THE IRON MAIDEN EXPERIENCE

Pappu, me , jk with the tickets

Last week can be termed as one of the most rocking one of my life..After having two days of pure fun at NIT Calicut's Raagam '07, we headed straight to Banglore to watch the concert of our lifetime..to watch the uncrowned kings of heavy metal in action.. to watch none other than IRON MAIDEN... It was a sort of get together of the who's who of the Trivandrum headbangers club.. let me compile a list of the metalheads from TVM who attended the show.. first of all, the 'Rage' band..Nithin chettan, mithun chettan, abi chettan, pramod chettan...then, Raja, Nikhil, JK, Pappu and Kishore chettan from K.OS...Govindan chettan from old 'transmigration', Vivek, Chippu and Alex from 'Soulburn', metal fans bhasi chettan, sono chettan, subin chettan, Rohan, sreejith and finally rohith and me representing 'Stoneage'..

take a look at the lighting equipments

with the superfans from Germany

Me and k.os guys set out to the palace grounds at morning 10am itself. Even the autorickshaw drivers in banglore seemed to know 'iron maiden' and they easily recognised that we were heading to the concert venue. As we reached there, lots of young guys and gals were already pouring in. The site of IRON MAIDEN LIVE on the arch leading to the ground really pumped up my spirits. We walked in and was greeted by the awesome sight of a sea of black shirts outside the grounds and most of the shirts had the words 'iron maiden' written on it. Some weirdo guys and gals with equally weird haircuts and dressups were roaming around there. Many of them carried beer cans. As expected, some were busy smoking the 'stuff'. It was only 11am now. The gates won't open in another 4 hours. And the guys who were having our tickets were still to arrive. We sat around there savouring the multi cultural, multi lingual but still united rock crowd who had gathered there. Am sure there were atleast a dozen people representing each state in India.


As we sat around there munching some water melon, a van carrying police men passed by. And the agressive crowd raised up their middle finger in unison and sang some slogans which cannot be written here. Already, big queues were gathering in front of both the 900rs and 1500rs entry points. Atlast at 2, all the guys arrived. We posed for pics holding the tickets in our hands. Then, we queued up for the final push to the stadium. The impatient crowd were banging on the metal panels and chanting 'maiden , maiden'...and finally the gates opened at 2 30 pm...The ticket guy checked our tickets and was collecting it back. I was not ready to part with that prized possession. I showed it to him and ran away with it. I could hear him calling from my back but i dint turn back. We all ran straight to the front. And all of us went mad because we were so close to the stage. The first 30 minutes were really mad as lots of pushing and swearing were happening. We were struck by the sheer elegance of the stage. The number of lighting equipments dangling from the top were just mind blowing. After many rounds of slogan shouting, the crowd settled down. As we roamed around there, we met 3 superfans of maiden from Germany. They had the SPF[Superfan] badges and lots of Maiden stuff on their dresses. According to them, there are only 40 people all around the world with this special pass. These people follow the band wherever they go. We spend sometime talking with them. As we walked around, we could see smoke enveloping the whole stadium. Cigarettes and the 'other stuff' were being smoked freely all around.

The proceedings started around 5 30 pm with this year's campus rock idol winners F**k The Name[FTN] taking the centrestage. And the poor guys were not given the full output, which was preserved to be unleashed during the maiden show. So, inspite of being really good, they were booed down. Lots of F words were heard from all around. This day would rank as the one in which i heard the maxmum number of F words. After FTN, Parikrama came on stage. Their popularity out here was guaged by the loud cheers that greeted them. They played 8 of their original songs of which my favorite was 'but it rained'. The violinist and the lead guitarist stole the show. The vocalist made some unnecessary remarks at the end which were really in bad taste. He used the F word to describe the critics of the band. That was going a little too far. Then, it was time for Lauren Harris, daughter of Steve Harris, and her girl band to perform. Less said about the show, the better. Barring the old spirited lady behind the drums, it was a load of crap, the biggest crap being the Zakk wylde imitating guitarist.

OK, now enough is enough..sorry to all the maiden fans out here for boring you with such a long intro. The Edd Fest '07 really started at 10 minutes past 8 'O' Clock. There was no warning. There was this rumour going over many months that the show is scheduled at 12 am. So we never expected this to happen so fast. All through the opening shows of FTN, Parikrama and Lauren, we were looking behind the stage to catch a glimpse of the maiden guys and we were successful a couple of times. We were waiting impatiently for their arrival on stage..And they did arrive! Like an unannounced storm, they came on stage sending the whole crowd into frenzy. All of us were still screaming out of disbelief. The thought that am watching Iron Maiden in flesh and blood, right before my eyes, sent a chill down my spines. Dickinson was in full form as he sang 'Different world' from the new album ''A matter of life and death''. The album artwork that was dispalyed in the background was awesome. The lighting was innovative. Next up, they played some more songs from the new album..'Brighter than a thousand suns', 'For the greater good of god', ''these colours don't run'' and 'the reincarnation of benjamin breeg'. Nicko McBrain was thumping behind the mammoth drumkit and he could be seen only from the screen. The rest of them were their energetic self, setting the stage ablaze. Bruce Dickinson's voice was still the old air raid siren sound, with no evident changes. Seems like guitarists never age..All of them, Janick Gers, Steve Harris, Adrian Smith and Dave Murray looked less than 30 years of age. But truth is that the band itself is more than 30 years old.

More surprises were in store for us. The biggest of them came during the song ''Iron Maiden''. We saw something rising up from behind the stage. Oh god..It was a full scale model of a military tank. First, it was side view. Then it turned with the big barrel facing the audience. The whole stadium roared. Then came the song ''evil that men do''. This time, it was eddy himself, who surprised us. The mammoth eddy walked in and probed the audience with a binocular. After some spirited calls of ''scream for me banglore'' from Bruce, came the icing on the Maiden cake. ''Hallowed be thy name''. I felt the song was being played from a CD player. That was the perfection with which they reproduced it on stage. For that matter, they played almost all songs like that. And, almost everyone was singing along that Bruce's voice was drowned. This song was the signal that the concert was coming to an end. Bruce was so impressed by the crowd, who sang almost every song with him, that he said the following words..''You've waited 17 years for Maiden, but u don't have to wait even 17 months for the next one''.. So, another Indian concert is on the cards soon. At the end, they all turned their back to the audience for a snap with us in the background. Am sure that will rank alongside some of the other iconic Iron Maiden posters. They threw down drum sticks, wrist bands and guitar picks down into the audience. Though we were all standing in the front row, none among us were fortunate enough to get a piece of the memorabilia.

Eddie arrives

Goodbye Banglore

We didn't know what hit us. And before we could find out, it was all over. We didn't want it to end so fast. But it was all over by the time we realised its Maiden playing in front of us. Now, that is Maiden magic for you. Its not for nothing that they been ruling the Metal Kingdom for the past 30 years... The audience kept on chanting 'Maiden, Maiden'. Most of us were relucatant to leave even after Maiden left. We hung around near the stage trying to catch a glimpse of the Maiden guys and all we got to see were the sound guys. They were all really fast in dismantling the huge amount of concert equipment that they had set up there on stage. Atlast, the policemen drew us away. As we walked back, we were still shaking our head. Now, as I write this, almost one week after the show, am still shaking my head. Am wondering when will it all sink in..the truth that I watched Iron Maiden live...up close..in flesh and blood..from the front row..... Until then, its 'MAIDEN MAIDEN'....chant alongggg...all u members of the Maiden army...

for the complete photo album checkout...
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/blazeofglory2007/IronMaidenEddFest07Banglore


your crusader Praveen

2nd time LUCKYY

emil, me , arr and swapna chechi

This is a really late post. Late by one week, to be precise. Been busy this past week. So here I am, trying hard to describe a moment which is too big to be described in words. 1st time , it was sweet. and the 2nd time around it was sweeter. 1st time, i got to him thru the crowd, shook hands, got autograph and even asked a few questions. But, now it was up close and personal and there was no crowd to obstruct me. Yes, am talking about my 2nd meeting with my idol... the music maestro A.R.Rahman.

This time also, the 1st person I've to thank is Swapna Chechi who alongwith Bharat called me to reach for the meeting urgently. It all happened last monday afternoon. Rahman was in the city to receive the swaralaya award. Chechi had told me the day before that we may get a chance to meet him personally. So I was really hopeful and waited for her call right from the morning. And i bunked the morning classes and hung around at the campus so that I could rush out once I get the call. Then went to my friend Raja's house nearby college. And thus the much awaited phone call came at 12 40. Bharat was at the other end. He told me to rush to Hotel Leela Palace, Kovalam. They were waiting there. And there was specific instructions from chechi not to take anyone with me. As soon as I hung up the call, I began running with my bike keys and my friend was calling from behind to take him with me. But I cudn't do that. So, here I was, on top of my bike , ready for another 100kmph drive. As I sped along the highway leading to kovalam, I was tossing various questions in my mind to ask ARR, when I meet him. I reached there in record time, even surprising the guys who called me some minutes before.

My heartbeat increased as I crossed the gates of the hotel. And then a villian came in the form of the security man, who stopped me. He asked me what i was doing there. Probably, my shabby jeans and T shirt looked out of place among the executive looking guys arriving there. I said I came to meet ARR sir and that one of my friends got an appointment. He dint believe me and called up the hotel reception to confirm and then he half heartedly let me in. There they were, Swapna Chechi, Bharat, Arun Chettan and Emil, waiting 4 me. It was Arun Chettan who fixed up the meeting. Arun chettan and bharat were wearing ARR T shirts, designed by Bharat. I was really sad to see that because i couldn't wear my over sized t shirts. Its all because Bharat miscalculated my shirt size...he hee....It was chechi's birthday. So i wished her happy birthday. Then someone came and told arun chettan that ARR's been waiting 4 us. I was really shocked to hear this. My god, ARR waiting 4 some unknown fans. I was really amazed at this man's humility.

We walked on to the lobby. There he was sitting alone in a table, wearing a white kurta. You could mistake him for just another normal man, because he had no celebrity airs or bodyguards by his side. You would never think that this is a man who has conquered the world with his magical music. We all walked to his table and Arun chettan told him that we are all from arrfans yahoogroups. His face lighted up to hear that we are from his official fan group. Then he asked our names. When Bharat said that he's from Chennai, ARR asked whether he came such a long distance just to meeet him..he hee... Arun chettan told him that more of the fans are pouring in. ARR looked really tired and he told us that he was getting ready to sleep and would wake up only at 5pm, in time 4 the award function. We all told him that it was a dream come true for us to meet him in person. He smiled. He got up to go to his room. We were all awe struck by his presence that we dint even think of taking a snap until then. Then we asked him whether we can take snaps with him.He happily obliged.Arun chettan took one in his digicam and then one for me in my mobile cam. Then ARR left after bidding goodbye to us. Thats when Bharat thought about the portrait that he drew of ARR. So we put it in a frame and send it to his room with a note.

I was still in a state of wonder and awe that i could barely speak. I can't put it down on words here beacuse all my words were used up the 1st time around when i posted a blog on meeting him. But meeting in a crowd and meeting in such a quiet place is different. You can sense the presence of something divine when u r near him. The magic he radiates is really awesome. And coupled with that, his down to earth behaviour makes u feel at home. So with the un explainable happiness of meeting ARR for the 2nd time in life, I walked back along with all of them. I was still shaking my head as I sped back to my college in my bike. As soon I got back to college, I dint waste anytime in showing my pic to all of my friends. I was beaming with pride as my friends kept on asking whether the snap was for real or was it one of my morphed creations.

Then in the evening me and my friends went to the Swaralaya award function. ARR was accompanied by his mother. The loudest cheers of the evening where reserved for ARR, even when the venue was studded with celebrities from the music world. He received the Swaralaya award from K.J.Yesudas, after whom the award is named. Rahman sang a few lines of the song 'Tere Bina' from Guru. Then some young singers sang 'Chinna chinna asai' and 'veerapandi kottayile' with ARR watching them closely on the stage. It was a great performance. Then we witnessed a host of big singers singing ARR songs- Chitra, sujatha, srinivas, sadhna sargam, unni krishnan, unnimenon, naresh Iyer etc. Another notable performance was from a It was really a musical treat. Then while returning back, I had the good fortune of meeting Sadhna Sargam backstage. Got autograph and posed 4 a pic with her. But unluckily 4 me, my frend accidently took it as a video of bad clarity. But still I was happy for this special day when I had the good fortune of watching so many musical heavy weights. This is a day for me to remember forever in life. Thanks a million to swapna chechi, arun chettan and bharat 4 making this meeting possible.

with love,
diehard Rahmaniac...your crusader praveen

THE REAL BIG BROTHER

Now, this is a thing to be proud of..am talking about Tata steel's successful takeover of anglo dutch steel giant Corus. Now, almost all of world's steel production is in the hands of Indians. Hope u remember Mittal steel's takeover of Arcelor. These are the things that raises the stature of the country in the global arena. Not Shilpa Shetty's manufactured emotional tryst on Big brother. The media was obsessed with projecting her as a sign of India's growing stature abroad. And she herself was telling us that she made the country proud with her exemplary behaviour and then by her winning the big brother show. This is such a big piece of crap to say the least.

Anyone with little common sense can understand that BIG BROTHER was nothing more than a perfectly scripted TV show. There's not even a tinge of the so called 'reality' in it. The racism controversy was a well planned move to rescue a show which was sinking. And they did rescue it. More than that, senseless characters like Jade goody became household names worldwide. Then, the kissing and making up show between jade and shilpa 2 days later was another big pre planned twist to the tale. Shilpa's innocent looking face and her famous dialogue, ''i was not aware of the things going on all over the world because of this. I was not subjected to racism'' etc, proved that she can act well after all. It would've done her a world of good, if she had displayed this talent in her films, rather than the tiring skin shows. And Jade goody played the perfect villian. Now, there's the media, bombarding us with the latest from Big Brother and the house mates. Shilpa's winning was hailed all day long on all the news channels as the best thing to happen to India. But, they don't understand that this was also a foregone conclusion. Another hidden agenda of channel 4 was to boost the ratings of its Indian clone 'Big boss'. And the Indian media helped them in all the ways they could. Still, 3 days after the show ended, u can see some trivial news on shilpa's win on some of the channels. The most funniest was what i saw yesterday on CNN IBN- a feature on the Shettys who made it big. The interesting thing was that the reporter was also a Shetty. I wonder why such reputed channels stoop to such levels. What difference does a failed actress winning 3 crores make to the millions of starving Indians? What difference is it gonna make to the stature of India as a nation? Can anyone please answer these questions?Can Rajdeep Sardesai's long tongue which has the power to present trivial news as breaking news answer my question?

As long as these questions remain unanswered, these type of page 3 gossip will rule the Indian media headlines..Not a normal headline..But Banner headlines in big bold black letters...Don't be surprised if morrow the front page of your paper reads..''SHILPA's LITTLE FINGER BROKE YESTERDAY. BIG BROTHER PREVENTS THE BLEEDING BY HOLDING HER HAND
TIGHT''. Don't think am exaggerating, but this is the way in which the national media is heading.

Leave all those shit at big brother's house. Lets celebrate a news which deserves to be called as a sign of 'India rising'. TATA group laid a foundation stone on India Inc's quest to be the BIG BROTHER of World economy. I know, its a long way to go. But, there's nothing wrong in celebrating this. Some years back, such mammoth takeovers by Indian companies was unimaginable. Rather, it was the other way round with foreign companies taking over Indian companies. Now its all changed for good. Hope this is the just the starting point for a long list of Indian takeovers abroad. JRD Tata's dream has grown into a full fledged global empire thus taking India along with it to the top of the world corporate ladder. The TATAs have proved their worth in all the fields they have laid their hands on. Ratan Tata's able leadership has more than matched the huge legacy left behind by JRD Tata....This is a new dawn for India Inc... I can see the Indian domination looming large in the horizon...Celebrate..but don't rest on the laurels...Move ahead ...conquer....

Salutes to the real big brother of India Inc..the TATAs

With pride,
your crusader Praveen

RAHMANTIC DAY...

Its morning again. The rays of sun and my mother's non stop calls of 'wake up wake up' made me sit up from bed. I go straight to my cd player and push the play button..The mellow strains of guitar starts and then Rahman's magical voice enters singing 'vellai Pookkal'. This is how I begin every other day. Today also I did the same, but this day was special. It was A.R.Rahman's 41st birthday. A day special for every rahman fan, a day he celebrates every year like his own

birthday. Here, I celebrate my day as a Rahman musical.....

Rahman has made a song for every moment of the day, every emotion and every action. After 'vellai pookkal' welcomed me to the beautiful world, its time for me to take a bath..here comes 'kulicha kutraalam' from duet. I looked at my small garden as i walked along. 'en veetu thottathil' is the song on my lips now. Then i took a peek at the days' newspaper, as usual the i saw some news about some communal riot in north india. The song that came to my mind was 'ishwar allah' from earth. Oh, its breakfast time. Amma's affectionately calling me to come and eat. Seeing the love in her eyes, i think of the song 'kalayil dinavum' from New, describing motherly love.

Its 9 am. Time 4 me to go to college. I kickstart my black unicorn. Now what else..but 'LOSE CONTROL'..I cross the college gate singing 'apni to paathshala, masti ka paathshala..na koi padne waala, na koi seekhne wala'. Its college election time. The campaigning is going on in full swing..am singing 'kannai katti kollathe' from Iruvar after seeing all those pandemonium. Ok, let me attend atleast one period. Now teacher asked me to show me her notebook. Getting into the
class itself is a big acievement for me and she's asking me for note. Am singing 'urvasi, take it easy urvasi' [her name's not urvasi..donnow her name...he hee] in my mind. Well, she took it pretty easy and asked me to get out. 'Ekla chalo' from 'bose-the forgotten hero' is the song for the moment because no one is there with me as usual. She asked only me to get out. I've got nothing to do. So I just walk along the corridors looking at those beautiful gals passing along. Its 'Kalluri Saalai' from kadhal desam as i take a second look at the most beautiful among the lot. Now i head to the cricket ground. There's an exciting match going on there. As am not that expert in playing, my place is at the gallery in the cheering squad singing 'chale chalo' from lagaan. A gust of wind swept through the ground thus providing a little cool atmosphere.
There goes 'kaatre' from rhythm. Now , my best friend comes after the period to give me company. We walked back togather from the ground singing 'musthafa musthafa'.

Its evening. Time 4 me to go back. There's a road block due to a protest march going on in front of us. There's lathicharge and stone pelting up front. I remember the song 'Khoon Chala' from RDB. As i ride along the road, I can see beggars, child labourers from bihar and at the same time a minister passing through a luxury car...Thats how diverse our land is. What better song to symbolise it other than 'yeh jo des hai tera'. Now i've to hurry to be with our band for our rock show tonight. As I wait to get on stage, 'sa re ga me' is the song that inspires me to give it my best shot. The scene of the applauding crowd makes me remember arr's words to always keep my feet on the ground. Now am riding back home on my bike. Night is falling. 'New york nagaram' is the song on my lips.[just change the city name, thts alll]...Well, morrow is a holiday, so i can sleep till noon..'colombus, colombus, chutti hai bhai'....Its a sweet moonlit night. I take my acoustic guitar to play some soft stuff before i go to sleep..what better song than 'Khamosh raat' from 'thakshak'....and atlast am in bed after a hectic day...as i close my eyes, i can imagine my amma singing a lullaby 4 me..'Ghoomparani' from 'Bose'...

Thats a day from my life, told in the form of a musical. And thats my tribute to my idol , the musical genius A.R.Rahman. ARR ended 2006 with a bang by winning the song of the year award in polls conducted by 3 leading news channels. If it was 'lose control' that won in NDTV, 'Roobaroo' made it a clean sweep by winning in CNN IBN and TIMES NOW. Mind u, this was an year in which a guy called Himesh Reshammiya bombarded us with 30 albums of his nosy tracks and was hailed as the greatest thing in Indian music. But, Rahman proved again that quality matters more than quantity. He swept all awards with just one album, that had more vareity than all the other releases of the year combined. Rahman also continued to be the face of Indian music abroad. Towards the end of the year, a list of 56 songs to be considered for oscars were released.. and guess what, our man had 3 songs in that list. One from Water and 2 from Rang De Basanti. And he has two films of his competing in the best foreign film category. RDB from India and Water from Canada. Now, can anyone match that. hope that we could see him with that coveted statue at the kodak theatres this year. This was also an year in which he made great inroads into hollywood. He made a completely foreign crowd at the Hollywood bowl dance to his Indian tunes. His cult classic 'chaiyya chaiyya' was part of the soundtrack of the big budget film 'Inside man'. It was a great feeling to see a Hollywood film opening with A.R.Rahman's song. Then, his evergreen composition 'Bombay Theme' was used in the soundtrack of the Nicolas Cage starrer 'Lord of war'. He was also active in the ad circuit with the Worldspace ads becoming a favorite with the audiences. His tamil releases 'God father' and 'Sillunu oru kaathal' also topped the charts. 'New York Nagaram' and 'Munbe Vaa' is still being played a million times a day in all the tamil music channels. Now, with GURU music finding favour with the critics and audience alike, he's all set to rock 2007. Altogether, it was another eventful year in the life of the musical genius. Another milestone in the musical journey of the man who considers the journey more important than the destination.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAHMAN SIR...
A million Thanks for spreading happeiness all over the world with your music...
LONG LIVE ARR ...LONG LIVE MUSIC..

NB- it was an eventful year for me as an ARR fan as I finally got to meet my idol face to face, give a shakehand and also got an autograph..It was on June 10th ..chkout my previous post on that...

http://crusadertvm.blogspot.com/2006/06/gr8est-day-of-my-life-today.html

sorry 4 the late posting...this was meant to be posted yday..on his bday..but could n't do...

with love,
the greatest fan of ARR....your crusader Praveen

Evil dies...SATAN lives on...

Saddam- the latest victim of US atrocities. They fed him with weapons, made him conquer his neighbours and even glorified him. Then they discarded him like a chicken's bones after taking all the flesh. They called him a threat to humanity, the cruellest dictator on earth after Hitler. They bombed his kingdom, made him flee to an underground hole. They killed his sons and displayed their bodies proudly before the whole world. Then, caught him alive and paraded him like a traitor. But still, he held his head high. He looked them straight in the eye. He spoke against Bush and the US in a court set up with the sole aim of giving him the death sentence. His angry words against the judge and the inpiring words for his folllowers are the stuff of legend. And finally, today his execution took place. He remained calm and composed when he was brought before the hanging ropes. And in one last act of defiance, he refused to have his head covered by the black cloth. The Holy Quran accompanied him to the gallows.

Am not trying to glorify a cruel dictator with this post. But, what am opposing is the fact that he was hanged by a group of men who are responsible for million more massacres than Saddam. I wouldn't have said anything if Bush was also hanged side by side with Saddam. But, if Bush can live after doing so much, then Saddam too should have the right to live. What Saddam did over the years pales in comparison to what Bush and all the preceeding US regimes did all over the world. He didn't go all over the world and impose his military might on other countries. And when he invaded Kuwait, the US was the one country which secretly supported him. But, I do agree that he did kill a large number of shias. But the US government has no right to capture him, trial him and then send him to the gallows. Its a matter of fact that the International court of justice at Prague is now just an organisation for the sake of it. It seems the US supreme court has become the supreme court of the world. Once the trial of Saddam started, it was a foregone conclusion that verdict would be to hang Saddam. Such a farcical trial was exhibited to the world as a fair trial by Bush and his legion of fools. A trial which saw the lawyer of the defendant changing many times, once even by the death of one of them.

The execution of Bush will see far reaching consequences in world political climate. There are bound to be more terrorist attacks too as a result of the 'Saddam effect'. Bush and co. again proved that they are big fools when they caught the execution on camera and decided to give it to the media. They also proudly displayed the body of Saddam. They don't realise that such acts will only add fuel to the fire. This will inspire the followers of Saddam to do more attacks to revenge his death. Already, the after effects of the execution are beginning to show with a bomb going off in a crowded shia town killing more than 40 people. More such attacks can be expected in the coming days. Am waiting with a prayer on my lips to see the white house burning one fine morning and the beheaded body of bush hanging from a tree. I know this is too much to expect but as u know there are no limits to dreaming and this is one of those horrific dreams which actually makes me smile. DOWN WITH BLOODY BUSH!!!DOWN WITH USA!!!

I would like to add one more thing about the protests in India, especially in Kerala. This morning when I took my bike on the road, I was greeted by youth carrying black flags closing down all the shops. By noon, the city wore a deserted look with even the petrol pumps remaining closed. There were only a few vehicles on road. I don't understand what do these guys actually aim to convey with such kind of protests. Do they think that Bush would actually travel in his limousine through the streets of Kerala and would realise his folly? I don't think this will even become a scrolling item in the national news channels. All that this protest serves is to prevent some poor souls from getting their daily bread, as even small pan shops were asked to close down. This will also cause some damage to our already falling economy. It is not going to affect the Americans, it is not going to affect Bush. Protests are good, but only to a extent. We've to think if the protest we are going to do can actually bring about a change in the present situation. In this case, can we bring back Saddam from the dead? Can we make Bush a good man? Will this protest mean something to the wrong doers? or Will they atleast know about these protests? The answer to all this is a big NO. The protests should've been limited to wearing of black bands, display of posters, black flags and some peaceful marches rather than the shutting down of an entire state.But there is one silver lining in this protests..All the political parties of the state were united in condemning the death sentence and then declaring the hartal..atlast we needed Saddam to lay down his life for the political parties to take a united stand.

So, now u undertand the title of this post, i guess...Saddam was cruel, a peronification of evil...he died..but the Satan Bush is still here to create more Saddams....SATAN lives on.....

here are Saddam's last words to his followers...

``Here, I offer my soul to God as a sacrifice, and if he wants, he will send it to heaven with the martyrs,''

I SALUTE SADDAM'S BRAVERY EVEN WHEN FACING DEATH
AND
ONCE MORE .......DOWN WITH BUSH...DOWN WITH USA


your crusader Praveen

Drug Addicts..Read On

Here's a song that i wrote some weeks back. Thought I'll post it now because as of now i don't have the time to write long elaborate posts. This song is about the last thoughts of a drug addict, the final minutes before his untimely death.

The Final High

As I lay there on the floor
Searching for a last straw to hold
As the sensation of tumbling down a hole
gave way to a ride up the mole.

Lifting me up from the depths of despair
With not even a tinge of perspire
As it later transpired
I was on a ride to the final pyre.

Giving me a false sense of freedom,
Never realised those were chains of slavedom
Rescuing me from my mind's battle bombs
Only to discard me in an unmarked tomb.

Speeding down life's glitzy highway
Confident that am on the one way
Late did i realise that I faced the wrong side
When I slammed into the oncoming tide


I dedicate this song to Kurt 'Nirvana' Cobain, the great rockstar whose life was ruined by drugs. I also dedicate this to all the drug adicts of the world....hope they will rescue themselves before they reach the final pyre...

with love,
your crusader Praveen

'Cheppu'- A movie for every student

Its been a long time since i posted something here and my friends been asking me to do it. And i was thinking on what to write. I was really in a bad mood after watching the new bond film first day itself, with my dear friends. It was such a damp squib of a movie, enough to dampen your high spirits. And the new bond guy Daniel Craigis an utter waste. The usual bond stuff were also missing, the suave looks of mr.bond and the usual steamy scenes were also missing[i think the guys at theatre cut out thosee....grrrrrrrrrr]..Ok, so now am back at my home and crying over the lost money. I switched on the TV and was just surfing through the channels and in asianet plus i saw my favourite actor Mohanlal. I was sure this was one movie which i havn't watched until now. The movie's name is ''Cheppu'', directed by Priyadarsan. I was planning to switch off after watching for a short time. But then it was late. I got really interested in the movie.

The story is woven around a college campus of the late 80's. Mohanlal plays the role of a lecturer. He is a righteous man and always raises his voice when he sees injustice. As I was watching the movie, I was astonished to find that the campus and the happenings had a close resemblance to my own college. The college party leaders , the 'chota netas', the spoilt kids of influential and rich people, the poor kids who come to college with the sole aim of studying and earning a good job so that they could bring prosperity to their poor household, the carefree guys who doesn't give a thought to the things around them ...u could find all of them there. Then there is the bloody campus politics, the unwanted strikes and violence. The lecturers waiting ,as eagerly as the students, for a strike so that they can attend their domestic jobs really made me laugh because i have seen that for real in my own college. The greedy nature of some of them who see teaching as a business to churn out money is also depicted in the movie.

The party leaders involve themselves in all kinds of atrocious activities in college. Still no one dares to raise their voices against them. Even those who were victims prefer to keep their mouth shut. And those who do dare to challenge them are dealt with cruelly. And when the main protagonist, played by Lal, takes a strong stand against them, the college management and others refuse to support him, because they also fear about their own life and livelihood. The picture of the principle blaming the lecturer instead of the real wrong doers[the party guys] was just like a scene out of our own college. There was another scene of the lecturers helping the student leaders during the exams by allowing them to do mass copying and even giving them the answers written in a piece of paper[as u all know, these things are still happening in some of the colleges here]. Its really amazing that a film made in the late 80's could reflect the present picture in our campuses in such a startling manner. This tells us that inspite of all the talk about changing times and all, we still haven't succeeded in wiping out certain evils from our campuses.

The film tells us how so many promising lives are ruined because of campus politics. The trouble makers won't realise it was all worthless until its all over. The movie was also a pointer to the helplessness of the laws of our country. Even if everyone knows who the culprit is, no one can touch him if there's no proof. The police can do nothing even if they want to beacuse their hands are tied behind by those in power. The climax also has a touch of reality with the righteous lecturer succumbing to the swords of the villanious student leaders and then a good student turning into a violent killing machine...those are the prices we have to pay for allowing
politics in campuses.. The film ends by asking to the viewer a question- ''is politics a necessity in our campuses?". Its been really been a long time since we watched such socially relevant films in malayalam, save the odd one in an year which even finds it hard to get into the theatres. We need this kind of movies to save the malayalam film industry, which is now plagued with crap actors mouthing double meaning dilogues in the name of comedy.

This movie is a must watch for every student. I recommend this to my young brothers and sisters that they should watch this before starting their college life so that they would stay clear of the evils in college. I also recommend it to our college political leaders so that they would realise how meaningless this life of enmity and bloodspill is and also how beautiful a
harmonious life in campus is. Don't watch the new bond movie...save the money and rent the vcd or dvd of this simple movie devoid of gadgets and skimpy clad gals....

with love,
your crusader Praveen

Adieuu....with tears 

ADIEU..

Life's chequered flag is finally waving in front of the great man who has seen more such flags in his life than any one has in the world of Formula one racing. But this flag has a difference from the eariler ones. The earlier ones were just signposts leading him on the way to racing immortality. This one is a sign that he's a mortal after all. And what a Mortal!!! I can undoubtedly say that a man like this would never again hold the steering wheel of any F1 Car. Men like this are born once in a millennium and we are all fortunate enough to be living in the same age as this colossus strode the F1 pantheon.

That 1st para was written just before I went to watch Schumi's last race. Now, am out of words to describe this driving genius. What more could one say of a man who started off his race from 10th position, maneouvered his way upto 5th position and then again dropped to the back of the grid to 17th place due to a tyre problem and from there racing all the way upto 4th position exhibiting a jaw dropping display of daredevil driving. It was Schumi at his best, giving one last shot at glory under enormous pressure. The way he cruised past the cars in front of him made me feel that he was actually lapping them. A drive so breathtaking, moves so unthinkable to the lesser mortals on the track, but he made it all look easy for us. This was one last gift from Schumi to his die hard fans. My heart really stopped when he squeezed past Raikkonen's Mclaren, through a space which looked like a pinhole to me. And believe me, if the race had 5 more laps, we would've seen him overtaking Alonso and taking the 2nd position. The last lap was a testimony to his 'fight until death' spirit- he set a lap record for the Interlagos circuit with that blazing lap. I can write in bold letters- NO ONE WILL DRIVE AN F1 CAR LIKE SCHUMI DID TODAY. This 4th place is far more sweeter than the numerous podium finishes he secured.

I've become used to watching Schumi and his red machine every weekend and now its hard to think of a weekend without him. He lighted up my sundays with the scorching sound of his scarlet Ferrari and his winning smile. He has provided me the inspirational spark when i was down and taught me to be level headed and motivated even if I am on top and has nothing more to achieve. His race today was a lesson to wannabe champions, not only in racing, but in this whole big race called life. He gave it his all even when he had nothing more to prove to anyone. I used to wonder where he drew all that motivation from when he kept on pushing the limits even after winning the championship 2 years back. Today I understood the reason- he never thinks he is the champion. He always tells his mind that there's more to achieve and what he have won until now is nothing. This enables him to raise the bar every time he puts on his helmet and enters the car.

Over the years, it has become difficult to separate the man from the machine. His ruthless efficiency is so machine-like that now I consider Schumi and his red Ferrari as one inseparable entity. And this is exactly what his critics have used to write against him. They consider him as an emotionless creature who will go to any lengths to win the race. They say that he's the unsportiest sportsperson. Even the new champion in the making Alonso had unkind words for him. But this is one allegation almost all champions had to bear with. Remember the immortal Sampras and the unbelievable Federer. True Champions will do all they could to win and Schumi did only that. He drove with all aggression and raw power whenever he came on the track. Why should he be thinking of his opponents when all he should be doing is to concentrate on his driving? Some prominent person connected with F1 was saying that the exit of Schumi is one of the best things to happen to F1. U got it really wrong man, this is one of the worst things that could ever happen to any sport, the exit of a champion who has grown beyond the sport. He's been the face of Formula 1 for more than a decade. He's the sole reason for millions of fans to flock to the arenas or sit glued to the television. He brings so much revenue to the sport. I want to see how many of these fans wil be there to watch F1 next year. Even am thinking whether to watch and if at all am watching, whom to support. Schumi was the reason why i started watching F1 regularly. Now I can't subsstitue anyone in his place as my favorite driver. I'll continue to support Ferrari, the team.

Schumi's greatness isn't limited to the racing tracks alone. He has donated large amounts to charity, most notable being the 45 million dollars that he donated to Tsunami relief. He's also involved in numerous other charity works. He's unlike other celebrities, who finds it cool to have a lot of wives. Schumi has been a loyal family man. He was never a regular feature in the glitzy n glamorous page 3 crowd, but has always preferred to appear in the last page, the sports page. A man with no airs of being such a superstar, but he comes across as a common man outside the tracks. He has utmost dedication to the sport. Remember his amazing performance just days after his mother died. Even coming to race in such a situation is in itself bravery and coupled with that he controlled his emotions and put in a wonderful driving performance as a parting gift to his dear mother. I would never forget the tears in his eyes after that race.

I have lotz more to say about this amazing person. But am stopping here. My eyes are filled with tears[am not exaggerating] as i bid adieu to a man who has given me so much joy, so much inspiration and taught me some great lessons in life. SCHUMI...U R ONE OF A KIND...I bow my head before thee...
Now,lemme sing a song 4 him...this is my reworking of the famous Queen song ''We are the Champions''

Here goes the champion - my friends
And he kept on fighting - till the end
He is the championHe is the champion
No time for losers
'Cause here goes the champion - of the world

and i hope this would be his answer to us.....the original queen song....

I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You brought me fame and fortune
and everything that goes with it
I thank you all
But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race
And I ain't gonna lose
We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end
We are the champions -We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world

Formula one and my weekends never gonna be the same without dear SCHUMI....adieu, adios, arrivederci, auf wiedersehen, au revoir....GOOD BYE

with tears,your crusader Praveen

Justice!!!...at last!!!

Recently some of my readers were feeling that the crusader's main job is criticising others. He never says good things about anyone. Only Bad things catches his eyes. And after reading his posts, you get a bad feeling that all's not well with the world we live in. Sorry friends, its because plain hard truth is a bitter pill to swallow. And just because the truth sounds bad, there's no use in hiding it. Only if we speak it out, do we get a chance to try and change that for good.

ok,guys and gals, enough of preaching. Today am gonna praise someone atlast. Yes, u heard it right...am gonna praise the Indian judiciary, which has also bore the brunt of my criticism some months back. Chkout- Supreme Farce Of India

Today, the Delhi High court made a landmark judgement when they convicted Santosh Kumar Singh, accused of raping and killing law student Priyadarshini Mattoo in 1996. Its now worth remembering that the famed Indian judiciary acquitted this same man 7 years ago, even after having clear evidence against him. But the thing that the judiciary tried to correct itself is really heartening. But the main reason for this retrial and conviction is the unprecedented public outcry and the media pressure. U wudn't have forgotten the candle lit vigils and the numerous
petitions that were flying through cyberspace demanding justice for Priyadarshini. Its now becoming clear that culprits can no more hide behind the veil of high connections of their illustrious parents. The convicted man in the priyadarshini case , Santhosh Kumar Singh, is the son of a former IPS officer. Its everybody's knowledge that his acquittal 7 years back can be attributed more to that than anything else. But that was way back in 1999, when DD was still a source of news and 'A Generation was still sleeping'. Now, lets zoom back to 2006. We have close to 50 channels dedicated to news and obsessed with breaking news. Yes, they are ready to even kill an ailing leader when he's still alive[remember our own Kairali TV reporting Yasser Arafat dead 30 minutes before his actual death]. And their another obsession is the hidden camera, which terrorised a lot of our members of Parliament sometime back. But, above all they are fearless and are sure to raise a question when justice is not served. Now, everyone is asking ''DD who?''..Coupled with all these aggressive news channels, there's 'a generation awakened' by the sight of basanti, the colour of revolution. Now the judiciary cannot just shut their eyes and act like nothing has happened. Thats exactly why this verdict has happened. They had no other way, but to relent. Hope this happens with similar cases like Jessica Lal, where the evidences are as clear as the light of the day. If only, the judges had eyes to see beyond the darkness....lets hope this verdict sets a good precedent..All Hail the Indian Judiciary[Never even in my wildest dreams have i thought that I would say this]

I dedicate this post to all those who contributed even in a small way to make a difference in this case...to those who stood candle lit vigils, to those who signed online petitions and above all to the media who fearlessly stood by the side of justice.....

with love,
Your crusader Praveen