylics on Canvas Artist : Krishna Sharma

Style Up 55 EMIN SthTatOfaRshYio…n …is THE D e all know

W

at is true in evanescent and th ds coming a way. We see tren ear into then disapp in with a bang and a lot of impulse the woods. We do whatever is in g shopping followin a few times until r it vogue only to wea ion fiasco and is sh fa a es m co be it ck of our wardrobe then lying at the ba ain. But the only ag never to be worn fashion are ‘THE thing constant in CLASSICS’ fashion trends and Talk about classic pops in your mind the first thing that clothing that has of is ‘DENIM’. A piece fashion since the of t ou never gone t eated. It is the mos time it was first cr e on l ia e essent important wardrob of nicely fitted pair must have! One good to go. denim and you are any variations of m There have been were extremely e the Denim. Som ! well some just Blah stylish and some… le every possib There has been m embroidered interpretation, fro ones, from acid d denims to printe shments, from lli wash to embe s done both in a et riv to s metallic stud autiful way. Too be a d terrible way an tion has gone for a much experimenta when clean and st toss as it looks be simple.

If you’re

D

Trupti Bhingare into hist ory……

enim ga rm the 18thc ents came into e importan ntury. During th existence durin at pe g ce d not easil y torn w ue to its aspects riod, it gained of h much. D uring the ich benefited ph durability, and ys populariz ed by Le 19th century the ical labourers the jean w vi Straus garmen s them for orld. Denim cloth , a well-known n t was in a m of pop c iners. 20th centu g was manufactu me in ulture. W red by ry brough e people w t earing blustern cowboy mo jeans as a fad bottoms vies port e jeans. D an ra It was d d hip hugger pat uring 60s and 70 yed attention uring the 80s d terns became po s bell p glamoro of the fashion enims started d ular. us patter r a wing d esigne n to lime li ght by po s were created a rs. New and nd pular mo dels in co were brought mmercia ls.

Dressing it up….

your n to dressing for w do es m co it n he dy type. I don't bo d an e yl st al person not y rules aside from u. think here are an yo r works fo d sticking to what to trying too hard an he nce w n it comes de nfi co to y ke e th Comfort is n never be boring ca im en D t. en em e an outfit one’s style stat ways you can styl y an m so e ar e er as th .. e some style tips… based on it. Here ar

W

56 Style Up

STYLE TIPS FOR WOMEN: p with a 1.Quirk it uup your skinny denims ld print.

You can pairrop top with a playful bo lazer well fitted c wear it with a printed b are in Also you can quirky print. Such printsod old jacket with a ok amazing with the go vogue and lo denim. ize p and 2.Accessorenim with a tucked in to e th d r r Wear you elt to it.You can go fo . This add a nice b like brown and neutrals pulled s re n o safe optio y makes you look m l look. automaticall creates a semi-forma lours. together andwith bright seasonal cors Experiment and fresh lemon colou ky Mint, melon .You can also add a fun y. are in vogueplain tee on a casual da scarf with a s work fabulously with Metallic belt denims! d Jeans 3.Boyfrien into fashion when girls These camering their boyfriend’s started wea nd out in terms of style ol clothes to sta They look cohey . e m a n e th le. T hence ly comfortab ra and are highaired up with Gunjees o gory p te t a a c in this look gre a e new trend fitted tee. Th th jeans. They give you s. g im n n le e d is the ankle from the skinny fitted up good break friend jacket also pairs y pants!

A denim boyectly with a black skinn perf

Style Up 57

STYLE TIPS FOR MEN: 1.Keep it simpl

e

Nothing works b etter than a crisp white shirt and blue denim s. Check shirts is another classic fashion which ca n be combined with denim.

Avoid bold textu red denims as th ey look tacky.

Worn out denim s also look great but make sure they are not shab bily but fashionab ly worn out.

Also coloured sk inny pants are so out of fashion now!

2.Denim with

a tw

ist Ankle length de nims or folded an kle denims are in fashion but th ey don’t suit eve ry one. If you’re tall then you can surely flaunt one .

Team it up with a smart casu al tee. And don’t fo rget to add a simple belt with it. For the casual lo ok you can also add leather wrist bands.

3.D enim shirts

Denim shirts are in. Denim with su btle stone and acid wash can b e with basic black denim. Also brown leather sh oes enhances th e overall look.

4.Denim shoes Denim fabric sh oes look amazin g too but make sure not to wear it with mat ching denims. Dress si mple and highlig ht them!

DENIM DON’T’s: •Do not combine denim jeans with a denim shirt. And definitely not when their colours are matching! Head-to-toe denim gives an undesirable jumpsuit look, and that’s the look you don’t want!

•High waist jeans as they are too old fashioned now.

•Flared bell bottoms are a big No-No! •Avoid wearing ankle length jeans if you are short heighted as it may make you look shorter, wear skin tight denims instead.

•Don’t opt for an ill fitted denim as it makes you look shabby, go for denims that suit and enhance your body type.

•Studded denims and rivets are too over the top.

Jeans don’t have to be boring, denim is such a versatile look. Spark your style statement with these simple tips and let comfort meet fashion……

58 Pick of the Month

Impactful Depiction of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Impeccable Drama Jovial Plot, Edgy Action Sequences

Knight & Day dipped in Bollywood Serum!!

Engrossing & Compelling Plot. Horror with an edge.

Pick of the Month 59

A Contentful End.

Relatable and a rightful Persuasion.

Pretty Standard.

A Chetan Bhagat clichĂŠ.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Once who liked the previous two Borderlands and want more of that.

NBA 2k15 Better then its predecessor

The Evil Within

A heady fix of pure survival horror.

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments Mysterious & Fascinating.

Variety of Puzzles & Riddles.

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