The founder of one of the best rock
magazines covering the rock scene of India and South Asia died recently. Amit Saigal, a musician, promoter and
publisher, founded the Rock Street Journal in 1993 in Allahabad. It is a
monthly journal which aims at providing news on one of the most popular genres
of all time.
The magazine, like any other, features
stories based on rock music. Over the years, the magazine has published the
stories of unknown bands, which otherwise would not have got a chance to get
noticed. Interestingly, the magazine promotes popular genres like metal, jazz,
blues and others as well.
The website of the magazine (www.rsjonline.com) has a
section where amateur singers and musicians can upload their songs. Besides
providing opportunities to budding rockstars, it also provides information on
forthcoming rock concerts and college fests throughout the country.
Some Rock Street Journal events which are
popular among youngsters are Red Romanov
Pubrockfest, Seagram’s Fuel Great
Indian Rock and others. These concerts are held annually and attract huge
crowds.
In one of the issues of the magazine, the
north-eastern part of the country was explored to report the spread of a
vibrant music culture. It was found that the growth of the culture was tremendous
in the last decade or so. It is the only magazine to have spread information
among people who have little or no idea about the region and its rock bands.
Amit Saigal’s death under mysterious
circumstances is a jolt to the rock industry. But, thanks to his contribution,
rock has become hugely popular in the last few years in the country. Reading
about bands and listening to their songs and experimenting with music have
opened new doors of creativity and expression.
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