The blast at CRC

It was quite a long and a sweaty wait at the ticket counter, on a Friday afternoon, 4th of August at the Capital Recreation Club (CRC) auditorium in Gulshan 2. Though the concert, organized by Plasma Events, was scheduled to start off at an odd hour of 1 pm and run to 7pm, many came by and there were loads of expectations. After all, Breach was making a come back after almost one and a half years and Poizon Green never fails to attract their head-banging fans. There were 13 bands that performed that day and the majority of them, especially the new or rather upcoming bands, were influenced by the new wave of heavy metal that has spread vigorously amongst the young music lovers in the city. Other than the bands mentioned above, Triloy, Genesplit, Dreek, Cynicx, Bloodlust, 17th Error, Synopsis, Dreamfoult, Aflamed and Cyanide had also performed.

There were a lot of growling; a number of guitar solos and the place seemed to be like the head-bangers' paradise during the early stages of the concert. A couple of the impressive numbers were from Dio performed by Dreek and Broken (by 12 stones), performed by 17th error. Genesplit came in and made the audience go wild when they performed two numbers by Sepultura and a well played self composed song of their own.

There was finally a break from all the head banging and heavy metal music when the concert's first alternative band Triloy hit the stage.

They started of with a 3-minute jamming session; they then began with a song from their own album (SHUNNO) called Shomadhi, where the drum works were fabulous. They then enthralled the crowd by performing The Reason by Hoobastank where vocalist Emil definitely showed a lot of talent. Elita from RaaGa then joined in the party and they sang another song from their album called Koishore and then ended their wonderful performance with the ever-beautiful Anmoney, which is again a track from their own album.

Up next was Breach, and they were back with quite a bang. Though they didn't perform their ever-famous song Shada, hey still managed to mesmerize the crowd with their alternativerock approach. Also, joining the band was their 15-year-old new drummer Faraaz, who caught the crowd's attention with his exquisite drumming. They performed three songs from their own album and also performed “Suck my kiss” by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, which got the crowd dancing and moving along and then ended their comeback performance with the breathtaking song Guerilla Radio by R.A.M.

The last band to perform that day was Poizon Green. They performed two songs from their recently released self-titled album. They started of with Oshusto Ami and then sent the crowd in to turmoil after they started playing Ekhanney Mrittu from the album Dinbodol. They then ended the lively concert with another track from their own album called Adhar Nari Shomipe.

Other than the odd timing (1 pm on a Friday) and a couple of wreck less performances, the concert was well done and really worth going to, especially when the last three bands ended on a high note.

By Naimul Karim

In his book The Winter of our Discontent, John Steinbeck wrote, “What a frightening thing is the human, a mass of gauges and dials and registers, and we can read only a few and those perhaps not accurately." That really rings true for our first quarter this year at RS High.

First impressions were made, shattered, and reformed over these past few weeks, and I believe I speak for all my classmates when I say that we all have changed in many important ways this quarter. I began my first day in a new class this year like any year: no expectations. For a while, everything went as I'd thought it would; the principal spouting conformist propaganda during Assemblies, the teachers trying to feel important as they attempted, in the style of Dickens' Mr Gradgrind to 'fill the empty vessels' up with facts and knowledge'. Then there were the students, with their various cliques and hang-ups, providing enough melodrama to make a soap director happy.

Then Lamia blundered into my life. With her ditzy manners, and her total lack of interests in intellectual pursuits, she was amusing at best and irritating at her worst, particularly when she was grovelling and trying to ape her best friend Prianka. I was about to write her off as another wannabe, when she surprised us all by standing up for herself against Pree, and showing us she had a personality of her own. Since then, she has grown as a person in her own right, and has recently done us proud by winning an Art contest.

I should also thank her for sending Prianka my way. Now, this girl stormed into my world when we were thrown together during a project. I hated her bossy ways, the way she just took over my house and seduced my mother and forced me to look at things from her perspective. Then we went and won the interclass Science tournament, and I knew I was never going to be the same person again. I have learned to appreciate colours again, and to socialise instead of hiding away. More and more, I'm learning to confront my problems instead of running away from them, and it couldn't have been possible without Prianka. She still gets on my nerves on a regular basis though. That's not changing.

The newest player in this piece is Sadia. A spirited little firebrand, she's got a chip on her shoulder, and a suspicious nature, and is a bit too cynical even for my taste, but she stood up for what she thought was right, and I admire that in a girl. Since her role in the confrontation between Prianka and her cheating boyfriend Saquib, we have been spending time together, and in her I find a mature person I can talk to.

It's probably still too early to call them my best friends, and they're certainly enemies no longer, but I would like to dedicate this issue of our wall magazine to the kind of friends every teen should have, be they the nerd, the wannabe, or the queen bee.
Afrida (Editor)

By The Girl Next Door

As history stays witness to the simple concept of life going on, everything starts young and blooms afresh into new innovations and creations. There comes a time when the older ones step aside and let the younger ones take over the show. Be it in the fields of arts, science, business or even education, it is a common sight today in Dhaka to have young and fresh minds, filled with ideas flowing out and building yet another dimension in life. Exciting as it may sound, these young people work hard and burn the midnight oils in the true sense of the term, just so they can reach the heights of their predecessors and names that made to fame.

For 24-year-old Rubaiyyat Thakur, toying with the idea of life being a bed of roses probably ended a long time ago. Popularly known as Robin, his organisation Rupkotha Productions LTD. is quite well known in the media for efficiency and skills in organising and pulling off successful shows and events.

“I used to be actively involved in cultural events back in school,” says Robin, speaking of St. Joseph High School. “I used to participate in debate, public speaking and other activities and eventually began to organise them as well. I guess it was a hobby, but now it is a profession. Basically, my hobby is my work and I enjoy doing it!”

Having organised events like concerts and seminars, most of his events promote ideas like developing the society and safeguarding the environment. He along with his team have organised concerts for Flood aid and relief, Acid victims and also spreading the simple idea of planting more trees to keep the environment clean and healthy. He also regularly organises the Baishakhi Utshob, New Year celebration parties and occasional children's parties. Very recently, Robin organised International events like the 33rd session of world metrological organization (WMO) and the open air Rock Jugolbondi in Kolkata.

For all his efforts, Robin and his organisation won plenty of awards. One of the most recent awards is the CJFB Performance Award 2005 that he won, owing to his active involvement in the field of media.

Robin is a people-person and has a knack for listening to and comprehending what his clients want and also what the people in the audience demand for. “The entertainment field is definitely very complicated,” smiles Robin. “But the whole environment is very overwhelming and it fascinates me a lot. I have been involved in this field of work for a long time and have been doing so alongside my schooling and studies. This has led me to get a glimpse of the practical part of life and also meet people from different walks of life.”

Now that he graduated from North South University majoring in BBA, Robin plans to spend more time with Rupkotha Productions Limited and establish a platform where he can build his dreams and shape them up for the rest of the world to watch and be awestruck!

By Elita Karim