Chronicle: How The Simla Beat Contest documented India's rock revolution

By the late 1960s, electric guitars, organ, drums and amplified bass had found their way into clubs, college halls and hotels across India. In Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Bangalore, Delhi and Shillong, young musicians were forming bands and building repertoires from the Western records they could find.

Then came the Simla Beat Contest.

Sponsored by the Imperial Tobacco Company’s Simla cigarette brand, the competition brought together young bands through regional rounds before the national finals in Bombay. Held at Shanmukhananda Hall, it gave musicians from across the country a rare national platform.

The 1970 edition produced Simla Beat 70, recorded in Calcutta. The LP captured a young Indian rock scene finding its own voice, combining Western covers with original compositions. The Dinosaurs, Great Bear, The Confusions and other groups brought beat, blues, rock and psychedelia into the studio, creating one of the earliest recorded snapshots of India’s emerging rock culture.

The following year, The Fentones from Shillong won the national contest. Their victory made them the first band from the Northeast to take the title. They appeared on Simla Beat 71, alongside bands including Hipnotic Eye, The Brood of Vipers and The Dinosaurs.

The contest continued until 1972, when Frustrations Amalgamated from Madras won the final edition. They recorded at Royal Gems Studio, but their material was never released.

The end came as quietly as it had begun. The contest was closely tied to the Simla cigarette brand, and when the brand disappeared from the market, so did the competition.

What remained were two remarkable LPs documenting a generation of Indian musicians experimenting with rock on their own terms. Today, Simla Beat 70 and Simla Beat 71 are both sought after by music enthusiasts, for preserving a rare chapter in India’s early rock history.

The Simla Beat 70 LP (reissue) is available for purchase at The Revolver Club.