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Rocking Memories

I felt that Galeej Gurus were better than Thermal and a Quarter. There was more power to their performance and they connected well with the crowd. The result was seen in the reaction of the limited audience that was present at the venue, which further dwindled to half for the second performance. One will be wrong to judge everything on the basis of public opinion, but it is the most obvious yardstick available for a quick assessment. The students in the audience, for a change, were to an extent themselves, enjoying to the beat of rock music. My presence at the performance by the two bands was prompted more by the fact that they were both alumnus of Christ College than my love for Rock music. Rock music has had a little influence on my life, during my late teens and survived till my college days. The extent of this fascination was again limited to Eagles and Aerosmith. Pop soon took hold of my musical interest and then there was no looking back. So, it was no surprise that mos...
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Home Away

What is it like to stay away from home for the first time? Thousands of students, each year, leave the comforts of their homes to go and study outside. The experience of each will be unique and any generalization would be futile. Going to an alien land is scary, to say the least. Even a place close to home, but at a distance of say, 402 kms, is far away as it means staying away from near and dear ones. Increasingly, this is becoming a middle-class reality as the quest for something better pulls you away from loved ones. Education, and educational institutions are drawing students from far and near as they offer better hope and opportunities. The new place is different, obviously, and takes time getting used to. Some people take to the place immediately, some take a while and a few never accept the change and keeping harping about their home town. Manipal, like Bangalore, is home to many educational institutions and therefore draws thousands of students from allover. The quality of ed...
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A new beginning

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I am back but with a new blog. Each of the blogs had a specific objective and once that has been achieved it is time to move on. This blog will have one goal- to post on any subject that has a bearing on emotions. Also, to post it as quickly as possible to see that it stays fresh and invites comments. For example, the first post is already up and it comes out of the movie viewing experience on Saturday (21/07/2018). Movie is truly, a private experience but in a public space. Watching movies has been my passion from a very young age. As a child I was dragged to many a movies as my mother would not have any other choice. As I grew up, the choice of movies was suddenly in my hands and the very first movie I decided to see, at the age of eight, was Sholay. The rest, as they say, is history. I haven't stopped watching movies since and they still continue to create magic on the big screen. Watching movies on the small screen has not dented the theater-going experience. Television ha...
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Heartbeats of a nation

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Movies have a purpose. They are either made to entertain or educate. Rarely can a movie do both. Dhadak comes close. The plot is simple. Boy meets girl, both fall in love but have to elope due to the opposition from the girl's side. There is a subtle underlying current of caste hierarchy that is the cause for the friction. There is a bit of political shenanigan thrown in for good measure. In the end we realise that the movie was made to send a strong message against honour killings that are still widespread in modern India. Can a movie put an end to social discrimination and the ensuing violence in the name of upholding family name? Hard to imagine. The power of moving pictures is well documented and amply theorised. It is a very powerful political tool and in the right hands movies have brought about revolutions. The propaganda machinery has used movies to brainwash entire nations into accepting a myth. And then, there is the socialisation process where movies have slowly but su...
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