Pagal Records, a music store in Delhi's Hauz Khas Village is trying to revive public appreciation in vinyl records

The Hindu

2 days ago

A door full of music-related stickers welcomes wanderers exploring Hauz Khas Village into Pagal Records, an independent record store stocked with vintage vinyls, CDs, and posters.
Above the entrance door, a painted sign urges customers to fight for good music. Inside, the store, walls are adorned with shelves packed with cassette tapes for sale. They hold qawwalis and bhajans to Raj Kapoor's hits and more. The crates containing records are interspersed with an array of vintage band and Bollywood posters. A first glance is enough for a music lover to realise the variety the store contains.
Pagal Records was started a decade ago by a vinyl collector, Joe Luca Singh, who began selling his personal vinyls to customers in the capital. He later set up the store to expand his business and reintroduce the music format to Delhiites.
Now, the store is owned by Abhay Panwar, who calls it a 'culture store' more than just a record store. 'The store renewed interest in vinyl culture in the city,' says Abhay Panwar, who now owns the store.
Abhay was a longtime customer of Pagal Records and grew up buying records from Joe. 'I bought the store in December 2024, because I couldn't let it go once Joe decided to give it up,' says Abhay. 'It would feel like something was missing without Pagal Records being here.'
The store boasts a vinyl collection of a wide variety of genres, including rock, jazz, electronic, Bollywood, and Indian classical music. From signed copies of Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar's melodies to a rare 'Sticky Fingers' album record signed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the place highlights the uniqueness of owning vintage records. 'We mostly source first pressings, that is, records pressed decades ago in the 1960s,' says Abhay.
Pagal Records often sources from vinyl collectors who are looking to sell old records. Bollywood records are the most easily attainable for the store, while some records are sourced from countries abroad, including Italy and Japan. A large section of their customers are regulars who spend up to ₹10,000 on a vinyl record and also sometimes request the team to source specific records.
However, Abhay says Pagal Records team is trying to reduce prices to make records more affordable for their target audience — youths in their 20s looking for a new hobby or music. The cost of their records starts from ₹1,000 and goes up based on the genre and rarity and genre.
Abhay cites customers' newfound disinterest in paying for music on online platforms as one reason for the comeback of vinyl culture. 'People are done with just consuming one form of music, and they've realized they can get more out of the money they are spending on it.'
This, Abhay says, is why Pagal Records is trying to reduce their prices to make records more affordable for their new target audience — young people in their 20s looking for a new hobby or new music. Previously, their customer base consisted mostly of working professionals and musicians who could afford records.
Although Pagal Records wants to foster the new generation of music lovers, they also want customers to discover new genres and artists through vinyl.
'Post-COVID, the number of records being sold in Delhi has multiplied. But we don't want to make the job too easy for people,' Abhay says. To inspire customers to find music themselves, the small team at Pagal Records takes on a 'Do-It-Yourself' approach. They invite customers to dig the crates, spend time listening to the records they select on the in-store turntable, and then make their final pick.
At 5 Hauz Khas Village, near Deer Park; Open daily 12pm to 8pm