School rock bands hit high note

Strumming guitar strings since the age of 10, Shayaan Oshidar (15) always dreamt of starting a band.

Strumming guitar strings since the age of 10, Shayaan Oshidar (15) always dreamt of starting a band.

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“I thought it would be cool to have an all-girl band,” said Oshidar, who doubles up as a vocalist with Amplitude, the band she put together with her JB Petit schoolmates last year. The band has already performed at Not Just Jazz By The Bay, a pub at Churchgate.

While students have always played instruments, it was in college that they usually banded together to make music. Now, many are forming bands as early as middle school.

Yuvana, the two-year-old inter-school festival at RN Podar, Santacruz, has a separate competition for student bands.
This November, 24 school bands registered for it compared to just seven last year.

“Now everyone thinks they are rockstars,” joked Meera Isaacs, principal of Cathedral and John Connon School, Fort, which started an intra-school music festival in 2007 for the mushrooming talent.

Facilities such as guitar lessons and music rooms in schools are spurring rock star dreams.

While some covet the adulation at annual pageants and talent shows, others simply enjoy jamming with friends.

“When I play, I want to be able to do my own thing,” said Viren Sabharwal (16), a Podar International School student.

“Schools don’t otherwise always allow you to do that.”

Starting young has flipsides too. “School rules stunt the cool aspects like growing your hair or wearing grunge clothes,” rued Karan Hariharan (17), who started out in a band in Ecole Mondiale World School, Juhu.

While it’s ironic that schools and parents are increasingly supporting a form of music once rooted in rebellion, the climate for rock in India is itself changing.

“With music becoming more financially viable, parents are less opposed to it. Also, there are more live music venues to play at,” said Ajay Makhija, of Blue Frog, which promotes live music.