On a song

The city is not new to musical bands, but there’s one which stands out. With a name like Swastik, these musical youngsters have set out to make their music stand for a lofty ideal. The group instituted the band in 2007, inspired by the Indian band, Indian Ocean. The influence of global and Indian music is evident in their songs.
According to band director RohitJoshi, they love studying worldwide trends in music and assimilating them in their songs.
The Indian, western, Pakistani Sufi and folk music touch give an earthy but universal appeal to their songs. But there’s more to Swastik than music. These youngsters weave the socio-economic realities of the time into their music. In the words of Rohit, “The condition of the poor in India haunts me. What kind of future can our country expect if this is the scenario? From the day I started singing professionally, my sole aim has been to sing for the people and about the problems they face everyday.” Karan Verma, another band member agrees. "Our first album is mostly to do with songs are either folk and related to issues such as poverty and gender bias," he said.
Bollywood is not on their priority list right now, said band member Rishab Kesar, adding that they relate more to Coke Studio. According to Pankaj Verma, the bassist, their message to fellow musicians is, “Compose your own music and try to help people of the city, state and country. Bring about a change through your work.