It all started with the Edward Maya classic – ‘Stereo Love’! I still remember listening to this wonderful tune time & again, without the slightest hint about the artist, let alone the song itself! But the mystery was just too much for me…

And then I met my trance guru – my dearest bro James Ballack in Ambala for the umpteenth time, but as it turned out, this was going to be one of those very rare revolutionary meetings! For 3 straight nights, I was introduced to the wonderfully uplifting world of trance through numerous tracks on my bro’s mobile phone, listening whole night through earphones! My bro did not require those earphones, for he knew all the tunes already by heart! Enigmatic, Soul-Stirring, Mind-altering – Those nights were all these and more…

Those were my initial baby steps into the wide expanse of trance universe! Days went, Nights passed & I was getting overwhelmed by the ever-growing trancelectic beauties reaching my mailbox every single day/night, courtesy Mr. Maya! Edward Maya, David Guetta, Music of the Sun, 1200 Micrograms, Infected Mushrooms had a great impact on my early trance days, with my first top-20 trance list having numerous tracks from them and their likes…

Shiva on Trance was the next level, with our unprecedented devotion towards Lord Shiva! If Shiva’s India by 1200 Mics was brilliant, my trancematic experience reached the ultimate possible level with Shankara by Hilight tribe – my all-time Numero Uno ever!! I was ‘Becoming Insane’ due to Infected Mushrooms and drugged by 1200 Micrograms…

And then the world no. 1 DJ took over – Armin Van Buuren’s A State of Trance – 2011 blew me away with 2 hours of magical spell! It was time for my second top-20 trance list, led by AVB & various tracks from his legendary radio show ASOT! In the meantime, my exposure to different genres of trance also begun – As I moved from house mix to progressive to psychedelic trippp !!! This was the next level…

If Vibe Tribe – Destination Unknown, Melodrama & Wisecracks had me tripping in all directions, then the Intersys-Perplex combo known as Kreak (SpaceCat remix) had me in an absolute frenzy!! Add to this the maddening destruction caused by Skazi in I wish & the soothing music by Krishna Das and the latest top trance tunes underwent a huge change…

Then I joined Bangalore Trance Community (BTC) and I was no longer tripping only on my laptop or iPod! The Partyyy season was full ON now!! Mark Eteson gig at Blue Waves ushered in the supreme feeling of bliss through live musicals!! Jalebee Cartel’s techno at Kingfisher’s Octoberfest was absolutely off the hook!!

BOOM BOOM – Psykovsky & Kindzadza completely killed it during 7 straight hours of Psychedelic & Dark trance at E-zone!! An experience of a kind it was, very difficult to be replicated again…

And then the Perfect 100 Gig happened at F-Bar – Protoculture completely blasted me away left, right & center with his super-awesome Liquid Logic & Orjan Nilsen’s Viking on that heavenly trance night!!

And to think that all this is just a mere beginning!

S.U.N.B.U.R.N from 27-29 Dec. in GOA with JAMES BALLACK is next! The line-up boasts of giants such as Above & Beyond, Infected Mushrooms, Skazi, Markus Schulz, Jerome Isma-Ae among others! Indian techno masters – Lost Stories & Jalebee Cartel and some out-of-the-world stages! This MAHAKUMBH of Trance is all set to take us to some unbelievable heights, never witnessed before!!

See you on the sands :-)

The evergreen pastures of NITIE were left behind a few months back to culminate a thoroughly exciting and eventful journey that started way back in the summer of 2011. The life-altering MBA experience is something to be treasured and cherished forever – be it the sleepless and lively hostel-life or the hectic and challenging exam-time or the buzz around the campus ignited by those numerous extra-curricular events. Talking of events, reminds me of the legendary management fest Prerana and its latest 2011 avatar, which sure had all MBA junta hooked around with its emphatic ensemble cast. Besides others, it was the heady cocktail of “Beauty & Brains on the Rocks” what with Anurag Kashyap, Gul Panag and Indian Ocean gracing the campus this time around, which had everyone including yours truly, craving to be in the campus and missing it all the more when unable to attend Prerana! The ultimate realization of being a revered alumnus of this wonderful institute (popularly known as the hill station in Mumbai) was complete with a call and the mail from the mighty Alumni Committee! And hence followed this article.

Life after NITIE has only risen on the awesomeness scale mostly because Bangalore happened! Famous as the IT hub of India, this metropolis is a perfect mix of sheer brilliant weather, a foodie’s delight, work hard & party harder culture! The only slight blemish could be the sometimes immovable traffic jams, but the highly organized public transport system especially buses and the recently started metro facility provides travel comfort to the commuters. Concerns with respect to stable infrastructure in light of ever increasing population explosion maybe valid but as of now, this heart of South India is managing decently especially in comparison to other metropolitan cities across India. My take, based upon a still very short experience, reiterates Bangalore continuing to being the ‘Land of Opportunities’ atleast in the near future and a very suitable long-term option for settling down.

Being a part of an organization in its 100th centennial year of existence makes you feel really proud and excited! My IBM experience, previously also known as the Identical Blue Men in the 1950/60’s era because of their leaders singular attraction to everything blue (suits, shirts & trousers), has been so far so good. Big Blue, especially in the GMC (Global Marketing Centre) team where I work, provides you with a great combination of flexibility, quality and challenges all at the same time. Top it with an excellent work culture and a second-to-none brand, the experience becomes truly epic!

And the next Big thing is Cloud Computing, make no mistake about that! From an industry marketing perspective of chemicals and petroleum in particular and the complete gamut of industries in general, all organizations (small and big) are slowly but steadily moving towards the cloud culture both internally and externally. Be it enterprise asset management or storage a solution, cloud technology is everywhere. The biggest issue is of security in employing a public cloud that requires sharing of information with various companies that may include competitors too. However, the success of the private cloud model and the steep rise in data worldwide makes Cloud – A Must Have for all! Rate of adoption would vary from industries to services. IBM is all set to lead from the front in this domain leveraging its rich legacy of highly successful and dynamic solutions touching everybody’s lives. Recipient of the prestigious Forbes award for being the Numero Uno organization for leaders makes the Big Blue completely aware of the famous quote: “With great powers come great responsibilities”!

The Future is here. The Journey has just begun. The ABC Stories have been told.

ENTER!

This is not a movie review of Shaitan. And its probably also not meant for anyone who could not relate himself or found this movie to be ‘below expectations’. Infact, this post is strictly meant to be read, enjoyed and savored by all the die-hard fans of this Bejoy Nambiar classic!

The expectations were just too huge. So much so that even matching them would have required a masterpiece showcase. SHAITAN did better – It blew me away!! Free time at home & my religious following (lets not use the word addiction) of Facebook meant that I liked the ‘Cult of Shaitan’ page and the rest as they say is history. The leaked trailer, the teaser and the exciting updates on this FB page made me follow it on a regular basis but the real turning point was the ‘Shaitan Hunt’ contest. Winning that contest and then getting a chance to meet Shaitan starcast and win cool merchandise (though none of these have materialized till now & that’s a pity), really hooked me completely. From that time onwards their was no going back!!

The second biggie came in the form of me winning the FB prankster contest & henceforth winning free passes to official music launch of OST at HRC Mumbai. Though I could not go their myself, two of my great friends did & had a rockkking time, courtesy among others: BHAYANAK MAUT!! Still remember listening to UNLEASHED hundreds of kms away in Doon on my mobile that night via Nishant’s Samsung Wave :)

And then OST was unleashed!! I can safely say that I have never ever heard such an amazing album in bollywood till date!! Rock, Pop, Trance, Sufi: you name it and they have it!! All of them pure bliss. ‘Bali: The Sound of Shaitan’ remains my ultimate favourite track! But I have loved everything from Pintya & Fareeda to Josh & Retro Pop Shit!!

And then came 10th June!! Booked my first day first show ticket in advance, only to miss the show due to last moment ‘official’ reasons!! And that was bad, very bad :(

But on 12th June, I finally witnessed something I had never seen in bollywood before: 130 minutes of GODly cinema or should I say: SHAITANI cinema!!! Gaspar Noe’s camerawork met Aronofosky’s darkness & Tarantino’s shockedness!! Felt Nolanic awesomeness in bollywood for the first time & that is saying something guys :)

Though I enjoyed every second of this classic, these are my favourites in no particular order:

KHOYA KHOYA CHAND: This was simply put “Orgasmic stuff”!!! Outstanding camerawork coupled with Superb remix made for a heavenly watch!!

PINTYA RUN-CHASE: Inspector Mathur chasing down the corrupt cop with Pintya in background was stuff of pure cinematic brilliance!!

HUMMER UNLEASHED: The turning point in the movie.. those few seconds of exhilarating Bhayank Maut’s Unleashed before the accident was just amazing!!

BALI BEGINNING: The first look at KC, Dash, Tanya, Zuben & Amy with Bali playing in background gave the movie the awesomest start possible!!

AMY’S THEME: Scenes of Amy’s mother getting drowned in the bath-tub with Amy were again a case of topclass direction!

THE ONE LINERS: Many of them from KC & Zuben throughout the movie were a pleasure to listen to!!

And there were so many more too!!

Hats Off to Bejoy Nambiar for storming into Bollywood with the perfect movie!! Yes, it is now officially my no. 1 movie in Bollywood till date!! (In Hollywood its ‘Inception’ :))

My Respect for Anurag Kashyap reaches its zenith for producing such movies (after Udaan last year).

Heartiest Congratulations to Rajeev Khandelwal, Kalki Koechlin, all co-stars and anyone & everyone associated with this masterpiece.

Thank You “SHAITAN”!!!

OUTRO!

Yes, the name is inspired by Cult of Shaitan!! But then during the past 12 years, Dehradun has earned this cult status in my mind & heart alike!! There is really nothing quite like it. And though my educational & professional stints did keep me away from Darling Doon during the last 8 years or so, the last 4 months have more than made up for it. I will always remember the golden period of Feb-May’11 for the maybe-never-again-possible great time spent with my family & friends: almost all in Doon!

“Home Sweet Home” is not the only reason for my Doon love, though it is indeed one of the most significant ones! Doon scores over Patiala, NCR & Mumbai solely in terms of its soul uplifting weather conditions. Amazingly cool in summers & Heart warming afternoons in winters: surely is a weather to die-for! Of the places I have spent appreciable time with, Chandigarh & Jaipur come the closest to Doon: being City Beautiful & Pink City in the truest literary sense. But then you will never find these heavenly things even their: the trippy ride to Maggi point (all credit to Rachit for making me witness this awesomeness), the unbelievable water falls of Sahastradhara, Lacchi waala, Robber Caves etc., the awe inspiring architecture of IMA and FRI, the utterly delicious burgers & coffee of Buffet, the thupas of KC (again thanks Rachit!), and the godly 25-km bike ride to Mussorie and above!!

Delhi & Mumbai may vouch for the sheer quality of fairer sex present in those geographies, but take my word delhities & mumbaikars, natural beauty is not only present in the curves & valleys of Doon’s hill-tops & mountains, it goes much beyond that till the humanly abode which truly represent the FAIR species in the true literary sense :) Just take a round of Rajpur Road here!

So as I somehow prepare myself to venture yet again for another professional stint, starting with Mumbai times and then further south in all probability, far away from Doon again! Nothing will ever match the sheer aesthetic beauty of doon and the way it always makes me feel: so very special! So much so that nothing, absolutely nothing, has kept me away from Darling Doon for a continuous stretch of more than 3 months all these years of office & college!! How I wish this good luck charm continues :)

Can somebody get me a job in Dehradun: please please please??

P.S. I know I have missed millions of more amazing things about Dehradun. So urge the Cult of Dehradun followers to add them up!!

Not even a week has passed since Gambhir & Dhoni masterminded India’s legendary world cup final success over Lankans; and Indian cricket fans need to brace themselves for a contest between Gambhir’s KKR and Dhoni’s CSK to kick-start IPL: Season-4! It will be just the beginning of this “thrill-a-minute” cricket avatar that spans over 70 matches over 2 months; finally culminating with the 28 May final in Chennai to crown the champions: where the previous winners list includes Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers and defending champs Chennai Super Kings! Whether the average Indian cricket fanatics absorb this entertainment with the same gusto as World Cup in these cricket hangover times? And after the hopefully-never-again auctioning drama, who will the fans vouch for: their home/favourite city or their favourite player teams? As we seek answers to these intriguing questions, I present before you ratings of the 10 teams (5 of them led by Indian players & 5 non-Indians) on a 10-point scale based on very complex calculations performed by yours truly cricket analyst :P
Here goes:

1. Kolkata Knight Riders (7.9/10): Captain – Gautam Gambhir. The best all-round side with the likes of Kallis, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Hasan at its disposal. And a batting-lineup powered by Manoj Tiwary, Eoin Morgan, Haddin & Ten Doeschate along with Gauti and you have a formidable team with the potential to go all the way indeed! Lee, Balaji, Sangawan & Unadkat form a decent bowling unit too. However, whether or not KKR is able to bury down the ghost of its IPL past remains to be seen? But on paper they are the firm favourites!

2. Chennai Super Kings (7.2/10): Captain – M S Dhoni. Defending champions with Captain Cool at its helm, CSK also boast of a powerful all-round unit with Bravo, A.Morkel & Styris standing out as IPL specialists. Add to that the likes of Raina, M.Hussey, Plessis and M.Vijay in batting & a versatile bowling line-up in Ashwin, Jakati, Randiv, Southee and Kulasekara. And CSK have all bases covered up there! Good to go till the final atleast!

3. Royal Challengers Bangalore (6.7/10): Captain – Daniel Vettori. Despite Virat Kohli being the only player still a part of RCB from previous seasons, this new-look side has a more than decent batting ability in A.B. Villiers, Dilshan, Kohli, S.Tiwary, C.Pujara & Pomerbasch. Zaheer Khan leads the bowling attack with Nannes, Langeveldt and clever captain Vettori. Mallaya’s team will hope to go one better than their IPL-2 final performance!

4. Mumbai Indians (6.6/10): Captain – Sachin Tendulkar. In Pollard & Symonds, MI possess one of the most destructive duo with the bat. With the guile of Harbhajan, Slinger of Malinga, rejuvenation of Munaf and batting prowess of Rohit Sharma, Rayudu and Suman. Last time around, this very talented team was undone by likes of MSD & company at the final hurdle. This time GOD will leave no stone upturned to lift IPL too!

5. Rajasthan Royals (6.4/10): Captain – Shane Warne. The winners of the inaugural edition led by the merecurial Warne, RR is stung by the loss of Yusuf this time. However, Shane Watson & Oram as the team all-rounders and Ross Taylor, Dravid to boost their batting. If Tait, Trivedi & Botha can come good with the bowl too, we may be in for another Royal surprise show!

6. Kochi Tuskers (6.3/10): Captain – M Jayawerdena. Some really shrewd captures in the auctioning means that this debut Kerala side has the potential to spring a few surprises for the established lot. Besides the captain: Hodge, Mc Cullum, Laxman & Owais Shah lend solidity to batting. Murali is a prized pick and KT will hope T. Perera also lives up to his allround potential. Of Sreesanth, RP Singh, R Powar: atleast one of them should come good or so KT will hope!

6. Pune Warriors (6.3/10): Captain - Yuvraj Singh. In Yuvi, N Mc Cullum & Jesse Ryder, this team does have a formidable allround attack. Batting is boosted by M Marsh, Manish Pandey, G Smith & R Uthappa. And if Nehra, Karthik, Parnell and J Taylor can save a few runs, the warriors might turn out to be a little hot to handle!

8. Kings XI Punjab (5.5/10): Captain – Adam Gilchrist. The best of the ‘worst trio’ of IPL-4. They have been hit really hard by auctioning mayhem! With an almost zero-size bowling, with Piyush Chawla their best hope. KXIP would really need D Hussey, Shaun Marsh, D Karthik, A Nayar and the captain himself to fire on all cylinders on a consistent basis for some success!

9. Delhi Daredevils (5.1/10): Captain – Virender Sehwag. My top-favourite during last season; DDR has hit the very bottom on paper this time and are desperately short in all departments! Only and only if the Captain, A Finch, D Warner, V Rao come good with the bat and Irfan Pathan, J Hopes & Van der Merwe can finally deliver as all-rounders, can the DDR offer some resistance to its oppositions!

10. Deccan Chargers (5/10): Captain – Kumar Sangakkara. From being the champions of IPL-2, this side has been absolutely ripped off by the auctioning! So much so that the woefully out-of-form C White is their best all-round bet! It will require some outstanding captaincy by the erstwhile Lankan skipper with a lot of support from Duminy, S Dhawan, Lumb, Steyn, Ojha & Mishra for the DC to make a substantial mark this time. However, in all probability, the ghost of IPL-1 may very well be back to haunt them again!

Here’s hoping that “Manoranjan ka Baap”-4 turns out to be yet another paisa-vasool entertainer!!!

P.S. As we have seen in previous three seasons, the 20-20 format comes with its share of surprises, so despite this analysis I am indeed all geared up to expect the unexpected again!! But would love to hear your predictions people? Which teams will you be vouching for?