Poetry in the city.

[By Mayank Austen Soofi]

He’s a writer—Aryak Ray works for an ad agency. He plays the guitar. He also sings. And it’s the first time he professionally released a song he wrote and rendered— on YouTube just last week. With it, he also launched his music band (Midnite Djong) that he co-founded with schoolfriend Joydeep Banerji.

Chatting over WhatsApp video from his Palam Vihar pad that he shares with his super calm dog, Dino, Mr Ray, 30, talks about how he arrived at this landmark in life. “I wrote Stealing Time in 2020, and sent it to Joy (Joydeep Banerji) in Calcutta. He composed the music. Soon, I met him at his place, and we recorded my vocals.” They then reached out to their drummer-friend, Sourish Kumar, while their “mentor” Suvam Moitra helped them mix and master the song—they both are also based in Kolkata. The art and distribution of the song was done by childhood besties Khushi Goklani and Mridha Anand respectively who live in Gurgaon in the Greater Delhi Region.

If there had been no pandemic, this song wouldn’t have existed. “I wrote the song for someone I needed to be with, mentally and physically, but the lockdown stood there like a curse.”

Too bad you cannot hear the song in Mr Ray’s warm soothing voice on this print edition but here are the lyrics he penned. (You may find the recordings at his band’s Instagram handle @midnitedjong).

Stealing Time

I can’t help this feeling
That you’re going away from me
I can’t help this feeling

I can’t rest and I’m aching
When you’re staring at the wall
I cant rest and I’m aching

You blow me away
Everything that you do
Even throw me away
Please just show me a way
Cause I’m stealing time

Say my name, say it twice
Repeat it like a song
Say my name, make it nice

I could be sure I was blind
But I see you standing there
I could be sure that I was blind

You blow me away
Everything you do
Even throw me away
Please just show me a way
Cause I’m stealing time