Fun & Song: Another rocking evening. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

If you thought Calcutta had reached saturation point after a Bangla-Bengal show rocked Salt Lake stadium on October 2, Cactus and Lakkhichhara restored faith in the city?s love for Bangla bands last week. At Sunsilk Unish Kuri Parichay, singing to the packed Kala Mandir galleries, they swept everybody off their feet, witnessed Zeeshan Jawed.The aim of the programme organised by Bengali youth magazine Unish Kuri, in association with Sunsilk, was to make the debut of freshers in college a memorable one. Students from Presidency, Scottish Church, Lady Brabourne, Bijoygarh, Gokhale and several other colleges turned up to tune in. Here are some of the high points of the evening of song, dance and daring.

Lyrical language

If Aashay aashay boshe achhi (the famous ?telephone song?) sung by Lakkhichhara touched an emotional chord, Ghure phire ek-i kotha set the entire auditorium swaying to the sound. But if the performance of the young lot was sheer madness, there was more method in the music of their seniors (Cactus), like Nil Nirjane, which kept the crowd enthralled with its repertoire of rhythm, and the sign-off, Phirbe na aar phirbe na. The common factor: the language of their music.

Chain reaction

And the note hit home with the youngsters in the audience, judging by the thunderous applause and loud cheers. If the boom boxes on stage were blaring, they had stiff competition off stage from the all-too-vocal enthusiasts. Some decided to be proactive, forming a chain and doing the rounds of the hall.

Light bright

Going for a concert is not always about what you hope to hear, it is also about being seen. For once, cell phones were not the menace they have become infamous for. At the peak of the performance, everybody who owned one was seen waving it around like a torch, bright enough to create quite a glow.

Hen-pecked

If master of ceremonies Mir had people practically rolling on the floor with his wacky comments, the willing contestants for the Mr Murga-Miss Murgi competition provided sufficient humour for the greedy-for-more gathering.

In a bid to win the much-sought title, participants in pairs had to achieve the unbelievable. Like when the man with the mike asked two young men to play Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton. Another couple was asked to display its hair-tying skills.

Shrimonti and Tapan from Scottish Church College bagged the prestigious prize, but every daring participant walked out of Kala Mandir with Unish Kuri T-shirts.

What's on your mind this week

Mad for music

The state of music, particularly western music, in Calcutta is pathetic. Nothing in this city caters to the needs of music-lovers like myself. Music stores are filled with junk from a bygone era that everyone seems to glorify. Rubbish like Led Zeppelin pollute the racks. This letter is a call to arms for every musician who feels that the music scene here needs a heavy dose of metal. Now, those reading this probably think metal is music for puberty. But how many even know what metal is? The power to take aggression, pain and rage and to perfect it into a tool of prolific song-writing has always been underrated in Calcutta. Musicians here prefer to take things easy and play covers for a living. It is something they are proud of. Where is the original music we were promised by bands like Skinny Alley? Calcutta (and India) severely lacks the talent and the thought needed to make good, tight, heavy metal music. It?s a shame that we have to depend on lackadaisical bands.

Andrew Lu

Radio gaga

If you?re a music freak, you can?t have missed the FM onslaught. Over a year now, in cars or buses, taxis or the neighbourhood paan shop, or in happening city fests, FM has made a comeback with a loud bang and carved a niche in the hearts of the people. Most Calcuttans believe it is a modified form of the age-old source of entertainment, catering to a wide and varied audience. The different channels dish out some great music, combined with a host of interesting programmes like news and traffic updates, cooking shows, live discussions on unique topics and contests that give us an opportunity to win prizes. Besides, there are interviews with famous personalities and the chance to dedicate your favourite numbers to loved ones. Despite some criticism about not enough niche music and too many pop numbers, the rising popularity of FM is undeniable. It is a free and easily accessible mode of entertainment that makes us forget the trouble of traffic jams.

Ashmita Bose

Super spinner

I want to congratulate Anil Kumble, one of the best and most experienced spinners in the game today, for joining the elite 400 Test wickets club. He has given a lot to Team India in the past and is one of the assets of our squad. It is a great achievement.

Sourish Misra

Course talk

Calcutta University (CU) started BBA (hons) courses from 2002. BBA is a professional graduation degree in business administration. It?s syllabus is based on business management and administration. This course is conducted by nine colleges, under CU. To be admitted, one has to get through CU?s common admission test. Since BBA is a self-financed course, it is far more expensive than the others (BA, B.Sc, B. Com). But BBA students do not enjoy any reservations for admission into MBA courses. They have to compete with others from various streams through CAT. Students of general courses need not compete with candidates from other streams for post-graduate degrees (for eg, MA is reserved for BA graduates, M.Sc is reserved for B.Sc passouts). BBA students are discriminated against. The injustice should be rectified.

Saumya Brata Das,
Scottish Church College

The diary

Mirrors...

The smoke of my cigarette
Dissolves in the subliming moon.
And, The glass of the moon
Breaks into prisms.
They rearrange in the ball of your eye.
?Thousand
Concentric circles crack
And, Burst into smaller eyes.
Moon?s many eyes,
Now, Float in your eye.

Tina Ganguly

Confusion

Have I conceived the volley of eyes
That gaze at me all day long
Deceptive, though it might appear
Inevitably they always peer
Questioning my spiritual intuition.
When all at once they pounce at my institutional calibre.
Their entwining tentacles
Produces an unfurling, surging barnacle
When I realise, it has already passed into utter oblivion.

Suvro Chatterjee,
1st year English, JU

On Separation

With the pleasant blue sky,
Soft green grass,
To inspire every moment:
It?s futile to shed tears
For loved ones!
But for that gourd plant
Which by its fruitfulness
Filled the heart!
Or for that rose
Which by its fragrance
Filtered fresh emotions!
Or for that nightingale
Which by its music
Rekindles the dying spirit every morn!

Suvodip Banerjee