Imphal, March 22: Zindagi rocks!

Band of Positive Brothers, a group of five rock musicians from Manipur, is redefining the term “positive” in the dreaded “HIV-positive”.

So, in between taking regular doses of anti-retroviral therapy, the group meets up to practice numbers like Black Sabbath’s Snowblind, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Dreamer or Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water and Holy Man and hopes to make people aware of HIV through their songs.

“We have just made a beginning. There are still miles to go,” said Joykumar, rhythm guitarist of the band. The other members of the band are guitarist Brian Leelu, drummer Roger Bijoy and bassist John Albert.

Music was always his first love, says Bijoy. He joined a local band called Young Ones when he was just 15. In 1997, he joined another group called The Illegals.

It was during his stint with The Illegals that Bijoy turned into an IDU (intravenous drug user). “I became an addict and started sharing needles with the band’s rhythm guitarist, who was one of my best friends. He later tested HIV positive. He died eventually, but left the virus with me,” Bijoy recalls with a lump in his throat.

Joykumar quickly reverts to talking about the band’s plans. “A band cannot get along doing covers only. We have to give something original for the audience.”

“We are planning to come out with an album soon,” says lead singer Romen, before beginning to hum I want to break free.

Apart from organising gigs in Manipur, the band is travelling across the region, performing in colleges and universities to tell youngsters the moral of the story.

(The names of the band members have been changed on request)