Mumbai: Mahesh Tinaikar, the founding lead guitarist of India’s pioneering rock band Indus Creed, passed away on Thursday following a heart attack. He was 63. The news was confirmed today by fellow guitarist Allan Ao.
From Rock Machine to Indus Creed
Tinaikar was part of the Mumbai-based band since its initial days as Rock Machine. The band was formed in 1984, with the original line-up comprising Tinaikar on lead guitar, Mark Selwyn on bass, Ian Santamaria on vocals, Aftab Currim on rhythm guitar and Suresh Bhadricha on drums.
As Rock Machine, and later as Indus Creed from 1994, comprising vocalist Uday Benegal, keyboardist Zubin Balaporia, bassist Mark Selwyn, guitarist Jayesh Gandhi and drummer Mark Menezes, the band helped shape the Indian rock scene.
A pioneering guitarist and music educator
Tinaikar was a songwriter and composer who also composed music for TV and became an educator from 2011, serving on the faculty of True School of Music in Mumbai from 2016 to 2018.
Under his tenure, Indus Creed became the first Indian band to feature on MTV Asia and won the Asia-wide MTV Viewers’ Choice award for their song ‘Pretty Child’. He is survived by his legacy as one of the most influential guitarists from the 1980s Bombay rock circuit.
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Rock veterans pay emotional tributes
Tributes for the guitarist poured in from fellow rock veterans. Singer-composer Vishal Dadlani, from seasoned rock act Pentagram, posted on Instagram, “India lost a true LEGEND today. Every single rock and roller since #RockMachine owes @sheeshling (Mahesh Tinaikar) a debt of gratitude for lighting up the way that we couldn’t even imagine until they walked it! An inspiring and pioneering musician, and a guy who always stood on the right side of things. Grateful I got to be on stage with @induscreednow and say thanks to all of them in public. I feel like I’ve been kicked hard in the chest…”
Musician Floyd Francisco Fernandes wrote, “At a time in Bombay, where the only quality playing we heard was on tape, there was this guy. With his black Ibanez and rainbow strap he played with blazing intensity while looking calm. Most of us from that era were inspired to play purely because we saw Mahesh Tinaiker at Rang Bhavan year after year…”.
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