The iconic stature of the characters and their storied rivalry probably overshadowed the brilliant selection of songs used throughout the movie. Right from Iron Butterfly’s magnum opus to KC Sunshine Band’s funky disco number and Tears for Fears technopop hit, the movie covered some of the most popular sounds of the 70s and 80s. So without further ado, listen away. And when the music’s over, turn off the lights!
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If you want to see the inventiveness and ingenuity of a kid on display, look no further than the daily coming together kids to play a game of cricket.
This version of the game known as ‘Gully Cricket’ because of being largely played on streets, known as gullies, as against big grounds and stadiums has given rise to some of the most innovative methods of playing the game.
It is brilliant to see the wide contrast between the “Gentleman’s game” played within the confines of its 42 laws and its varied avatars seen across streets, parks and corridors in India.
The subculture of gully cricket hasn’t been quashed by the many natural restrictions placed upon it such as cramped spaces and lack of proper gear. On the contrary, it has only propelled its growth with kids thinking outside of the box to come up with innovative variations and rules.
Some rules are cool, some are weird and some are stupid and we’ll see a bit of all three in this list.
Click on the image to proceed to the next slide
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As much as this is a review of what transpired on the 5th of November, this is also a mouth piece for our vision for quizzing and quizzers at large. So when the eager minds landed up at our Shack, we showed them the bigger picture.
Quizzers are the new age avatars of the computer geeks and technology hobbyists that defined the computer landscape. Like the geeks, they want to explore and get to the bottom of things just for the sake of knowing something. If the geeks changed the way we consume and communicate, then the quizzers if given the opportunity have the power to change the way we think. They can draw knowledge from everything around them and connect the dots to tell a fascinating story.
So if you have ever passionately gone into the depth of exploring something without paying heed to what the outcome would be, then there is a place that respects and values you for being yourself while providing you with the opportunity to grow into a great professional creating things that are “insanely great” .
The bespectacled guy was implying the same when he said:
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect the dots looking backward. You have to trust in something- gut, destiny, life, karma whatever because believing that the dots will connect somehow will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even if it is off the well-trodden path and that will make all the difference. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish!.”
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The word Cache has two meanings. Most of us, who are children of the digital age, would associate it with a computer’s memory where data is temporarily stored. However, the word has its origins in a French word referring to a hiding place someone would use to temporarily store items. In this context, the word cache stirs up visions of pioneers, gold miners, and even pirates (Alrighty matey!).
Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game that can be played by anyone across the world. All one needs is a GPS device or a smartphone. A Geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the Geocache’s existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the Geocache. So what might a geocache look like? In its simplest form, it will just contain a logbook for the Geocacher to log his find but larger caches may contain any number of items turning the adventure into a true treasure hunt. If something is taken, something else of equal or greater value should be placed in the container. For eg. if you find a tennis ball in the container and take it, either replace it with another tennis ball or something of greater value like a cricket ball.
This is how a geocache might look like.
Geocaching became popular in the early 2000s when President Clinton removed the intentional degrading of signals received by civilians on their GPS devices. As of today, the game has spread into a 100 countries and is present on all SEVEN continents including Antarctica. If you think it is only child’s play, think again. The difficulty of finding a geocache can vary greatly in degree from finding one in your neighbourhood park to spelunking in a cave to unearth one. It is also a great way to stumble into places you never knew existed.
If this is not enough to get your adrenaline rushing, then there are also challenges that you can take up. At present there are only two kinds of challenges but they are also working on newer challenge types, mapping tools and other crowd sourced ideas.
To don the role of a Geocacher, all you need to do is follow these steps and you can set out to on your very own Indiana Jones-esque expedition. With geocaching, all the world’s a treasure map and we are merely explorers in it.
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Do you remember the first time you read about someone going from point A to Point B? We remember reading Gulliver’s Travels as children which, with its tale of a giant guy stumbling into a tribe of little people, was tons of fun to read.
Bond, James Bond :: Gulliver, ______ Gulliver
If you think about it the tales written by Enid Blyton also had travel as a backdrop what with characters like the Famous Five travelling to haunted lighthouses on far off coastal locations. In a way, we all have encountered travel writing while growing up. We may have also wondered. Why does one travel. Travel Writing in all its forms attempts to answer this question . Probably the simplest explanation was given by Ibn Battuta (yes, the same guy who was also referenced in this song in Ishqiya) in this elegant stanza.
“I set out alone, finding no companion to cheer the way with friendly intercourse, and no party of travellers with whom to associate myself. Swayed by an overmastering impulse within me, and a long-cherished desire to visit those glorious sanctuaries of the world, I resolved to quit all my friends and tear myself away from my home.”
If you think about it these words could also be the storyboard of this very funny commercial by Enfield which implores the traveler to Leave Home. We digress.
So Ibn Battuta left home and had many a fascinating travels which he captured in a book called Rihla (literally meaning journey). These journeys were to be captured almost 2000 years later in the form of a documentary titled Journey to Mecca.
The seeds of modern day literature probably lies in a tale of travel. Homer who recorded the voyage of the Greek hero Odysseus through the “Odyssey” gave the worlds its first fine example of a classic.
It was also a Travel Writing piece which probably changed the way we look at our existence forever. We are talking about The Voyage of the Beagle. In this journey, that Darwin made, lay the genesis of the theory of natural selection, probably the most important insight into how human beings came into existence. And to think it all began with a portly English gentleman setting forth on a ship named after a species of Dog. You can watch this fascinating journey here.
An Italian designer who worked on an interactive website showcasing Darwin's journey. http://bit.ly/qXApZW
Travel writing can also serve to provide inspiration. We all remember the first time we saw or read Motorcycle Diaries, a first person account of a journey that was formative in nature helping shape a person who would go on to change the way humanity thought about revolutions. If you have not been witness to this amazing Journey you can do so by downloading it here.
Travel writing can serve as a catalyst of creating awareness too, the most notable case being that of VS Naipaul . His travel essays capture the effects of British Colonialism across the world in a precise and often devastating manner. This mirror effect was cited as one of the reasons for him being awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 2001. A more nuanced and layered take on the importance of Naipaul’s travel writing can be found here.
If this post has kindled your interest about Travel Writing you can start with this curated list of Travel Books to kick start your journey. Have fun travelling and if possible document it just like this dude did.
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Looking for a chance to work with good Homo Sapiens in the scenic view of Siri with a cup of the world famous Filter-Kaapi in India. Of course you are!
Position:
Research and Content Intern
Location:
Delhi-NCR
Qualifications:
Currently pursuing graduation or post-graduation
Job Description:
Shack is a New Media outfit focusing on Digital Strategies, New Media Intelligence, New Media Content and Digital Platforms.
We take pride in offering the above services to brands big and small. In addition we are also developing Know-Q-Out, a one of its kind knowledge platforms we are trying to blend the essence of quizzing with the traditional and alternative education schools of thought.
We are looking for talented, inquisitive, knowledge explorers who will develop new age engaging content for platforms like Know-Q-Out. You will also be exposed to other verticals of our establishment giving you an opportunity to acquire new skill sets. Based upon your performance as an intern, we shall also offer a selected few to join Shack as a permanent team member. At Shack we value learning, team work and fun.
So if you Harry Potter-esque skill to create magic with knowledge, have fun while doing it and not act big, please contact us.
Stipend:
It will be a paid internship, at par with the market rates
Duration:
1-6 months
* You still get time to take out your special friend, watch movies and flaunt your new found fame.
Desired Skills:
If you think it’s you who we are talking about then follow this link.
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The city of Delhi is extraordinary. It has existed for centuries and has served as the capital of several rulers of the years gone by. It houses seven distinct fortified capitals built by kings and emperors. Some of them did not build new cities but made necessary additions to pre-existing structures.
But India is the land of stories and storytellers, and fact and fiction are wedded together so intimately that it becomes difficult to separate one from the other. Overtime, the walls between the two dissolve and a legend is born.
So to talk about Delhi, one has to begin with the ancient city of Indraprastha which was once the seat of the mighty Pandavas.
A. INDRAPRASTHA
New Delhi in ancient times was a dense forest called the Khandavaprastha situated on the banks of Yamuna and occupied by the Nagas. After the Pandava brethren returned from Panchala with Draupadi, Dritharashtra divided the kingdom between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The Pandavas were given the south western region of Khandava-Prastha which was of full of thorns, stones and devoid of any water, fertility.
The Pandavas with the help of Krishna and Dwaipayan earmarked a part of the desert and built the city of Indraprastha because it was meant to be as beautiful as the kingdom of Indra.
Excavations have revealed that it is around the place where Humayun built Dinpanah and Sher Shah built Shergarh.
B. LAL KOT & QILA RAI PITHORA
In 736 AD the Rajput Tomars under the leadership of Anangpal Tomar took over the city’s land. To fortify their establishment the Lal Kot was built. Later his grandson Raja Prithviraj Chauhan took over the throne and extended its boundaries. He created a bigger and a more powerful fortification called Qila Rai Pithora. Originally, this Qila (Fort) was having 13 gates, but now only 3 are remaining.
It is said by many that Anangpal did not give up the throne to his grandson Prithviraj but was rather ousted by the latter. When Anangpal was going on a pilgrimage to Benares, he asked Prithivraj to guard the throne and allow no one to enter the fort. However, in the absence of Anangpal he won the affection of the soldiers and took over the throne.
Prithviraj sensing that others might learn of his treachery declared that the man who claimed he was Anangpal was infact a follower who had impersonated the master upon his death.
As a result, Anangpal went to a place 6 miles off the city and built a fort named Anantpur in order to regain his lost supremacy. However, he died before he could complete the fort.
Anangpal II also got the Iron Pillar from Mathura to be placed inside the Lal Kot, which later housed the Qutub Minar as well.
The Qutub Golf Course housed inside the remains of the fort
C. SIRI
In the beginning of 14th Century, Alauddin Khilji built his new capital with a strong fortification around it. The city was called Dar-ul-Khilafat, or ‘the seat of Califate’. It had seven gates, none of which are present today. This fort was later named Siri. As per the legend Siri got its name because the heads of 8,000 Mongols were buried in the foundations of the walls.
It was from here that Khilji spread his empire across the length and breadth of the subcontinent. A huge water tank, called Hauz Khas, was built to provide water to this oval city.
D. TUGHLAQABAD
Ghazi Malik, a general in Khilji’s empire nurtured the dream of setting up a bigger fort (than Siri) south of the empire. When Ghazi Malik later ascended to the throne, he gave himself the title of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq and thus began the Tughlaq dynasty. He wanted to complete the fort at the earliest and employed all the labour of the surrounding areas. The Sufi mystic Nizamuddin Auliya was angered at this since he didn’t have any labour to complete the work of his baoli. While the fort neared completion, Ghiyas-ud-din made a trip to Bengal. Hazrat Nizamuddin gave a curse “Hunuz Dilli Door Ast” (English: Delhi is yet far away). The emperor was crushed to death on his way back to Dilli and his son, Muhammad-bin Tughlaq took over throne and began the expansion of the city.
The Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary situated around the ruins of Tughlaqabad
E. JAHANPANAH
Muhammad-Bin Tughlaq, the son of Ghiyas-ud-din, wanted to fortify all cities of Delhi to protect it from Mongolian invasions. He proceeded to fortify the land between Mehrauli, Siri and Tughlaqabad. He called this fort Jahanpanah. It took 2 years to construct during which time Muhammad-Bin made the blunder of shifting the entire capital to Daulatabad located in the Deccan so as to rule from a central location. However, the city was ill equipped for comfortable living and a lot of people died in transit due to the weather. As a result, the capital was shifted back to Delhi. The fort had 13 gates, none of which are traceable today.
The famous traveller Ibn Batuta visited Delhi during the reign of Muhammad-bin, was made a Qadi and also described the architectural marvels and buildings of Jahanpanah.
“It is a most magnificent city combining at once both beauty and strength. Its walls are such as to have no equal in the world. This is the greatest city in Hindustan and indeed all Islamism in the East. It now consists of four cities which becoming contiguous has formed one. This city was conquered in the year of the future Hijira 584 (AD 1188). The thickness of its walls is 11 cubits.”- Ibn Batuta
F. FEROZABAD
Muhammad-Bin Tughlaq was succeeded to the throne by his nephew, Firoze Shah Tuhglaq. Like his predecessors, he also built a city named Ferozabad to the east of the then existing city. He established this fortified city on the banks of the river Yamuna in 1354 and bought a 3rd century Sandstone pillar, attributed to the Legendary Mauryan ruler, Samrat Ashoka. Not much of this city remains today and the palace walls are nowhere to be found.
Firoze Shah was also one of the greatest restorers of the Sultanate period undetaking large scale restoration work on the Qutub Minar, Sultan-e-Ghari and the Hauz Khas. He also ordered for the shifting of the Ashoka’s Pillar from Ambala and Meerut to the capital city. After his death, Delhi was invaded by Taimur the Lame and the city entered into a bleak period as the capital also moved out from there.
Kumble celebrating his ten wicket haul at the cricket stadium in Feroz Shah Kotla in 1999
G. DINPANAH and SHERGARH
Humayun sat on the throne of India after his father Babur’s demise in 1530. Four years later, he established the city, which he called the refuge of the world, or the Deen Panah. In 1540, while he was marching to Gujarat, Sher Shah Suri (a mughal general of Afghan origin) took over the throne of Agra and established himself as the emperor of India. Soon, he marched to Delhi and turned the city of Dinpanah into Dilli-Sher-Shahi. He created the famous Old Fort of Delhi and the Sher Mandal inside it.
The city of Dinpanah also contains Qila-e-Kuhna mosque and the Sher Mandal. Humayun took the throne back after the death of Sher Shah Suri and Islam Shah in 1555, but before completing his 1 year he fell from the Sher Mandal at Old Fort and died. The famous Humayun’s Tomb was built by his son Akbar in the same city, which his father had established.
Though as yet unverified, the claim is that this was also the site of the legendry Indraprasth or Inderpat built by the mythological Pandavas.
A part of the fortified city is now a zoological park
H. SHAHJAHANABAD
Popularly known as ‘Purani Dilli’, it is the original Delhi to most of the people. In 1639, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built a magnificent walled city with 13 gates and 16 windows next to the banks of the Yamuna and moved the Mughal capital of India from Agra to Delhi.
The eight gates of Shahjahanabad namely Nigambodh, Kashmiri, Mori, Kabuli, Lahori, Ajmeri, Turkman and Delhi Gate still stand strong. But the walls that connected them no longer exist.
The walled city was filled with mansions of nobles and members from the mughal court. Most of these mansions (Havelis) are present even till date. Few famous Havelis are, Mirza Ghalib’s Haveli, Zinat Mahal’s Haveli, Haksar Haveli (Where Pt. Nehru was married) and Naharwali Haveli (Where President Pervez Musharraf was born). During the British rule, this part was known as Modern Delhi.
Karim's: The "Royal Cooks" of the Mughals
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We’re all drawn to the idea of remoteness. A hard-to-reach place is necessarily beautiful, virgin and a little sacred we think. We don’t know if our Shack at the rustic locale of Shahpur Jat is all that but what we can promise is to take you on a flight of thoughts across the Swiss Alps, a tangy tomato fight in Bunol and stargaze to the surface of the moon and back all from the comfort of an armchair.
So board that Bombardier to Green Park on the 29th day of the tenth month of MMXI.
Details
What: Around the Bend-The Travel Quiz
When: 1500hours 29th October, 2011
Where: 143A, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi-49
How many: Two maketh a team. Lone Wolfs are welcome as well. We’ll help you find a team.
For What: Some irrelevant entertainment, some relevant trivia and gift vouchers worth INR 1,000
How To Reach:
By Foot- Start from home, plug in your iPod ask a passer-by for directions to Shahpur Jat. Follow the directions. Finish
By Car- Start from home, switch on your radio ask an autowallah- ‘Hey man! You know the way to Shahpur Jat..eh?’ Leave him confused and reach Siri Fort Audi. Behind Siri Fort is the Asian Games Village. Take the road on the right when approaching the fork opposite the NCUI auditorium. Keep going straight till you reach the bend. The destination is just around the bend. Take a right and park your car. Finish.
By Metro- Start from home. Plug in your new music-on-the-go phone and board the metro. Get off at Green Park and take an auto to Shahpur Jat. Finish.
By Air- Watch ZNMD. Start from home. Reach T3 of IGIA. Board the plane. Spot Shahpur Jat below you. Jump. FINISH.
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“Marge Simpson” grew a year older, “The Wall” bid farewell to the 50-over game and “A tiger” roared his last. While all this occupied the public’s minds we went on an adventure in music. We went on a journey with a “trusted friend” to explore the evolution of the recorded sound, moonwalked back to the beginning of Bollywood music and learnt that you could get by with a little help from your friends even though you might not be the most powerful man in the universe. Along the way, the soulful singing of Usha Iyer blew us away, Don Mclean taught us about The Day the Music Died and we racked our brains over the last week to find an answer to “Queen Kaun?”.
Now we are up and over the hill and flying into October through the Swiss Alps, wading through the waters of the Atlantic and trekking in the rainforests of Amazon. This month we embark on a voyeuristic voyage to explore “Travel”.
So hop on board, buckle in your seat belts. This is your flight captain-Know-Q-Out, over and out.
Questions from Queen Kaun? The Music Quiz.
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For the generation in India that is 19 and above, a lot of music that we consumed on a day to day basis was through Television and Radio. And when it comes to TV, DD was the dominant force during those days due to the quality of its content which catered to all segments- old or young. The string of children’s shows, which made for some memorable weekdays and summer vacations, are not only remembered for their stories but also their opening scores. Ah, those were the days! We take a journey back in time and reminisce some of those timeless theme tracks.
Wonder Years
Joe Cocker made this classic breezy Beatles Rock ‘n Roll song his own through his melancholic, soulful rendition. The shaky home videos accompanying the song blend in perfectly and makes one ponder about those halcyon days as a child.
Malgudi Days
The rustic tune composed by L Vaidyanathan, who is probably better known as the elder brother of the virtuoso violinist L Subrmanian, supported with the distinctive illustrations of RK Laxman captures the essence of the fictional world created by RK Naryanan. Listening to the reptitive ‘Ta-na-na-nana-nana-na’ subtly flowing in the background, one can imagine a cowherd taking his cows out to graze through the meadows at the break of dawn.
Jungle Book
The highlight of the summer vacations for Indian kids was the cartoons airing at 12PM on Doordarshan as part of ‘Fun Time’. The music composed by a young Vishal Bharadwaj partnered with the impish, effervescent lyrics of Gulzar created a timeless title track that struck a chord with viewers from all age groups.
Knight Rider
Knight Rider’s memorable title theme was composed by Stu Phillips and series creato Glen A. Larson, of Battlestar Galctica fame. The TV screen showed Kitt slowly whizzing into the picture, like a horse cantering in, on the desert landscape as the background music went into a crescendo. At the time keyboards were used mainly for effects or to supplement other instruments, so the theme was revolutionary in its sole use of keyboards and rhythm section, that struck a chord with the futuristic and high technology of Kitt and created an instantly recognizable “groove” that has since been sampled by several hip hop artists such as Timbaland, Busta Rhymes and Punjabi MC.
He Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man was a pathbreaking TV series for more than one reason. While the narrative centered on delivering a moral at the end of each episode, it was packaged in the form of a superhero & evil hero storyline. The series also had a lyrical & haunting tune that made a young kid pull out his dummy-glow-in-the-night sword (and in some cases, even roam around in undies) and listen with rapt attention as he mimicked the elaborate actions of the muscular superhero. Haim Saban (who later went on to start Saban Entertainment best known for the Power Rangers franchise) and Shuki Levy were responsible for the great opening score. Their name was accompanied by Erika Lane in the credits. It was a common practice at the time for animation studios to use pseudonyms which allowed them to own the background music and Erika Lane was just that, a combination of the names Erika Scheimer and Lane Scheimer who were the children of producer Lou Scheimer.
Duck Tales
Forget Flea, Forget Victor Wooten. For an Indian kid, this is still probably the catchiest bass tune. The theme had a funky & jazzy flavor with heavy use of the slap bass and the trumpet. And Amit Kumar’s (the son of the late-great Kishore Kumar) boisterous voice fits in perfectly with the music. Amit Kumar also went on to sing the opening theme for the hindi version of Bob the Builder and we know how popular that turned out to be.
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