Mahesh Tinaikar passes away: Who was the Indian rock music icon?

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Mahesh Tinaikar, a guitarist of rock band Indus Creed, passed away on October 15, 2026, at the age of 63.

The musician died due to a heart attack, according to reports. More details were not immediately known.

Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar has paid an emotional tribute to the rock guitarist, posting a photo of Mr. Tinaikar on his Instagram story with the words ‘RIP brother.”

Mahesh Tinaikar was a pioneer of Indian rock music and was a founding member of the rock band Rock Machine, which came to be later known as Indus Creed. He played a key role in shaping and in the evolution of Indian rock music.

Music composer Vishal Dadlani, while paying tribute to the late musician, acknowledged Tinaikar’s role in opening doors for the country’s rock music community. He said that every rock and roller in India since the days of Rock Machine owes Mr. Tinaikar a profound debt of gratitude for lighting a path that had once seemed unimaginable.

Indus Creed, one of India’s oldest rock bands, was originally formed as ‘Rock Machine’ in 1984. The three core members of the band were Uday Benegal, Mahesh Tinaikar, and Zubin Balaporia.

In revival line-ups through the years, Jai Row Kavi, Rushad Mistry, and Krishna Jhaveri were also part of the band. Indus Creed is best known for its song ‘Pretty Child’, among other hits. A 2016 The Hindu report noted that MTV ranked ‘Pretty Child’ the ninth best video of the year in 1993.

In an interview with The Hindu in 2018, Mr. Tinaikar said that it was much easier to get your music out to the world today, than back when the band started out in 1984. “We didn’t have a music scene,” Mahesh said, adding, “We would just be called for the odd college show: us and maybe two more bands.”

The Hindu has covered Indus Creed over the years. Here are interviews and articles about the iconic rock band:

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