Van Chitgough- The Art of Life

So , diwali came and went , and the long awaited festival of lights lived up to my expectations in every way possible. in a way of truly coming full circle, from spending last year the same time in a tiny, beautiful country far far away; to being back home , in the midst of family and the familiarity that comes with the scent of a burning diya.

being back ruled. it ruled so much.

moving along, the last few weeks have been interspersed with some very exciting news...CK my bro has confirmed his trip down to delhi from the 4th-9th of Jan. Speaking of which January is going to be one insane month. After goa, CK arrives, immediately after im in LA for 2 weeks followed by a potential trip down to one of the 2 asian destinations of choice :)

speaking of the beach-town beauty,KS and SS just confirmed the entire Goa plan so 25th-3rd is very much on like a pawn despite a little mid-term scare...KS is currently in Mauritius (yeah i know some of you who know the man would be wondering what ? how? where ? when? ) dont ask...just ingest the information and move on hahahaha...

Am looking forward to SS visiting delhi sometime soon so that we can chill and catch up on the whirlwind 'ride' these last few weeks has been for both of 'em... crazy.

What else? last week was spent in some very fun and constructive chats with 2 of my favorite gangsters from geneva - anna and luca. the thrill one still gets from ambition is to be remembered...there is a power in that emotion that is uncomparable..be it big/small- which is anyway all in perspective..
looking forward to chats with regula and evicka in the coming days. nothing like hearing an old voice.

ok..what else? some awesome discoveries of recent times have been some brilliant web comics that have me in a combination of splits and pure awe. The fact that some people can combine art and such intelligence with consumate ease makes one feel pretty worthless..

check out questionable content, achewood and xkcd. I owe the discoveries of achewood and xkcd to tom and arthur respectively. cheers guys. you continue to assemble and display pearls of wisdom on ze online journals..

I have a pretty exciting piece of information on my whereabouts this next week which I can't share due to pure grapevine ability of the blogosphere and my respect for 'tradition'. i shall be out of action till the 6th of november, needless to say my return shall be marked with an update of killer proportions.

chalo, thats about it for an update....off to morrisson's now to knock off a couple. let the good times roll..

Posted by chitgo at 10/25/2006 07:04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

as promised....
a small clipping of the global premiere of dC on national television....let the jokes, jibes and mockery begin my lovely friends:)
more to be uploaded soon on youtube...



DC on DD Addition

I haven't sorted these video clips out but there are basically about 6 of them. Piece em together...Here's another:

DC on DD 2
DC on DD 3
DC on DD 4

Posted by chitgo at 10/21/2006 09:55:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

So, picture the scene...

Van Chitgough walks into one of his new favorite rock out joints in Delhi known as Café Morrisson at 9:30pm sharp on a Wednesday night. He is meeting dear friends T, T , T and Z who are, as always - late.
He jostles in to be greeted by grade school boys and girls with long hair, beads and napalm death t-shirts. Apparently there is a rock concert on. Death metal bands playing as part of the RSJ October fest. Cool...I wait my turn before grabbing the table next to the entrance and get lost in the music, which isn’t half bad from a distance...

There are 4 kids standing in front of me, kind of jumpy and from the looks of it- very young. First guess is class 10th (hence making them 16 or so)….the boys are thin and gangly - the kind one is at that age where ‘loose’ is a way of life. I should know, I had jeans that could fit an army of dhruvs- all at one time...….
Anyway, so they are kind of pushing each other and doing the things that children do – dropping beer on themselves, randomly tugging at each other in the sweet (slightly sickening) manner that post-adolescence hormones bring out. You know- the affection without being affectionate, the touch without touching blah blah. I am smiling to myself wondering just how I could have gone through that age and sipping my kingfisher in an air of wisdom and experience apt for someone like...

“Dhruv??? HEY!!! I didn’t see you ! how are you?”

Oh dear god. Remember the little band of children? One of them turns out to be a neighbor’s daughter who I have known since I was about 5 years old. Like literally playing on my lap, growing up in front of me, tiny thing..… Now, well, all grown up and all teenager like. She is slightly astonished of having bumped into me here. I'm wondering why? At first I’m playing it cool and then like a bolt of lightening it hits me, hard.

Shit. Shit. Shit. I’m the quintessential ‘bhaiiya’! The old dude who is the very LAST person you want to bump into when you’re 16 and knocking off beers with friends in a pub you shouldn’t be at. God damnit I remember this feeling!. Stolen glances would continue for the rest of the night as there is always the awe/fear of seeing someone 6 years (6 years!!!!) older to you chilling in the same club.

Oh my god. I am the old foggie/the foot in the grave/the guy whos' life you almost pity....

Just as I’m going through this little nostalgia trip in a half-melancholic/half-amused manner, one of the thin-boy like creatures who knows me from yesteryears (of when I used to kick him around) comes up to me and says “Dhruv, please don’t tell A’s mom that she was here, you understand right... " (wry smile appearing on face that is otherwise shared between 2 men). I look at the little fart, I almost lose my beer and I say “ofcourse kid, no worries”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Someone could have grabbed a gun and shot me in the shin and the pain would still have been considerably less then the realization that I can now officially be characterized as ‘that old guy’ :) don’t let the exaggeration worry you though, I wouldn’t go back to being 16 or 18 if I was paid for it. Those were great times, well spent, with all the law-breaking tomfoolery one can hope to have; but still..…the little dude had no mercy man. In one fleeting sentence he pushed me into the box that contained conversations with middle-aged ladies about the growing depravity witnessed in our younger generations and how rock music was poisoning our souls in a heady mix of alcohol and nicotine. Damn....

Flash forward to 20 years later where me and my hip-ass wife enter a club to find my teenage son going ballistic on the dance floor with 3 women...…oh the look on the poor boys face. I guess these are the hidden more sadistic joys of parenthood….

What? Cruel? Me?
Never…

Posted by chitgo at 10/17/2006 10:21:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Passive - A perfect circle
(Excerpts)

“Dead as dead can be,” my doctor tells me
But I just can’t believe him, ever the optimistic one
I’m sure of your ability to become my perfect enemy
Wake up and face me, don’t play dead cause maybe
Someday I will walk away and say, “You disappoint me,”
Maybe you’re better off this way

Leaning over you here, cold and catatonic
I catch a brief reflection of what you could and might have been
It's your right and your ability
To become…my perfect enemy…

....

Posted by chitgo at 10/17/2006 09:06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Things they said...

“don’t fool yourself, she’s a woman, after what you’ve said – she will never call again”

“your aggressive nature rattles me at times”

“you can’t be everything for everyone”

“you’re selfless”

“the flowers are beautiful”

“please don’t tell her mother she was here” **

“how is she?”

“you deserve all the hurt directed at you, you deserve the pain, the guilt. Because there is no utopian world where what you did can be done the right way”

“you were an amazing friend, you stood by in the toughest of times, secured the future and built the base..”

“this is going to get complimented”

Things I said...

“I give and I give and I give…when it’s all sapped out of me, hell I give some more….but once you push me over the edge, question my integrity, question my friendship…there is no coming back, there is no return, never. Not for anyone”

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t directed at you…”

“There are only so many hours in the weekend, there is only so much I can stretch
myself to all the people that I love; to all the people that love me”

“I’m selfish”

“it’s a peace offering, I don’t like red roses but pink ones are far nicer”

“ofcourse not”**

“I don’t know”

“I could not get more honest, I could not show more strength as a man, as a person; and this is what I get? I wanted nothing more then to walk out with no guilt (as I did nothing wrong) and yet that’s all I felt- in the stinging, most heart wrenching way known only to a man that chose the truth over lies”

“i did all that…but for what?”

“this is going to get complicated”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by chitgo at 10/16/2006 10:18:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

It is with great confidence that I have often recited the history and mythology of my name to friends both in India and abroad...
Little did I know that a lot of it was rubbish, made up randomly and saved from questionning by the sheer power and volume of the hindu religion :)

not anymore. Wikipedia showed me the true Legend of Dhruv

Apparently, I sit on the grandest and highest seat in the house, on the lap of the divinity...

cool stuff I say. This isn't a tag but I implore my other friends to shuffle through the archives and let the world know of the etymology surrounding our fascinating 'calling cards'...

sarita, karan, faraz, mahima, surya, vinay, sneha, jitu, nayantara, archana, amit, prabs, aalekh ...ill be waiting..

Posted by chitgo at 10/11/2006 03:23:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

So as has become customary, and almost slightly cliched, the last week and weekend rocked. PT joined Calibrated and it is with considerable anticipation that I look forward to interesting times up ahead….

Friday was another ‘feather’ in the hat of sorts with yours truly getting vocal once again on national television (ok ok DD news- the 24 hours news channel but what the hell..) as part of a 2-member panel discussion on blogging, citizen journalism and the new wave of opinion based media. I’ve got the entire thing recorded thanks to V and shall have clips of what has become my quote of the month “when speaking of blogging, we need to make sure we embrace the opportunity with open arms. Whilst we should ensure that we don’t get burnt, we have to go near the fire”

*guffaw*.

I’m working on getting access to a decent video cutting software, post which I shall upload the key clips on the blog through youtube. Be patient, for It will be worth it.
Neha, sethi, tara , yatin being polite guests kept their mouths shut but I will be preparing for a more scathing commentary from my dear brothers (the likes of SG and KS) over NYE.

On a more serious note, the experience was noteworthy. Called Genext, the feature essentially deals with issues pertaining to young people in India cutting across topics like homosexuality, reservations and more recently- blogging. The anchor – Ruchica Tomar did a good job of setting the pace for the discussion and bringing out diverse view points from myself and the other panelist- a senior professor in journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communications. The show aired at 1:30 in the afternoon on Saturday and I wish I could have gotten the word out faster but I just didn’t have the time. Will certainly find out about the re-run (if at all) and I’ve got the video clip stored for posterity. It still amazes me just how many felines I can pull out of my a$$ in the spur of the moment. My swiss MC would know this feeling and apt execution very well. If you’re reading this, please tell me where ‘cattitude’ is ?

Saturday was otherwise a blast, a prequel so to speak of the 11th november super bash happening in MV for my day of days. Can’t wait. Personalized invitations shall be sent out and for all my superbuddies studding the global geography, consider this the one month advance invite. It’s never too late to make a trip to Delhi…

Last Friday was another initiation brought on by my blues brother Mr Seth…we watched soulmate perform live at Haze in VV and honest to god- the female vocalist of that band has got possibly the most enrapturing voice I have heard in more than half a decade. A band originating from the north east (shillong), the lead guitarist could sing…but Tripriti was in a different league…if you guys ever get a chance to watch them perform- go for it. It’s the soul rippin blues at it’s Indian finest….

So anyways, the new week beckons and the excitement builds. A very dear aunt (who has not been met for way too many years now) is in final stage preparations for her India visit along with her beautiful daughter for a 10 day trip come November. If memory serves, she was last in India in ’94!` Boy its going to be a lot of fun. A late night conversation with her also reminded me of just how nice it feels (at 22/3) to still get spoilt and doted on the way I excessively was as the ‘only’ nephew. Those are fond memories…...

All else continues to rule, exciting times up ahead. I strive for the balance and victory in the battles of the mind, the heart and the body. It’s not enough to just be living, it’s worth it when you’re winning.
And as I write this, I just got an email from Sabi informing me that we got discharged at ACT. Sweet.

Posted by chitgo at 10/09/2006 09:21:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Right, so after 3 months of room sharing (on account of air conditioner maximization) with 'the phenomenon'; this last weekend was the tipping point (so to speak) on the desire for a vertical shift, i.e moving upstairs to the gorgeous unoccupied portion of our duplex apartment...

The result.



wifi, creative 2-channel SBS speakers (woofers et all), paintings from the modern art gallery, LP, led zeppelin and Ali adorning the walls. Coming up next - bean bags, the guitarists and 'inspiron' (for the singer/song-writers) corner with fully equipped sound recording capabilities....


Why the obvious bragging? all and sundry are invited for nights of kick-back chilling at the pad. i can promise whiskies, beers, good times and other base-level sins. For the rest- well you need to figure those out for yourself.

Posted by chitgo at 10/04/2006 09:11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

They used to be exciting evenings those. With a nip in the air remarkably missing this particular year, S and I would adorn the very best of the chiller wardrobe and strut with a confidence that only divinities are proclaimed to possess. It was a swagger, an ownership of a tiny spot of the world, somewhere off the mark of real religious sentiment and yet stunningly refreshing in the festivities of the surrounding. Sneaking behind the ‘pandal’, the high of knocking the desi whiskey paled in comparison to the pure illegality of the situation . The biryani and kabab rolls proved ample support, only to be followed by the great after-smoke. In various locations, repeatedly - these actions, the jokes, the jibes; sometimes sharp, yet always known to be tender by the recipient. The big park next to united, with its winding lanes and well structured greenery was only frequented in the later hours, where serenity becomes a requirement and the touch of the cool grass on my skin was welcomed by the small of my back and feet in alternating positions.

I promised to return to her, my country, my city – in due course. This year, the pandal was bigger, whiter, grander, the goddess durga more imposing, her perfectly oval eyes, the eyes of the maheshasuramardhini boring intently into her devotees’ – some utterly struck by her power; and others, like me, exhibiting the awe that comes with a certain lack of knowledge and understanding. The generations grow older, those that ran around my feet trying to grab my attention, now strut as I did once, still struggling to make eye contact, yet in a manner more confident and devil-may-care, associated with that age.

I think of the families and the decked up mothers with their children running helter skelter. I smile in acknowledgement of the power of community and grudgingly- religion, even in times of utter chaos in the world around us. For this last weekend, where ashtmi met my memories of the visarjan, I was one with my home. I was one. Almost momentously the morning of Monday was spent (4 hours that too) battling it out in the grounds of samachar apartments playing the sport belonging to the gods and the beggars, the masses and their monarchs. The banter, the admiration of a shot well played and a ball well bowled still fuelling some revitalizing energy in many old bones of ‘uncles’ that were once ‘bhaiyyas’(affectionate term for elder brother in hindi); now much too old to be called the latter. Wives, families, responsibilities crept away for that brief period as heated arguments scented with the sweetness of victory were all that was desired. And so it was delivered.

October is here. Delhi begins to dawn it’s more chilly avatar. I smile with glee of times up ahead, albeit semi-nervously, but always confident, of decisions I made and paths I have chosen.

Posted by chitgo at 10/03/2006 09:18:00 AM | Permalink | Comments