Saaz ki ek shaam!

Have you my reader ever visited a rock concert? Of course if pumping music and adrenaline isn't just your cup of tea, you'd obviously say no. But what if i promised to take you to a different world altogether?

Imagine a thousand strong audience, imagine the number thousand literally! Not a thousand souls calmly munching popcorn or simply admiring some soft music being played on stage. I'm referring to a thousand souls dancing, singing, shouting, gesticulating, and indulging in every possible manner of expression. And all this happens in one single venue, one place of gathering, one huge helluva f***ing riotous mob! But this is a mob of joy, of course you can discount the violence provided their demands are being met!

A mosh pit's a place which souls such as these call temple, and the artist is their Messiah, Allah or call it whatever you may. And yes, there are atheists who believe in this God!

There's an eerie silence at the mosh pit. People have begun to gather but then they're all rather subdued. Looks like a grand congregation for somebody's funeral. Why so serious? Why not man, the artist is still to arrive!

The crowd's waiting for the arrival of their God. This God knows his/her status and knows just how to exploit it! They usually never make it on time for the show. Making their devotees wait makes them feel good, or maybe this might be my prejudiced, jaundiced point of view.

And then one fellow catches a glimpse of something, or somebody. A cry of exultation goes up that soon infects the whole crowd. Sometimes it could be somewhat different. A compere or a host comes on stage to heat up the mob with expectation and desire. Ooooh! This is a sight that must not be missed! Nothing on earth could ever compare to this sight!

The God comes up on stage, and a gaggle of girls oh so beautiful, so pretty, so quiet looking girls simply go marbles at somebody who'd be their daddy's age. "F*** you girl, what makes you dig that d***?" is a question many an anxious teenage mind would be having! But then life itself follows no logic, so leave aside your thinking when you're coming here. This a place where the heart rules the head.

The bouncer's got to be the enemy number one of the God's fans. Flexing biceps and screaming invectives threatening a painful death to those who disobey, they command a respect that's seldom physically challenged, unless you've been watching way too many 'angry young man' movies!

But then think not that the bouncer's the God's undefeated personal guard. The riotous mob has a trick or two up their sleeve as well. On purpose, someone somewhere causes a distraction. The bouncer quickly rushes to the scene, and for one breath of a moment, the gate's unguarded, absolutely open for anyone. And the assault begins. At places where barricades separate the haves from the have nots, an enterprising chappie makes a quick leap over the barricade. This is the signal for all hell to break loose, and before you know it there's a steady flow of crazy fans leaping over the barricade until the bouncers come back. 

God you must be thinking "i'm much better watching the whole thing from the safety and privacy of my home". But then, this is an experience in itself, something to be enjoyed just as much as the music. This is what we call 'emotion'. You aren't no true fan until you do something as crazy!

Trust me, all the action above happened before you could even bat an eyelid!

Enough of heating you up, let's get to the core of the apple!

The God always makes a start with one of his/her biggest hit numbers and this is what the crowd's been crying for, been dying for!

Singing, roaring, crying, laughing, the mosh pit's one place where nearly all human emotions run amock. The action simply keeps getting better and better as time goes by. It better be else there's a crowd that'll demand immediate justice, and they don't follow no court of law!

Soon enough, a variety of smells in addition to sounds hit your olfactory glands. A veritable assault indeed! It's the smell equivalent of emotion. Ranging from smokes smoked by the 'enlightened' ones among the crowd to the smell of sweat, your nose'll be subject to nearly everything! I once found myself subjected to the combination of sweat and stale hair oil assaulting my sense of smell! F*** &^*&*& $$%#@@#

The sound throbs through your body and in your ears. You can actually feel the music pulsating through your body, and deafening your ears. Oh yes for this to happen, you've got to be really close to the stage.

And so finally with much misgivings to everyone ranging from the government to the grumpy old man who might call the cops to cut out the noise, the event comes to a close. As mentioned before, the mob will not back down.

The God tears off a piece of his clothing, throws it into the mob, and there goes up a yell, yodel and everthing else in between. This has got to be the best part of the entire deal. Confusion, chaos and music in between. Anarchy rules supreme and for a moment everything's forgotten!

Reluctantly but surely, the show comes to an end, and the mob dies out replaced by quiet people wending their way out of the pit headed someplace they call home. 

If ever my dear reader you get a chance to visit such a concert, please do so. It's an experience not to be forgotten.

Adieos until next time.