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In October 1990, as part of a young band, we gave our last rock concert at Siri Fort auditorium in New Delhi. We didn’t know that then, of course, and were planning a life of music. But within no time, pressures of subsistence and the financial insecurity around music pushed down hard and within months, the band split up.

One of us became a salesman, the second one followed him, the third went on to run his dad’s shop, the fourth joined his parents abroad, the fifth hung around doing odd music jobs. After making an experimental film, I found myself, rather reluctantly, in a journalism school, where I spent most of my time with my guitar and my songs.

Last night, I brought my daughter to her first rock concert. It was also my first after our last performance. She was thrilled. “Papa, I’m going to see, actually see, Farhan Akhtar,” and all that. Like me, she loves rock music and the film Rock On, where Akhtar played the lead role — a very good film, and one I recommend.

Her enthusiasm was infectious and that kept me going.

But 19 years later, I find that the world has moved away from music to advertising, showbiz, audience engagement. I have no fight with that — change is inevitable and if today’s change means that the louder you shout the greater you’re enjoying, so be it.

Farhan Akhtar did come and in the three-hour concert, hit the stage twice and sang all of two songs. The first time he came to introduce the top management of the sponsoring company. The second time he spent some more time on the company and sang his songs.

Somewhere I felt cheated. But the new generation, to which my daughter belongs, was completely at home. They enjoyed the concert. But that didn’t mean they didn’t see what was going on behind the scene. On the way back, in the parking lot, I overheard some of the young people saying Akhtar was not there to sing but to sell.

My second last of the 15 messages I tweeted during these three hours was: “Well sold, Farahan Akhtar!”

All was not lost, however. Both daughter and I discovered a fantastic band, Advaita. That’s unusual because I don’t enjoy fusion rock — it does not work, I had concluded. Advaita has changed my mind. Their musical signature is the saarangi playing to western beats delivering psychedelic rock at its best. Check out Miliha — brilliant. Absolutely fantastic band, hugely talented, full of humility. I bought their album today.

Maybe, I’ll follow them tomorrow.

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Posted by Gautam Chikermane on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 6:56 pm 
Filed under Research · Tagged advaita, Farhan Akhtar, fusion rock, journalism school, Siri Fort auditorium, young band

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