Infivictims :: VINAPRA :: Hindi Rock!

By Kaustubh Srikanth

Vivian (guitars), Natraj (vocals), Prasad (drums), and Pradeep (bass guitar) complete Vinapra. Hailing from Bangalore, the band prides itself on being the only rock band from the south of India to write songs in the national language, Hindi.

Vinapra have recently been featured on a music compilation, titled ‘Asha Wali Dhoop’. The compilation is in aid of the tsunami that hit the south of Asia late last year and features some of the biggest names in Indian music.

I caught up with Natraj, the lead vocalist/songwriter for an exclusive, in-depth interview. Lets find out about what the latest is in the Vinapra camp…

Natraj, thank you so much for taking time out to join me here for this interview! For people not too familiar with the background of VINAPRA. Tell us a bit about the band. How long have you been playing and how did it all start?

Hey, cool…it’s a pleasure. We are a Hindi rock band from Bangalore, we started forming the band in ‘98 and found it very tough getting people to play for a Hindi rock band. But after a lot of testing times we have an identity now. We just wanted to be different and it has worked for us. We are a 4 piece rock band.

“Vinapra” is an acronym of all our names, Vivian on rhythm and lead guitars, Natraj on vocals, Prasad on Drums and Pradeep on Bass. We get add-on artists on the keyboards & violin from time to time depending on the show.

We started playing from 2000-01. We are about 40 shows old and perform for about 2 hrs now and have shared the stage with a lot of big names like Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, Parikrama, Euphoria etc. We also play covers of well known bands like Floyd, Purple, Doors etc., but mostly promote our own compositions.

I have to ask you right off about an interesting project that you took part in recently. I was pleasantly surprised to read on your site that you were recording a track for a new album called ‘Asha Wali Dhoop’ featuring greats like Ustad Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Taufiq Qureshi, Alms For Shanti, and Ali Azmat! It sounds like you had a lot of fun doing this, and I can easily see why it would have been fun. What was the atmosphere like, working with all of these great musical guests involved in the album?

I think we were very lucky, it’s a great pleasure being seen with artists so big and great. The record company “Free spirit” had heard our songs and wanted us to compose one song for the Tsunami relief. We recorded the song “Dharti”? which was added on the compilation as our bit to help the Tsunami victims. I met all the great artists you mentioned at the press conference and got to know that they liked our song, which was a very big compliment to us.

Are you considering releasing your own album sometime in the near future?

Our album is all ready to release, we are just finalising the video bit. These things take a lot of money and time. Hopefully it should be out by Nov-Dec 05.

As an artist, how different does it feel to record professionally when compared to playing Live? Briefly talk us through your studio experience.

Studio is a completely different ball game, I should thank my producer “Ricky Kej” who has been patient with us cause we took a lot of time in recording, as all of us work and getting time off in between shows, jams & lazing around is tough. In the studio one really gets to know the mistakes one makes on the stage and gets away with, everything has to be perfect, re-checked & a lot of time has to be spent on it.

But for a rock band it’s the stage that really matters, thats who you really are, thats the moment we really wait for. No matter how big the stage is, where you are playing, how long you are playing, the band wishes that they are alwayS on stage. Its a rush one has to be on stage to explain. I am sure the other bands would agree..

A lot of people say that there is no such thing as “Hindi Rock”. Your comments?

They are perceptions and differ to individuals. Lot of people have asked us this question before a show and we always tell them, watch the show and you will know. And they do! Our music is rock but we sing in Hindi, we have a big country to sing to & whats wrong with hindi?

You have to be original at some point, we just chose to be original from the very beginning. As Kurt Kobain once said, “Trying to be someone else is a waste of who you are.” In the 50’s there was nothing called Rock, but later it took the world by storm,. Who knows, maybe we’ll end up being the the pioneers of “Hindi rock”.

What kind of vocal training have you had, if any?

I have not had any training professionally, but have worked really hard to learn some classical stuff and luckily have been gifted.

Can you tell us about some of your influences as a songwriter and as a musician?

As a song writer I relate a lot to pain which plays a big part in all our lives, some of us drink thinking about it, some crib, some sulk. I think, I write and i feel very good about it as so many people get to hear the finished product. The greatest joy a musician or a song writer can have is when someone is singing your song, it’s an amazing feeling.

As a musician I like and respect a lot of Indian and international talent. I am a great admirer of Kishore da, RD Burman, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Aerosmith…. the list would go on and on. As a musician one has to have an open mind, thats very important in my opinion.

I understand that all band members of Vinapra hold full-time jobs in their fields of expertise apart from making music. Please tell us the difficulties you face while juggling a full time job and your musical career?

It’s very tough getting all of us together compared to a college band where in all the members are together and do a lot. We jam on every holiday, saturday & sunday, we never meet otherwise, our timings are crazy. One is in a call center, the other is a lecturer, i am into event management etc. There are times we just meet and do a straight set for 2 hrs and just split.

It gets very frustrating sometimes but we have realised its a part of the job, but all of us are willing to take this as a profession if we really do well. In case of a show all of us have to take days off from work for jams and the show which can get really tough at times.

I notice that you very actively promote your music over the Internet. How important and effective has the online element been to getting the word out about your music?

Its been very helpful! You are connected to the whole world sitting in front of the computer, so many people get to see your site, hear your music online. I must thank you guys for playing our song “Dharti” on Infinity Radio, this way more and more people get to know who we are.

Natraj, I want to thank you very much again for your time to answer my questions here, and I want to give you the opportunity to plug your website, upcoming gigs, or anything else you’d like as we wrap up here!

Thank you very much for the interview, been a pleasure, you guys really help us reach out to a wider audience. I would like to tell the readers that our first single “Dharti” has been released in a compilation album called “Asha Wali Dhoop” and is available at all Planet M stores across the country. Thanks again.. Hindi rocks..!

You can visit Vinapra’s official website for latest information about the band and their upcoming gigs.

tags: bangalore, hindi, india, rock