The Mark Knopfler Show

hi folks,

am back coz i have something interesting to tell you. Mark Knopfler, the lead singer of Dire Straits, one of the best guitarists in the world of music was here to perform at the Parade Grounds, Bangalore.

tickets were rather dear at 1000 and 2500. we (prasanna and me) got 2 of the former and decided to attend the show.

having left office at 6.30 pm yesterday, we managed to make it past the heavy traffic of bangalore, as well as the wrong directions pras (that's what we call him) gave me on the way, by 7.40 pm. the show had begun rather punctually at 7.30 pm and we probably missed the first song.

frisking and ticket checking completed, we were amongst the crowd that rocked, rolled and chanted along with Mark as he sang number after famous number from his old band days of Dire Straits. He did include many new songs from his solo album Shangri-La which weren't known to the public in general. but the music, the lyrics as they came by, and Mark's fingers on his numerous guitars (am not into instruments at all, but this guy had brought 36 different guitars along with him!!) all combined to produce an enthralling evening.

giant screens on either side of the stage and huge speakers to help reach the beats out to our hearts more than made for the experience of a rock show! the crowd was surely enjoying with dudes propping their dudettes on their shoulders so that the fairer (and generally shorter) sex gets a gud look at the proceedings.

i for one, surely missed my own group of nitie pals, who had earlier accompanied me to the Shaggy show in mumbai. more than once did i experience a certain deja vu about the whole thing!!

but something else also was happening parallel to the event. i had mentioned in my mail home, that i had bought this expensive a ticket for the show and was going to attend it with pras. manish wasn't coming along, probably coz of his not having a job right now, and therefore, not wanting to pour cash down the drain.....

my dad didn't take this lightly and sent a curt reply yesterday itself saying "Waste of money (of course it is yours. so no comments beyond this)." since i had already gone ahead and bought the tickets, i didn't bother much about this. but lo!! matters didn't end there....and i've just received a long mail from dad, telling me i was being wrong to manish (who as a matter of fact has been my friend since kindergarten) and that i should atleast stop telling dad about all such activities that i indulge in hereforth!! else, in his own words, "I will start hating you for that".....

am not sure where i went wrong....
1. did i go wrong in "ditching" manish (who isn't earning)?
2. how bad did manish actually feel? or was it just my dad (and mom who he must have talked to) who felt bad?
3. wouldn't i have done wrong with pras who felt bad when i initially backed off after hearing the ticket price?
4. did i go wrong in telling about the rock show to my dad (not telling him would have helped end the whole thing on a sweet note)? .... (past 5.5 years of hostel life i have lived precisely without bothering to tell anything at home; anything that will cause exactly similar reactions from my folks......and both they and i have been living in peace thus....is that the right way?)
5. is this generation gap?
6. will i go wrong if i continue using my money the way i want (while keeping in mind that this use don't cause physical or mental scars to others around me)?
7. in the end, do i live entirely for others and not for myself? upto what limits do you share somebody's sorrow/misfortune? aren't u supposed to have come to this world alone and to be going away also alone?

these questions may remain unanswered forever....but the answers are for me to seek, from life, that i have lived, am living, and will continue to live (unto death ofcourse!)