When three teenagers in Nagaland released a quaint gospel album called Samaro back in 1992, it became an instant hit.

The album, in the local Ao language, was titled after the band’s name, which means “naughty, rebellious or self-willed”. It struck a chord and the trio – Wati Jamir, Saku Longchar and Temjen Victor – became popular locally.

Recently, the band celebrated its silver jubilee at their alma mater, Dimapur’s Servanthood College, where it was founded, with a series of free concerts for their fans from all over Nagaland.

Perhaps the reason they made it big was because they were seen to be a gospel band with a difference, their music as much social commentary (with musings on wasted youth, children following blindly in their parents’ footsteps, etc.) as spiritually ambiguous, while confronting the church and society’s rigidity with a touch of humour.