Pranab is the lead vocalist in the Mumbai-based rock band Prayag. His goal is to write and sing songs that absorb the essence of the many places he has travelled. Originally from Assam, Pranab likes listening to U2, Coldplay, Junoon and Fuzon.
Pranab spoke to Sudipta Sengupta, a citizen journalist.
How do you define rock music? Do you feel the Indian version of rock music is different from the Western rock?
Rock is technically a well-defined genre of music. It uses many patterns and scales. So, all that talk about rock being an attitude is a load of bull. It is basically a kind of music that seeks to shake you out of the unreal bubble of reality that modern life cocoons you in. It is reactionary to a certain extent, but it is about the physicality of music.
No. It might have certain sounds that are ‘Indian’ but as of now, there has not been any real deviation from rock music in general – except for cosmetic, forceful adding of Indian instruments to give it a desi flavour, most of which sounds terrible. Perhaps if there is an atmosphere of nurturing Indian rock music, which does not seem likely given the apathy of record labels and the listeners to anything apart from Bollywood and titillation, Indian rock will emerge as a distinct musical genre.
How did your band members come together to form a group?
Swapnil and Pranab met online and got together when they realised that they had similar likes and dislikes in music and a similar ‘musical’ goal. The fraternity introduced them to lead guitar player Sumit, who is originally from Kolkata where he used to play with the Latin-jazz band Orient Express; Veeru, regarded as a drum prodigy in the rock circles of Mumbai; and rhythm guitar player Naveen. This is how Prayag was formed.
What inspired you to start a rock band in an era of software professionals and BPO executives?
The addiction to good music is the reason. We play music because we need to. If we were starved of music, we would have become serial killers. We are part of the generation of software guys and BPO executives. Our bass-man Swapnil works with a BPO while I am from software industry. We play music to keep our souls alive.
India is not actually a country having much rock music literate audience. What are your comments on this?
You do not need a ‘literate’ audience. You just need open minds. Problem is, we straightjacket our thinking into what the marketing juggernaut backs. Forget music, would you read an author if he did not come ‘highly recommended’ by someone whose literary grasp ends with Dan Brown? Even the so-called rock music literate audience is to blame for the sad state of creative music in India. They want to follow and not lead. They only want songs they have heard on their iPods and music systems. We need more open minded listeners. Listen to the music without preconditions that you need long hair or drugs or this music is about this or that. Just listen to the music and see if it touches you. How many can really claim to do that?
Actually, a very few number of people ‘listen’ to music. Most listeners just pretend. They think it is ‘cool’ to listen to a certain kind of music. Maybe not consciously, but at the subconscious level, that is how it works. Of course, there are exceptions, but exceptions prove the rule. Here, a band is judged by how well they cover Led Zep or Metallica. In a true musical environment, it is what you bring to music that matters. Not how well you can be a musical chimpanzee, aping others.
We have had great rock music from India. Bands like High from Calcutta in the 1980s and Great Society from Shillong have written songs that are as good as any rock classic. But how many people have heard them?
Prayag was a band that was missing in the Dhanaulti Rock Festival. What happened?
We were supposed to participate in the festival, but we could not because of logistics issues. We are sure the festival was a rocking affair.
How do you think these festivals are going to help?
Every little bit helps. Not just for rock music, but for the culture of listening to music or rather, appreciating art that has something to say beyond ‘just chill’ or give me a jhalak of your you-know-what.
You are very popular in and around Mumbai. How is your presence in other parts of the country?
Our music is popular on the Internet. Many online distribution companies have shown interest in spreading our music, and so have event managers from all parts of the country for live concerts. We guess we are on the long, winding road to getting ‘there’. But yes, all this takes time, and time will tell.
What are your greatest achievements till date? Do you have aims to join Bollywood?
Our greatest achievement has been to be able to do what we want to do without compromising. We have rocked headbangers with our songs and made people weaned on Bollywood sway to our songs, which come from a different universe from them. And, we have been able to touch hearts. That is our greatest achievement. We do not think name dropping or playing with the so-called biggies are ‘achievements’ for a bunch of musicians.
We are ready to enter Bollywood. If anyone wants a rock song for a movie, you know whom to come to. If you can have Pakistani bands singing for Bollywood movies, why not an Indian then?
In a country with limited audience and many bands how does Prayag plan to differentiate itself from others?
We do not plan, we aredifferent. Anybody who has been to a Prayag gig knows that. We combine elements of jazz, blues, rock, and heavy metal and deliver it all through the vehicle of Hindi lyrics. We epitomise India in the new millennium. Sure, we Indians wear jeans like the Americans do, but nobody confuses us for Yankees, do they?
