Talktime | Nitin malik
He needs no introduction since his band has been around for almost 27 years. Recently, in the Capital for a gig, Malik, lead vocalist for Parikrama, spoke with Shalini Saksena about why their music is free to download and how their band was formed because they wanted to play certain kind of rock
How has the journey beenIJ
I don’t know how to answer that question. We have got so much love from our listeners that we would not give up what we are doing for the world. We are truly blessed.
What has changed over the yearsIJ
A lot has changed — more pros than cons. In the initial years, when we started off, if one wanted to compose, one needed a guitarist and a pianist. Today, this can be done in one’s bedroom with a computer to download stuff from the Internet. Because of this, the genre of music has multiplied a million times as compared to 1991 when it was rock, jazz, heavy metal and classical. Now, there are 300 kinds of rock, 400 kinds of metal and 500 kind of jazz and much more. It has become easier to make songs now due to the tools available. But I am a purist and since these tools were not available back then there can’t be another Pink Floyd or an AC/DC; I miss that.
Does this mean that the quality of music has gone downIJ
I won’t say quality has gone down, just that music has changed. The quantity of music has increased. Earlier, in order to record one’s music, a studio had to be hired. Today, a kid can do it with the sound card on his computer.
You have performed the world over. Is there a difference in the audienceIJ
Not at all. I have been to the US, Canada, the UK, Indonesia, Nepal and Bhutan. Everywhere we went, the crowd was the same. It is a misconception that people like a certain kind of music in certain places. As long as you are playing good music, people enjoy it. I have played to a crowd which doesn’t understand English very well, like Vietnam and Nigeria. They enjoyed music. You don’t need to know the language to enjoy music.
You performed at Hard Rock Cafe recently in Delhi-NCR. Do you have a checklist of what kind of music you need to playIJ
It is a mixture of what I want to play and what the audience wants. We are in an industry to entertain and there is need to be relevant. One can’t say: ‘I will play only this and don’t care whether the audience likes it or not’. The songs have to be a balance of what the audience like and what I love.
How is the band scene in IndiaIJ
If you mean a band that plays only English rock, these are bad times. But if you are a heavy rock band playing Bollywood with Sufi, then you are sorted. If you are a DJ, you are ruling.
One can go to your website and download music for free. WhyIJ
Even if I did charge, how much would it amount toIJ Not much. The reason I don’t charge is that we have got so much love that this our way of giving it back to people. We are alive and kicking even 26 years later. This is our way of saying thank you.
When you started in 1991, did you think you would still be here (2018)IJ
When we started off, we had formed the band with a deadline of 10 months. We had agreed to play our kind of music which nobody was playing, like Pink Floyd. We (friends) got together with this deadline. But God had other plans and gave us so much. We then became greedy (laughs).
Did you have a career in mind thenIJ
Yes, we had decided that we will do this and figure out what we needed to do — a 9 to 5 job or join the family business.
Is it possible to make money with a bandIJ
No. That is why everybody in the band has five other avenues that help them make money. We are here for the love of music.
What has been the biggest lessonIJ
If you are looking to form a band, don’t go looking for the best guitarist. look for the nicest human being. That is the reason we have all stuck together. We give importance to a person.