Hear Mumbai Outfit Khoj’s Soulful Debut EP ‘Parindey’

Over the course of the last five years, Mumbai-based singer-songwriter Punit Garg has faced quite a whirlwind. The musician completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the city-based JJ Hospital and obtained a Doctor of Medicine degree from KEM Hospital where he was a resident doctor. After a stint at Sion Hospital, Garg is now a medical officer at S.K. Patil Hospital in Malad. Amid all this, he’s also gone on to learn guitar, write his own songs and is now out with his debut three-track soulful EP Parindey under the moniker Khoj.

Garg says, “I wanted to find musicians with whom I could jam and could also produce the tracks.” That’s when the artist got acquainted with Mumbai alt-rock band The Yellow Diary’s keyboardist Himonshu Parikh and guitarist Chaitanya Bhaidkar who performs regularly with musician Vasuda Sharma. With nine songs written by Garg, the trio began chipping away at the tracks one at a time. “Both Himonshu and Chaitanya being experts at production, recorded their parts in their own home studios,” says Garg. He adds, “The going has been slow and with a lot of delays but steadily and giving each song its due time.”

Parindey opens with the title track, a soft rock ballad which according to Garg is about “wanting to break free and live without fear or regret.” The refreshing “Naadaangi” is a peppy number with slick production and was written to “create mental health awareness and spread positivity.” On the plaintive EP closer “Fizaa,” Garg sings about embracing one’s destiny and “being true to who you are.” Garg adds, “Two things became my priority: my profession and my passion. I was happy to sacrifice everything else.” The record has been mixed and mastered by Abhishek Gautam.

According to Garg, the current lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic has been tough and quite stressful as a doctor. He says, “More than anything, I am scared of infecting my loved ones at home. My wife and my sister are also doctors and doing frontline duty at Sion Hospital. So we are all a bit apprehensive but determined to do our bit.” On the music front, Garg has two more EPs titled Dhaaraa and Mitti he hopes to release later this year. He is also working on acoustic versions of his songs with guitarist Elvin Lukose, basssit Nikhil Nair and cajon player Saurabh Bhoptrao.

Stream ‘Parindey’ below: