By Jonathan Donald Syiemlieh
Sasanka Das is an artiste making his mark in the independent music scene, originally from Assam, this singer-songwriter is well on his way with the launch of his maiden extended play (EP) in 2018-2019 titled Someday Somehow. The EP title conveys a personal message which is about the aspirations of the artiste as a child and his dreams of being a musician someday. It was during the end of 2016 when he was on a journey of penning his own songs. He attributes his first inclination towards music to his mother, Gitanjali Das, who is a classical singer and a harmonium artiste.
The EP has four songs (in order of release): Old School Love, A Song for Two, Time & Space and Empathy.
Songs like Old School Love and Time & Space received appreciation from music lovers. Old School Love narrates an intimate and candid story about love between two souls. His second song on the EP, A Song for Two, pledges an oath to be there by someone’s side during good and bad times. His other songs talk about hope and making dreams come true.
As a songwriter, Das leaves the meaning of the songs to the imagination of the listener. He firmly believes in the power of words and melodies and his style of writing is simple and honest and does not cater to formula-based creativity.
“If your song can make someone smile, bring tears of joy or just make them happy or nostalgic for those four minutes of run-time, you have done your job as a songwriter,” says the artiste.
Das tries to bring that out in every song he writes and continues to do so.
Someday Somehow was recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by Paras Khanna of Hourglass Studios, Noida. The artwork of the EP brief by Pallab Baruah brings out the complete essence of the artiste’s childhood memories.
Das’s latest single titled Time Is No Chain was released on May 15. The song is about being free and doing what you love most without worrying about social conventions.
In this day and age, there is too much unnecessary pressure that kills productivity and creativity and this single reminds all that they should embrace whatever comes, effortlessly and learn to let go of the not-so-positive energy.
The track was mixed, mastered and post-produced by Yatin Srivastava and recorded at Ferris Wheel Studios, Gurgaon. Das is learning every day and in his opinion, “songwriting is like fishing, sometimes you catch a big fish, sometimes you catch a small fish, but you keep fishing”.
(The author is an Associate Fellow at The Energy & Resources Institute, New Delhi, and artist evangelist, The Living Room Sessions)