All Around the World with the Most Travelled Indian
By Nitin Gairola
In 1991, the mega popular rock band, Guns N’ Roses, released their double album called ‘Use Your Illusions’. There was Use Your Illusion part 1 and a part 2 as well and it was filled with everlasting (whatever that means) ballads and rock epics such as November Rain, Estranged, Don’t Cry, Breakdown, Yesterdays, 14 years, Civil War and many more. If there has to be one album from my childhood, then it would be this. Of course I heard it in 1997 only, since I was more of a Michael Jackson fan earlier, and who wasn’t. So, while it was called ‘Use your illusions’ but if you read up a bit on Axl Rose’s life (the charismatic lead singer), then there was an equal measure of delusions too. And the strangest part is that he was not much different from you or me since at some level, we are all a bit delusional. I certainly build castles in the air from time to time. And after witnessing the Guns N’ Roses live show recently in Mumbai on 17 May, I was brought face to face with my chronic (and somewhat comic) delusions, and I thought I should delve a bit deeper into them.
We all dream of many things as kids and one of my dreams was to be an astronaut. Like Neil Armstrong I too wanted to land on the Moon and frankly on Mars as well (who wants to be No 13 if you can be No 1). But needless to say, since I didn’t do anything about it, I became more of an astro-not or an astro-nut. Let’s just say this refers to someone who is nuts about astronomy and is not much else. But many kids grow up with such dreams and I am definitely not unique in this regard. But if I keep all things NASA and SpaceX aside, I have had another recurring daydream for the past few decades. It is something I haven’t shared much and now I am sharing openly. I didn’t share it so far since I felt it is embarrassingly childish especially since this daydream happens even now, well into my adulthood. You see I sometimes drift away in my thoughts and think I am performing a rock concert on a stage and in front of me I have the whole stadium cheering and chanting along. Now, if ever I were to release that fictitious rock album, it would be called ‘Use your delusions’ since I am not sure how to top this delusion. It has to be top of the charts.
So, over the years, naturally I have come to terms with the fact that I have neither the personality nor the musical talent to be remotely close to being a rock artiste and I am so very glad that at least I have met a few other dreams of mine, in some shape or form. In a way I am glad I saw Axl Rose and Slash on stage in Mumbai since it made me realise how much talent, promotion, risk and time it takes to be someone like Axl or Slash and just wanting it doesn’t make it happen. In our own Doon, we have a country-western music legend too – Bobby Cash. Maybe this silly delusion of mine will wane a bit further now after seeing Guns N’ Roses on stage and getting a glimpse at what it takes to turn such rock n’ roll fantasies to reality.
Generally, at best we become a version or a cheap copy of our dreams. I know this as I had another childhood dream which was to be a scientific explorer. And contrary to what may appear, I didn’t become that either since what I am is nothing but an extreme ‘travel collector’, i.e., I travel to every place and that is not very heroic – just something very dogged, determined and disciplined. An explorer is someone who ventures into the unknown and generally breaks ‘single event’ records. But even if I am just a cheap copy of my dream, I am still very happy about my world travels to almost every ‘corner’ of the globe. Imagine reaching mid-life with nothing to show but an MBA degree and two decades inside a glass cabin. Nah, I am glad I went out there as well and lived my dreams.
Now with the explorer bit done and dusted, I really wonder what it will take to get my version of the rock star dream come true as well. Maybe a book event in which I get to be on the stage? But how can it be so straight forward and simple? I need to have a black leather jacket and my light shades on too, isn’t it? If Axl Rose can pull it off in his 60s, I am sure I can in my 40s too. And there I go again, daydreaming on the lanes of my la-la land. Axl once sang in Locomotive, ‘I have worked too hard for my illusions just to throw them all away’. I am just glad that at least I know my delusions and hope that I can ‘use my delusions’ well, even if I can’t throw them away.
Coming to the GNR concert at Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai, it was a 3-hour set, and I can just imagine how fantastic Axl and Slash would have felt in India with so many die-hard fans chanting their 80s & 90s classics. Axl is a bit bloated now and has lost a lot of his brilliant voice too, so at times it felt the crowd was actually supporting Axl with backup singing. I was hearing people around me screaming in disbelief on seeing Axl and Slash live and it seemed that there was tremendous reverence towards these rock n’ roll legends. I bet everyone wanted to be Axl Rose that evening in Mumbai – I know my childhood friend Kanishka and I did.
(Nitin Gairola is from Dehradun and has travelled the natural world more than almost any Indian ever. He has set world travel records certified by India Book of Records, has written for Lonely Planet, and holds National Geographic conservation certifications. He is also a senior corporate executive in an MNC and in his early days, used to be a published poet as well. More than anything else, he loves his Himalayan home.)
