There is something more beneath that great music that puts Motherjane right on the top. After being voted Best International Rock Act at the Asian Voice Independent Music Awards 2009, it is obvious they are flying high on success. What is it that keeps this band of five so grounded after years of hard work

and perseverance?

Honestly, I am intrigued by them. Somewhere they do not fit the bill of a ?usual? rock band. Their message is quite clear: love music, love life. Here are five people dedicated not only to performance or self-gratification alone but to living life to the hilt. And luring fans to do the same. As I talk to Suraj Mani, also known as the band?s ?Singing Sensei? (apparently all members carry a nickname), I realise that Motherjane moves beyond music. It touches the soul and demands you look within and celebrate life. ?Well, that really is what our music is about ? the way we see life and how we would like to see it.? Which means their music really cannot be boxed into a particular mould.

And when you think about the fact that the lyrics of their song Maya has found itself in the Indian Book of Chronicles, it means an Indian rock song is sharing space with literary works of popular Indian writers! It also means that the band offers music for anybody and everybody who is willing to appreciate music for what it really is.

MUSICAL CHAIRS

But the road to success has not been that easy. Numerous awards and titles have been bestowed on them (Album of the Year, Maktub by Rolling Stones magazine 08-09, Album of the Year and Artist of the Year by Rock Street Journal 08-09, India?s Most Rocking Band of the Millennium by RSJ poll to mention a few) but it all has been the result of a tough journey since 1996. ?You really got to get out there and make your own music, it is absolutely critical. It will make all the difference,? they say. So hours were spent putting together lyrics and composing originals.

They say that once the topic is in place, ?We discuss it musically. Which means each of us comes out with a personal musical interpretation. It continues to be one of the most amazing of our experiences. Sometimes it seems like it is not the band searching for a song, but the song searching for the right band!? Thus the contribution of each member is important. Not just that, it is the essence of their being and character as well. Baiju Dharmajan (also referred to as ?The God of Small Strings?) is said to communicate best with music, while Clyde Rozario (?Buddha on the Bass?) is known for his simplicity and romanticism. Of course, to make that complete blend, a dash of fun and spontaneity is a must and ?Mr. Silk n? Steel? who is Deepu Sasidharan on the guitar pairs up with John Thomas, the free-spirited drummer of the group known as ?Built around the Beat?! And once the melody is in place, it is threaded together by Suraj?s lyrics, all of which weave together to create an intricate fabric of the musical essence they propagate. Thus it is only inevitable that they have been applauded both nationally and internationally. Suraj says they have performed in the entire sub-continent of India and also at Dubai. ?Indonesia is next month and we have been receiving invites from Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and other countries.?

HIGH ON MUSIC NOT DOPE

As I listen to an elated team, I am haunted by that one question. If life and music are their first love, then what about drugs? So often rock music and shows tend to be associated with it and I am curious to know. ?Get high on music, not drugs,? they resonate in tandem. ?All of us look up to musicians and their music. And it hit us that the reason that we like a Jimi Hendrix or a Jim Morrison is because of their music, not because they abused substance. All of us know or meet at some point in our lives someone who uses drugs or is an alcoholic. It does not inspire us at all and we hardly put them up on a platform for this, do we? It is our message to people to stick with the music from the greats and not their mistakes.?

However, they also say it is not the main reason for any of their shows. It is for the music they get on stage and they propagate it even better off stage by living it. So much that a young man emailed them after a show at IIT Chennai in 2004, saying he had stopped using drugs after he had heard them say that they loved music for the high it offered and did not require it from any other source.

Thus from the days when they first performed as students at their college in Cochin, to deriving Motherjane from the name ?Mary Jane,? they seem to have come a long way. When asked where their next performance would be, they answer instantly, ?Between your ears and inside your hearts. Motherjane finds true meaning in its existence when it is part of that space!?