Rock Shows in R.A.I.T
This is an older piece I'd written about the rock shows we used to host in RAIT .
Posting it here, since it was never 'formally' published.
The ROCK SHOW....
Now, the rock shows were held on the last day of Horizon... (note the usage of the word 'were' ;) ), the day after the 'fashion show' (aka a whole nite of leching at the Thadomal Models). If you were one of the organizers for the rock show, you had it. All the volunteer junta would conveniently take the next day off, tired as they would be from all the onanism last nite around. So the third day would dawn hot, f*ckin hot and dusty with a handful of volunteers. Master of all you see? Not quite, mofo!!
There would be barricades to be built(read the trusty old F.E. benches, slammed together in various carnal positions to make a 'wall' 3 feet high, for the security guys to stand up and dhamkaav the crowd - "Boss, do not touch the bamboo poles", "abbe ******, zaraa door hoke headbang kar!","aaon kya udhar?! haan? aaon kya?" ), bands to be escorted, security to be managed. So, under the ever kind March Sun, the whole process would start. Bench after bench lugged to the venue.
Then the sound guy would get busy doing his thing, and you got to tinker around the main stage. Fooling around the main stage and listening to the sound guy play 'Eye of the tiger' in an endlessly maddening loop, lugging drum kits up n down, tripping over those endless cables, wires and assorted 'rock' paraphernalia, standing on the stage, and looking down the arena, wondering what it'd be like to ACTUALLY play there. ;)
The hospitality section (read dope,ciggies,booze,food,acco for the bands...in STRICTLY that order) was totally the domain of the Nerulites, who always did a kickass job. Come evening time and the 'crowd' would start building up - a restless line of piss-drunk, stoned, and bladder heavy metal tee-shirts that wud start snaking around, all along the side road. Volunteers would now start trickling in, suitably refreshed and you were suddenly spoilt for choice as far as help was concerned. Customary 'khunnas' administered to them, security duties assigned. The crowd would keep on building up till around 7.30 and then the gnarly gates would be thrown open and then the massive crotch fondling exercise that followed would gladden the hearts of Sodom. The guys trying to smuggle in stuff were kicked out (after the dope was pocketed by us of course... Shhh...trade secret. But we ain't as heartless as MOOD I, we DO ALLOW Ciggies inside.)But things would get REAL ugly if syringes and the like were caught, instant justice administered down in the SUC room with every body getting a shot at the junkies (Ahh the summer of 1999 :) )
Then of course, the cops. There HAD to be a problem every year with the noise, can't blame them too, what with Parikrama hitting the eardrums of the neighbouring 'Societies' around the college periphery, not good for uncle/aunty/baccha log at midnight.
Speaking of Parikrama, man, those weird tiles which now adorn the pathway to Eden(OK, OK, the Engineering gate) are at the heart of a very interesting story. It was my final year ,2001 and yes we had 15 volunteers in all for the rock show (surprise surprise) and guess what the boyz from Parikrama want? A platform made out of nearly 500 bricks on the terrace to launch their pyro stuff at the end of the show! So off to work! Saathi haath bataana and all that jazz. Just the 15 of us lugged those heavy as hell bricks up n down 4 floors. My muscular forearms stand testimony till this very day to that one feat. For ONCE, we actually used the 'Shortest Path' Algorithm to such good effect that our Profs would have shed copious tears of bilious joy. Endless sweaty trips later, it was all done. By then, we were too pooped to even listen to what the bands played. Hazy recollections of smoke on the water, FIRE IN THE SKY...yeah!!!!!!!!
Posting it here, since it was never 'formally' published.
The ROCK SHOW....
Now, the rock shows were held on the last day of Horizon... (note the usage of the word 'were' ;) ), the day after the 'fashion show' (aka a whole nite of leching at the Thadomal Models). If you were one of the organizers for the rock show, you had it. All the volunteer junta would conveniently take the next day off, tired as they would be from all the onanism last nite around. So the third day would dawn hot, f*ckin hot and dusty with a handful of volunteers. Master of all you see? Not quite, mofo!!
There would be barricades to be built(read the trusty old F.E. benches, slammed together in various carnal positions to make a 'wall' 3 feet high, for the security guys to stand up and dhamkaav the crowd - "Boss, do not touch the bamboo poles", "abbe ******, zaraa door hoke headbang kar!","aaon kya udhar?! haan? aaon kya?" ), bands to be escorted, security to be managed. So, under the ever kind March Sun, the whole process would start. Bench after bench lugged to the venue.
Then the sound guy would get busy doing his thing, and you got to tinker around the main stage. Fooling around the main stage and listening to the sound guy play 'Eye of the tiger' in an endlessly maddening loop, lugging drum kits up n down, tripping over those endless cables, wires and assorted 'rock' paraphernalia, standing on the stage, and looking down the arena, wondering what it'd be like to ACTUALLY play there. ;)
The hospitality section (read dope,ciggies,booze,food,acco for the bands...in STRICTLY that order) was totally the domain of the Nerulites, who always did a kickass job. Come evening time and the 'crowd' would start building up - a restless line of piss-drunk, stoned, and bladder heavy metal tee-shirts that wud start snaking around, all along the side road. Volunteers would now start trickling in, suitably refreshed and you were suddenly spoilt for choice as far as help was concerned. Customary 'khunnas' administered to them, security duties assigned. The crowd would keep on building up till around 7.30 and then the gnarly gates would be thrown open and then the massive crotch fondling exercise that followed would gladden the hearts of Sodom. The guys trying to smuggle in stuff were kicked out (after the dope was pocketed by us of course... Shhh...trade secret. But we ain't as heartless as MOOD I, we DO ALLOW Ciggies inside.)But things would get REAL ugly if syringes and the like were caught, instant justice administered down in the SUC room with every body getting a shot at the junkies (Ahh the summer of 1999 :) )
Then of course, the cops. There HAD to be a problem every year with the noise, can't blame them too, what with Parikrama hitting the eardrums of the neighbouring 'Societies' around the college periphery, not good for uncle/aunty/baccha log at midnight.
Speaking of Parikrama, man, those weird tiles which now adorn the pathway to Eden(OK, OK, the Engineering gate) are at the heart of a very interesting story. It was my final year ,2001 and yes we had 15 volunteers in all for the rock show (surprise surprise) and guess what the boyz from Parikrama want? A platform made out of nearly 500 bricks on the terrace to launch their pyro stuff at the end of the show! So off to work! Saathi haath bataana and all that jazz. Just the 15 of us lugged those heavy as hell bricks up n down 4 floors. My muscular forearms stand testimony till this very day to that one feat. For ONCE, we actually used the 'Shortest Path' Algorithm to such good effect that our Profs would have shed copious tears of bilious joy. Endless sweaty trips later, it was all done. By then, we were too pooped to even listen to what the bands played. Hazy recollections of smoke on the water, FIRE IN THE SKY...yeah!!!!!!!!
This entry was posted
on Monday, August 29, 2005 at 11:27 PM.
9:49 PM, August 30, 2005AAAAHHHHHhhhh...finally something that will help me pass those insipid moments in my day at work ! ...
Sup Biatch !
12:16 AM, August 31, 2005
Dammmmmmmmmmmmmmn dude
just read thru the whole blog.. You have no idea how much i am beaming cheek to cheek.. : )
Dude personal request .. please keep this up .. b*#$%d its my only glimpse to mumbai and good ole days in R.A.I.T. Just got in touch with Shetty here in A&M and have been having a blast! ..mentioned about the time u , karkare , floyd and him met up.. was totally on the floor with laughter..
Neology is definitely your cup of tea.. keep it up.. if you ever make this a coffee table book... u definitely know whos gonna have the first copy ;)
Vigz
6:11 PM, November 17, 2005
hey dude.. stumbled upon this from the mail you sent the RAIT group.. i was one of the 15 with you when lugging those bricks for parikrama :)
my first experience of a rock show.. that one, right up front headbanging, fireworks.. something i'll never forget.
i needn't say more.. i was an FE then.. watching you, viggy rock on my FE nite was something that gave me wat RAIT is all about.
plus of course that article in 'The Wall' (incidentally one reason i got into the committee 2 years later).. helped me get thru a particularly boring P(h)atil lecture.
great blog dude.. you'll see me around.
Satish (Batch of 2004)
3:56 PM, January 29, 2011
hey tapan,
Shibani here.. the co editor of wall magazine... can i please use this for this years article?!
6:22 PM, January 30, 2011
Sure! Will mail across a 'family' version of this.
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