When Audio Cassettes Were Alive

Audio cassettes are extinct. The era of cassettes was over long time back. Cassettes have been dumped by the music listeners in favour of CDs, free MP3s, torrents, P2P softwares,DVDs, pen drives and so on. Cassettes look like dwarfs in front of such modern avenues of music storage.Walkmans has been replaced by an MP3 players and technology moves on.

But this article is not about highlighting the negatives. It’s about remembering the times when we played those audio cassettes on our stereo systems. The time when we would insert that rectangular shaped object in our stereo systems and hit the play button.The time when we took the trouble of rewinding and fast forwarding the cassette in order to listen to our favourite songs. The whole ordeal would feel worth the satisfaction of hearing your favourite song.
The time when CDs were a luxury of the rich and the elite. The time when cassettes were our saviours for good music at affordable rates and if we were cash starved, then we could always buy a blank cassette and record the content of other audio cassettes on it.The time when we would gift cassettes to our friends. The time when audio cassettes became a symbol of happiness for all the music listeners.

In my childhood days , I have bought a lot of English as well as Hindi cassettes. If I didn't have enough money, I would buy a Hindi cassette .Otherwise ,It would be English all the way. The Cassettes introduced me to a lot of good music like Incubus(morning view),Beatles(1),deep purple(the best of deep purple),John Mayer(room for squares) and a lot of other bands and artists. I had a cheap walkman too .I used to visit planet M quite regularly.

But look at how the times have changed! As of today, I have only a handful of cassettes left. My walkman has disappeared into oblivion. My stereo system has turned into a heaven for dust and spider webs. Planet M doesn't keep cassettes anymore. Last year, some music shops had kept a clearance sale on cassettes .My MP3 player has taken the place of the walkman. It’s just CDs AND DVDs all the way.
The cassette is dead but the sepia-toned memories still linger on.

Something I Pondered Upon

I was reading this interesting interview yesterday.the interview was of Mahesh Murthy, the founder and CEO of Pinstorm.
Source:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/sep/26inter.htm<

“What are the biggest lessons that you have learnt from your varied experience?
No one knows anything, least of all any supposed management guru or consultant or expert. You can discover your own rules and create your own playing field. It is better to move in business as an innovative naive person than as a cautious experienced person. ”
The above mentioned quote from the interview caught my attention and I couldn’t help but ponder over one question. Should one undergo Training in a particular field and follow the rules taught or should one be one’s own teacher and discover one’s own rules? Past experiences made me choose the latter. Let me describe these experiences.

7 years back, I used to go to a guitar classes (to learn duh!).I had learnt for 9 months and had gained some knowledge and had learnt about the rules of playing and composing songs. Soon, I left the classes and started composing tunes. I had a lot of problems composing. The tunes sounded pretty bland and unoriginal. So why did this happen? I was bounded by the rules and theory that was taught to me. I never went beyond the rules to make my own. Now, when there are no rules to follow anymore and when the theories don’t work (I can’t remember the theory :-D),things seem much better and tunes sound much more original.

Here’s another experience.
I had taken up a graphic design course. I was taught a Graphics software called Photoshop I was taught the basics and these basics pretty much ruled my thought process. I never experimented, never thought beyond the basics and my Photoshop projects left a lot to be desired. Now, as I read and practice different tutorials and experiment more with different images without any boundaries, things seem much better.

So, what’s my conclusion? I would like to advice everyone to discover and make their own rules. One must constantly keep discovering and learning all the time. I don’t suggest one not to take the training which sounds quite absurd. Take the training but don’t be bounded by the rules and norms which act as a deterrent towards one’s creative thinking and potential. Know the rules but have no inhibitions in breaking them and thinking beyond the thinkable. Don’t just look at the window, look beyond it too!

Indipop is Dead? Not on Youtube!

Indipop – this word brings back a lot of childhood memories. At a time, when Metallica seemed like a T-shirt brand and Guns N' Roses sounded like an action movie, Indipop was an introduction to good Indian music. Simple melodies served with funny and mediocre lyrics made for some good listening. From Hindi rap (Baba Sehgal) to Bhangra (Daler Mehndi, Sukhbir ),from soulful melodies(Colonial cousins , Silk Route) to sweet sugar-coated female voices( Anaida , Mehnaz), Indipop displayed a lot of variety which made it special.

Indipop era was over long time back. It made way for mainstream Bollywood music which we are so accustomed to. But is Indipop really dead? No! Not at least on Youtube. Here are some of the video links I came across during hours of mindless net surfing. If you ever come across such videos, please post the links in the comment section. Take Care!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMN4GBMm4e8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQgsIbc6-a0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpHLEm9-0bg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmbLKo0pyeY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG9Sbg_gkxA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZg9XnljNNs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGdd4pINL_w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFWjpYbLTjc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVKn0bAQKzg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6qOjgjTkUY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlJ3-peEqa0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN-dQtLS5-E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IloH8iq5htw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqkrkDcHc0k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npMKa_X7OZQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu4m1qDKXEA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n1OReqQahA

I'm an Optimist and I’m a Pessimist

I'm an optimist and I’m a pessimist. Sometimes, even the impossible looks possible, sometimes even an easy possibility looks impossible. When things go my way, the whole world seems conquerable. The sky looks like it is cheering for me. Suddenly, everything seems alright and the confidence level goes sky high. Positive attitude rules the mind. I feel like a warrior who can fight against all odds and win. Nothing seems impossible.

When I come to terms with the harsh realities of life and go through a painful phase, the same world seems too good for me. Suddenly, the sky seems to be getting dark. Everything seems like a never ending nightmare and negative attitude ceases to disappear. Hopelessness and confusion prevails. I feel like a thirsty boy who needs water but can’t seem to get it. Everything seems impossible.

How I wish I would remain an optimist all my life. How I wish I could be a stoical person. How I wish I could remain confident all the time and never lose myself when faced with a huge problem. How I wish I could always see opportunity in adversity and always have the courage to fight all the difficulties I face.

I try to be optimistic .I try hard to fight with determination. But sometimes, I fall into that hole of helplessness and trivialize myself. I guess it’s just human to fall back upon that line of negativity and is beyond my control.

I try. I keep trying to be positive. I keep trying to achieve what I couldn’t in the past. I gather courage and determination to fight against all odds. I’m trying my best. I know I will feel invincible someday and never look back.
Though, for now, I’m an optimist and I’m a pessimist.