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Prakalp left for Nagpur on the 18th of Jan 2006. Pretty much a new experience for most of the fellows but this trip was sure to have a long story to tell. I didn’t expect it to be so long that it would keep me from getting started with its narration. For the good times I jab my keyboard. We were 8 guys all ready for the show down. This time we all met at Antz’s place and labeled our luggage. No more loss of equipment would help the cause of the band. So we assigned roll numbers, not to the 8 members of the crew, but to the luggage. The crew included Anant, Alister, Vincent, Vineet, Gavril, Ashwin C, Rajeev and me (Gary). The train was supposed to depart at 7:40 but we reached CST station a good two and a half hours early. The time we had at the station was quite slow and killing. We had our tickets on RAC1 before leaving home so we expected to have confirmed seats by the time the train came. The freaking train arrived late, 15 min. late. This lead to the small events like Pigeon poo landing on Gavril’s backpack, Anant yelling at the woman who announced the arrival of the train and the band members calling an albino chain seller, George W. Bush. Finally, after a 15 min. delay, the train crawled in.
"Bailaa Bailaa Naacho Re..." - A warcry...
RAC tickets suck, big time
Ignore his middle finger ladies...
Hailz metalheads!
The Journey
We embarked the train only to realize a shocking truth. Since we were RAC passengers, we had two guys to share a single berth. And not only that, of the four seats that Central Railway gave us, three were in S2 and one was in S10 (a good 8 bogies away). We continues the juggle of seats by exchanging the S10 one with a kind gentleman who obliged. Now we had four berths in S2. with equipment to take care of we had no other go but to accommodate all the 11 (massive) baggages on the four seats as well. Slowly the train started moving out of CST, out of Mumbai and into a new unexplored world for most of us if not all. Our guys get bored pretty quick, in spite of the hostile travel conditions we soon got bored. We were duly entertained by a certain Mr. Sucker in the train. We loved him and his skill and the way he decorated one of our blankets with icing. (Please people, do not ask us who Mr. Sucker was). On the way our guys alighted at different stations for smokes and snacks and we stayed awake almost all night. Four fully frown men with 11 bags (including instruments) on 4 berths can be hell. The best moment was when three of our members (names withheld to avoid arrests) sealed themselves in the loo to smoke up their lungs and a woman kept knocking on their door. Well, we laughed and shouted and sang and danced all night, not allowing those bitchy non-co-operating passengers to catch a wink. So we entered Vidarbha district with much surprised expressions on our faces. Finally, Nagpur Station.
Probably the tastiest and spiciest Chicken curry we ever had was cooked as we relished the onions at hand....
Grandpa Vincy and a future bass guitarist have a serious chat
At Nagpur
We were received by Ashwin’s hospitable cousins who got all our ‘stuff’ into a jeep and we zipped off to the place where we had to lodge. From the jeep we saw the Center Of India and loads of Lunas all around the place. The place we were supposed to lodge appeared really small from the outside but as we stepped in we were surprised. The style of housing in Nagpur left me speechless. We made ourselves at home immediately and were treated so well that I cannot describe it. We freshened up and started exploring the neighborhood where we were placed. The place was brilliant with awesome roads and a heavy touch of the 80s. Everything, from the vehicles, housing, furnishing and dressing. Then as evening drew near, the thing that really made this trip memorable settled on us. The chilly Nagpur nights. We actually lit a fire on the terrace to warm ourselves. Anyway, the next evening the guys moved to check the venue out while I stayed back with Vincent who was already a victim of the freezing temperature. As he swallowed Crocin after Crocin the fever subsided. Anant and Ashwin were off to receive shots on their rear side. They came back saying that there were bands from al over Nagpur there. We were the only Mumbai band. Wow!
The Venue
As we traveled to the venue we were quite apprehensive. The way the guys described the venue was pretty scary. However, as the car steered into the gates of VNIT we were awestruck. The campus was massive. This can be expected from a college that has students from all over the country pouring in. after a good 2 minute drive in the campus we reached the arena. I was a close hall, an auditorium to be exact. There was a balcony and a stall, just like a theatre. The sound system looked amazing. The girls and guys were seated in either half of the auditorium. We did the sound-check before the crowd poured in. Sound guy showed a lot of attitude. The gig was about to begin and we had our fingers crossed.
The Show….
Aarohi was the name of the competition. The rules of the competition had certain criteria:
• Cover Either RATM, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin or Dream Theatre or an Instrumental
• At least one OC
The show started off with Blitzkreig, a new band from the college itself which we mistook for the Pune one. these guys covered stuff like The Final Countdown and Summer Of 69. The vocalist had a great voice but couldn’t catch higher scales. The scene was pretty sad for the guitaring was mediocre. During at least half of Blitzkreig’s performance some members of our band strayed away into a bar to catch some performance boosters. Next on was Mother Jane. This band sang some more covers. Some really slow pop rock kind of tracks. I don’t remember what exactly since we were next on. I dashed through to the sound console and positioned myself in the temporary ‘cabin’ after introducing myself as the very erroneous sound guy for Prakalp. I wished the buggers luck.
Prakalp Live!
The were there, back stage when the organizer/compeer walks up and says, “well people, up next is the attraction of the evening, all the way from Mumbai, PRAKALP!” It was amazing, the crowd was in raptures. The he read out all our achievements and a wave ‘woohooo’ ran across the masses. We were afraid of how we should introduce ourselves on stage, and at the same time set-up our equipment in the targeted 5 minutes, since the bands before us took even lesser than that to get started. Thankfully, Mr. Compeer handled that too. While we setup he began introducing each member. It was an awesome response they all got after their name was read out one by one. they started off with their lucky dhinchak dhinchak bollywood song Garaj Baras. As usual, it was successful in awaking the I-am-not-into-rock kind. It was crazy. From where I stood, I had all females on my right and all guys seated on my left. Behind me was a balcony packed with mixed, gals and guys. The guys were fine, but the girls, I have never scene such a response. Each and every girl among the rows of about 400 were on their feet. I was dazzled and for a moment stood motionless. I visited Livewire, Powerchords, Resurrection, Kayos and scores of other gigs where young women frequent, but have never scene this response. Anant has something in him for the women. After this the tried Shayad, by Call. It was the first time they covered it. The scream at the end made sure it woke up anyone who was till asleep. Then came Maut. This number scores among die-hard dark metal fans. As it took shape, the ones who were pretty convinced that our whole set would include Bollywood songs stopped cribbing and stared at the stage. The lighting was perfect. There were white beams falling on Vincent and Ally and a red beam on Anant. Gavril and Vineet were shadows in the smoke. Immaculate stage presence. The keyboard patters add a haunt to the atmosphere. And then as the heavy riff draws near, the gigantic long haired trio of Prakalp convulse in heavy head banging. The guys started screaming out loud and the girls began head banging. Just then some little glitch somewhere caused Ashwin to come galloping on the stage. In the bargain he tripped over Gavril’s amp wire and well… that cut the keyboard volume down. []. Then came Inteqam and it was treated with equal craziness. After the song, chants of BC MC filled the arena. We felt so glad that we were at home! The crowd was way livelier than most of the Bombay gigs we attended. Finally, 7/11. Anant told the people what this song is about and how Mumbaites suffered. There was a resounding applause followed by a loud cheer. The song started and the chicks went bonkers again. The auditorium of 1.5k people was resounding. Then came the silent moment in the song where Gavril and Vince haunt the crowd with slow melodious music. I didn’t expect it but then on the projector screen were the words ‘PEOPLE REMOVE YOUR CELPHONES AND WAVE IT AROUND’. It was awesome. The scene rocked. I hope we get the videos of the gig. Everyone, rocker and not, were pleased with us. And to cover up everything, we did one last song, the sixth of the evening, Killin’ In The Name Of by RATM. There began a small moshpit beside the sound guys. I was really glad. In moments like these you actually do not care if you are going to win or no. After all, we entertained the crowd. Anant tried a new and a daring stunt this time. He took off his shirt, on stage, on the ramp, and wore a new one. Oh how the chicks were at their wits end. Finally the timeslot ended and a very satisfied Prakalp got together on stage and took a bow. The crowd applauded again. And the band alighted the stage. As I dashed through the crowd from the sound guys to wish our warriors, I heard a chant of the bands name in the crowd. We carried all our stuff and went out to our vehicle to catch some smokes and a post game talk.
The Rest
After us came a band, I cannot recall the name. They had a female bassist and I guess a female drummer too. To my amazement they actually covered Aadat, a song that Prakalp once covered before the glory days fell upon us. I really do not recollect what they covered since we were so busy packing up for the rest of the evening. There was a break announced after the fourth band. Now there were three bands remaining. As we sat out, we had Vince wrapped in a jacket and a monkey cap as his weakness crept in again. He was sick, remember? The guys bought something to eat and we had our fill just then I heard…. “I left alone, my mind was blank…” I went nuts. Cannot be! I dashed into the auditorium and there onstage were the judges who were headlining the event playing The Number Of The Beast by Maiden. My God! There was this judge Daniel Arlington by name. a young guy with long flowing hair picking the leads of all the Maiden guitarists, alone! Next he played Sweet Child O’ Mine and played a solo lead followed by the other judge who was a bassy doing a bass solo. Soon the third judge popped in and played another solo. The crowd was left speechless. As they go off, the fifth band of the evening, Decipher took stage. They played amazing stuff including Cemetery Gates and Walk by Pantera. The vocalist wasn’t audible but the drummer was one hell of a guy. He played the double beaters at lightning speed and his hands flew across the kit at crazy speeds. It’s only later on that we understood that he was just fukin’ 14!!!! They had a good show but the crowd wasn’t Pantera material. Next were Vighn. They introduced their genre as Alternative Gujju Folklore. Well, they were very tight in their performance. They even played a Dream Theatre cover, Another Day. Someone who can recollect please add the songs that they covered on this thread. Finally, the last band of the evening, Saints of Metal. Called the favorites. They came on stage with three guitarists, one bassy, a drummer and a tabla player. However the tabla couldn’t be heard. But these guys were crowd favorites. They played Iron Maiden. Hallowed be Thy Name (fuked up a bit) and The Trooper (fucked up BIG TIME). However, the songs they chose were lovely. Really catchy numbers. I think they also did a Metallica cover. The gig ended up with a speech from one of the judges who applauded the drummers and vocalists of the evening but condemned the bassists saying that they needed to improve. The crowd left the arena and the lights were put on. We sat there wondering, WHAT ABOUT THE FREAKIN RESULTS? Ashwin went to meet the organizers and told them that we had to get home soon as we were all down with cold and fever and stuff. But they just wouldn’t tell us who won. They said that we would have to wait for tomorrow where the prize distribution would take place. Damn! As we made our way out we came across Mr. Daniel and congratulated him on his awesome performance. He told us that he liked our show since he was a Dream Theatre fan. He understood progressive music and well, we had our heads n the air. So saying, we left for home.
Oh look Mommy! I'm on Nagpur Times
And the best Vocalist is?
Nagpur to Pune to Vasai
The army was exhausted after the battle. We slept off instantly with a glimmer of hope that we would be winning something the next day. We decided that Alister, Vincent, Gavril, Rajeev and myself (Gary ) would leave the next day and not wait for the results. We were off to Pune, thanks to the lack of ticket availability to Mumbai. The next morning dawned on us with fresh hope and courage to endure yet another painstaking journey. So saying we booked tickets for the five of us to Pune for that very day and for the rest (Ashwin, Anant and Vineet) the following day. We spent the noon at a relatives place. As it became 7:00 pm, the three musketeers who were to stay over left for the venue for the much awaited results. We spent the evening watching The Exorcist II. At around 8 or so we received a call from Ashwin that he would be arriving with our transport to the bus-stop. He arrived just when he had told he was going to, with not only the transport, but also the results. He said, “Guys! I have a good and also a bad news for you guys”. We demanded to hear the bad news first. Well, the words rolled out like a heavy stone on our tired hearts. We didn’t win, but came second. And to pinch a bit harder, we came second by just one point. Saints of Metal won with 133 points. We were 132. Ouch! And then for the good news… Anant was voted as best vocalist. We were overjoyed at that. With the glee in our hearts as well as the pinch off loss we packed our bags and set off for Pune. We got into a bus and were off. Luckily for us the bus was absolute luxury. Sometime in the morning Vincent yelps loud enough for half the bus to wake up. He says that we featured in a small article in the Nagpur Times. And he had a picture of his and the lyrics of Inteqam on it too! So the best vocalist prize and the love of Nagpur was not the only thing we picked up from there. We passed Aurangabad, Ahmednagar and many places along the way. The journey was long and tiring. We were all doubtful as to what we should do once in Pune. I buzzed my pal Tejas who was overjoyed that we were coming over. Amazing! We reached Pune station and called him up. He guided the rickshaw drivers to his place. As we entered his place we slumped down like stinking corpses. Rajeev and Ally had to make it home for personal reasons. So they refreshed themselves and made it to Pune bus stop and left for home. Vincent, Tejas, Gavril and myself had all evening to ourselves so we decided to do the best four bachelors could. CHEERS! We were joined that evening by Tejas’ room mates (2 real cool dudes) and Shubha, our pal. We finished bottle after bottle of Vodka, Rum and beer. And dozed off. The next morning the rest of the troop reached home with copies of the Nagpur Times and the little trophy won by Antz. We celebrated all noon and left for Mumbai in the evening profusely thanking our host and new family members, Tejas and Shubha. Just before leaving, we were treated by Shubha to some real cool coffee that took all the stupor levels low and gave our feet some more stable footing. We left Pune with joy in our hearts and glee. The Volvo service from Pune to Mumbai doesn’t fail you and we made it to Borivali station. In half an hour we were home. Winners, not of the competition, but of the hearts of many youngsters in a far off land. What more could we want! Cheers!
