Kaira Grace
Not all heroes come with a silver spoon in their mouth nor are all inborn geniuses. It may seem easy to judge the life of a legend while wishing to live their position someday. However, only a handful of them get to reach the finish line and eventually become the true precursor of a great legend. Among this handful of people, I was privileged enough to encounter a brave warrior son of our motherland India, Dr Sinchan Das, a Homeopath.
Love for music
Born on December 3, 1990, he was initiated into music at an early age by his father Harendra Nath Das. He began learning music at three from his mother Dr Susmita Das who was also heavily bent towards music. By the time he turned five, he was put under the guidance of Kaushik Bhattacharya under whom he trained for the next four years, when he went under the tutelage of vocal maestro of Rampur Senia Gharana Pt Samaresh Chowdhury for an intensive training. Alongside, he also learned Sarod under the guidance of Maihar Gharana maestro Pt Kamal Mallick. However, the musical journey was tough as he was rejected by several music teachers for his heavy voice, which they said was not suitable for singing. Dr Das not only went ahead with his resolve to become a singer but in time introduced an instrumental style Taantrikari, which was much loved and accepted by the audience.
Belonging to Rampur Senia Gharana of Indian Classical that was initiated by Tansen, Dr Das is renowned for his khayal form of singing and also for his popular renditions of bhajans and Thumri (devotional music). Currently! He is working hard to preserve the long forgotten form of Bengali Khayal through his Youtube channel. He also uses music therapy to treat his patients. His collection of vocals such as Darbari Kanada have shown its positive efficacy on many psychological cases, especially for people suffering from insomnia, and PTSD.
Training to be a doctor
Academically, Dr Das wanted to learn physics, but his low score in the subject made it impossible for him to get admission in any college. As advised by his father, he took admission in music honors at the Rabindra Bharati University. The young boy couldn’t accept that this would be his fate, and decided to take the joint entrance exam for JENPARH (Joint Entrance Nursing Physiotherapy Ayurvedic Homeopathy) which proved to be a turning point of his life. He got admission in Pratap Chandra Memorial Homeopathic Hospital and College for BHMS (Bachelor in Homeopathy Medicine & Surgery).
Another turning point in his life was when his very first paper Diabetes Mellitus and Its Homeopathic Treatment, got selected after two rejections, and then went on to win the National Award. He then went on to write more, and today has 64 articles published in different journals.
Alter Ego- an artist and a social worker
All the while studying medicine, he didn’t stop his musical journey. He has over 65 awards for singing under his belt and has seven albums and recordings to his credit. He also delves into poetry, often writing on the current affairs that affect society.
Sensitive towards nature and animals, he associated with the NGO Benevolentia Foundation founded by his father the senior Das in association with a friend Gaur Chandra das in, 1996. The NGO has two offshoots: Humanity Institute for Advanced Medical & Cultural Research (HIAMCR) and Charukesi.
Set up in 2016, HIAMCR conducts various research projects as well as offers certificate courses such as CBMS (Certificate in Biochemic Medical Sciences), CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), Music Therapy, Art Therapy, Family Therapy, Color Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Anger Management and Geriatric Therapy etc. It also undertakes social service campaigns in West Bengal’s Chowberia village. The 2019 Bihar floods made Shinchan work for the victims at Purna district of Bihar, wherein he held a number of free medical health camps benefitting scores of people.
Dr Das also organises conferences and seminars on burning issues like mental health, addiction, infertility, animal cruelty, violence, suicide and sexuality, and events like World Environment Day, International Pride Month, International Yoga Day, National Doctor’s Day, and Peace Carnival 2021 for observing International Peace day.
During the pandemic he actively tended to the cases of Covid-19 through telehealth across all corners of the world, home visits, and video conferencing. Apart from this, under his NGO Benevolentia Foundation, Dr Das and his team offered medical help, relief sources and counselling across many small areas of Hasnabad and near Jadavpur railways station. Apart from this, the team also extended its medical aid to Gita Rani Briddhashram near Thakurpukur.
“One must not compete with others, but with the self; try to swim against the flow and possess self-confidence,” he says.
