90 kmph on MG Road

It's 4:45 in the morning. I haven't slept at all. Long Island Tea maybe. I put on my jeans and jacket, take my helmet and go out.

It's still dark although the city has just about started to wake up. The trucks on the Ring Road, the small roadside shacks which are beginning to open, a few early morning joggers. There is a bite in the air as I pull up the zipper of my jacket and put on my helmet. The neon lights of the huge office complexes and the LEVI's showroom seem scary, trying to disturb the calm of the dawn.

No tooting of horns on Airport Road. Taxis and autos lined up near the arrival and departure. SPOT taxis carrying people. People going out to unwind. People coming back home after an exhausting week. I look up as an aeroplane is about to land. It's still dark.

I reach MG Road but only manage to touch 80. The metro construction has made the road narrower. As the first signs of the morning begin to show, I am circling the Ulsoor Lake. I stop for a while to take a walk around its periphery. People running, stretching, walking. I get back on my bike and head towards MG Road again to try and hit 3 figures. I fall ten short though and that too for only about a couple of seconds. The cuts are too many and the risk of a sudden vehicle appearing from behind the construction is too much for me. I give up, satisfied nevertheless and turn towards Cubbon Park. The park is very green and quiet but I don't stop.

The lights of the Chinnaswamy Stadium rear up their head above everything else in the vicinity. Bangalore doesn't have many skyscrapers though. I look at my watch. It's almost 6:30. I head back to Koramangala. The city is awake now. I have tea near my house and call up my parents. Ma is worried that something is wrong. I tell her that her son just has these crazy ideas now and then and she believes me. I'm still not feeling sleepy. I think I'll read my book.

The Night After The Rains

Incessant rain for the last two days had washed the roads clean except for the fallen leaves under the trees. The running water had left trails in the mud that had accumulated on the sides of the roads. It was around 2 o' clock at night and the rain had finally taken a breather.

Someone from a taxi asked for directions.
"Go straight. Take a right from the T and you will hit the Ring Road."

The sound of wind chimes came floating through the air intensifying the silence. The occasional cab would hurry past me. Dropping people home after a long Friday night. I wished I had my jacket on instead of just the T-Shirt. The slight smell of leaves starting to rot wafted from the street. The night made everything look so serene, so at peace with itself. It was tough imagining what the place is like during other times. Smoke bellowing from the exhausts of the vehicles, horns tooting.

Vehicles parked outside the gates. Stray dogs under the street lights. Potholes filled with muddy water. People sleeping in their homes.

A slight drizzle was just about beginning. The sky was still overcast. More rain over the weekend, I thought. I hurried along. Not today. I got drenched yesterday.

Going Back

You could call it an obsession with the self. You might even attribute it to the time I always seem to have to procrastinate, to ponder, to introspect. But I like to go back to my old posts and read them again. There's nothing special about today. And by special I solely meant occurrences like completion of a certain number of years or posts. I just feel like writing about my blog.

My main motivation behind it was to hold on. Hold on to memories and feelings. Hold on to people and events. The most amazing thing about going back is reading the comments. Realizing how you could relate to something that I experienced. How you could sympathize with me when I wrote about my failures. How you could feel nostalgic when I dreamed about my grandfather's place although yours could have been so different. How you would feel the same turmoil inside you, the same urge to break free and the same need to know the answers. And that's the reason this blog has become so much more than just a memoir. The songs I liked, the people I met, the books I loved and the places I visited. It sure started off as a means to capture moments from my life. But with time, it has become a part of what I am today.

And you know it makes my day when I see that comment on a post. I would be a fool to admit that I do not look forward to it. Everybody loves an ego boost, a compliment. And I am no exception. But knowing you, knowing that you meant what you said; that's what makes it so fulfilling.

A few days ago, I was wandering through my blog. Reading some posts, looking at the comments. Laughing to myself and remembering. And at times, there was something new to be found among the old posts. To the few who read this blog..... thank you. You make me want to write.

I'm getting blown away.......

What do you do when you feel restless and irritable because nothing is working out the way you want them to. What do you do when you get the feeling that you are stuck, that you are not moving anywhere (and I absolutely Hate that feeling). I, found solace in the songs of a certain Neil Young

Knowing the kind of music I like, Shravan introduced me to this genius and he couldn't have been more right. The first song I heard was the acoustic version of My My Hey Hey and I instantly knew that I had stumbled across something rare, something original and with class written all over it.

My my, hey hey
Rock and roll is here to stay
It's better to burn out
Than to fade away
My my, hey hey.

The legendary Kurt Cobain had the lines 'It's better to burn out Than to fade away' on his suicide note and yes, he got it from this very song.

Neil Young is a class apart when it comes to his high pitched, almost nasal toned vocals and the way he experiments with different versions of the same song, accompanying it with piano in one version and the guitar and trademark harmonica in the other.
Over the last week and a little more I have indulged myself in discovering as many songs as I can and though there's still a long way to go, I now have some idea of the kind of music he created.

Heart Of Gold is a beautiful song which is bound to touch your heart if you are someone who appreciates melody. It's simple yet haunting and the way he uses the harmonica with the base guitar in the background is something you need to hear to know.

Just when I thought that Young was all about soft melodies with the acoustic guitar and harmonica, I heard Like A Hurricane and it Did blow me off. Listen to it with the speakers on full and I bet the electric guitar solo at the end will stay with you forever.

I am just a dreamer,
but you are just a dream,
You could have been
anyone to me.

Rockin' In The Free World is a typical Rock n Roll song with a lot of base and drums thrown in. Another one to hear with the speakers on full and maybe a bottle of beer in you hand.
Cowgirl In The Sand has a very groovy Bluesy and Jazzy feel to it and just goes on to show the versatility of this man.

Because I'm still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I'm still in love with you
On this harvest moon.

This is from Harvest Moon. An utterly romantic number. Listen to it when everything around you is quiet.

And finally, listen to I Believe In You. I don't need to say anything about it.

This is just a peek into what Neil Young is. If you like this much, go ahead and explore. As I am doing right now.

Music can at times reflect your current state of mind. It can soothe your nerves and make you look at things from a different perspective. And Neil Young is as good as it gets.

UPDATE:

Tell Me Why has a very distinct Folk and Country feel to it and has such insightful lyrics

Is it hard to make arrangements with yourself,
When your old enough to repay but young enough to sell?