For years now, English has been the language most preferred by Indian bands and audiences alike. Times though are changing now and the success of Hindi and other regional languages in the Indian indie music scene is testament to this fact. Vignesh Iyer speaks to the people behind this change.

I say we're growing every day, Getting stronger in every way I'll take you to a place, Where we shall find our, Roots bloody roots – SEPULTURA

It’s a powerful song that one, by the Brazilian thrash metal band Sepultura; and the sentiment expressed by the lyrics is being echoed in India, as evidenced by the rise of bands who are now singing not just in Hindi but, Kannada and Malayalam too. Playing covers is now passé, original music is hardly a novelty anymore and the breakneck pace at which this quiet revolution has been taking place has opened new doors and given way to a newer sound while also exploring a possibility which may perhaps have been ignored earlier. Roots.

A large majority of independent musicians in India find it difficult to sustain themselves purely through their music. One of the primary factors is due to the commercial nature of the movie industry existing all over the country. To their credit though, masses continue to adore the music being churned out, while the purists point out to a lack of awareness amongst the people. However, despite this conflict, there exists a strange connection between the bands who do regional rock music and industries like Bollywood/Sandalwood (Haan, that’s the name!).

Gaurav Vaz (Bassist, Raghu Dixit Project) says, “Any band which, for example, sings Hindi contemporary music shares an audience with Bollywood. Our challenge is to get these audiences to watch us play live.” The idea of their songs being perceived as similar to the typical movie number doesn’t go down well with any of these bands. “It’s not that we sing songs like Main teri deewani, we’re not playing the everyday stuff that has been on for years now” clarifies Abhishek Mathur, guitarist of psychedelic fusion band, Advaita. These bands in fact have gone down the traditional way, have more of a classical folksy touch to their sound while also combining it with western instruments. The only similarity shared would perhaps be the language.

Incidentally, Raghu Dixit after a few unsuccessful attempts at launching his debut album was spotted by Bollywood music duo Vishal – Shekhar while performing at Zenzi in Mumbai. Impressed by his style of music and freshness, they decided to launch him via their new independent record label – Vishal & Shekhar music. “Thanks to Vishal’s background in Indie music, he understands the sound well and their connections in Bollywood meant that the album was given a marketing push” says Gaurav. From that point on however, the music had to carry itself and it surely did. The Raghu Dixit Project has now enthralled audiences all over the world including places like UK, Korea, Japan, Russia and Hong Kong.

Another shot in the arm came in the form of legendary producer John Leckie when he came down to the country as part of the Soundpad project, in order to release a compilation album in UK and India. Having auditioned close to 40 bands all around the country, the final four bands were chosen with Advaita and Namma Bengaluru band Swarathma among them. If ever one needed proof of their undoubted quality, this is it, for they convinced a man who has worked with the likes of Pink Floyd, George Harrison, Radiohead, etc.

Their collaboration with the project also led them to UK where they toured seven cities. “We traveled around in a huge tour bus complete with a lounge, Plasma TV, etc. We didn’t quite expect this when they said everything will be taken care of!” confesses Pavan Kumar KJ, percussionist for Swarathma. Ironically for Advaita, being selected by John Leckie and then the UK tour, helped gain more acceptance within the Indian music scene. “The perception certainly changed after all of it. While our fans have always been extremely loyal, certain people were hesitant to accept our music, some were even cold to an extent but its different now” feels Abhishek as he points to an underlying hindrance that sometimes works against regional rock bands in comparison to their English speaking counterparts – yet again, the language is their biggest boon and bane – there prevails a feeling that some doors remain closed for a regional rock group.

Hindi Rock Bands - 6

“Competitions? We sort of stopped believing in them” informs Abhishek as he reminisces back to the time when Advaita were rejected in competitions like Channel V’s Launchpad and Great Indian Rock (GIR). “With Launchpad, it’s perhaps because we didn’t fit into a certain image and with GIR I felt they wanted a heavier sound. Either way, musically we have always been good, we also sent them some of our strongest songs, so yeah, go figure” he concludes. It is a notion that is shared by Mumbai based Hindi rock band Shor Bazaar’s Bassist, Krishna Kumar V – “Places like Not just Jazz by the Bay, Firangi Paani and Hard Rock Café hardly ever have Hindi bands, its unfortunate but I definitely feel that there is this discrimination.”

The sentiment finds another voice, albeit, with a different take on the issue, “I suppose it is a problem. However, we can’t keep complaining about it. Its fair enough in my opinion, if a guy coming to a place like Hard Rock Café doesn’t want to listen to regional bands perform.” says Suyash Mohan, one of the founding members of an organization called ‘Hindi Rock Circuit’, which helps manage and promote Hindi rock bands. “I think it is up to us to find out where the crowds are” he suggests. The Hindi Rock Circuit is in talks with pubs and other such venues that might allow them to showcase a few of their bands.

The matter is best left open for debate rather than jumping to conclusions, as Gaurav Vaz provides us with a reasonable explanation to sum it up, “I used to play for a progressive rock band and I tend to think in English. Even if I can speak Hindi or Kannada, it’s difficult for me to express myself as well as I can with English. So for people with a similar mindset, it becomes an effort to accept initially.”

The success achieved purely on the basis of their musical strengths, shows that these challenges are merely viewed as occupational hazards by the bands. They have managed to hold on together while dealing with not just external hassles but also internal problems of their own. Kerala based band Avial, who sing in Malayalam, today happen to be one of the best bands in the country, Swarathma’s performance at Hard Rock Café during the Jack Daniel’s Rock Awards symbolized a change in set trends, while Raghu Dixit’s performances abroad signify the birth of a whole new dimension to the Indian independent music scene. Regional rock music is something which has always existed in the form of bands like the evergreen Indian Ocean, who have been in fine form for 20 years now and influenced many an Indian rock band. However, never before has it managed to stand out as prominently as it does today.

Article by Vignesh Iyer