And Another Concert of an Old Favourite - Def Leppard

I gave some kind of an intro to my history with Def Leppard which goes back some 40 years in my earlier blog. The concert was at NICE grounds which is at the other end of the city - a good two hour drive or a 90 minute Metro ride. 

My three nephews Abhi, Shrinjay and Shashank decided we'll drive and it took us exactly 2 hours 7 minutes to hit the parking lot at NICE. Parking was organised enough and we quickly entered our designated Gold space and found some place to stand and sway.

Thermal and a Quarter was opening for Def Leppard - the group so named because it has three Malayalis and one quarter Malayali - and it was celebrating its thirty years in existence. I loved their numbers, their political statements, and their energy. The nephews made visits to get food and drinks.

A half hour break during which it threatened to rain and then the 1977  band from Sheffield in England - 'Def Leppard' came on stage. An ageing Joe Elliot, Rick Savage, the ever smiling Rick Allen, and others came on and sang. Some of the numbers went by without me knowing them but the ones i knew we had fun singing along etc. 

'Animal', 'Foolin', 'Rocket', 'Love Bites', ''Armageddon It', 'Rock of Ages', 'Two Steps Behind' came along with some songs I was not too familiar with and ended with 'Hysteria' and finally 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'. They played visuals of the group playing in their younger days and they looked so young and so good. But you got to hand it over to them - to still come and sing to an audience that they are only connected through music work all their heart and soul.

The crowd was elderly, people trying to relive their memories like me. a smattering of slightly younger lot who had perhaps heard these numbers and very few teenager types. Families came, old friends gangs (one raucous old gang of men, college gang perhaps, in front of us raising hell), people swayed, danced, women dresses in hippie like 60s fashions and not the clothes of today's turn. No singular magic moment, but lots of good memories. It was too loud and I could not hear myself at all. I borrowed ear buds from the ever resourceful Abhi and tried to limit the damage to my poor ears.

Overall I was glad I went. I enjoyed listening to all the old hits. Then we headed out even as the band played 'Pour Some Sugar on Me'. The return journey took two hours again.

Def Leppard in Bengaluru

There was this time during college days in the mid 80s that I took a liking to this group called Def Leopard. I enjoyed listening to Hysteria and then bought Pyromania. Hysteria always made my slow rock playlists and was one for those long drives. 

So when Abhi, my nephew, called from Bangalore to say that Def Leppard was playing, i jumped at the opportunity. So here I'm, going to the concert with my nephews Shrinjay and Shashank and Abhishek.

Who would i have thought I'd be listening to them live one day. Of course my friend George wasn't so kind - help them in to the stage - he said. 

Looking forward.

Flowers of Delhi

Delhi has these beautiful gardens and flowers, wide open spaces, many parks, all of them aesthetically landscaped and well maintained. 

Just a sample. 

Laughter Channel - Krishna at it Again

One more gem from Krishna that had me laughing out loud. Thank you Krishna.

Indians are the ultimate experts on appearance. They are these ultra-sophisticated, precision- tuned, super-sensitive instruments built to detect the tiniest change in your exterior from twenty paces, and bring it to your notice, unsolicited, at the first available opportunity. At parties, banks, restrooms, potti kadais and funerals (sometimes your own), the average Indian’s appearance-analysis antenna is always working, twitching to pick up perceived changes in compatriots, and transfer info thereof to his filter-free mouth to be disseminated to the drive-by victim with no time-lag whatsoever. They range from: You seem to have put on weight. You seem to have lost weight. You seem to have regained your lost weight. You seem to have lost your regained weight. to You have gained colour. You have lost colour. (I have never known which of these is complimentary. Because ‘white’ is the preferred colour, as we know. But does one get ‘whiter’ by gaining colour or losing colour? Because, white, technically, is the absence of colour.) You seem to have lost some hair (to men). You seem to have gained some hair (to women). You seem to have aged (to someone they haven’t seen for twenty-eight years). I have a list of these guys. They are all repeat offenders. Here are responses you can expect from me if I catch any of you saying anything about anyone’s appearance in my presence: Your loins seem to have sagged a bit. Why didn’t you bring your chin along today? You look so much like your father when he was being cremated. You seem to be wearing your dandruff a little differently these days. So cool of you to go bra-less, man. Your paunch seems to have a double-chin. Nice to see you’ve extended your bald patch evenly over your head. Your mouth smells different. I like that whole asymmetrical-butt-cheeks thing you’ve got going. Are you wearing those trousers ironically? Your wedgie seems to have deepened since I last saw you. Can you move your nose a bit so I can see your face? (From the archives)

Laughter Channel - Things by Krishna

Realised I needed a place where I can collect stuff that made me laugh out loud after reading Krishna's post on 'Things'. Krishna Shastri Devulapalli is one of my favourite funny writers who always makes me laugh so I'll post his stuff generously here along with other funny stuff. 

This one is from Krishna's archives. 

...

Krishna Shastri Devulapalli on fb

‎....

‘The God of Small Things’, ‘Things to Leave

Behind’, ‘Not Only The Things That Have

Happened', 'Things We Lost In The Fire', 'The

Book of Everlasting Things' ... hmmm?

I think I have stumbled on the formula for

instant literary recognition.

My book has to have 'Things' in the title,

dammit.

Conducting a poll here on what my next book

should be called if it has to win an award.

And as per NCERT guidelines, obviously, it will

be poignant, lyrically told in achingly beautiful

prose, and will deal with loss and redemption.

Things I Need To Take for the Things On My

Behind

Things I Didn't Say For Fear of Getting Kicked In My Things

The Things That Happen When I Take Those

Small Blue Things

Go, Get That ... This Thing, No?

Not Only This Thing But That Other Thing Also

Things I Said When I Thought You Weren't

Listening

The Very Things To Avoid When Things are Thinging

Thinging In The Rain

When The Small Thing Doesn't Become A Big Thing

The Things We Say When That Big Thing Is Pointed At Our Behind Thing

A Thing of Beauty Is An AI Thing

Things I Did With My Thing and That Other Thing

The Things I Pretend Happened While At Lit Fest Things

The This Thing Of The That Thing

Things To Remember While Mookuthing

And my Telugu masterpiece -- Thingari

Sachchinodi Panikirani Things

(From the archives)

...

Made me laugh each time. Krishnaaaaaa, brilliant.

Death in Summer - William Trevor

Vinod gave 'The Love Department' which i loved so I checked on William Trevor and found that this book was among his finest. And Vinod bhai had it so I borrowed it. It's a beautiful read.

The book starts with the death of Letitia, wife of Thaddeus, in a bike accident, leaving behind an infant child. The husband and his mother in law, look around for nannies and several apply, none being suitable. However one of the nannies, Pettie, who is a wild one owing to her abuse in her childhood in a home for the homeless, takes a fancy to Thaddeus and imagines herself taking care of him and his infant. She is assisted in her endeavours by one of the boys who was also in the home, Albert, who keeps an eye on her and tries to keep her out of trouble, kind hearted as he is.

Thaddeus does not love Letitia. However he has inherited a huge estate and spends his time living off the produce of the estate until rich and generous Letitia marries him. So generous is she that when she finds a letter written to her husband by an old lover, Mrs ferry, of his seeking financial help for her medial condition, she offers her money. Mrs Ferry however dies despite the help Thaddeus provides.

Pettie, in her obsession for Thaddeus's love, decides to take away the object of his affection, the infant child and kidnaps her. She is seen by a couple of kids, panics, leaves the child in the ruins of the home of homeless where she grew and disappears. The police arrive, investigate, and soon, Albert arrives with the baby, saying that he got a note about its whereabouts. Pettie dies too, somehow ends up in the rubble of the home, which is demolished. Albert tries to tell the Thaddeus family that Pettie did not mean to harm anyone and all she was looking for was love. To meet her love Thaddeus, she spends all her fare, by travelling twice to their residence.

It's tragic in so many ways and one feels for Pettie and Albert as much as one feels for Thaddeus and Letitia and Mrs Ferry. William Trevor fills in so many details that you get lost in the world while he slips in a dramatic twist - much like life does. Fabulous writing, lovely characters, unforgettable story.       

Acts of Love - Moments at Sunrise

Shared moments at Hussain Sagar at sunrise. Acts of Love. And stories that lie underneath. 

Two friends sharing a special moment

And hope arises with the new day. 

A young couple - a memorable moment shared 
 

Two friends again - looking into the future and what it holds for them

Will they come back here again after ten years or twenty? It would be nice if they would.

Two friends the girls - and a stranger helping

The two girls are friend and they caught hold of this boy to take their pictures or videos and he did it with complete commitment. And once again one wants them to retain the same love for each other, after twenty years or more.

Boy waiting for the sunrise 

 Alone. And the dog jumps in for company. But he is a disciplined kid who was doing push ups and other exercises, who has the will to get up and watch the sunrise alone by himself. He will do well.  

 

There's autumn where life sheds the past. And there's greenery and new leaves, giving hope and promising the new. The cycle continues - we rise and fall, we fall and rise. And death awaits all. Until then, breathe and enjoy the life the good God's given. It's a beautiful life full of sunrises, friends, lovers, helpful strangers, friendly dogs, fallen leaves, new leaves, clouds, breeze. Ah, breathe in the love!
 

Lovely.