Indus Creed guitarist and pioneer of Indian rock, Mahesh Tinaikar, dies

Mahesh Tinaikar, guitarist of Indian rock band Indus Creed, passed away on Thursday, guitarist Allan Ao has confirmed. The exact time and cause of his death are not yet known.

Indus Creed, the Mumbai-based rock band, was formed in 1984 as Rock Machine. The original line-up comprised Tinaikar on lead guitar, Mark Selwyn on bass, Ian Santamaria on vocals, Aftab Currim on rhythm guitar and Suresh Bhadricha on drums.

Ao, who was part of a WhatsApp group with Tinaikar, remembered him as a pioneer of Indian rock music and a personal hero.

“He was a pioneer of rock music in India. I had always communicated with him via the WhatsApp group we were a part of. I did not know him personally. But, he had been taking Indian rock to an international level. He is my hero. The incident is extremely tragic, and it’s sad to see our heroes pass away like this,” Ao said.

Indian composer and guitarist Ehsaan Noorani also paid a tribute to Tinaikar.

"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. He passed on today and will be sorely missed by all of us. May he rest in peace and thanks Mahesh for the impetus to play," wrote musician Floyd Francisco Fernandes, remembering Tinaikar.

Rock Machine initially performed covers of mainstream and hard rock songs by groups such as Thin Lizzy, UFO, The Who, Deep Purple, Van Halen and Rush. In 1993, seeking to move away from its college-band image and develop a sound with international appeal, Rock Machine changed its name to Indus Creed. The band also began experimenting with Indian instruments such as the tabla and sarangi.

Their song Pretty Child became a hit, with its music video winning the band an MTV Asia Video Music Award. Indus Creed also earned recognition from Rolling Stone India, which featured two of their songs, Top of the Rock (1988) and Pretty Child (1990), in its 2014 list of the 25 Greatest Indian Rock Songs of the Last 25 Years.

The band disbanded in 1997, but reunited in 2010 with a new line-up, marking its return to the Indian rock scene.