AGNI: Darkening Light

Title: Darkening Light
Artist: AGNI
Album: Wind Dance With Fire
Genre: Rock

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.