MUSIC MAKES HIS WORLD GO ROUND

By SHIPRA CHAUDHURY

Bob Marley once said, “One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain”.

This is exactly what happened to Edward Milton Sarkar when COVID hit the world. He took solace in music and found an outlet to express himself. With the encouragement of his family and close friends, he started to follow his passion for music.

Originally from Bangladesh, and currently living in Ajax, Ontario, Sarkar says, “Music has always been the food for my soul from a very early stage in my life. I grew up listening to Bengali classical music, Hindi ghazals, and Hindi film music. I am and always will be a great fan and admirer of maestros like Hemanta Mukherjee, Shyamal Mitra, AR Rahman, Hariharan and Jagjit Singh, to name a few. They have inspired me to try different genres of music. I am not a trained artiste and never really pursued my passion for music prior to COVID. Now I continue to learn and explore the art of singing. Music keeps me sane and helps me express myself.”

Sarkar came to Canada 11 years ago in search of a better and more secure life, and looking to providing financial support for his family back home. With experience in managerial positions in retail and corporate sales back in Bangladesh, he is currently with Goeasy Ltd., a leading Canadian financial services company that provides non-prime leasing and lending services through Easyhome, Easyfinancial and LendCare brands, as a manager, customer lifecycle programs, in the marketing team.

The early years in Canada were not a bed of roses, specially for someone who isn’t a fan of the snow.

“Most of Canada with its extremely snowy and cold winters is difficult to adjust to!” says Sarkar, “When I came to this country, not everyone was encouraging, but my plan was very basic and simple. Have faith, work hard, and believe in your abilities. My wife finished her MBBS from back home and was a GP there. She did a diploma in Health Information Management here and now works at Scarborough Rouge Hospital as a health information management professional. Our initial years were very tough with two growing children, managing their timings, and going back to school for my wife. But we worked hard and were rewarded with success in our professional lives. Life did change, but we still follow the same plan, work hard and believe in ourselves.”

The pandemic inflicted multiple blows, destroying careers and employment prospects, disrupting education and training and having a serious impact on mental well-being of countless people. It is at this point that music became Sarkar’s ‘go-to’ place when all other places were locked and barred.

“Khalil Gibran said that ‘Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace and abolishing strife.’ And I fully agree with this, where words fail, music speaks!” he says.

There are many things Sarkar loves about Canada today. “I love its diverse community the most. It’s a beautiful country to live in and explore. I feel secure all the time. I do believe this country has a lot to offer if you work hard and have the right goal in mind. Be positive, listen to all stories, be they be of success or struggle, as one learns from all of them.”                                                       

 • If you’d like to share the story of your arrival in Canada, please write to desinews@rogers.com or call 416-695-4357.