Parikrama's music mantra

Parikrama, an Indian rock and roll band, has done some interesting numbers which are a hit with the Gen-next. The band has recently completed 21 years. Parikrama talks to Garima Upadhyay Rawat about their journey so far and the way forward...

Congratulations on completing 21 years. Can you shed some light on the journey of the band so far... like when did you start, how did things come together, the first song, jamming sessions etc

 Thanks a ton! Well it's been a brilliant 21 years and frankly just feels like yesterday. We started out in June 1991, June 17, to be precise, and the first gig was September 15. We rehearsed for almost 16 hours a day, non-stop for those three months, before the first gig came around. The first original we composed was a song called Xerox.

Can you recount some days of your struggle?

We were lucky enough to get many shows in the first year of our journey itself. So we can say that we worked extremely hard, but never really struggled. We had everything sorted and planned in the band, even before we went live with the first gig.

What were the challenges you faced as a band and how did you overcome those?

Well, having six to eight people play together for 21 years has its challenges. We decided well in advance that there is nothing in the world that we cannot sort out if we talk to each other and communicate, and those channels are open even today.

What are the ways to make it big in the music industry?

Work very hard, be professional, respect time (yours and others), get a grip on managing things right, think of things in the long run, stay away from drugs, keep that attitude/ego out and don't forget to have fun!

Do you think that formal training is the foundation stone to make it big in the music world? Why/Why not?

None of us in Parikrama has been formally trained ever. But it surely helps, as you learn things faster.

What next for Parikrama?

We are looking forward to more events and shows this year.

What impact did the opening up of places like blue frog and Suravee have on the music scene?

Not only these, there are hundreds of pubs open to artists that do music and do it on a regular basis. The pub circuit is the highest giver of gigs for loads of young bands and artists.

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