I am into music in a big way. And my musical interests, if anything, are varied. One can get a fair idea of that by looking at my Suggested Audio Downloads page.

Like most other Indian kids, I was exposed to my share of Bollywood fare. So, that’s always going be part of me, no matter what. But I also got a fair dose of western pop in the form of Michael Jackson, Madonna and George Michael much before MTV had made its way through the skies. Then, of course, MTV started being aired on DD in an evening slot and somehow, I managed to latch on to it. While pop seemed digestible, I always ended up scratching my head when a rock number topped the countdown. Little did I know that I would eventually develop an ear for rock and start liking the same. Those days, a lot of alternative stuff was being played. Foremost exponents of this genre would definitely be the Offspring as also Green Day. (Till date, “Self-Esteem” by the Offspring is my favourite rock number.) But the rock fever would not last long.

Teen pop made its entry with seemingly innocuous performers like The Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. Surely, rock fans had no idea that artists like these would literally dominate the scene for the next half-decade or so. Initially, I was jealous of the boybands. (They seemed to get undue attention from the opposite sex.) But then, slowly but surely, I found that I identified more with these clean-shaven crooners than with those grungy head-bangers. Secretly, I had started liking the boybands. The first boyband to make some sort of impression on me was the Backstreet Boys. But bands like Westlife were still beyond me. But my transformation was well and truly complete as I ended up buying both the debut and follow-up albums of Westlife. Not to mention, all three albums dished out by the ‘N Sync were taken off the shelf too! But, as always, the effect of an overdose is predictable. The third album from Westlife was left alone.

You could say there was a return to the golden days of rock. Bands like Linkin Park, Creed and others had ensured that. I had not abandoned the boybands. Just that I now listened to both! (This may be surprising but well, that’s how it is.)

My other love has always been sports. I have played lots of Cricket, Soccer and Badminton. In fact, I used to play Cricket on my colony’s greens on a daily basis when I was a schooler.

I played so much tennis-ball cricket that I became good enough for our school coach to pick me for the school squad when I was in the 9^th grade. And a cricket match featuring India on television was almost never missed out on. Of course, I could not help but like the man who went by the name of Sachin Tendulkar. The more one saw him, the more one was amazed at his prowess. For once, an Indian sportperson was dominating the international arena consistently. And about my growing admiration for the other cricketing mega-star on the cricketing horizon, I too was a Sourav-doubter to begin with. But he changed everything with the way he wielded his bat on the field. Today, I admire him no less than Sachin. What I found most commendable in the ‘Prince of Calcutta’ was his dogged reluctance to take the Aussie (or any other) aggro lying down. He always paid these guys in the same coin and that, as an Indian, was heartening.

Soccer was another game that I played quite regularly as a kid. Like most Calcuttans, Argentina is my favourite footballing nation. Players like Gabriel Batistuta and Ariel Ortega excite me. Brazil is a close second for me. I don’t like the Italians’ defensive style of play.

Badmintion is one game that I don’t quite follow on TV. But I am ever-ready to play it. I think it’s a lovely game that excites the player as much as it exercises him.

Know more about me…