Love The Panic(k)

By. Vivek M.V.

The experience is inexplicable when you have achieved something and you have many people to
share the credits. Accumulated knowledge and collective ideas, when put across in the best
manner have always proved to be effectual. Hence, this theory is what gave the enthusiastic
students of M.E.S Degree College to find themselves in the right place with clear intentions to
begin something which would immerse them in a world, where there is only one thing which
they love the most- MUSIC.

Thus, it took little effort in finding each other and putting across the idea of being
together as a team. Following this, the month of October, last year, saw the birth of the band
“Panik Hour”. A team of 4, the band has Soumick Mitra as the vocalist and rhythm guitarist,
Rishi Narayan as the lead guitarist, Sriram Sharma as the bassist and Manish Srini as the
drummer.

One listens to the name of the band and is sure to give some thought behind it. What has
panik(c) got do with these fellows?? Rishi Narayan shows interest to decipher, “We represent
ourselves as a ‘punk rock band’ and punk music is against the government”, says the lead
guitarist. An arduous music lover, he says it is something beautiful and becomes a part of ones
life.

“Panik Hour” plays hard core ‘punk’. Thus, the band takes liberty to name the type of
music as ‘punk metal’. The band takes inspiration from famous punk bands like “Remones”,
“Sex pistols” and “Misfits”. Sriram, the bassists, says “Our motto is to revive the dead genre and
bring back punk into the light, which was popular in 60s and 70s.” Exhibiting his confidence and
passion, Manish is very clear about his job. “We love playing punk and we want to show the
world that ‘punk aint dead’” states the drummer, who seeks inspiration from the famous
drummer, Shivamani.

It feels like heaven when a road less travelled has no obstructions. But it is not the
case often. Being college goers, the band members faced challenges in managing the academic
responsibilities. But the ability to handle pressure situations and to keep their work in balance
needs to be applauded and their efforts have paved way for a brighter outcome!

Being modest in their approach, the band has no intentions to compromise on their
success. “Panik Hour” had the privilege to perform in the All India Cultural Event- Mood Indigo,
in I.I.T Mumbai. “The semifinal berth in the competition was a moral boosting experience for all
of us” says Sriram. They also have record of performing in another All India Cultural Event-
Saarang, in IIT Chennai. Continuing their good run, the band has shown active interest to take
part in various intercollegiate competitions and have bagged 1st place in MLA College fest and
2nd place in Radians College fest, with their scintillating performances.
 The devoted nature of all the members is very transparent and their interest and dedication
has produced some original compositions in the likes of “Disintegration” and “Sometimes”.

It is pleasing to see the amount of respect and love everybody has for music. This attitude of
always being a learning team has helped them groom well for the coming days. “Music is the
only thing that stays from life to death and has no end”, expresses Manish. “What began as a
hobby, I wouldn’t mind taking it up as a career”, says Rishi, who seeks inspiration from Jiammy
Page.

“We have always believed in being the disciples of our creators. More than our
performances and the experience, we find it interesting to learn from the performances of other
bands”, exclaims Soumick. “I have always waited for this opportunity and with “Panik Hour”, I
feel I have got what I wanted since long”.

Any hurdle can be crossed if you know where you are headed and love what you are doing.
Panik Hour does just that!

BOX: The band can be reached at www.facebook/panikhour.com