In 2013, Mumbai engineering students needed a band name for a college music competition and chose one at the last minute. The label stuck: Last Minute India. Co-founders Subodh Gupta (bass, songwriter) and Bhumit Gor (guitar) built a Hindi alt-rock and pop-rock catalogue from that campus rush - first with vocalist Abdul Shaikh and drummer Yash Khona in the early singles era, later with vocalist Purusharth Jain and drummer Parth Malhotra named on the band's Spotify About page. As of 14 October 2026, "Kaagaz Ki Naav" sits at No. 30 on Spotify's Rock in India playlist, with "Rehnuma" at No. 35 in our morning snapshot of the same list. This is how a fest-circuit Hindi rock band became one of the playlist's clearest Mumbai diary voices.

Last Minute India at a glance

  • Formed: 2013 in Mumbai (MusiCulture, 2021; Free Press Journal, May 2026)
  • Founders: Subodh Gupta (bass, songwriter) and Bhumit Gor (guitar)
  • Current lineup (Spotify About, 14 October 2026): Subodh Gupta; Austin Furtado (lead guitar); Purusharth Jain (vocals); Bhumit Gor (guitar); Parth Malhotra (drums)
  • Earlier core (MusiCulture 2021; Rolling Stone India through mid-2023): Jay Jain (production / keys), Abdul Shaikh (vocals), Yash Khona (drums)
  • Sound: Hindi pop / alternative rock - classical and Sufi-leaning vocals over Western rock guitars early on; tighter pop-rock singles from 2023
  • Key singles: Nadaan (2018), Aao Na (2019), Kaagaz Ki Naav (2021), Rehnuma (2021), Yaadein (2022), Jaane Anjaane (2023), Bas Mere Hi Ho (2024), Kaise (2024), Ab Main Kya Karun (2026)
  • Label stance: mostly self-released; Songdew early on; first label single via Hitz Music ("Jaane Anjaane", 2023); "Ab Main Kya Karun" via first.wav / Universal Music India (2026)
  • Rock in India (rii-a28, 14 October 2026; Kaagaz reconfirmed ~6:00 AM IST): "Kaagaz Ki Naav" No. 30; "Rehnuma" No. 35
  • Spotify (14 October 2026): about 240,300 monthly listeners; About lists RADAR India, Rock in India, Indie India, hIndies, Fresh Finds India

From a college fest name to a six-piece

Bhumit Gor told Free Press Journal in May 2026 that the name came from rushing to register for college competitions - they decided at the last minute, and the joke became the brand. MusiCulture's July 2021 "Kaagaz Ki Naav" profile fixes the origin in print: Gupta and Gor started in 2013; Austin Furtado joined on lead guitar with Jay Jain on production and backing vocals; Abdul Shaikh and Yash Khona completed a six-piece. Indigo Music's May 2022 Xperience Sessions note adds the same campus arc and frames an early alternative / progressive rock phase before the band settled into pop / alternative rock.

That DIY campus path sits next to the DIY roots of Rock in India and how independent bands build their sound: fest wins first, then tighter singles when playlists rewarded brevity.

Nadaan, Aao Na and the Kaagaz Ki Naav break

Apple Music lists "Nadaan" (January 2018) and "Aao Na" (August 2019) as the first imprint singles; Rolling Stone India later recalled "Nadaan" as roughly seven minutes. The national calling card is "Kaagaz Ki Naav" (12 March 2021, Alternative, ℗ Last Minute India). MusiCulture quoted the band's metaphor: childhood paper boats that never quite sail, and adult hope "somewhere knowing that it won't." By July 2021 it had Radar India and Rock in India placements. The Talented Indian's May 2021 review heard Shaikh's range, Gupta and Jay Jain on lyric/composition, Furtado's lead and Gor's rhythm - Hindi alt-rock inside a Bollywood-heavy culture. December 2021 MusiCulture put streams past 331,000 on Spotify. Five years on, the song still holds No. 30 on Rock in India.

Rehnuma, Yaadein and the RADAR door

"Rehnuma" arrived 26 November 2021 (Apple lists Songdew and Last Minute India ℗ lines). MusiCulture glossed the title as guiding light and called the song a prolongation of the paper-boat hope theme. It also noted a Spotify Best Indie songs India 2021 feature alongside peers such as Ritviz, Anuv Jain, Prateek Kuhad and The Local Train. In our 14 October 2026 Rock in India snapshot, "Rehnuma" sits at No. 35.

April 2022 brought "Yaadein." Rolling Stone India's Anurag Tagat covered it as the first song written together in 2013, tracked at Apostrophe Studios in Nashik. Gupta recalled winning "over 50 competitions and fests" with it before release. Spotify India made them a RADAR India artist for April. Tagat still credits Shaikh with Furtado, Gor, Khona and Gupta, and notes an album then titled Kaagaz Ki Naav. As of October 2026 the public catalogue remains single-led.

Jaane Anjaane and the Hitz Music pivot

"Jaane Anjaane" (13 July 2023, ℗ Ishtar Music / Hitz Music) was the first single Rolling Stone India described as a label release. Tagat heard a pop-to-arena-rock arc of just over two and a half minutes. Gupta said the audience was no longer "just an Indian indie crowd"; Khona reported messages from listeners new to indie. Shaikh was still on vocals. Gupta told RSI they chose Hitz after RADAR-era approaches because creative control and revenue splits mattered - a single-first deal.

That is the release-without-a-label lesson in reverse: independence first, then a selective label lane, closer to The Yellow Diary and NAALAYAK than to a pure major-label debut.

Bas Mere Hi Ho, Kaise and the lineup change

By June 2024, Rolling Stone India's "Bas Mere Hi Ho" coverage (23 May 2024 single, ℗ Last Minute India) names Purusharth Jain as vocalist. Gupta linked love songs to meeting "the one"; Gor described a dancing, groovy arrangement with saxophone; Jain talked up a Stables, Mumbai launch where most of the room sang originals. The Aditya Naik video shows five members. That is the clearest published marker that Shaikh and Khona were no longer the RSI front line.

October 2024's "Kaise," featuring Kuldeep Pattanaik (Rolling Stone India, Spandan Fulkar), pushed the breakup lane. Gupta called it trying to move on while the past "isn't done with you yet." Co-founders Gupta and Gor remain the 2013 through-line.

Ab Main Kya Karun and the 2026 chapter

"Ab Main Kya Karun" (2 April 2026; Apple ℗ first.wav / Universal Music India) is the grief song. MusiCulture quotes Gupta: it came from "a very real loss," and the only honest line was the title question. Vocalist Puru described quiet grief - routines that change, calls that stop. Free Press Journal (May 2026) goes further: Gupta said his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and that the songs are his journal. FPJ lists Gupta, Jain, Gor, Austin and Parth - matching Spotify's About five. Parth said they are "trying to be real," not chasing reels. Jain named the hard problem: Bollywood dominates attention, bands cost more to market, and live music still proves what is human. FPJ also cites Zomaland and the Bollywood Music Project.

Last Minute India members

Document the change; do not flatten it. MusiCulture (2021) and Rolling Stone India through "Yaadein" (2022) and "Jaane Anjaane" (2023) centre Abdul Shaikh (vocals), Yash Khona (drums), Jay Jain (keys/production in early write-ups), Furtado, Gor and Gupta. RSI's "Bas Mere Hi Ho" (June 2024) is the first major feature in our set that quotes Purusharth Jain as vocalist. Spotify About and Free Press Journal (May 2026) align on Gupta, Furtado, Jain, Gor and Parth Malhotra. Indian Bands Hub also lists Samaksh Namdev on drums in a secondary fan roster. Jay Jain's later status is not spelled out in the 2024-2026 pieces we used - credit the early production chapter without inventing an exit date.

Best songs: where to start

  • "Kaagaz Ki Naav" (2021): Rock in India No. 30 - paper-boat hope over a five-minute Hindi alt-rock arc.
  • "Rehnuma" (2021): Rock in India No. 35 in our snapshot - guiding-light companion to Kaagaz.
  • "Yaadein" (2022): 2013 college-fest original; RADAR India April 2022; Apostrophe Studios Nashik.
  • "Jaane Anjaane" (2023): first Hitz Music label single - pop build into arena-rock finish.
  • "Bas Mere Hi Ho" (2024): breezy love-song pivot; RSI documents Jain's vocalist era.
  • "Kaise" (2024, with Kuldeep Pattanaik): messy post-breakup confession.
  • "Ab Main Kya Karun" (2026): grief journal single - Gupta's most explicitly personal lyric in the press record.
  • "Nadaan" (2018): the long-form early statement.

Why Last Minute India matter

Indian indie maps often jump from Delhi campus rock to Bengaluru prog rooms and leave Mumbai Hindi bands in the Bollywood shadow. Last Minute India complicate that map: engineering-college origin, fest-circuit proofs, Songdew and self-release years, a selective Hitz single, and two Rock in India tiles that still carry the 2021 hope songs into 2026. They sit beside Salt.'s melodic honesty and Swastik The Band's regional persistence more than beside festival-headliner mythology - a working band that keeps writing the diary entry first. Kaagaz Ki Naav at No. 30 is not a coronation. It is infrastructure: proof that a last-minute college name can still hold a national rock playlist slot more than a decade later.

FAQ

Who is in Last Minute India?

Spotify About (14 October 2026): Subodh Gupta (songwriter/bassist), Austin Furtado (lead guitar), Purusharth Jain (vocals), Bhumit Gor (guitar) and Parth Malhotra (drums). Free Press Journal's May 2026 interview matches that five. Earlier press (MusiCulture 2021; Rolling Stone India 2022-2023) featured Abdul Shaikh on vocals and Yash Khona on drums, with Jay Jain on production/keys in formative six-piece write-ups.

When did Last Minute India form?

2013 in Mumbai, founded by Subodh Gupta and Bhumit Gor (MusiCulture, 2021; Free Press Journal, 2026). The name came from a last-minute college competition registration.

What are Last Minute India's best-known songs?

"Kaagaz Ki Naav" and "Rehnuma" are the two Rock in India tracks in our 14 October 2026 snapshot (Nos. 30 and 35). "Yaadein" was the RADAR India breakthrough in April 2022. Later listeners often meet the band through "Jaane Anjaane," "Bas Mere Hi Ho," "Kaise" or "Ab Main Kya Karun."

Is Last Minute India still independent?

Most Apple Music ℗ lines still read Last Minute India. "Jaane Anjaane" was their first Hitz Music label single (Rolling Stone India, July 2023). "Ab Main Kya Karun" carries a first.wav / Universal Music India exclusive-licensee line (Apple, April 2026). The model is selective partnership on a self-directed catalogue.

What does Rehnuma mean?

MusiCulture (December 2021) glosses "Rehnuma" as guiding light and calls the song a prolongation of the "Kaagaz Ki Naav" hope theme.

Do not confuse them with other "Last Minute" acts

This feature covers only the Mumbai Hindi alt-rock / pop-rock band on Spotify 6yi4BexeHDzQeuiDzXqTcg and Apple Music 1331913764 - the act with "Kaagaz Ki Naav" and "Rehnuma" on Rock in India.

Sources

Cover: Last Minute India official artist photograph via Spotify CDN (image ab6761610000e5eb5dc9a0456d9794093dfce7f6). Cropped and resized to 1200×630; metadata stripped. Courtesy of the artist / Spotify. Source: https://i.scdn.co/image/ab6761610000e5eb5dc9a0456d9794093dfce7f6.