My name is Abdullah Omar Bin Ghati...and i'm Irish!

Yep folks..this is to announce that television still works.

Apart from cricket and news i mean. It always works for them. Just as it never did work for day time soaps. With or without Ekta Kapoor. Or for infotainment (whatever that's supposed to mean). Or for stylish english movie's dubbed in Hindi. Kill Bill Part -2 (Bill ki Maut-Dwitia)

If you havent guessed what i'm talking about, ladies and gentlemen, in true stand up comic style I give you- Last comic standing. Mondays 10 PM Star World. One -hour. Unlike sanitized, de-odoured, studio produced shows like simpsons or friends or the others-this one is raw. And gritty. And embarrassing. And you get to get to see guys like Buck who followed the talent scouts around 7 cities in the US and got rejected every single time.The scouts gave up in the 8'th and allowed him a live performance. This guy changed nothing and and came up with his standard intro line for the 8'th consecutive time across 8 cities-"Hello everyone-and welcome to the BUCK-STAR show!" And of course-got kicked out. He was super cool though.

And then there is this 65 yr old guy with a strong texan + amitabhbacchan accent. Smooth. Like crude(oil), if you get what i mean. He's been doing stand up comedy for the last 35 yrs in small bars around in Texas and never got noticed. Now he feels he's mellowed and matured (like (in) whisky) and his time has come. He's moved on to the next round and looks a strong contender. Do see where he goes next week.
Till then.(as he says)

Good night ladies and gentlemen,
and thanks for laughing.

Pandit Jasraj!

Was a virgin to Indian classical music concerts before. Dipesh, my colleague, got passes so i tagged along for the finale of Idea Jalsa to Nehru Auditorium yesterday. Went mostly for the novelty value, but if classical concerts are typically even a fraction as good-i'd be happy to go again.

This concert had solo performances by Janyanthi Kumaresh (on Veena), Dr. L Subramanium(india's leading violinist) and for the finale- a jugalbandi between Pandit Jasraj (Vocals) and Dr. L Subramanium. I really do not understand the basics of classical music but logically two yardstick seemed obvious-melody and the range of the sound/voice. Would tend to give more credit to the later because melody is far more easier to achieve. Solely based on this, what i heard was truly magical. I heard the human throat getting transformed into a musical instrument. An instrument whose strings were plucked at will across the octaves to match and better the notes emanating from the violin strings of another maestro. One inspiring the other to to excel. To move away from the beaten path. To innovate. To stamp their authority on the base as well as the highest notes. And then come back to the mean. Only for a moment though, to reflect on their journey-and smile together. And then embark onto new ventures again.

Something like a Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal match. Or Alain Prost pitted against Aryton Senna. Only in this case both knew they would win at the same time.

Afsane-The Nautanki

Caught a play in Mumbai after long. Had never been to Prithvi before this. The place is more a bungalow converted into a stage rather then a "theatre". The ambiance feels quite nice though. Kinda like a classroom. Intimate. With sets where the Prof. would have stood. Be on time, queque up to to enter first for the best seats (no seat numbers assigned), switch off mobiles, no talking-whispering-giggling except when the script tell u to-said the instructions. 50 odd people for the first day in class. Strangers. Rushing in for the best chunk of seats for self. Once done, demurely gazing around to see if their flusterings have offended any one. Gentlefolk. Unexpectedly thrown together yet sitting expectedly for the ice to break.

Still some time to go before class starts. Who are these folks around? None look like people who have to rush to work tomorrow at 7 am. They wouldnt have caught the 9PM show otherwise, one reasons. Dim lights. No uneasy conversations happen. No introductions are given. A lone candle in a red vase placed at the center throws flickering shadows around. The early arrivals walk back to the loo in the dark by trying to create non-existent space in the aisles. They are met by late comers trying to do the same in the opposite direction. People seated irritatedly slip legs back on sandals shoving them beneath seats to avoid getting crushed. Soothing kothi type piped music on speakers. Late comers groan eying their corner seats.
The sense of expectations suddenly rises. People hush. Lights dim further(didnt think that was possible), music alters. The curtain rises.

The show begins. No introductions are given there either.