I am Palash Sen, the fourth generation doctor in my family. I did my schooling from St Columbus and then moved to the University College of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. I was successfully heading towards the family profession. Singer, did you say? I was a born one, like every Bengali. So was everyone in my family. But, no one ever took it up as a profession neither did I intend to. But, it was a mishap in my career that was destined to happen, a mishap that I liked the most.

 

1989 was when we first formed the band. We do not know why we named it Euphoria. Ashok, Sunil, Ravi, Jitty and me, we started it in a small barsati. Today, many of us have parted ways; stopped talking to each other. But, the band and the doctor boy are still together. Had I intended to make money, my medical background would have opened many doors for me. But, it was a passion, a dream to sing my own songs that led me this far.

You know, why so many band groups break up after one or two successful stints? Well, it is all because of the ego. The toughest thing on earth perhaps is to keep a group of talented musicians together. For this, the bandleader needs to be strong. Yes, I am strong. I do not mind to bend down before my group mates. That is how I manage the band. That is how I have hold onto every bead till now. But, it is not possible without the help of group members. The immense support and faith they place on me makes the string even stronger.

 

Life was never a bed of roses for us. We fought hard at every step, practiced in the barsati, sold our own tickets for Rs 20 each, printed our own posters, etc. Yes, there were fights between the band members too. We broke up, some members left but then some other joined. And, I believe all these have made us even stronger. It is never easy to motivate yourself when you barely have any assignment. At one point of time, our Sunday practices became alternate Sunday practices. One company, which offered to record an album for us, tried to trap us in an agreement of paying them 30 per cent of our income for next three years. But then, every band group goes through these phases. For us, things changed when Anil Moolchandani of Archies Music offered us the contract to record our first album. I was 20 minutes late for the meeting and hence the discussion was short. He said, ‘We want to release your debut album. Record it immediately. Here is a cheque. We trust you. Just one more thing - do a good job.’ And then, Dhoom was released. The rest, as they say, is history.