It was a calm and quiet night when we sat down to relax after the exhilarating show at the Aagaaz eliminations in Pune. We were unwinding after the long day’s work, surfing the virtual world, when we first felt the tremors. Within moments the shock waves had propagated throughout the social network announcing the arrival of the Australian progressive rock band Karnivool to Indian shores this December.  

Our very own Fest, Moodi would be hosting for the first time in India, this five piece progressive rock band, later this year as part of their International night. The excitement was palpable and the forums flooded with the thundering responses from fans across the nation and me and 
McHat felt at one with the masses.

Me: McHat are ya sure yer awake???

McHat: Ya of course dude the world is abuzz with the news , I can’t seem to catch a wink

Me: Me neither , I still can’t believe it , just when we thought it cudnt get better

McHat : yeah !!! Metallica and Karnivool all in one year , it’s gonna be crazy this time

Me: Yeah, MI will rock even more, as they have roped me in as their mascot over Moodi baba

McHat: Oh Spike , so eternally humble … and here I thought Bobbin  James, head of rolling Stones , had credited IITB with this spectacle … now that’s a head I wouldn’t mind being around :P

Me: I'm a tad jealous McHat !!! And here I thought you were my loyal friend ...
McHat: Don't sweat it dude !!! I'm just euphoric and high. You too would be in an excited state if ya read a bit more.
 
Ya'll freak out when ya read the tweets of Bobin James and Deepti Unni, the editors of Rolling Stone, India .Here, have a quick peek !!!

We are sure to be there for all the head bangin' , fun and frolic with this Karnivool ... see ya all there too . We'll keep ya posted on the happenings and behind the scene action.

Signing off 
Spike and McHat

Spike Vs MoodI Baba

Hailing from the old country terrain of the wild wild west, journeying miles from those meadows and valleys of Texas, we, Spike and McHat have become the mascots of Asia’s biggestcollege cultural fest - Mood Indigo.

There was a long and fierce battle of succession behind this victory of ours and that involves the tussle with Moodi Baba ...The battle was Legen -wait for it- dary !!! 

It was a hilarious scene when after a great deal of fighting I finally lassoed Baba off his bull looping my rope with precision around his old flexible neck. He was amongst the hardest nuts  to crack for me specially given his Yogasan enhanced  agile body :P., It was a bigger challenge to handle his bull and run away from the magical mantras and tantrums which had started to spill out of baba’s croaky throat. I ended up taming the Bull and riding it off into the sunset. He has proved to be a great transport all the way through our journey to MOODI Land.

we will be back with lot more MoodI masala.....
signing off
--Spike and Mchat

Our journey to the land of Mood Indigo, seems to get better as time flies by. J Travellers and their anecdotes, the milestones and their wacky designs en-route don’t let the excitement slack for even a moment. Reaching MI land, is now, not a matter of distance but of days….

McHat: “Spike, Stop!! Stop I say ! Do you hear music. Good music? And people dancing? And I think, umm… I smell good food and wine. And oh, hear, hear! Human laughter.”

Spike: “I don’t really know what could possibly drive some sense into you. Day-dreaming yet again!  Your muddled brains may sure be the cause of a stroke of intelligence at times. But sigh… you high maintenance creature! Now you’ll want me to walk to where you point! Aaarrgggh! McHat!”   

McHat: “Oye, walk faster! You sloth! I can see a group of people performing. Look! Look! They seem to be the
center of attraction or something.

Spike: Excuse me. Hey you ! Mister! What is going on there? Why are those empty-headed people merely standing there?”

                                             
“Here read this…

We bring to you, Aagaaz- ‘culture for change’! In the hunt for the best street play troupe in the land known to us and our fore-fathers as the Wild West, the MI land and it’s periphery. In Aagaaz, we give you a platform, bigger than ever before, to come and prove that you are worth a bet. The only pre-requisite? The acts should revolve around a socially relevant theme. Act! Rise up to the occasion.

Yours sincerely, (nah, not sincere enough)
The Ministry of Competitions.

Spike: “Oh, wait. That rings a bell. McHat, remember? Last year, an entire contingent from school had gone to Mood Indigo land and when they were back, they kept gloating over their sweeps in the competitions out there. Supposedly, some of the toughest mankind shall ever encounter.”

McHat: “Even better. Look at this sign board.”

To the inquisitive traveller who looks this way,

The ministry of competitions or compi, as more popularly known, is a body established for the basic purpose of entertaining the populace with varied competitions which provide them a platform to come and shine forth in all their glory. We bring to you dance, dramatics, music, art, literary arts and fashion and giving you the biggest-ever known stage and worthy opponents. Ingenuity, creativity, deftness of the mind and agility, are your confidants on the route to victory. In the lieu of these, you are a mere pawn in the game. Don’t take this easy. When we say we are the best, we mean it. We are a class apart.

Undersigned(with a quill :P)
Douglas Adams,
Ministry of Competitions.

So today we witnessed Aagaaz eliminations and are inspired by these performances. As we walk on we can sense a whiff of great things to come in the air around us and Mood Indigo land seems a more enchanting destination than before. Will keep ye’al posted on all the action.

Signing Off,
Spike n McHat.

How We became the Mascots!!!!!

Yeehawww all ye cowboys n gals !!! The time has come to satisfy your curiosity, time to reveal how we Spike and McHat became the mascot of MoodI…..!!!!!

After being subjected to a highly classified selection criterion, we were chosen from amongst all the highly talented contenders from across the globe as Mood Indigo Mascot 2011 … Our battles with some of them were noteworthy :P

Garfield:

After a long way from Texas to Indiana, We met lazy obese and unresponsive maniac cat, who took a toll on me. His comic strips spawned several animated specials and his celebrity status made it further crucial for me to defeat him in this race for the mascot. We just managed to handle the situation by a balance of wits and polt. We managed to convince the panelists as to how the lazy fat Garfield would be at odds in the Wild West theme and wittingly engaged the flabby beast in a lavish meal.

Yosemite Sam:

After a long ship journey, Sur la route de la Paris, we came across this fiery, irascibly tempered, short stature shooter Yosemite Sam. Beating him was not as big of a challenge but in doing so we had to cross paths with one of the smartest rabbits in the States, BUGS BUNNY, whose wits outwitted even us. The MoU that we signed though made my pockets considerably lighter for most part of our voyage also gave us a breakthrough with Sam. Bugs saw the incapability of Sam to turn down a challenge. Bugs dared Sam to "step across that line", he couldn’t help but do so and dropped down a mine shaft, parting away from the common goal the Mascot!!

KungFU Panda:

After a long way Valley of Peace China we were challenged by the magnificent bumbling humanoid panda. This guy’s tenacity and good humor made me feel comparably dumb and infuriated. This was the time when my partner McHat helped “me” out with his sharp intellect and thwarted the big fat Panda in a war of words. He went away looking for a trainer to make him proficient enough to fight back with the Dragon Warrior, Shifu who had always ridiculed and criticized the panda of his skills and never led a hope in him.

Road Runner:

We never hoped that Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote could be one of the contenders of the Mascot and we met him in the interview round. We were not sure how to do deal with this but as the interview started a hope arose. All the questions answered were in beeps..."beep beep".....and the panelists got irritated and confused.

So this is the tale of how we, your very own Spike and McHat proved our mettle and were chosen to be the mascots from amongst the finest contestants for this coveted post…:P 

We will be back with more tales from the Wild West en route Moodi Land … Signing off for now …

--Spike and Mchat