Formed in 1991 in Delhi, India, Parikrama have been rocking and rolling for two decades – in fact, they have performed at nearly 2,600 shows thus far! The band has many memorable numbers including “Xerox,” “Till I’m No One Again,” “But it Rained,” “Load Up,” “The Superhero,” “Vapourize” and “Rhythm & Blues.”
Parikrama member Subir Malik (keyboard, synthesizers, band manager) spoke to Gibson India about how Indian rock has changed, giving the band’s music away and how Parikrama would love to collaborate with Jimmy Page.
Why did you choose a Sanskrit name Parikrama when your songs are in English?
Frankly, there is no reason to the same. Way back in 1991, there were hardly any bands with names in Hindi/Sanskrit. We just liked the name as it denoted our belief in the circle of life and said, “Why not?”
How does the composition process work for you guys? Do you start of with lyrics first?
Both ways, actually – a few songs we write the lyrics first, but the latest two songs that we are working… the music was written first.
You fuse instruments such as the tabla, flute, violin along with conventional rock music instruments like the guitar, drums, keyboards. I’ve noticed a lot of desi rock bands tend to incorporate the flute such as the Mekaal Hasan Band, Kailasa…
We have been experimenting with the same since our inception, now the violin and the tabla are integral parts of our sound and have been for two decades now.
How have you seen the band evolve over the past two decades?
In every way, we have grown as musicians, as friends, as family. The music has changed a bit, the soul has not, the fun has not and the beer is as chilled as ever!
How have you seen the rock music scene change in India over the past decade?
The rock scene is probably the best in any given time, in our country. There are millions of great bands and the best thing is rock is now everywhere, from Bollywood songs, to bands, Indipop/rock, etc. Rock is also now being accepted in local languages, for example Bengali rock is huge in the east and Hindi rock has picked up amazingly as well.
Quite a few of your compositions are available for downloads on your official Web site and your band is OK with piracy too. Tell us a bit about that…
We have been giving out our music for free since 1995, a time when I guess there was no one else doing the same. Our reasoning was that way back the percentage of people conversing in English in India was approximately under four percent. Out of them, who would have listened to music, then music in English, then rock, then rock by an Indian band? The market we were catering to was under .00000001 percent. Also there were no credit cards at the time – our main fans were students – no Pay Pal, nothing. So we came up with the idea that let’s give our tracks out for free, people will like it and call us back for shows. I guess we did something right? We are also glad that today you have millions of bands doing the same thing we had started off 16 years ago.
You’ve done over a thousand concerts by now. Are there any particular places/venues where you enjoy performing the most?
Yup, we are close to 2,600 shows now, and 20 years is a very long time, so there are many from the first-ever AIDS awareness show – 28 September 1992 – which we conceptualized, sponsored, performed, to the Mighty Download Festival, U.K., in 2007… there are just so many.
You’ve collaborated with Usha Uthup on the composition “Rhythm & Blues” – any interesting anecdotes?
She is a power house, a great, great singer and a legend. We love to jam up with different musicians and singers and have collaborated with hundreds, including Mohit Chauhan, Indian Ocean, Rabbi Shergill, Shibani Kashyap, Zila Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Singh Sharma, etc.
Who are some artists you’d love to collaborate with in the future?
Would be great to jam up with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, David Gilmour. The list is endless.
What are some of your favorite Indian bands?
There are many – Indian Ocean is a great band. So are Junkyard Groove, Them Clones, Avial, Motherjane, etc.
Where can people find out more about Parikrama?
Please log on to Reverbnation – Parikrama-official – to download our music. Also, www.facebook.com/parikrama.