Ashes of the future

Our Mother, is on fire and we sparked it, yet all we can think is “All of this is Natural.” This year saw the worst droughts in history, one of the hottest years on record as well as a “heatwave” in December. From the destruction of “Aarey Forest” for a Metro car-shed, to slaughtering the ecosystem in Talabira forest for coal mines and not to forget lighting the lungs of our Mother Earth on fire for profit making; all these are just a “tiny” example of “Development.” 

Just so you know, the burning flames of Human greed to which Climate change is just adding onto, there is no coming back from these ashes! From California to Amazon and now, Australia. A country no stranger to wildfires, has seen one of the deadliest fires in years which has been fuelled by combination of extreme heat, prolonged drought and strong winds and NO, Climate change didn’t start this disaster instead, humans did. Although the ferocity of former year’s blazes is blamed upon hotter, drier conditions, making the country’s fire season longer and worse than usual.

Starting with September… as of now, atleast 32 people were killed in over 2000 homes in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia have been devastated and 1.25 Billion innocent creatures, big and small, charred to death. Atleast 14.7 million acres burnt down, nearly 7 times the amount that was burnt in Amazon rainforest fire during the beginning of 2019, while the government has done almost nothing but exist. Dust and ash has been found over 2000 kms across the ocean, turning glaciers in New Zealand brown. It will take over a century to absorb 350 Million Metrics of carbondioxide emmitted in the atmosphere. Before the fire, an estimated 50,000 koalas lived on the island. Today, there are fewer than half of that . They fought their battle, battle for survival. From Koalas to Kangaroos the loss of their lives are a loss not only to them but also us.

While the residents are being evacuated and animals left to choke and burn, firefighters are trying to curb the devastating fire. As we gift our “Future Generations” with the Curse of Respiratory Diseases and pictures of the Billions of innocent creatures; who lost their lives, trauma of red skies, fire sirens and brown ice. All what we can do at this point is, for once , keep our difference aside regardless of what our Country, Caste, Creed, Colour,Gender, Religion , Sexual Orientation is. Fight, Fight not for you or for me, but for those creatures who can’t speak but feel the pain; those Infants whom we claim to love yet robbing them of their future, fight in front of their eyes while they are still learning how to stand… For our FUTURE.

– Yutika Baar, FYBA

Sex Education is back with a bang

Scenes from last year pop into my mind. I was frantically trying to find something worth watching on Netflix. As my search continued, I happened to stumble upon something completely regardless of its name. SEX EDUCATION. A mixture of all worlds combined.

The drama boasts about Jean Milburn, a sex therapist/an extremely ‘cool’ single mother, who is way ahead of her time. Her character plays a profound role in the life of her son Otis Milburn who is very opposite to her extroverted behaviour and decides to mingle with mainly just one person, his best friend Eric Effiong. A hilarious, energetic, caring, quirky Christian black gay teenager. The relationship of Otis and Eric is the centre of this story. As Otis is approached by an outcast rebel with a penchant for books on feminism, Maeve Wiley who also leads in the story. They decide on a pact which changes their lives forever. An absolute turning point in this drama is recorded when Otis gives therapy to extremely confused hormonal teenagers leading him to be approached by even the elite of the school.

As I said earlier sex education is completely opposite to its title. It has managed to cover some of the biggest topics such as the LGBT stigma, slut shaming and the overall intricacies of sex and human behaviour. As season one was all glorious about its sex positivity. The writers decided to take on a more harrowing issue ‘sexual assault’ during the second season. Aimee Gibbs is standing on a packed bus when she feels a man moving behind her leg. He is masturbating on her. She is rattled and embarrassed as she gets off the bus in a hushed manner. In the ongoing battle between ‘me too’ vs ‘men too’ the writers of sex education have portrayed feminism in the most surreal way possible.

Season 2 also breaks the boundaries by introducing asexual characters and covers the issues of children growing up without their parents being around. It aims at normalising ways of life that would usually be frowned upon. Another important addition is the character Isaac, a differently abled dance instructor. The great thing about this show is the representation they provide for people from different walks of life.

Sex education has been viewed by people of all ages. From middle aged sex therapists to 79-year old women exasperatingly waiting for season 3 and 4 before they see their last day. You see, ultimately sex education doesn’t just talk about vulgar teenager jokes but instead, it highlights the taboos faced everyday by the youth of our generation. Sex education talks about love between different genders under different circumstances. It imagines a more colourful, liveable and a more loving world. Most importantly sex education talks about individuality. Just like Eric said in season one “I’ll be hurt either way. Isn’t it just better to be who I am?”

– Naomi Bansode, FYBA

5 greatest soundtracks of all time

Most of the things that I like or are dear to me have germinated from my undying love for cinema. For example, my admiration for food & cooking and the immense and un-detachable love for photography are some of the many things that exist because of the existence of cinema. The passion for music too found its roots from the same cinematic soil. The following is a list of 5 of my most beloved soundtracks and songs. These are not in order of how much I love them because it is just not possible to entitle any of these as being better than the other. So buckle up ’cause here we go in 5,6,7,8…

 

1) Lost But Won – Hans Zimmer – RUSH (2013)

 

Truly epic in every sense, ‘Lost But Won’ is one of the greatest tracks ever composed by the maestro Hans Zimmer himself. You can’t help but experience the beautiful marriage of the events occuring in the film and the relentlessness that Zimmer concocts with absolute brilliance. Heart pounding and endlessly dramatic in its scope ‘Lost But Won’ has become in my opinion Hans Zimmer’s greatest creation. The emotion that the violin evokes out of the listener amidst the endless drumming is absolutely thrilling. I can’t help having goosebumps at a particular moment in the track, the 19th second of the 4th minute to be precise. It is nothing short of magical and will surely give you an adrenaline rush!

 

2)Up Is Down – Hans Zimmer – Pirates Of The Caribbean – At World’s End (2007)

 

Epic. Epic. EPIC. These are the only three words that come to my mind when I think of this blistering soundtrack. Right from the word ‘go’, this track is like a crazy roller-coaster. Fast-paced tempo along with old-school instruments and the Hans Zimmer essential, the horn-like instrument coupled with the ever rising nature of the music makes this an instant favourite. I usually listen to this while I am out for a walk and it just so happens that I involuntarily start seeing whatever I see as if they were shots being edited to this music in a film. That is the magic of Hans Zimmer. Accurately conveying the grand, swashbuckling fantasy adventure vibes to the listener, Up Is Down certainly transports me to an undiscovered world where I’m on a voyage to who knows where. But who cares about the destination when the journey itself is filled with such great and pompous grandiosity?

3) In The Hall Of The Mountain King – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – The Social Network (2010)

 

A modern adaptation of the original Edwardian era composition by Edvard Grieg, this electrifying composition by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is a work of pure art. The track features techno-heavy sounds and once it begins to go up, it never falls back down. Exhilaratingly paced, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross have composed the track as if it were the final 10-15 minutes of a delicious suspense action thriller. The progression of the track expertly communicates speed, urgency and immense intensity. The soundtrack went on to win the academy award for best original score in 2011.

 

4)Aam Hindustani – Amit Trivedi – Bombay Velvet (2015) 

 

Running for a meaty 8 minutes and 52 seconds, Aam Hindustani is a Jazz track composed masterfully by the Indian music maestro – Amit Trivedi with lyrics written by the liberal lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya. Trivedi’s sheer confidence and skill over music composition and both, his and Bhattacharya’s detailed study is clearly at display in this ‘ordinary’ (Note: NOT!) track. It takes a lot of guts to compose an Indian song which fearlessly invests the first 3 minutes and 27 seconds in an electrifying instrumental melody replete with sharp drumming and brilliant brasswork. It seriously does take guts to do that nowadays. The brasswork here is absolutely phenomenal. Trumpets, trombones, clarinets and whatnot are heard bravely blaring throughout the song.

 

5) Jurassic Park theme – John Williams – Jurassic Park (1993)

 

What a year 1993 must have been for the world. The world recieved two great cinematic gifts from the ‘Spectacular Spielberg’. On one hand there was the sombre ‘Schindler’s List’ whereas on the other, the world got to experience something they never could have imagined. I myself watched Jurassic Park for the first time just a couple of weeks back. But the soundtrack resonates like it had been released yesterday. That first ginormous shot of the dinosaurs coupled with Mr. Williams’s extraordinary theme music brought a lump in my throat. I almost had tears in my eyes. It made me realise that music, rather, art in general has the fierce ability to evoke a child-like wonder in all human beings, irrespective of their age.

 

– Samarjeet Sule,TYBMM AD

 

The dying art of rock music

The sound of music has changed along with the years thus demonstrating a concurrent change in culture as well. Music has evolved from being just a few notes on an instrument to whatever you want it to be. Be that as it may, this evolution has not been kind to all genres of music.

I recall the time when my father would tell me about his teenage years. It was the 80’s pop culture filled with extreme fashion, disco dancing and a new wave of punk rock that had taken the masses by storm. It was a time when Deep Purple and Pink Floyd were not just shades of colour, they were a symbol of new age progression and good taste in music.

Rock music originated in the United States around 1950 and subsequently reached the other parts of the world. From Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Eagles in the 70’s to Linkin Park, Green Day and Nickelback in the early 2000’s, rock music always offered a little something for everyone.

Rock music is associated with political activism, specifically with revolting. It was also linked to psychedelics leading to the birth of psychedelic rock and changing the way the world views consumerism. It evoked the feeling of challenging the regime.

Unfortunately, it has seen a steady decline ever since then. Rock music is slowly fading as pop music takes over the chart. Though immensely popular, pop music has it’s own flaws too. Artists such as Billie Eilish have defined the pop music scene in the recent years. Today’s edgy pop music undertakes themes to make itself more catchy, morbidity being one of them. It has become a trend to be sad. This makes it difficult for people who are sad to express themselves.

Fortunately, artists such as Panic! At the disco, Twenty Øne Pilots and Hozier continue the legacy of rock music and keep the inudstry alive. Rock music still appeals to the masses. Rock and Roll will never die!

– Karan Koshy, FYBMS

An interview with YouTube sensation Be YouNick

 

1)For most YouTubers, it starts as a hobby and eventually becomes a job. According to you, has YouTube become a job for you?

BYN: Job, strictly in terms of it as being as the primary revenue source – yes. Making content is a full-time job for me and now my team. We create content for YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc. It did not quite start as a hobby, but more as a drive for never wanting to work for someone else and entertaining people with some fun relatable stories. 

 

2)What do you consider as the biggest achievement of your YouTube career?

BYN: The first 100,000 subscribers were very special, but I feel the biggest achievement is yet to come, having said that, every day we meet our viewers even in the remotest part of the world who are happy to talk to us about our content, about themselves or just simply share a chai. That warmth is a special feeling that cannot be replaced.

 

3)What is the one aspect that according to you millennials have, but gen-z lacks?

BYN: It’s a little unfair comparison, each generation brought with it its own acumen. The one aspect that I think we millennials were gifted is that we saw the transition when it comes to the world of the internet. We saw it take birth, adapt to utility and then evolve into entertaining people and constantly turn into newer things. That know-how of how things were before, gifted with the dreams of what it could become and seeing it as it happens is something that has impacted this generation.

 

 

4)Between now and then, how far do you think YouTube has come and the same goes for the YouTubers too?

BYN: It had a long journey to this point. Today almost 80 years of content is being uploaded every single day on this platform. That amount of content, be it to entertain someone or to learn or hone up a new skill – it’s tremendous and we are all just seeing the tip of the iceberg. As far as YouTubers are concerned – well there’s an audience for every niche. So we have seen some very interesting people evolve into key opinion influencers while pursuing their art form. My ability to share a joke or tell a personal funny story was limited to my social circle. That has now become an extended group with millions of viewers around the world who not only watch us but share that laugh with their friends and others.

 

5)What was it like when you started out as a Youtuber?

BYN: When we started, it was still early days of YouTube and mobile data. I used to be a bartender, so at times some of our patrons would recognize me from the video(s) that had gone viral back. This would make for very interesting and at times awkward conversations. 

 

6)With what mindset do you create your videos?

BYN: That’s very simple. I create something that I would like to watch. Always.

 

7)What were your aspirations as a teenager, and if not YouTube what would you have been doing?

BYN: I am not sure if I had aspirations as a teenager. I come from a very very humble background. With average looks, I had to be funny just to be a part of the group. If not YouTube, I would have continued being a bartender or have a shot at playing football for the country.

 

8)What type of YouTube content would you like to see more?

BYN: I genuinely don’t watch a lot of youtube content for two reasons. One, I would end up judging them or myself, and two, because knowingly or unknowingly you get influenced by watching someone else’s content.

 

9)Lastly, what advice would you give to youngsters interested in YouTubing?

BYN: First and the only relevant advice is to Subscribe to BeYouNick. Jokes aside, I would ask all to focus on their content. That is the king. It’s not the cameras, the music you use or anything. It’s all a game of content. No high-end camera or equipment will help if your content doesn’t stick with the viewers. At the same time, there is no point in doing something that doesn’t come to you naturally. So if you are a singer – sing your heart out, if you aspire to be a teacher – teach your lungs out. Be authentic! Be You! Be YouNick!