Truely India

Somethings never change, took some pictures when I recently visited Chennai - India

Live 8 from the first row.

I am still in the Live 8 mind set, so I thought I'll post my experience before I come out of this state of mind. From the pictures I posted in my last post, you must have got an idea about the magnitude of the concert. The biggest rock show I had ever been to was back home in India, where there were roughly some 2000 people in a small enclosed IIT open air theatre..and some local bands playing covers and their own crappy numbers. For me, attending the Live 8 with 1 million people in downtown Philadelphia with the biggest names in music playing their original songs is a dream come true! I knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I am glad I did not miss it.

The artists came together for upliftment of the condition of people in Africa, and they came together in a big way. Millions of people watched the show live and on TV across various continents in 10 different concerts happening on the same day. Could it get any bigger than this? It has been claimed to be the biggest music show the world has ever seen. Coming to the Philly experience, it was a nice hot day at the venue where people had come the previous day from various parts of US to reserve their spot for the big day. I went in an overpacked local train to the venue and reached an hour before the show was about to start. I was at the very end of the crowd and the stage was atleast a mile ahead of me. With a lot of determination and difficulties I moved to the first row, but after almost 3 hrs of squeezing in the crowd. But I was finally there...right in time to see my favorite band Linkin Park play.

The show started with Will Smith's talk about the poverty in Africa. He later announced the start of the concert by saying "Philadelphia are you ready to make history??" and the crowd went crazy. The opening act was by The Black Eyed Peas, I was busy moving ahead in the crowd then. On the way I saw the crowd having a great time, the air was filled with the smell of booze and weed. I saw people floating in their minds and also in the air, any random person would be lifted and pushed above the crowd. I lost my friends in the crowd, could not call them as the cell phone signals were jammed...but my only intention was to get to the first row before Linkin Park played.
On the way I made some halts to enjoy Destiny Child's (or rather Beyonce's) and Bon Jovi's performance. I had goose bumps when he sang 'It's my life' I had seen the song so many times on TV and local bands perform them back home...but Bon Jovi performing It's my life was something else. By this time I was half way through my journey..still a long way to go. The crowd was getting wilder as I went close to the stage. I was carried up in the air many times and people also climed my back as if I was giving a free ride till the stage...but it was fun!! Finally I reached my destiny, I was in the first row. I couldn't believe I could actually see the stage, getting there was close to impossible..but I made it. It felt like the biggest achievement in my life.

Took some rest while Dave Mathews and Will Smith performed, I was tired like hell and was hoping that I don't faint in the scorching heat. Then Natalie Portman announced that the next band to perform was Linkin Park..I was up on my feet. Suddenly I was full of energy, I was among a very enthusiatic crowd, who were also lost around. When Linkin Park came onstage, it was immediately obvious they would be one of the most popular acts of the entire day. They instantly got all million people to clap along to their anthemic, moshing rock. I sang along with them and could feel the state of trance.

They sang 'Crawling', 'Somewhere I belong', 'Breaking the habit' and 'In the end' then when Jay-Z joined them, the crowd went completely nuts. Here we had the world's hottest living rapper sharing the stage with a band of heavily tattooed white kids and together, they were enjoying what seemed to be the high-point of the day so far. As I listened to Jay Z's masterful Brooklyn flow meshing with Linkin Park's stomping, mathematically-precise drums and crunching distorted guitars, I realised maybe a new tribe is finally evolving, one based not on race, ethnicity, or religion, but on a shared idea. As I turned my back on Jay-Z and Linkin Park and gazed out at the crowd, all I could see was an ocean of arms, waving in the air.. white, black, and every shade in between, all moving in unison, heads and bodies bobbing and enjoying the beaty of rock and rap!! Their performance of encore/numb will stay in mind mind for a long time. That was it..I had the moment of my life - Watching Linkin park perform from the first row!! There are few more bands in this category..and I am sure those moments are not very far.

Next on stage was Deff lappard, the veterans performed in style. Their magic still works and these guys really know how to rock! I emptied every ounce of energy I had and after 'Pour some sugar on me' I was done. My legs were breaking after standing for almost 6 hours, I had to get back home soon and give them some rest. Luckily there was a different way to exit and I came out of the arena in an hour...feeling bad that I couldn't watch Rob Thomas and few more bands play.

It's been 3 days after the concert and I am still there..or as Metallica would call it - "the echoes of the amplifier ringing in my head.."

I was there !

LIVE 8 Concert - Philadelphia

The largest gig was in Philadelphia, where up to 1 million people crammed the streets, but people power was on display at 10 separate concerts across four continents..and I was a part of it. Hold your breath, there is more..take a look at the presenters and perfomers who rocked Philly. My favorite was Linkin Park, they stole the show and ofcourse the legends Def Leppard and Bon Jovi had their own standards, where no one could even come close! There were live screenings of Madonna, Pink Floyd and other big bands playing live in UK, Canada, Paris, Rome, Berlin, etc.

The Philadelphia Line Up

Presenters:

Will Smith
Salma Hayek (ohhh..yeah)
Natalie Portman
Chris Tucker
Jennifer Connolly
Jimmy Smits
Kami

Artists:

Alicia Keys
Black Eyed Peas
Bon Jovi

Dave Matthews Band
Def Leppard
Destiny's Child
Jay-Z
Josh Groban
Kaiser Chiefs
Keith Urban
Linkin Park
Maroon 5
P Diddy
Rob Thomas
Sarah McLachlan
Stevie Wonder
Toby Keith

Hit me!!

Come to me...need another hand, and another heavy wallet!!

Go Veggie !!

'The very thought of killing an animal puts me off !' , this is the answer I give to anyone who asks me why don't I eat non-veg...and they also make me feel as if I have committed a major crime! This blog is not an attempt to advertise vegetarianism, but to question non-vegetarians on how they simply don't care about the lives of the poor animals they are killing just to satisfy their taste buds.

I know this has been an age old and worn out discussion but I thought this would be the right place to discuss this topic in and out. The usual answers to this question goes like..God has created these animals just for this purpose, It's an Eco-Cycle, the Bible says it is not wrong, is it ok to kill the poor plants..they are also living things, is it ok to eat eggs?, do you know there is pig fat in your tooth paste?....blah blah blah!!! Not a single answer gives a convincing solution to the word KILL ! It simply proves that our sense of taste has taken over other basic things which differentiate us from any other carnivorous animal. I am not trying to be very harsh on it but it is the fact.

The temptation is huge, but we have to see the big picture. This is where the religion comes into picture; don't eat meat because the religion does not allow you to. Sometimes I feel it is right, but I don't eat meat just because I am a Brahmin... I have tried eating it just to taste it and I also liked it, but it was so stupid of me to do that. All this maybe easy for me to say because I come from such a background and it is not fair for me to question people who have been eating meat since childhood. This is just an attempt to consider the lives of the animals, the pain they go through when they are killed. Poor things are raised in a healthy atmosphere, fed well, bred well and all of sudden are killed in the most painful manner....if only words could explain the trauma they go through. The other day my friend told me how crabs are cooked..and boy its worse than a 3rd degree prison torture!!

I know this blog is not going to stop anyone from eating non-veg, but will at least make those poor souls feel happy that there people who care for them..am being too dramatic now :-)

I'll narrate a small incident which will tell the difference in mindset of veggie and a meat lover, once me and my friend were going in a car and in front of us was a truck with a huge cage filled with chickens. I was feeling sad looking at them for they never knew they were going to be killed soon, my friend just looked at them and the exact words which came out of his mouth were ' mmmmm...Yummy!! ' need I say more ??

Dedicated to all those chickens....

Bird Watching

Foreword : This blog is dedicated to the members who belong to the Bird watchers Association.

Bird Watching starts as a hobby and later becomes a habit which is very difficult to get rid off. For many this begins in the lovely corridors of the school. The school corridor has a magical importance attached to it. The long hall way with the classrooms arranged one after the other and overlooking the open play ground is a perfect place for the beginners in bird watching.

As the school's most famous girl walks from one end of the hall way to the other passing each classroom, the overall excitement of all the boys in each room forms a Mexican wave. Each guy tries to have a glimpse of her as she walks by his class room for those few seconds. Then he patiently waits for the next girl to fly by. This habit reaches its peak when he goes to college, he is now completely trained and waits for an opportunity to show his expertise.

Let me try to analyze a real life bird watching process more closely. This is a simple situation where a guy is talking to other guys in a college canteen...a sneak peak into his mind gives us the following results. His mind is constantly telling his eyes to scan for the best looking girl around him and his eyes sincerely obeys the command. Once the girls are spotted, the signals are sent back to the brain and then follows a series of logical analysis. The best of the lot is chosen and his body is automatically adjusted to the best position from where bird watching can be done with ease. The initial glances are mainly to get the girls attention, they are short but intense. Once the girl realizes that she is being noticed, then starts the real game. She slowly adjusts her hair and starts expressing herself more loudly, just to keep the attention of the guy directed towards her. Now the guy knows she has realized it and he starts behaving like Salman Khan. He is least bothered about what his friends are talking around him but behaves in a manner as if he is involved in the discussion. He starts displaying all his expressions, keeps adjusting his hair every two minutes, laughs loud for the worst jokes, and does many weird things just to catch her attention. Both make sure that there is no eye to eye contact, but once it happens..there is a sudden rush of adrenaline. It makes them feel on top of the world! This goes on for a while until some good for nothing friend comes and disturbs them or the guy sees another rare species of bird, the brain gives the next command and he starts the process all over again. But this time he gets the least possible feedback so decides to go back to the previous girl. To his surprise he finds that she has also gone...and the famous saying 'A bird in hand...' comes to his mind. With no other option he finally decides to go back to class..the last thing he wanted to do. But he has learnt a lesson and promises to never repeat the mistake.

This was just a small analysis of a single instance....feel free to share any such instances which you have experienced or witnessed. My apologies to the Bird watchers Association in case I have revealed any secretes to the birds :-)

- A Proud Member

Chanting in Times Square

ISKCON rocks NYC !!