In the far north-east of India, cut off from the rest of thecountry except via a narrow land bridge, perhaps the only way to make yourselfheard is loud, really loud, rock music. For White Fire's drummer ElangbamKumar, that explains why their cover version of the Guns N'Roses song"Welcome To The Jungle" has become an anthem for the band and a bighit with their fans in the remote state of Manipur.
The state borders on Myanmar and has struggled for decadeswith separatist violence, a society divided among competing tribes and grindingpoverty. It is also an unlikely hub for rock and heavy metal music, boasting aburgeoning festival scene and local stars who have defied social and culturalboundaries to pursue their music. "All my pain and angst found an outletin this genre of music. It is the attitude and the lyrics which are the biggestdraw for us," says 32-year-old Kumar, his tattooed biceps bulging out of atight T-shirt. Kumar first started playing music at college in the city ofBangalore, where he watched MTV and hung out with students from across Indiawho were into the "head-banging" style of the West. "There issomething raw, rebellious and pure about rock. You can express yourselffreely," he explains, adjusting drums in his makeshift practice roomdecorated with posters of US heavy metal bands Coal Chamber and Slipknot.
Kumar's passion reflects the feelings of many youngManipuris, who often leave to go to bigger cities for higher education and jobsbut then tend to drift back to their home state. For them, rock music is astatement against India's mainstream culture which seems alien and imposed bynational authorities. The backstreets of the state capital Imphal are packedwith small recording studios and music shops.
Many Manipuris feel that the concept of being "ofIndia" in any meaningful sense is one they find difficult to entertainwith a sense of isolation that is not just geographical, but also ethnic,linguistic, economic and political. Such alienation is common in a number ofthe "Seven Sisters" -- the group of northeastern states encircled byfour other countries and connected to the rest of India by a sliver of landthat arches over Bangladesh.
The earliest rock influences arrived in Manipur via Thailandand the rest of southeast Asia over the border into India from Myanmar, knownas Burma before 1989.
