The Saarang Post

Hey all of you people out there.Its been a long time since I made a post.I know its long time, so here it is that I am making it happen.I have to tell you all that it simply feels great to make a post.Everytime, not just this once.I just flow when I see this 'Create New Post' screen in front of me.Anyways here I am.

The reason I wasn't able to make a post during these 10 or 11 days was that for one, I had a nasty cold and cough mix mania that I guess I told you people all about, in my last post.The second reason is that I was there at 'Saarang 2005'.

Now Saarang is the mother of all culfests-( that is 'cultural fests' for you ) held anywhere in the world in college level.It is held by IIT-Madras, a premier instituition in the country.Now I hate telling you people about what is Saarang and Where it is held and What is the greatness of IIT-M and all that.You know why? If you've been here in Chennai a.k.a Madras you'd know why.You hear a lifetime of stroies, endless achievements made by the institute, about how gruelling their entrance exam - the JEE is, about how brilliant minds make up the place for what it is year after year, about how they innovate every year, about how envious all of us are about those who are a part of it , etc.I could just go on and on and on.So now lets get started on how I went about the whole fest.But first some rules.

I making this a kind of tribute to what Saarang is and the place where it is held - IIT-M.So every IITian their has a nickname or a nick shall we say, for himself/herself.Of course they are nicked by the seniors during the ragging sessions.So some people I'll be referring to in the next few posts will be referred to by their nicks, for those people themselves really don't know their real names, leave alone me.Some of the lingo that IITians use go like this -

Junta - People
Maajor - Major
Tam Junta - Tamil people
Arbit Fart - Bullshit
Put Treat - Give a treat
Put Fundaes - Explain
Funda - Concept
Hajaar - lots of/many

Now I really am not very familiar with the lingo, but will be using it here as and when required and not required, for this is a tribute.Moreover I haven't enlisted entirely their lingo for I don't know every word and that I am not from IIT.

Now the event started on 21st of January, a Friday - Day 0, with a splendourous performance by Amaan and Ayaan, the two brothers and sons of the great Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, a great sitar maestro.So as you guessed, these two guys also played the sitar and were simply awesome - Now that was what I heard, as I couldn't attend the thing that day.The next day also went by pretty much the same way - that is I couldn't attend Saarang, as my sweet college had me all dutybound.

Saturday - Day 1, evening 7:30 was when I really got to get my feet inside IIT-M campus.The rock show featuring Orange Street and Moksha were performing and had already started by the time I went in.I, actually, came along with Premal and Rahool and was late for they hadn't yet got their tickets.Now KR and Spang were somewhat worked up as they had to wait for me at the Gajendra circle bus stop, as a result of which I had costed 5 minutes of precious time.I say precious time, cos I know how the rock show goes and how fellow rock afficionados would feel about being there right from the start.But I'll tell you what, though we got their 5 minutes late and all thinking we had wasted precious time, we didn't feel much, later as Orange Street had this hindi mixed with english kind of rock.They didn't get us excited and pumping and all, so much so that the band's lead singer himself aplogised to the crowd saying "If we were not good enough for you guys, we are really sorry....." He had to say that to save his face.But they did play one or may two decent numbers, I should say.

Next up were the crowds' most favourite and most awaited band for the night - Moksha.Moksha, is definitely one of the most talented, loved, amazing rock bands in India.They are Maiden worshippers, and serve the ecstacy to the other thousands who follow Iron Maiden and their legacy of rock.Black T-shirts, faces with beards without moustaches, long hair and an incessant head-banging sea of junta.I was all there in the middle of it, head-banging myself and rocking out and out.Moksha, had certain problems with the bass sound, as it sent the ground under us jarring when the bassist played.They got it all sorted out after about 30 - 45 minutes I guess.But still, they didn't do away with the problem, they only cut out the amps for the bass I guess.Then they simply rocked.Christie, the god of electric guitar, or just let us say guitar, played some amazing solos and made up for the bad start.The bassist was Oberoi or Audrey, I don't remember the exact name, was also awing.Leon, the lead singer of the band was perfect Bruce Dickinson.Towards the end they played two very famous numbers of Iron Maiden - 'Fear of the Dark' and 'Two minutes to Midnight'.Now we nearly died after these two numbers.Some of Moksha's own compos were very good too.I don't remember any tune, but I do remember that I enjoyed them a lot when they played.Moksha, then ended their stint by 11:00 I guess.We all then went to the Gajendra circle bus stop to board back to the main entrance of IIT-M.Later Spang, KR and myself crashed at KR's house.We would see the next day's afternoon rays of the sun.

The rock fans are all like bats.They come during the night.Nobody knows from where they come.They all conglomerate in the OAT and head bang in unison and sing along with the bands and simply rock the whole place.So cheers to all you rock fans out there, for it is we who make the event what it is, for it is we who really know how to rock and for it is we who really rock.