Doctors at Odisha hospital launch first ever music album

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, July 11:

Doctors and aspiring doctors at the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) and Sum Hospita in the Odisha capital forayed into the unlikely world of music in a big way today by launching their first music album titled ‘Saawariyaa’.

“From the hurly-burly of attending to patients and the burden of studying, it indeed is a far cry for the medicos to turn musical,” Prof DK Roy, Medical Director of IMS, said, adding “It has made us proud.”

“It has given us a lot of satisfaction and the lyricists, composers and singers are all from our college,” said Dr Maitri Rang, an intern at the IMS and Sum Hospital, who was behind the project besides lending her voice to three of the six songs in the album.
The music album was released in the presence of Odia film actor Munna Khan, singer Shailabhama, BJD MLA Dibya Shankar Mishra and music director Purna Chandra Khuntia in the hospital conference hall.

“This perhaps is the first music album to be launched by students of any medical college in Odisha,” Maitri said.

Maitri, who is inspired by singer-cum-medical practitioner Palash Sen, said the medicos struggled to find time to sit together to give shape to their first ever musical venture. “But we consider it a dream, a major achievement, though it’s bit away from our profession,” she said, adding “we had a music band in the college since 2008 called ‘Saaj’, but this is our first album.”

Maitri was all praise for Dr Kiran Dukhu, Dean of the Medical College and Gopabandhu Kar, managing member of the University, who supported the venture.

“They are an adventurous group combining studies with extra-curricular activities and they are very confident and sincere. I wish the best for them”, Dukhu said.

Medical Superintendent of Sum Hospital, Dr PK Mohanty congratulated the students on their unique feat.

The music band had been founded by six doctors who were students of the IMS and Sum Hospital: Dr Abhinab Nayak, Dr Suraj Kumar Agarwal, Dr Soumyadipta Mishra, Dr Soumyakanta Mohapatra, Dr Sarthak Satpathy and Dr Jay Kalaria.

Dr Maitri said the band now comprised interested students starting from the first year to the interns and practicing doctors. “It provides us the relaxation after a hard day’s hard work though we hardly practice together once or twice a week.”

“The title song ‘Saawariyaa’ has both male and female renditions with Jagatjyoti Biswal, a final year student, and me lending our voices,” she said.

The other songs in the album include ‘Sajnaa’ sung by Dr Suraj Kumar Agrawal, now a Junior Resident in Sum Hospital, Sohom Ghosh of 2nd year and Maitri, while Sohom Ghosh and Dr Madhusmita Parida, an intern, sang a duet titled ‘Woh Jo Ratein’.

Sohom Ghosh, who incidentally has a Bengali album to his name, and Saroja Subhrajyotsna of 4th year have sung ‘Teri Yadein’, a duet, while Maitri, Suraj, Madhusmita, Sohom, Saroja and Dr Jayesh Pattanayak have lent their voice to another song ‘Saaj’.

While Sohom has been the lyricist, composer and singer in several songs, Dr Arnna Ananya penned the lyrics for three songs including the female track of the title song ‘Saawariyaa’.