Saturday, December 06, 2025 | 04:36 AM ISTहिंदी में पढें
Business Standard
Notification Icon
userprofile IconSearch

On a wing and a message

Often called India's first Dalit rock band, Dhamma Wings doesn't subscribe to the tag. Its songs preach peace, not revolution

Dhamma Wings
premium

The song that put Dhamma Wings in the limelight was ‘Jai Bheem se’; it had sounds of chanting set among the lyrics, making the song exude peace

Aditi Phadnis New Delhi
Kabir Shakya reacts sharply if your refer to his band, Dhamma Wings, as India’s first Dalit rock band. “We don’t see ourselves as Dalits. I am not Dalit — I am a convert to Buddhism,” he says. “And what is Dalit? We have Marathas and Brahmins, too, in our band. We sing about harmony, peace and equality. We speak of ‘India First’ in our songs. They always tag me with people of other mentalities.”

Just under 30, Mumbai boy Shakya was drawn towards rock and western styles of music because those had a wide reach among a generation that desperately needed