Kabul Dreams - Indie Rock Band of Afghanistan

Music knows no boundaries... Music knows no limits... Music knows no restraints.

Music connects the souls regardless of where it is from. It is the one thing that never fails to reach out to people in every nook and corner and always presents itself as the perfect way to express one’s thoughts, emotions and feelings. It becomes the inspiration for one to go beyond the perspectives and ideologies that tend to thaw one’s soul and one’s passion.

It cannot be truer in the context of any nation more than Afghanistan... a nation that had been deprived of music by the Taliban regime and the only sound around was that of gunfire and bombs for so many years. For here, in spite of the new interim government stepping in and the doors of the world opening up, people still remain in fear and find it hard to open up easily to the arts.

But the world was shown a whole new side of Afghanistan’s music scene when three youths got together to form 'Kabul Dreams', Afghanistan’s first Indie Rock band. Relatively new and veiled from the commercial showbiz of mainstream music, this is a band that is fresh, new, and absolutely in sync with their genre, and for a lack of a better word, simply awesome! The three members of Kabul Dreams, Sulaymon Qardash (vocalist and guitarist), Siddique Ahmed (bassist) and Mujtaba Habibi (drummer), spent the war years outside of Afghanistan, growing up in Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Iran respectively. They met in Kabul at the end of 2008 and formed the band.

Since they hail from different regions of Afghanistan and speak different languages, they naturally chose to sing in English. All three of them had played musical instruments in their childhood and have had been strongly influenced by their early encounters with rock music. Their music seems to reverberate with the nostalgic tunes of many rock and roll bands. But the most striking and the most charming aspect about their music is the fact that it is far away from the political turmoil of their native land.

Leaving the bad memories of the war and the horrific past, these guys are decidedly apolitical and they sing with a passion and love for music. They sing songs of many a familiar themes but the theme of dream is a powerful subject that shines brilliantly in their lyrics. The power of imagination and how it enables one to escape is a poignant theme that hits the listener. At such a young age, these guys have a level of maturity in their music that is astounding.

In the process of bringing out their debut album, Kabul Dreams is slowly building up a name of its own as a promising band. With a string of hits songs like “Crack in the Radio”, “This Night”, ”Sadae Man”, ”Can You Fly” etc these young guys are gathering their own group of dedicated fans. No wonder considering the arrival of a band that has a lot that needs to be discovered and revealed to the world.

Find more of Kabul Dreams on YouTube and MySpace.

-by Samriddhi Tanti

Bad Guys We Love - Best Hollywood Villains

They are mean, menacing and merciless. They are bad to the bone. We love to hate them, root against them and applaud when the good guys beat them to a pulp with bare hands. Yet there’s something about these cold-blooded creatures that makes them unforgettable. Here’s our pick of the ten most memorable baddies of Hollywood.

Hans Gruber - Die Hard 

Played by Alan Rickman

It appears that all this two-bit criminal cares about is money. But hang on! Apart from the $600 M at stake, this fellow actually enjoys tormenting people. Whether it's dealing with hostages or acting like one, Hans knows just the right buttons to push and always stays in charge. Is he a petty thief or a terrorist? No matter what the label is, he is a murderous felon. His calm, cool, and collected delivery of every word outweighs the need for any stereotyped villain costume.

Michael Corleone - God Father 

Played by Al Pacino

Now this is an antagonist you do not mind empathizing with. He wasn’t born with a gun in his hand, but came from a ‘family’ that did. He had an initial dislike for his ‘family business’ and wanted to escape it. But when his father dies, his intelligence and cunning comes to the fore as he takes on the big bad world of Italian Mafia, inflicting terror in the hearts of his opponents. Al Pacino brings out the character’s conflicts with such sophistication that it’s hard to imagine God Father with another actor playing Michael Corleone.

Amy Wikes - Misery 

Played by Kathy Bates

Whoa! What do we call this one - the poor little, ahem, crazy girl? The woman’s outward rigidity conceals a tempestuous interior driven by suppressed anger, hysterical passion, and religious fanaticism. While she tends to Paul Sheldon (James Caan) with tenderness, there’s no stopping of that monstrous might when he refuses to oblige to her demands. Contrast to that, Annie’s demands are not materialistic or sexual as one would expect, all she wants is a minor tweak in the story that Paul Sheldon is writing. She probably is more like an over grown tantrum kid with a baseball bat. Sure to scare the poop out of her playmates and their parents. Kathy Bates terrified both James Caan and audiences as Annie Wilkes in “Misery.” She got an Oscar, we got the creeps.

Frankenstein’s Monster - Frankenstein

Played by Boris Karloff

It wasn’t his wish or choice to become the monster he was. Rather, he was created with that kind of inhuman imperfection. Often confused with his creator Frankenstein, the monster, was the outcome untamed desire to challenge and tinker with nature. One can’t help but feel sorry for this monstrous creature - inside out that seems to have no way to redemption. The monster is often used as a metaphor for politics, nuclear science, genetic engineering and other agents of change to warn against experimentation that are against nature and beyond human control.

Nurse Ratched - One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest 

Played by Louise Fletcher

Little boys and girls are dead scared of the hypodermic needle, but it takes a pair of acerbic eyes and condescending stature to instil belonephobia amongst adults. It probably takes the might of a tyrant like Nurse Ratched to maintain order in a mental asylum, though her ways do agonize the patients. The various trysts that she had with Jack Nicholson’s character, makes her brawl like a wild beast whose territory has been challenged. Despite that eerily composed facial expression and her sparkling uniform, Louise Fletcher, emits an aura of feared authority. Hold on, fellas! She’s out there to scare mankind - one man at a time.

Norman Bates - Psycho 

Played by Anthony Perkins

In one scene Norman Bates is a sweet natured, slightly effeminate young man, who offers his hospitality to a young woman on the run. He is a regular guy next door, stutters and stammers at the sight of an attractive women. The next moment he is a slash killer who brutally stabs that woman till she lies lifeless in a pool of blood. The debatable topic of dissociative personality disorder gained credibility on the silver screen for the first time, thanks to the haunting performance by Anthony Perkins. Who can ever forget the ghoulish stare that pierces right through the areas inside the skull that causes fear? We will always remember Norman bates as the terrifying mama’s boy who in all probability hatched a new phobia - the fear of taking showers.

Hannibal Lecter – Silence Of The Lambs 

Played by Anthony Hopkins

Our bad guys seem to get weirder and weirder. This one is a super intelligent, disciplined cannibalistic serial killer who takes a fancy for a novice FBI agent. That’s not all - he actually goes out of his way to help her track down another crazy bum who kills people and skins them for leather. “What has the world come to”, like my grandma would say. While he despises another interrogating officer, clubs a guard and actually eats another, Hannibal Lector has a mentor-like attitude towards FBI agent Clarice (an undeclared protégé of his). Anthony Hopkins’s bloodcurdling portrayal of Hannibal Lecter with occasional interludes of humour and wit confuses the viewer while deciding whether to like him or hate him.

Alex Forrest - Fatal Attraction 

Played by Glenn Close

Hell hath no fury like the woman scorned - who know it better than Michael Douglas's character Dan Gallagher in Fatal Attraction. A happily married man has a one night stand with the insanely attractive book editor Alex Forrest. He gets her pregnant and returns to his regular life hoping to get away with it. He is in for a surprise. This woman is no Hester Prynne and she’d rather kill him and everything he loves than letting him part with her. Glen Close certainly scared the pants off promiscuous men when she stepped into the fatal shoes of Alex Forrest. In this riveting cultural phenomenon that altered the way men looked at gorgeous women, Glen Close proved that female baddies needn’t be scary or overweight. Thanks to her enraged portrayal of a scorned lover, Fatal Attraction carved itself an iconic spot in Popular Culture

Catherine Trammell - Basic Instinct 

Played by Sharon Stone

Our villains seem to be getting sexier and crazier. Whoever said ‘if looks could kill’? Her stone cold looks make men so desperate that they’d die for a single speck of her attention; and she in turn is happy to oblige. Be it the infamous leg uncrossing scene, or her consistent provocative body language, Sharon Stone’s portrayal of Catherine Trammel in Basic Instinct titillated the basic carnal instincts of her onlookers and catapulted her to stardom. The mystery and enigma that surrounds Catherine proves to be a distraction from all the sadistic crimes she commits making her all the more attractive to the investigating officer played by Michael Douglas.

The Joker - The Dark Knight 

Played by Heath Ledger

“Haha Haha haha” he says “Why so serious?” It’s hard to say if Heath Ledger's untimely death immortalised “The Joker” in The Dark Knight; but those who have seen the Hollywood movie, can’t deny that his flawless acting as Batman’s nemesis, added unfathomed layers to The Joker. In The Dark Knight we see The Joker as a rebel without a cause with an ice prick for a heart and a ghastly scar for a smile. He wears a purple suit, has golden hair and blinds a guy with a pencil. He is eccentric, erratic, relentless, and has no sob stories to justify his acts. The Joker wants to watch the world burn, simply to prove the fact that everyone in Gotham city is as ugly inside as he is outside. Many have opined that Heath Ledgers portrayal of The Joker does not align with the comic book character, but isn’t that what actors are supposed to do - bring characters alive with a personal touch? The critics and cynics may have their say, but this maniacal anarchist crime lord The Joker successfully immortalised Heath ledger as an actor of highest calibre.

-by Parmita Borah

(Look out for our pick of best non human villains)

Contagion - A Contagious Flick

The 1995 Dustin Hoffman starrer ‘Outbreak’ probably set a landmark for all epidemic/pandemic movies made thereafter. Contagion as a movie of that genre may or may have not surpassed the calibre of ‘Outbreak’, but certainly has succeeded in creating an identity of its own. 

A lethal communicable virus spreads across the globe, causing scores of death, while the health departments try to contain it; pharmaceutical companies try to leverage it and the affected try to come to terms with it. That’s precisely the story of Contagion. The appeal of the movie though lays not much in the story as it does in the story telling.

A Global Operations Manager of an American Company Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow), the unwitting host of a fatal airborne virus is seen chewing peanuts at a Hong Kong airport, waiting for a flight. Beth is unaware that like a Midas effect, everything she touches gets infected with the virus she is carrying. Soon in an ill-fated turn of events, people from all over the world begin to suffer from coughs, nose bleeds, collapse and immediately die. It is later shown in the movie through security tapes that the first recorded deaths were of the people who came in direct or indirect contact with Beth.

The quiet yet alarming infection slowly creeps its way into human nerves through door knobs, busses, papers and cups, unnoticed by the characters in the film. All they can notice is an escalating death toll with every passing day.

Marion Cotillard

There are several human sub plots – a man who discovers his wife’s infidelity while he is mourning over her death (played by Matt Damon), a pharmaceutical company hoping to mint money out of the crisis, an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer who has to convince local bureaucrats to commit resources while herself becoming infected, a scientist who identifies a potential vaccine and inoculates herself for a human subject test, World Health Organization epidemiologist who is held hostage for a batch of the vaccines. 

All of the characters have been treated with balanced empathy and make for the drama that a story like this requires to make it human. The film's usage of concepts like "R0" and "fomites," and genuine challenges like not having a state-of-the-art technology to mass produce vaccines depicts how well-illustrated the script is.

There’s also the conspiratorially-minded freelance journalist Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) who creates uproar and public mayhem by releasing startling information on his blog; and Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who is torn between the right and the wrong. These two characters in particular bring out the multiple dynamics of an epidemic situation - the sufferers and the profiteers, the survivors and the favored, the powerful and the powerless. Both the characters in their own way bring a few surprises to the story by slowly exposing their intents and instincts.

The most intelligent aspect of the movie is probably its beginning - it starts from 'Day 2' rather than 'Day 1'. This may strike as confusing to many, because of the initial lack of information; but as the story progresses, the plot gets clearer, saving a few surprises till the end.

The background score really adds to the grim tale that Contagion is. Despite a multi star cast, the film remains plot centric and not a star centric high intensity drama, kudos to casting for roping in such a great cast and to Soderbergh for utilizing them so well. Kate Winlset, Marion Cotillard and Jennifer Ehle stand out with their subtle yet potent presence. Cinematography can’t be claimed to be extraordinary but certainly sets the paranoid mood. Certain scenes like Beth’s autopsy are visually disturbing and may not be suitable for children. Frequent close-ups of people touching objects like glasses, cell phones, credit cards, door knobs and elevator buttons manage to instil that arcane paranoia that film makers strive to create. The scenes leave one with the horrific feeling that you could be the next victim.

Overall, Contagion is a brilliant screenplay (by Scott Z. Burns), well-executed by Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh, known for his distinct story telling, makes the audience realise yet another time, why his movies enjoy both commercial and critical triumph. The treatment of the movie however, screamed out “TV movie” rather than a theatrical release. What was the purpose of a multi-star cast still beats me when Contagion could have catapulted many Television actors to BAAFTA and EMMY. 

-by Parmita Borah

Rolling in the Cheese at the Cooper's Hill

This fiesta could only be described as Jerry’s fantasy, not Jerry McGuire, but Jerry-the little mouse from Tom and Jerry. The wackiest festival for all cheese lovers by far, Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, is an annual event held at Cooper’s Hill, England, where people of all demographics come to race against a giant sphere of cheese. A mouth watering thought isn’t it? Well not really. This is a food fest where participants slip, somersault and tumble their way to the bottom of a cliff. During this bone-crunching marathon - and the first person to grab the cheese wins.

Traditionally, every year on the Spring Break day the residents living in and near the Brockworth village participate in the Cheese Rolling event. Off late people from all over the world have started showing up for participation. The tradition of cheese rolling is about two centuries old, and is considered to have its roots in a heathen festival to celebrate the return of spring. The festival derives its name from the location where it is celebrated-Cooper's Hill, a hill near Gloucester in the Cotswolds region of England.

The cheese used for this event is Double Gloucester, a hard cheese typically manufactured in cylindrical blocks. The current supplier is local cheese maker Diana Smart who has supplied the cheese since 1988. With the introduction of rationing during the Second World War, use of cheese was prohibited. Consequently, from 1941 to 1954 a wooden "cheese" was used instead with a piece of cheese in a hollow space in the centre of the wooden replica.

The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is often accompanied by a lot of mayhem and bruises. Thrill seekers who come to witness and partake in this adrenaline pumped event, chase a cheese off a cliff and tumble 200 yards to the bottom and in probability to be packed off to a hospital afterwards. The Cheese Rolling sport has found its way into popular culture as well, thanks to Television and Social Media. Cheese rolling is an online game on the virtual pet site Neopets and carries the same rules. In March, 2010, a video game which pays homage to the event titled "Cooper's Hill" was released for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Due to the extreme nature of the sport, Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake has occasionally faced the threat of a doubtful future. Traditionally the event was conducted in a quasi-official manner. The 2010 event took place without management. It is hoped that it will continue to be held, following the launch of a 'Save the Cheese Roll' campaign. Despite the cancellation and lack of paramedics, around 500 people voluntarily showed up in 2010 to hold some spontaneous races, with six times champion Chris Anderson winning again.

-by Parmita Borah

Hindi Zahra - Music for the Soul...

"I dream the arrangements and vocals; the melodies tend to come of their own volition without any great effort on my part. I work instinctively, without putting anything down in writing." - Hindi Zahra

Being an avid music listener I developed a penchant for exploring what is popularly known as world music. It was a refreshing new break to step away from the usual choice of music and indulge in something completely new. It has been a fascinating journey so far; especially because of the chance encounters I have had with so many brilliant musicians from all around the globe. The most recent and undoubtedly one of my favourite discoveries of late is the music of Hindi Zahra.

Franco-Moroccan composer, musician and singer Hindi Zahra was born in 1979 in Khouribga, Morocco to a Moroccan mother and a French father. Her songs are mostly in English but some lyrics are in her native Berber language. 

Though one could flexibly categorize her under “World Music,” Zahra fuses musical cultures freely to create her own sounds, a harmonious and delicate interweaving of her own cultural influences with blues, jazz, gypsy and folk. Her songs speak of stories, of lived experiences, of love and all this is done in a very simplistic yet classy way.

She left school at age 15 and moved to Paris to live with her father, a former army member. At age 18 she wrote her first lyrics and melodies. Hindi Zahra is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist and has been influenced by the African music, Egyptian music, traditional Berber music and also the local rock’n’roll of her musician uncles. Other early influences were blues and the folk sounds, and the female voices of the '30s and '40s and the 50’s (Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf, Ella Fitzgerald being some of them).

By 2005 she had written about 50 songs of which “Beautiful Tango”,” Oursoul” (a song that sensitively explores the theme of forced marriage–a cultural, not Islamic, tradition still practiced in the region), “Try”, and “Stand Up” were first released on the EP Hindi Zahra in 2009 and eleven songs were recorded in her first album which was released in January 2010 at the Jazz label Blue Note Records. In November 2010 Hindi Zahra won the “Prix Constantin” award for Best Album. In February 2011 she won the “Victoires de la Musique” award for the best World music album.

Hidden away from the limelight of mainstream media, Hindi Zahra has developed a music that is authentic, soulful, sensual, and intense. Rendered in her soothing and mesmerising voice it almost seems to make one feel as if one were lost somewhere or floating with the wind.

This is music for the soul and an artist not worth missing out on. 

Visit Hindi Zahra's official website and YouTube channel for more information and to relish some of her amazing music.

-by Samriddhi Tanti

The Eagles - Yesterday, Today ...and Forever

There is probably not one single music listener out there who hasn’t, either by choice or accidently, come across the band “The Eagles” atleast once in their life. Songs like “Hotel California”, “Tequila Sunrise”, “Learn To Be Still” , “Desperado”, “Witchy Women” and many more have often come floating in through our jukeboxes, radios and, at times, our mouths too! This was a band that has shown, time and again, how ingeniously they have created an exclusive slot of their own in the canon of rock and roll history.

The reigning maestros of country rock in the 70’s, The Eagles are an American country rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1971, comprising of Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner as the original members. Later members included Don Felder, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit. In 1980 The Eagles broke up, but they reunited in 1994 for the new album “Hell Freezes Over”. They have toured extensively and in 2007 they released their first full studio album in 28 years, “Long Road out of Eden”. One of the true deserving bands to have been included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the band has a tail of accolades attached to its name.

In the midst of the 70s scene when music seemed to be at one of its best stages of flowering, The Eagles entered with their fresh country rock/pop music in its own resolute and formal yet personal style. It was a blend of mellow, groovy sound polished with the touch of skilled musicians, the craft of versatile song writing and the heartfelt voice of the vocalist. 

Each album presented listeners with songs that were incredibly versatile and filled with stories of their own. Their live performances went on to become beautiful displays of precision and talent, and only enhanced one’s affinity for them. Indeed, The Eagles became a musical experience that stayed on to touch the lives of millions of music lover.

One could be on dualistic grounds regarding the band, its music and its appeal, as it has always been with regard to rock and roll. But it’s beyond doubt that, like many of the classic bands, The Eagles has a tendency to transport one to the days of yore. There is a charm to their music which never fails to touch some corner of one’s heart and soul. With the passage of time The Eagles has somehow been pushed back, but its not lost with time.

As I sit back and wait for the playlist to begin, I can only sigh with satisfaction and smile. This is music that never fails and indeed I can just say that I wish to simply cherish my experience with them for, The Eagles is a wonderful band and I love them... 

-by Samriddhi Tanti

Michael S Hart - the Brain Behind eBook

Carvings on cave walls, clay tablets, wood blocks, palm leafs, silk, scrolls, papyrus and paper - the written word has traversed through a myriad of platforms over the course of civilization. The world witnessed a radical uplift with the introduction of books and a similar breakthrough with the creation of the revolutionary eBook (or electronic book). Massive volumes of literature and art took on virtual avatars and were made available on our palm tops, thanks to the pioneering efforts of one man, Michael S Hart.

Michael S Hart was the man whose revolutionary invention redefined the experience of reading. Hart was at the University of Illinois, when he received a user account in their computer system. He realized a deep potential in inter connected computers; although at that point of time the computer systems at the university were mainly used for data processing. After his account was created on July 4, 1971, Hart kept wondering what to do with it. He found an answer when he seized upon a copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, which he received at a grocery store on his way home from watching fireworks that evening.

He typed the entire copy of the declaration into the computer, but he wasn’t allowed to distribute to numerous users via internet. Thus, to avoid crashing the system, he made the text available for people to download instead. That was how Hart founded the Project Gutenberg in 1971. The project was a voluntary effort by Hart to digitize and archive cultural works and to encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks. He began posting digital copies of classics such as works of Homer, Shakespeare, Mark Twain and even Bible. Hart typed most of early postings himself and completed typing a total 313 ebooks by 1987. The mission statements for the project were: 

• "Encourage the Creation and Distribution of eBooks" 
• "Help Break Down the Bars of Ignorance and Illiteracy" 
• "Give As Many eBooks to As Many People As Possible"

Michael Hart

Hart engaged in odd jobs and did an unpaid appointment at the Illinois Benediectine College to solicit donations for the project. Soon, he collaborated with programmer Mark Zinziw to set up an infrastructure of mirror sites and mailing lists, and recruited volunteers who were willing to take the project ahead. This led to an ascending curve in the success of Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg is considered the oldest digital library and as of 2011 has claimed over 36000 items as a part of its extensive collection.

Apart from Project Gutenber, Hart was also a member of the RepRap Project that aims at creating a self-replicating machine. An author himself, Hart’s passion for books pedaled the experience of reading books to a new level, making big volumes available in portable formats. His works are available free of charge on the Project Gutenberg server. 

Michael S Hart passed away on September 6, 2011 of a heart attack at his home in Urbana, Illinois. He was 64.

-by Parmita Borah

iPad - the Musician’s Genie

In a few years from now, people would probably consider the majestic gramophone as a pre-civilization invention, thanks to the colossal onslaught of handheld technology. Portability has become the ‘apple’ of the eye, lean is in and lean in here to say. The music industry has always welcomed and adorned portable inventions with gadgets getting more and more sleek, smart and sassy. The iPad, from the product lines of Apple Inc, is once such avant-garde merchandise that redefined the experience of music.

A line of tablet computers, iPad has established itself as a necessity among gadget freaks, techies, celebrities, musicians and the music loving hoi-polloi of today. Lyricists and Songwriters widely swear by its efficacy. Since its inception in April 2010, Apple iPad has been the most used mobile devices in the world.

iPad is equipped with thousands of ‘apps’, a colloquial term of software applications aimed at catering to people with diverse tastes and interests. A Pandora box in its own way, iPad offers e-book reader, games, news, video, audio and two of the most important applications for musicians - audio recording and MIDI. The audio recording apps are mainly for music composers, arrangers and journalists. Some of the apps like 'FL Studio Mobile HD', 'VC Audio Pro', 'studio.HD' or 'GarageBand' allows one to sequence, edit, mix, master and produce her/his musical or audio works.

Though the apps have to be purchased from the 'App Store' and downloaded to the device, they can be conveniently used as professional digital audio workstations (DAW). Most of the apps come with 8 to 16 track recorders, drum machines, virtual guitars, virtual synths, virtual amp modelers and virtual samplers. 'Recorder' is a very simple application from Retornyms and one of the most popular recording applications.

Guitarists, Pianists or any other instrumentalists use iPad to enhance their musical abilities. Apps like 'Pianist Pro', 'JamPad', 'DM1 – The Drum Machine', 'Progression – Guitar Tab Editor' or 'SAS-1' help musicians to practice at home or on tour easily. Some of the apps found on the App Store are also known as digital multi-touch jamming machines and can play multiple instruments at once. One just needs to select an audio pattern, instrument like guitar and a chord and the instrument will start strumming automatically in sync with the tempo. One can switch to any chord, note, beat or tempo in real time.

The iPad has the ability to record audio for broadcast, which has made it very popular amongst journalists, making them ditch their laptops and microphones. A journalist can record, edit and master an audio with the apps and the internal microphone and e-mail it from the iPad itself for a radio or television show or share it on Facebook, Twitter or Youtube page. As the iPad is controlled by a multi-touch display and uses a wireless local area network ("Wi-Fi") connection to access local area networks and the Internet, it becomes easy for anyone with little knowledge to handle it.

The other interesting area is 'connecting MIDI controllers to iPad'. The Musical Instrument Digital Interface is a protocol that enables electronic musical instruments like keyboard or drum machine to communicate and synchronize with computers and other electronic equipment. Apple Camera Connection Kit or Line6 MIDI Mobilizer can be used to connect the iPad with any USB device that supports MIDI class and USB MIDI interfaces. Some of the MIDI apps for the iPad are 'Midi Monitor from iOSMIDI', 'AC-7 Core', 'NLogSynth PRO' and 'FL Studio Mobile'.

There are millions of recordings done every day. People and bands who are on the go most of the time, iPad can be a valued device. The British virtual band Gorillaz's 2010 album, The Fall, was created exclusively using the iPad by the group founder Damon Albarn while on tour with the band.

Using a small portable mobile device for recording can be humorous to the traditional musicians, audio engineers and live journalists. But it is not very far when the tablets like iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab or the HTC Flyer will become household devices exercising power or authority over the music and recording industry. 

-by Jim Ankan Deka

"That Girl In Yellow Boots" - a Review

I went to watch ‘That Girl in Yellow Boots’ as a part of a creative writing workshop. Honestly, I was expecting it to be ‘Kalki in yellow boots’, mainly because the movie was directed by Kalki Koechlin’s (also the female lead) spouse Anurag Kashyap and she had a tad bit too much screen space in ‘Shaitan’. Much to by mortified delight, I stood absolutely corrected.

The story is simple-Ruth is a half-Indian, half-British girl, who visits India to find her Indian father, with whom she hasn’t had contact since she was five. She goes through countless challenges in her pursuit as she has no lead except for a letter that her father had sent to her. Ruth precisely is a damsel in distress, but not the stereotypical melodramatic “Bechari” type damsel. She is independent, street smart and knows to manipulate her ways in and out of trouble.

While the story is about Ruth’s tragic journey, all the other characters are well sketched out and stand out with balanced performances. Ruth’s house in its own term stands out as a character, with its scrappy walls and narrow rooms, probably symbolizing the filth that’s laden in the girl’s life. Naseeruddin Shah’s performance is as always seasoned, but it’s hard to say if there was any real purpose of his character in the plot, except to create a distraction or for that matter a suspect. For a lesser known actor, Prashant Prakash has done a laudable job as Ruth’s abusive (substance and his girlfriend) boyfriend. Actors Pooja Swaroop and Gulshan Devaiya with their twisted dialogues and idiosyncrasies provided some much needed comic relief to the plot.

Anurag Kashyap and Kalki Koechlin

Kalki Koechlin carries ‘That Girl in Yellow Boots’ on her shoulders and does so with great panache and élan. However, she certainly runs the risk of being stereotyped into these gray and distraught characters in Hindi Movies, if she plays another 'Dev D' styled role in her next movie.

The screenplay, a drama in its first impression, also has a jagged pattern of whodunit/crime thrillers which balances the movie on that thin line that differentiates interesting from boring. The buildup is intriguing and towards the end, although one kind of figures out how the film will end, there is a real element of surprise that can leave people baffled. 'That Girl in the Yellow Boots' allows the audience to connect with the characters without laying it thick on the tragedy or forcibly including tearjerker scenes; and it certainly has some genuine laugh out loud moments.

The yellow boots perhaps stand for the filth and misery in Ruth’s life and we see her taking them off for good, minutes before the final credits roll, under the most unusual circumstances, possibly symbolizing her eventual detachment from all of that.

The movie may strike as disturbing or gross for viewers who are not used to world cinema. Although the content is aimed at an adult audience, visually the movie does not have any kinky kicks to offer and demonstrates cinematic expertise in handling taboo topics. So anyone looking for some cheap 'A rated masala', ‘That Girl in the Yellow Boots’ is not the ideal multiplex ticket to purchase.

-by Parmita Borah

That Girl in Yellow Boots - Trailer

Samosapedia and its "Enthucutlets"

The symbiotic relationship that social media and its user base enjoys is indeed the core concept of many a web based enterprise. It is yet to determine if users leverage the internet as a platform to establish their own forte or there is a strange kind of digital kinship that binds this internet savvy generation. The crowd-sourced South Asian language and culture website 'Samosapedia', happens to be one of my favourite and most visited websites, simply for the fact that it dove into the phenomenon of user generated content and came out with side-splitting results.

It was probably correctly said about digital enterprises, by one of the Winklevoss twins in the Hollywood blockbuster “The Social Network” that ‘reaching there first is all that matters’. Samosapedia, for that matter, is the world’s first and so far the largest repository of South Asian Lingo, thanks to some quirky brain storming by its founders - Vikram Bhaskaran, Arun Ranganathan, Braxton Robbason and Arvind Thyagarajan. The website founded in 2011 is a definitive guide to South Asian Lingo, available in a dictionary format with some hilarious citations. Whether you’re in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Trinidad, Queens or Uganda, or grew up near Brick Lane in London or the Bay Area, South Asian English is bindaas; Samosapedia is the absolute stop where you can pick up this lingo and be the grandmaster in it.

Photo by Parmita Borah

Named after the most famous snack in Indian cuisine Samosa, Samosapedia is a part dictionary, part inside joke for more than 1.5 billion people. It provides the exact meaning, synonym and usage of “Frainship” and what it means when your mother is ‘eating your head’. The ability to speak in English holds a direct pass to upward social mobility in India, thanks to two centuries of British Raj. Mastering the phonetics and vocabulary in the queen’s language is a prestige issue in this part of the world, and of utmost importance. However, English has encountered ‘hazaar tweakings’ ranging from funny, to absolute bizarre. Samosapedia is probably best described as an encyclopaedia to those dialects.

So while meetings get postponed all over the world, only in South Asia do they get "preponed," instead of moved ahead of schedule. If your South Asian friend wants to tell you a "non-veg" joke, be prepared for some dirty humor.

Samosapedia’s ‘Jhakaas’ content and ‘bindaas’ attitude has earned it visibility in CNN, Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail, Live Mint, Wall Street Journal and a range of other media outlets. Lage Raho guys!

-by Parmita Borah

Music and Bangalore

Photo by Jim Ankan

Karnataka plays an important role in the scene of Indian classical music with both Carnatic and Hindustani styles. The word ‘Karnataka’ doesn’t mean the State of Karnataka. It means Carnatic Music as a performing art form. Many Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan award winners and celebrated Carnatic and Hindustani musicians like Basavaraja Rajaguru, Gangubai Hangal, Sawai Gandharva and several others hail from Karnataka.

In the recent years umpteen musicians and students have come down to Bangalore from various places with a common dream of sharing and acquiring the knowledge of music. Today there are dozens of music institutions in Bangalore that are dedicated to contributing to the progress or growth and supporting Indian Classical and Western Music. Out of those, the Bangalore School of Music in RT Nagar, Eastern Fare Music Foundation in Koramangala, Sumadhura Education and Cultural Trust in Vijaynagar, Shreepada Sangeeta Kala Kendra in Bannerghatta Road, World Music Centre in Malleswaram, are but a few who are helping the beginner and advanced level students by offering them assistance and professional knowledge in both Western and Indian classical music.

Photo by Jim Ankan

With the courses offered by these institutions a student can sit for different examinations as well as participate in the commercial field of music. A few of these schools take assignments to elevate artists by giving them a platform to help establish their careers as professional musicians. Institutions like Bangalore School of Music and Eastern Fare Music Foundation conduct different shows every year for their students, who get a chance to showcase their talents.

Many of these institutions are run by widely known and esteemed musicians themselves. Behind the World Music Centre are noted musicians Gopi (drummer and percussionist) and the singer Sangeetha Srikishen. The founder of the Sumadhura Education and Cultural Trust is prominent vocalist Suchethan Rangaswamy who is also a member of the fusion band Veenar. The man behind the Eastern Fare Music Foundation is Jim Ankan Deka, a music composer, who has become the first Assamese to start a music institution and a production house in Bangalore and a member of the fusion band Veenar.

With the increasing number of students in the field of music education, in the coming years there will be a bigger demand and hope for these institutions.

-by Parmita Borah

Ladakh Festival - a Cultural Spectacle

Times tops at Ladakh, and certainly with no regret. While the pastoral communities relish on the serenity of Ladakh, tourists travel into the tranquility of the region to escape from the everyday bustle of their lives. The land comes exceptionally alive during the autumn season, especially from 1st September to 15th September, during the annual Ladakh Festival. The festival is a unique opportunity to witness and experience the rich cultural ethos of the people who have lived for centuries on the crossroads of Asia, assimilating and harmonizing socio-cultural and religious influences from their neighboring societies.

Ladakh Festival, a project by the Jammu and Kashmir State Department of tourism, aims at reviving and exhibiting the opulence of Ladakh’s centuries-old culture, traditions and folk heritages. A spectacular procession at Leh commences the two weeks of celebration. Diverse cultural troupes and village contingents participate in ceremonial costumes, singing songs and performing various types of dances to the tune of the traditional orchestra. The parade ends at the Polo ground, where the participants break into another round of folk and popular dances demonstrating the finest illustrations of the region’s performing arts. The polo ground also hosts the popular Polo tournament where polo teams from across the region compete for the “Ladakh Festival Cup”. Another fascinating programme is the staging of typical Central Asian Trade Mart, in Leh Bazaar. The event is marked by traditional caravans laden with trade goods, with skilled artists dressed in period-costumes playing the roles of merchants engaged in trading, bartering and associated activities.

The most adrenaline driven event though, is the village archery festivals held in selected suburban villages of Leh. It is mandatory social code for all villages to participate in these events and they do so with much panache and élan. Like the American soccer, men and women enjoy their respective roles. While the male participants try their skills with the bow and arrow, women cheer them in every round with fold dances. The Ladakhi Polo is a display of the power and precision of horse and horseman. With tougher and stricter rules than modern polo, Ladakhi polo is played in a swifter and more intriguing manner against the rugged hills of Himalayas. Contemporary affairs like motorbike/cycle expedition to Khardung-la, white-water rafting expeditions and treks and Thanka painting exhibition have also become part of the Ladakh festival. Music, colorful mask dances of selected monasteries and mock marriage ceremonies also commemorate the two weeks of revelry.

Photo by Reyjo

The Mentog Stanmo or the flower dance from the Wakha, Mulbek and Nubra Valley is another highlight. Performers dressed in traditional robes hold a bunch of freshly-plucked flowers and dance to welcome the season. The chang dance has men balancing the chang (local rice beer) brass jugs on their head while moving to traditional beats. Amongst the communities who arrive here for the inauguration, it’s the beautiful Drokpas (or Brokpas) from the Dah Hanu region in Kargil who stand-out for their chiselled Indo-European features and distinct headgear, which comprises a bunch of fresh flowers worn by both men and women as well as extensive silver jewellery. The community, it is said, is the purest Aryan tribe in existence.

Ladakh Festival is simultaneously celebrated in different parts of Kargil district. Traditional archery tournaments, besides cultural programs form a core part of the festivities. The presentation by Brok-pas community depicting the land’s ancient social customs and ceremonies is usually the highlight. The game of polo, the ancient sport of the Dards of Dras is also something to look out for. Similar programmes are also held in Zanskar Valley, where the high point is the traditional sport called "Saka", in which a number of colourfully attired horses are used in a quaint racing competition.

The Ladakh Festival is an absolute cultural extravaganza. It is a time when the colorful yet halcyon land of Ladakh tucked away in the chill of Himalayas comes out with vibrant burst of vitality.

-by Parmita Borah

Assamese Maestro Turns 86

He He Dhole Dogore....Bhupen Hazarika

He mesmerized listeners with his soulful voice at the mere of ten and went on to gather cross over fans with his baritone voice during his prime. Dr. Bhupen Hazarika is considered today the last of the great mass singers and the only great ballad singer alive in India. Let’s take a moment to blow the candles for this noted music director, playwright, actor, journalist, author, lyricist, politician and film-maker of the highest repute from Assam, India. Wish you a very Happy Birthday 'Bhupen da'.

Bhupen Hazarika did his Inter (Arts) in Guwahati in 1942, and went on to Banaras Hindu University to complete his Bachelor of Arts in 1944. After completion of Masters in Political Science in 1946, he left for New York, USA where he lived for five years and received his Doctorate (PhD) in Mass Communication from Columbia University. He also received the Lisle Fellowship from Chicago University, USA to study the use of educational project development through cinema. Between 1949 and 1955 in USA, he met musician 'Paul Robeson' with whom he became closely associated. He also met artist 'Picasso' in France. In November 2001, he was honoured with the Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) from the Tezpur University.

Bhupen Hazarika pioneered the first state owned film studio in Guwahati, Assam, first studio of its kind in India. He produced, directed, and composed music for Arunachal Pradesh's first Hindi feature film in colour "Mera Dharam Meri Maa" in 1977. Dr. Hazarika produced, directed, composed music and sang for 32 (thirty two) films in Assamese, Hindi and other languages.

He is one of the leading authors/poets of Assam and has to his credit more than one thousand lyrics and more than fifteen major books on short stories, essays, travelogues, poems and children's rhymes. He has produced and directed many documentaries in various languages. He had also produced a 52 (fifty-two) episodes tele-serial titled "Dawn" for telecast on StarTV. Bhupen Hazarika has scored music and sung for the highest number of Assamese films made in the past 40 years. His remarkable popularity brought him to the legislative Assembly as an Independent member between 1967 and 1972.

Dr. Hazarika has won the President's National Award for the best film maker thrice - for Shakuntala in 1960, Pratidhwani in 1964, and Loti Ghoti in 1967. He won the Arunachal Pradesh Government's Gold Medal in 1977 for his outstanding contribution towards Tribal Welfare, and Upliftment of Tribal Culture through cinema and music. He also won the National Award as best music composer in India in 1977 for the Assamese film Chameli Memsaab. While he was studying in USA, he was awarded a Gold Medallion in New York as the best interpreter of 'India's folk songs' by 'Eleanor Roosevelt'.

In 1977 Bhupen Hazarika got the Padamshree Award. In the same year he also got two awards in West Bengal for the best music director for the film 'Dampati' from The Bangla Chalachitra Prasar Samity and the Bangla Chalchitra Purashkar Samity. In 1978 he won two awards from Bangladesh as the best music director for the film 'Simana Periye'. In 1978, the Gramophone Company of India bestowed on him the Gold Disc for his outstanding contribution towards Indian Music. Apart from this he received more than 100 awards for his contribution towards different fields.

In 1987, Sangeet Natak Academy in New Delhi awarded him for his outstanding contribution towards Indian music. In 1999, he has been appointed by the Honourable President of India as the Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi for a period of five years. In 1987 he won "Assam's Man of the Year" award. Same year the Government of Assam bestowed its highest award the 'Shankar Dev Award' for his contribution to Assam's culture.

His biggest achievement in terms of awards would be 'The Dadasaheb Phalke Award', also considered as 'India's Oscar', which he was honoured In 1993 for his lifetime's contribution to development of Indian cinema.

In 2001, he was honoured by the Government of India with the 'Padma Bhushan', one of the highest civilian awards. In the same year, he was given the 'Lata Mangeshkar Award' for his overall contribution in music by the Madhya Pradesh Government.

He represented India in Berlin at the World Conference of Composers who used songs as an instrument in social change. He was given the honour of inaugurating the World Seminar in Congress Hall with his own songs on the liberation of Bangladesh. In 1993, Dr. Hazarika had been conferred the highest honour by making him the President of Asom Sahitya Sabha (Assam Literary Society).

Dr Hazarika married Priyamvada Patel, who belongs to the well-known Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel family, and has a son named Tej Hazarika. He met Priyamvada in America where he fell in love with her. But his parents opposed the match. So, before he returned to India, he got married to her in America. They were separated after 13 years.

Bhupen Hazarika has been associated with noted film directors like painter Maqbool Fida Husain, Sai Paranjype, Lekh Tandon, Kalpana Lajmi and Bimal Dutt. He has directed music for many movies by these directors. At present he is staying in Mumbai with Kalpana Lajmi with a 40-year-long association. M F Husain preferred him to music veterans such as Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan. He says, ‘Bhupen, you paint when you sing. Your music paints, but my brush can’t sing.’

-by Jim Ankan Deka

K-pop: Popular Korean Music Making Waves

The west is where it had its inception, but pop music and pop culture soon established its dominion over the whole world in a short span of time. The international monoculture that surged as a result of Pop influence has seen the ascendency of American and British music industries, but with advance of technology and media, countries soon started following their own forms of pop music, in many cases, producing local versions of global trends and assimilating local characteristics. K-pop is one such genre that seems to be gaining popularity across the globe by the hour. An abbreviation for Korean Pop or Korean Popular music, the genre consists of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music. 

K-pop originated in South Korea and in addition to making South Korea's music industry a viable one, K-pop has emerged as a popular subculture among teenagers and young adults around the world. K-pop’s popularity greatly thrives on the internet and social media. With presence of artists and bands on Facebook fan pages, iTunes, Twitter profiles, and YouTube, the ability of K-pop to reach a global audience via Internet is driving a paradigm shift in the exposure and popularity of the genre. 

K-pop grew into prominence with the debut of Seo Tai-ji Boys in 1992. Popular girl bands and boy bands formed and gained widespread acceptance with the founding of South Korea's largest talent agency, S.M. Entertainment, in 1995 by Korean entrepreneur Lee Soo Man. Groups such as, S.E.S., Fin.K.L, H.O.T, Sechs Kies, G.o.d. and Shinhwa had huge success in the 1990s. During this period was the emergence of hip hop and R&B music in Korea, leading to the success of artists including Drunken Tiger. The late 90s saw the emergence of few other talent agencies YG Entertainment, DSP Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment that produced talent as quickly as the public could consume it. 

K-pop has had a steady growth in foreign markets outside of Asia, most notable in the United States with korean bands beginning tour with the current faces of English Pop like Jonas Brothers. In 2001, Kim Bum Soo became the first Korean singer to be placed on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart with his single, "Hello Goodbye Hello". K-pop’s popularity has witnessed a rise in Canada and Australia as well. As a thumb rule of pop music, K-pop too is represented by young artists. As performers, they assimilate high style quotient, trendy looks and dance skills and the ability to synthesize the music of the moment of the West whether it is done as Korean rap, Korean soul, Korean rhythm and blues, or Korean middle of the road music. 

The popularity of contemporary Korean music and pop stars has climbed such heights that Asians have designated a word to reflect this fact. Hallyu, or Korean Wave, is the word noting how influential Korean culture has become in Asia. 

-by Parmita Borah

With Love from us to you; Happy Birthday Freddie Mercury!

'I won't be a rock star. I will be a legend'.-Freddie Mercury

Bands come and go, musicians come and go...but the way some of them leave an impact behind, is a phenomenon that every music lover fails to evade. One such band and musician that springs to everyone’s mind, especially on this particular day, is “Queen” and its front man Freddie Mercury. Celebrating the 65th birthday of a diva whose profound musical ingenuity continues to influence and mesmerise listeners till date, September 5th returns to firmly reflect the eternal presence of Freddie Mercury-the man who carved a niche for himself as a legend and as one of the greatest figures in rock and roll history. 

It’s about to be almost two decades of the physical absence of Freddie, but fans young and old alike, fans too young to remember or too late to witness him alive and fans fortunate to see his flamboyant persona, continue to fondly remember him on this special day.

"When I'm performing I'm an extrovert, yet inside I'm a completely different man."—Freddie Mercury. Indeed, Freddie’s life was nothing less than a tempestuous drama. As one leafs through the archival records of his life, the numerous fan websites and articles by close ones of his, the poignancy of his life always strikes. A brilliant musical genius, a dynamic influence for many a more great rock and roll bands, an influence on the lives of many a million fans, Freddie was an immensely admirable man on the personal side too. 

Freddie Mercury was a man of charisma whom followers loved for the sheer brilliance, joy and pleasure he brought in with his music. As the music drifts on in my jukebox, I, like many of his fans today, sit back and feel the presence of the man who along with the band, tight and powerful behind him, made music that had a magic of its own. There is simply no denial that Queen and Freddie Mercury are legends that will live forever. And as we celebrate his birthday we celebrate the essence of a man who lived life to every minute and who left an operatic impression on all his fans. Happy Birthday Freddie... 

"My soul has painted like the wings of butterflies, Fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die, I can fly, my friends..." - Freddie Mercury 

-by Samriddhi Tanti