New Delhi, March 7 -- For most Indian fans, Def Leppard is the sound of high-gloss 1980s arena rock -- the polished harmonies of 'Hysteria' and the stadium-shaking riffs of 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'. But as the band kicks off their historic debut tour in India on March 25 -- for which Indian fans had to wait 18 years after the last one was cancelled in 2008 -- guitarist Phil Collen reveals a far grittier, more soulful connection to the subcontinent that not many knew.

One of their songs, 'Turn to Dust', is about Dalits, Collen said in a conversation with PTI over Zoom ahead of the band's tour through Shillong (March 25), Mumbai (March 27), and Bengaluru (March 29).

"I think it was about 1992 or 1993, when I was travelling here, I was actu...