When a doctor smiles and says “don’t worry, you’ll get well soon” to a patient who had just stumbled into his hospital in pain and anguish, it’s nothing but music to the ears of the suffering man or woman.
But doctors and those aspiring to be so at the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) and Sum Hospital, run by the SOA University, have literally taken to music in a big way 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 has been 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, eminent singer Shailabhama, BJD legislator Dibya Shankar Mishra and eminent music director Purna Chandra Khuntia in the hospital conference hall on Friday.Dr Maitri was all praise for Dr Kiran Dukhu, Dean of the Medical College and Gopabandhu Kar, managing member of the university, who had supported the venture. “They are an adventurous group combining studies with extracurricular activities and are very confident and sincere,” Dr Dukhu said, adding, “I wish the best for them.”
Medical Superintendent of Sum Hospital Dr PK Mohanty congratulated the students on their unique feat.This perhaps is the first music album to be launched by students of any medical college in Odisha, Dr 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.”
The music band had been founded by six doctors who were students of the IMS and Sum Hospital including 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 comprises interested students starting from the first year to the interns and practicing doctors.“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 included ‘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’.