Asia's Biggest Rock Band 'Parikrama' Continues To Rock & Roll Even After 31 Years
The Parikrama band was established in 1991, making it the first English rock band in the country. It has paved the way for rock music in India.
Being a music fan in India has its own benefits. The best part? One can listen to and follow music across several genres and languages. But being a fan of rock music myself, it is safe to say that the rock and roll genre has merely been surviving in the country.
Various rock bands have formed and separated over the years, and only a few could survive¡ªdefinitely the best ones. One very prominent rock band that has survived over the years is Parikrama. This band, which was formed back in 1991, has completed 31 years of its existence and is still kicking and thriving.
Ashish Gupta/ Parikrama
Completing more than three decades of pursuing rock music and entertaining its fans across several different generations is an achievement in and of itself. Parikrama saw several different rock contemporaries, including Agni, Millennium, 13 AD, Shiva, Brahma, and Pentagram. All of them were extremely popular among the fans, but most of these bands saw their members separate and choose different paths in life.
This, however, has not been the case for the Parikrama band. The story of how the band was formed is actually pretty unusual. Subir Malik, who is the keyboardist and manager of the band, came up with the idea of forming a rock band. He said, "I was to join my family business of selling motor parts and had the last four months in college. I wanted to play AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Led Zepplin, etc."
Subir, Nitin Malik and Sonam Sherpa kickstarted Parikrama
Subir, along with his brother Nitin (the vocalist), met Sonam Sherpa (the lead guitarist) of the band at a festival at Kirori Mal College. The three instantly hit it off and decided to play together. They first played it safe and started with covers of rock legends from the 70s and 80s' along with Saurabh Chaudhury, Chintan Kalra on bass, and Rahul Malhotra on drums.
Initially, the band played only cover music, but when they started gaining popularity on the college circuit and started being recognised by festivals, Parikrama started to compose their own original music. When it comes to songwriting, it was Subir, Nitin, and Sonam who composed the original music, but it shifted to just Nitin and Sonam after Subir took on the role of managing the band as well.
The band, however, is not just inspired by their classic rock heroes; they have other inspirations as well. "Besides all our classic rock heroes, many in the band love Kishore Kumar, L Subramanium, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Indus Creed, and just so many other great acts out there," says Subir.
The band came up with several original and popular hits, including "But It Rained," "Tears Of The Wizard," "Vapourize," "Am I Dreaming?" and "Open Skies." The band used to distribute their music free on the internet since managing and taking care of the money was something they didn't want to participate in.
But when it comes to their music and compositions, how has the music evolved?
The band has survived several phases and trends in the past 31 years. Subir mentions that they have grown up as humans in the past three decades and have learned more about life as they have aged. The band members have chosen to incorporate those lessons into their songs. Though the songs remain reflections of their mood and their journey. "Our songs are in your face rock and roll like in the middle to soft soothing instrumental music just like the open skies."
For this band, doing live shows has been the top priority. Subir says that "the love for rock and roll, the thrill of being on stage and kicking ass" inspires the band to perform. The band has some stellar memories from many live shows, including their first show at IIT Bombay in 1995, the First I-Rock festival, their USA Tour, their Indonesian Tour, the Iron Maiden Tour, Download Festival, and many more.
How has the band continued to survive this long?
Maintaining the same amount of energy, zeal, and enthusiasm for 31 years is no small deal, especially when selling music is not the top priority. So, what do the band members do to keep themselves afloat? Subir said, "All of the band members have their own jobs and businesses besides the band. A rule we made 31 years ago, was to never be dependent on the band to run our houses. It is most likely the same rule that allows us to continue playing rock and roll.
When it comes to a shift in fans and how music lovers perceive them now, Subir said, "I have seen millions of phases come and go, and many trends come and go as well, but rock and roll have always stayed. It may be a little low these days, but trust me, it will never fade away. It will come back in such a huge way that it will probably be the brightest era ever very soon."
Back in the year 2020, the band lost one of its founding members, Sonam Sherpa, to an apparent cardiac arrest. However, despite the huge loss, the band has been auditioning guitarists and making sure the band goes ahead with the same zeal and energy. To show the same energy, the band recently performed at the Independence Rock Festival in Mumbai with actor and musician Farhan Akhtar.
The band has new music in the pipeline, and as per Subir, it feels like they just started yesterday and are just getting started. He says, "When you just don't realise the journey has been this long, it's never really tiring at all. It has been great fun and will always be."
This firecracker band has definitely made its mark, and we can't wait to see what is next in store for them.
Building, coordinating and crafting engaging content for lifestyle brand 'Evolve' at Indiatimes. Successfully revamping the lifestyle section including topics such as mental health, relationships, self, skin care, music etc. I collaborate with experts from various fields to gather insights and create well-structured pieces.
Read More
