AGNI: Kashmir

Title: Kashmir Artist: AGNI Album: Wind Dance With Fire Genre: Rock AGNI MEANING: One of the most important of the Vedic gods, the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices, a messenger from and to the other gods. He is ever-young, because the fire is re-lit every day, and also immortal. Lyrics: Maybe I was born to write down this song Of lands known far and wide And stories bygone It's all about this place white mountains embrace Cold winds moving by Move down treetops with grace Where the valleys out in green they're crying out of the scene bringing colours of true love To the people beneath Chorus And when I think of all the times bygone She's been just losing till the end of her life Can you turn around -- Give peace a chance Give me back this land of mine I said wake up through the night Wake up to the morning light Wake up realise It's taken down from Paradise Kashmir SECOND VOCALS (NARRATION) Located on the edge or the top of this nation Like a drop of sunlight or is it Nature's creation Where the rivers run cold in rhythmic recitation It's the land of the ice, peace and meditation Then would come the time In the middle of the night Man did turn to fight for the wrong or right He would blow it down the ground Paint it with red and make the innocent man the victim of lead And a scream would then be heard across a thousand miles It's the scream of mother of one She's screaming out now for her child Chorus And when I think......... Kashmir About AGNI Band: The First coming of Agni: Bass: Juggie Rhythm: Bell Lead: Dilip Sonawane Drums: Ashish Manchanda Vocals: Bharath The Second Coming: Bass: Juggie Rhythm: Bell Lead: Vasant Bhalwankar Drums: Ashish Manchanda Vocals: Bharath Formed in 1985 by Pravin Bell, Bharath and Juggie, Agni has stood the test of time to become one of the most loved rock bands in the country. It grew up struggling with sub-standard instruments and disinterested recording labels, but always with the goal of carving an identity of their own. In 1992 Agni came out of its childhood with Rustom (Ross) Kayani and Kaustubh (Koko) Dhavale joining the band. And it translated all its restless energy and hunger for succour (very much a hall mark of Agni, the Firegod) into a creative force that could not be denied. And from Pune's best band they grew into one of the premier rock acts in India. A record company, Virgo, took notice and their first album, Wind Dance With Fire, was released in 1993. In spite of poor production values on their first video, Darkening Light, their supporters were delighted with the air time on MTV and the album sold more than 60,000 copies all over the country. In fact, their appeal was such that 10,000 CDs were sold out within the first four days. The band toured all over the country, from the plushness of Delhi's Holiday Inn and the grimness of Tihar Jail to the rocky heights of the North East. The number, Kashmir, is chanted by crowds till this day whenever and wherever they take the stage. All this was enough impetus for the band and they came up with the concept for their second album, Mrityunjaya - Victor Over Death. It was essentially Juggie's baby. But on the eve of going into the studios for recording, tragedy struck and what transpired in May 1995 is today rock folklore. The band, then on the pinnacle of its success, lost Juggie and manager, Mandy, in an automobile accident. But the fire never died. It took the band three long and heart wrenching years of soul searching to get back on its feat. Vocalist Bharath could not cope with Juggie's death and was replaced with the prolific Uday Iyer. And the band rose from the ashes in a new avatar. Gone was the recklessness, the negative vibes, and the association with all that was dark and murky in rock 'n' roll. Agni returned in pristine white, pure in sound, Indian to the very core and burning brighter than ever before.