Mahesh Tinaikar

Guitarist, musician and composer

Indian

Quick Info

ProfessionGuitarist, musician and composer
NationalityIndian
Date of Death15/10/2026

Latest News about Mahesh Tinaikar

15/10/2026

Mahesh Tinaikar, the founding lead guitarist of the Mumbai rock band Indus Creed, died in Mumbai after a suspected heart attack, aged 63 according to most reports. Fellow musicians, including Vishal Dadlani, paid tribute to him as a pioneer of Indian rock. He had originally formed Rock Machine, the band's earlier name, in 1984.

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Bio/Wiki

SummaryMahesh Tinaikar is a Mumbai-based guitarist who has performed with Indian and international artists. He is best known as a founding lead guitarist of the rock band Indus Creed and co-founded the acoustic project Whirling Kalapas. He died in Mumbai on 15 October 2026 following a suspected heart attack.

Relationships & More

Musical Collaborators
  • Uday Benegal
  • Zubin Balaporia
  • Krishna Jhaveri
  • Jai Row Kavi
  • Rushad Mistry
  • Neil Mukherjee
  • Sasha Chhetri
  • Bradley Tellis

Career

Early CareerBegan his professional career in 1985.
Indus CreedCo-formed the band in 1984 as Rock Machine, playing lead guitar. The band later took the name Indus Creed, and he reunited with its members in 2010 to revive it.
Whirling KalapasCo-founded the acoustic rock project with vocalist Uday Benegal around 2008 after Benegal moved back to Mumbai. He left the project in 2014 to pursue a solo acoustic project.
Solo WorkLaunched a pure acoustic solo project in 2014 with collaborators including Neil Mukherjee, Sasha Chhetri and Bradley Tellis.
Screen Credits
  • Composer for the TV series Hip Hip Hurray (1998–1999)
  • Appeared in music videos for Indus Creed: Pretty Child (1993), Indus Creed: Trapped (1995) and Indus Creed: Sleep (1995)
Music EducationWorked as a music educator from 2011 and served on the faculty of True School of Music in Mumbai from 2016 to 2018.

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. He is listed among the founding members of Indus Creed, originally formed as Rock Machine in 1984.
2. He has been a core member of Indus Creed for much of the band's existence.
3. He did not come from a musical family, and was inspired to play by bands such as Deep Purple.
4. Indus Creed, the band he helped found, became the first Indian band to feature on MTV Asia.
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