'What do you want to be when you're older?' I asked the seven year old. 'A princess?'
'No'. She said and looked at me warily, matter of factly.
'What then?' I asked.
She insisted I'd laugh.
I promised I wouldn't.
'A teacher'.She said.



For Sarah Bridget Decunha Menezes, the little girl who doesn't want to to get married 'Because', she says, with a shrug and sigh, 'it's useless'.

Lounge P, at your service

Rohan kneels before the monster. The monster laughs monstrously "HAHAHAHAHA". Rohan feels no fear. Just a heightened sense of curiosity. "What the hell is so funny?" he wonders shaking his head.

rewind.

Rohan was kneeling before Sunil, head bowed low, and offering his thumb as guru dakshina. Moments ago Sunil had demanded it and in the flash of an eye, Rohan had cut it off and offered it without hesitation. Sunil was impressed. He pocketed the thumb and turned around, "Come on band, let's rehearse", he said to the rest of a very shocked Lounge Piranha. And bereft of his primary source of strength - his thumb-ring, Rohan was apprehended by the king's men who were finally able to do what they'd want to do for years - incarcerate Rohinton. After rehearsal, riding home late at night, Sunil decided not to take a thumb home to his family and instead casually chucked it into a nearby lake. And there at the bottom of that lake the thumb-ring lay for years, nay centuries, waiting to possess the next one who wore it, calling out to master Rohinton, who'd wake up in a cold sweat in his cold cell knowing it was somewhere closeby but unable to escape from the security guards who didn't even let him use his cell phone. One day a little troublemaker called College found the ring and put it on, and under its influence he slowly grew into a huge insane monster called Exams. Rohan knew he was in deep trouble and began meditating in his prison cell preparing for the inevitable encounter with his destiny. And so while Exams wreaked havoc in young minds all over the city, Rohan taught himself to levitate and survive without air for 3 days and without food for 3 hours. Exams it was, that made the first move. Burst into the high security prison like a bulldozer gone cuckoo, ate all the electric fences, spat its deadly venom at the security guards, ripped out the iron gates which imprisoned Rohan and confronted him. "You lousy earthling! Kneel before me if you know what's good for you!"

Rohan kneels before the monster. He feels no fear. Just a heightened sense of anticipation. The monster laughs thunderously. Suddenly the bell rings and in a flash Rohan levitates high into the air and cuts off the monster's hand which wears the ring. A horrible inhuman wail pierces the air as the monster falls to the ground dead and defeated. Rohan picks up his ring. He feels no joy as he puts it back on after centuries. Just a heightened sense of reality as he looks around and sees the world as it really is. He picks up his phone and make a call, "Hey mister Abhi, this is Rohan. What time are we jamming?..."


What is? Lounge Piranha LIVE at Maya

When is? Friday, 30th March 2007, 8.30 pm onwards

Where is? Maya, 3rd floor, The Bombay Store, M.G. Rd

How is? 100 bucks entry at the door

Why is? Cos Rohan's killed his exams, is done with college, and we are ready for take-off...


Yours sincerely,

Piranha


... and www.loungepiranha.com for one cup sykosis...
... and www.myspace.com/loungepiranhamusic for one plate music

I feel more grown than old.

Something, somewhere screwed me over.
I'm sure of this.

Good to be off key
Good to be free
-Kamalesh S

The cook's worrying me.
She's forcing me to eat.
Just like Mamma.
What bullies!
Pah!


Category: Lovely people

Disparity

There's a world bigger than me.
Beyond the edge of my nose.

So self absorbed, you pretty thing.
Does it take away from your appeal?

Category: Poetry

Look at our eyes.
I swear we look like devil children.
And that man in the middle?
He's just bloody annoying.
And also check out that cool sphere I made with my mind using my supernatural powers.

I wanted children.
So I could let them play
With mud and water and words.

My Mother's bothering me.
So I decided to make a game of it.
And bother her back.



Category: Games period
:-)

He wanted to know why I wasn't more the 'Love me or I'll die' type.
I said that I didn't know.
And that I wished that I was.
A little bit.

Accustoms are meant to be broken.
-Tambe

Another one

Andrew: Do you think your folks would mind you sleep over at my place?
sleeping*


Kiran: No.
[Pause]

Not if they didn't know.

Thorn Tree

Jaan Baag, Pakistani goatherd, high point of the trip for me

Baby goat

He lives at the top of that rock. He ran up the rock like a ghost in the night

That's the gun I carry around to scare people off with when my scary big eyes look doesnt' work

That's me pilfering chai at the entrance of his house

-Wadi Bih, Oman

'You'd make a really ugly woman'. I told him.
'You'd make a really good looking man', he slapped back without a pause and the cockiest smile he could manage over a phone conversation.

:-)

For Andrew Sheppard Kelly

Then

Joanne

Laura

Kiran

I'm such an unemotional wreck.