In an exclusive interview with India.com, the rock band Indian Ocean disclosed the reasons behind their former member Susmit Sen’s decision to leave the group.
It was 35 years ago that a music band was formed, and little did they know the band would leave an incredible mark on the music scene with its innovative blend of genres and thought-provoking lyrics. The band we are talking about today is none other than the Indian Ocean! Formed in 1990, the band continues to entertain its fans with amazing tracks. The music band Indian Ocean is synonymous with being the pioneer of the fusion rock genre in India. When the band was formed in 1990, its initial members were Susmit Sen, Asheem Chakravarty, Rahul Ram, and Amit Kilam. However, the lineup changed after Chakravarty passed away on December 25, 2009. Later, in 2013, founding member Susmit Sen left the band.
Recently, in 2024, news surfaced that Susmit had filed a complaint against Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam, accusing them of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, cheating, and misappropriation, among other allegations. Now, in an exclusive interview with India.com, the current band members of Indian Ocean opened up about the reasons behind Susmit Sen’s departure.
When asked whether ego clashes played a role in Susmit Sen leaving the band, Rahul Ram responded, “See, Indian Ocean formed a stable lineup that lasted 16 years from 1994 to 2009 with just the four of us. Then Asheem died. Later, Himanshu and Tuheen joined. For Susmit, yes, he also had a little ego that he thought that we have made some songs in such a way that they are not being banned in the band. And what is it that you thought that his songs were not banned because he did not like them. However it was not so. It was just that those songs were not the type of songs we wanted to make.”
He further elaborated, “One of the biggest examples is a song we released in our last album, which was originally made more than 20 years ago. There’s a song called Jungle, which was made in 2003. So itefaqan hai, aisa nahi ki hum log conscious decision lete hai ki nahi iss gane ko nahi banayenge.”
Finally, Ram concluded by saying, “Sometimes a song is composed in 10 days, sometimes it takes 20 years. So ego clashes are definitely something that causes bands to break. And I think, yes, partly Susmit's leaving was because of the ego clash. He felt that he would be better off outside, and he left, and things moved on. So, yes, this ego clash has happened with us too. So, we try to control our egos so that they do not affect the band.”
According to a PTI report, Susmit Sen filed the complaint along with Sunita Chakravarty, the wife of Asheem Chakravarty, with whom he co-founded the band in 1990. Asheem Chakravarty passed away in 2009 due to complications from a cardiac arrest, and Sen parted ways with Indian Ocean in 2013 to establish his own band, Susmit Sen Chronicles.
The police complaint, lodged on August 16, 2024, at the Mukherjee Nagar police station in New Delhi, also names Kandisa Music Productions Pvt Ltd, the company managing the Indian Ocean band, as one of the accused.
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