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, usko thoda ego ka ho bhi gaya tha ki he thought that usne kuch kuch gaane aise banaye hai jo bann nahi rahe hai band mei. Aur kya hai ki usko laga ki usko nahi pasand karte isliye uske gaane nahi ban rhe hai. Halaki aisa nahi tha. 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He further elaborated, “One of the biggest examples is a song we released in our last album, which was originally made more than 20 years ago.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.”
Lastly, Ram concluded by saying, “Kabhi kabhi ek gaana 10 din mein ban jata hai, kabhi kabhi ek gaane ko 20 saal lag jate hai. 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, haan, hamare sath bhi yeh ego clash hua hai. So, we try to control our egos ki band ko affect na kare.”
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.
