One of the countrys top rock acts,Motherjane,on what keeps them rocking and rolling You picked up your instruments to fill in for a pro band that dropped out of a college performance and Motherjane was born. If it hadnt been for that twist of fate,would we still havethe band?That is a scary thought; I guess we have one more thing to be really grateful for. Life has reached a point where we feel and works like a unit and not five separate lives. Maybe fate would have still put us together. How much pressure do you feel since being declared Asias No 1 Rock Act at the Asia Voice Independant Music Awards?We are having the time of our life after that award. Everyone wants to see us live and our fan base just keeps attracting a very special crowd of people who believe in what we are doing and what we stand for. Bring on all the awards you can,we will be waiting for them and shall celebrate them by making more music. Why do you call yourself the sound of new India?The Motherjane sound has been described as one from Progressive India because of its pride in its roots and contrastingly in how it questions a lot of established rules. We have often seen progressive music and behaviour as something that enjoys whats nice about the present and pushes the boundaries when faced with stagnation. India as a nation itself seems to be in the same space and hence the parallels. Youve based yourself on a strongly anti-drugs platform right from the beginning. How much has this helped in the growth of your fan-base? We have always tried to be pro-something and never anti-something. One of our social messages as a result is that we are pro-music and use that as a high. While it does attract a certain positive press,its long-term implications on how it will contribute to the success of the band are even more important to us. Like Mahatma Gandhi once said,My life is my message. Your music plays in American,Japanese and Mexican radio stations. Does that mean the sound of New India is in fact global?With the world becoming digital nowadays and with this international appetite for all things Indian,Indian music is going places. I guess people are pleasantly surprised to see a different dimension of Indian art that is free from the commercial diktats of Bollywood. Cochin has a vibrant school/college band scene and yet,youre the only band from the city that people know of. What did you do right? We concentrated on making originals and cut two albums. These were career moves with a lot of long term benefits. We are also now working on our next three albums and hope to release them as soon as possible. It is always easier for bands from Mumbai and Delhi to attract national attention due to their access to media and sponsors which are largely based in these two places. However,if that means that a band from Cochin or Shillong has to knuckle down and do the hard work,then so be it. Motherjane performs at Hard Rock Café,Lower Parel,today
