Keeping up with the ultimate Hippie spirit, Santana unleashed

Carlos Santana with his wife Cindy Blackman: pics by Nilutpal Pegu

The ultimate hippie guru, Carlos Santana flew down to the capital, Delhi for the ultimate F1 showdown. Before his show, in a little press conference, he gave the message of world peace.  To him, his music was all about world peace and with that in mind, he had arrived in Delhi.

In the press meet, he said "Music is is to bring world peace, the principles of Gandhi and Teresa is all about that peace," as his beautiful wife, Cindy Blackman shared the dais.

He was brought by the DNA Entertainment, at the ITC Maurya recently for an International gig at F1 Rocks in collaboration with the Vladivar Sunday.

Earlier after his Bangalore concert,  his message was clear, "In our hearts, we are all one." the world of peace is still the principles he lives by. When he was younger the ideals of world peace struck a chord with him.  

For him, music had always been about global peace at large.

 "I still adhere and live by the principles of the '60s and music for me is to bring about global peace at large. What religion and politics failed to achieve, like human trafficking and child labor, we are trying to spread the message of peace and love."

A self-proclaimed hippie, Santana, said that the true sense of hippie is about claiming to be an individual rather than, being in a herd.

Resounding, the '60s Woodstock movement of peace and freedom, he said, "We at the movement in the '60s clearly made a point across the Pentagon and then President Richard Nixon, that no we are not afraid to die but I won't die to make you richer."

 A true hippie is not afraid to stand out but he also regrets that the present generation couldn't keep up with this spirit, "The youth today", he quipped, "They, have other preoccupations like the stupid T.V.."

Forever a hippie he urges the youth to keep up the spirit of a true hippie.

To him, "The true spirit of a hippie lies in having the courage to go against the corrupt system and also, agree to disagree."

So this one goes out for all the hippies out there somewhere trying to fight their own individual battles every day! Viva la Vida!!

The Taboo Experience

pictured here with Taboo

Fun-energy-vibrant is what exuded when I caught up with Jaime Luis Gómez better known as Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas.

He was recently at the Amber Lounge in Delhi when we caught up with him for a little informal interview. Dressed in a red and brown jacket, rectangular glares, brown sneakers matching with the sleeves of his jacket, he looked the perfect celebrity all set to sway the Delhi audience.

Life is not all that glitzy and for Taboo it had definitely not been easy. He confessed that his trysts with drugs and alcohol had greatly impacted his early life. And his past mistakes had made him realize how taking things to the extreme can over time weigh in.

'Earlier I had been into drugs and alcohol and had done things in extreme, anything extreme is bad. Those were the long-haired days. Now, I have gone bald and I am clear-headed I can think and do much better now,' he said.

His only purpose to come to India is to bring the Taboo experience. So we had to understand what was the Taboo experience?

'Well, I have taken some time off from the band to do my own thing as an individual. 'Taboo experience', is all about MC, DJ, Visuals, instruments, traveling interacting with the fans and the magnetic music,' added the 35-year-old rapper.

One thing I noticed when I saw were his shoes. He had an absolute love for shoes. He admitted owning a large collection of shoes. 'I own about 600 pairs of shoes and have a shoe store at my house,' he said.

Now that he has a comfortable life, in retrospect, it hadn't been very kind to him.  He said life was hard when he lived as an outcast his entire life. But now things have changed, he added. He was now a proud father and also a loving husband.

"Now I have become more responsible after getting married and being a father to my kids."

Family is important to him and being a father made him better. Taboo declared that fatherhood has been his greatest achievement. 'I am foremost a father and this is the greatest achievement of my life: being a father to my kids,' added the rapper.

So let us cheer for another great daddy and see him take on the world as he brings on the  Taboo experience.

Oh so Oriental and yet experimental

If one has a taste for oriental and naga food and ready to explore the heights of non-vegetarian food, a new restaurant Chiyongtse-ii( in Safdarjung, Delhi) is a sure try. From the flavours of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai and Naga cuisines, this place is one stop for people who are ready to take the taste-buds to an extreme.
Getting a reality check the food, it was worth every penny I paid.  Relishing the food, I had a chance to talk to the head chef of the Naga cuisine. The Chef told me how she experiments with food and after numerous trials are put out for the public.

And for those who love to sway a little over drinks, there's another reason to be here as this place as it is soon set to have a bar with liquors like Sake, Soju, etc from Japan (Sake), Korea (soju) as soon as it gets its bar license.

The decor also typically kept minimal to give one a relaxed vibe. Here one could sit back and put away their work stress even if it is for a while.

Having charted out the positives, there is one thing that did not impress me. The lack of space is a concern, especially where they intended to set up the dais for live music. On the flip side, one might actually bump into some big shot diplomats once in a while as the place a wee bit compact.

 Otherwise, the Olive green and black cutleries perfectly match with the theme of the decor. If you are seriously considering to go there this weekend, if food is your priority, this place will definitely not disappoint you. If space is important, this place may not be the best.

Here are some pictures of the food I actually tried and are definitely worth a try:

    

Swimming to the tune of the Indian Ocean

 This is one band I am always excited about. I am not ashamed to admit that I was seriously unaware of their existence until I had to do a report on them.

 The experience was, however, exhilarating especially when the band indulged me at the backstage sometime in 2012. The fusion music of theirs had all my attention at once. I hadn't heard anything like that before. Being exposed to Hindustani Classical music at a young age and growing up in the cradle of the '60s and '70s classic rock this amalgamation gave a high to my nostalgia.

It was a part of my Delhi experience. The fusion had been an experience in itself as I reminiscence over the backstage photos I managed to get.

A Soul-ful trip to Dharamshala

A three-day tour to Dharamshala had truly enchanted me. In true sense, I was mesmerized by the little town where different cultures had come together and made it their home.

The appreciation for this place did not happen the first time I visited. This is my second visit and what made me appreciate this time around was the fact that I had not been busy trying to cover more grounds. Definitely, the touristy places did not seem to create much of an impression on me.

It was the serene beauty in the everyday landscape, the slow sleepy town where people were not rushing, also tourists stopped by to have a little chat with the locals, the busy hawkers all made a beautiful picture in my mind.

Then the stories of people, who they were, were intriguing, what were their struggles, why did they leave home and make a new home, all formed a beautiful amalgamation of the town.  The stark contrast of harsh weather and beautiful faces brimming with a smile made my heart warm.

What had made the place truly enchanting is the very fact that it had been built by people who lived there and also who migrated from Tibet. Children as young as 1-2 years had barred the harsh weather crossed the border and made it the heart of this place.

When people migrate they bring very little material things with them but in making it a home, they enrich the place with their own culture, food, custom, practices, rituals, all a part of the human story.
The sacrifices people had to make, to this place shows immense strength which one could find in the little museums which a repository of such memories.

The little ones who made it through the hardships and then the ones who did not were a part of their collective stories in the form of memories. The longing for the home left behind is seen in the reconstruction of the new home from memories.

The opportunity to look into this aspect of life in Dharamshala and gain a close understanding of the  Tibetan experience was provided by the Tibetan Government in Exile through an all-expense paid trip for the students of IIMC-Delhi (English Journalism) majors in the year 2011.