SONAM WAIBA: CAUGHT IN A MOMENT

“Almost after 8 [Eight] months when I played guitar, I wasn’t able to play… I felt like I have never played before… I cried and cried and cried….”

It all started in the 90’s, a teenage boy grabbed a guitar, went in the corner and starting playing until he got the correct notes. With an enthusiasm and determination to dedicate his entire life to music, went through many phases of life. Like every rockstars his story is not different from any of them. Conferred with a title “Magic Finger” by a popular rock music magazine Rock Street Journal (RSJ), has also performed as a guest guitarist with India’s biggest rock band ‘Parikrama’, has also showcased his magical riffs all over the country. With all those family obligations and alcoholism that nearly made the magical talent hidden from the entire scene, made a comeback overcoming all the criticisms and leaving behind all those bad memories to start all over again, he is none other than Sonam Waiba. Here we are in conversation with guitar master, a legend, guitar god and many more titles that his fans call knows him by, trying to know more and better of him.

Common People Common Voice: Thank you very much Sonam Waiba Daju for giving your precious time and greetings from Common People Common Voice.

Sonam Waiba : Welcome, and thank you Common People Common Voice for honouring me and I appreciate your work.

CPCV : So lets talk about your initial phase, when did you start playing guitar? How did it start?

Waiba : Ok, the story date’s back to the time when I was just a teenage boy. There was a show by ITC where one of the India’s top bands ‘Shiva’ performed. Me and my friend cum Brother Rajesh Pradhan Daju (Brother) went together to watch the show. I was totally an alien to guitar. Guitar was totally a new character to me. There I saw how it was played; it was like a dream to me. They performed numbers like Wall by Pink Floyd, Breaking the Law by Judas Priest and some Jon Bon Jovi numbers. It left a mesmerizing effect on me. Later, Rajesh Daju bought a guitar and used to play. I used to watch him play; sometimes he used to teach me some chords. In no time he made to be a guitarist. It took me whole 9 to 10 months to hit correct ‘G’ note.

CPCV : And who inspired you to play guitar? You know, every great personalities has some inspiration..

Waiba : It was Rajesh Pradhan who inspired me to play guitar. As I told, I have never in my life touched guitar. May be Rajesh Daju had played earlier. But for me, it was totally a new thing. So, I take Rajesh Daju as my inspiration, as he is the one who introduced me to guitar and has helped me a lot to reach this level. I used to go to my friend Shyam Chettri’s place which was quite near to my house. To an extent he has also helped me a lot during my learning phase.

CPCV :  You have performed in Delhi, Kolkota, and many other places. So how did you have your major breakthrough?

 Waiba : It all started after the first time I touched guitar. Almost after 3 years of my introduction with guitar, I first performed at small festival show. Then after, I got company of great and wonderful brothers. We performed together at Guards Ground. We got an opportunity to perform at IIT Mumbai. But then, I played as a bass guitarist for Simple Parasite. I consider IIT Mumbai platform as a major breakthrough in my career.

CPCV : Have you taken any formal classes in Guitar?

 Waiba : You know, during that time there wasn’t any classes or institutes like we find today. All you have to do was on your own. No Gurus or Teachers and like today, there was no easy access like internet and all where we can learn guitar techniques. At that time, I even didn’t used to own a tape recorder. I used to go to my friends place to listen. All you have to do was on the basis of what you hear. But yes, it was because of IIT Mumbai which introduced me to a person named Rajiv Garo from Guwahati, who taught me some techniques and piece. I can still play the notes he gave me that time. During that time, we spent nearly 15 days there at Mumbai and during those 15 days I learned a lot from Rajiv Garo. During those 15 days of stay with him I had an experience of 15 years. He was a wonderful guitarist. So, those 15 days of tips & suggestions, I take as my lessons. After that show, I came to know that how important notation was. So I grew my interest in learning notation, as notation was like a universal language for music. In studios also we were given scripts, and there were no need of understanding the language they spoke. All we have to do was read and understand the notes. I realized no matter how good guitar you play, if you are not educated, no one will accept you and value your skills. So I self practiced and learned notation. 

CPCV :  So how was your life after IIT Mumbai?

 Waiba : After IIT Mumbai plenty of  shows came our way. We did numerous shows at Darjeeling, Kolkota, Delhi and Sikkim. During that time I was getting more inclined towards being a solo guitarist. Then thereafter, I sent my 4 demo to a popular rock magazine named RSJ to get featured in their album. Many interesting and memorable things happened during that time. The criteria set by RSJ for sending demo were to be on 4 tracks. But during that time, there were no such facilities in Sikkim, we have to go to Darjeeling. So we decided to do live recording in our recorder. It was very difficult to okay in one take, if something went wrong, again we had to start from the beginning. Everything was live, from guitar to drum. Everything has to be perfect. Anyhow we managed to record and at around 4 am in the morning. Finally I sent my demo to RSJ which was named as Highway Freak, Waibaeetie, Blues Breaker and Akhil Dhama. Though the tracks I sent did not meet the criteria set by RSJ, still they loved my solos. After hearing my solo compositions they honoured me with a title “Magic Finger”. From all over India getting recognized by popular brand like RSJ wasn’t a small thing. I was getting drowned into fame, money, alcohol; they were becoming part of my life. It was in 1997… As I was getting more serious about my career as a guitarist, I left for Kolkota and started playing with a band called Fifth Dimension as a Rhythm Guitarist, though I was a lead guitarist. Very interesting and funny thing happened while I was in Kolkota.

CPCV : Would you like to share…?

Waiba : Yes sure, you know, though I was a lead guitarist, I had to compromise with rhythm guitar as it was Kolkota and not Sikkim. You know what I mean right..? I had to teach all the lead part to our band lead guitarist all night long, inch by inch and tomorrow at the show he used to play as a lead guitarist and there I had to play as a rhythm guitarist. This was quite funny and at the same time quite interesting also. (Says smilingly)

CPCV : Quite interesting…so how was your life in Kolkota?

Waiba : It went well. I stayed there for nearly 3 years. I used to work at studio and also play for my band. I met many great artists and worked with them. Lot of things came my way, money and everything. I was enjoying my life every bit. I played for many Bengali songs and telefilms, as they used to pay me well. More money means more alcohol, more enjoyment. More over, I was dragging myself into misery. I was parting my ways from my life, guitar. It was in 2000, I returned back to Sikkim.

CPCV : If you are to make a list of your achievements, what would you include?

Waiba : IIT Mumbai was the first step towards my achievements. One of the most wonderful achievements would be RSJ, whatever name I could make out of myself was through RSJ. Another achievement I would include in my list would be our release of Nepali album named ‘Aakancha’ which also made hit and topped chart in radio because during that time there were very few who could release their own album. I still listen to the album and it feels good. We also won at a show organized by Doordarshan in Gangtok. And recently I stood second in a solo instrumental competition which took place in Shillong. Yap, these all are the achievements I cherish till this date.

CPCV : So how was your life in Sikkim, after coming back?

Waiba : Oh ! After all my years of playing, having gone through enough of money, alcohol, girls.. I was totally lost in oblivion. This process went for quite a long time. Alcohol n alcohol…

CPCV : How do you see career in rock music?

Waiba : Well, career in rock music depends on oneself. In my point of view, when it comes to Sikkim, there is a very low chance of living your life through it. But slowly and gradually, it has been getting recognition. But in cities like Delhi, one has a very bright future in rock music. If one plays a good guitar, he can make a good buck in Delhi. It is very expensive for one to learn guitar in Delhi, one has to pay for minutes. Whereas in Sikkim, Rs.500 per month is what people of Delhi pays for 45 minutes. One can make more money in institute than playing for a band. So, what I would like to suggest upcoming guitarists, if you want your talents to get recognized, you should go to other states. You have lot of opportunities outside Sikkim and nonetheless you can earn good money also.

CPCV : OK.. so now lets come back to your time, I mean the phase when you were quite in dilemma…

Waiba : Yeah, after going through those successful innings, I was kind of lost in my own world of alcohol. I left playing guitar, as if guitar was an alien to me. So, nearly a year of disturbances made Magic Finger a Tragic Finger.

CPCV: After these all years, what made you come back again and start playing? As we all know that once you left something and you are totally out of track, it’s very hard to come back again..

 Waiba: It was a show again that brought me back from the dead (in context of music), I got a contact from a friend and I was to perform at a show in Vajra. For the show as I started practicing and almost after 8 [Eight] months when I played guitar, I wasn’t able to play… I felt like I have never played before… I cried and cried and cried and thought now I should give up and never play again and it was over for me. But with new morning a new ray of hope came. I was not going to give it up so easily. All my life of those dedication and prayers, how could I give it up? It was a new start for me. I again stared playing and I’d say that after that incident I again learned from the beginning.

CPCV: You are also running a guitar institute of your own, Sonam Waiba Music Institute. How do you find teaching and imparting knowledge?

Waiba : Yes I am running my own institute, though it will take time to get recognized fully. It is a wonderful experience to teach what you know and it gives me satisfaction as well.

Sonam Waiba with his students

  

CPCV : If you are to perform with artists of your choice, let’s say a dream band of yours, how would the line up look like?

Waiba : Yes, I’ve always dreamt of having my dream band with artists from different bands. The lineup will be something like me as a lead guitarist, Mike Portnay and John Myung of Dream Theater will be my drummer and bass guitarist and Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden will be the vocalist.

CPCV : These names you mentioned are all from international acts, but when it comes to Sikkim who do you think has the potential or you have thought of playing or performing together?

Waiba : Yes of course, there are many good bands in Sikkim these days. But the one I would like to perform with will be Girish Pradhan. He is a very good performer. Recently we also conversed through facebook and he has also asked to perform together someday. Yes, if got an opportunity we will surely perform together and want my guitar to touch his vocal.

CPCV : We have also heard that your album was underway release. Have you released your album?

Waiba : Yes, I have completed writing my songs but the reason for getting delayed is due to the lack of proper technicians and moreover I have not been able to get a drummer who could play on studio recording. There are hardly professional technicians in Sikkim, so..

CPCV : Ok, so it’s been more than hours, hope we are not irritating you…

Waiba : No, no, it is interesting talking with you. I am enjoying it..

CPCV : Before wrapping up, what message would you like to give to all the upcoming and aspiring guitarist..

Waiba : Hard work and dedication is the most important thing one should possess. Apart from this, practice is what you need. Today we see most of the artist coming to our place are from outside. This means we are lagging behind in music as compared to other states.  Therefore our artists have to be so fine and original so that Sikkim could emerge as a station or a hub for musicians from all around.

Well readers, this was the Guitar master himself, Mr.Sonam Waiba, caught in a moment and in conversation with Common People Common Voice. Hope everyone enjoyed this interview with our own son of Sikkim. We would like our readers to please give us your feedbacks on the topic