A little goodbye: Parikrama set to re-launch old hit as tribute to their bandmate Sonam Sherpa

To pay a tribute to the guitarist and celebrate his life, the band will re-launch the video of its revered hit song But It Rained on October 8 – Sherpa’s birthday.
Parikrama with Sonam Sherpa (extreme left)
Parikrama with Sonam Sherpa (extreme left)

The 90s was a time when indie rock bands were a thing that gave the Indians a taste of a different kind of music. And one such prominent band was Parikrama – formed in Delhi in 1991 by Subir Malik and Sonam Sherpa, who died of cardiac arrest in February. To pay a tribute to the guitarist and celebrate his life, the band will re-launch the video of its revered hit song But It Rained (2001) on October 8 – Sherpa’s birthday.

Malik says, “But It Rained was originally composed in 1996 and we have played it live since then. It was recorded in December 2000, and the video was finally shota released it in the winter of 2001. It was probably the first ever film shot in Kaza, Spiti Valley.” The song marks the kidnappings in the Kashmir valley. “It was written by a little know group called Al Farhan, in the mid 90s. A few of the hostages have still not been found. When we read of the plight of the families looking for them, we were very moved. That’s how, But It Rained was conceived and composed,” says Malik.

Is the new video a recreation of the old song? “No”, he adds. “The only difference is that we have added the extra 22-second video of Sonam’s full guitar solo, which we managed to retrieve from an old handycam footage. It was very limited as all footage was destroyed because it was on a tape,” says Malik, who plays keyboard. On choosing this song, Malik shares it was one of Sonam’s favourite songs, and has his iconic guitar solo.

“When the video was released, we had to cut this portion due to time restrictions. Moreover, we feel this song is still very relevant to everyone, and if someone understands it properly, it really helps you through tough times as well.” Malik says he will always treasure the memories of the 29 years that the band spent with Sherpa and nearly 3,000 shows that they did together.

“He was the most hard working man we have ever met. He never missed an opportunity to make us laugh. He was the heart of the band and will be forever. Once for a shoot, he had to climb 30 stairs carrying a heavy guitar and appear on a machan with fire all around. I was so worried and I told him that you are overweight, how will you carry it. But he said, ‘No, I’ll do it’. That was his spirit,” Malik reminiscences. The band comprising Nitin Malik (vocals), Saurabh Choudhary (guitar), Gaurav Balani (bass guitar), and Srijan Mahajan (drums) has just released a new version of Vapourise. “We have another song called Life Is Certain that is almost complete. Expect loads of releases from the band.”

ABOUT ‘BUT IT RAINED’

The song marks the kidnappings in the Kashmir valley in the mid 90s, by a little know group called Al Farhan. Some of the hostages have still not been found. Parikrama put together the complete song after
reading about the plight of the families looking for their lost ones.”

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com