Siddhartha Shankar Ray, better known as Sidhu, one of the biggest names in Bangla Band Music, sounds bemused as he recounts the roots and consequences of his name. He describes it as a combined result of his father’s modern outlook and mother’s religious faith. Throughout his childhood and early youth, he suffered the consequences of being an erstwhile Chief Minister’s namesake. His degree in medicine lent a prefix of ‘Dr.’ but the problem persisted. Finally, as his passion for music took the shape of a profession, the name got compressed into a candid and informal ‘Sidhu’. Since then, he has been enjoying the liberties of his new name as well as profession.
