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TRAVEL
MOVIES
MUSIC
FASHION
y
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TECHNOLOGY
ph ra E! og S U ot IS ph L n I A oo EC ns SP mo N O ive SO s N clu O x M fe o s ge pa
SPORTS
OURS OUTHFULLY
September 2011
the indian
monsoon a pictorial journey
Sports
THE GOD WITH A PAIR OF FOOTBALL BOOTS
Movies
THE ESSENTIAL HELPING HANDS
Technology
Apple Vs. Android: The Big Picture
harsh varshneya photography SOUL REBELLIONS INTERVIEW
THE STREET FASHION
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OURS OUTHFULLY indulge.
harsh varshneya photography
Editorial
The Elixir of Life When the first drop of rain falls on the earth, begins the most beautiful and lively season of the year. Rains bring with them relief, freshness and life. Relief because Monsoons mark the end of the long and torrid Indian summers, freshness because of the divine smell of the earth when it rains and life because the first leaves come out in a sapling, a new flower blossoms on a stem and naked branches are flooded with new leaves when showered with the rains. The streets look cleaner, the grasses look greener, and the entire surrounding seem to don a new look. Monsoons have always been special for the people of India. Rains here are the blessings of the weather Gods, showered upon the people who thirst for them after the prolonged periods of high temperatures and humid conditions. They are a blessing because it is so evident from the smiles of the farmers, from the joyous yells of children who splash water from puddles all around the streets, from the relieved faces of the people who travel in buses amongst a toe-crushing crowd in sweltering heat, from the open arms of young boys who ride their bikes in the rain to embrace every drop
of it and from the relaxed faces of grandparents who sit in the verandas waiting for hot pakodas and chaai. It is an aesthetic pleasure in itself to sit back, relax and simply stare at the rains. To watch the water level increase slowly on the ground, flower pots and embankments filling to the brim and then releasing the excessiveness, drop by drop. Ah, if life could be somewhat similar; filling ourselves with jovial thoughts to the point of contentment and then let go of our worries, bit by bit. This issue of Yours, youthfully aims at provoking readers to look at the Monsoon through a new and wider perspective and with each rain, add more vigour and zeal to their lives. This issue takes you aboard a pictorial journey of the Monsoon of India. The photographs have been clicked by over half a dozen of photographers of Yours, youthfully who captured in their lenses some special moments and unnoticed angles to make this special issue even more special. So as you turn the pages of this magazine, throw open your arms, embracing each drop that comes your way and fill yourself to the brim with optimism. Yours youthfully, Anant Singh
Anant Singh Editor editor.yoursyouthfully@gmail.com
“ ” ‘Throw your arms open, embracing each drop that comes your way and fill yourself to the brim with optimism. Editor Anant Singh
Assistant Editor Meghna Rastogi Sports Vivek Singh
Entertainment Abhinav Mukherji Fashion Dania Nadeem Articles Ankush Bahuguna Nitisha Tomar Design Anant Singh Promotion Managers Prakash Agrawal (North) Rishika Agarwal (South) Arvind K. Singh (West)
Write to usyoursyouthfully@gmail.com Yours Youthfully -
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Contents
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September 2011. issue 8
OURS OUTHFULLY indulge.
On the cover: Droplets of water on a window. Photograph by Harsh Varshneya.
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Editorial
8
Technology
25
The Street Fashion Guide
Apple Vs. Android
4 5
Contents
Sports The Best Player in the World Was in Kolkata
9 24
Cover Feature A Pictorial Journey of the Indian Monsoon
Movies The Importance of Supporting Actors
Fashion
26
Music Interview of the Rock band Soul Rebellions
30
The Awesome Column
Write to us on- yoursyouthfully@gmail.com Visit our website- www.yoursyouthfully.weebly.com Indulge with us on Facebook- www.facebook.com/yoursyouthfully Indulge with us on Twitter- www.twitter.com/yoursyouthfully
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Sports
The God With a Pair of Football Boots Messi in Kolkata was a big day for the City of Joy. By Vivek Singh.
The God with a pair of football boots, Lionel Messi, was in India and it was very first time that country was o rga n i z i n g a F I FA international friendly match. The match was earlier declared an exhibition match, but after seeing the enthusiasm of football fans across the country, FIFA gave it the status of an international friendly. Test for the best player in the world and the new coach It was a special occasion for both Lionel Messi and coach Alejandro Sabella. Messi was playing as a captain for very first time while it was Sabella's first assignment after being elected as a coach of the team and both of them were aware that their composition is not working and the Argentine side was under tremendous pressure of meeting the expectations of billions of people around the globe. They still have to find a solution to the problem that has denied them the chance to touch the holy grill again since one Diego Maradona took it there in 1986. The road to Rio is still a distance to cover but it is one journey Messi was determined to start in a grand style. The first thing Sabella did was to change the combination of the side “to get the best out of Messi�. And Messi led the team in an appropriate manner to register a 1-0 win over a rather defensive Venezuela. The win was not a big one but all in all a good start for the
new captain and coach. In the first half Argentina dominated the game with 70% possession, but they were not able to breach the defense of Venezuela that was exceptionally well. Venezuela skipper Raphael Romo thwarted two good attempts by Messi and Gonzalo Huguain. But Lionel Messi did not disappoint his fans. It was on his measured corner kick that Nicolas Otamendi scored the winning goal.
The Messi mania did not leave our celebrities untouched either. M.S Dhoni has requested for Lionel Messi autographed jersey. Dhoni who is an ardent football fan was unhappy that he couldn't see Messi in action himself. Rahul Bose, singer Babul Supriyo and former Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia were present in the stadium too.
A Special Day for the City of Joy Kolkata is indeed a football crazy city. People began lining up outside the stadium at 2 p.m., while the match was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. They were standing in endless queue with argentine flags in their hands, blue and white facepaint and wearing the Argentine number 10 jersey with Messi written behind it. The sight made one wonder if he were in Buenos Aires or Rosario instead of Kolkata. The streets of Kolkata were full of hoardings of Messi. The stadium was jam-packed and the atmosphere was electrifying. Thousands of football fanatics were in the ground for their dream date with words best player. They cheered every move of Messi and shouted his name throughout the game. Messi too obliged them by playing complete 90 minutes. The city of joy was truly lucky then to witness the unfolding of a possible history in making.
New dawn for Indian football, perhaps? It would be too early to assess the impact of this match over current Indian football scenario but after the Messi match AIFF has received 10 more proposals to organize club and international friendly matches and with that AIFF has decided to set up re g i o n a l a c a d e m i e s i n Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai/Navi Mumbai and Delhi N.C.R. The aim of the Federation should be to use these ties for the benefit of the Indian football which is going through a transition phase. This can happen provided the Federation s h o u l d n o t t a ke t h e s e opportunities only as a medium of making money but to do something concrete to promote in India the most popular game in the world. Yours Youthfully -
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Sports
Loyal, forever Thinking of them is thinking of the club.
Lionel Messi, Barcelona Some say that the other clubs cannot afford the best player in the world; others say that he is too devoted to Barcelona to leave. But think of Barcelona FC and you're thinking of Lionel Messi too. He left Rosario-based Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe when he began playing for the Spanish giants, where he plays as winger/striker. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke his team record for the youngest footballer to score a league goal. Messi then had the most successful season of his playing career, the 2008–09 season, in which he scored 38 goals to play a a major role in a treble-winning campaign. This record-breaking season was then overcome by himself in the following 2009–10 campaign, where Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions. He surpassed this record again in the 2010–11 season with 53 goals in all competitions. Messi has won five La Liga titles, three Champions League titles and has been FIFA Player of the Year twice consecutively in 2009 and 2010. Need anything else be said?
Iker Casillas, Real Madrid Steven Gerrard, Liverpool Skipper of both the sides he playes with, Real Madrid and Spain, Casillas is widely regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world. He has been playing in Real Madrid since 1990 in the youth team first and then in the senior club. As of July 2010 Casillas is one of a very select group of players who have won all major club and national championship titles. He was first called up to the first team on the 27 November 1997 at age 16 to face Rosenborg in Champions League, but it wasn't until the 1998–99 season that he debuted in the senior side, substituting Bodo Illgner. The world's best players have either played or are playing in Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, Ruud Van Nistelrooy to name a few, but Iker Casillas has been the pillar of the team since the past two decades and is still going, stronger than ever.
Steven Gerrard usually plays as a centre midfielder role, but he also plays as a second striker and right winger. Gerrard is best known for his tremendous long-range striking ability and has scored in numerous cup finals, including the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final and the 2006 FA Cup Final. Gerrard, who has spent his entire career at Anfield, made his début in 1998 and confirmed his place in the first team in the 2000–01 season He has won two FA Cup wins, two League Cup, a UEFA Cup, and a UEFA Champions League in 2005. In 2005, Gerrard came third in the voting for Ballon d'Or, given to the top player in Europe. He also has many caps for the English national football side and is one of the most respected and prominent players of the team. Yours Youthfully -
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Sports
Rock-solid Defense A salute to the wall of Indian Cricket
He won't go meekly. He will fight to the end. Yes, I'm talking about the wall of Indian Cricket team, Rahul Dravid. For opponents, he is too cool to control. In Dravid, t h ey f i n d a m a n w i t h enormous will, a will to resist. Whether it is bouncy track of basin reserve and Perth or slow and brown t ra c k o f C o l o m b o a n d Chennai, Dravid has succeeded everywhere. He is the only player in world to have scored a century in every test playing nation. Rahul Dravid with decisive feet, soft hands, watching the ball till the last moment, using the crease and his most trusted ally, patience, together overpower every adverse condition. These qualities gave him an edge over other contemporary cricketers and have helped him face the finest pace and spin attacks in recent times. His career is not just about runs and consistency. There was a phase when he was struggling, struggling to survive. He was not scoring and India's world cup first round exit added to his misery. He resigned from the captaincy but the game of this master batsman was adversely affected. When it was appearing that his c a re e r i s f i n i s h e d , h e bounced back like a true
Image courtesy: rahul-dravid.blogspot.com
The wall of Indian Cricket: Rahul Dravid
fighter. Clinging to his work ethics, he did everything. He worked hard in the national c r i c k e t a c a d e m y, t h e afternoon sessions at the nets and the hard yards in the Ranji trophy. There are very few players in whom we find both- a match winner and a match saver. Dravid is one of them. Who can forget his match winning innings against Australia in Eden Gardens in 2001 and again against the same opponent at Adelaide where he scored an outstanding double century to lead India to a famous win? He is the kind of a player who can play session by session, which is very important to save any test match. His contribution to Indian test victory under the most successful Indian captain Saurav Ganguly is by the team.
phenomenal. He contributed 23% of the total run scored In England – when the spotlight was on 2000th test match to be played at Lord's and on Sachin Tendulkar, who was on verge of making 100 test centuries, this man stole the show. He played his natural game to score 461 runs with 3 hundreds with a stunning average of 76.83 against a lethal pace attack and the globe's best spinner while other Indian batsmen failed to score. A staggering record 157 test, 12795 runs, 35 hundreds and an average of 53.00 tells the story of the class of Rahul Dravid. It is up to Dravid to take decision to retire from test cricket but this absolutely selfless, loyal servant of Indian Cricket deserves a grand farewell. Yours Youthfully -
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Technology
An Apples a Day is Not Enough Now Apple iPhone is facing stiff competition from the increasingly popular Android.
Arguing over Apple iPhone and Android is like arguing whether an apple is tastier or a strawberry. The point is, both apples and strawberries are different members of the same family, both have their lovers and both have their uses. Perhaps t h e o n ly a dva n t a g e o f strawberry is that it can be found as a flavor in many different objects, so there's variety. But an apple is just an apple. You have to buy it the way the vendor sells. Take it or leave it. Now you see my point. Now fighting over which tastes better is naive and we'll leave it to fools and the doofus (I'm still not sure what the last word exactly means!). The Android Viewpoint Recently, Android has seen significant rise in the phone market of America and India. A big reason for that is money! Android phones these days are coming in exceptionally low p r i c e s a n d a r e h i g h ly affordable when compared to the hefty sum of the iPhone. Naturally, when you get the superb features of Android in a device whose price tag reads a 4-digit number, you tend to drool. The important thing is, that because Android is a software, there are endless options for the mobile
device. Thus, the buyers have more 'choices'. Alright, none of them looks as stunning as an iPhone 4, but if you talk of India, price is a big deal here, no two opinions on that. Whereas the Apple iOS for phones comes on the iPhone alone, so the buyer is left with nothing but only one option. It is like being served only one dish and, like I said, take it or leave it. Also, it has been found out that Android-based internet usage has seen an exponential raise in the past few months, which clearly suggests that the current leader iPhone is facing stiff competition. New apps are being developed for Android by the day and people are really getting into them. Android phones have begun to interest people, to get them to buy Android. The iPhone Viewpoint The only thing in which the iPhone completely beats Android by miles is apps. There thousands of apps for Android, but there millions and millions of them for the iPhone, some of them scarily addictive! Like Steve Jobs says, if you don't have an iPhone, well, you don't have an iPhone. Apps are perhaps the biggest reason why iPhone users are addicted to it and dedicatedly follow Apple. Nonetheless, Apple is
fast losing its share in the phone market to Android phones that are, without a doubt, becoming increasingly popular. However, the iPhone 4 has changed the scenario to quite an extent. The demand for the phone was huge, the preorder was tremendous and it is still selling fast. This is probably why iPhone sales were a bit sluggish in the past few months- because Apple lovers knew since quite some time that iPhone 4 was due. Honestly speaking, all this doesn't take anything away from Apple. It continues and will continue to make profits like before. Apple has a passionately devoted fan base, millions of sworn users many upcoming buyers too. After all, iPhone is, well, Apple! The Big Picture Apple is failing to maintain its clear cut lead and Android is posing a significant threat to its dominance. The big pictures will be clearer as time progresses. But the point is, in this battle between the giants, the customer is the ultimate gainer. He gets more options, more new services, more features and more satisfaction. Even a doofus like me can see that.
Anant Singh
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the indian
monsoons
Photographer: Shubhangi Chaturvedi
Cover Feature
Photographer: Udeeksh Tiwari
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Cover Feature
Photographer: Kaamini Pant
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Cover Feature
Photographer: Harsh Varshneya
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Cover Feature
Photographer: Udeeksh Tiwari
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Cover Feature
Photographer: Amrita Singh
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Cover Feature
Photographer: Udeeksh Tiwari
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Cover Feature
Photographer: Amrita Singh
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Cover Feature
Photographer: Udeeksh Tiwari
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Cover Feature
Photographer: Sumit Agarwal
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Cover Feature
Photographer: Sumit Agarwal
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Cover Feature
Photographer: Udeeksh Tiwari
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Cover Feature
Photographer: Sumit Agarwal
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Cover Feature
Photographer: Kaamini Pant
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Cover Feature
DS
Photographer: Disha Sharma
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Movies
The Essential Helping Hands Sherlock Holmes without Jude Law is just as unimaginable as The Godfather without Robert De Niro. We take a look at some of the supporting actors who made the movie memorable.
Well, I am back after a month's hiatus and a particular debate troubles me, "Supporting Actors- what good are they to the Film Industry?" All of us want to be in the limelight, it is a cruel world after all, and it is a fact that the leader gets the pie. But those who've worked in the backdrop, does it mean that their work is any less than the lead's? I leave the answer to you. However wonderful the main caste is, without good support cast the movie will flounder. These performers are there to act more than just space fillers. They help to make the main caste shine even brighter by functioning as contrasts and by revealing characteristics that would otherwise remain hidden. These relationships give an added dimension to the whole movie. While they do enhance the role of the stars, good supporting cast can also become important in themselves. In the west the star system has dimmed a little and as the drive for naturalism and truthful acting became fashionable, the distinction between leads and supports became lesser to see. Jude Law convincingly plays the role of the sidekick Dr Watson in Sherlock Holmes although he's completely overshadowed by Downey's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. Then we have Djimon Hounsou play the black farmer in "The Blood Diamond" and I was quite sold by his performance. He stood
shoulder to shoulder with Lionardo DiCaprio when it came on screen presencesomething not many can do. And we have the famous Harry Potter series- Rupert Grint as Ron Weasly, Emma Watson as Hermoine Granger. Don't tell me you didn't hate Rickman as 'Snape' or Tom Felton as the grudgy 'Draco Malfoy' until you came to know about their truths. We all sympathized with Draco in the "Half Blood Prince" when he used to cry in the girls' loo. And don't tell me either you didn't cry when Dumbledore, Dobby or Sirius Black died. The bottom-line iswe love all these characters though they weren't in the lead. Faith in supporting actors may have a more beneficial impact on movie budgets than on anything else, maybe that's why top actors are taken up in the supporting category. Al Pacino widely regarded as one of the best actors is known most for his supporting role in the classic "The Godfather Part I". Matt Damon performed well in Invictus. Leonardo Di Caprio, who received Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Departed, frankly didn't deserve this award because he wasn't in a supporting role according to me. He was the lead dammit! Mark Wahlberg played a defining performance as a cop in The Departed. Michael C a i n e' s p e r f o r m a n c e a s Batman's subconscious and butler is gripping. Speaking of Christian Bale, his phenomenal
performance as the skinny, loose, devil driven dricky in The Fighter whose hilarious and heartbreaking performance cuts deep thoroughly did deserve this year's Oscar in the supporting Role. A special mention: Brad Pitt's role in the movie "12 Monkeys". In the 1995 science fiction movie 12 monkeys, Brad Pitt was praised particularly. Janet Maslin of The New York Times called 12 monkeys "fierce and disturbing" and remarked on Pitt's "startlingly frenzied performance" concluding that he electrifies Jeffrey (the director) with a weird magnetism that becomes important later in the film. He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film and received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Now the important part, Pitt has just twenty minutes of screen time in the movie in which he creates this magic. He was the Supporting actor who gave a new dimension to the film. We may remember that Lecter worked far better as a supporting character (in Manhunter, with Brian Cox, as well as in Silence of the Lambs) than as a lead in Hannibal. For there is this truth about acting and roles: give me a burning 20 minutes and let someone else labour for three hours a night. Abhinav Mukherji
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Fasion
The Street Fashion Try the look from the grassroots, not the studio, says Dania Nadeem.
Image courtesy: makiabella.com
Since the past many years, celebrity fashion has been the core of Fashion Industry, right from what they wear to what they eat. Everything becomes a craze for the youth who follows it meticulously. Be It Britney or Lady Gaga, COPY THEM is the hype for the people who want to stay stylish. Is that fashion is all about? Let's find out… Five days back, I was traveling in the most famous Mumbai Local (for those who didn't catch that, Mumbai local is the local train plying across the vast city of Mumbai with tons and tons of common public commuting from one corner of the city to other. If you actually see them packed together in the peak hours of local you wont be able to make out one person from other, it is such a scenario) Well 'Mumbai Kars' are born to adapt that though. Coming to the point, I could make out various style statements (Individual Style
Icons) of these ‘common girls’ who could be hardly called Common. And mind it, none of it seemed copied or similar. Each one had her own sense of style and carried it elegantly with great confidence. This made me rethink my earlier statement. Fashion is not just a celebrity fashion. Fashion is what is inside us, each one of us has his/her own creativity to look their best…NOT forgetting that “ITS NOT TRENDS THAT MAKES US, ITS WE WHO MAKE TRENDS” Street fashion is a term used to describe fashion that is considered to have emerged not from studios, but from the grassroots. Just throw in anything that suits you and you're making the trend. Sling bags these days are a lot in fashion and they really look cool. One of the famous street fashions is the hippies fashion, it comes from 1960's when people threw in anything and it did look good long hair was one thing
which was very much “in” in those days. Long hair with fringes looks really cute. One thing which I am seeing very common are the jodhpuris I am sure all of you must have tried them and if you haven't then I would suggest you should buy them as soon as possible. Just a jeans and a t shirt looks great if you pair it up with some cool accessories. So girl's it is up to you what trend you want you simply have to create it. Because fashion is something which brings out your personality and these days whether an interview or a party first thing to be noticed is the way you carry yourself just be yourself and choose the clothes which speak about you. Experiment with yourself, and you will come up with the best of ideas. You are going to be appreciated!
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MEET THE
S L E B E R
Music
Meet the rebels In conversation with Ashish Dalwani, Bassist, Backing Vocalist & Rhythm Guitarist of a popular Rock band from Lucknow, Soul Rebellions YY: Tell us about your band. When and how was Soul Rebellions formed? AD: Soul Rebellions was not Sould Rebellions when it was formed. The band dates back to 2003, when I first met Jatin, the vocalist of the band. We were both in class th 9 in Spring Dale, Lucknow. He was singing a song and I was playing the guitar. So we decided to get together and give a stage performance. The first song we performed was “Allah Ke Bande� by Kailash Kher, which turned out to be a hit. Then we met Manuj, another guitarist, who wasn't in our school but we met him coincidentally. We formed a band named We Three. After that I went to Mumbai for my studies. Then was the time when Jatin met Ritchie, who is now our band's lead guitarist and through Ritchie he met Swapnil, the keyboardist of the band. Ayush (better known as Romeo for a reason unknown to me yet!), our drummer, is the brother of the Music teacher who taught us in college. This is how Soul Rebellions was formed. So whenever I used to come back from Mumbai for a vacation, we used to perform together. So the band has been active officially since 2005. When I got back in 2007, we have been performing regularly. YY: What's the current line-up of the band? AD: Jatin (Lead Vocals), Richie (Lead Guitar), Swapnil (Keyboards), Ashish (Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals and Rhythm Guitar), Romeo (Drums). YY: What are the members currently doing, apart from making music?
AD: Jatin is Delhi, working in a call centre. Swapnil is pursuing his MBA in Birmingham, U.K. Ritchie i s w o r k i n g i n t h e finance/accounts department of an NGO in Lucknow. Romeo is a music teacher in Spring Dale College, LDA branch. I am working as a PR and marketing coordinator in Dubai. Y Y: W h y t h e n a m e ' S o u l Rebellions'? AD: Randomly! It sounded good, plus the abbreviation, SR, sounded cool. Like LP! (laughs) YY: What were challenges you faced in the beginning? AD: Loads of them. Getting together, getting along was one. Once we overcame that, the next one was getting good, quality instruments. Good quality sound system to practice. Making contacts and getting stage shows was difficult and it still is. We are in different professions now so we are not in touch with our clients and previous organizers. We did manage to make contacts and performed at many places, participated in many competitions, winning some, losing some. YY: In the beginning, did you guys have to deal with a difference in taste of music? AD: Initially we were not sure if we had the same taste of music. But as we started playing and jamming together, we realized that we clicked some notes together. Especially Richie and me, whenever we play, we always strike the same note at some point or the other. It's beautiful. Jatin is good at vocals. Swapnil is a keyboard genius.
So we all got along really well. And this is in spite of the fact that none of us is musically educated. We don't know how to read music, we don't know the major and minor scales, yet we are successful in striking good notes. YY: When Soul Rebellions was formed, did you guys want to be a cover band or did you aim at a career in music? AD: We had to start with covers, because unless you start with covers, you don't get a good audience. But yes, we did aim at a career in music. When you are in your early teens, you think that you can be a rock star, or a good musician, not thinking about the phases that will come by or the situations you face when you are in the field. But when you face reality, you find that being a star, or being a performer, involve a lot of hard work. It's a complete package; you don't get anything for free. YY: Given the chance, which genre will you play exclusively? A D : B e c a u s e we l i s te n to everything, we play everything. We started from Rock, went on to Metal. So if you ask me to name a specific genre, I would not be able to do so, because we listen to all, we respect all, and we play all! YY: Which is your favourite concert till date? The best crowd you've had? AD: We have enjoyed playing almost everywhere, except a few concerts where we had to play in remote areas! (Laughs) That's crazy. But I remember, a concert we did in Sardar Patel Dental College, Lucknow, the crowd was amazing. Yours Yours,Youthfully youthfully- -28 9
Music “Whenever we play, we always strike the same note at some point or the other. It's beautiful.”
And a concert we did recently in March, in HBTI (Kanpur), that was my best experience ever. I always sing Summer of '69 on stage. I just sang one line there, and the crowd sang the rest! I did not utter a word, just played the guitar. It was amazing! YY: How special are the moments with your band members? AD: We always have special moments with the band. Whenever we are on stage, we are always pulling each others' legs, especially Jatin's! When we know that we are enjoying are music, we know that the crowd is enjoying it too. We always share good rapport and make eye contacts. YY: What's your say on the music industry of India today? AD: To make a mark, Bollywood music is good and some bands have done that too. The music of Bollywood is basically a fusion
one. They take a western tune, fuse it with Indian instruments and they make it sound Bollywood. So its only good to make a mark. Otherwise it's very commercial. YY: Did the band ever face problems like substance abuse or alcoholism? AD: One thing I would love to tell you about our band is that all of us are vegetarians, we don't smoke, and we don't drink. It's a coincidence that happens only in heaven. But thankfully it has happened to us. It was weird too, when sometimes we used to go to competitions, we were the only ones who didn't dope. We were the bunch of simple looking guys, with short hair, multi-coloured tshits and winning the competition too.
YY:Bryan Adams or James Hetfield? AD: Bryan Adams for me. YY: Aerosmith or Iron Maiden? AD: Iron Maiden any day. YY: Led Zeppelin or The Beatles? AD: Led Zeppelin. YY: Purist Bands or Fusion Bands? AD: Fusion. YY: Girls or Guitars? AD: Guitars. Guitars fetch girls! YY: One message for your listeners. AD: We'll be coming soon with our promotional albums. We have some songs which we are recording. So wait for those songs and make some space for Soul Re b e l l i o n s , b e c a u s e we' re coming.
YY: We’ll have a rapid fire round now! Pick one answer. AD: Bring it on! Yours Yours,Youthfully youthfully- -29 9
The Awesome Column
On The Roof, In The Rain Monsoon is the best time for lovers, says Ankush Bahuguna.
I love the monsoons! Not just because the earth smells heavenly or because they play nicer songs on the radio then or because I like to dance on my terrace like Simran, of DDLJ fame singing “usse kaho kabhi saamne toh aaye”. A major chunk of credit goes to Mrs. Sachdeva, Mrs. Bajaj, Mr and Mrs. Lalli, Mr. Stephen, Stephen Junior, Pinky ki Mummy and my mother above all. Almost all seasons, these are the neighbors that seem to be best friends straight out of a Dil Chahta Hai with kitty
parties, Diwali, Christmas, Republic Day and Holi bashes hogging all the limelight of the whole colony. And if these national celebrations are not enough, Mrs. Aggarwal never falls short of organizing a yearly party at her DDA-residenceon-the-2 n d -floor-turnedinto-a-palace, whatever be the occasion – their son's 25th birthday, the birth of one of her uncountable grandchildren, or her younger son taking 2 more ye a r s to c o m p l e te h i s graduation. It's like one big,
really big happy family for about 10 months a year. How are the two months different then? Well, they are the monsoons! Every time it rains, I wake up to one of the aunties from the above list quarrelling with another over leaking roofs, broken pipelines, kids dirtying the common staircase and even dogs finding shelter outside their doors and flooding the place with almost a month's share of shit later. The other day, just when I Yours Youthfully -
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The Awesome Column “While Pinky's mom discussed about how lecherous Mr. Gupta was, her daughter was making love to Stephen Junior on the roof in the rain.” was discussing with my sister, while waiting for Rakhi ka Insaaf to resume on the television, about how calm, peaceful and uneventful this monsoon had been, the door bell rang. Mummy went to see while the show resumed with the audience cheering “Rakhi!! Rakhi!!” (Probably for being paid Rs. 100 each to make up a live mob for the sake of the TRPs)! But wait, something more interesting was waiting to happen! And that too, LIVE! We switched off the TV and rushed to the living room when we heard aunties shouting in the building. The almost hollow DDA walls echoed the union of Punjabi, Marathi, South Indian and fake British accents in the dialogues. “O Manju, Jara neeche aake to dekh, mere ghar mein to sara paani hi paani ho gaya hai! Apne HUSBEND ko bolti kyu nai hai tu ki SEELAN theek karvaye!”, Mrs Sachdeva shouted at a frightened Mrs Bajaj. For your information, Mrs Sachdeva lives on the first floor and Mrs Bajaj on the third one. And like always, the complaining, yelling, accusing, answering back, exchanging looks was happening over a distance of two floors! No wonder, the whole mohalla came out distracted and thanked their stars later for the
entertainment that followed. I looked up to notice Mrs Bajaj roping in my mother in her FIGHT against Sachdeva and Sons, who also gathered equal support from Mrs. Aggarwal! “Mera 1.5 laakh ka laptop kharab ho gaya teri SEELAN ke peeche. Abhi kal parso hi paint karaya tha NEROLAC ka (referring to last Diwali). Sab kharab ho gaya. Jaanti hai kitna kharcha hoga repair karane mein” Sachdeva aunty complained again, while some educated ones q u e s t i o n e d t h e ga d g e t getting damaged due to a SEELAN on the wall. “aur jo tere bunty ne KIRKIT khelke roz mere khidki ke sheeshe tode hain wo? Uska kya?” Mrs Bajaj snapped b a c k a t h e r. “Its okay aunty! Aise uncivilized logo se baat karna b e ka a r h a i ” s a i d M r s . Aggarwal's UK returned daughter-in-law, flaunting her stronger-than-Katrina British accent. Mrs Sachdeva looked around expecting a round of applause for her ADUCATED bahu. Soon after, Mr Stephen, the Vice President of the colony joined in to cool down the discussion while Mrs. Stephen eyed on him t h r o u g h h e r w i n d o w. Pinky's Mom arrived, dripping wet due to the rain, with the desired Masala!
Somehow she always gets to know whenever there is even a slight feud, courtesy, our common maid. For your information, she doesn't even live in our building and could have had no possible trouble with the SEELAN in Mrs Sachdeva's house. However, she did step in, only to let everyone know about the newlywed couple in the next block filing for a divorce because the husband was cheating on the wife. “Hain!! Tujhe kisne bataya?”“Uski biwi to khud raat bhar park mein ghoomti thi phone pe baat karte hue. Pata nahi kisse!”, came instant replies from Sachdeva and Bajaj aunties, the juicy piece of gossip drying away the SEELAN. B y n o w, S t e p h e n Junior had already managed to escape out of his house; his mother busy stalking his father. Pinky opened her door and sneaked him in. While Pinky's mom discussed about how lecherous Mr. Gupta was, her daughter was making love to Stephen Junior on the roof in the rain. The two months of monsoons held a new meaning altogether for them. It meant they could be with each other the whole day, romancing in the rain, while their parents were stuck in never-ending speak-a-thons. Yours Youthfully -
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