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T h e  G e m s  o f  D a r j e e l i n g

Mr.  P u r a n   G o n g b a

The first person who comes to our mind when we think about the music scene here is Mr.Puran Gongba.He is one musician who was admired then and still admired now. He started playing the guitar out of interest, and learnt it the hard way.

He used to tirelessly listen to the radio, watch movies and teach himself to place fingers and strum the strings.he played the guitar with many bands like Extreme Moderation and Hillians.In between he went to the United Kingdom for a few years. Here he worked and took guitar lessons. That was when he learnt to read music.

He is fondly called "Joey" by the Darjeeling crowd and the foreigners, who visit his pub called "Joey's Pub" ,the only pub in town.

He tells us that Darjeeling was a happening place back in the sixties.He cherishes the Jazz,Samba,Ramba dances that used to be held at the Gymkhana Club and jokes that the ball room is now called the Dining Room.People from the North-East used to come to Darjeeling to buy the latest gadgets and ask him about the latest in music, he adds.

Inspite of his love for music he stopped playing after his last stage appearance in 1985.We asked him the reason and he stated that guys in Darjeeling have lots of talent but there is one to promote them.So they have to give up their love for music soon and start finding other alternate ways to earn their daily bread and butter.

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M r.  J e e v a n  P r a d h a n

He is one of the most important people in Darjeeling who made Darjeeling stand out in the music scene. He is another person who is admired and loved my music lovers of Darjeeling. He is actively involved in the process of making of musicians through the institute, "Melody Academy" founded by his father Mr. Mahendra Lama in 1978. The institute imparts the musicial education to its students for as low as Rs. 150/- per month. The institute also helps outstanding students to prepare for exams affiliated to the "Trinity College of Music" in London.

Mr.Jeevan was introduced forcibly to violin at a tender age of 8 years. But then he never looked back. So when he was in the college he started learning the piano,and at 20, he tried his hands on guitar. Soon he was sharing his musical expertise with students in his father's academy.He is a member of the Delhi Symphonic Society, the only symphonic society in India.

He used to play for various bands but now he is more into classical.Some of his very popular compositions are Ecstasy, Sunrise and Snake Charmer. Besides teaching in his academy he is a teacher in Turnbull High School, Darjeeling. He has also directed plays like Le Miserables, Evita, Oliver Twist and Jesus Christ Superstar.

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T h e   F o r b i d d e n   F r u i t

Perhaps the first band to make news everywhere,this band was the longest standing band in Darjeeling.The had the biggest impact on the Western Music in Darjeeling.Their musical journey began out of personal interests and actually started in 1970 with the original line-up of Paulgose on guitars and vocals,Jivan Pradhan on bass guitar,Robert Wilson on drums and Viveka Wilson on piano.

Western music and playing guitars were a taboo while Eastern Music was accepted those days.It was a forbidden fruit So they had to take a bite by all means and cared less about being thrown out of their homes and their grades going down in school.

The band released the first rock album "The First Bite" in their later years.It was a home recording with no proper equipments.Nevertheless the album did make history as the first Rock Album in Darjeeling.

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T h e  D i a m o n d s 

The Diamonds formed in the second half of the sixties are considered by some as the first band to start Western Rock in Darjeeling.The band line up had Pemba Lepcha,Bikram Subba,Suren Rai,Pravin Gazmer and Subarna Limbu. They started off playing instrumentals by Ventura and Shadows and went on to play the covers of The Beatles ,Santana and the like.
The band broke up in the early seventies,members dispersing to form other bands.

Among the band members ,Pemba later formed Prism in Kathmandu.Subarna joined him later.They are still playing in the band.Suren Rai holds a government job and Bikram runs a studio in Darjeeling called Ears Studio.

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T h e  D o w n f a l l

The Gorkhaland Movement which started in the mid 80s had a major impact on the whole social structure of Darjeeling.During this movement which lasted for a few years,Darjeeling saw the finest of schools closing down for months in a row because of strikes ,night life ceased to exist and almost all public activities came to a sudden halt.This also had an impact on the music scenario in Darjeeling and the musicians had to go through the darkest period in the history of Darjeeling.Thus started the downfall of music and the social stucture of Darjeeling.

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Despite the political instabality in Darjeeling there were a few bands that were active in some way in the 80s too.The U.S Band was one such band.They had a great fan following even in the major cities of India.Their vocalist,Wangchuk played the role of Jesus Christ in the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" and the band members played the music for it in 1989.

Magnum Opus is another band playng in that decade.The band started in 1980 with Mahesh Thapa in guitars,Keshar Subba in bass,Palden in lead guitar,Mohan Giri in drums and Pasang Bhutia in vocals.Deven Gurung joined the band in 1986 in the second vocals and later became the main vocalist.Like other bands in Darjeeling Magmun Opus had several changes in their line up.But the band is very much alive and they play atleast two or three times a year.Though the Gorkhaland Movement brought about a harsh social change in Darjeeling,the band members preffered Music to Drugs.

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The Scenario Now

Music and art forms,all have taken a back seat .We rarely have musical events and competitions.Darjeeling is no more a happening place it used to be.But even in this grim scenario there are a few young generation wannabes who give us a glimpse of hope.they are Pralaya,Divine Wreck,Destiny,Hell Riders,Damaged Brain,Liviathon and Whitefield Eclipse.So don't stop reading here.Check out these bands and feel proud about them.

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P r a l a y a

Pralaya is one of the happening bands in Darjeeling.The band was started in 1995 with Rajeev Thatal on vocals,Sonam on guitars,Harish Sena on drums, Dawa Dukpa on guitars and Sachin on keyboards.
Since their formation ,they have been playing regularly outside Darjeeling.They have participated and won in several prestigious contests.The list is endless. So we list only a few of them.

Three times in IIT, Delhi.
Twice in IIT Kanpur.
Once in IIFT (Delhi).

Besides these they have held professional shows in Delhi, Lucknow, Nagaland, Bhutan, Mumbai ( Independence Rock ), Dooars, Kalimpong and Bagdogra. They have played only four times in Darjeeling.

Pralaya, performing at a rock show competition

Mail The Band

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W h i t e  F i e l d  E c l i p s e

The band consists of four members.They believe that music is one universal language and has no boundaries as to which community it belongs to.Benoy Thapa,the vocalist tells us "that it is something which should be felt from deep within."

They are among the thousands of unsigned artists lingeriing on the dark side of the story,still searching for that light to come.Their music has a unique experience of the "Acoustics"-all their songs are based on acoustic guitars.Each song of theirs brings a different social message,like the "Blind Man's World" about the misery of a blind man. They believe that no other instrument can produce a sound that is so natural and beautiful as of the acoustic guitar.They are looking for sponsors to promote their music. Anyone there.

Mail them at : whitefieldeclipse@yahoo.com

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T h e  R e i n c a r n a t i o n   R . O . S ( R e b i r t h  O f  S o u l s )

    The Reincarnation was formed in the year 1998 by some young friends with the intention of playing pure rock 'n' roll music.They first got their break when they opened for rock bands like Pralaya and Magnum Opus .After that show, they have always kept themselves occupied with gigs 'n' concerts in and around Darjeeling and Nepal.

    The major events in their musical career was winning the ' I.I.T Spring Fest ' in Kharagpur, a major concert in the north region of India.There they stood first and also bagged prizes for the Best Vocals, Best Drummer 'n' Best Guitars. The band also opened for the major upcoming band of India, Parikrama.

    The reincarnation comprises of Vicky Labar on vocals, Shadeo Lama on 1st guitar, Sandeep Labar on 2nd guitar, Kalyan Sundas on bass, Vishal Lomzail on keyboards 'n' Sanjit Mothey on the drums.

    Like all upcoming bands, the Reincarnation is influenced and finds pleasure in playing musics of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Europe, Iron Maiden 'n' the ever ruling Queen.But their music is more in the vein of mainstream rock.

The Reincarnation, performing live a rock show

Mail The Band

or Call them at: ( 0354 ) - 55852 / 56116

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D i v i ne  W r e c k

Divine Wreck is another promising band from the young crop of musicians in Darjeeling.
Divine Wreck's present line up has Sawan Tamang on vocals, Avoy Thatal on drums,his twin brother, Ajay Thatal on guitars, Xavier Lama on guitar and back vocals and Roshan Pradhan on bass.

They play harsh,rap influenced songs of Limp Bizkit, Rage Against the Machine and Korn.
They indulge in covering bands that are gaining popularity worldwide.