We’ve hit the big 1-0, baby! And we’ve gone full circle (and slightly off the rails). Over the past few weeks, we’ve been rewinding through the years, bringing you our Best Of specials circa 2015. And now, we’ve gone COMPLETE inception with a ‘Best of Best Of’ special.

Yep, you heard that right. Ten years, 300+ episodes, and countless bad jokes, Mae’s back behind the mic, joined by Shaun, her partner, our COO, and head of all things punny. Together, they take turns picking their favourite tracks from across Maed in India history - breaking a few rules, trying (and failing) to be funny, and getting very sentimental along the way.

Also known in-house as BOBO (because it’s adorbs). It’s big. It’s loud. It’s emotional. It's our own block party down the road. 10 years on and still going strong.

WARNING: Please know the songs picked were very arbitrary and very dependent on our mood, work load, life drama, and bodily functions that day. Any other day and we might have picked a completely different bunch. OKChaloBye.

Song List:

The Koniac Net - Crawling (04:55 - 08:07)

Jose Neil Gomes - Tree Outside (09:08 - 14:33)

Vernon Noronha - Come Back Jack (15:43 - 21:09)

Uday Benegal - Looking for the Mahatma (22:42 - 27:28)

Chabuk - Pyaar (28:07 - 31:47)

Ladies Compartment - Mountain Song (34:45 - 37:40)

Shan Vincent De Paul - Die Iconic (40:22 - 42:10)

JBABE - Punch Me in My Third Eye (44:49 - 46:27)

Sampriti - Xathor (49:36 - 55:31)

Blackstratblues - Random Improv At Sunset (57:59 - 01:01:10)

Come be our friend:

Instagram @maedinindia

Twitter @maedinindia

CREDITS:

Host: Mae & Shaun

Instagram: @maemariyam

Twitter: @maebemaebe

Producer: Shaun Fanthome and Meghna Gulati

Sound Edited & Mastered by: Kartik Kulkarni

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Maed in India is 10 YEARS OLD and this episode we are spinning back to 2019! This year was a medley of emotions: righteous anger, spontaneous joy, extreme chaos, much yearning, an urge to leave parties early to go to sleep – it was also the year before we knew how bad the world could get.

In this episode, we celebrate songs that reminisce about the time (almost) everyone left the band, and spontaneously jammed about a long lost off-white sari with a gold zari border. 2019 was also made extra special by our very first Ladies Special, a now-annual tradition where we spotlight indie women on that oh-so-auspicious occasions of International Women's Day.  

The voice you hear at the top of this episode is, our very own Audio Engineer, Nihar Temkar, who goes back to being 10 and when his curious mind was fascinated by his grandfather’s cassette recorder, wondering, “how on earth does this little ribbon of tape hold music?”

Song List:

Sid Sriram - 2 am Prayer (04:50 - 09:01)

MC Manmeet Kaur - Liberal Slavery (10:14 - 12:57)

Aankh Micholi - Sacchai (13:32 - 18:48)

The Fanculos - Can I Ask You A Rhetorical Question (19:24 - 24:23)

Ladies Compartment & Friends - Conversation (25:24 - 33:19)

Swadesi - Akhri Mauka (33:53 -  36:47)

Abhilasha Sinha - After Party (38:06 - 42:13)

Blackstratblues - [Random Improv At Sunset] (43:16 - 47:11)

tig3rbabu - Maria (48:34 - 54:56)

Voctronica - [Spontaneous Jam] (55:50 - 58:43)

Kamakshi Khanna Collective - Breathe (59:47 - 01:05:31)

aswekeepsearching - Rooh (01:08:18 - 01:12:41)

Fame The Band - Over And Out (01:13:17 - 01:17:02)

Come be our friend:

Instagram @maedinindia

Twitter @maedinindia

CREDITS:

Host: Mae

Instagram: @maemariyam

Twitter: @maebemaebe

Producer: Shaun Fanthome and Meghna Gulati

Sound Edited & Mastered by: Kartik Kulkarni

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Maed in India is 10 YEARS OLD and we’re going back to 2018. It was a year of hip hop, prog rock, pop, RnB and some unforgettable Maed moments: we hit our 150th episode (!!), got roasted by Benny Dayal’s band Funktuation, and chatted with the gals from Ladies Compartment about feminism and constipation in the same breath. Essentials, I tell you.

We also heard Smalltalk and Enkore jam on a song nobody can agree on the name of, had a band vanish from social media, and discovered how one drunk best friend’s wild interpretation of a riff ended up inspiring a whole music video.

The intro voice over this week is by Agent Q (aka Quoyina), talking about her experiments with ink and orange juice as a kid to channel her inner detective.

Chabuk - Kaun Hip Hop (02:27 - 06:21)

Smalltalk - Freedom ft. Enkore (10:08 - 13:32)

Raghav Meattle - I’m Always Right (15:18 - 18:16)

Funktuation - Oora Paru (17:14 - 22:41) 

Ladies Compartment - Logo Song (25:15 - 28:29)

UNOHU - Afterglow

Kimochi Youkai - Round & Round (36:48 - 40:39)

Dhruv Visvanath - Jungle (42:48 - 46:41)

Paradigm Shift - Wajah (47:34 - 53:11)

Prateek Kuhad - did you/fall apart (54:08 - 56:11)

Come be our friend:

Instagram @maedinindia

Twitter @maedinindia

CREDITS:

Host: Mae

Instagram: @maemariyam

Twitter: @maebemaebe

Producer: Shaun Fanthome and Meghna Gulati

Sound Edited & Mastered by: Kartik Kulkarni

Artwork: Alika Gupta

This week we’re rewinding to 2020: a year that needs no introduction. Grief, loss, anxiety, chaos – it was heavy. And somehow, the music we featured that year mirrored all those messy, chaotic emotions of helplessness, of isolation, and loneliness - all of which came spilling out uncontrollably. This episode is about taking a pause and taking stock of the tiniest things. The good, the bad, the ugly. Basically, it's a much needed therapy session. 

Yet, even though the world shut down, we got to record some true gems including our #RunTheWorld Ladies Special and our 200th episode!!! – with our very own “Reserve Bank of Indie” 200-rupee note in circulation (if only it were legal tender…)

This is a snapshot of a year we’d rather forget, told through music we can't help but love.

PS: This episode features an Intro VO by Head of HR & Admin, and Mother Hen to all at Maed in India, Natasha, who managed to sneak in 10 horse puns in honour of our 10th birthday. Brownie points if you can spot them all!

Song List:

Parvaaz - Mastaan (03:23 - 08:53)

Taba Chake - Hugalo (09:38 - 12:28)

Nikhil D'Souza - (Love is a Liar 13:38 - 18:42)

Karshni - Fader (20:40 - 23:12) 

Bawari Basanti - Kya Bolein (25:02 - 29:00)

Saltwater - Sheets (29:29 - 32:47 )

Kanchan Daniel - Jackie (33:33 - 40:09)

Sarathy Korwar - Mawra (41:00 - 47:52)

Seedhe Maut - Dehshat (48:59 - 51:51)

Across Seconds - Four Light Years From Home (52:23 - 57:16)

Shan Vincent De Paul - Die Iconic (58:29 - 01:00:17)

Azaman Hoyvoy - ELFL (Everybody Looking For Love) (01:01:24 - 01:09:00)

Come be our friend:

Instagram @maedinindia

Twitter @maedinindia

CREDITS:

Host: Mae

Instagram: @maemariyam

Twitter: @maebemaebe

Producer: Shaun Fanthome and Meghna Gulati

Sound Edited & Mastered by: Kartik Kulkarni

Artwork: Alika Gupta

10 years of Maed in India and this week we’re rewinding to 2017: a year of big firsts, bittersweet moments, and a whole lot of goosebumps. It was the year Maed in India went LIVE (!!) with Blackstratblues, celebrated our 100th episode with legends Indian Ocean in their Delhi studio, and even had Apache Indian drop by to sing acapella while on tour in India.

We had tracks that gave us Goa vibes, deep dives, bandmates roasting each other, stripped down punk rock, and a whole lot of unreleased gems. 

But the year wasn’t all highs. We tragically lost the profoundly talented keys player Karan Joseph aka Madfingers, who had featured on an episode with drummer Lindsay D’Mello aka DCF. His loss was felt deeply in the indie scene.

This Best Of is a time capsule of where indie music was at in 2017: raw, experimental, emotional, and unforgettable. 

PS: You absolutely can NOT miss the intro by Lakshman, our sound engineer, who talks about a hilarious case of Chinese whispers that made him board the wrong bus after school way back when he was 10. Press play, reminisce, and relive with us.

Song List:

Apache Indian - I Pray (05:27 - 06:41)

Ranjit Arapurakal - Nothing is Real (08:24 - 11:22)

Bone Broke - You Run (13:06 - 16:51)

Aditi Ramesh - Small Fish In a Big Pond (17:45 - 20:54)

Indian Ocean - Maa Rewa (22:19 - 24:40)

Chayan & Smiti - Mindfire (26:29 - 31:03)

The Yellow Diary - Marz (32:09 - 35:49)

Uday Benegal - Fireflies (36:51 - 41:17)

Dossers Urge - Erase (44:18 - 48:31)

Blackstratblues - Renaissance Mission (Live) (49:31 - 54:39)

Tejas - Falling Out (57:01 - 01:02:45)

DCF vs Madfingers - Untitled Jam (01:04:01 - 01:13:37)

Come be our friend:

Instagram @maedinindia

Twitter @maedinindia

CREDITS:

Host: Mae

Instagram: @maemariyam

Twitter: @maebemaebe

Producer: Shaun Fanthome and Meghna Gulati

Sound Edited & Mastered by: Kartik Kulkarni

Artwork: Alika Gupta

It's our 10th birthday and this week we’re flashing back to 2022 – a year full of musical catharsis, pandemic hangovers, and.... Ummm, well, mostly, pandemic hangovers yeah.

We talked about how rainy day funds helped a band like Swarathma, others inspired #MaedMixtapes (looking at you, pop rock band from Nagaland, Trance Effect), and even music videos that were only made possible with samosa bribes by JBabe. We also had songs that made us cry, filled us with rage, FOMO and hit us right in the chest. 

This re-release comes with a brand new intro by our Head of Design, Alika Gupta, who also created the cover art that looks like it belongs in a trippy retro video game, almost like the end of a fever dream – and I guess that's what were still feeling at the end of 2022. This is a time capsule of all that was raw, ridiculous, and real that made that year unforgettable.

So press play and feel the feels.

RANJ & Clifr - Attached (04:22 - 06:43)

Swarathma - Raah-e-Fakira (09:43 - 15:01)

Alvin Presley - I'll Miss This Day (17:29 - 22:35)

JBABE - Punch Me in My Third Eye (24:38 - 26:17)

Trance Effect - Took Me A While (28:25 - 32:00)

Tribemama Marykali - Serpent on Dance Floor (33:07 - 36:53)

Ankit Dayal - What You Need To Hear/Suffer (39:01 - 41:53)

Aakash Mehta - Sister Superior (43:45 - 46:32)

Easy Wanderlings - Mayflower (49:48 - 53:58)

Hashbass ft. Burrah - Someone to Believe in Me (54:51 - 57:59)

Come be our friend:

Instagram @maedinindia

Twitter @maedinindia

CREDITS:

Host: Mae

Instagram: @maemariyam

Twitter: @maebemaebe

Producer: Shaun Fanthome and Meghna Gulati

Sound Edited & Mastered by: Kartik Kulkarni

Artwork: Alika Gupta

It’s our birthday week, month, YEAAAR. Maed in India turns 10 and we’re still feeling emo, nostalgic, and very, very proud. As we blow out the candles on a decade of discovering awesome Indian independent music, we’re throwing it back to one of our most jam-packed years yet: 2016.

We dropped a wild 45 episodes that year - a fever dream of folk, punk, blues, alt-rock and more. While most bands are still kicking and many others have bloomed onto the scene, some vanished into the great indie abyss, and others live on only in our headphones and hearts. 

Tune into this Best Of special to hear everything from the then up-and-coming The F16s, "suburban" punk band Punk on Toast, Gowri Jayakumar in her many avatars, and much much more. We also feature the heart-on-his-sleeve Vernon Noronha, virtuoso guitarist Aditya Balani singing long songs, and a musical breakdown by guitar nerd Warren Mendonsa.

This re-release is introduced by our Head of Video, Jishnu Guha, who once sang on our mic and now spends most of his time making sure our videos come to life. He’s here to remind you (and himself) why we’re still doing this 10 years later.

So hit play and celebrate the year 2016 that was part music, part existential crisis.

Song List:

Gowri - WaterLilly (03:29 - 06:06)

The F16s - Blackboard (07:13 - 10:33)

The Tripp - Minor Blues (11:21 - 14:21)

Vernon Noronha - Come Back Jack (15:09 - 20:34)

Warren Mendonsa - Folkish Three (21:30 - 23:04)

Punk On Toast - For Hire (23:44 - 26:33)

Barefaced Liar - Chocolate (27:17 - 30:01)

Aditya Balani - 1979 (30:41 - 34:03)

Come be our friend:

Instagram @maedinindia

Twitter @maedinindia

CREDITS:

Host: Mae

Instagram: @maemariyam

Twitter: @maebemaebe

Producer: Shaun Fanthome and Meghna Gulati

Sound Edited & Mastered by: Kartik Kulkarni

Artwork: Alika Gupta

We're 10 years old!!! And we’re still reelin’, reminiscing, and replaying the bangers that made our indie hearts beat faster.

This week, we’re flashing back to the not so distant past - our Best of 2023 – a year that gave us Assamese jazz-pop, Urdu blues, Punjabi folk, and a Marathi abhanga with a guitar solo that’s soooo good, it deserves its own Aadhaar card. 

We even celebrated our 300th episode that featured a cult band from the early 2000s, and went gaga over a shoegaze dream pop  band from Nepal who put across a strong case that momos from Nepal were the best EVVVAAAAAA!

This re-release comes with a fresh intro by Senior Producer Ruchi — whose official review of the episode is just one word: “CHILLS.”

So plug in, get comfy, and vibe out to the voices that made 2023 unforgettable.

Song List:

Zero - Take Me Away (04:32 - 09:32)

Sampriti - Xathor (10:07 - 16:02)

Sameer Rahat - Tasalli (17:37 - 23:02)

Banat - Daachi Waaleya (23:38 - 27:09)

Swarupa Ananth - Happy Dance (27:54 - 30:54)

Abhanga Repost - Aise Kaise Zhale Bhondu (32:14 - 37:47)

Nimisha Shankar - Duniya (39:32 - 42:33)

Phosphenes - Are You Gonna Leave Me? (44:14 - 48:18)

Come be our friend:

Instagram @maedinindia

Twitter @maedinindia

CREDITS:

Host: Mae

Instagram: @maemariyam

Twitter: @maebemaebe

Producer: Shaun Fanthome and Meghna Gulati

Sound Edited & Mastered by: Kartik Kulkarni

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Maed in India turns 10! And the party continues as we throwback to the Best of 2015: Part Deux to celebrate a whole decade of Maed magic!

Though this was released originally in 2016, it’s looking back at 2015. It features artists who were just beginning to make waves, songs that didn’t even have names, and even a track that became our studio engineer’s ringtone. True story.

This repackaged gem comes with a fresh intro by our senior producer Meghna who didn’t witness the chaos of 2015, but still got hit by the feels. Was it nostalgia? Or the questionable food order?

So grab your headphones, time travel with us, and soak in that indie acoustic goodness.

Song List:

Prathamesh Tambe - Summertime Salvage (03:33 - 08:35)

Zoya Mohan - What’s Done Is Done (09:13 - 11:36)

Tejas - Make It Happen (12:50 - 17:20)

Awkward Bong - Waste the Night Away (17:49 - 21:22)

Alisha Pais - Purple Heart (22:31 - 26:01)

Jose Neil Gomes - Tree Outside (26:41 - 32:04)

Nirmika Singh - Khilaune (33:14 - 36:00)

Rohit Vasudevan - Untitled1 (36:47 - 39:29)

Stones From The Sun - People In The Sun (39:50 - 43:10)

Come be our friend:

Instagram @maedinindia

Twitter @maedinindia

CREDITS:

Host: Mae

Instagram: @maemariyam

Twitter: @maebemaebe

Producer: Shaun Fanthome and Meghna Gulati

Sound Edited & Mastered by: Kartik Kulkarni

Artwork: Alika Gupta

IT’S BEEN 1O YEARS!

Yes, shocking but true, 10 years of Maed in India means it’s time for us to show off some of the awesome music we’ve had on the show. You’ll be getting a blast from bast as we celebrate Maed in India’s 10th BIRTHDAY! 

Today, we’re throwing it waaay back to where the magic began… in 2015 (the same year Hotline Bling was haunting us). This was the first time Mae picked her fave unplugged performances from the earliest days of Maed in India — when our mics were held together by hope, a borrowed mic, and a semi-functional bar stool.

In this throwback edition, you’ll hear everything from Nikhil D’Souza crooning about secret relationships, Mae talking about how she got ruthlessly roasted by Laxmi Bomb, and music by bands who have long since vanished from the scene.

Bonus: This repackaged throwback is introduced by Kartik, our Head of Audio and keeper of all sonic secrets. 10 years on, and we’re still geeking out about great sound.

So plug in and step back in time to some indie nostalgia, a generous dash of sass and to a bunch of acoustic sessions we never want to forget.

Song List:

Nikhil D’Souza - Amelie (03:59 - 06:50)

Last Remaining Light - Conclusions (07:48 - 12:49)

Laxmi Bomb - Kitto and a Penny (13:55 - 17:47)

Marshall & the Mischief - Don't Underestimate (19:19 - 23:23)

Ankur Tewari - Wagairah Wagairah (24:50 - 28:01)

Duncun Rufus - The New Song (29:38 - 34:43)

Akash Vincent - She (35:51 - 39:53)

Mohit Mukhi - In My Head (40:45 - 43:14)

The Koniac Net - Crawling (45:01 - 48:15)

Vasuda Sharma - Never Lose Heart (48:56 - 51:21)

Come be our friend:

Instagram @maedinindia

Twitter @maedinindia

CREDITS:

Host: Mae

Instagram: @maemariyam

Twitter: @maebemaebe

Producer: Shaun Fanthome and Meghna Gulati

Sound Edited & Mastered by: Kartik Kulkarni

Artwork: Alika Gupta

For the final episode of our Lost & Found series, Kolkata-bred dream-pop duo Parekh & Singh chat with Mae about how their musical upbringing influenced their songwriting today, why they aren’t called “Zap” anymore, and the story of the classic tailor who makes their signature suits. They also dive deep into the making of The Night is Clear, an album that’s as personal as it is dreamy. Some episodes are too special to be left behind - good thing we found this one.

Note: Nischay and Jivraj via a post on Instagram in February 2025 announced that they were bidding farewell to Parekh & Singh. Maed in India wish them all the best and will continue to follow their work as loyal fans. 

Song List (Audio):

The Nightingale (01:57 - 05:15)

Ocean (20:09 - 24:59)

King (48:07 - 52:00)

Parekh & Singh is:

Nischay Parekh on vocals and lead guitar

Jivraj Singh on synths

Follow Parekh & Singh:

Instagram @parekhandsingh

Facebook @parekhandsingh

Twitter @parekhandsingh

Come be our friend:

Instagram @maedinindia

Twitter @maedinindia

CREDITS:

Host: Mae

Twitter: @maebemaebe

Instagram: @maemariyam

Producers: Shaun Fanthome, Husein Haveliwala, Nikkethana Kamal, Sean D’mello, Meghna Gulati

Sound Editing & Additional engineering by: Lakshman Parsuram

Video Editing by: Jishnu Guha

Episode Mixed & Mastered by: Kartik Kulkarni

Social Media Managers: Meghna Gulati and Natasha Vakil

Content: Quoyina Ghosh

Music Mixed by: Aria Nanji

Recorded at Island City Studios