Feelings

How happy do we feel

when we first talk in the day

the first words

and find all the things we want to say

talk about loving

and living together

talk about sharing and

bonding forever

what shall happen

in due course of time

when we of course shall tie the knot

i become yours and you become mine

what shall happen to our talks

our curiosity and joys

the longing and the yearning

Of being happy and annoyed?

Will the magic be lost

in the mechanical grind

of everyday life we lead

so lost and left all behind

will love survive

if the charm is all but lost

to be close to each other,

can we count that huge a cost?

If we can keep

our emotions alive

our warmth true

and see eye to eye

thats all i could ask for

for living with you is all i want

in our arms i will breathe to life

breathe until i no longer can.

The Birthday Party

"Is this where Jim lives?"

Queried the postman Klaus,

By the gleam in his eye you could tell

something special it was

"That will be me i think,"

said a boy with delight

No more than twenty he was

From what gathers ones sight

"Happy Birthday Jim"

"Methinks, the gift has found its bearer"

Said the card and the postman

to make the moment clearer

Jim,his joy knew no bounds,

Grabbed the packet and rushed in

Set it down on the table

eyeing it with an infectious grin

Tore open he, the shimmering red paper

that bedecked what he was about to behold

"Oh heavenly joy, its a fountain pen"

Bejewelled in precious gold

Jim held it high and danced

and whirled around on his toes

Pearls streamed down his cheeks

"Tears of joy", as the saying goes.

Amidst the rejoicing

Again did the bell ring

Stopping his heart for just w beat

Anxiously waiting in glee

Called out another delivery boy

For our boy Jim,

a sparkling parcel he too had

Jim's joy knew not how to dim

So began a constant trickle of gifts,

a deluge it turned out to be

Many had wished him well

and prayed, long live may he.

Jim smiled, for he knew

How by all, he was loved

By distant relative of flesh and blood

Friends and kind souls unheard

And then the clock called time

for the cake to be cut

FOr candles to be blown out

And for the music to unshut

Sure enough,

'twas a chocolate cake

One with cream and cherries on top

Must have taken an effort to bake

As he held the knife

and blew the candles out

He could hear the singing

and clapping all about

"And here goes the first piece,"

"Who wants this from me?"

With his gleaming blue eyes

No one around him, could he see

The music was playing

the bulbs glowing soft and bright

But there was not a face

He could see in his sights

And with an unflinching heart

He realises whats been all along

He is the only one there

Among solo dance and silent song

For all those gifts

Travelled mile and day

And came back to the same door

where now they lay

For resulted they

from memories existent

Of being all alone

Tender of age and unabundant

But far from it

Jim enjoys his time

He sings and dances and fools around

and also does the pantomime

He plays the perfect host

He holds no sorrow

He bids his guests farewell

"Good night, drive safe and see you tomorrow!"

What happiness it is

That money could buy

Drape a shimmering cloak over reality

And be glad to live a lie

Was Jim wrong

in not feeling sad

In deceiving himself

with what he never had?

Ground of enlightenment.....

Returning from the lab, i was lost in some strange place. Came to the poolside parking lot. Half covered in leaves and rubbish. And it takes only a blink of an eye to transport me back.......December of 2006. I am standing in the same lot. Pleasant climate.Wind blowing. And i can see myself, to my right. Sort of decently dressed, mouth wide open, tongue about to lay a carpet for my eyeballs , which were ready to pop out at any second. This was the first time, i had experienced live rock n roll. This was the first time, i felt that energy, that head rush, that pumping of adrenaline. The first time, those loud guitars, drums, bass and vocals put a real wide grin on my face , besides deafening me a bit. Where Bhrigus magic mesmerised me and Brute Force really melted my face off. This was the birth of metal head. Genesis.

Today standing at the same place, i cannot, but smile and reminisce.For 3 days that relentless attack of rock music, carved something that still lives undiminished. Something that has altered my life in a big way and also those who are very close to me, maybe in some other ways.

I was clutching my slightly rubbish camera, in my left hand. I wanted to snap this place up. But a moment later, i concluded: "what for?". Just like the audience of Woodstock 1969 can vividly remember Jimi's performance on the last day, i can still,very clearly see every moment of those 3 days raging past in front of my eyes. I think a smile and a devils horn will suffice. Thank you very much.

A drop of Wonder....

It was the first time. Creation. Genesis.
A state of flux, the big bang, what scientists would proudly call, a singularity.
Where rules go for a toss. Where one can either speculate what is happening or try metaphysical explanations.
A moment written about by our wise old men of the yore, when they talk about the Tandava.
A dance of nature. A dance to creation. A dance, an art form, for that is what the human cerebellum can comprehend.
An upheaval, revolution, by all the parts that form the basis of existence up to that point in time.
An explosion, a fiery launch towards freedom, unknown frontiers, dark recesses.
A release of tension, so strong, so energetic. Unrivalled.
From one point of light, a challenge to the all pervading darkness. Cutting through it, disovling all.
Creation of fundamentals, of simplicities.
Realisation of a divine entity, God, Almighty.

Inspired.

This last weekend in Pune was really awesome. Below are a couple of "songs" i wrote over the weekend, the sole inspiration being Chirayu's guitar playing. He is a genius is not hidden and has the uncanny ability to inspire others through what he does, without speaking a word.


Through a tunnel in the night.

The bus speeds on
Towards a tunnel through the night
with a quartet of mad men
playing in my head

the rush of wind
messes with my hair
races on without care
and i dont have a say

the tunnel approaches
like a serpents mouth
and the quartet of gentlemen
get ready to shout

pulling a fast one over your eyes
like someone pulled over a sheet
singing the stars goodnight

as the bus shoots through the tunnel
darkness reigns far and near
and the quartet of mad men
cover and sing of fear

for inside the tunnel
closing your eyes is like
plunging a dream
into another of its kind

for the time, tranquility is in speed
and the quartet of mad men
sing for their love of weed

and when the bus shoots out
its like a choked neck released
large gulps of fresh air
unshackled from a cipher deed

now the bus rumbles on
aiming for what comes next
and the quartet of mad men
mess with my head, doing their best.

=================================

Once again in love

I'm sitting here

Missing you so much

not so long ago

i felt that heavenly touch.

Thinking about you

Makes me wanna cry

But i was the one

who kissed u good bye.

So i'm calling out to you

Please come back to me now

Lets be one again

Once again in love.

Ready to lose myself

In those dark eyes again

The touch of that hand

feels true as rain

============================

P.S.: the second song was pretty simple to write. But what was special was that Chirayu found a fantastic melody for it, a great riff and lo!....we had ourselves a song. Will post it up here when i get a decent recording of it with overdriven guitars and drums and bass....:)

Bliss.....

I really do not know what prompted me to write this.....but i am happy i did. To whatever/whoever responsible for this, a huge thank you.

whats that anticipation
that tingle at the back of my neck.
Energy looking to surge through and out of my physical

Why does everything feel right,
when no one knows what it is supposed to feel like?
when the blazing sun feels
as heavenly as the cold rain.

When even a crowded bus
and mudpuddled shoe
puts a smile on your face

when the aching spine and cranium
scream for some rest
are drowned in a noise so ungodly
still eyes seek the land to come

page after page
that stymie your intelligence
make you feel like a ignorant fool
and still go home a satisfied soul

symptoms of bliss i know not
cure for it i seek not
accepting it when it comes
for it is never found when it is sought.

Of sports and games......

The sports ministry says that Formula One is not a sport. Read the article here . Now i know that people do not look for anythin g meaningful in my blog, but this is going to be a full-on rant. There are bound to be a lot of profanities and "bad words" so please do not proceed if you are allergic to them or you are going to burn my house down or something of that sort. This is a disclaimer and also the final warning.

Sports Ministry : an F1 race in India had been rejected on the grounds that "it (the race) would have no impact on the development of sports in the country".

Dear old Wikipedia will furnish all relevant information about Formula 1. I will not sweat it out over this point. All the information can be found here . Formula 1 exists in countries like Brazil, China, Malaysia. Not particularly rich, economies comparable to ours, of course properly scaled by size, basically agrarian or natural resource based economies. Any dumbass can do a google search to see what the "sport" has done for these countries.

Sports Ministry : F1 is not purely sports. It is entertainment and this venture by JKSP is a commercial initiative

Ok bastards, Formula 1 is all about the money. Truckloads of the green paper everywhere. The cars, media, circuits, glamour,...the works. Just because the Indian circuit was going to be a private enterprise and the ministry was not going to get a sizeable piece of the action, means we lose this race? It is like a veritable cash cow which once bought, with little maintenance can give milk and cow shit all round the year. Do not laugh, mother fuckers, cow dung can be useful too. Get what i am saying?


Sports Ministry : The basic premise of the ministry is that F1 is not needed in India and the money can be spent on development of disciplines which have a wider base in the country, ministry sources said.


Formula 1 is the pinnacle of automobile, electronics and aerodynamics technology. Think about the boost, industries in these sectors will get. Race drivers are considered amongst the fittest athletes anywhere. Anyone remember Michael Schumacher, the fittest man on earth in his time, may his neck rest in peace? And see the need to improve fitness levels in other disciplines? I can provide you with the details, but educated people can find and comprehend those for themselves. This is for illiterate smart asses whos brains will not be well shielded from all the brilliance that it exudes.

Sports Ministry : The proposed F1 race does not satisfy conditions which focus on human endeavour for excelling in competition with others, keeping in view the whole sports movement from Olympics downwards.

India has some very good drivers in its population (please google for names like Karun Chandhok, Armaan Ibrahim, Parthiv Sureshwaran, Gaurav Gill.....to name just a handful).Think of the exposure they get. Think about the awareness about cars and road safety that this "sport" will bring to India. Think about the level of development that will envelope the venue of the race. Think about the employment , this will generate.

If calling it a sport is a problem for the ministry, call it an frigging entertainment and get on with it. If money is what you bunch of money hoarding rascals want from it, i am a sure formula can be worked out. If you think that Formula 1 is puny as compared to cricket, then i will be pleased to shove a bat up your ass and show you how many F1 fans exist in India and how much interest the races generate here. (Remember, Sachin Tendulkar........ask him why is he often seen at Formula 1 venues, more often than not in the Ferrari camp....google for this too,punks.) Or let me ask Mr. Mallya to do the honours. I think his palm is itching already.



I hope some lazy ass-holinesses wake up and see the light. Nothing in India will change if they don't. Absolutely nothing. Cricket will still dominate, football will still be a joke and race weekends will be a time when some fools gather up in some coffee place or sports lounge to watch other fools drive cars round and round. And you sadists will still have inches added to your waist sizes every year. But think of the possibilities F1 brings in. Wake the fuck up!

P.S. : Right >> here is an article about the company that holds the rights to the circuit being built in Greater Noida. And the arrow pointers are for the sports ministry.

Aunty Kalawati

A lame story, with a lame end. I have tried to get some message through. But just please help me out with the story writing.

AUNTY KALAWATI

Once in a small town in India, lived a Granny. she had three grandchildren, who came to visit her in the holidays. This time was no different. School over, the packed their satchels and hopped and skipped all the way to Granny's. And of course dinner was full of delicacies made lovingly by Granny which was followed by a story. So they all chorused in unison and Granny was only too happy to oblige.

"Granny, what story are you going to tell us today?"

"My children, today i will tell you the story of Aunty Kalawati, Goddess of elephants!"

"Wow....elephants.......yay!"

"There was once a big big state....so frigging big, they had to cut it up!....well nevertheless it was called Paschim Pradesh. It was a wealthy and prosperous state. There were rivers, forests, farms.....people were contented and happy. So said the shady papers. And the ruler of this kingdom was Aunt Kalawati. She was the most beautiful, benevolent ruler in the known world. So much so, that there were statues of her erected to pronounce her kindness and glory!"

"What kind of statues, Granny?"

"Big white ones, my dear. Of her in her fully dressed spendor and carrying a designer purse. There were four statues, facing the four directions, looking over her kingdom. Alongside her own statues, were statues of other great men. Men who did and died for the state, men that she respected, men who stood for the right. And of course she had all those good values present in her too!"

"She seems to be a nice person Granny!"

"Oh she was,my sweetie. She loved her subjects. She always built parks for them with huge statues like those in them, for sweet kids like you. But they were so beautiful that nobody ever went there, lest they spoil the purity of it. There were elephants all around. Elephants were the strength of her army, her servants and her fashion.They were her mascots. And if somebody complained about something, an elephant would just visit that persons house and make that complaint go away! "

"The elephants loved her like a Goddess. She had empowered them. The elephants, who were large in number, were told that they were special, they were a minority. That they were being persecuted for being elephants and made slaves.The elephants were taken aback by this, and without flapping a ear decided that Kalawati was right and hailed her as their queen. They have been loyal to her ever since."

"WOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW"....said all three kids in glee!

"Yes. And she had a huge court room with a lot of different ministers from all parts of her state. She was so kind, that she did not give them any work, but paid them very well. And when some people said that these ministers were lazy, Aunt Kalawati, built them a house with a gate of iron bars, and those people lived there happily ever after."

"What was that house called, Granny?"

"It was called Jail."

"But granny, isn't jail where they put crooks and robbers and bad men?"

"No my child. Not in her kingdom. In that land, it was like a state guest house where the most esteemed of guests lived their lives. It was a place where bad people became good and good people became better.Other intellectuals,social reformers,rich people......many many people enjoyed such hospitality. And at the end of their stay, they all chanted "Hail Kalawati!"."


"What else did she do Granny?"

"When har kingdom had no electricity, she begged for it! When it had no water, she cried for it! When people were dying, she tried to make life for their family a little better by offering them compensation! When women were dishonoured, she put other women in Jail guest house!When there was famine, she got fodder for her elephants from other states and did not tax her poor
farmers! And when everything was alright, she built parks and statues, so that visitors and children could enjoy themselves. She played a lot of games with her brotherly friend, Naram Singh, who liked her a lot and wanted her to rule the state forever! She was like a sister to everyone in the whole state!Lot of people called her behen, but she preferred Aunty!"

"So what happened to her, granny?"

"Ah....as time passed she grew old, but her nature did not change. And then she went to heaven one day, and there she became the queen of Heaven, because the seat was RESERVED for her, as a gesture of love from all the Gods for the good deeds she had done! And then she sat on the throne, and sent the Gods to the jail guest house in heaven, fed Airavat golden fodder and ruled the Heaven peacefully ever after!"

Fire away........

No secrets in the fact that i am a heavy metal fan. I don't know what happened first, the feverish love for playing drums or 24-hour heavy metal fanaticism. But either ways, it does not go wrong. Have been a drummer for 4 years now and not a very good one at that. A few hits there, some bangs there and more often than not cocking it all up.Landing the lead singer in trouble, putting the guitars off time and throwing the bass lines into the furnace while (un)settling the rhythm. Been there, done that. And life is good.....

Many people have helped me out, generously with my uselessness at playing drums.Giving me tips, practising with me the whole deal.But there was one secret teacher i never mentioned,very imprudent of me. And that cached and humble teacher is Internal Combustion.....:)

Ever been in a six seater (damn things are every where is Pune and maybe the best choice for short distance transportation)? One mundane and unspiritual and uninspiring morning, i was sitting in one of those, trying to get somewhere. had to wait cause it was not carrying a thousand people and the driver won't budge unless it did. So he put it in idle, shoved some tobacco into his gums and waited for it.

For 6 minutes, the syncopated beat of that idling diesel engine was pounding my butts and only at the 7th minute does my butt ring in a call to my puny brain to wake up and recognise what was causing the vibrations. And then it took another 2 minutes (how do i remember such embarassig details?) to take in the regularity of the firing intervals. Like a perfect time keeping
machine but at the same time with an off sync beat which is very unsual, the engine thrummed away.

It just hit home with all the force of a 200mph Shinkansen. The beauty of it, in all its simplicity. The beat is everywhere. My mind was reeling with the implications of this discovery. Those little explosions inside little cylinders of metal which are responsible for literally moving the masses from one place to the other. And now they are are responsible for inspiring me to playing drums. Cause and effect relations do not come much more bizzare.

And if the 6 seater was a tuition, then the train is the whole concert, a drumming festival put together. Especially when the locomotive runs on diesel, for then it adds its own flavour to the already eclectic sonic curry. The slow start, the careless canter across little villages, the loud and brash rumbling over rivers and gorges, the steady swift beat when really whistling through the night. No wonder i wear a perennial grin, once in a train.



'Twas that day and ever since, the thrum of a paraffin stove under a hood has always had my ear and brain riveted to it. For rhythms, timing et al . Every trip has been a studio session, which in turn makes even the dullest of moments and the most polluted of places a lot more interesting and fun. Percussion, is everywhere.....quite literally!

ABC tag......(sounds cheesy as hell!)

Overtagged.....by Shriniket and Pratik. Indulging in a little (ok...a whole lot of) narcissism.

1. A – Available/Single? Single, but not available..........:)

2. B – Best friend? Too many to name......

3. C – Cake or Pie? Cake

4. D – Drink of choice? Milk

5. E – Essential item you use every day? Cant imagine a day without "The Indian Express"

6. F – Favorite color? Black and red.

7. G – Gummy Bears Or Worms? What the fuck are those?......:)

8. H – Hometown? Kolhapur

9. I – Indulgence? Calligraphy and poetry

10. J – January or February? January

11. K – Kids & their name? Nein.

12. L – Life is incomplete without? Heavy metal music.

13. M – Marriage date? #@#YY$*@($&@#&*

14. N – Number of siblings? One Bade bhaiyya

15. O – Oranges or Apples? Oranges

16. P – Phobias/Fears? Of growing up.

17. Q – Quote for today? "What is true power other than the complete knowledge of ones own self?"

18. R – Reason to smile? Any reason is good enough

19. S – Season? Winter.....Summers are getting harsher and hate monsoons cause they create puddles and dirt all around.

20. T – Tag 3 People? Dunno.

21. U – Unknown fact about me? I have actually known what i was going to do with my life since the 6th std. Having met a lot of people to date i have come to realise that this is not as simple and common as it sounds.

22. V – Vegetable you don’t like? Karela/Bitter gourd

23. W – Worst habit? Swearing........i feel like its healthy but people around me tell me otherwise.

24. X – X-rays you’ve had? Left foot and right hand (twice)

25. Y – Your favorite food? Ghar ka khana........

26. Z – Zodiac sign? Sagittarius.

I will tag Dreamcatcher, Indrani and Deepak Iyer. But very very very bleak chances of them writing any such post about themselves. Still , if they do, it will be great.

Please be seated........somebody is watching!

Amidst all the heavy metal tumult and VLSI silence, i took some minutes to free my mind. Wandering into the living room, where the tube was transmitting some people screaming. And i thought, "Oh great. Thats what i wanted." Since we have only Doordarshan at our place (yeah....thanks), it was the Question Hour from Lok Sabha being thrust onto our eyes and ears and minds (optional.....but we are so very susceptible). Being so desperate for a change, i decided to bear with that stuff for a couple of 60-seconders.

There was Minister, presumably for the Medicine and Health ministry trying to read something from a ragtag chit in his hand and answer somebody's query. And there was the din of a zoo all around.The camera swung to show the Opposition chip munks on screen and i could not believe my eyes. There was like earnest protest from 2 member of the Opposition. The rest of their kin
was just standing in the background and grinning from ear to ear as if a child is eying a great bar of Toblerone. Boisterous to the extent of irresponsible, they just did not let the proceedings of the House go in any direction but dead South. And Mrs. Meera Kumar, with all due respect was the proverbial fish out of water. Nothing she did would pacify these idiots (not that she did much anyway, just an occasional nod of the head, stare from above the glasses or a wave of the benighted index finger of her right hand) and so the respected Minister had to sit his jolly ass down. And the Opposition grins grew wider, spilling out of their faces onto other peoples faces.

This was disgusting. No let me put it as it is. Debauchery and depravity on National Television, broadcast live to a billions viewers (rather to whoever who cared to watch or people like me looking for a refreshment and who were trapped).I agree that debate and argument is necessary, to peruse an issue at hand, look at it with a keener and clearer eye. But this was rape of whatever we know as healthy debate in the interest of the people.

P.S.: Please tune into Doordarshan at 11am, weekdays, to watch it again.

Itinerary......

The train whistled its way through the bleak and cloudy night. Cutting a tunnel through the chilly air. He peered hard through the window bars to look out. Searching for something that was unknown to him too. The landscape was dotted with innocuous little lights.Marking the scene not unlike stars on a clear cloudless night. The light bouncing off the slightly perplexed surface of waterbodies, revealing an almost divine shimmering quality. The absence of any human features was almost mollifying. No begging hands, unheeded sympathies. No unwanted prolixity. The fact that the train was still moving, unbalked, unhindered towards the next mile and indeed the next dawn made him uneasy. If life was made of small moments, little incidents stitched together, why could it not be the same moment repeated over and over again? A flash question, he pondered over it for a while, smiled at the answer and then lost his conscious self in the blanket of sleep with the wind brushing his face softly.

Going Under...........

It has been going on for so long, that it now actually puts him at ease. An analgesic feeling of relief spreads like wildfire in his body. The descent is rapid. Things are hazier than a blur. But what does it matter? Its the same all over. And whenever there is a prick of conscious guilt on the inside, he tries to hold on. To the stony walls of the chasm he was tumbling down into. Scratching and bruising. Leaving meaningless marks of his transient presence. But the action, the adrenaline dies down rapidly. In vain. The space is cold. Numbing his periphery. Less work, he thinks. The beginning is like a little spot of light in the distance. The end is dark and endless. But for eyeslids closed tight, these are a cipher. Where does it stop? Does it matter even if it does? What after it does? Is there enough strength left inside to fight the smoke in his head and search for a crack which leads him to a life giving ray of light? Or just be the proverbial voice emanating from the floor of the well? And what when the voice silences down?

Very Large Scale Irritation...........

Structured ASIC design (also referred to as platform ASIC design) has different meanings in different contexts. This is a relatively new term in the industry, which is why there is some variation in its definition. However, the basic premise of a structured/platform ASIC is that both manufacturing cycle time and design cycle time are reduced compared to cell-based ASIC by virtue of there being pre-defined metal layers (thus reducing manufacturing time) and pre-characterization of what is on the silicon (thus reducing design cycle time). One definition states that

In a "structured ASIC" design, the logic mask-layers of a device are predefined by the ASIC vendor (or in some cases by a third party). Design differentiation and customization is achieved by creating custom metal layers that create custom connections between predefined lower-layer logic elements. "Structured ASIC" technology is seen as bridging the gap between field-programmable gate arrays and "standard-cell" ASIC designs. Because only a small number of chip layers must be custom-produced, "structured ASIC" designs have much smaller non-recurring expenditures (NRE) than "standard-cell" or "full-custom" chips, which require that a full mask set be produced for every design.[citation needed]

This is effectively the same definition as a gate array.


Courtesy : Wikipedia

Consolations.....

Yeah, the latest DT release had me so down in an emotional abyss, that i started surfing the net like a someone in the Sahara searching for lemonade. And got rewarded for this madness. More than a cheer up, these two tribute albums do more than enough justice to the original Creations and Creators. Representing the original styles of these respective bands and still being a fitting tribute to Maiden and Metallica, these albums are a must listen for any metal fan.


Tribute to Metallica

01.- Seek & Destroy (Primal Fear)
02.- Fight Fire With Fire (Therion)
03.- Whiplash (Destruction)
04.- Phantom Lord (Anthrax)
05.- Fade To Black (Sonata Arctica)
06.- Master Of Puppets (Burden Of Grief)
07.- My Friend Of Misery (Dark Tranquility)
08.- One (Crematory)
09.- Eye Of The Beholder (In Flames)
10.- The Thing That Should Not Be (Primus)
11.- Harvester Of Sorrow (Apocalyptica)
12.- Battery (Die Krupps)
13.- Wherever I May Roam (Sinner)
14.- Motorbreath (Rage)


you can download all the tracks here


A Tribute to Iron Maiden

01. Prowler - Black Tide
02. Remember Tomorrow - Metallica
03. Flash of the Blade - Avenged Sevenfold
04. 2 Minutes to Midnight - Glamour of the Kill
05. The Trooper - Coheed and Cambria
06. Wasted Years - Devildriver
07. Run to the Hills - Sign
08. To Tame a Land - Dream Theater
09. Caught Somewhere in Time - Madina Lake
10. Wrathchild - Gallows
11. Fear of the Dark - Fightstar
12. Hallowed Be Thy Name - Machine Head
13. Iron Maiden - Trivium
14. Running Free - Year Long Disaster
15. Brave New World - Ghostlines

The album is available here

Black Clouds and Silver Linings.....

Yes, thats the name of the latest Dream Theater creation, a potpourri of the many styles of musical influences these guys bring in. And that is where the adulations will die down. I do not wish to be obtuse and also "judge" this album. But, the lack of innovation and novelty is the stuff that famines are made of. Dont get me wrong again. For an album, this is brilliant. Six tracks, 4 of them lasting for the better part of 10 minutes. There is a deluge of solos and collective virtuosity from Rudess, Petrucci and LaBrie (surprised?). Some very distinct points :

1. Opeths influence on DT shows up blatantly. The first song, "A nightmare to remember" starts of like an Opeth song, "Demon Of the fall" i think.

2. Notes and beats per minute wars are back on. And this is just exposed since there is nothing new to look at.

3. Lyrics are second rate. But, being sort of well versed with DT's discography, lyrics have hardly ever been their strong point.


Every album, is invariably compared to its predecessor. In this case, i would prefer Systematic Chaos to this any day. It just is much much better even though old.

But as a cheer up, do check out the cover songs and the instrumental versions of the main tracks on this album. Those are fabulous!!!!!!


Track Listing:

1. A nightmare to remember 16:10
2. A rite of passage 8:36
3. Wither 5:25 (My favourite song on the album)
4. The Shattered Fortress 12:49
5. The best of times 13:09
6. The Count of Tuscany 19:16

Covers :

1. Stargazer (Rainbow)
2. Tenement funster, flick of the wrist and Lily of the valley. (Queen)
3. Odyssey (Dixie Dregs)
4. Take your fingers from my hair (Zebra)
5. Larks tongues in Aspic part2 (King Crimson)
6. To tame a land. (Iron Maiden)

Mera Bharat Mahan.........

The image beside this text is the Preamble to the Constitution of India. The absence of the word "secular" is conspicuous and completely in sync with what this nation is supposed to represent. (Click on the image for a magnified version)

Literal meaning of secular :
"NOT CONCERNED WITH RELIGION"

Now read the following text (courtesy wikipedia):

The word secular was inserted into the Preamble by the 42nd amendment act of 1976, during emergency. It implies equality of all religions and religious tolerance. India, therefore does not have an official state religion. Every person has the right to preach, practice and propagate any religion they choose. The government must not favor or discriminate against any religion. It must treat all religions with equal respect. All citizens, irrespective of their religious beliefs are equal in the eyes of law. No religious instruction is imparted in government or government-aided schools. Nevertheless, general information about all established world religions is imparted as part of the course in Sociology, without giving any importance to any one religion or the others. The content presents the basic/fundamental information with regards to the fundamental beliefs, social values and main practices and festivals of each established world religions. The Supreme Court in S.R Bommai v. Union of India held that secularism was an integral part of the basic structure of the constitution.

Literally speaking there is nothing wrong with the text. But now, sit back for minute and re-arrange all your ideas about the effect that word "secular" has on your thought patterns. And then analyse this content all over again.

Are we still secular?

Motorsport weds Greenpeace..........

Found this fantastic electric superbike, The MotoCzysz E1 pc which has an IPhone for dashboard, is going to compete in The Isle Of Man TT. Looks amazing, rides fast and no sound. TTXGP is going to be very exciting.
Details about the bike can be read here.



Also go ahead and check out the website for some really cool environment-friendly machines,like the electric Mustang ==> here

and the GreenGT ==> here (The GreenGT really should be used by Batman. Just that he has to wear a green underwear and a sky blue mask and for everyday chores use a car called the Tesla Roadster).


.....but if these are incarnations of some planet saving Gods, then this definitely is the newest Antichrist. The Nismo GTR R35...........seems like the GTR wasn't not fast enough or something to beat the last of its rivals, Nismo (Nissans' motorsport arm) took it off their hands and tuned it all the way to rampage, rage and pillage. Read all about it or whatever is available about it here, here and here.

Random Clicking......

Blase, Opeth and a camera................

Laid to Rest..........

This is a random, out-of-the-fucking-blue post, I am sure most of you will agree. Have been avidly following the reconstruction of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai by "The Indian Express" (which is a much better newspaper, heads and tails above The Times Of India.......). In this detailed account of what went wrong, who was responsible and what could and should be done, leaves one begging for some questions to be answered.

1. Why we, as people and our polity are so fucking lazy when it comes to implementing reforms, especially when it is something as grave as counter-terrorism, which has proved to be a bane for this country for the better part of 3 decades now? And please do not call this time taken by official procedure, 'cause it simply is not that.

2. Why is there time and again, depravity in procurement of essential equipment like bullet proof armour, arms et al and the forces are stuck with archaic guns like the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III? (One needs to spend an just a few minutes on Wikipedia to know about this rifle and the better alternatives available.)

3. Is it really so difficult to put emergency mechanisms into place and activate them when the need beckons? (The SOP for emergencies was in place in Mumbai when 26/11 happened.)

Which brings me to another point here. Mother-fucking Naxalism! Gadchiroli in Maharashtra and certain parts of Jharkhand are known to be hotspot for this anathemic activity. Why can the Central and the State governments, not launch a decisive an all out offensive on these thugs and flush them out once and for all? Like it did for Veerappan (that took around 13 years to achieve, by the time Veerappan was old and impotent.....but thats different story altogether).

I know this sounds like a juvenile thought, more inspired by Hollywood movies than by rational thought. But is it really impossible? Can it really not be done? Or do we want to see the massacre of cops continue unabated in these areas (just check news items for the last month or so, around 30 policemen have been slain)? Why would any cop, sepoy or even a janitor, want to have his ass transferred to such places? Or wait for the villagers to raid the Police armoury and arm themselves to have any chances of survival?

It really is not very normal to see so many people die everyday and an increasing number of law enforcement officials amongst them. Showing this genocide everyday on TV and in the newspapers has not made me inert. It angers and saddens. Human life is not cheap, is common knowledge. But do we really value it anymore?

P.S : Following links to news items, none older than 3 months.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/File-16-policemen-killed-in-Naxal-attack-in-Maharashtra/articleshow/4561463.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Maoists-attack-Nalco-mine-two-CISF-jawans-feared-dead/articleshow/4392994.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/10-CRPF-men-killed-in-Naxal-attack-in-Chhattisgarh/articleshow/4386795.cms


Following are some more interesting links. The first refers to the GSG-9, the elite German commando anti-terrorism unit which is serving as a model for the Indian NSG and other counter terrorism agencies and the rest to the NSG , the SPG and their equipment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSG_9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Guards

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_%26_Koch_PSG1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glock_pistol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Protection_Group

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_Five-Seven

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_P90

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F2000

Vision......

Close your eyes for a bit,
Lay slack and move not yet
For in the chill of this night
You search for all the warmth you can get.

For when the eyelids isolate those tired eyes
From the glare of that which consumes
Is projected on the tissue
The verity that subsumes

Ephemeral persistence,
A seminal image
Of the heat of sustenance
Luminous ink on a dark page

Opiate realization
Veiled memories abet
Her shadow, bright and still
Dispelling the tinged regret

Surrender to it, let the light lead
This pensive, meandering thought
To where it wishes to rest
For this is what it sought.

Wheeled representatives......

I know it's fairly impossible, but somehow, i seem to have done it. 85 posts on my blog and not one about cars. I mean, i just realised that and shook my head in disbelief. Well, this wrong has to be corrected. Justice has to be served.

The Mclaren F1 (Comes first, 'cause this is my favourite car of all time)


The first car to breach the Million dollar price tag. Fastest production car on earth for 13 years and only a 106 were ever made, all completely hand built in Woking, England. This car is all about sense of purpose and purity of existence. No compromises. People who buy this car, are very successful, big earners and very learned. But they are also nerds, geeks and will bore you to death with their knowledge of what the F1 is made up and how it is better in purpose and function than, say, your Hyundai Accent.


The Lamborghini Murcielago



The scariest and at the same time the most desirable supercar. Belongs to people who are born reality TV shows. Their penchant for showing off reflects everywhere. They will wear neon clothes and shut down the electricity power plant to darken the city and make everybody notice them. Perennial show offs, loud, brash, arrogant to point of being offensive. But yet a very desirable or rather indelible part of the social fabric.


The Fiat 500



Cute little mouse, thinks he is a Lion. Makes all the right noises, but lacks the size. Entertaining, nevertheless. For all those who bite more than they can chew.



The Hindustan Ambassador

I think this one is pretty plain. Politics is, was or is going to be a part of this persons life. Loads of space in the back for the Indian babu election campaign team alongwith the banners and sign boards and pamphlets et al. Very low maintenance, will go over almost any kind of road (tarmac, cement,gravel...) found in India. Preferred in white with a light on top.


The Porsche 911

For the trackday enthusiast. For someone who believes, that this is a tool to be thrashed on the race track and derives maximum pleasurein doing so. A little show off. A whole lot of talent. But a complete lack of progressive styling. Like insistence on wearing khadi, even in the space shuttle.


The Mercedes Benz S class

For the jet setter, who enjoys a moment of peace. For someone who does want to show the world he is successful, but without disturbing anyones peace and silence. Also for someone who is more interested in the future than the present. Huge on size, packed with features and yeah, costly.


The Rolls Royce Phantom


For someone who will not buy anything that says second best. Which includes the mascot. Stubborn, stiff lipped, tea sipping colonialists with a predisposition of giving everybody else an inferiority complex.


The Ford Mustang

For people, who have brains that cannot do more than one thing once. Who give overtly too much importance to being manly. Who think there is no substitute to size for better performance. In short, for aborigines, the petrol head sorts.


The Ferrari 575M

For people who believe that technology developed elsewhere is always good and helps you progress. For those who believe in physical beauty and sensual pleasing, than function. Even if the car is not capable of moving an inch because of a flat battery, these guys will keep ogling at the car and consequently never go anywhere, other than shuttle between their garage and home. In short, a complete opposite of the Porsche 911.



The Toyota Corolla

Reliability and function is the key word. No failures tolerated. Form does not figure in the top 10 of this list. Head before heart. Pragmatic and dogmatic at the same time. But does not put a foot wrong. For people who don't like taking chances, keeping it conservative and make 2 ends meet and be happy with it.


The Tata Nano

The poor, parsimonious, and the pseudo patriotic types. If they had the money to buy the Nano, then they can surely put some more together to buy a well made Maruti 800 or Alto and also keep safe their dignity and their lives, rather than putting all their hard earned money into a not so well made, not comfortably spacious and barely bearable contraption of metal.

Time's Up..

Its 6p.m. already, where the hell are the rest of the guys at? Now its the only day of the week that we all come together for a little more than a couple of hours and "play" (try, fail, try again and eventually sort of succeed) music. What i cannot understand is how can these people take this so lightly. Shankar said that he was on his way, Chirayu's mom answered the phone and let me know that he had already left house, Aldon was in college, Vinay and Harshad were missing. Am frantically dialling their number one after the other, till the cellphone refuses to do anymore and crashes up on me. Well, thats that.

Till these slow pokes arrive, let me start with the drums......a little warm up and stretching.....and later we can well be on our way.Anxiety has the better of me when nobody arrives even after an hour of waiting, swearing and trying to play some proper rhythm. And then when i try to contact them, can't reach any of them. Palms sweating and heart beating like its going to jump out of its place. Where......are they?

And that is when i sit upright, on my bed,back home. Its Saturday evening. Chirayu is in Seoul. Shankar will be leaving for Bangalore. I have already come to Kolhapur. Vinay, ALdon and Harshad remained. With little or no hope of completing those originals or any of our favourite covers. No more arguing over lyrics. No more fighting over drumming patterns.No more mixing and matching of sounds and effects.No more mulling over guitar riffs and bass lines.No more bizarre gigs. No present and most probably no certain future.The Curtain has come down on Skepsis.

I end the vote of thanks, if it has been any, by sending a shout out to my brothers in crime. A toast to all, fond remembrance of all the good times and a hearty laugh for all the tricky and not so happy ones. Chirayu, Shankar, Vinay, Aldon, Shrikant, Harshad and Akshay.......Love and Respect........Keep Rocking!

GRE banter......

Ok, lets get down to business. Yeah the last post was a little show-off thing, but the gist of it all was very true.....but apparently people could just see the showing off........Yeah my puny brain has been inundated by words from Barron's. But there are some of these words,which i just could not get my head around. I do not know who the fuck uses these words, but i think a list of them will at least prove enlightening......

1.gerrymander -

Which means - Gerrymandering is a form of redistribution in which electoral district or constituency boundaries are deliberately modified for electoral advantage.

which sounds like - the act of a politician taking a walk after downing a good liter of Jack Daniels.....


2. filibuster

which means - a form of obstruction in a legislature or other decision-making body. An attempt is made to extend indefinitely a debate upon a proposal in order to delay the progress or completely prevent a vote on the proposal taking place.

which sounds like - A juvenile crime detective.



3.legerdmein

which means - sleight of hand

which sounds like - a genital disorder



4. vituperative

which means - uttering or given to censure

which sounds like - The oppposite of imperative


5. crotchety

which means - whimsical

which sounds like - Sounding similar to scratching the crotch.


6. traduce

which means - exposing to slander

which sounds like - treading repeatedly over lettuce leaves.


7. Kismet

which means - fate.

(forgive me, but these insipid farts have just taken an Urdu word and fancy thinking of it as new)



8. coquette

which means - flirt

which sounds like - French.....hate that language.....bet the source for this was a French equivalent of "wild and out of control dick"



9. verdigris

which means - green coating on copper which has been exposed to the weather

which sounds like - Something the Greek secrete when they are embarassed.



10. patina

which means - green crust on old bronze works

which sounds like - An Italian secretion maybe?


11. pastiche

which means - imitation of anothers style in writing or musical composition

which sounds like - a well cultivated moustache styled like a pasture



12. opprobrium

which means - infamy

which sounds like - the state of mind of one after snorting a shit load of cocaine.



13. syllogism

which means - deceptive or specious argument

which sounds like - an allergy/state of aversion to studying words


.......Thats all for now......more to follow..........

Bleak........

The antediluvian radio set sitting dusty and musty in the panwallahs shack across the street was spewing out some insipid Bollywood musical buffoonery. Barely reaching my ears, but earning some distinction. Am staring at the stretch of tarmac two storeys below me called the Assembly Road. It’s a cold and windy night, cold one for mid summer. Identity crisis, I think. My ocular senses scan the piece of grey pressed stone in perspective, but can’t seem to find anything of any interest, any aberration. Nomadic behavior. At least they do not wander without reason. And when the brain does not register anything in that department is when I realize that I am clutching a book. “Clarkson: On Cars” it says. With the picture of a balding curly topped Limey with a donkey juxtaposed on the cover page. Clutched by the same hand that wears the found ring. Lots of data/information. Very little knowledge. None at all, in fact.

Bleak setting, but might be the perfect wall for a ground breaking mural, is what I would like to think. After all a little mind wandering mustn’t be so hard after a days hard work (read that as trying to shovel word lists into the mnemonic area). A paradox, since I am completely aware that nothing of that significance will happen. In about, another 30 minutes or so (since it is 10:30 p.m. and I have somehow convinced myself that sleeping at 11 is a good habit), I will start feeling sleepy and then drop cadaver asleep in a very gauche and blatant manner. Day over.

And then the next and so on………..how does one ever figure out what to do? Is being dictated, on what your opus for the day is the sign of the times? Do our brains exist just to see a line of tick-marks on the day’s to-do list? I would like to think otherwise. Really. For now, Clarkson’s rant on watches and diaries beckons, so I would like this to be the coda to mine. Maybe the road will have some interesting answers when I look at it the next time.

Happy Birthday Myles.........

Well, we are late as ever. But not by much....as we are about to interview the famous Pulsar 180 DTS-i, Myles (M)......owned by some jerk called Manan Dedhia. Myles just celebrated his first birthday on the 27th of April 2009 and we, The StinkWheel Magazine (SW) had the honour of snapping up a first and quick interview with this zing thing!

SW: Millions of best wishes, belatedly....... your first birthday. How do you feel, a year older?
M: Its just been a year, but the way i am ridden and places i have been to make me feel like a year is a tad too less. Imagine shoving a bulk of 90kgs and doing 100kms a day..........makes your back ache just listening to it, doesn't it?

SW : Oh boy! thats some load! But you are no slouch either! Those plentiful 180 ceecees and 150 kg dry weight must have given your owner, Manan, some wet pants?
M: oh yeah! Several! Just this afternoon, on the way to Paud.........missed a stupid Toyota Camry by a whisker........the fat ass knows to speed up. Control, well thats a different story.

SW : Interesting to hear that on your owner! What is he? a complete fag?
M: No, no no no! Don't get me wrong here. He takes care of me with all his heart. But just the fact that he isn't very gentle with his riding style.

SW: Even so, some pleasant memories?
M : Oh ...oh yeah! Lotsa them.........The Chateau Indage trip, Pune-Kolhapur-Pune speed run, Purandar and Mulshi .......the last one was amazing until the time the robbers struck.

SW: Bloody hell! You were robbed!
M : Oh, just of a fuel pipe. Got that bit from a group of bikers passing from there. But from all the things that Manan tells me, he and his friends seem to have lost a lot of stuff......poor chaps!

SW : Oh and these bruises? these look fresh..........Like to tell us about them?
M : Yeah, but not with a lot of pleasure.....thats from an accident.......vividly remember that one.......the night of 16th December according to the human calendar........Me and Manan hit the deck hard trying to avoid a bunch of assholes who were moonlighting at 12 in the night, with no head lights on the wrong side of the road. We did suffer a lot of bruises, but luckily no fatal injuries.

SW : What was the worst?
M : I bent both my bull bars and also ended up twisting the gear lever and Manan had 5 stitches on the sole of his left foot. Recovery time was around 17 days.

SW : Well, those were the highlights, the special days.......what about routine life? How is it in Pune?
M : Well don't even get me started on this fucking topic! For starters, Puneites, and i hate to say this, lack traffic sense. Period. Not even a little bit. No telling who will show his/her headlight from which side. Not blaming it on the vehicles of course, the owners are the culprits. Almost every vehicle carries bruises like me or even worse. Whats more they are never kept clean, never serviced, not cared for etc etc............fucking owner cunts! I am very fortunate to have a caring owner.........gives me a bath every Saturday and wipes me clean everyday.

SW : Wowowowow! That was acerbic........is it so bad?
M : Yes it is....you just have to spend one day here and the halogen will shine on you. I have the privilege of riding on some of Pune's least crowded and smoothest roads. But not all. And the heart of the city is a chaos locomotive. With some really bad roads.

SW : well, enough of this serious stuff......banter time now. Any dream dates?
M : Nah, not as yet............once i was parked next to a gorgeous VFR, but the bulk of it gave me creeps. I think , an MV Agusta or a Ducati would give my gear lever the ride kind of vibes.

SW : Any awkward moments?
M : ummmm..............a sort of drunk dog trying to find a place to let loose his goose. Had to choose between my rear wheel and the lamp post. Thankfully the light chose to shine in his head rather brightly.

SW : Any angry ones?
M : Yeah, i think thats the thing you feel when the they try to pull the umbilical cord out and empty my tank of all the Petrol it has. Felt like running over his dick with the load of two Manan's sitting on my back.

SW : Favourite road in Pune?
M: oh yeah... definitely.......the piece of tarmac which links FC Road and Law College Road, sweeping past the BMCC gates. That is a killer stretch, the incarnation of Monica Belucci in tar world. Just try riding there when it is pitch dark. The way the reflectors on the road light the way up is just beautiful. Not to mention the high speed curves and the blind bends. Its a little dangerous at that time, but very rewarding nevertheless.

SW : Favourite Color?
M: Ok dimwit.....lets play Guess the Shade..........will give u some clues...........Ferrari, strawberry, Ducati, blood and the hue of your ass after i hit it with an iron rod..........that enough?

SW : Drink???
M : Ummm.........tuffie..........haven't tried bio-ethanol as yet, but i think "Sizzle", comprising of Castrol 4T engine oil and Bardahl oil supplement has been the best.

SW : Top figure on the speedometer? When and where?
M: Thats easy........120 kph on the way to Kolhapur from Pune. On the section between Karad and Kolhapur, Vinay on his Pulsar 200 and Manan piloting me, went completely crazy. Hitting speeds like never before. The 200 did 124 kays per hour.

SW: And the slowest?
M : Hahahaa........the several times i have been to Agdi Bhargachch Chowk.... the needle does not seem to climb 2000 revs. And thats sad. All pain, no gain.

SW : Dream run...from where to where? And why?
M : The Konkan ghats. If the tarmac is good, i think that would be the ride of a life time. At least for me. Or maybe a high speed run from Pune to Bangalore. The 4 lane highway is already in place there. Maybe a ride to the Khardungla Pass?

SW : Hmmm.....so to put it into perspective, 9000+ kms of city and highway riding.......how does it all measure up?
M : Put it into perspective..........sometimes you do sound as cocky as Manan.......put into perspective, one word for the journey......etc etc............well i was made to be ridden.....fast and hard and show off my bling........i do that.........the rest is left to the owner.......as long as he takes care of me. And the way i am made. I mean the gear box problem has been a long standing issue but thats about it. All i can say is 9000 kms and still going strong.


So that was it.....the word by word account of our chat with the speed sensation, Myles.........see you again, not too soon i hope.......Ride fast and safe.......

Worlds apart...........

I stood in the balcony. Couldn't have the shirt on. It was fricking hot. The body all sticky and smelly with sweat.And standing in that balcony gave a sense of being trapped between two worlds. The warm air from the room gently perspiring my back. And the rare waft of cool breeze from outside, brushing against my face whenever it got the opportunity to.

Two worlds, two choices. One had to be done away with. The cool breeze is instantly inviting. for a leisurely walk. Through the streets, the heart of the neighborhood. With tall trees standing guard, sentinels protecting the huge cement superstructures. And the endless, peaceful silence. Where one could hear his own heart beat.

Or the warm room. Bearing the brunt of the brutal summer. Unbearable. With books all around. Study. Work. Make. Plan.The fan sending down blasts of hot air with a methodical, rhythmic whirring sound. The computer spewing out some melodies.Clothes lying around. The books in the rack, gathering dust.Smiling faces, staring from the shaky frame. The ever present creaking of the door, diabolical. Weary.......

Then the lights on my phone go up and it rings. Her voice is always so soothing. So clear, you could almost see yourself in reflection. And then the two worlds make no difference. For some time, i am free from the two obvious choices i see. I have secretly created for myself, the third. And i cling on to it as hard as i can. Anchor my stricken ship to that rock until the tide beckons. For that stretch of time, those many ticks of the watch-arms, i am liberated from mortal sights and sounds. For then, i can only feel a bright light around me, enveloping my world. And no more do i choose to wake up from that elysian feeling. At least till the sky sees an orange shade. For then, my world is perfect.Functions as i want it to. Obeys. Me........

The sun must then but rise. And with it brings the omnipotent question, the persistent choice, around again. And this time there is no escape. Forget or remember? Surrender or struggle? Win or lose?