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After 10 years of experimentation Parikrama has a sound of its own
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PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K.
ON A HIGH Subir Malik’s keyboard antics has people grooving
Last year’s Download Festival held at Wolverhampton, England, was the biggest of its kind so far. It saw the likes of Iron Maiden, Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance headlining and bands of the stature of Dimmu Borgir and Kids in Glass Houses
making their first festival appearance.
Alongside such international rock acts performed our very own Parikrama, a band whose origins lie in New Delhi and a band that the British media claimed to be India’s biggest rock band. With such humungous responsibility on their shoulders, and courage in their hearts, Parikrama did not fail to deliver. They gave the massive crowd at the Donnigton Park the first taste of Indian rock ’n’ roll, as Parikrama has already been booked for Download 2009.
Recognition of this calibre does not come easy. After 10 years of experimentation, Parikrama has finally reached a stage where they can proudly say that they don’t improvise Pink Floyd tracks anymore. In fact, every rock fan in India can identify with their sound. For a band which was formed by two brothers Nitin (lead singer) and Subir Malik (keyboards) with their old classmate Chintan Kalra (bass), it has been an uphill task from the very beginning. When Parikrama came together in the mid ’90s, rock stars in India were treated like outcasts of society.
But with the turn of the century, the rock scene in India took a pleasant turn as well. As international artists like Roger Waters, Mark Knopfler, Scorpions and Iron Maiden became frequent visitors to the cities of Bangalore and Mumbai, the not-so-well known Indian bands started getting the right exposure. It was the opening gig at Eddfest, Bangalore, that helped Parikrama book their ticket to the Download.
In a career mixed with success and failure there has always been one itch in their musical comfort zone. A full-length studio album has always eluded Parikrama; though, on the singles front Parikrama has probably been India’s most active rock band.
Their first single “Xerox” was termed the face of Indian rock followed by the AC/DC inspired “Open Skies”. This number was featured in the Great Indian Rock Series Vol.1. as well. However, Parikrama’s masterpiece “But It Rained” is what brought them into the spotlight; a song dedicated to the Kashmir valley kidnappings of 1996.
The band has tried a hand with other musicians as well. Their original “Rhythm and Blues” featuring Usha Uthup is a favourite among the fans. The band’s recent releases include the Lord of the Rings inspired “Am I Dreaming” and “Tears of the Wizard”. An album is also on the cards with a well known international label.Parikrama , a word which in Sanskrit means ‘orbital revolutions ’ is currently orbiting the nation with a new guitarist, who is none other than Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan.
A tour of the U.S. is also on the cards. These rockers from Delhi can easily be credited with taking a few leaps of faith and revolutionising the Indian rock scene. After all they are the ones who returned Iron Maiden the favour of coming to Bangalore for the last gig of their Eddfest world tour.
DEBAYAN DEB
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