THE PIT : Breaking Chains – The Story Of A Revolution
THE SLUMBER BREAKS
“The persistence of a great vision doesn’t come without great sacrifices.”
It is said that in a state of affairs, under the boots of tyrannical thoughts, orthodox conventions and rotten beliefs, revolution comes strong and in a place like Kolkata, the Mecca and hub of cultural India, it comes like wildfire.
If there is one thing that Kolkata does not lack, then that is a genuine love for the arts, especially music. But back in the days the English music scene was all about covering popular songs by Pink Floyd and Eric Clapton, largely catering to the taste of late-night pub hoppers of Park Street.. This had resulted into a stoic, sessile music scene, which just refused to shed its old skin and embrace something new. Even though the city saw the emergence of very talented and skillful musicians, but the dependency on covers never seemed to make way for original music.
However in the middle periods of the last decade a few bands flourished in the city amidst all the cover bands, who believed in making music which was fresh, new and most importantly absolutely original. To the surprise of many, these oven-fresh bands were winning fans from all over the city, not by playing washed-up, worn-out, old cover songs but by making songs which they really wanted to make, while not missing out on the flavor the average music lover would love to lap up.
The immaculate rise of Bangla Bands and the thriving scene outside Kolkata, most importantly at cosmopolitan cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi also helped in bringing about a sea-change in the mindset of people, who were now ready to listen to music which was LOUDER, HARDER AND FASTER rather than the more “conservative” form of music sugar-coated in conformity. More and more young people, mostly college graduates and engineering students, were now listening to bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Iron Maiden at home, thanks to the high speed downloading, and were flocking at shows regularly, brandishing black t-shirts of their favourite bands.
The writing was clear on the wall - THE DOORS TO METAL HAD BEEN BLASTED OPEN.
Soon there was a surge of even heavier acts who introduced people of Kolkata to a more extreme form of Metal oblivious till now. But on parallel lines the city also witnessed the upcoming of immensely talented, young Non-Metal bands that were solidly competing along with the metal bands in local college competitions and were achieving thumping victories consistently. Although nothing really separated the bands performance-wise but what really segregated the two factions was the availability of opportunities. While the Non-metal bands landed with a show at a few of the venues in the city which supported live music on a regular basis– the metal bands were ignored conscientiously.
The scenes were dark and there was no glimmer of hope around. The road to metal in Kolkata was like a tunnel with no light at the end. It was heading into a void black hole, consumed by rejection, despair and a sense of helplessness. The final sledgehammer blow came in the form of Campus Rock Idols Preliminary rounds held on January 17, 2009. A catastrophic disaster of sorts.
Two eminent musicians, considered able people in their field, who were brought to judge the preliminary rounds, made dreadful decisions, poked fun at the metal bands, barring a very few and passed on judgments, laced with outlandish comments and funnier quotes. When the final results were declared it was not at all shocking, but amusing, to see that not a single metal band from the city was selected for the CRI finals with the exception of Sinful Oath. This was a sad day for the Kolkata metal scene. The hysteric laughter of rejection on the faces of judges sliced through the heart of every crestfallen metal head on that fateful evening. Metal in the city had hit rock bottom and from here the only direction to look towards was the sky. It was time to fight back and scream out aloud.
“If nobody is willing to give us a platform to perform and showcase our music, we will create our own.”
Firstly discussed by a handful of members belonging to the metal fraternity, the concept of organizing a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) event was then placed in front of the existing metal bands of the city at that time. The concept was lapped up immediately, the context of which was simple – organize an event with own funds and create a platform for the leading metal bands to showcase their talent to a broader audience, with a sense to carve out a parallel scene for the metalhead from Kolkata who can co-exist with other conservative music listeners in the Kolkata music scenario. This was the hour to keep aside the disappointment of CRI 2009 and the participating metal bands of the city went ahead and decided to organize the first show.
On January 27, 2009, the seeds of THE PIT were sown into the soil of hope and faith which foretold about a future when this very seed will one day grow into a massive tree, thus giving shelter and a ray of optimism to all the metal loving people in this city. It was a stern test of character, unflappable courage and hard-as-steel resolve of the organizers which gave the people of Kolkata its first PIT ever. The first battlefield chosen was TAPAN THEATRE, a venue which slowly became synonymous with the event over the course of time.The first PIT ever experienced a footfall of roughly 350 people, which included supporters of the movement, fellow musicians from the music scene and also other senior personalities. The event started late at about 12 noon and ended at about 8 in the evening. These eight hours of metal, madness and maniac moshpits with frantic headbanging was like a smash-mouth punch on the jaws of the people who thought they controlled music in this city. There was nowhere to run and hide from the rage and wrath that prevailed in the hearts of the people who loved this genre of music, till now denied a place amidst more “sophisticated”, “cultured” and “civilized” breeds of this human society. There was no space to reject them anymore. There was no room for ignorance of facts.
A small step had been taken that was to be transformed into a massive leap in the times to come. The first PIT proved to be roaring success, sending a message across and left many a doubters flabbergasted at the exhibit of the level of professionalism and accurate strategical actions undertaken to make the show happen. The effort was unanimously applauded by all and an upbeat PIT organizing committee decided to put forward the second version some time soon. That fortunate moment didn’t arrive till April 18th, 2009 which gave the people of Kolkata the second installment of PIT. Better arrangements of sound and lights were made and two more metal bands were thrown into the mix to give the event a massively grand look, but not without retaining the same spirit of the first version which had made it such a runaway hit.
In the next two years THE PIT has spawned out three more versions of it; becoming bigger, better and more meaningful in the process as it has been successful in encouraging and developing a feeling of brotherhood within the Kolkata metal fraternity, amongst both the musician and the listener. The crowd attendance has swelled up from a few hundred to a few thousand now and it is only expected to grow in the days to come. Many have come and many have gone, but PIT has withstood the test of time and survived along with people who have stuck with each other in trying conditions with will and determination to make this event possible.
Today The PIT is a celebration of intrepid spirit of overcoming impossible odds and emerging on the other side as a survivor. THE PIT is not an individual or a band and not even a bunch of bands coming together to make a show happen but a concept, an idea which has played a pivotal role in changing the face of metal music here in this City of Joy. THE PIT has not only rightfully gained its position to be the insignia of metal in this city, but also is a motif of an undying revolution, a rebellion to change things all that is stale and stunted.
THE PIT V 6.0 DRED REVOLUTION is about to hit the city very soon as it has dared to move out of its comfort zone and explore itself in a newer way. But nothing comes for free. Unseen is the immense hard work and mental strain that each person behind the curtains has to put in to get this show going. Ignored are the efforts that the performing bands put in to make every PIT an unforgettable experience. It is not hype, it is not a fad. It is a tree which gives shade and comfort to every person who believes in something different, the one who dares to think distinct, a voice which is not afraid to scream out the truth.
HATE IT OR LOVE IT….YOU KNOW THAT YOU WANT TO BE IN THE PIT \m/
It is said that all that begins must rightfully end but the survivor lives through apocalypse anyway.
