Parikrama-The Face of Indian Rock

Their song ‘Xerox’ was called the face of Indian rock. Parikrama, the rock-and-roll band from New Delhi was formed in 1997. It has several live performances and original numbers to its name.

The band, unlike some others, has maintained its identity by composing pure rock and metal songs and is popular among college students and youngsters in India. It is one of the few bands in the world does not have any official policy on copying and plagiarism. Their original numbers are available for downloading on their official website (www.parikrama.com).

The band consists of lead singer Nitin Malik (vocals), Sonam Sherpa (lead guitar), Subir Malik (keyboard, synthesiser), Srijan Mahajan (drums) and others. All of them, except Nitin Malik (who is from Hindu College) are from Kirori Mal College, New Delhi and were members of MUSOC (music society of the college). Sonam Sherpa runs the Parikrama School of Music in New Delhi, which emphasises on the finer aspects of a genre that  is often confused with loud and meaningless music.

Parikrama is one of the most sought-after bands for college fests throughout the country. They have performed in institutions like Indian Institute of Technology and others.  It also holds the distinction of being the warm-up band for Iron Maiden concerts. When the legendary band visited Bangalore, they chose Parikrama. It is the only Indian rock-and-roll band to perform at the Download Festival, an international music festival held every year at Donington, UK.

The band often fuses Indian classical instruments like mridangam, tabla and flute with conventional instruments like guitar, drums and keyboards. They have been influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and The Doors.

The band released their first single ‘Til I’m No One Again’ in 1995. Another song, ‘But It Rained’, based on the kidnappings in the Kashmir Valley is probably their biggest hit till date and was released in 1996. The members of the band were surprised when a crowd of almost 4,000 sang the number along with them during one of their concerts in Bangalore.