Indian Ocean: The Gods of Small Things

A soothsayer once noted, “You are the music while the music lasts.” So in a still-young industry where longevity is as hard to come by as a virgin who walks the night in red lipstick, the subject of my musings are hailed by most as the ‘best fusion rock b(r)and in the country.’

More than 20 years. 5 albums. 1 live concert DVD. A full-length documentary. Over 500 national and international concerts and very many firsts and only’s… Say hello to brand Indian Ocean. Best defined by the fact that their first work for Bollywood – Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday was titled ‘Indian Ocean presents…’

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Behind every good band is a set of groupies or in our context, the WAGs. But behind every good brand is a group of clever marketing whizzes. Indian ocean has none. What they have is an unchallenged claim to the indie music throne with honest and rooted yet delicately layered songs, as fresh today as they were the day the first verse was strung together. Listen to Bandeh or Hille Re and even Kandisa and they will be as relevant now as ever.

An attempt to classify them is a task unto itself. Ask their manager Dhruv Jagasia and he will tell you its Indian Ocean music. My two cents would add that fusion is as bastardised a word for music as multi-cuisine is for food but independent artist entrepreneur Shashwat Gupta disagrees, “Let’s call them what they are – The fathers of the fusion rock scene. Its one thing to write music, it’s another to make it into something the world wants to hear. They did it before the genre even existed.” Shashwat would know. His company Grey and Saurian is working on their next project 16/330 Khajoor Road.

To call it just an album would be harakiri. What it is, is a gift to fans and a homage to their former comrade – the late Asheem Chakravarty. The name comes from the rehearsal pad where he last sang and the intent from the legions of followers still buying their best-known work Desert Rain, 13 years after its release.

In a triumph a brand manager would be proud to call theirs, this baby is being produced across formats including a studio album and a limited edition box set (another first) by January 2011. And as any connoisseur would tell you, they would pay top buck to get their hands on the first of seven songs that came out on July 25th. So what’s the price? Zero, zilch, nil!

Every month, one new song will be available for free. Coming from a team that always goes against the grain, this isn’t a surprise. Clever nonetheless. Much like Radiohead’s record label less 2007 album In Rainbows, the project is worth what the fans make of it. While you waste time reading, hoards of ‘Khajoors’ as they are now called have heard, raved over and passed around the first single… Clicking away on the band website or YouTube teasers in a marketing strategy that beats usually thrown around generic terms like ‘viral’ and ‘direct’. You can’t buy this kind of loyalty… Trust us, we’ve tried.

There have been artists making similar attempts. But Indian Ocean does it for reasons beyond fingering the man. Though that is a major driving force. They don’t need to throw attitude to portray confidence or keep long hair tamed under bandanas to prove their rock quotient. Nor will they ever be taken for granted because they have the one virtue most strive for – perseverance. Which is why they are humble. Also why they will greet you warmly with a hug after only two meetings or smile knowingly on the phone because you asked a silly question.

That question will get you an unexpected response. “We are making history, not money.” An irreverent brand if there ever was one. Whether it works or not, they maintain that its about keeping the fans happy.

No one in this profession will admit it’s the little things and not the big stuff that goes a long way. That is what has made Indian Ocean’s last decades and will see them through many more.

True, there will be those itching to turn to the centre spread, but this one isn’t for them. Its for those who love their Indian Ocean (they wouldn’t mind making the centrespread wait - just a tad bit).

From the August 2010 issue of FHM India.