Skip to content Skip to navigation

‘Drihrata’ by Farmaan , a new dimension in Assamese music scenario

The sound that can melt hearts, the melody that can be felt within & the symphony that can bring a head bangers ball, in short this is what Farmaan can be defined as. Farmaan doesn’t have a constrained genre as all the members are having varied influences and musical inclination. It likes to do constant experiments with all kinds of music varying from classic rock & metal to RNB & blues.


Away from their hometown, all the members were quite academically inclined. They have completed their engineering from the prestigious institutions and are currently working as engineers in large PSUs and MNCs. They even got a chance to complete their Masters in elite colleges like Georgia Tech, NUS and many other colleges abroad but their love for the music couldn’t allow them to go away. They stayed back so that they could hold on to their dreams, the dream of making it big & creating a revolution in the Assamese music industry.


Although they stayed back it seemed that their dreams were fading away. Frustrated in their own office cubicles they were trying to work out a plan to get out of their monotonous office work. Luck shone on them and they could find like minded colleagues. This led to the inception of ‘ Vervain Productions’. The brain child of Soumya Dash, Vervain Productions has partners who are basically engineers from colleges like IITs & NITs.


Now under the banner of Vervain Productions the band has released their first album ‘DRIHRATA’ on 23rd May 2010. ‘Drihrata’ contains 9 tracks, 5 in Assamese, and 4 bonus tracks in Hindi. The fact that all the tracks are completely different and each has got its unique style is what makes this band so special. Language doesn’t have a barrier for the band so their lyrics are both in Assamese and Hindi. In the album it can be easily seen that the band doesn’t have any constrained genre, ‘Oxanto Hridoy’ is a power ballad, ‘ Lorali ‘ is a soft rock number, ‘Xopun’ is influenced by R&B and ‘Drihrata’ is more or less a Nu-metal number. So the album has something for everyone.


The band has also released a promotional vide of their song ‘ Oxanto Hridoy ‘ which is undoubtedly one of the costliest music video in the Assamese music industry. The song is about the frustrations of people of all ages which is very aptly portrayed by Deepak Dey , one of the leading video director and choreographer of Assam. The you tube link for the video is given below:









About the band:


Farmaan was formed in 2007 when childhood buddies Neil and Gazi met in Chennai and came to know about each other’s talent. Pursuing their graduation from different cities at that time, Neil and Gazi, managed to jam with Manash(drums) making Chennai as their base for jamming. The band used to practice on every weekend, Gazi would come all the way from Trichy which was a hectic 8 hrs bus journey. Their sound seemed to be fresh but the band felt the great need of a bassist. Finally they found their mutual friend, Madhurjya(Bass) back in Guwahati who completed the sound of Farmaan. During semester breaks they would jam in Guwahati and in a span of 1 year they recorded six tracks.


The band had to face many problems in the initial stages as their language, which was initially Hindi, hindered them to participate in the rock competitions held in IITs and NITs. Hindi rock was completely new and the crowd in Chennai and Bangalore was more inclined to death metal. But the band stuck to its genres and when they promoted its recorded tracks in all the colleges in Chennai the response that they got was immense. They were constantly invited as guest artists in many events of the different colleges. In December 2009 the band also got an invitation to perform in Mood Indigo, the annual cultural fest of IIT Mumbai but due to the job pressure of the band members they had to decline the offer. But now backed by Vervain Productions the band members are not hesitating even to the slightest extent to put their jobs on stake and pursue their true love which is music.


Band Members:



Gazi Mehboob ( Lead Guitars and Vocals):


A graduate in Production Engineering from NIT, Trichy, Gazi Mehboob, a self taught guitarist, has been running his fingers on the frets since the last 7 years. His influences are basically metal acts like Iron maiden , Megadeth , Opeth but at the same time he is also inclined towards sufi and Indian classical. He is the main person behind the compositions and lyrics. He loves to fuse metal with sufi music. He is currently working as a manager in NMDC Ltd, the leading mining organization of the government.


Neil Sarmah (Lead Vocals and Rhythm)


A passed out from SRM University in Electronics & Telecom, Neil Sarmah is a die hard fan of Nusrat, Rahat and Shafqat Amanat and considers them as his prime influence. He is open to all genres. He is a self learned vocalist and his main strength lies in the high pitched aalaps that can be heard in most of the songs of Farmaan. As he has not received any formal training Neil is planning to train himself in Indian Classical Music so that he can even refine his god gifted talent. He is currently working as an Asst. Systems Engineer in TCS, New Delhi.


Manash (Drums)


A graduate from SRM University in Electronics & Communication, Manash a.k.a Max has played the tabla for 12 years and managed to get a visharad before he switched to congo and drums. He is currently working as a Network Engineer in CISCO, Gurgaon.


Madhurjya (Bass)


Currently pursuing his B.Tech in Instrumentation Madhurjya has been associated with different bands in Guwahati before he joined Farmaan. His inclination is towards Nu-Metal, Punk, Grudge and but at the same time he is also a die hard fan of Harris, which can be seen in the bass lines of some of the metal acts of the band.

Comments

Yuvi's picture

Assamese music lovers were in need of such an album ..... the songs are really fantastic .... I guess it will totally redefine the way we see assamese music.... people should watch out for 'lorali' & 'Xopun jen lage '
Priyam Biswas's picture

I need to contact Mr. Deepak Dey, can anyone help?
bhaskarnil's picture

Nice piece of work man....gazi....ur dedication really works out..a must for every neo-assamese generation...for d love of the music..
Honey's picture

neil you rocks...wht to say? just keep on doing good work and entertain us.
Parmita Borah's picture

Great to know about Farmaan.. I think the picture was taken outside St. Anthony's College, Shillong...got m all nostalgic! let me know if am wrong :)
dwarak's picture

Farmaan is rocking...waiting for the national release...all the very best rockstars
Raktim's picture

Are the persons writing comments friends of the band? How can anyone praise such a mess of singing and a video which looks so funny and out of place? Boys, please stick to your engineering. Sngfor yourselves and not for us. Thank you.
Mona's picture

@Raktim this video looks funny? what about the rest of the typical assamese video's huh?those seem to be upto the level of those directed by Sophie Mullers and Joseph Kahns for you, ain't it? I am not saying this is a very good video. atleast these guys worked hard to do something different? And being newcomers they did a gud job from the point of view of the Assamese industry.
debahuti bora's picture

neil pinky ba here u r great man i didnt know u r in a band farmaan wit such a good voice keep going we r in need of such talent. my support n best wishes r always wit u. "BEST OF LUCK FARMAAN".

Pages

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

Assam Times recommends its contributors/citizen journalists the following resources:   BBC News Styleguide   Avoid clichés and improve your journalism with this PDF version of the BBC News Styleguide. The Guide gives practical suggestions on many aspects of journalism style, including abbreviations, clichés, reported speech - and how to avoid irritating your editor. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsstyleguide   The BBC Editorial Guidelines The BBC Editorial Guidelines outline the standards the BBC expects of all BBC content on TV, radio and online. They are designed for everyone who makes content for the BBC, to help them deal with difficult editorial...
In a bizarre incident on the new year’s day, a woman and her two children were hacked to death allegedly by her teenaged stepson on Tuesday in Koliabar of Nagaon district. Identified as Mohamad Ali hacked to death his step mother a sharp weapon after an argument at Kunduli village. He then attacked her minor daughter and son killing them on the spot. According to the neighbour, Mohamad and his step mother would often fight after his father married her and shifted to another house following the death of his mother. The deceased have been identified as Phulbano Khatun, Nazia Khatun and Rabiul Hussain. Ali was absconding.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday said that Maoists is a big menace and that measures are on to tackle it. Talking to reporters in Guwahati, Gogoi said that militancy was on the wane but Maoists are causing a big problem. He said that the matter had been taken up with the Centre which was convinced of the seriousness of the threat.
A Mass Jogging program was held on December 31, 2012 under the auspices of Assam Jogging Association (AJA) to welcome the New Year 2013. Mahadeb Deka noted body builder of international fame has flagged off the march at 6-45 AM from Janata Bhawan Play Ground, Dispur, Guwahati. The m march return from Zoo Road Tiniali and completed 7 kilometer round. A meeting was held after the Mass Jogging at the Janata Bhawan Play ground which was presided over by the President of the Association Geetartha Pathak.The Association felicitated Mahdeb Deka. Deka appealed to the younger generation to be fit by doing physical exercise and jogging. Deka also asked them not to resort to the extravaganza in the...
A 24 year old youth had a narrow escape when his vehicle caught fire at Demow in Sivasagar district on Monday.The incident took place early in the morning when his dumper touched a high voltage electric wire. The driver managed to escape death but he was injured. He was rushed to the hospital. 
Sorry, the requested page is not found.Here are few links to get back on track:HomepageAbout Us Search pageContact Us
A free fealth check-up and awareness camp was held December 30 at Parijat Academy, Pamohi, Guwahati. A team of about ten doctors comprising Dr Amiya Kumar Sarma, Heart Specialist and CMO of Guwahati Refinery Hospital, Dr Khaklary, Adnl Medical Officer of Guwahati Refinery and about ten Paramedical staff attended the camp. The camp helped the local people by providing free treatment of blood sugar (diabetes), gaestro problems, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases etc. Free dlood sugar tests, blood pressure measurement, etc. of the patients were done along with free medicines to the patients. Around hundred people attended the camp.The camp was organised by People’s Friend Foundation in...
Assam is gearing up to bid goodbye to 2012 and to welcome 2013. Guwahati wears a fresh look to dazzle in the evening. But bars and hotels in the city will have to close the functions by 12.30 AM on New Year's eve. On the other hand, the bars, hotels and restaurants must have special permission to stay open after 10 PM on Monday. Meanwhile, the Kamrup (Metro) district administration has made installation of close circuit television cameras in bars, pubs, discotheques, clubs and all the celebration venues a must for the New Year. The CCTVs must be installed at the gates, galleries and main halls of hotels, bars and restaurants where functions will be held and liquor served.
Police picked up a tea garden worker in connection with the Konapathar case where the owner of the tea estate and his wife were charred to death. DGP JN Chaudhury, who visited Tinsukia on Sunday said that a few more accused would be picked up within a day or two. According to information, nine workers have been accused and eight others would be arrested. The identity of the apprehended suspect has not been divulged so that the process is not hampered.
Amid mounting protest over repeated rapes and molestations, protestors in Guwahati on Sunday vowed to put the government under pressure to change the laws to punish the rapists and molesters. SUCI, Aam Aadmi Party, Marwari Yuva Manch activists staged protests in different parts of the city since Sunday morning. The activists demanded the Centre take urgent steps to amend the laws of the country to curb atrocities on women. Members of the AAP took out a candlelight procession on the banks of Dighalipukhuri in the heart of the city in the evening. AAP leaders said that all pending rape cases in the courts should be tried in fast-track courts and a special session of Parliament...