Love 'em or hate 'em

So back to the show yesterday.

Strings were playing in Boston for the second time. Their journey is quite remarkable- they had started the group with four college friends when they were about 17-18. They had moderate success but after 4 years  decided to disband (literally J) to concentrate on studies and careers at about the age of 22.

What was interesting was their video (Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar ) went viral ( as much as it could without internet) in Asia- thanks to Cable just after they disbanded but they didn't know about it- in fact did not find out till much much later after they had regrouped.

Two of the Band members Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood (who were actually doing very well professionally) could not get music out of their heads and despite having families and kids- QUIT their job at 29 and started the band again.

Again luck favored them- they made the video for a single Duur just as Pakistan government shut their doors to all foreign shows and then as the TV stations were scrambling for programming their video was aired frequently. The band became a success - and that is great as their music and show were quite good and they have been making music for last 24 years!!!

This happens to yet again be a story of following your dream and becoming a success.- A cautionary warning here- for each person who makes it- there are many who don't- we just don't hear of them. A bit like murderers. It's probably not true that they all make mistakes- it's just that the ones who are caught are the ones who made mistakes!!

The show was also interesting in that it was attended by mostly Pakistanis.

India's relation with Pakistan is so complicated. It's like when you fight with someone who you are closest to. 

You know everything about each other and instead of using it to help each other- you use it against each other- the worst fights. War of the roses ( the movie- not the actually war!!) is an example.

As an Indian when I think of Pakistan and the state sponsored terrorism against India and the fighting over Kashmir and POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) it makes me feel very angry to put it mildly.

But if I meet a person from Pakistan - there is nothing that makes them seem any different from someone from India- same looks, same, speech, similar upbringing. It's all very confusing.

But one thing in Movies and real life creates furor. An Indian and Pakistani falling in love and marrying.

A Movie (which did very well) was VEER- ZAARA- about this topic. 

But more recently in real Life- The famous Indian Tennis player Sania Mirza and the Pakistani Cricketer Shoaib Malik. A lot of ruckus in both countries and now they live in Dubai.

This is the same concept as falling for somebody in an enemy camp- and what better example than from the Bard himself- "Romeo & Juliet"

Needs no introduction. So many movies, based on this- some of them phenomenal like West Side Story.

Will leave you from a couple of songs from it

These are the two songs I have included because

1. Jet:  I auditioned for a school west side story on this song

2. America- this is the embodiment of the immigrant dream- which has created America as we know it!!!

Jet Song: 

America song:

 Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment if you did. Later!