63 years ago we won our Independence... 25 years ago we won our right to ROCK!

 

Celebrating 25 years of Indian Rock - Independence Rock, the annual rock event held every year for the past 24 years has become the oldest & biggest rock festival held in the country, where bands vie with one another to get a chance to play and make their debut at this ever-popular festival! Some of the leading Rock bands in the country today have made their debut at the festival over the years and have gone on to achieve great success! 

 

The event has been the breaking ground for several bands & pop acts all across the country such as - Mirage, Orphean Revival, Indus Creed (formerly Rock Machine), Chakraview, Brahma, Zero, Pentagram, Shweta Shetty, Shiamak Davar, Ezee Meat, Short Circuit, Voices, Shiva, Jasmine Bharucha, Suneeta Rao, Pythogoras & the Right Angles, Gary Lawyer, Parikrama, Zero, Agni, Millenium, etc. Bands from all across the country have been given the opportunity to play and make their music heard.

 

Independence Rock over the years has faced severe adversity which has threatened its very existence many a times... 24 long years which have always been fun and interesting, sometimes it was the police, sometimes politicians, sometimes the Censor Board and sometimes even rival concert promoters. Every year has been touch and go, but Independence Rock has managed to prevail & grow from strength to strength.

 

I remember that about 18 years ago at Independence Rock 6, it rained so hard and Bombay was completely flooded, we were sure that we would have to cancel the show. But come 6:30pm, hordes of people in shorts and umbrellas showed up and we had a full house. This day truly affirmed my faith in the power of Rock & Roll!

 

In year 20, I-Rock had its closest call and for the first time in 20 years, the show got cancelled 1 hour before showtime as the Police Commissioner of Mumbai, in his infinite wisdom, refused permission to allow the event to be staged at the Gateway of India. 6000 disappointed Rock Fans simply turned away and left without creating any law and order problems... the very reasons cited by the Commissioner in his denial letter. The public outcry that followed was unanimous and the event, when it was staged 1 month later at the Chitrakoot Grounds in Andheri had the largest audience turnout ever in its 20 year history! He had actually succeeded in making Independence Rock a household name across India! For this I thank him.

 

Through the years, many bands have come and gone, and all have told me that playing at I-Rock has always been magical for them. Bands have told us that they play all across the country but when they play at I-Rock it is the most exhilarating stage. Also what has been amazing is the number of people from every walk of life and in every possible stream of business who have at some point attended the event, and the event itself has been a sort of Rite of Passage for them.

 

For me personally, it has been a sort of a magical coming-of-age experience where I have gained Notoriety, Fame and Bouquets & Brickbats throught this event.

 

I’d like to thank all the Bands, Technicians, Sponsors, Press, and mostly the Fans for making this a Magical Journey for 25 Long Years.