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Journalism of Courage
One of Delhis oldest bands,Parikrama,completes 20 years
It was on a hot summer afternoon in 1991,when six college friends,who were Pink Floyd fans,got together to rehearse for a gig they were scheduled to perform four months later. With no funds to rent a jamming pad,the lead keyboardists house in Model Town is where they decided to hold their sessions. The group called itself Parikrama. And the band that was initially established for four months,has lasted 20 years,and plans to stick around for many more to come. It really does not feel like this long. With Parikrama,I have always felt like a paid vacationer, says the bands lead vocalist,Nitin Malik.
One of the few Indian bands,performing only in English,and sticking to classic rock,Parikrama never released an album. Theirs was the kind of music,that would not please the A&R (Artistes and Repertoire) managers,who would tell them to go Hindi or go bust. This was at a time when Internet in India was still not popular. It was a difficult time when the band began. But we sold our music for free on our website and never ran after a record deal. It just made more sense. Also,musical bands have a history of breaking up. It is thanks to the bands camaraderie and their love for similar kind of music that we have survived for so long, says Subir Malik,the lead keyboardist of the band,who has played an important role in keeping the band together for this long.
