The new Powerpuff girls of `Rock N` Roll`

Naukuchiyatal(Uttaranchal): The rock music scene in India has been dominated by men for long but a new creed of female rockers are now making the country groove to their sounds. Rockers like Alanis Morisette, Avril Lavigne, Joan Jett and Courtney Love are household names in the West but the genre has primarily been a male bastion in India. But things

are changing. Meet 23-year-old Ipshita Roy, a sociology student and vocalist of Delhi-based band `Big Bang Blues`, the only female member in the group. "Initially it was difficult but my drummer and guitarists were good friends. There are a lot of female musicians but you have this perception here that women cannot rock and they are just good for the lighter stuff. People feel a woman is not capable of handling a rock band because it’s a man`s thing," Isphita told reporters. A number of young and restless musicians in India are challenging the male dominion and though the number of female rockers is still small, the scenario is changing. And their presence was felt at the `Escape` music festival here, where girl power was on show for all. Jazmine Beton S, vocalist and keyboard player for fusion band `Element 21`, is another musician who is challenging the male dominion. The budding musician has sung and played the guitar with a number of bands and is also a well established solo artist. Kolkatta based band `Space` comprises of Tritha Singh Roche, Ritika Singh with Alessandro Vldambrini being the only guy in the band. "It takes a lot to come out and do it. I want to see more female musicians come out. I have been lucky to be able to pursue it and I will continue it in the future. I am waiting for the time when you see a lot of women performing in festivals like these," Tritha said. But the big question is, ten years down the line, would one still encounter the tribe of female rockstars? Jayshree Singh has the answer for this question. She can be regarded as the ultimate `Queen of Rock` in India. Lead vocalist for `Skinny Alley` and `Pink Noise`, the 50-something singer is perhaps the only female rock artist, who has continued her passion for more than two decades now. "The sad thing is all the girls who started off when I began my career, they all left it after a point of time. I am the only female dinosaur left. They are not there, they got married, had kids and switched over to Bollywood or Indi-Pop," Jayshree said. "Rock music has always been associated with `Sex, Drugs, Rock N` Roll. There is a stigma attached to Rock bands and we have no support. The percentage of female artists compared to men is still very very small, it`s like 1-99. The scenario is ridiculous, I hope things change in the future," she added. PTI