The story of Indian rock cannot be told without a mention of the country’s most iconic rock band. Uday Benegal (vocals), Mahesh Tinaikar (guitar), Mark Selwyn (bass), Jayesh Gandhi (guitar), Zubin Balaporia (keyboards) and Mark Menezes (drums) first came together in 1985. Then called Rock Machine, the guys had no mission or plan. Just an unflagging desire to play the music they loved. In the face of all reason (there was just one government-run TV channel and radio station, neither of which thought rock’n’roll to be particularly "cultural") the band set out to do just that. It took blood, guts and a steely resolve to cut through the crap.

It was just a matter of time before practically every college and concert promoter in the country wanted to book what had become India’s favourite band. The rest is history. They recorded three albums, won a bunch of awards and changed their name to Indus Creed. And in the process they inspired an entire generation to pick up an instrument and rock it out. Here’s a quick roundup of some of their multifarious achievements:

• Toured the length and breadth of India

• Repped the country at the Festival of India in the USSR

• Played at Peter Gabriel's WOMAD festival in the UK

• Performed with Bon Jovi to over 40,000 people in Bombay

• Performed on stage with GN’R guitar player Slash for MTV’s launch in Bangalore

• Toured the UK and the Middle East extensively