From Madras with love…

3000 feet above sea level at  1000 kms/hr…Looking out of the window down at the Delhi lit up in all its Pomp and Majesty I saw a vast ocean of lights illuminating the arena where Legendary kings have fought and fell,where great dynasties reigned in Splendour, where Heroes arose in grandeur and shimmered  in the blaze of glory, some faded away and sank in oblivion, some left behind memories that would resonate in history for generations. Neon lights from the pubs, night clubs, junk food joints and the crosswoven mesh of flyovers radiant with head and tail lights of the midnight traffic posed a stricking contrast next to the remnants of monuments that seemed to scream out fables about the rich and varied cultural heritage of this nation…The seat of authority over the centuries, where every crumbling wall has a story to tell about the city that lived through battles and repeatedly rose from its own ashes..

I thought this is probably how the Earth looks in the eyes of the Creator who never sleeps nor slumbers…maybe a still zoomed out version including all the planets and the galaxies. This is all it takes sometimes to make you think what a tiny and insignificant dot you may be…I’m thumbprint on the window of a skyscraper (Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti  as Miles Raymond in Sideways)  But i like wat Is 43:1-4a tells me.

The more you see the less you know
The less you find out as you go
I knew much more then than I do now

Neon heart day-glow eyes
A city lit by fireflies
They’re advertising in the skies
For people like us

And I miss you when you’re not around
I’m getting ready to leave the ground

Oh you look so beautiful tonight
In the city of blinding lights

I’ve seen you walk unafraid
I’ve seen you in the clothes you made
Can you see the beauty inside of me?
What happened to the beauty I had inside of me?

And I miss you when you’re not around
I’m getting ready to leave the ground

Oh you look so beautiful tonight
In the city of blinding lights

Time…time…time…time…time
Won’t leave me as I am
But time won’t take the boy out of this man

The more you know the less you feel
Some pray for others steal
Blessings are not just for the ones who kneel… luckily

Lyrics by U2

The welcome in Chennai was warm(pun intended).Starting with the drive back home from the airport with Fijichan to the matrix style-high-speed bus chase in the morning on ECR…Thrilling is the word.

Meeting old friends was priceless. RESPECT!! to George,Aloy,Sajeevettan and a whole bunch of u guys…u guys totally pulled this off!! Absolute RESPECT!!

Got my old sim back and we were ready to take this show on the road.Covering up for George n’ Aloy is no easy job..trust me..such big shoes to fill..These guys had taken care of everything already…jus had some finishing touches..Was pretty much hooked up the whole day with tasks ranging from getting the carpenter to build a drum platform, connecting with the sound guys, generator guys,the band,the crew,facilities Helpdesk, transport helpdesk, security, ticket sales blah blah..and in the meanwhile keeping  every  Palanichammy, Kuppuchammy and Murugeshan, who thought it was mandatory to voice an opinion about the sound system, happy and content..Dude!We had a 2 highly qualified(SAE Australia)  sound Engineers-Mike and Randolf who mix for Moksha up our sleeve and I  seriously don’t think they’d find all the Ponnuchammy  suggestions to be of any help..so we conveniently ignored the same…and managing not to blow a fuse while facilities and transport freaks chose to act up at all the wrong times..To top it all up,we had last minute suprises like-the truck carrying the generator getting a flat tyre and finally  making  it to the venue 3 hours late i.e  5 mins before the show and the van that was to pick the band not being a/c leaving the band to arrange an alternative transport. phew!

The show kicked off with us (The Xansa Band) doing an opening show for A2J…It feels good to play with a 5000 watt monster system behind your back..u know?And let me tell you again “There is no place like home”.

A2J kicked some major ass showcasing Jacob’s heavy bass riffs, David’s guitar solos on fast forward mode,Timmy’s goose-pimple inducing vocals, Ranjit’s (Moksha’s founder member) ‘ in-your-face ‘ drumming and Paul’s rock-solid keyboard fills.  

The show was amazing and included most of my favourites- Beyond Belief,Dance,Get down,Calling on you,Big Big House,Annie,Don’t say suicide,Head of the Serpent(HOTS as we call it) and lots more.The concert was very personal too in a way..as it had been in the pipeline since George,Aloy and Me conceived the idea during the Big Deal Corporate Music ‘06 and also ‘cos A2J displayed a very sweet gesture of dedicating HOTS to yours truly, during the concert.That meant a lot man!The crowd went crazy when A2J announced the last song “Nobody else” the same song we did for the Big Deal Corporate Music ‘06..Icing on the cake you may call it..The curtains came down with the crowd singing the chorus to “Nobody else” with the band and it made me feel the concert was well worth the crazy trip i took across the country.Helped the band and sound guys pack up the rig.The night was still young at 1 am so George,Aloy n’ me decided to celebrate at Ascendas.

 

Next day met up with the Vazhapindy big guns- Mennachi,Filz n’ daedalus.We ‘did’ K.F.C,the beach and Pupil and in between a little bit of bike-rowing on the road just for the kicks.Bumped into few familiar faces from college at Ascendas.Was tempted to take another crazy detour to Banglore on getting news about the gang’s blast there but then resolved not to yield in,thinking that would be a little too Extreme.Guess we missed some major fun ‘cos we didn’t ‘do’ Banglore.Daedalus is gonna kill me for ‘doing’ this ‘do’ thing ‘cos he thinks i don’t ‘do’  the ‘do’  right!!