He walked the moon and then he walked away with our hearts

Told myself wl not get drunk 2day(been a few weeks since i've touched the unholy water) but then got myself a couple of suds frm blackmarket since it's closing time here in casablanca.And the blogger awoke after a very long hibernation.But come to think of it...wud've still written somethin even if not under the influence...cos yesterday was a sad day...a day when the world of music lost the greatest entertainer of all time...and as i listen to the soothing voice of a 10 yr old,MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON singing "i'll b there" during his JACKSON 5 days,a feeling of remorse and simultaneously gratitude creeps in.Remorse for the simple reason that there will be no more shreiking,crotch grabbing,moon walking and over the top eccentricities...and gratitude for the amazingly beautiful and entertaining music that MJ gave us.

MJ's music is so relevent to me(even tho i started despising pop and r&b in the late 90's when the world was jes startin to get a taste of the boybands,the girliegroups,the spear,the aguilera and the rest of the lot)for the simple reason of nostalgia.As a 10 yr old in 6th grade i still remember searchin for MJ's THRILLER in LAJPAT NAGAR,NEW DELHI and finally gettin the cassete.I still remember how i rattled my house,listenin to the album on my akai stereo and practicin the dance moves infront of the mirror behind closed doors and then showboating the moves in my school class and school picnics.And wth the advent of MTV and the simultaneous exposure to DANGEROUS i became an even bigger MJ freak(somehow subdued by the grunge revolution 0f 1992).And it will b a lie on my part if i say that i haven't tried those moves whenever i was exposed to MJ's stuff,even now.

And like me,millions were and still r addicted to MJ's music.and his creativity crossed boundaries of music as well,be it seasoned POP/R&B perfromers like mariah carey,celine dion,usher,timberlake,rihanaor Rap and hip-hop artists like snoop dog,ll cool j,akon or my music gods like chris cornell(vis-a-vis his rendition of billie jean on "live in sweden") or slash performin on "black or white" and "give into me" or eddie van halen performin on "beat it"...at some point or the other every musician of the modern generation of any genre has been influenced by MJ's music.

Such was his global appeal that some of the biggest names in the world...be it presidents(reagan,bush sr and clinton),hollywood celebs and supermodels(eddie murphy,macaulay culkin,joe pesci ,naomi campbell and more recently chris tucker have all featured in his videos),sports personalities like michael jordan(jam) or magic johnson(remember the time) or fellow legends like paul mccartney(girl is mine), lionel ritchie,the "boss"springstreen,ray charles,kenny rogers,stevie wonder,billy joel,tina turner...have performed or interacted wth him some or the other time.

But the most important of the lot were the millions and millions of people who cherished his music...an art which had no boundaries...be it any religion,any country,any language...all seemed to connect to JACKO'S rhythm...and even tho his personal life,his weird side was the centre of attraction for the last couple of years...his talent surpasses all that

and in the end(while listenin 2 his soul cleanser called "man in the mirror") all i can wish is that the MOONWALKER is walkin in a happy place up above...thanks for everythin MJ

finding nemo...correction...finding REMO(FERNANDES)

Su-swagatam...jes finished watchin casey affleck's,"gone baby gone"(saw it b4 also but one of those cable re-runs u don wanna miss)...jes had my leftover TAGLIATELLES AU SAUMON(nothin like the taste and stench of a few days old,red salmon)for dinner...dget), jes finished off my 5th can of bud...kay suddenly...out of nowhere...out of the blue...among all these random materialistic thoughts...REMO FERNANDEZ springs to my mind like a spring chicken.

REMO FERNANDEZ...a legend in his own.and believe u me,the only guy who i thought actually defined rock music in india wth a guitar and a flute at that point of time and i am talkin abt the days of doordarshan,the years between 1986-1991,the times ven cable tv was still unheard of,the days ven only michael jackson or a boney-m or a phil collins made u think dat...yeah...u knew ENGLISH(however,the year 1992 was the evolutionary year in my life...cos v had cable tv in sector-22,noida...the year in which i used 2 switch on 2 the real MTV,hosted by the likes of luke kenny and sophia haque,as soon as i used 2 come bck frm school as a 7th grader...and it was in this year dat i evolved frm MJ's, DANGEROUS{which even now is one of my fav albums}...to TEN,NEVERMIND,BLOODSUGARSEXMAGIK and def leppard's,ADRENALIN{my dad got me the above mentioned audio tapes frm malaysia along wth video tapes of HOME ALONE 2 and BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA...wish he knew wat he got me into :p )

and from then on REMO as a musician still continues 2 live like a legend in his own,but as a rocker for boys studyin in 7th grade,in early 90's... he headed only one way...the COMMODE(dat too indian style).
and now i bring into light the legacy of THE REMO.A goan icon...who looks and sings like a hybrid frm jamaica and panjim and has invented a new language,known only 2 those who follow THE REMO...and yes now i'll get deep into that...

The nineties saw a number of REMO hits..rangin frm HUMMA HUMMA frm MANI RATNAM'S,BOMBAY...to HUIYA HO frm KHAMOSHI(hell...even the cola giants,PEPSI knelt down to THE REMO'S charm and the whole nation was singin along wth him..."YOU KNOW IT...U FEEL IT...U GOT IT...LEHAR PEPSEEE...AHAA")...but along wth his insanely addictive music...THE REMO infected the world of music wth a lingo dat mayb only the peeps frm the MAYA CIVILISATION frm mel gibson's,APOCALYPTO cud understand...and here is where THE REMO becomes truly,madly,deeply...unforgettable and the following is the list of few of his fables
1. " shikda-baakda-baakda-baakda-baakda-bayo" in between HUMMA-HUMMA frm BOMBAY

2. frm khamoshi,the "HUIYA-HUIYA-HUIYA-HUIYA(8 TIMES IN ALL)...HO...
JAANAY (again 8 times)...DO...
LEHAIT IT(as in LET IT...even this 8 times)...GO...
PONNA-PUCHHI(once again 8 times)...PO

3. "OH MERI MUNNI...NANNI-MUNNI BABY"(even an infant starts feelin like goin bck to his/her mother's womb,listenin 2 this 1)
http://www.dishant.com/album/Remo_Fernandez_-_O_Meri_Munni.html

4. "AFLA..AFLA...AFLA...AFLATOON...MAIN HUN AFLATOON and in between the song,again the use of MAYA language or somethin very similar 2 a word indecently offensive 2 indian mothers(TERI MAA KI $$**)...swear not exaggeratin...don believe me?click on the link and listen(exactly at 2min and 50 seconds)...http://ww.smashits.com/music/hindi-movie/play/songs/1062/Aflatoon/14075/Aflatoon-Aflatoon.html...

and my hands wl get leper-like if i continue 2 write abt the THE CHRONICHLES OF REMO...and his songs...so me-hearties...time to hail THE REMO and never forget the wrds of profundity he has conceived in the world of music...KUDOS to THE REMO...
(nxt in my hit-list r ILA ARUN,BHUPEN HAZARIKA,ANAIDAA,MIKA,KUMAR SANU and some other connoisseurs of music...until then...AU REVOIR)

homesick...

A decade of continous travels more than often,takes it's toll on u(specially ven more than often the travels r work related ,which has been my case).No regrets though...over the years i've roamed as a 17 yr old ,alone in the streets of paris(i still remember my confused commute from ORLY QUEST to CHARLES DE GAULLE and then on to the bus stop near GARE MONTPARNASSE ,where all i cud do was gaze at the parisian lights and fast movin peugeots,renaults and citroens...
or as a 21 yr old in BUDAPEST,who came across a mr rudan{a retired polish engineer frm austria who completely went out of his way along wth his romanian wife 2 help a poor indian kid frm noida jes becos they cud somehow relate to him as their only(JUNKIE) daughter who left home and in their hopes was a nun in some church in germany...and 2 years later they came lookin for me at my workplace in casablanca wth jes a pic of mine wth them,askin everyone abt my whereabouts just wth the intention of seein me...and ven i finally met them,all i did was spend 20 mins wth them,gave them some cheap indian handcrafted goodies as gift and promised to see them for dinner dat very day but never did...and that was the last i ever heard frm them...but i do think of dat old couple frm time to time)

well homies and me ladies... if i start sharin every minute detail of my brain-restored travels,it wud really be a pain in my arse writin,and your's readin...

Comin back 2 the gist of this blog...over the years and even still,i come across new and interesting people and things literally everyday...but it's the urge of spendin more and more time with your ageing parents,ur family and ur friends bck home and the very air dat makes u feel at home(and i know the same air is filled wth pollution,goddamn summer power-cuts,blood suckin mosquitoes,hot damsels difficult to score wth for an average joe like me{which has not been the case overseas ;) } and a lotta other things which makes u think otherwise),dat makes me wanna go back...
(and i do know this very blog is the aftereffect of a mixture of alcoholic beverages and some very irrelevant company for a good 3 hrs and i do know once bck home this very feeling will last a month or two...cos after dat u get sick of home instead of home sick)...
at this very instance(dats 00:30 G.M.T),i feel....and dats frm the bottom of my heart...really really HOMESICK

wat the world has come to...

Saddened...rather overwhelmed with remorse.Just came across the article regarding the unborn child who fell victim 2 ahmedabad blasts yesterday(along wth the parents,parek shah and kinjal).And yes to many it's just one of those days where this is happening everywhere...and yes maybe this is nothing compared to the history of violence where the body-count has exceeded far more than that of yesterday.
But the question raised is(and has been for generations)that what has humanity come to...where lives r taken in the name of religion,in the name of land and most of the times in the name of selfish interests...
i know dat these atrocities won't come 2 an end anytime sooner and even tho it's wishful thinking...i still WISH
and the best i can do on my part is dedicate a song(which in no way brings solace to those affected...but mayb 2 some it might) and simultaneously seek some answers...

"PEACE,LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING" by elvis costello

"As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
And each time I feel like this inside,
Theres one thing I wanna know:
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding?ohhhh
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding?

And as I walked on through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimesSo where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.

cause each time I feel it slippin away, just makes me wanna cry.
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding?
ohhhhWhats so funny bout peace love & understanding?

So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.

cause each time I feel it slippin away, just makes me wanna cry.
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding?
ohhhWhats so funny bout peace love & understanding?
ohhhhWhats so funny bout peace love & understanding ? "

communication gap...

communication gap :
jes felt like sharin wth the world out there, one of the many goofiest incidents which took place durin my and akshat's(a friend of mine workin for mckinsey,delhi) backpackin cum luxury trip of south india(we had a whirlwind trip coverin karnataka,kerela and chennai frm 26TH DEC TO 31ST DEC,2006).

it was our 2nd day in kerela.i decided to pamper myself wth some early mornin ayurvedic massage in our resort in kumarakam.mah bro was too lazy to get all oily at 6 in the mornin so i decided to go alone.after the usual hospitalities my masseur got to buisness.i was stripped naked albeit my undies were spared and i was told to lay down on my back.
and then the MOMENT OF RECKONING came.the masseur,a keralite, who spoke decent english and no hindi,knowing me bein a delhiite decided to jes give it a more personal touch + make me feel at home,asked innocently "SIR....CHADDI OK?" and my prompt and innocent reply was "OK"(as in "i am OK with my undies") and ZOOOOOOM...there he strips me of the last piece of cloth on my body....and as my jockey went down and as an ugly,black,south indian masseur got the view of my exclusive posterior(which is at par with J.LO's),i went thru a constellation of emotions(anger,anxiety,hurt,embarassment...yes sir even a besharam guy like me can get embarassed on rare occasions).but all i cud utter was "OYEEEE ye kya kar diya?"but no use cryin on spilled milk so i decided to go wth the flow and let him do his tricks on my tricky roads....moral of the story "communicate properly and learn exactly wats bein conveyed b4 nodding ur head and sayin the magic word...OK"

the day that was

Been vying to blog for ages but never found the appropriate time(the last time i wrote anythin close was a diary way bck in 1993...so gladiators of bloggoseum,spare me if the stuff is amateur)...and here i am,havin my fifth corona of the day,sittin near my balcony,listenin 2 JOSHUA RADIN'S...STAR MILE(song of the night...i've got a staple diet of songs which put me 2 instant NINNI(baby sleep in hindi),lookin at the streets lights and contemplating and sharin wth the world,the DAY THAT WAS.

the relevance of this blog revolves around wat v call a BAD HAIR DAY.the past 3 days were,in a punjabi layman's word,A MANDAA wth regards to catchin fish(as in my clients).but came today morning,and i received a call from a certain MADAM KABBACH(the co-owner of hyatt regency in casablanca and a private resort TOWN and one of many cool yachts here in morocco...and other money-raking things dat i don know of).

the kind old lady is havin her son's weddin,comin saturday(the dude gets married to the daughter of the moroccan distributor and head of CHOPARD,here in morocco)and i was asked to provide a bean from the beanstalk(a few rajasthani antique pots for her garden decoration)

when i reached her palais...there was a glow in my eyes(only on those who smell dough...crispy,new,karaare note)...but guess the glow in the eyes turned out to be CONJUNKTIVITUS.

hopin 2 make atleast a cool 6000$ on 8 pcs of PEETAL-KHASSI-ANTIQUE vases(in other wrds a steal)...turned out she wanted the stuff for rent,for a day...and here i was hopin to get rid of some dead stock...alas wth a lotta paltry negotiations i succumbed 2 her demands and rented(which i do rarely cos my motto is "once a retailer,always a retailer") the stuff for a mere 900$(almost 5100$ worth of dreams and bread and alcohol,gone wth the wind)

other siginificant things that happened on this day were,a more than half hour conversation wth mr SHARAD frm new york(one of the rare friends who r at par wth ur non-sense of humour...in other words one of the few people wth whom u feel sedated or relaxed in this big-bad world),a great meal and a godforesaken slow net connection...THE END(until the nxt blog)