To choose the name for the magazine, we had sent a call for suggestions to the student body in May, 2021. From amongst the various suggestions we received, this is the one we picked. We thank Utkarsh for suggesting this great name and the feelings it evoked. Here’s Utkarsh talking about how he came up with the name, and what he had to say about ‘Fiddler on the Flag Road’ when he sent it in:
On Fiddler on the Flag Road
If you pry apart the word fiddler by grabbing hold of the syllables, like a fragile hardcover’s dust jacket, you would find some scribbling, some crossed-out suckers and someone having a vilely dull day. I would have liked a name that was sonorous, implosive. That made some sense and was not a perfidious pastiche. I took a cue from Observer and Organiser, all-round relevant outlets that I read once a month. I poured all my favorite verbs and splattered them on the drawing board. I’d append a suffix, namely er, for the sense of purpose that characterizes these things. The results were unsurprisingly wondrous. A bevy of ers making merry between the lines. A pointed paucity of platitudes.
The better ones here were Fiddler and Filibuster. Filibuster sounded fatuous. Fiddler sounded friendless. I was, not to put too fine a point upon it, caught with my pants down. The undertaking of such a task implies hubris in no small measure, and two words, scribed thinly in my clean scrawl, stared blankly in my face and grinned with manic energy. Unnerved. Anyway, I tossed a coin. Gruffed a monologue to myself, à la Anton Chigurh. So I chucked Filibuster; it was a sad parting. It was good ol’ Fiddler I sent for consideration.
One balmy evening, my pager beeped. I looked around. You have to be careful with these things. I peeped. The board had read all about Fiddler by now, and it was considered somewhat drab. “Drab?” “Yes, a hollow shell of a name.” “Meaning?” “It is a vacuous, nebulous half-name.” It broke my heart. The editors suggested I festoon it with a reference to the college. They had the 1971 musical in mind when they did so. It is schmaltzy and a landmark. Sadly, I have no affection for parody or off-beat simulacrums, such as taking a phrase or idiom and making it the hill I want to die on. What about nalsar rings so distinctive to merit entry into the 1971 musical’s nominal template? Makeshift badminton court doesn’t exactly cut it, though it is, nonetheless, quite appealing for a an assortment of reasons.
The editors, again. “Flag Road.” they said in a muffled whisper. “Best we can do.” I nodded solemnly. (Despite the persuasiveness of quoted speech, I obviously exaggerated the exchange between me and the editors, for dramatic purposes. The real thing consisted, unsurprisingly, of extremely polite, stately text messages.) I guess it sounds pragmatic. Quite something. So it became Fiddler on the Flag Road. Alliterative, poignant, and the consonants sit so snugly there’s hardly room for anything else. Six syllables stretched taut. An homage to the musical and just as eclectic, I hope. Something to look forward to. Something that leaves an aftertaste. I realize I’m waxing lyrical about serendipity with great aplomb. As I dispatch this freak of phonic freneticisms hopefully onto the pages of a freshly-minted college magazine, I have nothing but tears in my eyes and some undeniably good cheer.
I thank the editors for their assistance. I’ll let the editors comment on what has been a hugely collaborative process.
Regards,
Utkarsh Mani Tripathi
Those were Utkarsh’s thoughts, but we think you should know what went on in our minds when we were choosing the name from amongst all the incredible suggestions that came in – here’s Eeshan trying to simplify and explain our thoughts:
The Fiddler on the other side
I’ll be honest. From among the numerous creative suggestions we received from our fellow NALSARites, Fiddler didn’t strike us as anything special. After all, what did it even mean? A violin player? A petty thief? We really just didn’t know. But something about it refused to let us shake it off.
In hindsight, that ‘something’ is what I gather to have been relatability. Behind the word Fiddler is a feeling we’ve all experienced; that of having aimlessly passed our time without doing or achieving anything of substance.
As we deliberated on this name, we found that it needed some more grounding. Ideas were pouring in from the 12 angsty editors. As you can see, I don’t share the same disaffection Utkarsh has for “off-beat simulacrums”. One such idea that came up was a play on the title of the 1971 musical ‘Fiddler on the Roof’.
Tradition, Tradition! Tradition! (Am I the only one that said it like that?) As a student magazine, we envisioned this to be a platform for the free expression of ideas and creativity. We hoped that it positively interacts with, and challenges, some of NALSARs oldest traditions. This being the case, we felt it only apt to draw from the 1971 Muscial’s nominal template. This sounded good, now all it needed was some NALSARization of the name.
Fiddle, fiddle, fiddle. Where do we fiddle? That’s when it hit me. The memories of my aimless 2am strolls after the library shuts. Thomas’ lemon tea in hand when I needed the warmth, his cold coffee when I needed to cool off. The memories of post-lecture visits to Sai and Amma’s, walking down the flag(less?- mostly) road with monkeys on one side, and blossoming bougainvillaea on the other. The memories of pacing around restlessly while immersed in one’s own thoughts. The memories of having all sorts of conversations- from meaningless banter to the most serious of deep talks. The memories of doing nothing. Doing absolutely nothing. Just laying still and watching the skies and stars. The Flag Road has been our constant companion through it all.
As we walked past the front gate at the beginning of every new semester, the flag road welcomed us, with its familiar feeling of homecoming. As we returned from late-night Dhaba trips, the flag road comforted us, with its much-needed feeling of safety. Its importance in the NALSAR way of things is indisputable.
And so it was, our hunt for a name culminated. ‘Fiddler on the Flag Road’ describes each one of us NALSARites. My experience as a fiddler may not resonate with yours. But each of us, I’m sure, has our own memories of the flag road, and will continue forming these memories during their journeys as Fiddlers. It is these journeys that Fiddler on the Flag Road shall cherish, document, and preserve for batches to come.
Eeshan Sonak,
Your Fellow Fiddler, on behalf of the Editorial Board.