The tune of Irony

Can you Get me in??

2011-03-03T20:59:00.000+05:30

Note : The Edited version of this article was printed in the Indian Express Friday Supplement - "Indulge" - on the 18th of Feb 2011. This is the original manuscript!
Here is a Scan of Column and what got printed. Enjoy Reading! :):)

Can you get me in?

This is the single most common question I get asked as a Radio Professional. I live in a world of giving away free passes, complimentary entry, personal guest lists and “getting people in”. I figure this is because the word "Free" has to be the most used and abused word on radio.

Radio stations give away so much stuff, and thus everyone assumes that Radio DJ's have an eternal endless supply of passes to events, concerts and parties. People do truly believe that Radio DJ’s get special treatment and get entry with ease. They think we can get them into any gig, anywhere, irrespective of which station is partnered with it or who is involved in the organizing. Even though this does make us (radio dj’s) feel like something out of XMEN with super powers – it is far from the truth.

With increasing ad breaks and non music content, and the ever flickering listener attention span, radio stations have found out that a great way to increase TSL (time spent listening) and increase listener stickiness is to give away

Valentines bashes, Christmas parties, and New Year events are the most sought after by “free entry” hunters. And GOD save you if your Radio station is tied up with a cricket match!!!!

"Free" stuff. Radio giveaways come in various shapes and sizes. They include film tickets, lunch vouchers, makeover vouchers, spa, food, makeup, home appliances, clothing coupons and the notorious “Free CONCERT Passes”

No seriously, Concert time is the worst time – EVER. “Free Pass” addicts swarm like mosquitoes in a swamp to get their hands on complimentary invites. In a city like Bangalore which is starved for International Live performances, if heavy duty acts like Bryan Adams, Foreigner, Lucky Ali, Niladri Bose and others perform within a span of 10days, the mayhem created by people wanting free passes is absolutely incredible.

Before every concert, radio professionals start getting calls from people who want to get in. These include the usual suspects – concert crazy friends, listeners, industry folk, free invite hunters, clients, and even people who you haven’t heard from in 8-10 years. The action usually begins around 10 days before a concert. Of course the closer to the concert the more panicky and crazy the calls get. Don’t even get me started on CONCERT days.

A typical conversation goes like this…

Person : Hello is this Anjaan?

Me : yes

Person : Hi I’m _____ do u remember me? We met 8 years ago at a party?

Me : umm....

Person : Chalo im sure u wont recall... but tell me do u have passes to Bryan Adams concert?

Me : Huh?

Even though sometimes I wish I could tell them off with a sarcastic line I’ve stopped being surprised when people who I haven’t spoken to for long call only when there’s a concert/party around the corner. Even though these calls send you into a Tizzy, its entertaining how people ask the funniest things - The most common questions I’ve got are – “Can u take me backstage? Can u give me some passes? Can I meet him? Can you make me meet Bryan?” And of course the most famous one… “Can you get me in?”, Some just stop short of – Can you ask him if he will go on date with me…

RJ Vinayak Joshi from Radio City says he gets 50-70 calls on an average for every concert in town. Every other friend and client of his invariably wants “free passes”. He feels the best way to deal with this is to tell them the truth & accept the fact that he can’t do much to get all of them in. And when he has invites – he prefers giving them to his listeners than his friends. His advice to people who call him only for passes is “remember me otherwise” (and not only during concerts and events)

RJ Rohit from BIG FM prefers to give passes to people he knows and to his listeners. He gets around 40-50 calls for concerts and events his station is tied up with. When people call him after a long gap for passes, he sometimes gets cheesed off but invariably asks them to Stop calling him!

RJ Rohit Barker from Radio Indigo has an interesting reaction to the question – can you get me in - he simply says “Sorry, I ran out of passes 40 people ago, I would have helped you if I could”

I think the Biggest Radio myth is that Radio DJ’s have a Special DJ Pass that gets us into concerts and events. Trust me - There is no special pass. (I swear: I was even once asked by an intern when she would get her special "Radio DJ pass")

Yes, we give away free stuff, yes you can win them on our radio shows and on our contest. But NO we cant take everyone in. Stop stop asking us to get you in. Because we hate to say No.

The only thing I can give for FREE to everyone is advice. Call me anytime for that. And don’t forget that if I had the power, I would get everyone (including you who haven’t spoken to me for 8 years) IN. Have a great time at the concert. Cheers!

-------------------

-- Anjaan is Programming Head and a Radio DJ with the 94.3 Radio One Network

Of Ironic threesomes

2010-09-30T18:38:00.002+05:30

The internet is such a beautiful place. It has always fueled people's creativity and let them share their humor with the world.
Even though its Ironic that the ENTIRE country was on HIGH Alert on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday - today was possibly India's Biggest Landmark verdict (or so they say) - the Ayodhya Issue. Today the internet was rampant with varied and interesting thought about the verdict, our country and India in general. Some made me laugh, and the other made me think. Just do a search with the :#Ayodhya tag on twitter you'll find plenty.This is a compilation of some of my favorites from the unified madness that ensued on twitter today

- Disclaimer - the below are NOT my thoughts and are tweets by tweeters from around the country.
(ive given credit wherever I could trace back the tweets)

The Funny Ones.

The High Court verdict (if true) is basically the very Indian "Abeyaar, everyone pliss adjust".
Supreme court says #ayodhya idols cannot be removed. Can we atleast remove indian idol?
Overheard BMC official: If this was in Mumbai, we would have given FSI of 5, and extra 3 for parking. Everyone would have more land.
There seems to b some confusion on which among Kalmadi, Reddy brothers and Khurana got the last third land
Judge: Verdict will be here any minute now..almost there..Here it comes.. Kalmadi: Woohoo! Everyone's distracted! *buys more toiletpaper* thetanmay
So it's Ram's birthplace because of "overwhelming Hindu beliefs in it". Quick world! Believe in a rain of breasts! NOW! It'll become true
No need to panic yet people. As expected the verdict is one confusing floozy. Will take till next year for people to figure it out and riot.
I'm glad this is happening now. So we can move on with what's really important. Bigg Boss starts Sunday 9pm. Yeehaw. b50
1/3rd for Hindus, 1/3rd for Muslims and 1/3rd Management quota.
Everyone is going on with their business like everyday in chennai! Absolutely doesnt matter here?
Allahabad High Court shuld have loaded thr website with ads... they would have become millionaire
So Ram was born in Ayodhya. Big deal. I was born in Mumbai. Better city. I want Colaba for my temple. Any challengers?
Okay so the #Ayodhya verdict is that it's going to be divided into three parts. One's running Android, One iOS and one Symbian. Wait, what?
BREAKING NEWS: Ayodhya now only computer in the world that has 1/3 GB Ram.
That's why I like newspapers. No one yells out the news at the top of their voices. I'll wait for tomorrow's papers
Lawyers behaving like the vaanar sena.
Looks like a swarm of penguins has attacked the Allahabad HC. Where is batman when you need him??
I think it is good that a decision has been made, even if fragmented.Appeal or not, Kamasutra wins,
Once again, Indian Christians get NOTHING! Wake up sheeple!! How long will this go on... WHY!
That female judge screaming her lungs out on TV looks very very scary. iphonefresh
paayi is per disco bana do.kaun jata hai mandir masjid aaj kal.
Wait? The verdict was for the BABRI MASJID?! I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO LALIT MODI!
8000pages judgement? Not sure if someone got time to read thro all to understand. :)
Anyone willing to split a Pizza three-ways with me in celebration of the verdict? dharmeshG
someone just told me "Ayodhya needs a night club" over gtalk.. aDeSe
100 Black & White coats yelling. Like watching march of the penguins, except 2000 penguins are softer. I christen this cartoon "Crappy Feet"thevirdas
So, if they agree to build a mall at Ayodhya, what should they name it? dharmeshG:
So the High Court just said, "Can't we all just get along" in legalese? madmanweb
Why do these judges sit on bench..?? I mean c'mon we re not that much poor. Give atleast SOFA instead of bench. TheAngrezJailer:
Poor Allahbad High Court. After this, everyone will forget it, & it'll fall into a ruinous life of cocaine & cheap reality show appearances mojorojo
About 2 lakh jawans deployed in UP. Just how many more men can Mayawati handle?! Phew. DJ_Jasmeet
did you hear the one where Kalmadi walks into a bar, the bartender says FUCK YOU! dharmeshG
Mere samne waali khidki mein, ek Nirmohi Akhara rehta hai madmanweb
Ram gets 1/3rd, Hanuman gets 1/3rd, Sita gets screwed as usual MumbaiCentral
Threesomes. That's the way we indians do it ;) nikhilv

The Angry Ones.

Okay, yay for the land and all that, but here's a thought; Shit broke that day. WHO THE FUCK DID IT?
Mayati requested for more Jawans. She won! RT @sunayanasuresh
Why on earth is it going to an akhara? We don't need any more pehalwans!'Bastards!
This in not a a match! Don't say "we won". CHILL THE FUCK OUT!
It took 60 years for the court to announce that the land should be divided between Hindus and Muslims? A mother would have decided this too.
all freaks twitting in unison on some heresy topic...charlesblore
Some moron journalist trying to push a mobile phone down Ravi Shankar Prasad's throat to get his "exclusive" - even as he is speaking.
Will somebody shut Ravi Shankar Prasad up! He's going to piss a lot of people off with this bs religion talk.
Judiciary is made a joke of...strange jokers wearing black coats are shouting...is this the way to announce a verdict? #fuckingshameful
these lawyers are from one side. They've broken the protocol shamelessly.SashG
"Terrible pictures" only with the lawyers there, Barkha? What of the 100s of journalists trying to jump on those four lawyers? @bdutt
Stop flashing the V sign. Start displaying the "We" sign for all Indians. iphonefresh Amit Bhowmik
People... do not get confused between "Mobs" and "Moobs". They are two different things...although both can be life threatening !!
Fuck you Ram Lalla types. Show that kind of affection to your daughters, who aren't mythical creatures but made of flesh and blood.

The Ones with a different Take

I'm feeling more sad that a 16th century mosque with awesome acoustics was demolished. Man the parties we could have had there.
The talking heads on the channels think dismissal of Sunni Wakf board is strange. They have a problem with statute of limitations?
So going to temple means u r not secular? Which shrine will u go to out of 3? sohamshah
Its time for three! Prayer, celebration, solidarity!
Allahabad high court should have implemented adsense. They could have made some chai paani from ayodhya verdict
Che che. Embarrassed that I've succumbed to #ayodhya nd am tweeting crap.
Way to not incite violence. Keep repeating "This has been proved to be Ram's Janmasthan." Lawyers very triumphant about it.
Babri Masjid falls down...and 18 years later...the Allahabad High Court website crashes down! 1AmAisha:
www.allahabadhighcourt.in doesn't open, and www.rjbm.nic.in is "underconstruction". Like Ayodhya, they're also demolished sites diogeneb

The Thoughtful Ones

Like feathered oysters, squabbling over a pearl
This looks like a political verdict and not like a correct verdict. How can the land be partitioned as if its a ones property.
The Ayodhya verdict is just what the secularist ordered. Equal portion of land to all parties solves the 60-yr-old problem.
India fails while the world watches.
I find this a landmark judgement. 3 way division is the best in the worst circumstances
This live press briefing is a circus. Can't make out anything. iphonefresh
Rajdeep Sardesai: "so lets move from Peepli live to #Ayodhya live for this one day." themovingcloud
Is it Ram Lalla or Ram L'allah?
This is fantastic. Everyone is going to approach the SC. Nobody is happy. Right now the HC is the common enemy.shilparathnam
So this Allahabd high court website. Do you have to register with full details so they can spam your phone when the bulk sms restart? flyyoufools
Hey Kalmadi I know u delayed the verdict. It sure was u. Such a notty boy diverted all the media glare away didn't u.

The One's who Like Closure

going to ignore the ayodhya verdict... i will focus on the internal fight on my couch. bono vs the kittens... who does the couch belong to? shaaqT
8600 pages? They could have just tweeted the verdict instead.GauravSaha
At this juncture I would like to reiterate a point made by an old college lecturer: "Sabka malik fake hai." sidin
I love this country. It's been five minutes, I don't know what's happening, but I just saw a swami on my screen.
Verdict says those people who have left home for the day can get back to work now. All is well. HiteshMehta

Isnt it Ironic?

2010-08-23T19:07:00.005+05:30

Ive always known we Live in an Ironic World. In fact Irony is so beautiful it seems so natural and contrary to all sense! In fact Life itself has a Supreme Irony - We never really get out of it Alive! *grin*. If you look properly you can find Irony everywhere! But Truly the aim of life is to stop thinking and start feeling right?

Here are some ironic thoughts for you to chew on.

Isnt it ironic that - we live in a Country where

A pizza reaches home faster than the Ambulance the Police
One can get a car loan at 5% but an education loan costs 12%
Rice costs Rs.30 but a Sim card - is FREE
Footwear (for our feet) are sold in AC showrooms but vegetables (that we eat) are sold on the footpath
We make lemon juice with artificial flavors and dish wash with pure lemon
Bizzare Amounts spent on one sporting event (ref CWG) - when more than 40% of the nation is starving and under the poverty line.

Look around! You will find Irony everywhere! :)

Wanna Beach Bum?

2010-06-18T20:43:00.004+05:30

Over the last year Ive asked you to vote for me, to forward my contest urls and to help me win social media travel contests!

You even helped me recently by clicking “I like” on my photos & voting for me as "Bangalore's Most Sylish music host (Which I won and have a fully paid 4nights 5 days trip to malaysia pending)

Now its time for Payback! Here’s something That I’ve got FOR YOU!
Think of it as gratitude for all the things you have done for me and the love, warmth and votes!

Here's your chance to win a vacation for free - in the Andamans! Ive been to Havelock and its the most gorgeous places on planet earth - a Must visit and one of the best beaches in ASIA!!!

All u need to do is to register here

Log onto http://www.taggle.com/?tgref=BJYI33

Your flight and accommodation is taken care of and you get to experience nature at its best! U get to stay At a Jungle eco-resort called Barefoot at Havelock!
Whats more you also get to Swim / snorkel with Rajan the ocean swimming elephant and beach bum - FOR FREE

Hope Luck is on your side! All the best!

Jumping off a Plane!

2010-06-17T09:52:00.003+05:30

-- From the photo Archives

This is the closest one will get to feel like how superman feels, This is the closest one will get to know what a bird thinks, this is the closest one will get to experience what a leaf experiences as it floats down to earth

Last October We jumped off a plane from 14000 Feet. It was simply Exhilerating! :) Mark it down on your "to do" list.

"Life isnt complete unless you Jump From a plane" - Anjaan 2009

#MercyforKasab

2010-05-07T13:09:00.010+05:30

"We are held prisoners only by ourselves. Our own thoughts and actions are the jailers of our fate." - James Allen

I think James Allen had an epiphany as he penned that. Yesterday I had an epiphany!!! Something stirred inside me and has compelled me to write this!

Just to set the tone right Im NOT speaking for Kasab or any Other terrorist. What he did and what every terrorist and fanatic does and beleives in is despicable by any human standards. Its the filthiest low that humanity can go to. Im not supporting anything he did either, or endorsing any fantatical terrorist motives or intentions.

My heart goes out to the victims, survivors and their families and friends. I truly feel the pain they feel everytime I think of the tragedy that happened. I pray for your strength! But the lines I pen below are beyond the tragedy, beyond kasab and maybe beyond death. My thoughts are much simpler. My intention is to get your mind thinking, and to set your heart free and you can do this by asking yourself a simple question.

What does this statement mean? - "To err is human to forgive is divine"

Yesterday I had posted my opinions on twitter - with the hashtag #MercyForKasab and I realised that opinions arent taken lightly. What seemed to me as a platform for sharing my thoughts turned out to be a burning pot of viscous reactions! The heated discussion even had people who threatened me! I was asked to shift to pakistan, I was called a hypocrite, I was asked to shut up, I was almost ostracised.
Its a different thing to react and give your opinions and its a different thing to take this personally! Lol. But I guess there are all kinds!

Anyways Some people thought it was creepy, some thought I needed a brain transplant, and some thought I needed pity but most of the people who responded wanted to behead kasab in public. 'Chop to pieces' was a general consensus!

Yes its ironic, We're supposed to be a Benevolant nation!

I was Surprised and sad at the emotional responses that people had to the #Mercyforkasab thought! I was disheartened to know that im part of a Minority group that wished for non violent end for Kasab. I was saddened that Compassion, Love and Mercy hold no meaning anymore! I promised myself that I still Wont Lose Hope on Humanity and the goodness in the world!

Life changed for me because of Kasab. I have always believed in the inherent goodness in every human being. Ive held pride on the niceness of human kind. Ive also believed that circumstances and other forces might make on a terrorist or an evil doer, but in ones heart there always is some good left. There's always room for love.

So why was I shot down so much? Just because I proposed MERCY for Qasab! Isn't that what makes us Different From Him? Maybe life Imprisonment definitely. Will help him clear his head out. I know it takes strength to forgive. But if u stoop down to the level of the attack, ur no worse than the attacker itself.

Some called it gandhigiri - but Ive never really Gandhi's life or teachings to be influenced enough by it. But I believe that rudeness and anger breaks hearts, crushes minds, and kills the spirit. Kindness heals. Ive always tried to be kind to everyone, everytime. And no there is nothing called "too kind"

But the truth is - Yes, Kasab Killed people, but now by wanting to Kill him, one gets closer to becoming him!! Last evening on twitter I felt I was chatting with many Kasabs about the One Kasab!

Apart from not believing in capital punishment, I also think the entire Kasab situation is overhyped. The Real Culprits are still at large. Here are Some Questions Ive not got answers for. They are for u to mull over!!

Will the death penalty make a martyr of Kasab?
Could he be a crucial link or resource in future cases? Why not a rigorous life sentence?
Are we just finishing off his original job for him?
Will killing Kasab make our nations enemies happier or sadder?
Most people think we're doing this to send a message - Isnt Capturing him the BIGGEST message we can send across. And MERCY an even bigger message?
Do you think his Death will bring back any of the people who he killed? Or make them happier? Would they want you to kill him or forgive him?
He kills people – We kill Him – Whats the difference in our thinking? We’re both Killers?
We don’t have the power to give life – where do we get the power to take one?

Ok forget the philosophy - thing of this - India - the worlds next superpower. Dont u think we owe it to the country to exhibit ourselves as a civilized society. Less than a handful of countries still allow capital punishment. I believe the idea of Capital Punishment as a form of genocide
You might say its fair to kill a killer: then If this is so then are not the relatives of a killer are allowed take mortal revenge on those that put their family member to death?? Where does this end??? Does it at all?

Remember anger, hatred and revenge are negative spheres to operate from. Compassion love and empathy never really hurt anyone!

Maybe Kasab is in a better place by being killed afterall. with so many people sending him hate, anger and other negativity I wonder how he even sleeps at night. Im sure he had a cyanide pill ready for suicide when he was captured, and he really is beyond worrying about his death. He's in a "i dont care anymore" zone and our prattle doesnt really bother him. Maybe the death sentence is, in fact, #MercyForKasab! Solitary forever would actually be cruel!

To the "what would you do if it was your sister/wife/mother that was brutally murdered?" argument I would say this...

Of course I would be angry, upset, have a rage. Maybe I would want to strangle the person, or smash their face with a baseball bat. But then, that is what we have a system for. I would be prevented from doing that, prevented from adding onto a chain of violent actions and continuing the cycle of violence.
I would pray for strength and for solace. And I would wish for calmness and peace of mind to control my negative emotions.

I turn 30 in a couple of days. I take it upon myself as a mission to spread Love. To spread sunshine in every corner I touch. Thank you for reading this and I hope I managed to get you thinking. Hope I managed to give a mature, holistic understanding and simplified version of thoughts on issue as complex as Kasab! I Wish you an epiphany soon! I pray you have the strength to forgive!

I leave you with a quote from the most read Book in the world.

"Forgive them o Lord; for they know not what they do!"

Facebooks Silly Rule

2010-04-05T14:35:00.004+05:30

So hey, Facebook has this silly rule and allows only 5000 Friends per Facebook account.
Ive been maxed out for a while now and I keep getting requests. I feel sad and helpless every time someone asks me why I am not accepting their Friend Request.

So here's a set of options for you if your Friend Request to my Facebook account doesn't get accepted - And don't forget its not cuz I don't like you, its because I'm Full already!

Join the Official page for all updates?
http://www.facebook.com/AnjaanRJ

Join the Facebook group?
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55156219850

Follow me on twitter?
http://www.twitter.com/AnjaanRJ

Also once in a while Facebook automatically deletes some 5-10 friends from my list. I suspect this is because

they either drop out of facebook
their accounts are deleted
their accounts no longer exist
they "unadded" me as a friend

So hey, thats good news for you right. But I give priority to adding your as a friend if

It has a real photograph of yours
You send me a message along with the request
You are on Facebook regularly (and u also follow my page)
You have a lot of photos and friends and huge activity on Facebook

So start putting up photos of yourself and not some random celebrity! Dont worry no one is gonna duplicate ur profile or steal your life from you! :P

Happy Social Networking! :)

Send Anjaan to the Canadian Rockies

2010-03-30T11:57:00.011+05:30

So hey, you know my craze for travel, and my addiction to social media! Combine these two and WHAM! what do u get?? ===========> Yet another Social media Travel Contest! :)
This time around, the contest takes me to the CANADIAN Rockies! :) Help Anjaan Go to Canada and experience Calgary, Lake Louise, Jasper, Banff and the other sites of the Majestic Rockies

If you have Already Voted for me! a HUGE HUGE HUGE THANX! :) *hug*

If you havent voted yet
The Voting Lines CLOSE Tomorrow night Midnight – SO VOTE NOW!

I had actually missed the contest deadline (Mar15) and being the positive kangaroo that I am, I shot them a cheeky mail telling them that I was a Radio Deejay and the finalist from India for the Best Job in the world, and that Im the Tourism Ambassador for India and shamelessly asking if I could be part of this contest!

And they said Yes! :)

I was given a LAST minute wild card entry on Friday. I couldn't believe my eyes.
But the unbelievable was still to happen! In One hour I was in the top 10, in 2 hours in the top 5 and 3 hours I was on top of the list!!!

All this thanx to my social media families on Twitter, Facebook, Ibibo and other forums. All this thanx to my loving friends who read my mail and voted for me!! :)

Now I need your help to stay on top!~ Please spare a few minutes of your time and vote for me....

http://www.globusandcosmos.in/entry/anjaan

Note
- You have to first register & then they will give u a password which you could use to log-in to vote! :)
- Dont just enter your email id - log in and then leave a vote too!
- You Can give One vote per email address! :)
- Please Leave a Comment after you vote! :)

The winner gets On The Road in the Canadian Rockies vacation with Rishad Saam Mehta. More information about Rishad ===> here
The runner up goes to London and all the top 10 winners win special prizes too!

Dont Forget to Vote once from each of your email addresses! And Leave a comment! :)

Australian Warmth

2009-06-16T18:51:00.003+05:30

Heated discussions on racism and color prejudice seem to be everyone's favorite topic. After spending a fantastic 30 days in Australia, I decided to scribe my thoughts on the country. I really hope and pray you get the true meaning behind what I'm trying to say.

The Article was published in the Mid-Day Bangalore (One of the most popular Dailies) and also carried some cool photographs! :)

Here's a transcript of the same! Do tell me what you think

Australia – Home away from Home

My month long adventure in the “land down under” has made me fall in love with the country and its people. Like they say “Home is not where you live, but where everyone laughs with you”. Australia is a country where people love laughing at themselves and will break out into a guffaw at the drop of a hat. Humor, being the universal language that it is, made me feel at home from the word “go”.

Laughter
Australians remind be of the “Bangalorean” ability to laugh at oneself. Australians are blessed with an endless capacity for self mockery, always a welcome healthy trait. From the surfing instructor at Byron Bay to the park ranger at a heritage tropical rainforest near Cairns, all the OZ’s I came in contact with have had a fantastic sense of humor and always maintain a pleasant disposition. I have experienced their warmth and it’s difficult to perceive an “Angry Australian” and hard to believe that they can be racist. Australia is truly the land of smiles!
I still recall the customs officer at the airport asking me if I had anything to “declare” and when I said “nothing” she said candidly – “what about your sense of humor mate?”

Mate-ship
Once your friend, the Australian is characteristically your friend for life, for better or for worse. Loyalty and Mate-ship is very important for an Australian. There probably isn’t a better friend in a physical crisis than an Australian. At the sight emergencies or calamities, the typical Australian will always roll up his shirt-sleeves (or more typically, take his shirt off) and charge in to help, oblivious to his own personal safety. Mate-ship is what makes the difference even to the most conservative Australian.

Trust & Social Harmony
Australians have learnt co-exist and live in harmony with many cultures. This comes from the basic “settler” behavior and is sometimes perceived as naivety but I think it’s truly a matter of respect – like a Scouts Honor. Australians trust you, no matter where you are from or what you do. Once you are on their soil, you are their “mate”.
One can call up telecom Australia and open a new account without any paperwork or further ado, sight unseen. One can leave your passport at the Immigration office or deposit a huge amount in a bank with no receipt. Why? Because this is a matter of trust!
One of the most famous Aussie catch-phrases “no worries mate” comes from this trait!

Cultural Burps
Reading about the recent racial attacks in Melbourne disheartens me. But to brand Australia as racist would be silly. It is up to a foreigner to sensitize oneself to the things that can trigger Australian hostility. Considering the rapid social change in Australia and the large-scale Asian immigration over the past decade, it is but natural for an Australian to be worried. Add to this is certain behavioral traits that are “not done” in Australia!
- Like the Chinese man I saw spit on the marbled pavements of a luxurious casino in Melbourne. “Not done”
- Like the Thai lady I saw haggling over a few cents at a simple Australian neighborhood second-hand sale fair. “Not done”
How can one explain to the offended Australian vendors the long tradition of bargaining in South-East Asia? How can one explain to the Thai lady that there was an unspoken agreement that’s such friendly markets were fixed-price.
- Or like the Asian shoppers who transferred their market customs to Australian supermarkets, poking their fingers into fruits and vegetables and sometimes even test-eating them. “Not done”
- Or like the Indian students I saw yelling in native Hindi at an Australian university Bus-stop, without any regard for how uncomfortable it made the Australian commuters feel. All this is “not done” in Australia. Somewhere maybe all foreigners need to sensitize themselves to local flavors, customs and traditions. Would we as Indian’s tolerate it if a Westerner didn’t follow our basic customs and traditions??? Of course not!

I’m not saying the attacks on Indian students are justified… don’t get me wrong… but it would be immature to assume that sporadic events like these reflect the temperament of a nation. Just because a few Mumbai-ites didn’t want Biharis in their midst, doesn’t mean everyone in Maharashtra is racist. Just because Goa has multiple episodes of foreigners being abused, doesn’t mean all Goans are rapists.
While expressing my deepest sympathies to the families of those hurt, I think these attacks are rightly defined as Opportunistic and are one-off strikes by certain criminal elements. Just like any other First world nation, even Australia (especially big cities like Sydney, Melbourne) has an underbelly of criminal, anti social and racist presence. Students become easy prey and media sensationalism creates further furore. These attacks should be classified as attacks on humanity and not racism.

Australians have a history of co-existing with various cultures. It would be wrong to brand them as racists. On the contrary we as Indians are “prejudiced to color” more than Australians will ever be. We look down on dark skin color in our own country. From Bollywood to fairness product advertisements to marriage – the fairer Indian has the upper hand. But that’s another story in itself isn’t it?

I have experienced the Australian hospitality and helping nature first hand. My suggestion would be for you to witness the Australian warmth for yourselves! Take a trip to down under and you will feel at home. See her fascinating sights, dive into the Great Barrier Reef, jungle surf over the tropical rain forests, catch some waves on the east coast, and meet the locals – Kangaroos, Koalas, Dugongs, Crocs, and earn your right to say “G’day Mate”!

Anjaan for Island Caretaker

2009-03-22T19:41:00.002+05:30

Its been a whirlwind of 4 weeks. It feels like yesterday since I got selected for the "best job in the world". And since I already have the best job in the world, I'd rather refer to this as the best Vacation in the world!

2 mins of your time could help me win this international contest!
Vote for me on www.islandreefjob.com/anjaan
Remember - One vote per day per email!

1000+ People have joined the facebook group (which is 3 weeks old) and hundred others are voting for me on a daily basis. Join Facebook Group Here

Bouncing Back!

2008-12-04T16:06:00.008+05:30

What do we (as humans) do the best? We Bounce Back! Whether its the heart wrenching trauma of shootouts, civilian deaths, terrorism and bomb blasts or not having blogged for a long time, we bounce back. Its the nature of human beings to bounce back. Resilience seems to be our biggest asset. And hope our best friend!

Just like the mythical phoenix with its tail of beautiful gold and red! The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. The bird was also said to regenerate when hurt or wounded by a foe, thus being almost immortal and invincible — it is also said that it can heal a person with a tear from its eyes and make them temporarily immune to death.

Maybe I should rechristen my blog as the "phoenix". Cuz this is something I relentless keep coming back to, but sometimes forget to stick on! But this time its more necessity driven than anything else. I have this deep seated urge to start writing. And this want to be start being read. what better way than to publish my thoughts online.

What better time to kick off this blog than when my first 750 Word opinion was published in the local daily. Its a piece on what I thought of the recent Anoushka Shankar - Jethro Tull Concert in Bangalore

Ive also been kicked out of the worlds Biggest Social networking utility - Face book. And that too Thrice!! :):) 3 Months ago they kicked me out telling me I had too many unanswered friendship & application requests. 1 month ago their reason was that I had too many incoming and outgoing mail traffic.And this time their reason is that I cant have a proxy name (RJ). They wanted government verification to prove my name is Anjaan! Sheesh!

Apparently Lindsay Lohan was kicked out of Face book too.. So I guess I'm in Elite Company *grin* I'm sure she'll be back on Facebook soon too!

The human spirit is remarkably resilient. We fall down--or get knocked down--yet somehow we manage to bounce back. Sometimes its easy - Like blogging. But other times it can be hard. Either ways I'm back... and this time I'm definitely Bouncing!! :-) :-)

Radio One Fm 94.3 - Masti Fataafat!

2007-07-01T17:20:00.000+05:30

Phew! Has Life changed in the last 1 year OR WHAT!! After all change is the most inevitable constant isnt it?

Over the last 1 year there has been so many things that have changed in my life. Work and otherwise. Its been a while since I blogged, so ive always thought its ideal to blog when one has a new perspective to life... and a burden in his heart to share!

Ive Shifted Houses, Ive got my apprisals, Ive bought a new car, Ammu moved to Brazil, Mine and Ammu's marriage date has got tentatively fixed, Ive stopped partying (too much), I'm addicted to Skype, Ive travelled a lot, Ive become more spiritual, my roles at work have changed....

Yes, Im still With Radio One - Bangalore ... As Programming Manager. On May 15th this year I completed 1 year with this enterprise! That itself is no mean acheivement!!! (Especially for the wavering mind and lustful soul of a mad fella like me!!) So Congrats to Me! :)

After working in the private Radio Space for more than a year now, ive realised how government radio functions so differently! This last 14 months has taught me more about Radio than my 6 years with AIR.

The journey's been memorable and exciting and learning's been immense! Radio One has turned me from a Radio Baby to a Radio Teenager!! And hope im not as gawky as I think I am!

But This rule of Change that we were just peeping into obviously applies to Radio One too!
This is the age of fast food , fast money, fast cars and fast everything. Every research seems to indicate that radio is a ‘snacking’ medium, where the captive attention span of a listener on an average is only 20mins. To the ears of a click happy, remote wielding radio listener, the faster and smoother his listening experience is, the higher the chances of him staying tuned on. Stickiness today comes with a tag, and Radio one has its finger on what exactly ticks the listener.

Radio One prides itself on being the First station in the country to introduce a brand new format - the 20 minute Radio Experience. Today its all about "Quick Entertainment" Radio One invites its listeners to visit their Radio adda as a friend, to just hang around and get entertained for 20mins
Every 20mins Radio One has a DIFFERENT, innovative Segment
Backed with promotion, showcasing and production support, this new format promises to cater to all of the listeners’ needs.

If you are in Bangalore , Delhi, Mumbai you would be feeling the difference the minute you switch to this station! And it feels extremely proud to be part of this creative and path breaking revolutionary Radio Team!!!
Peep into the RadioOne website to know more about how Radio One is truly - Masti Fatafat

And thats exactly whats happend to my life too. Ive been given a New show. With the new format I guess it made sense to some people in the "boss" level to put me on air and pull in a different kind of listener (from what we already had)
So along with my Programming Manager responsibilities I'm Finally a daily On-Air Talent on a Private Network - Yippe!!

Tune into Radio One FM 94.3 - Mon to Sat - 9pm to Midnight And catch your share of RJ Anjaan!

9pm to Midnight - Monday to Thursday

Packed with Interviews and celebrity bytes and with segments like "I feel Good" and "What Nonsense", your weeknights no longer be the same! I even play agony uncle on air 11 to midnight and transform into Dr Anjaan. Tune in and Enjoy Fantastic Bollywood music and some Masti Fataafat!

9pm to Midnight - Weekends - Friday And Saturday

Transforming into DJ Desi King , I host a dance show called Bacardi Breezer Vivid Nights. I play the hottest DESI hits in the country and give you the most juicy Bollywood Humgama. This high voltage dance show includes conversation with DJ's, Celeb Singers, funny chats with ilmstars , a Club Buzz (update), Complimentary Passes to night Clubs, Anjaan's Party tips et al.
So Tune in to Bangalore Biggest Radio Party and Shake What yer Mamma Gave ya!

Ive also decided to blog at least once a month.. and so do tune and and tell me what you think. And even if you dont want to tell me what u think, thanx for Tuning in!!!!

********------------------ IMPORTANT----------------********
PS/ Disclaimer / Afternote / For your Information!!!

Prompted by the comments that my blog received from my previous post on Radio One - This is a disclaimer for everyone reading!!!

This BLOG is my private writing space for my personal diary entries. It is no way reflects the thoughts of Radio One nor is any official communication from the Company!!!!!!

********------------------ IMPORTANT----------------********

Gandhiji's 3 Monkeys!

2007-03-31T11:15:00.000+05:30

Gandhiji's 3 monkeys are the reflection of HUmanity. Their main messsage being - See no Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil. This famous porcelain paperweight Mahatma Gandhi kept by his bedside, spoke volumes and volumes of how man should conduct himself.

They let neither unhappy word nor evil sight enter in or wander out. Every so often, the real world tries to storm its way past the monkeys. Then, by the simple action of slam shut, the din dies down the monkeys signal the all-clear for life to resume - Truthfully!

But today , the World that surrounds us is a pathetic excuse for the truth. Dont even get me started on topics like corruption, red tapism, corruption and media hype.

Besides all that there's a new evil thats hounding the young and old of our country alike.

Its called "Commercial Cricket".

With the risk of being shouted at, outcast and even hated by most, ive always been against this so called "True Indian"Game. And here's my share to the outburst!

Its slightly demeaning if you tell me that busy indians have nothing to do other than count balls and runs. Its even more untrue if you tell me that unless I like the game im not a true Indian. We all know how bias the media community in India is when it comes to cricket, other games are perpetually overshadowed.

One cannot understand why there is hulabullo over a game that 's no longer a gentleman's game.. or was it ever? Had it been a gentleman's game, we would have seen some sports man ship and not management by bookies. Had it been a gentleman's game, our players would resign rather than acting as victims of circumstances.

It is a game that has broken many homes created severe scuffles, domestic discord and distracted the young from concenterating on their exams and work. Its a game today that has changed the indian diaspora to such an extent that sometimes I wonder if we know our priorities!!

Its not gonna break up my home.. thats for sure. Cuz luckily neither me nor My love AMmu even like the game. We'd rather watch a really bad bollywood movie and be less tortured!! :)

Love for the game, and patriotism in the name of sport is fine by me, But when it converts to mania, mass hysteria and pshycopathic addiction thats when u know its time for an outcry!

And Today my happiness knows no bounds when I know that INDIA isnt goign to be in the world cup anymore! YAY! I am truly thrilled. Simply because now kids will do better in their exams, office goers will go to work on time and husbands will pay attention to their wives!!

Hooray to Gandhiji's MOnkeys - Hooray to Indian Cricket Team who lost the match and came back! Yay!

Somebody Gonna get Hurt Real bad!

2007-02-27T21:28:00.000+05:30

Date of Concert : 27th February 2007
Duration : 90 mins
Location : Chowdiah Memorial Hall , Bangalore
Show times : 5pm, 8pm . (And special show on 28th)
Tickets at : Rs. 1500, 1000 & 500

“Though it make the unskillful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve” -- William Shakespeare

The weeks been tagging on fine to a quiet closing and the city’s midweek “susegad” came in the form of a “An evening of Stand up comedy with The world Funniest Man”
Not a term we’ve heard in Bangalore very often and for being called the “funniest man in the world” every Bangalorean is hoping he better be worth the ticket money!

Welcome Mr. Russell Peters. After countless praises about this “Desi” standup comedian, from elite websites, blogs , and what have you out there, I couldn’t stop myself from buying tickets for his show. After been hearing that his shows were sold out 45 mins into it being announced and stories like that, I was not surprised to see HUGE crowds outside waiting for a long time to get in, the atmosphere with an electric feeling and a certain young vibrant BUZZ.
Everyone outside and in the foyer were cracking famous Russell-ers (Russell one liners), and the hype built around him definitely manifested through young Bangaloreans who yield the comic a fair amount of Googling – and quote his catchphrases back to him. (These include such ubiquities as "Somebody's gonna get hurt real bad.")

So now with this much expectation and high anticipation, I was only hoping he doesn’t crack the same jokes he did on his DVD’s. (And Btw 80% of the people I know who came to the concert had already downloaded truckloads of his videos)

The show opened with an extremely talented opening act. In fact this man should have gigs of his own!!!

Enter Rusty Dooley the Movie Maniac. His innovative movie imitations with musical interludes and puppets were a crowd stealer. His Mike Myers, Al Pacino and Tom Cruise Impersonations were what won him maximum applause. His set included Action Movie spoofs and parodies of Films like Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Dracula, Terminator, Scarface and Top Gun.
The build up a fine tempo and energy for the evening had prolonged audience applause upon Russel’s entrance.

Enter the main act for the day Russell Peters. The man had everyone in stitches in no time. We’re talking gasping for air, laughing so hard your side’s ache, and then easing up just long enough for you to catch his next punch line, and du-uh, there you are again, rolling around, laughing.
Most of his Sets were, FUN-NY. His true talent definitely lies in impersonations and accents- Chinese, Indian, African, Jamaican, you name it.

This appeal is easy to understand in light of his material, much of which centers on being raised by conservative Indian parents in Toronto while his white friends got off easy.

For those who don’t know, Canada has turned out some of Hollywood’s best comedic actors. In fact, many of you will probably be surprised to read that greats such as; Mike Myers, Jim Carrey and Dan Akroyd are all Canadians.
Russell Peters is an Indian Canadian – not "native Canadian", but of Indian immigrant parents. Much of his hour onstage is spent dealing with ethnicity of various kinds, both of Indian characteristics and those of the folk he's encountered in his life.

The downside was that his improvised comedy relied on the standard "Anybody here from...?" ploy to introduce his ethnic and regional material. But he did manage some overt mockery of all ethnicities - none are spared! Including audience members (Korean, Chinese, Arab and even American)

His jokes on the “Aunties and uncles” and the Sexual overtones and Sexual Innuendos had the audience in splits. Makes one wonder if adult contemporary comedy goes with conservative Indian humor, and then came on Russell Peter’s Punjabi / Gujarati Jokes dispelled any doubt.

The show was definitely “Paisa Vasool” for his uncanny impersonations and outsider perspective, but being a performer who has become famous because of a phenomenon called U Tube, and is accessible to all those who want on limewire, Russell’s thought-provoking style of comedy makes him an entertainer worth watching!

But it’s a pity, as he has a relaxed and winning style, but comes with standard – “used before” comedy routines. He can work an audience well, deriving much of his worth in the first fifteen minutes' but he lacks continuity and consistency to lace his patter together, and in comedic terms this chameleon stays largely au naturel.

And maybe like he pointed out us Indians are really cheap and just like to comment!!!!
And after reading this… Somebody might get hurt a really bad!!!!

PS - For those who wanna read this review on print, pick up a copy of Midday Bangalore dated 28th february! :)

Bangaluru Habba - A perspective

2006-12-12T18:47:00.000+05:30

Yup! My blog is back in Action. Yup! I've stopped being net-lazy and have gone straight to be a web-guy!! yeah!! *bows to the applause*
My last authentic blog had 129 messages last time I counted, *bows to the standing ovation*
I wonder if half of that number of people even know I'm back in blogosphere. Apologies for being away for so long. Explanation due, Agreed. Will proceed shortly! *grin*

Dec 13th is an anniversary of sorts, so ill be celebrating!! :) The week's caught onto me, Office was fun, but packed. The weekend also was pretty hectic. And action packed, we caught the Grand Finale's of the Bangalore Habba. Here's an update.

Day 1 - Saturday 9th of December

Drove into Palace grounds just as Mr. Shivmani was doing his sound check. Walked in, searched for the pals who I had to give the complimentary passes to, and seated ourselves strategecially to hear the pre entry bands to Shivmani.

We heard the Gerard Machado Network, Amit Heri and Group and some other Bands
Yes, there were some technical glitches and we had wisecracks from the audience pouring in aplenty.

Guitarist (to sound guy) : There's a buzz in my Guitar
Wisecrack (to the general junta) : Maybe its the 'B' Flat??

Musician (To the Public) : Meet Amit Heri and group
Wisecrack (to the general junta) : Amit is really Hairy

Musician (to sound guy) : Can we have some more on the Bass
Wisecrack (to the general junta) : Yeah maybe if you had some women in your band!

Musician (to the general junta) : We've got some progressive Jazz blues for you
Wisecrack (or shud i say Crack) : Balle Balle, Apadi Podu Maga!!!

If those managed to tickle you, then maybe you missed out on the concert! lol.
But if it got u wondering what u were doing amidst these buffoons, then you will empathise with me and realise that maybe it was a wrong audience that these bands were talking to.

The bands were playing Benny Goodman, and the audience was doing "dapankuth", the bands were juicing out hendrix and the audience was doing bhangra!!!

Ive decided we dont need no more stand up comedy. All we need is to shoot video of the guyz around me and put them on big screen!!!
Id defenitely like to shoot them! Not with a video though!

I mean - These Guyz certainly werent the biggest JAZZ Enthusiasts ive seen!!!! *grin*

And then came the magician of percussion and he brought along some more wizards of the beat with him.
The first thing he did was take a minute to thank his "good friend". Dr. Rajkumar. The entire Audience, gave the late Annavaru a Standing Minute of Silence! Phew! What an Energy.
And with that move and a couple of "I Love bangalore's" Shivmani had cast his spell on all and sundry.
What a MOve! way to go Shivu! :) Savvy!

The Concert with Shivmani Jamming with SankaranKutty and his Kottuvadya drummers Stole the audience Heart Beat by beat.
Ive seen these drummers perform at the Guruvayoor temple and the Thrissur Puram, but watching them Jam, note for note, with Shivmani was a treat.
Phew! What a Rush when u hear esctatic sounds emenating from instruments you thought were temple props!!!!

Reminded me of the numerous gigs ive done with Shivmani. Yes it did take me on a nostalgia tour, especially to this once when we jammed up in Mambo's in Goa. Maybe another blog on that someday?

And as shivmani put it very nicely... The first beat that a human being hears is.. "Da-Dap ... Da Dap ... da Dap...Da Dap ..." The sound of your mothers Heartbeat! And from there starts our journey of rhythm. Our journey into the fantastic world of percussion. Our journey for the love of beats!! :)
The concert was overall exhilerating, and defenitely a miss out for all who didnt make it.

ANd oh! lest I forget, it was COLD!!!!! Frrrrreeeezing COLLDD! Luckily Ammu brought a shawl along. T'was our lone saviour... that wollen wonder!!! We were thus smarter the next day and padded ourselves with inners and outers and what not! hehehe

There was also MC Munish. Who Made a complete fool of himself. Wish I could tell it to him on his face. He's such a sweet kid, I have no heart to heart hurt, but here's to hoping he's game for constructive critisim. (I hope he's reading this)And there was MC Ramya. Was defenitely impressive and I'd like to audition her for Radio One *grin*. (I hope she reads this too!!)

Day 2 - Sunday 10th of December

After we got seated and all that Jazz, we realised that there was a seperate enclosure right in the front! Unfair!
We had VVIP Passes. But so did the entire World!!!!

Agreed there were people behind us and junta sitting everywhere else too, and that provided some consolation i guess. BUt ive learnt to be happy with what I have. & like they say "Its not what do not u have , its what u do with what you have"

The first act was B jayashree and her group - Spandana. Such a thrill to see a niche theatre performance on a Mass Stage like this. Her rangageethe renditions were to die for. Its always a pleasure to listen to Foot Tapping non commercial music.
This KInd of music is like the Rabbi of Indipop to give my outer worldly blog readers a similie.
Her tracks included hits from Hayavadana, some Kuvempu plays , and even a Pro-Kannada sentiment song which was a instant hit with the audience. (Scroll back to find out who the audience was *grin*)

Then came a barrage of nonsense following by our Stud Compere Munish, followd by Mr. Prasad Bidapa and his entourage with Three interesting sequences.
- The Titan new collection
- Peter England Collection
- & Hemanth Trivedi's Design Collection "Sheetal"

The Titan Collection was nicely Choreographed, but the fact that the watched couldnt be seen and left most wondering why the models were holding their hands up, was a flypside.

The Peter England collection was nothing much to rave about. I mean im no Fashion Literatti, but it takes less than common sense to see what looks good and what doesnt! No further comments! :)

It was a welcome change to see our very own Hemanth Trivedi back at what he does the best - Design.
It was good to see him on stage after his nicely cut Designs, and some of his clothes did get a few "ooh's" from the audience.. include a certain audience member seated right next to me! Now I know who's designing our wedding clothes! lol

Then was the susprise promised to the crowd by Prasad.
Arjun Rampal along with Meher Jessia. The 20,000 odd crowd was definitely surprised.

THey were there to promote their new film, I see you. The songs seemed arresting and Arjun himself was splendid. He cajoled 2 girls and a Toddler onto stage. Danced with them, kissed them, knelt down before them, and made their days. He surely stole 3 hearts that day. along with another 20,000 hearts! :):) I like!

He even Threw CD's at the crowd. And they clamoured for it like it was gold raining down from heaven or something. It was a nice moment. Somthing about crowd control, and dynamics of how people react when you show them genuine warmth. Something to be learnt there! ANother day perhaps!

He even Cracked a few wisecrack on how if his film "I see you" didnt do well, he'd end up in the ICU. Yup the man got multiple "so cute's" from the girls, and I have to admit, the men were pretty moved too!!!

Some more inane MC blabber followed that.And then a spurious energy burst in the form of Kailas Kher took over the stage. His Rustic Village Voice and Fantastic vibe took over Palace grounds and everyones hearts.

And then the true highlight of the concert breezed in.
Mrs. Malaika Arora Khan, Stimulatingly Attired in Short Gold Pants and showing perfectly toned body out to thousands of ogling eyes . Phew! Wat a turn on!!!!
Her breathtaking moves and gyrations to Chaiya Chaiya, Tauba Tauba, Kaaal, Ishk Toh, Ishk Toh and other HIts was defenitely a heady mix of eclectic excitement!

The highlight of my evening was defenitely Malaika Habba Habba Habba Arora.

The highlight of everyones evening, at the bollywood night was Malaika. Even as she attempted at throwing bouquets of flowers at the audience, hearts swooned!!
The flowers came all in pieces and were reduced to green shrubs!!!
But it came out from the malaika's hand!!
The crowd was going YAY! - Malaika Threw me Foilage!!!

And as a finaly, in between some more inneccesant compere banter, Nandini Alva and Padmini Ravi graciously took a bow, as bangalore bid adieu to this years Habba!!

For those who didnt catch the entire habba, This is what you missed!! It takes a great effort to celebrate Bangalore. And full marks to this years Habba for doing it in style!! :)

Bangalore has a lot of GIG's coming up. We got shakti (13th December) , Sonu nigam (16th December and Deep Purple (17th December) coming up soon.
For a city that shuts its party's down by 11:30pm, for a city that has the KRV fighting against english in advertisements, for a city that wants to educate its lower schools in Kannada, and for a city that thinks anything non-kannadiga is non bangalooru, thats a pretty heavy duty line up!!!
Ironic??

"The Guardian" - A Film Review

2006-12-09T08:21:00.001+05:30

Film : The Guardian
Date of Release (India) : 9th December 2006
Cast : Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher
Director : Andrew Davis (Fugitive, Collateral Damage)

“There is a legend of a man who lives beneath the sea … he is a fisher of men … a last hope of people who have been left behind.”

The Film starts with Kevin Costner’s voice in the background , (now we know where Bollywood gets ideas from!) and moves to quick snapshots of a helicopter whirring over some Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers. This tense emotional action drama is the highlight of this flick.
A noticeably trimmer Kevin-“Coast”-ner plays a veteran U.S Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Ben Randall. He holds all the records that can be held. But after a rescue mission goes tragically haywire, and suffering from the psychological scars of that mishap as well as the breakup of his marriage, Ben is sent to teach new recruits at an Coast Guard academy. He is advised to “download his resume where it matters”!
Enter high school swim champ Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher) – aka Goldfish – who wants to beat every record that Ben has created.

The film is well casted and Costner steals the show as the conflicted trainer. For a change he plays his age with the crow’s feet near his eyes, and the wrinkled salt and pepper look. There’s also an appealing ensemble cast of secondary characters of both officers and recruits. The story is quite enjoyable, filled with scenes of watery challenges and student bonding, with a good dose of humor sprinkled in. The trainer and trainee relationship goes through the checklist items of a typical training camp film. The candidates are subjected to backbreaking drills like oxygen deprivation, hypothermia, and how to save a drowning victim in the high seas. There are also the respective lady-loves of Ben and Jake, & they provide some emotional color to the entire sketch.

Yes, of course, Ben sees something of himself in the young hotshot Jake. But he also senses a hesitation on Jake's part to save someone if they were in true peril. So the question that both mentor and student must answer is whether Jake has the courage to sacrifice himself should that moment ever happen. The film goes into a lifesaver’s mind and dives into questions like “When you cannot save them all. How do you decide which one to?” And it gives you answers in the end.
This film will prove to be a film trivia buff's delight. The typical Newbie and Commander, Rookie and Officer, Trainee and Mentor relationship will remind you of many of the Basic training camp films it replicates. It is easy to brush this film off as a predictable, watery remould of "An Officer and a Gentleman", or a “Top Gun in the ocean”. Yet I found myself absorbed in the tense rescue scenes that dot the film from beginning to end. The film has interesting camera work & splendid underwater shots which add to the emotional drama. But I’ll give the film this… If you thought coast guards were “Baywatch” & Pam Anderson and Hasselhoff in their red trunks, well think again, Here’s a flick that’ll make you feel like hitting the pool and learning how to swim better.

Warning : The film runs over two hours.. so take your sweater along, it could get cold in the theatres when u watch those chilly alaskan rescue sequences.
Anjaan’s Verdict : Worth a Dekko, but Pick up the DVD!

Radio One Fm 94.3

2006-07-04T20:46:00.000+05:30

Its been such a hectic month. No time to post a blog. No time to travel. No time to meet mom. No time to even breathe. No time for anything other than fun. (read work)!!

This Sunday is possibly my last "free" weekend. I doubt If for the next three months ill have time to take a sunday off. Please pray for me.. *grins*. Ive realised that now that my lifestlye is so hectic, and exciting , theres nothing quite as refreshing as taking a warm shower then napping on the bed for an hour before getting clothed!!! And thats exactly what Im gonna do this sunday. I wonder when i'd be able to do it again. :)

I've had the luck to be the first employee in the programming department, and among the first three employees of the company itself. Ive managed to put my fingers deep into all aspects of setting up a radio station.

I'm sure a couple of years, or possible even months later we will fondly remember the days when there were only 3 people working out of a makeshift office and borrowed phones. Now we are a 30+ Strong team with a plush , vibrant, airy , bright , picturesque office on Museum Road!!! This office accomodates the Programming, Technical, Sales, Marketing, Accounts and Admin Functions too. Our Studios are Ready and all set to blast some great programming to bangalore.

The last 3 weeks were spent in getting trained and then further training the Jocks. Our training included training in Enco's DAD. We're the second (the other one being a one off set up in udaipur or something) station in the country to use Enco's software compared to the normally popular RCS. And the difference seems evident and Enco definitely scores more brownie points in our books. We're also being trained in Powergold (a music scheduling software) which induces a different set of happy makers on its own. Being part of the thrill of being able to decide what plays out and what doesnt on a radio station is magnificent.
Our trainers were the best in the business too. Enco's creator Eugene Novacek , Powergolds MD Jimmy Edwards , Reputed Trainer and Mumbai Jock Savio Baretto, and our own National Programming Manager and VP.

Last evening my Jock List got finalised. And I cannot be modest when I admit that they are really great. Each one is gearing up in his/her own way to make a difference to Radio in Bangalore. They're a fine set of guys and girls. And im proud of each and everyone of them for doing so brilliantly and making it so far. You'll hear them on air soon, and you'll know what I mean, and im sure you wont disagree.

I cannot stop exclaiming how everything is so New and Fresh. A new business. New friends. New software. New Direction. New Ideas. New list of things to do. New Radio Channel. Compltely New everything.

Like the famous saying goes... "The secret of getting ahead is the secret of getting started"

Our Music is in place, Our studios are geared up, Our Station Jingle is recorded, My breakfast team is all ready to rock your mornings, the Sales team is all set to bring in ads, the marketing team is all set to splash the city with Radio 1. Our sister concern, the Mid-Day daily is out. They're doing well. Now all we need is to go on air and for you to tune in. So spread the news. Tell people there's a new flavour coming to town. A new family set to turn ur world into a musical one. A new station which makes sure you get the Biggest HITS.

The thrill of being part of a company from the set up stage is something which words cannot describe. As we inch closer and closer to the launch of the station, the excitement is getting larger and larger. The butterflies are getting bigger and bigger. So wish us luck. We'll be on air Faster than u know it. So set ur frequencies on 94.3fm and keep your ears peeled to your radios.

Tune into Radio One Fm 94.3 , and enjoy Hit mele Hit mele Hit mele HIT!!!

FootBall Fever? .. FootFall Fever?

2006-06-10T23:09:00.000+05:30

The FIFA World Cup has begun. My fascination for man's fascination of watching 22 men run behind one ball will never cease.

For a lot of people football means coming together as a family or a group of friends and watching the game on TV. For some its a game played outside in the summers. Some people I know are fanatical about the game. Some friends of mine even take leave from work.
I'll Never Understand this fascination! :)

Any sport commercialised thus repels me. I guess in a way I'm being la-de-da and old school. But football .. (or should I call it Soccer)... today isnt football anymore!! Its shoes, beer brands, supermodels, shaving blades, burger joints and credit cards. I agree its not as commercialised as cricket.. or Religion for that matter, but the thrill of watching 2 teams battle it out flies away with the wind near the goalpost when you realise the amount of people(read brands) profiting from you watching that 1 game!
Innovate?
Ironic?

I do have one vivid memory of the World Cup from 2002 when Brazil beat Germany. It was a great game. But I dont think Im gonna be that excited this year, when brazil wins the world cup. *wink*

The whole world seems to be going completely nuts about this game. Statistics say everyone is gonna be watching the matches. Newspapers have nothing else to write about. Television channels are belting football news. Even the tv at the barber shop will only play football. Sigh.

Anyways, Namma Bangalooru isnt any less when it comes to innovative ideas to promote the game.. (or a show brand?) Take a look at some photogtraphs I got of my XDA-II this morning. This car was parked on Brigade road outside the Nike showroom.
I thought the idea was brilliant and the execution fantastic. A real treat for sour eyes.

Tell me what u think!

If your in Bangalore, make sure you go take a look. Its bound to be there for a few more days. And happy football (read brand) watching.

Selling out to the system

2006-05-22T17:13:00.000+05:30

I have finally done the deed. No no that one... did that long ago.. (to be precise on the 12th of February)!! *grin*

I have joined a company as a full time employee. I have sold my soul to the "system". I have given up the pleasures of the freelance life for the sweat of the organised commercial media sector.

Due to this move now, I wont have the pleasure of shaving my own boss, I cannot take off to Goa once in three months. I cannot walk into office anytime I want, and leave anytime I want. I cannot run 6 parallel businesses simultaneously. I cannot sleep late and wake up late. lol .. and beat this.. I Get PF and Gratuity!

The good news now!

I have joined Radio 1 - A venture between the Mid day group and BBC. The station will beam on 92.5fm. We are looking at a July 1st 2006 launch.

I am designated as Programming Manager. Ill be incharge of the programming, production and content management of the radio station in Bangalore. My primary Role will be Producing the Breakfast show. (Yippee)

After having done a thorough study of the 7 stations that are going to hit the Bangalore airwaves, I have concluded that this is one of the best stations to work with. Even though I did have offers from 3-4 other stations, this seemed to be the best bet. The company as such is all set to do extremely well in Bangalore. After its immense success in Bombay, they are launching their daily tabloid Mid-Day in Bangalore too.

When it comes to Radio, we have the best people in the business, starting from the CEO to the National Programming manager to the station head and the Programming director in Bangalore. Every one of them is weathered in the radio/media business and knows exactly what he/she is doing. A fantastic team to work with. My growth chart looks enticing and learning curve very promising. The programming wil be over the edge, and out of the box. The "wackiness quotient" will be very high. Creativity will peak.

The radio scene in Bangalore is going to get really competitive with 7+1 frequencies beaming out similar programming. Its an exciting phase to work on radio. This is when ground rules for radio will be made. Competition has always excited me, and this is as good as it getsIm not sure wether I'm gonna be RJ'ing as of now, maybe in a couple of months, but im darn right gonna do some good programming. And in 5 years I can look back and say I helped revolutionise radio in Bangalore~!!!! :)

Even though I was making more money as a freelancer, the fact that industry standards wise, my payscale seems to be above average is very heartening. At the end of the day its NOT all about the money is it?

So folks, wish me luck with this new venture in my life, and its not as bad as I portray it to be, trust me, its a good move! :) And like they say, You have to be in the system, to fight the system! Right?

Afternote :-
We am on the lookout for Radio Jocks, Programmers, Producers, Music Managers, Copywriters, and idea people. If anyone reading this is interested and knows their music, Call/Mail me Asap.

Talk Maadu Beka?

Costume Party!!!

2006-05-11T12:26:00.000+05:30

I turned 26 on the 10th of May. The day was so exciting. Ammu gifted me a 90min swedish massage at the "Leela", Buffet Lunch, And a truckload of gifts. Im so lucky for that girl in my life.

In the evening We visited my parents and then my grandparents and took their blessings. Then came the wildest time of my entire day.. We threw A Costume Party!!
What a Wild Party!!! The most memorable Birthday party ever.

Ammu Dressed up as a malayalee girl. I was a Cuban Havana Mafia Henchman.
The other characters were Rahul Dravid with a tail, Mirchi Girl, Egyptian Belly Dancer, Wild west Cowgirl, Tool Man, Secret Agent, Clark Kent, A Milkman, A drag queen, Arabian Sheikh , Camboian Tourist , Boot Camp Recruit , a schoolkid , golfer / male avril lavinge , and others.

What Fun! Phew!
Some photos for you to relish!

Ive Turned an Year Older. Things look new again. Its a new dawn I guess, its a new day. Its a new life. Its a whole set of New feelings. Birthdays are truly special arent they. No matter how much you think "its just another day", In reality.. It isnt! :)
Happy Birthday to me.

123456

2006-05-02T21:25:00.000+05:30

On first Thursday of May, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06. That will never happen again, at least in our lifetime!

As we move along the waves of time, hope you enjoy this unique time wrap! Happy Once in a Lifetime Experience!!!

Apernit SIngh- Indias Fastest Guitarist

2006-04-29T11:15:00.000+05:30

This Sunday make a date with your radio sets.

Tune into Radio City 91fm Bangalore and Listen to Apernit Singh - LIVE AND LOUD.

Find out more about Apernit as an artiste, get to know the new tunes of his album, and how he aims to be among the guitar legends of the world. Apernit talks about his hopes, dreams aspirations and about his new album releasing on cresendo music called "Apernit - Indias Fastest Guitarist".

Also Get to hear an exclusive special preview of his lead single "Dhoondo Kahan" - for the first time on Indian Radio!!!!

Dont miss out on this First of a kind interview as RJ Rohit Jayakaran smoothly guides you between Apernits Music and some good conversation.

Apernit Singh - Indias Fastest Guitarist, Live on 91fm, 30th April 8pm onwards.

For Bookings / cassete and merchandise purchase and any form of feedback pls mail me on meanjaan@gmail.com , or apernit@thetpot.com

Addiction!!

2006-04-23T08:52:00.000+05:30

People have addictions. Some are addicted to nicotine, some to caffeine, other to Cocaine. But im Addicted to MMORPGS!

For the newly initiated or noobs (read newbie) MMORPG is a Massively Multiplayer Online Real Play Gaming Device.This enables thousands of players to play in an evolving virtual world at the same time over the Internet. MMORPGs are a specific type of massively multiplayer online game (MMOG).

Im completed addicted to them. I spend my work days wishing I way online playing, I spend my nights dreaming about the different levels and weapons and avatars, I spend my free time Playing. Sigh! Im addicted! And im not complaining!

The world today is a PS2 world, and is a game like CS (Counterstrike) has been played by almost everyone... its time for the MMORpgs to take over!

The online world is a fantastic world. A world where one creates avatars, buys land, creates friends, wins money, puts it in a bank, goes grocery shopping, shoots people, becomes a doctor, becomes a pilot.. whatever one wants.

Im comparitively new to the world of Mmorpgs. Ive only indulged in Free mmorpgs. A3, Navyfield , and Ragnarock have been my favourites.

My latest addiction is Gunz . A fast paced shooting game. Their Indian version launched on april 10th and relaunched on april 17th. Download the Indian Version if you want now.
Gunz is a FPS MUD
FPS MUD means First Person Shooting Multiple Dungeons. It is smaller then a MMORPG. This game has rooms ranging from 8 to 16 members. If you ever played gun bound or American Army it is sort of like that in rooms. Further more it is really a 3rd person shooting but we consider it a First person because that is what the genre title is.

If U do download, and start playing, do come onboard and look for "Quickshot", Thats me. Happy Shooting! :)

The Becoming of Annavaru

2006-04-13T09:53:00.000+05:30

Dr Rajkumar passed away Last afternoon. He would have turned 77 on the 24th of April.
And this should happen exaclty 3 days after I post on Life and Death - Ironic?

Its not even 24 hours since the incident and the aftermath is already hitting us hard on the head. The death of the Kannada Mega superstar has sent a smoothly functioning city into haywire. It has aroused emotions and fuelled anger and wrath. Its understandable that a state so deep rooted in culture has such feelings for the demise of an old man, but should the passing on of a "Legend" lead to riots and road roka's?

The Local Daily's headline reads "Star passes on" And Alongside it says "Fury and Fire Grip City"

Im guessing that Kannada film activits and the general pro kannada movement and anti social elements are at play for these spurious incidents. Vandals are reported to have broken windsheilds and set ablaze to vehicles in many parts of the city. There also have been reports of stone pelting. Protestors had ensured that by 4pm all the shops all around town were closed.. in the name of mourning. Offices were asked to close. Theatres were forcibily stopped.
Thank god all schools and most colleges have study holidays going on now!

These incidents got me thinking.
What is the use of Vandalism? What do these people think their final outcome will be? Why should a city mourn? Who instigates such riots? Who controls such behaviour? The public. or a few who hold the masses by a leash and move them like pawns on a chess board.? Who operates the Remote Control? If anyone has answers for these questions please do tell me.

All of us remember the Rajkumar Kidnapping. And then the time he was admitted to the hospital. I guess the public should have been mentally prepared for what bangalore has seen is the last 24 hours!

Another intersting Irony to note is that , the same village , Singanallur , has given Karnataka its most famous, and its most notorious, citizen. Rajkumar, born Muthuraj, shares a birthplace with a certain Koose Muniswamy Gounder - more notorious as the sandalwood smuggler and brigand Veerappan.

But that defenitely is one of life's little ironies - for there could be nothing as disparate as the cop-killing, elephant-slaughtering Veerappan and Rajkumar, the matinee idol, an accomplished singer of both film tunes and bhajans and, by all accounts, an aesthete who has, in his advancing years, developed a marked penchant for religion. Incidentally, most of his devotional songs are in honour of Raghavendra Swami - who ranks among his followers the likes of Tamil film icon Rajnikanth, and classical singing doyen Bhimsen Joshi.

The Prayer

Oh doyen of Kannada film industry, Annavaru (elder brother), Mannina Maga (son of the soil) , Kannada Kanmani (Kannadas Darling) , Oh Matinee Idol, Role model to millions of Kannadigas, Sinagullur Puttaswamaiah Ganallur Muthuraj, aka, Dr. Rajkumar... The City mourns for you, The City Burns for you, The city weeps for you, The city Riots for you.
I plead with you. Wherever you are, please influence the minds of your fans and other and make sure they are spiritually at peace.

The Flipside

Frankly Dr.Rajkumar made no difference to my life, or the life of the people I am close to. Until Today.
The karnataka government has declared a holiday today. There will be no offices and schools. Most shops still remain closed for fear of vandalism.
Therefore we have a LONG weekend. My next work day would only be Monday! Yippee! I get to catch up on my sleep, my reading, my bloggin, my mails, my accounts, Spend some quality time with Ammu, and catch up on all that's been pending.

On a lighter note you do wonder why all the halla over the death of someone who was 77. I guess the classes will never understand the masses. And vice versa. I guess we do live in 2 different worlds, like the Ennoi and the Morlocks (from H.G.Well's time machine). Some friends I know are wishing the event happened when we were in college. So that we could cherish this holiday even more. The Irony?

Here's Something to Lighten up the moment. Im sure the ladies will like the way the tush-shake of the tight white pants. Something For you to Remember the Doyen oF Kannada Cinema By. May his Soul Rest in Peace.

The Truth of Life

2006-04-10T10:28:00.000+05:30

That which is born shall Die.

That which begins shall End.

That which Starts shall Finish.

What goes Up will come Down.

What is Created will be Destroyed.

What Commences will Cease.

That which Originates will Decay.

That which is Opened will be Shut.

Every Wound, shall Heal

Every Wall Plastered, shall Peel.

Every Cookie Baked, shall Crumble.
That is the truth of Life!

Bread, Butter and JAM!!!

2006-03-25T13:11:00.000+05:30

Has it ever happened to you that suddenly you wonder if things are really what they seem. Does it feel like sometimes the entire world is looking at conning you into someplace you dont want to go? Do u wonder why things happen? Does it make you stop and think. Does it make you contemplate? Does it make you Laugh at the state the world is in?

Has it ever happened to you that, you wonder why certain things will never change, and certain things change all the time??

The most hilarious and paradoxical event happened to me on friday.
I was in a Traffic Jam!

Now ladies and gentlemen, this is no ordinary traffic jam. This is a traffic Jam, that teaches one that what in reality is, is actually not. Kinda Freudian, but different. This is a traffic jam that makes one wonder what the truth actually is!!

You will all agree that the modern phenomenon known as the "Traffic Jam" is definetely one of the biggest avenues for wastage of of human talent, skill, time, energy, and patience, not to mention the copious amounts of petroleum gasoline, motor oil, steering fluid, transmission fluid, brake fluid, etc.

It takes a lot to endure such scourge. Its a demanding job. Being part of a Traffic Jam! Demanding from the driver and especially demanding from the poor Vehicle.

The jam happened on the ever famous (not) Hosur Road! YUp. This jam was the Mother of all jams. I had finished an event in electronic city for Satyam and was headed back home (Frazer town) . The happiness of having a seemingly well-done Hosur Road was pretty short-lived. The magic of the 6 lane super highway between Bangalore and Hosur blended into nothingness. As I entered hosur road my not so sharp ears already started picking up loud honking and people shouting. I could see kilometers and kilometers of trucks and cars lined up, on their way back to bangalore. And I thought to myself.. Ah! there goes half an hour in a traffic jam. (usual bangalore standards).

Ive heard of nightmarish stories and exasperating tales of being stuck in traffic Jams on Hosur Road. I was thanking my stars and the good GOD above for not letting me be a "software engineer".

Anyways. I ventured boldly into where my car and me had never gone before. And guess what. I was stuck in this jam from 11.10 to 1.50. That is be the LONGest traffic JAM I've ever been in. I agree by standards of people who travel everday to electronic city this must have been a miniscule jam.

But here is what took cake, and made me think about the pride of Bangalore , the 6 lane superhighway. The jam happened 11.10pm to 1.50 am .

Yup. Feel Flummoxed. A traffic Jam in the dead of the night! With the stars above my head. I was stuck in a TRaffic Jam in the middle of the night! How unbelievable is that. The irony eh?

There were trucks and goods vehicles everywhere. Swarming all around like bees from an attacked beehive. Chaos and disorderliness prevailed. You couldn't also miss out on the many humps on the road that only helped in the most bizarre of traffic jams. Not to forget the reckless driving of those blessed truck drivers who think they are the kings at this time of the night. The innumerable unruly city riders and drivers. One carries on with raving and ranting, fretting and fuming, grimacing and grouching, whining and wailing, cribbing and complaning, but then, who's listening to you?? The irony eh?

And in between that the karnataka government is creating the 9 km flyover along Hosur Road leading to Electronic city. To begin in April 2005, this will take 30 months for completion. The 6 lane Super highway causes a jam in the middle of the night, wonder what Expressway is gonna do? The estimated cost of construction of the 9-km elevated super highway is Rs. 450 crores.

Wonder if Chaotic truck guys know that!!!! The irony eh?

I feel I am lucky to only have to travel Hosur road once in a while. I know my friends who work in Electronic City and they spend most of their day on this road. Also bangalore is also the only place you can ever see a traffic police constable controlling the traffic on a flyover bridge, or at a construction site. And expecting a traffic cop in the middle of the night is like expecting the impossible.

Thankfully I had my Caselogic to keep me company for the entire duration. I did manage to catch some sleep too. Only to be woken up by the rude honks from the truckers and tempo guys behind me. In retrospection I probably would have got home faster If I walked home.

Hosur road really set me thinking about where the our city and the civilised world in general is going to. All this infrastructure, civilisation, superhighways, expressways, and Im still stuck in a traffic jam at 1pm in the night!!!!!

Life is after all a bittersweet symphony isnt it?

Bangalore - Garden city? Pcity? City with beautiful women? IT City?? Naaaah!!!
Bangalore is defenitely the Traffic Jam capital of India.

Pilgrimage to a Paradise called Palolem

2006-03-17T17:38:00.000+05:30

Yup I did it again. Travelled on impulse. Even though its been due for more than 6 months now, it really was a last minute decision. Ive promised myself after this trip that no matter what Im doing "Goa" at least 2 times in a year.
In 2002, 2003, 2004 , I managed to clock an average of 4 times a year. In 2005, I went only Once. I did make up for it by heading to thailand and egypt! But Goa is Goa. There's no arguing with that.

Over the years so many things have changed about Goa. For one, everyone seems to be going there. The combination of the "sosegãdo" or laid back lifestyle, the amazingly bracing weather and Goa's carnival-like nightlife has lured many people to it off late.

Gone are the days when baga and calangute (north goa for the uninitiated) was travellers paradise. Now its more like a fishmarket. SO MANY PEOPLE. We even tried the staying at Harambol and Arpora moves, (Again north beaches), but no luck! North Goa just doesnt excite us anymore.

We did stay in Baga for 2 nights. We did the whole flea market (Ingos' and mackies - Both in Arpora hill area). We went to this new night club called "on the rocks" where DJ gopu from bangalore spins now. We also did the whole paradiso, mambos, kamaki, titos circuit. Not so exciting. We also caught the sunset at harambol and did the humdrum Anjuna, dando, Aswem Circuit. Was nice. We also managed to catch some forts, and some churches.

While the north is where the action is, the south is where the relaxation is. South of Margao, are some of the most fantastic beaches in ASIA. Beaches like Arrosim, Colva, Betalbatim,Benaulim and of course the Picturesque Palolem.

Palolem is the ideal beach to feel the soft sand beneath your feet. This is where one realises that there is no place like a warm, inviting beach in Goa to make you feel at peace with the universe.

Palolem beach, situated in the Canacona distrct, is also known as "Paradise Beach". Until a few years back, it was among the virgin beaches of Goa. It is a fishing beach popular for its dolphin cruises and fishing trips.

We stayed in some coco huts (which u dont find in Baga). And did precisely "nothing for two days. We, ate, slept, watched the sunset, swam, played with puppies, and ate and slept! Thats it! :)

Ah! the pleasure of a holiday!
I urge everyone who reads this to catch the next bus/flight to goa. Now! Go ... Go... GO.... GO... Goa!!
U can always get back to work on Monday!?

Sigh!

Make some noise, Some Blank Noise!

2006-03-09T11:46:00.000+05:30

Make some noise, Some Blank Noise!

It was womans day yesterday! Isnt every day womans day? Doesnt the day belong to them as much as it belongs to men? Dont women take care of us men every single day. Dont they do the things men do, everyday. But it was womans day yesterday. 1 day in a year to celebrate yearlong acheivements. The irony eh?

This Blog is an ode to all the women I know. All the women who have influenced me and continue to change me everyday. Its these women who have made me the man I am today. Its these women who make me a better man each day! My mom, my grandma, my aunts, my school friends, my classmates, my ex girlfriends, my teachers, my neighbours daughters, my friends, my sisters, Ammu and my female listeners. A huge Thank you to each one of you! :)

This Blog is also my bit for the Blank Noise Project . A unique anti street harrassment project. They also have offline activities in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi. Make sure you take a look, and see what you can do to spread the word. Do your bit to help women from all around!

My womans day went off pretty well. I went to sleep the previous night watching "Casanova". A story of women actually, (will blog that sometime soon) . I woke up with 2 women by my side..*grin* (now now dont get all excited, One was Ammu and the other mandy) . The first thing I did in the morning (before even brushing my teeth) was head to supermarket to buy the girls a pack of "monthly protection gear". What a way to start womans day eh? lol. The entire day was packed with women and things women need. A friend of mine did a radio show on radiocity with Jasmeen. Got me thinking on the true meaning of womens Day. To convince me of my opinions and fortify my thoughts, came a blessing in disguise! A womans day event. My night ended with a womans day fashion show event At I Bar, Bangalore.

Last night It finally hit me! At the pub, during the event, as semi naked men were walking on the ramp, I realised something! The ladies were whistling, hooting, screaming, burping and being completely outrageous. The things that men usually do. Once the male models started walking the ramp there was ample Clawing, pawing, grabbing, Commenting on Sizes, tightness and color, and glaring, and other ego-gnawing acts. There was a lot staring and letching. And lewd gesturing. Some women even went to the extent of pulling out the models clothes. (the models did seem to enjoy it though) Some women even went on to comment that a planet "without men" would be ideal. Another even went on to explain how she loved vibrators to men!! Another Said she'd like her "sausage".. without the "pig" sheesh!! the things a poor innocent compere has to go through!!
For one night, All the women thought like men! They even acted like men!

Just one night of male bashing, and adam teasing (if there's such a term), made every man in there feel really insecure. It made every man squirm. It made every man cover his private parts. Made every man wish he was somewhere else, probably safe at home. Im sure most men in there wished the earth would cave in and swallow them.

I empathise with women, who have to go through this every day!
I empathise with woman kind, who are taken for granted!
I empathise with girls of all ages who have to mind their tongue, clothes and bodies because us men will do what we do the best.. "Think Like a man!"

Street Harassment is a common phenomenon. All of us know at least 1 girl who has been troubled/letched at or felt up/grabbed by a complete stranger at some point of her life. And mind you, these are only smaller issues. The bigger ones usually go unspoken for. After hundreds of arguments and multiple fights against men who indulge in street harassment, one wonders if there's any point to standing up for it at all!

And then it dawns on you! What is happening is a world wide phenomenon. And unless someone stands up for it, correction, unless everyone stands up for it, things WONT change!!!

There can be a million questions!!! Will men always be men? Or will they change? Women will always be oppressed? Or will that change? Only Time will give an answer to that. But all of us can work our way to the answer we want.

I urge every woman who reads this to get Angry. Get angry for your own sake. Anger creates fury. Fury creates fear!! I urge every woman to get infuriated! Indulge in wrath!! I urge you To NOT lay low!

But its important to get out that anger in the right way. Its important to channelise it. Start using Pepper spray, learn the Three point technique (Eyes, Solar plexus, groin) , start educating the men you know, Talk to other women about things that trouble you, about men who harrass Start voicing your opinion. Start to Make some noise. Some blank noise.

Im proud to be part of the The Blank Noise Project blogathon

The Underdogs.

2006-03-03T10:46:00.000+05:30

Many People have started asking me questions about the radio station that I work for. Its a little difficult to understand how All India Radio operates, But I'm going to try my best to explain it in the next few lines.

All India Radio Bangalore's FM Channel beaming out on 101.3Khz on the Fm Bandwidth has a Listenership of 11 million. They have a 11KW Transmitter which beams out to a Coverage Area of 11,300 Sq.KM. The Percentage Listener Population among Radio Set Owners is 89%.

I currently work as a Radio Jockey for All India Radio, Bangalore, and host Western and Hindi repertoire on the FM Rainbow station. I have been with the Fm station since their launch in September 2001 (Hosted their first show). I have more than 12,000 hours of presentation to my credit. (From Sept 2001 when FM-Rainbow was launched in Bangalore to date). Im also their senior most jock. *ahem*
I produced, marketed and hosted a 16 episode Retro Genre special called “Retrojam”.
I also presented A.I.R’s only western Music “Phone-in” Programme on the MW frequency, for about 18 months. (Before the launch of FM)
I handle production assignments with A.I.R on a freelance basis.

Thanx to this station I have developed skills in Radio Jockeying, Scripting, Production/Design and Packaging of the shows, OAP’s/Sleeves and Playlist & Content management.

My shows have included Genre based specials, celebrity guest appearances, contests, and request specials. (Live phone in, sms and email driven).
My celebrity interview list includes artists like Euphoria, Pundit Vishwamohan Bhatt, Tanya Zaetta from AXN, Parikrama, Strings, Shibani Kashyap, Bombay Rockers, MLTR, and many others.
The format of my shows has predominantly been “CHR”. (Contemporary Hit Radio)
I have developed a definitive loyal audience for myself on AIR. I love my listeners and would do anything to keep them happy and content. I play hits that they want. My request show "The goodie bag" is on everytime im on. I sqeeze in maximum listener names in the shortest period of time. And I play the hottest Hits.
Last Night I gave away 100 Passes to the strings concert this Sunday. Felt Elevating~ :)
Its been flattering getting appreciation bouquets from all my listeners. Thank you!

All India Radio is a government enterprise. Along with the strict rules comes along the hypocrisy, the red tapism and passing of the buck. Ive lasted with them 7 Years now. Seems like a task but its pretty simple if you dont involve yourself in the politics.

FM Rainbow is the channel which beams out on 101.3FM. RJ's like me are called "casual presenters". The transmission takes places in three segments, namely 6am-11am, 11am-5pm, 5pm-11am. I usually only host the evening slots. (Third Transmission)

We're not employees of this magnificant organisation because we're legally allowed only 10 transmissions in a month. Which means im legally allowed to RJ only 10 days a month!
This came about because some smart fella in Calcutta finished around 26 transmissions in a month and then went and filed a petition in the court for employee status. He lost the case!

Now you need to understand that being a government run station, All India radio operates completely differently from private stations (Like 91fm in Bangalore)
Firstly we're not full time employees. The plus point to that is that someone like me can come in whenever he wants and leave whenever he wants. I usually host the thursday shows. But if I have some other engagement on any thursday, I can get it switched,cancelled,postponed. No hassles.
Our transmission quality is decided by studio engineers who , if in a good mood, keep the gain optimised. Every word of ours is monitored. Social awareness and public responsibility is stressed on. (That I would see as a good thing). But then there are loopholes everywhere. I can say "wanking in the bathtub" and they wont know what im talking about, but I cant use the word "SEX". I cant play "sexy eyes" by whigfield, but ive heard jocks get away with Eminem swearing at his pubes! In a way AIR trains you to be careful of what your saying. Ive leart to avoid using brand names, and anything with a commercial value.
Unlike private radio stations, we still put cd's into the cd player (read outdated topex machines) and press the play button. We still have to play some ads through outdated CTR machines, and some jocks even play songs from LP's and DATS. We still have to manually cue our ads, and interloop our soundbeds.

But its fun. Like ive always said. If u can drive an ambassador car on ..say.. JC Road in Bangalore, You can drive any car anywhere in the world.
Its the same principle.

The rules that we adhere to, the log book entries which we write like school imposition, the silly reasons we get called to the programming department for, and the petty issues that crop up are all very disheartening and demotivating at times.
Also the fact that the average listener compares us to the Technology and Positioning driven private networks, keeps us alarmed at all times.

The Irony - .(du-uh read the blogspot title)
The oldest Radio Establishment in the country, being fast outwitted and outdone by newer lesser experianced players.
The misuse and abstinence of use of the Massive studio facilities in bangalore.
The lack of proper programming and positioning of the channel and the station itself.
An entire frequency (for which bidders are bidding crores of rupees) without any direction.

Sometimes one feels Sad. Sometimes grateful. Sometimes Dejected. Sometimes Elated.
Such a glorius enterprise. And a frequency which has some brand value. But the people running it have no clue what their doing. And someone like me , who in AIR's books is dispensible and "small fry" cant do Shit! The jocks have tried so many things over the years. Ive seen jocks come and jocks go. Some last a week, or less, and some months together. Most people see this as a stepping stone to a bigger template. Or as a part time hobby. Thats where AIR loses out!

With worlspace beaming out 40 channels of crystal clear music and with 6 new private players hitting the market and going on air in less than 3 months, I wonder whats going to happen to All India Radios - FM 101.3.

All India Radio has taught me a lot. And in the next few months when I have sold out to a private player, (for monetary and otherwise reasons), I will look back fondly at my days with the underdogs! :)

All India Radio - FM Rainbow. THree Cheers to you.
You are defenitely the "Buffalo Soldiers" of Radio!!

tune into Anjaan on 101.3fm every thursday between 6-7pm and 9-11pm hosting "The Buzz" and "The Goodie Bag"

-------------------------------------------

Bangalore Live!!!

2006-02-25T10:06:00.000+05:30

Good News! Great News!
A Project that my Company "The T-Pot Media" has been working on for a while now has finally seen the sunlight. Indias First Internet Television is here.

The aim is to create an online community which veiws, opines, gets excited, gets incited by the news capsules that we offer them. An interactive internet initiative to bring out local news in an international Level. My company is involved in the production and management of all the videos you see there. Entertainment and lifestyle Capsules.

Sify is the parterning Company, and is doing spends on parallel media soon. (Hoardings, Television, Radio, Print, Offline Event)
Bangalore is their first city and we're on a 3 month pilot phase. We're looking at replicating this to Bomabay, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkotta and Hyderabad.

Im totally excited because this is my first foray into Online jounalism!!!
The videos you see have been shot by a Guy Im terribly impressed with "Nimish Jain" and His friend Chetan. The NJ's (Net Jockeys) are all Freshers in the communication business and seem to be doing well!

To take a look at what im talkin about go to the Bangalore Live Website.
Click on to the "Bangalore Buzz" Tag and choose the video you want to see.
Tell me what you think. Do play devils Advocate. Tell me frankly what you think. Bouquets and Brickbats accepted!

And I'm looking for feedback. Feedback!!!

Of Marriages and Mehendi

2006-02-22T13:36:00.000+05:30

The Last weeekend was truly a maddening one.

Two Very very close friends of mine were getting hitched. Yup Biting the dust.

Its the marriage season now apparently and 18th of February was apparently a very auspicious day.. "Shubh Muhurath" Like they say. So on that day .. ironically.. were two marriages.
Namita Got hitched to Dhiren.. A love cum Arranged Marriage.
Paridhi Got hooked to Vaibhav.. An arranged cum Love Marriage.

And since yours truly is not omnipresent he was chided by both "best friends" (namita and paridhi) for not attending their respective sangeets and shaadi's.

Since the entire weekend which was packed with sagai's mehendi's, sangeets, shaadi's and the receptions got me thinking on a lot of things.

Why do people actually get married??? Whats the true reason behind the institution of marriage??

According to a Survey, the top five reasons why people get married are:

To signify a life-long commitment
Security for children
To make a public commitment
For legal status or for financial security
Because of religious beliefs

The same survey group said that the main reasons people do not get married are:

Fear of divorce and what goes with it
Avoidance of commitment
Fear of making a mistake
Bad previous experience
Belief that a strong commitment does not need marriage
Desire for a single lifestyle
Belief that marriage will interfere with work and a career

I realised that people get married in the hope of improving their life. No one actually marries to sacrifice for the other person. People marry because somehow they believe it makes life better for themselves. Once you understand this basic rule, you can start to understand why a man wants to marry and why he doesn't.

I realised that we men only marry if we believe it will make our life better. We do not marry because we want to sacrifice our pleasures or give up our joys. A man who sees marriage as burdensome, hard, upsetting, or painful will avoid marrying.
Sometimes Marriage has has little to do with love. A person may love you, but avoid marrying you (or anybody else) if they somehow believe life with you will be difficult. Im guessing its the same for women. People in love will question this. But it remains true. NO matter how much a couple is in love, unless life with each other is easy, they wont move into the marriage zone. I know! Ask me! :)

For some men, single life just is better - and nothing will sway them. They may like women, but they don't need them. You can't change this type of man.
A man must feel he is 'getting' something by marrying - a feeling, a reward, a purpose, comfort, thrills, whatever. Of course there are exceptions to this rule. And ammu will vouch for that.. wont u Ammu?

Since we're on the topic, here's an advice to all the ladies out there. You have to learn how to push a man's pleasure buttons. If you can figure out what constitutes pleasure and meaning to him, then you can begin to understand why he would marry.

Is pleasure for him having a family? A beautiful wife other guys will envy? A helper and emotional support? A best friend for life? Would he love not having to worry about cooking and cleaning? Does he need help financially? Does he need a woman to baby him? Be his partner? Help him straighten himself out? Is he looking for a woman to have a blast with? Or a woman to take care of? Does he want a woman he has to work for and please?

Years ago, men often married for sex. It didn't come so easily, and this motivated them. The prospect of unlimited sex propelled many a man into marrying. Sex meant pleasure, which humans crave. Humans will put themselves in terrible - even dangerous - situations at the prospect of great pleasure. Today, men can have this without marrying. A woman must now understand the other reasons a man marries.

To conclude, I think before anyones gets hitched, they have to begin to think of what they need in a relationship.

If your a woman ask yourself - and what kind of a man has needs you are able and willing to fill. Ask yourself: Am I fun to be with? Am I difficult, critical, picky? Do I give my boyfriend pain or pleasure? How often do we fight? Do I pick on small transgressions? Am I always complaining, whining and wanting to discuss 'the relationship'? When is the last time we had a really fun time together? Do you easily snap at him - whether he deserves it or not?

And if your a man! - Well. Just makes sure you keep her happy, cuz only then will she keep you happy! :)

Both my friends have found men that they always wanted. One converted her childhood/college romance into a bond of love that will never fade, a bond called marriage. The other let her parents choose a boy for her, and fell in love in a couple of dates, and now shes So happily in love with him, and shows all the signs of sticking with him forever.

Im so happy for both of them. 4 more people in this world are Happily Married! :)

Heres a Photo of Paridhi, Vaibhav and Me!

And this here is a photo of Namita's Mehendi!

COngrats to both my friends.. Namita my best pal.. and Paridhi My pal who i know for the LOongest time! LOve u guys!
Congrats to their respective better halves too! :) Both of you are Lucky Men! :)

D-Day

2006-02-17T22:03:00.000+05:30

I finally Did IT! I asked Ammu to Marry me. I asked the woman of my dreams to join me in the journey of life.

The thing that every man fears. The move that every man dreads. The scariest (read happiest)thing a man has to ever do. (Thank God) The D-Day happened in my life too.

The date was the 12th of February.
I took her for a nice romantic candle light dinner, Just the two of us.. pre valentines date kinda thing. Meanwhile home was being set up for the most amazing night of our lives. (So far at least)
I wanted everything to be perfect for her! :)

The deed was done in a house filled with candlelight, on a bed of flowers. We had our song (dilko) playing in the background as soon as she entered the house. The perfect Setting.
Kneeled on one knee, Wearing a Tuxedo, I opened a red velvet box, which had a diaomond ring in it.
Sigh! I had to make sure she couldnt say NO!

And she said Yes!

Will update everybody on what our families think soon, But its been 5 days and Im outta of post proposal shock, so I decided I would blog the happiest incident of my life!

Special Thanx to Bhushan for the event organisation, Sandy, Munish and Aditi for the execution, Jaiveet for the strength, Hisham for the support and Sumeet for the Advice. Love you guys.

And Ammu.. U make my world go around! COngratulations Sweetie :)

Dog (?) Tagged!

2006-02-10T09:45:00.000+05:30

I have been tagged by Arun Katiyar.

The Rules of the game are:
1. The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points of their perfect lover.
2. You need to mention the sex of the target.
3. Tag 8 victims to join this game and leave a comment on their comments saying they’ve been tagged.
4. If tagged the 2nd time, there’s no need to post again.

My Tag answers are a slightly different set of 8 points than you'll find in any other tag.

The irony (irony seems to be my main writing device) is that I have already found the perfect woman. People who know me from a long time will vouch that ive had a steady trial and error phase in my life.
But for the last 3 years its been more or less this same girl whos been defining perfection for me. Every person has a wishlist they'd like in their partner. My partner defines my wishlist. This girl has now grown to the perfect woman. The qualities I write below belong to Her.
(Note. The word Perfect to be read as "Fits into my bill")

The Perfect Woman is...

1. Someone who will Love me for who I am. In a world filled with facades and illusions, the only thing real seems to be her love. Someone Who will love me till the world comes to an end. Who will love me for all I can be. Who will love me so much that it sometimes hurts her. She is someone who is ready to fight for our love, with her parents, with society, with the world, with her life.

2. Someone who is really Girly! I like opening doors, hailing cabs and pulling out chairs. Some people pooh pooh me as old school, but in my books a man without chivalry is no man at all!
My perfect woman Cries during soppy scenes at the movies, wears gurly skirts and sways around in them knowing that im looking, laughs at the drop of a hat, flutters her eyelashes ever so cutely, wears gurly jewellery and things with lace, satin, ribbons on them.
She also cuddles up into my arms when shes tired and lets me hold her when shes scared. She lets me grab her when I get back from work and lets me lead when we're crossing the road.
She can open the doors of life herself, But she lets me!!

3. Someone who likes the good things in Life. Like strawberries and cream, Long walks on MG Boulevard, Early morning cold showers, Sunsets in Goa, Old reruns of "Friends" on Star World, Dining out, Candlelit meals, Long Drives, talking to random animals (cows,dogs, horses, donkeys, auto drivers) on the road, Bebinca, hanging out with friends, jhonsons baby oil, hot bhutta on a cold bangalore evening and Pillow Fights!

4. Someone who has similar tastes as Me. My Perfect lover loves going to the same Movies, read the same articles in the paper, like the same nightclubs, same restaurtants, same people, same colors, Same beaches, Same roads for long drives, same eccentricities and same cartoons! She floods me with surprises and we're always competing for the next surprise!
We think alike. We even say the same things out at the same time. *jinx* She even feels for the same things that I feel for. For the underprivelegdged .For the Poor, the Needy, the Jobless, the Hungry. Shes as patriotic as I am. No Less NO more. Shes As stubborn as I am. She's my mirror. An ethereal better looking reflection.

5. Someone who is a complete entertainer. My perfect woman is animated and a treat to watch. She is funny and can makes people laugh and smile wherever she goes. She can sing, She can dance, She can hop skip and jump up and down. She has to be able to drive away my blues and make me smile whenever she feels like. She has her own lingo and has make sure I speak it too. My perfect woman plays hide and seek, peekaboo, ,monopoly, rummy, bluff and poker. IM also gonna teach her blackjack soon!

6. Someone who is Extremely Wantable. I might seem a little shallow with this post, but what the hey.. whos reading anyways! My perfect woman IS Very attractive. Her attractiveness and charm goes more than her good looks. Her entire personality is magnetic. Shes a heart breaker. The amount of men in her office, and her ex office and her ex ex ex workplace who have the hots for her are numerous and the figures are stagerring. She finds me very attractive too, so I can stop worrying about my pakoda nose and tanned skin!

7. Someone who is Communicative. My Perfect woman is a person I can sit and talk with for hours. She enjoys talking to me and listening to me as much as I enjoy talking and listening to her. She listens to me rant patiently, she rants with me. Communication being the business im in, is very important to me, And she can talk on anything under the sun, from Camels to Scud missisles. Sometimes I think She's the Radio Jockey in the Relationship!

8. Someone who My friends and Parents Love. The person that she is, its no surprise. She's pleasant to talk to, nice at heart and shes a great cook. (her only competition being my MOM and now ME) She sleeps with a smile and wakes up looking into my eyes and smiling. My friends adore her and my parents want to write their will in her name.

Besides all the above there are a million more points I can jot down abotu her , but tag rules Demand only 8, so Ill Stop!

Ammu. I love you! Thanx for Inspiring my tag answers!

Mostly Everyone else i know online has already been tagged, I wonder who these guys are gonna tag. But its going to be fun to sit back and watch! :)

The people I have tagged are
1. Divya - For her ever comical approach to life .
2. Rajni - For her Wild Opinions and Baby -Time Bloopers.
3. Shuba - For her love for Nittu and Tom.
4. Ashwin - For his out of this world warped philosophy. (Congrats on "unowat" Buddy)
5. Bruce - For all the chords and the notes.
6. Stacey - For her creativity and magnificant shutter speeds.
7. Quills - For the NIke AD!!!
8. My friend from Portland - For his Word skills.

Happy tagging!!!

Dream Destination

2006-02-08T14:49:00.000+05:30

now this is a sunset all of us wish we could catch. man! Contentment in Paradise.
A picture of the Sunset at the North Pole with the moon at its closest point!
Enjoy!

"Being Twenty-Something"

2006-02-07T10:26:00.000+05:30

Its back to my desk in good old Ranka Plaza in Frazer town, Bangalore after a whirlwind of travel and work. Egypt, Cochin, Goa! Conferences, Conclaves, Dum Ass Mallu Drivers, Aapam and Airpots... its been one helluva fortnight. Phew!
Its that long since I blogged. My offline life seems to be taking over my online life. I still have to upload photographs, my travelogue, list of places to see.
Ive been tagged, need to tag another 8 people. Radio's blooming out, need to get a new demo done. And work is just making life chaotic, but frankly I wouldnt have it any other way.

Anyways, in between all this hungama I managed to see the movie Rang De Basanti - first day first show, (thanx to Ammu :-)). And some might not find this movie as inspirational as I did, but it did manage to get some part of me thinkin. The last time I had this effect through the film medium was with "Yuva", and before that through "Roja".

I realised IM 25, 5 Years ago I was only 20! I wanted to take over the world then. I wanted to be a Millionare by the time I was 25.
In 5 years ill be 30. will I be where i wanted to be 5 years ago, 5 years hence.
I decided to pen a few thought on the same. (Creative inspiration credit to unknown author from whom I borrowed some thoughts)

They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis."

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now. You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that
too, ! And that they aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are
as confused as you.

You look at your work... and feel happy that your doing what your want. You realise that lucky are the few who do what they like, the rest have to like what they do!
BUt you wonder how long you can do what you do, and What else can you do, Cuz you have to do something all your life. But then again.. do you really have to?

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't.

One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to
do but stay where you are or move forward. You get your heart broken and
wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you.

Or maybe you love someone & that someone loves you too , but society and circumstances are hell bent on keeeping you apart. You decide to fight, you decide to set fire to the world. And you realise yout swimming upstrem. But your know deep inside you'll win the war, but you just can say how. Sometimes you cannot figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person.

Random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. Partying every night seems childish. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, buying property, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What one may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

If your just read this and are far away from your 30th birthday and your 20th birthday is long gone.. then.. Welcome to the 25th year of your life!!

Romeo and Juliet by Sheikh Subair

2006-01-27T10:33:00.000+05:30

Hey all Im back from the land where shakespear is not pronounced broberly. The Arabic Alphabet has only 26 letters and does not have the 'p' sound. So Blease dont mind, I will be bosting some more inbormation about the Arabs and their belly dancers in some time. Berfect bronounciation and barables of the beoble will be told!
But Meanwhile here's the spectacular Sphinx, the pyramids of Cheops and me.

Show me the Mummy!!

2006-01-18T03:07:00.000+05:30

Yay!
Im going to egypt.

2 years ago I hosted an event called CIOl C- CHange 2004. A 3 day conference in goa with the Top CIO's of the country jamming up! (wha-ha terminology). http://www.ciol.com/cchange/2004/

At that event there was an evening with the egyptian theme. One of the CIO Relax Sessions. The people were literally transported to the pyramids and the magic of egypt. We had makeshift pyramids, some very believable promoters dresses pharaos, mummy's , we had a cleoptara, some harem girls , fire breathers and even a A belly dancer. Your truly was wearing egyptian head gear and threw the arabic he knew at the audience with full gusto.
http://www.ciol.com/cchange/2004/recharging_day3.asp

This was where your favourite Compere first got a small wish "chinna chinna asai" in his heart to head to egypt soon. Little did he know that a whole company was sharing his dream.

In 2006, Ciol C change will be held at Egypt, Cairo. I have been confirmed as the compere for the 3 days of the event.
This is where we're gonna be staying for the conference period (first 4 days)! Take a peek and burn!! http://cairo-pyramids.intercontinental.com/

Im terribly excited about this gig, and am looking forward to going to the glorious capital of egypt, the triumphant city, the Jewel of the Orient, the City of the Thousand Minarets, and the Melting Pot of Ancient and Modern Egyptian Civilizations.

Apparantely the Nile in the evening is a beautiful sight!! The pyramids are somethign I wont miss, and the Sphinx. And of course the temples and the Christian coptic churches and the jewish synagogues and the tombs and the museams. Phew! So much to see, So little time!!! Anyone knows anything about anything in Cairo feel free to comment. Its my first time there.

And if anyone manages to give me valid inforamtion which will help me be a better backpacker, I promise to bring back a belly dancer for him/her.

The only downside is that Ammu'S (the love of my life) Bday is on the 20th. And under any other circumstanstes I wouldnt miss it for the world. Dang. Life is so ironical. It gives you some but it takes back for it!!
If u know her make sure u wish her (missing u in egypt ammu.... Muah)

Well.. im off to frolicking in the nile.. im off to sheik rattle and roll...wish me loads of belly dancers.. oops luck
Pharoh ever yours
Anjaan

The Ringmasters

2006-01-15T08:43:00.001+05:30

Location : Palace grounds, Bangalore
Date : 14th January, 2005
People : Bhushan, Aditi, Ammu, Myself
Event : The Gemini Circus

End Result : Awe Mixed with Apathy.

Last Evening I revisited my Childhood.

Among the most pleasant recollections of ones youth is the visit to a circus. Random images of Clowns and elephants were in my mind, and then they all got fortified, the minute I entered the Gemini circus Arena.
I remembered the awe with which I had looked up at the trapeze artistes, , the glee with which I had encouraged the clowns, The applause with which I had greeted the elephants.
All this came back to me last evening.. At Bangalore's own Gemini Circus.

The circus is of very ancient origin. Away back in the dark ages, sports in the ring entertained the heathen peoples of the earth. Combats of wild beasts and of men were the most popular form of entertainment in Rome. In Greece feats of strength and skill in the arena gathered a whole nation to the famous Olympian games. Go where-ever you may, in the savage fastnesses of Africa even, and you will see a circus of some sort.

From circus day in Pompey's Rome complete with lions, pachyderms and performances interspersed with chariot racing until modern day Gemini, circuses remain the most enduring and endearing form of family entertainment in the world.

I have read that In many parts of Europe and Africa one can see the remains of great amphitheatres in which clamorous audiences, thousands used to applaud just as modern audiences under the Gemini tents applaud today.

All of us (well almost all) will agree that the first menagerie was owned and run by Noah. Others have claimed the distinction, but Noah alone is entitled to the credit which rightfully attaches to the originator of such a glorious enterprise - The Circus. Prior to Noah's time amusements were comparatively unknown. In putting his show on the road, our friend met with many serious drawbacks. Especially,since there was no road, literally, upon which he could travel. It was all water!!!

Last evening we were welcomed with the typical circus colors "red orange yellow". The acts flowed in one after the other, Perfectly synchronised, harmoniously coordinated.

The acts included, Clowns, comedy skits, Beautiful Russian female Jugglers, Chinky balancing acts, Indian Thunder thighs riding monocycles, Motorcycles buzzin on the ball, coordinated cycling teams, acrobatics, sky walking and the trapeze artistes.

Everyone was in AWE! one could even hear gasps and sighs alonside the hoots and whistle and applause that was filling the already festive atmosphere.

I have to specially mention that 3 Nice Looking russian women were busy smiling and grinning at us boys!! They were in fact checking us out!!! Beat That!! All eyes were on them, but then their eyes were on us. Thats a whole different story. Maybe ill post a seperate blog on that one! (What say Bhushan?) *wink*

Anyways.. Then came in the animals. Elephants, camels, Horses , Camels storks, Parrots, parakeets, Other assorted birds , and even a Hippopotamus.

UNlike their human counterparts, this time the feeling that engulfed me was different.

All that I cud do wonder how these animals made show business look so easy. And wonder why they got whipped "whoooptashed" even if they were performing.

At this juncture I want everyone to take a moment to empathise with the creatures of show business..

I could see tears rolling down eyes of one particular animal lover who was sitting by my side, (love u for that Ammu) and I realised that suddenly there was a set of questions pouring into my head to which I didnt have answers.

What kinds of animals are used in circuses ?
What are the living conditions like for animals in circuses?
Don’t the animals get to exercise when they are performing?
Why do animals in circuses sway back and forth, bob their heads, and bite the bars of their cages?
Aren’t these animals still safer and better off in captivity than in the wild?
How are animals trained to perform?
What evidence is there of abusive training or handling of animals in circuses?
What legislation regulates circuses and travelling shows in India?
Isn’t it good for children that they learn about animals by seeing them live at a circus?
How is public safety jeopardized by performing animal acts?

If anyone has the answers to these questions.. post a comment. And if anyone knows a way to reduce or minimise animal pain in an established menagerie of sorts.. post a comment.

If anyone feels for the animals.. post a comment.

I'd also like to point out that this circus didnt have the Lion and Tigers and the big cats. Is there a law against using them.. or are they just too dangerous! Will I ever know!?

Anyways. The circus is defenitely a beautiful experiance...
The beauty of the circus is that everyone can understand it, deaf and dumb boy can enjoy it, and a blind man could revel in music and laugh at the clown's jokes. Youth and age, irrespective of nationality, can feast upon the splendors of the sawdust circle and understand it all. If you go to the play and don't understand what the actors are saying you have but a poor time of it. But what does it matter what they say at the circus, as long as they do only half of the things they promise in the advertisements and the posters and hoardings.

It is true that all the acts were incredible, and we were thoroughly enjoying ourselves with the bubble blowers and the phee phees (hooters) . My favorite part of the circuz this trip around was the look of wonder in all the children' eyes! Defenitely worth a visit.

Before I sign off on this post, The Circus is evidently an ancestor of the Theatre and Amphitheatre. Can we call this art of performance and the precisely timed and well executed hungama the Birthplace of Event Management???? What do u think?

Go visit the Circus, Its at the Palace grounds till the 6th of Feb 2006, and tell me what you think. And Also ponder deep within and realise wether your a ringmaster or a circus animal!

Will post more photos soon.

Love

Anjaan

And the Reason.... is you....

2006-01-12T09:48:00.000+05:30

Dissapear!

Do you know, that everytime you're near
Everybody else seems far away
So can you come and make them disappear
Make them disappear and we can stay

There's a pain that sleeps inside
It sleeps with just one eye
And awakens the moment that you leave
Though I try to look away
The pain it still remains
Only leaving when you're next to me

Do you know, that everytime you're near
Everybody else seems far away
So can you come and make them disappear
Make them disappear and we can stay

Can you make them disappear?
Make them disappear

There's a pain that sleeps inside
Sleeps with just one eye
And awakens, the moment that you leave
And I search through every face
Without a single trace, of the person
The person that I need

Do you know, that everytime you're near
Everybody else seems far away
So can you come and make them disappear
Make them disappear and we can stay

------------Doug Rob Hoobastank

Dedicated to Ammu - My Love, My Soulmate, My Life!! :)

The Seek-ret of Life!

2006-01-10T14:58:00.000+05:30

I got a little senti after reading this one.. not usually me to do so.

After reading this I have confortably concluded.. this one Story.. explains the Secret of life!! Anyone for some Zen?

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of CANCER. From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed:
"Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"?
To this Arthur Ashe replied:
The world over -- 5 crore children start playing tennis, 50 lakh learn to play tennis, 5 lakh learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbeldon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals, When I was holding a cup I never asked GOD "Why me?".
And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"
Happiness keeps u Sweet, Trials keep u Strong, Sorrow keeps u Human,
Failure Keeps u Humble, Success keeps u Glowing,But only God Keeps u Going.....
"Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow."

Seek the answer.. and leave the rest to your living pulse!
Anjaan

(the credit for this post goes to Anup!)

Bawarchee chee .. (the sequel)

2006-01-10T11:31:00.000+05:30

.....Continued

Yay!! I cooked again last night. And this time it turned out to be more brilliant than last time!!! yippeee. yai ...yai... I have to accept though.. Ammu helped me cut the veggies

Bhushan, Aditi, Ammu, Myself were the lead victims this time. Sonal, Ankita and Priya were the tertiary targets.
They were subjected to Anjaan's Capsicum Pulao and Paneer mutter masala.

I did have pizza huts number on speed dial, and digene at an arms length away. But thankfully (phew there is a cooking god), we didnt have to dial the number or open the draw... or is it dial the draw and open the number!??

I read somewhere that a good cook is the peculiar gift of the gods. He must be the perfect creature from the brain to the palate, from the palate to the finger's end. I realised good cooking is all about knowing the right quantities. Thats all. Theres nothing more to it. Of course it helps if someone cuts the veggies for you in the right sizes. (Thanx Ammu)

And for all those curious cookies who commented on my previous cooking post.. here goes an uploaded picture of my creations ... *my first upload (hehe)*
What u see below is Mushroom Muttar Masala, Tomato Rice , Carrot Thoran and mixed veg raita. Forgive the Garnishing! :)

Anyone who comments is invited to a free sampling session.. anytime.. or even better.. a free cookery class. :)
Remember... Kissing dont last.. cookery does!!! So Cook! and Tell!

King Tut ... Here i come!!

2006-01-10T11:10:00.000+05:30

Guess where your friendly bawarchi backpacker is headed??
Guess whos gonna be frolicking by the Nile??
Guess when the time zone monarch is going backwards into the past to visit the lifes of the ancients???
Guess how much he's spending???
Guess what king tut is going to be doing in the month of Jan 2005.

For more on this keep an eye on this blogspot! :)
Anjaan

Who Bawarchi? Me?

2006-01-06T16:19:00.000+05:30

Its been a crazy 5 days since 2006 began. Life is Funny sometimes. It makes you do things that youve never wanted to do. And it stops you from doing things you've always wanted to do. Ironic actually.

I never thought i'd cook Mushroom Muttar Masala, Tomato Rice , Carrot Thoran and mixed veg raita, all on the same day. In the past I have cooked each one seperately But not together. If the inquisitive realy want to know how it is to cook so many dishes together, ask your mom.

Its a given that bachelors are poor cook , except of course if you've majored in Hotel Management, or if your saif ali khan in Salaam Namaste.
For ages, the kitchen, all its nuances and the entire purview of cooking has been a Woman thing. Even today in an orthodox brahmin family, the husband wont even enter the kitchen. Thats the womans domain. Thats her fort.
Given this background one can conclude that for all women cooking is a muse. For men cooking ends up being an oppressive chore.

Even those for whom cooking is a source of self-doubting anxiety, acknowledge that a meal shared by friends and family is one of the bonding rituals without which the family, society even, can fall apart. The qualities of an exceptional cook are akin to those of a successful tightrope walker: an abiding passion for the task, courage to go out on a limb and an impeccable sense of balance. My cooking skills today impressed me. Will post reviews from people who ate soon and photographs.

I knew when i was little, that i'd be a great cook someday. I even cleared some hotel management course entrances! lol. In the childhood memories of every good cook, there's a large kitchen, a warm stove, a simmering pot and a mom. Thanx ma!

To be edited and continued....

Like a Preacher Stealing Hearts... Happy New Year

2006-01-02T11:54:00.000+05:30

Its 2006. Its A new Year. A new Dawn, A new Beginning. A new Start
Somehow.. for a change this year.. compared to the last 25 years of my life.. things do feel different.
For starters... bloggings my new muse. It wasnt in 2005, its gonna be huge for me in 2006. *grin*
I guess im not the only pastor out here with the fetish...;-)
Im telling all. Im educating. im preaching like its the next big gospel... tadaaa.. "BLOGGING"
Happy new year everyone..
And here's a toast to new beginnings and new starts.. And a New Blog Post!
;-)

Of Blogs and Backpackers

2005-12-27T11:00:00.000+05:30

Its a non indian thing to BackPack...

I had the chance to be part of the Full moon party at the Had Rin Sunset beach at Koh PhanYan Island off the coast of mainland Thailand. The party happens once every month on full moon night. Party Goers from all around the world converge to this one location and its complete insanity.

Imagine a Massive beach for a dancefloor. 15 different kinds of music being belted out by international and local dj's, alchohol completely cheap cheeep (like the thai call it), and partygoers from all over the world. Every single flavour you want you get, British, American, Spanish, French, Brazilian, Iranian, Australian, Russian, Chezh, Italian, Swedish.. (ooh the swedish women...) ... and everyone dressed in .. hold your breath.. " BEACH WEAR" sigh!
(((afternote :- if only i was single. *wink*)))

I Felt completely exotic.. being the only.. read again... and aloud.. ONLY INDIAN in a beach of 15,000 party goers going completely insane and ballistic. Complete chaos and madness!!!

For the more aggressive .. and wishful.. take a peek..
http://fullmoonparty-thailand.com/

Anyways.. coming back to the point...Its a non indian thing to BackPack...

Indians just dont back pack. Ill Prove it to you.
How many people do you know who've gone outside the country just for the pleasure of travelling???
Among those people how many have gone say.. to cambodia, laos, Vietnam, Thailand?
Everyone seems to be going to US, UK, Australia and the Gulf of course (to be read Mallufornia)
And among the minority who head to say.. Thailand.. how many people have gone beyond Bangkok and the most commercial Pattaya beach?
Im sure there are a few adventurous amongst us who have gone to phuket or even phi phi...
but then again.... how many people????
How many people actually travel only with a Backpack and on a stringent budget?
How many aspire to get down with the locals and do the local things, eat local food, live like a local, dress like a local.

The answer... VERY VERY FEW~!!!!!

Statistics reveal that the average number of vacation days europeans and americans and russians (basically everyone else) take are FAR higher than us Indians!
and even if we take a vacation we go to GOA or to OOTY or to Kulu Manali.
Maybe Thats cuz the Indian Ruppee isnt too strong a currency?
Maybe thats because there's so much to see in India that we dont want to get out of here?
Maybe we like the comfort of home too much?
All arguable points but still not pointing out a solid answer!

Indians are TOP PODcasters, Bloggers and secondlifers. Indians are international quality fashion designers, chefs, musicians, filmmakers, scientists, media personalities.
Im trying to figure out why us indians dont BACKPACK?
Any answers?

Prove my theory wrong and head to Thailand.. Dont go to Bangkok or the boring Pattaya... pack just one backpack and head to Koh PhanYan... the next full moon pawdy is on the 14th of January 2006.

Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to Everyone
Love
Anjaan

My first Blog!

2005-12-26T13:01:00.000+05:30

From the valley to the top of the Hill!
From the village to the metropolis!
From the pond to the Ocean!
From the Cd Player to the Music Shop!
From the Inspirations to the actions!

Ive arrived to the world of blogging.
I might be a newbie, But i definitely got style.. what say you?

Life is like a parachute jump - you have to get it right the first time. And with this jump I guess ive landed right on the padding area.

If your a friend.. or even if ur not. feel free to comment on my blog site.

"Remember where you have been and know where you are going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way." ---- Nikita Koloff

Anjaan
meanjaan@gmail.com