Music that heals

With his longish locks and frayed denims, he looks least like a doctor. But that's not surprising; Dr Palash Sen of the Euphoria fame has always been a non-conformist.

If he hadn't taken the musical route to follow his dreams, we certainly would have missed out on many hits like Maaeri and Dhoom Pichuck. Advocating his life's philosophy, he recently lent his voice to the Follow Your Dreams album, a cause to stop student suicides. The music compilation that features heavyweights like Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Agnee, Kailash Kher, Indian Ocean and others for https://www.iken.in/.

CS chats up with Dr Palash to know more about the pressures he faced in college and how he dared to be different:



Band bajao

Anyone who has lived in a student's hostel knows that college life certainly isn't easy. Handling unrealistic assignment deadlines, relationship problems and fierce competition is indeed a challenge at that young age. But music saw me through a lot of those hard times.
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It was my healer and a source of comfort. Rehman's soulful Dil Se would just touch my heart and help me face another day ahead. I enjoyed listening to Lucky Ali, Silk Route, R D Burman and all the western bands of the day. Their songs were uplifting, unlike some of the trash that is doing the rounds these days.

Magic in music

Today, music is mainly made to promote a film. That's a tragedy because non-filmy music seems to have died a complete death. I'm probably the last man standing who is still a part of an independent band. We have to learn to start making music for the sake of making music. That's a sure way of bringing together real talent and giving a platform to passionate musicians.

Being the change

I'm glad that I got a platform in my time. When I decided to pursue music, my decision did raise a few eyebrows because I was a doctor. But I knew that I wanted to follow my dream, and I did, while continuing my medical practice. I have two kids and I have given them absolute freedom to chase their ambitions. I think that if we can inculcate this thinking at the micro level, it'll also make a big difference at the macro level.