AKSHAY RAJ PUROHIT

There’s this really cool thing about us Indians. 

We’re fools. 

You can argue about it all you want, but it’s true. Take, for instance, how the world sees us today – a realm of chillur, hilarious accents, curries, 101001010 and boogying on 35mm. And still, at the heart of it all lies the one thing the world does not see – passion. 

Since the last six times we’ve been around the sun, I’ve met more people in love with what they do than I can remember. More people who thought that painting had brushed them the right way and even more who believed music is more powerful an entity than any biped. “Great,” I said to myself. But there’s a catch. And here’s where the fool part comes in. 

See, a woodpecker drills into a tree for a reason – to nest or to fuck. A pie accepts its short life for the pleasure of giving people a closed eye visual. That’s their mission, their life, their soul, their reason. But with metal in India, it isn’t that way. Gratification here is quite simply sealed within one’s ribcage. 

A band, in its life in India, will get nothing except the satisfaction of playing on stage. Not that I’m complaining, but people want to see five bands for Rs.150 and demand quality as if they’ve moustaches made of mink fur. The amusing part is, bands give them that. The fundamental question here is – Will we be remembered?

People like the recently departed Amit Saigal and Clarence Gonzalves were insanely talented in their own right, and 30 years down the line, I really hope they're regarded as legends. I don't think about these things much but, just like samurai warriors, I want us all to leave behind a legacy. One that following generations of musicians and bands can stand by when we face the world as a heavy metal powerhouse. Just like the M’s, I’s and J’s left in the U.K. and the U.S.A. 

With all the albums, insane shows, back-breaking tours, kiss the ground festivals, and colouresque collaborations happening, I hope someone is documenting them – not within a camera, a blog or a tweet, but in that 70 BPM drum machine right in the centre of it all.

Photos by:

Peter Kotikalapudi (Demonic Resurrection at Brutal Assault)

Roycin D'Souza (Akshay Raj)

Salman U. Syed (Zygnema at Wacken Metal battle, Germany)