So Far

Its summer and my annual lament for the hills begins. Now that I haven’t blogged for a good few months this seems like a good way to break the silence. But first a brief summary of where things are. Well, some six months after their engagement Rudder and Mandakini got married amidst much fanfare and razzmatazz in true Delhi style with the Who’s Who jostling with the So Whats while everybody partied. After three frenzied days of Delhi parties (the sangeet-where people predictably went apeshit; the wedding- which was solemn and beautiful; and the reception- which was a dope-fuelled surreal fest); the action shifted to Calcutta. Now most of the dramatis personae were drifting towards the home base anyway, and the wedding juggernaut only provided extra impetus. And so I returned to Cal after an entire year! It was fab, catching a train full of the knowledge that nothing could touch me for the next two weeks. And it was a mind-blast all right. Two weeks of doing absolutely nothing but hanging out, mostly in dear old JU with PG 2 kids who were first year kids when I'd left in 2004. Oh well, I had decided that nostalgia would be kept at a minimum, and JU would be enjoyed on its own terms, in the present. So we got together on the lawns (yes there is a lawn now in front of JUDE), mostly kids, Rimi, Debo and assorted junta (which included Sujoy, Rudder, Mandakini), soaked in the early spring sunshine, got wasted and talked a mile. The Arts Department fest (Sannskriti) was going on just as we’d landed, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. There was the general air of festivities to add to the buzz, and the buzz was great. Man, it would be impossible to even try and narrate all that was done, and seen and experienced. Some things stand out.
First there was the impromptu Rented House performance. Yes folks, we still live! So what happened was this. We were hanging about on the lawn, passing smokes and bad jokes, as infants (relatively) came and gaped at Rudder and me and made their own assumptions about how cool we were or not. We acted the only way we could- with a detached, wry, slightly up-turned lip kinda smiling winking reminiscing free-form sorta way. I think we went down fine. When there’re myths to maintain we usually rise to the challenge. And Rimi is the Spin-meister. It’s a talent all right, the ability to package cool, and Rimi is a past master in that. Anyway, so we were sitting around when someone suggested that we should play. Sujoy- in his goofy groovy-baby avatar, which he dons when he is happy, readily agreed, as did Rudder. I was a bit skeptical, but what the hell, more myth-making! So we agreed to go around town collecting guitars from the various (countless) people we knew, so that we could get the gig done in the evening. And after many split hairs and travels around the city, which included a trip to the Supersonics’ lair, we ended up in the AV room in JUDE playing for a gaggle of kids, who loved it. And there was dear Andy Lal, the current HOD, who dropped in and had a good enough time. All fears of no-show (mostly held by Rimi and Tintin) were proved unfounded and we turned in a solid set….well, I did forget some lyrics.
Then there was the Cal reception, where me and Sujoy went in dhotis that a kindly old neighbour of his helped us wear. A much less grand affair than the Delhi one, this one was mad enough, what with the drinks and the blue smoke and the general debauchery…and so that passed. A word on the bride- Mandakini looked insanely pretty throughout, and spent a good part of that week drunk. Absolutely gorgeous. Though, I’ve decided, that was one wedding enough for this year. I’m going to no more. They give me the heebie jeebies!
The other really nice thing was meeting Dana. Whenever I do meet her, I realise just how much I miss her. Is it her charming grin, or her no-nonsense gung-ho, or her fabulous driving skills? Dunno. But its just no fun without her around. We saw this new movie on the Sixties- Across The Universe. Didn’t like it one bit. Especially after reading a book as fabulous and clearheaded (on the Sixties) as Revolution In The Head, all these crap nostalgia fests cut absolutely no ice. You want the Sixties? Come hear my 1965 playlist baby! Days of careful scholarship, and nights of assiduous downloading has ensured that I’ve got a fairly stunning lineup, from the Kinks to Cutis Mayfield, and all points in between straddling pop, rock, soul, r n b.
Before I left I saw a Tin Can play, the quite stunning (visually at least) Video.
But no Sue, and no Wee Kiddo! How could a Cal visit be fulfilling without them?! I yearned for them through those two weeks.

Anyway, Cal was done, and a bumpy, scary plane ride back and I was in Delhi, being met by Bunny-me-love who whisked me off to 4S for a beer. Welcome back! Then there was the Eastwind Music Festival. It was no Glastonbury, but it was great fun an essential boost for the Rock scene. Most of the bands were either crap or both crap AND full of themselves, but some stood out. Thermal and A Quarter were great, doing a fantastic job of spinning their funk-rock grooves….had me jumping in the aisles.

And then back to work…lots of work.

Its been two months since then, and much has happened, so very much. Daya came down for a visit, as did Shonali, met Sathe intermittently, got drunk and slept little (still do); missed meeting Avishek and KP countless times…etc etc. That and so much else… Four things need to be mentioned:
1. I love David Lynch. Sujoy turned me on to him. I remember watching Blue Velvet while in JU. It had made a strong impression on me, but it didn’t really mean much either. Then I saw the Twin Peaks seasons, as well as Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway. I love his stuff, and it’ll take an entire post to say exactly what and why. Saw all the main Oscar movies too, starting with Michael Clayton, and moving onto There Will Be Blood (what a soundtrack!), Sweeny Todd and No Country For Old Men on DVD. I think I need to see Blood and Old Men again. Stuff I need to sort out. They didn’t exactly come across as great movies! I’ve been going on a movie bender. Apart from the movies I saw for reviewing in the magazine, there’s also been chestnuts like Clerks, The Leningrad Cowboys Do America and my all-time favourite, Picnic At Hanging Rock. Saw Juno with Smriti. She was a lot of fun...Juno somehow wasn't.
2. Jyoti. I knew her long ago, when I first came to Delhi, and was working as an intern at Miditech, the production house. Didn’t really speak much then, but it was cool. Then I quit, and she disappeared…till last year, when she collared me on Orkut and asked me how I was. We’ve been chatting since then, mostly online…and its like I’ve known her forever. Well, she came down to Delhi for a whirlwind visit. In my usual brilliant way I kept promising I would meet her, and invariably get waylaid by either work or women, pissing her off no end. But we met finally, she came to my office. Then to my place and dinner at Flaming Wok (with horrible coolers!) after which I dropped her to her friend’s house in Saket. Through it all we talked and we talked, and then we talked some more. Sometimes, with the right people, you just have so much to say. Met her again for a brief drink the next day. Finally the day before she left for Benaras, I went and visited her at DU. She studied there, and like me, loves the feeling of being in a campus. I’ve never really been to that part of town, so Jyoti took it upon herself to show me around….the beautiful tree-lined avenues of DU (where bigotry, in the form of a massive no-smoking zone has reared its ugly head), the alleys of Kamla Nagar, cycle rickshaws ferrying the young and the academic…finally we settled down in a lovely old courtyard in the Arts Fac (as she called it) and talked again. Then we went looking for tea. It was lovely, she was wonderful.
3. The Tibetan protest. The goddamn Olympic Torch passed through Delhi last week amidst crazy security, much chaos and general grumblings. I left early for work as I would have to pass through the very heart darkness (at least on that day) called India Gate. My auto was waved through, but for some reason I was left fuming seeing the security measures. My fair country seemed to have internalized all of China’s paranoia. This is the Indian state, I couldn’t help thinking….providing the powerful might of state machinery to a country that is a human rights violator (but then again I shouldn’t be surprised, as our good friend the US is one as well) which covets our territories openly. Dunno why, but it was a dull kind of pain and anger that wouldn’t go away. A sense of betrayal. Came to office, and bumped into Toto online. Her “kids” from Lawyer’s Collective would be going for the parallel Torch run organised by the Tibetans from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar, she said. Won’t I go? She asked. I had work, I said a little lamely, and yet before she replied, I was sure that I would do something, not just forget about it. So I headed out to Jantar Mantar, as the run itself would have already started. When I got there and saw the large crowd of Tibetans with their slogans, those beautiful flags and the hoardings, and the monks chanting, it moved me deeply. I lit some lamps to commemorate the protestors in Lhasa, and stood quietly to one side to watch. People have asked me how the gathering was. All I can say, that there was a general feeling of joyousness to the proceedings. It was a grand day for protests, with a deep blue sky and bright bright sunshine. The people looked solemn, but at peace. Some groups of kids were laughing and joshing around, others rushing about busily organising stuff. Loads of journalists, including freelance photographers from publications as diverse as Paris Flash and The New York Times. There were our own tv news channels and all the shallow poseurs that come with them. Thankfully, they weren’t hogging the limelight as they're wont to. The protest run came in three waves, as I sat with a group of elderly Tibetan women- momo sellers from Majnu Ka Tila (or Little Tibet)- and joked about journalists and Aamir Khan. Madness ensued once the speeches started. Mostly it was empty rhetoric. I just wished and hoped that the Tibetans got their say. Look at it this way- this is about them, not about self-promoting NGOs and politicians, and definitely not about Bollywood stars. I left once that geezer George Fernandes started railing against the Congress (!!) for some reason! It was heady feeling. “Summer’s here and the time is right for fighting in the streets boy!”
4. Swimming. Ah, swimming! Its begun again.

And now, the hills. I just have to have to have to go!!