It all happened in 1998 when a group of friends unanimously came
together with a confined intension to Rock n’ Roll in the
“Autumn Serenade” 98. when they opened for Pralaya &
Magnum Opus in Darjeeling. Despite being pitted against the two
biggest bands at that time, the boys managed to get the attention
of the crowd. The burning unleashed and burst forth with an enthusiasm
that set the stage and thus began the saga of the “Reincarnation”.
Work started right next morning with Vicky as the front man,
Kalyan on bass, Shadeo as lead guitarist accompanied by Sandeep
on 2nd guitar, Dewakar on the keyboards, Sanjit taking care of
his drums along with Dhiraj on percussions, the band soon began
performing at minor gigs in and around Darjeeling.
However, the Reincarnation’s biggest moment was when they
made a clear sweep of all the major awards at the Indian Institute
of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur festival in 2000. Vicky walked away
with the best vocals award, the best lead guitarist title went
to Shadeo and the best drummer was bagged by Sanjit. Needless
to add, the Reincarnation was declared the “Best Band”.
This was followed by a series of concerts in Darjeeling and its
allied areas.
What sets the band apart from the rest is perhaps their willingness
to experiment with different forms of music and not just sticking
to a particular genre and doing cover versions of English Rock
bands. The Reincarnation bagged the first position in the first
‘Nepali Pop Competition’ held in Darjeeling during the
year 2001. This event enabled them to get their track ‘Hijo
Samma’ find its way into “Gorkha Rocks” compilation
from the hills.
They are not bound by change in language, but for them music
itself is a universal language. By releasing their first debut
album now known in the market as ‘Hijo Samma’ in August,
2003, they have proved their versatility and have become a household
name.
The year 2003 saw them open for 1974 AD, one of the hottest bands
in Nepali Rock music scene. With ‘Hijo Samma’ gaining
immense popularity they performed at major concerts in Kalimpong,
Gangtok, Siliguri, Mirik, Dooars and Kurseong. They performed
before 1000 thronging heads here at the “Darjeeling Carnival
2003”.
The dying music episode in Darjeeling and their zeal for music
aroused their senses to revive the spirit of Rock in the hills.
Going through immense hardships, they have succeeded in acquainting
the people with their music. “Music for Peace” is what
the Reincarnation aspires and performs.
As far as their brand of music is concerned, the Reincarnation
has plenty of influences. Growing up on a staple dose of Iron
Maiden, Deep Purple, Guns n’ Roses, Doors, Kansas as most
youngsters of the region, their music still stand apart even when
they are doing cover versions. Their strength is in delivering
in mainstream rock with the perfect get up of “Tie n’
Dye” T-shirts, painted torn jeans, almost dramatizing their
performances to reach out to their audience, which worked wonders
in creating a certain ‘on-stage image’ for them.
“Though problems do crop up, the love for music and understanding
among ourselves is always constant. We all love to Rock n’
Roll and despite all the adversities, we still remain as a family”
says Vicky. “We are looking forward to a new sound with the
incorporation of some technical stuff in our forth coming album”,
says Axeman Shadeo.
In short, the birth of “The Reincarnation” is an ode
to the revival of rock music in the hills… A band that emerged
as an effort to bring souls together.
With more than 40+ stage performances, the Re-birth of Souls
is still rocking and plans to rock as long as they can.
“Rock n’ Roll is a state of mind, give peace a chance!”
Sachin exclaims.
"Om Shanti" is what they believe in.
Hijo Samma
