PINK FLOYD

The first time I heard Pink Floyd was when I was in college. I still remember the day clearly - It was my freshman year and college fest was on. We had a rock band scheduled for the evening. The sky was blue - twilight - a bunch of "high" freshmen surrounding a senior on the green field - guitar and "Pink Floyd". The guy who was performing had his smoke stuck in his throat as he was playing "comfortably Numb" - the cacophony of the bustling streets faded into oblivion as we harmonized to the tunes of the guitar. Since then I have been a big fan of Pink Floyd. I remember those days when I use to hang around with our college rock band - we had regular jam sessions and occasionally we pleasured ourselves with songs from "The Wall", "Division Bell" and "Wish you were here". I had hardly any pocket money to buy and listen to their cds - so most of the albums I borrowed from friends for a day or two. My parents use to shout on me thinking that the westernized world has taken over me [So, occasionally I borrowed the portable headphones from my neighbor and listened to their music hiding under the quilt].

The thing which attracts me most to Pink Floyd was their ability to dramatize through music - as if the gentle strokes of a painter on the canvass. And their lyrics are awesome - the first song from their "momentary Lapse of Reason" Album for example where the pilot is diving to his death. Believe me - if you want to enjoy Pink Floyd you need to be high ;) Anyway those college days will never be back again but the legacy of Pink Floyd will and the flutter of my soul to their every single stroke on the cords shall.

Especially I feel amazed when I hear that people haven't heard about Syd Barrett - he was the driving force and the founder of the band. He went schizophrenic after some of their earlier albums like "Atom Heart Mother". And there was a clash of characters between David Gilmour and Roger Waters. Roger Waters was more predominant during "The Wall" days whereas later on David Gilmour took over. David Gilmour was more into special effects through music whereas Roger Waters was more into melody.

Some days after a bad night I sometime listen to Pink Floyd - especially those days when everything seems going nowhere. I feel that I have come to the wrong profession I should have gone for something like Liberal Arts or Philosophy not Engineering. I dread by the thought that I have to spend the rest of my life in front of a computer - mocking me back. I wish I had the magic wand - I wish I could change the past and choose the future.

Remember Pink Floyd's video "We don't need no education" - that's what happens to us when we go to school - we are churned into engineers or doctors - some predefined notions dumped into our heads and we are like those mechanical robots performing a 24X7 monotonous work . Well!! The entire world is like that....

"Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
Where have you been? It's alright we know where you've been.
You've been in the pipeline, filling in time,
provided with toys and Scouting for Boys.
You bought a guitar to punish your ma,
And you didn't like school, and you know you're nobody's fool,
So welcome to the machine.
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
What did you dream? It's alright we told you what to dream.
You dreamed of a big star, he played a mean guitar,
He always ate in the Steak Bar. He loved to drive in his Jaguar.
So welcome to the machine. "