Susmit Sen (extreme left) with his former band Indian u00c2u0080u00c2u0088Ocean

Their avant-garde sound in the early 90s made youngsters switch channels; listeners in India were in no mood to greet original music. They couldn’t believe that an Indian band — instead of pulling off U2 or Guns N’ Roses — made original music, rooted to the culture. Indian Ocean, the Folk-Fusion group formed in 1990, brought a new wave talking about prayers, protesting against wrongs and celebrating desert rain. Susmit Sen, guitarist and co-founder, bid goodbye to the band three years ago but his solo tunes are no less popular. He will be in Mumbai to conduct a workshop on original music later this week, followed by a rare, closed-door gig. Excerpts from an interview: