A tune out of nowhere

Life does seem a bit surreal at times. [Actually now that I used the word surreal, I realized that I don’t exactly know what it means :-)] A quick reference online  and now I can confirm that surreal is indeed the word to describe it.

Had to step out to buy dinner tonight, so took a parcel from close to Marathahalli. As I crossed the busy old airport road and walked towards my car, Istarted humming a tune - Laung da Lashkara ( see link below) . I had no real reason to hum it, I do not understand the lyrics ( heck I can’t tell if it is hindi or punjabi) , I had heard the song only couple of times before and never in full. And I do not really hum too much anyways !! [ With good reason too . If I sing at full volume, there would be few better crowd dispersal tools. Pepper spray and water cannon included  ;-) ]

Got into the car , turned it on and guess what song is playing on the FM radio ? The exact same one !!! What are the odds of that happening ?

Actually now that I have listened to the song in full, it is nice to listen to. Still no idea what it means though :-(

Avial

Avial : It is a thick mixture of vegetables,curd and coconut, seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves. Avial is considered an essential part of the Sadya, the Kerala vegetarian feast” - from the Wikipedia entry for Avial

Though I love this brand of Avial too, the one I am referring to is a mallu rock band. I came across their songs very recently and I must say I was impressed. This is the not the fake mallu rock folks who sing with an accent. The malayalam used and the pronunciation is pure. Especially enjoyed “Nada Nada” song

Quite catchy, I must say !!

“Inspirations”

Was randomly browsing through YouTube when I came across this lovely song from Cliff Richard named Theme for a Dream. Now surely I have heard this recently …... Not Pal Pal Har Pal from Lage Raho Munnabhai, is it ??

The original - Theme for a dream

The copy - Pal Pal Har Pal

Sadly so, and it was one of my favourite songs too :-(( You can’t even call it an inspiration, it is a straight lift , with very few changes !!

Here is yet another one of my favs Pehli Nazar Mein from the movie Race, this time hit by a Korean inspiration

The original : Korean song

The copy - Pehli Nazar mein

I also found this website with a large list of songs that were inspired or blatantly copied. Pretty big list, I must say. Conveniently organized under the composer name so that you can find out the more ‘inspired’ ones.

One thing can be said about internet, it certainly does break international barriers , even if it is for copying music !!

Pink !!

“Pink it’s my new obsession
Pink it’s not even a question
Pink on the lips of your lover, ‘cause
Pink is the love you discover”

I am not too much of an Aerosmith fan, but unfortunately I am getting destroyed by a pink-wash !!

All happened when I put in my Maroon colored Kurta for washing along with a load of other clothes. I rarely use my Kurta, so this is probable the first time in like 2 years that I am putting it for a wash. As luck would have it , several of the items that I put in were light colored clothes. And several of them were my favorites ….

Heavy discoloration of the Maroon Kurta occurred, all of my light clothes have been dyed in a shade of bright revolting pink :-(( See below for some samples

I have pink Handkerchiefs, pink socks, pink underwear, pink T-shirts, pink lungi (!!) and a pink shirt now. I guess I can spin it off as my bit towards cancer awareness. If White House can do it, so can I !!

But realistically, what do I do with these now ???

Gone too soon

For a generation like mine, which grew up as kids listening to classics such as Thriller, Beat it, Billie Jean, Man in the Mirror and Bad , the tragic death of King MJ does mean the end of an era.

The guy was undoubtedly a nut case, but also a champion performer and musical genius.

I guess I need to look no farther than MJ’s own song to describe his life.

Like A Comet ,Blazing 'Cross The Evening Sky
Gone Too Soon
Like A Rainbow, Fading In The Twinkling Of An Eye
Gone Too Soon
Shiny And Sparkly, And Splendidly Bright
Here One Day, Gone One Night

Like The Loss Of Sunlight, On A Cloudy Afternoon
Gone Too Soon
Like A Castle, Built Upon A Sandy Beach
Gone Too Soon
Like A Perfect Flower, That Is Just Beyond Your Reach
Gone Too Soon

Born To Amuse, To Inspire, To Delight
Here One Day, Gone One Night
Like A Sunset, Dying With The Rising Of The Moon
Gone Too Soon, Gone Too Soon

The smell of success

Well finally wifey seems to have done it. She has done reasonably well in her practical exams, so in around a month she should be able to proudly display her well earned MD title !!

I’m very happy for her.  Past 3 years have been soul destroying for me [and no doubt for her as well] at times. But it sure feels nice to know that when it all settles down, it would have been well worth the effort

One of the few days in which I feel so deliriously happy that I feel like singing !! Which one should I sing ??? Aaj mein upar from Khamoshi ? Halka halka sa yeh nasha from Chocolate ? Dil Kya Kare from Salam-E-Ishq ?

You be the judge :-)

Jai Ho !!

I had the good fortune of being able to attend AR Rehman’s Jai Ho concert held in Calicut on 3rd May. This was of course my first ever experience of a live concert and I absolutely loved it !!

I’m no music buff, I tagged along just for the benefit of wifey, who happens to a big time music fan. The concert was also held to raise money for the rehabilitation of AIDS infected children. They showed a touching video of a small kid narrating her story of how she is banned from playing with neighbours, on how she was thrown out of the school in which she was studying, and how people would throw stones at her even !!

All this in the supposedly highly literate state of Kerala. I guess this is further proof that literacy and knowledge does not go hand in hand.

The concert itself was superb. It was held in the corporation stadium ( where I have witnessed many a football match in the past) and was filled to the brim with people. A variety of singers including Hariharin, KS Chithra, Sadhna Sargam and the maestor AR Rehman himself came on stage. The sound systems were superb, so were the lights and background displays !!

I should definitely go to more of these live concerts !!

A word of appreciation for the much maligned Kerala police, they were simply outstanding on the day. Making sure that a crowd of close to 40,000 does not get out of hand is no joke. They were helpful , courteous and enforced discipline smoothly when needed.

Maybe all of us are guilty of passing judgments based on the stereo-type images formed in our own minds.

Update , Sunday May 10th

A few videos of this event from YouTube

Inroduction

       

Tu Muskura

Masakali

     

Jai Ho !

Back in Bangalore

5 a.m , jet lag is really biting now. I am as fresh as a daisy and hungry !! Had a miserable flight back as usual, I just hate being inside those aircrafts for 18-20 hours ..

Did not make much progress on the V2 specifications front. As a first step I have brought back the long discarded jeans back into my wardrobe collection. Now I can save on my washing expenses :-)

Listening to the song "Maa" from Taare Zameen Par.Such beautiful singing, with so minimal instruments.

  I can rarely listen to this song without a tear or two welling up in my eyes. Which would sort of tell you why Pradeep V1 has been having some ups and downs of late, just the heart taking over the mind :-)) Internal wiring at birth, nothing I can do to change it, I guess.

Another song that always moves me, Hallelujah from Shrek. Again, just a piano as accompaniment, beautiful singing ....

Quotes , quips, dialogues

You know, some quotes that you read, dialogues that you hear, tend to stay with you for a while. Here are some that randomly come to my mind

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist" - Verbal Kint ( Kevin Spacey)  from the movie The Usual Suspects

"Birdy Edwards is here. I am Birdy Edwards!" from the book The valley of fear by Arthur Conan Doyle. ( I must have read this while I was in 10th, it was so thrilling !! )

"Anger is what gets us into trouble, pride is what keeps us there" - Source unknown ( Might have mentioned this earlier sometime on my blog, one of my favorites )

"Beedi undo sakhave oru theepetti edukkan ?" from the Malayalam movie Lal Salaam.( Dialogue has no specific meaning, just one of those you can never seem to forget !! )

"I am going to make him an offer he cannot refuse" from the book, The Godfather by Mario Puzo ( One of my favorite books, sadly whoever I have loaned this book to has never liked it :( . For the record, I have not seen the movie )

"You don't need a patch on your arm to have honor"  - Kaffee ( Tom Cruise ) in the movie A few good men

"Are you gonna bark all day, little doggy, or are you gonna bite?" - from the movie Reservoir Dogs

"I'll be back" - Don't think you need a source on that one !! :-)

I would like to add Stand by me by Ben. E. King to the earlier list of songs. Lyrics are decent and a soulful rendering.

Off to my cooking lab now . Let us see if something edible comes out today !

Lean on me

Mentioned about this song by Bill Withers called Lean on Me in one of my earlier posts. There are several version of this song sung by other groups later on. Somehow I found the lyrics to be very simple and touching , so producing the same below . Listen to this song if you get time, you might also enjoy it like me :-)

Sometimes in my life we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need Somebody to lean on

Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you Won't let show

you just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that You'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For ,it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need Somebody to lean on

Ya just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that You'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on
If there is a load you have to bear
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
If you just call me

call me (if you need a friend)
call me (call me)
call me (if you need a friend)
call me (if you ever need a friend)
call me (call me)
call me (call me)
call me (call me)
call me (call me)
call me (if you need A friend)
call me (call me)
call me (call me)
call me (call me)
call me (call me)
call me

Songs , driving et al

Ever noticed how what song is playing on your CD payer affects your driving style ? I have noticed definite increase in aggression with Its my life !!

Been downloading and listening to quite a few English songs now. Quite a few I am hearing for the first time. Here is a few that I can recommend, choose based on your mood !!

• Lean on Me by  Bill Withers - Nice song about friends who are always there
• The Wonderwall by Oasis - Similar in theme to Lean on me
  An Innocent Man by Billy Joel - Just a nice song about relationships and hurt, I guess. Not a negative song, very soothing .
• Unforgiven 2 by Metallica - This is the song that I listen to most when in a dark mood. More interesting than the song is the millions of weird interpretations that you will read about :-)
• Sleeping Child by MLTR - Whenever I miss my daughter
• Wonderful Life by Black - When life just feels good !!
• Tubthumping by Chumbawamba - Just to pick up the mood when I feel down. Its incredible how a repetition of the lines "I get knocked down, but I get up again, You're never gonna keep me down" can influence you !!
• Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkel : An English Ballad.One of the most soothing songs that I have ever heard, love is the theme.

Might add to this list later on !!