Now there’s a big BIG difference between rock in India and Indian rock. Hope you know it. Revving back a few years, names like Indus Creed, Parikrama, Indian Ocean were rare ones and worth a gem within friends. But the fledgling common Indian were stuck with Link in Park or at best, Metallica. India, on the whole, on the basis of popularity never really took off despite showing huge promise. But why?
The First Touches of Rock in India:
Ever heard ‘Kashmir’? For an ear with some acquaintance in Indian classical, the odd and even stylistics will stand out. Not to bore you, but to it’s a credit to Plant and Page that Kashmir is more coherent with Rock than with Indian classical.
Now you’d say that’s quite obvious. Jimmy was never a, say, Baiju (Dharmajan). But Jimmy Page is the one name which even the likes of McCartney envies. Why? Because he can blend!What’s interesting is that both these big names found Indian school of Classical harmonics a treasure trove.
Kashmir takes the basic ‘Tehai’ of 3 to 7 before rolling over again. Rock and Roll.In contrast, Led Zeppelin’s sex(Y) jazz ‘Since I’ve been Loving You’ is much truer to its roots, connecting the mind with the body.
The bottom-line is, to the best Western rock minds, Indian classical is a treasure trove exquisite to touch but impossible to get a hold-off. Yet, that’s just what Rock Machine was all about.
What Could’ve Should’ve Been:
You will find Indus Creed easier for the mind than War Machine. The first Indian rock band, their influence includes Def Leppard to Deep Purple to the Doors. Infusing Classic Rock into the complex Indian structure is what their maiden album Rock and Roll Renegade was all about.
They were the (Arguably as we all are) first Indians around to use Fender Stratocasters or the likes. And there were other names too like Mohinner Ghoraguli up north following the likes of Simon and Garfunkel with an essential personal touch.
Then came MTV. And the metropolitan Rock started buying processors, banging heads and smoking pot. Rolling Stone India came in 2008. Baiju took Motherjanein the international sphere as an indigenously Indian Rock band. But there are few takers, few around taking the mantle, the stage which Indian rock deserves.
Rock is not Alive Enough to be Dead:
Or maybe the stage is not ready enough. India is not ready. Remembering the ‘Rock On!!’ rendition of an age-old Desi number, no wonder MTV Desi took a gulp! Parikrama still holds sway. Let’s see a few bands now. Cassini’s Division, Rikterskale, Opeth, Lounge Piranha, Rainbow Bridge, Skinny Alley (Another Problem for Indian Rock, a good crowd who listen, hope ‘You’ got the BIG chew-tiappa!)– these are just a few of the bands which many can and will name up.
And these are just examples. For every single name not mentioned, there are ten more bands worth an album buy.
And this just might be what Rock Music in India is lacking. People.Crowd.Mosh Pits. Kohima and Ziro up North and a bit to the East have a loud Rock grunge. But here’s a story for you. Parikraam hit its silver streak only after a certain Saif Ali Khan did a tour with them in the country.
Rock has a long way to go. But everyone matters and so do you. Are you in?
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