Dover Lane artistes get health check-up before going on stage
Times of India | 26 January 2024
Kolkata: Alarmed by the recent and untimely deaths of musicians, like KK and Rashid Khan, the former having died minutes after a performance in Kolkata in 2022, organizers of the Dover Lane Music Conference held in the city from Jan 22-25 arranged for a comprehensive health check-up of performers before they went on stage, in collaboration with a private hospital. The response was overwhelming, with several musicians undergoing tests — at home for local artistes and at a hotel for those from other cities. Some tests were also done at the Charnock Hospital that is providing health support to the event and conducting the tests.
A significant number was found to have unhealthy parameters that were detected for the first time. The check-up, conducted by a team of doctors and paramedics, included tests like ECG, lipid profile, liver function test, echocardiography, thyroid stimulating hormone test, urea, creatinine, USG, and several others. “It was scary that, in recent months, many of my colleagues have been detected with illnesses that have remained dormant for years. Since we have busy schedules and rarely visit a doctor unless we fall very ill, our health parameters remain unscreened. This could be dangerous, as we have seen in some recent instances of musicians collapsing on stage or dying shortly after a performance,” said violinist Ragini Shankar, who underwent the tests at the hospital. She added that it has served as a reminder that health was paramount for all professionals.
Harmonium player Pradip Palit, who performed at the conference, said he was overwhelmed by the initiative and that it was an eye-opener. “Musicians rarely stop to think that they need to be fit and screen their health regularly. We perform at odd hours, often through the night, for hours at a stretch. This takes a toll on our health and screenings like these are essential,” said Palit. He added that he will undergo a final set of tests at Charnock soon.
“Recently, we lost maestro Ustad Rashid Khan to ill health, which was a big loss. Charnock is offering free health check-up in order to ensure that musicians can avoid unexpected health issues. This is our endeavour to contribute to the good health and well-being of our artistes,” said Charnock managing director Prashant Sharma.
Performing on stage could be as stressful and physically taxing as several hours of hard labour, said physicians, pointing out that musicians often fail to realize this and end up aggravating undetected ailments. “A vocalist needs to be fully fit in terms of his cardiac and pulmonological conditions since singing puts a lot of stress on lungs and the heart. Those who dance on stage or play instruments are also at risk since their entire body has to move, which requires a higher degree of fitness than for singers,” said intensivist Sauren Panja.
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