I missed documenting this on the day it happened (on the 13th of January), but it marked the 5th anniversary of my seeing Phenom perform for the first time, and it was the beginning of a great friendship that has now lasted more than half a decade.

The first time I saw them perform, they were raw and loud, but over the years, they matured into something really solid. I spent many enjoyable hours listening to them practice, compose and perform songs over the years. And, as they are aware, they managed to fill what I called “a hole in my soul”.

I was there to see Phenom record their first album (which they released under a Creative Commons license – a first for any Indian rock group), when they reformed with Mark and Tiny after Sashi had to leave, and I was there when they played their farewell gig in 2006.

On January 26th this year, I was in Mumbai to be present at the launch of Creative Commons in India. As a part of this event, a CD containing a lot of Creative Commons licensed material from India was released, and to my surprise and delight, I found that as a representative of CC licensed music from India, Phenom’s album had been included! What a fitting tribute to this little band! Many thanks, Creative Commons India, for this gesture!

While Phenom the group disbanded last year after Mrinal and JD left for the USA, there is always the hope that Gaurav, Mark and their friends, who are still in India, will get together and maybe bring out a new incarnation of Phenom, with new faces and fresh music.

After all, the show must go on!