Despite the fear of being trolled, The Mallroad Project say war is not the answer in their new song, Dehshatgard
Hindi rock band The Mallroad Project’s music is intense and introspective, lyrically as well as sonically — whether the poignant Tu Kahan and groovy Dil Kyun Khamosh Kai? off their EP Naazni (2017), Saansein from Behti Hawa (2018) and rock-n-roll single Udti Patang. While the Delhi-based four-piece group’s, comprising Shankar Sharma on lead guitars and vocals, lead vocalist Mahavir Singh Rawat, bassist Praveer Kumar and drummer Akhil Thakur, works have been about challenges, fears, dreams and hopes of a new-age Indian, they are now moving towards singing about critical social issues — like in their latest single Dehshatgard that tries to understand terrorism.
SAY WHAT YOU FEEL
The 26/11 terrorist attack on the Taj Hotel, Mumbai, deeply affected them as individuals and ever since they formed in 2015, they spoke about making a song about it. “We were really shocked after the Pulwama attack, but what perturbed us more was people calling for a war. We felt like outcasts because we didn’t think violence was the answer,” says Shankar. It was the frustration of not being understood that led them to create the song.
“You think you are achieving something with violence, but you are not. War is a vicious circle without an end,” the musician elaborates. The quartet was aware of the risk of being trolled but, “It was our responsibility to say what we felt”, says Shankar, and the song garnered a positive response.
EVOLVING AS MUSICIANS
Their next single is called Thharki Boss, which addresses sexual harassment of women at workplace as well as public spaces. “The emotions in this one are again extremely strong because this is something we have
witnessed all around us,” Shankar states. For the next one year, they will release five-odd tracks tackling a social issue and eventually make it into a digital EP. “We may end up offending some people but we can’t help it. What needs to be said, needs to be said,” Shankar emphasises.
Though balancing day jobs with musicianship, they dream of doing music full-time. Even a rock band oscillating between hard rock, progressive, psychedelic, etc, in the guitarist’s opinion, it’s the right time to express what one feels through music, no matter what the genre.
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