Loonville

There are times when one is disgusted at the what is being passed for news. It has become a daily occurrence. Soap Opera. Mediocrity enshrined. Barkha Dutt, I spit on thee.

Like most people, I grew up feasting on ARR before I moved over to the Psychedelia – floyd, doors, who, beatles and the likes. Little did I know I missed out on Raja. I wonder how much of an influence it would have been listening to Raja when i was ten.

Meer and Abhi have this mind blowing arrangement for the “Edho Moham” song. Zimbly fantastic. It is going to be insane when we record it. And it’ll be atleast another three weeks before I can join them   If you are reading this and can play a violin, buzz me.

P.S. – If you haven’t heard this before, drop me a mail. I’ll get you a copy.

The Loon man is indisposed. out of action. for a couple of weeks atleast.

– Abhi

Tithi made a pertinent observation a few days back when I was ranting on how I have some fifty hits a day and half a dozen people actually leaving a comment. Loonville has become all about me, far too personal and people might not relate to it.

I agree. It is a conscious choice. As the old timers might remember, Daedal (long defunct) was all about a 16 year old passing judgment on things he didn’t fully comprehend. And I don’t want the task of analyzing arguments, taking it apart, ripping any logical fallacies, feeling good about it but having understood nothing. This realization dawned when I was doing a write-up on Monet. Merely paraphrasing what I hear and read does reflect poorly. I have never seen a Monet in person, not even a copy; just images on artchive. I don’t know what the texture looks like, the way light bounces off it, the greens, the lady with the umbrella and the green-blue skies, the frame and what not. I have been touched at a certain level but I want to have the full blast of it. To have known it like a lover before I write and not as a pimp showcasing a whore. Integrity is the soul of a writer. I’m learning to be honest. I know it is pedestrian, importantly it is mine.

Yes, I will play commentator at times. I might cook up and serve fiction. But it will all be me, not some obscure writer re-phrased.

I have just been accused of being quite indifferent to the people around me. So here is how I ‘classified’ some really nice folks I have known.

Those that are role model material

Susheel Menon

I can put my hand up and say there can’t be a nicer person in the world. The person I looked up to when I was a kid. Who said you have to be a jerk to be an absolute stud ?

Arul NS

Rascal – the word is tailor made for him. A total jakkas senior at school. Rebellion personified. I owe all my fierce need for independence and non-conformist traits to Arul. I was the decoy for this guy to pilfer equipment and chemicals out of the labs. Stud in truest sense.

Those that I love

Limey - No comments here. The single biggest influence in my life.

Arun and Prasad

These are men I would give my right arm for. Buddies from school. The kind that stick with you through your worst times. Time and place don’t mean much when it comes to this duo. Put us together after years of torture and isolation in a chinese prison, you will find a room reeking of bad humor and impish laughter.

Thanga – the one with golden balls Overacting, vetti scene fellow. Quite a character.

Sid G – Oh, Sid is well.. Sid. Hours and hours of pretend-study sessions. He was the Mandira bedi to Pachu’s NFS sessions. A self-proclaimed metal freak that listens to Britney spears and has trouble with his PMs ( not to be confused with his PMS trouble)

Pachu – Pachu (Partha) belongs to a rare breed of mathematicians problem solvers that can intuitively solve numericals. The way he zeros in on a solution is almost magical. Five hours of marathon problem solving and he just got two wrong. But here is the catch. You can be rest assured he would leave the answer unmarked. If only Lalu yadav gets to overhear our late night phone calls, he would hire us as speech-writers. Heights of inanity.

Those that I totally envy

Rivka - What can I say? She bloody has everything one could ask for. A real classy babe that I once site-adichufied and is a great friend now, atleast when she comes to India

Tithi – Big sister material. Got a singing voice most women would kill for. Nonchalant. Absolutely chilled out and laid back attitude. Makes the most wonderful Bengali delicacies.

Abhi- By far the only well-read person I have known. Abhi, if you decide to die, leave me your library and your girlfriend

Those that are on my IOU-big-time list.

I am a thankless B!#$##% and I can’t remember the last time someone did me a favor. Wait, Saru aunty for the best lunch I have ever had and Chitra for the Beatles. Both life-savers.

Those that I wish I knew better

Guru Balan

Two years was a very short time to have known you. Your rantings on how life is comparable to a momentary orgasm makes a lot of sense lately. RIP.

Varun Kishnani

Varun is a brilliant young mind. He is going to make it real big somewhere down the line if he puts his head down to it. And remember you read it here first.

Okay, this part of the list will be quite long. There are quite a few people that I wish I knew better, Link, for one, is a nice young woman who can be quite a snob. Raj and Zaheer from CMS, Vindy from school.

There goes a tiny fraction of people who have put up with me for twenty one years. Now that I have been nice to you once, don’t whine again.