We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aparajit Veer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Aparajit, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my song “Dil Ki Jang” (War Within the Heart), a raw, emotional Hindi track with English subtitles, dedicated to the students who’ve tragically lost their lives at India’s top engineering institutes, like the IITs, amid an ongoing mental health crisis.
The backstory hits close to home. I graduated from one of those elite institutions (IIT Kharagpur), where I experienced firsthand the intense pressure, non stop competition, sky-high expectations, isolation, and the constant fear of falling short after years of sacrifice just to get in. It’s a high-stakes environment that can feel completely overwhelming. Over the years since I left, the headlines kept coming, dozens of student suicides reported across the IITs (recent data shows at least 65 cases between 2021 and 2025, with spikes at places like IIT Kanpur and Kharagpur, often linked to academic stress, inadequate support, and systemic gaps). These aren’t just statistics, they’re young lives full of promise, cut short while the world moves on too quickly, much like how people moved on from those we lost during the 2020 COVID crisis.
I felt powerless to change policies or systems, but as a musician immersed in the LA creative scene (with roots that shaped this perspective), I knew I could do something to show they are cared for. So I wrote “Dil Ki Jang” as a direct tribute to those lost souls, to honor them, to scream about the inner battles (“jang” means war) so many fight alone: the anxiety, loneliness, and despair under that pressure. The lyrics are meant to reach anyone struggling, saying: You’re not invisible. Your pain matters. Someone sees it, feels it, and cares enough to put it into music.
This project is deeply meaningful to me because it transformed my own college lows and post graduation hustle (the rejections, the grind, the emotional scars) into something purposeful beyond personal success. Creating it was healing, channeling grief into art that might comfort even one person feeling trapped, or spark awareness about mental health in high pressure academic worlds.
In a culture that often glorifies achievement at any cost, this song is my quiet rebellion: reminding people that behind every “success story” is a human heart that deserves care and support.
You can stream or watch it here:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqjt89D1Gd8 (official tribute video highlighting the crisis)
Spotify: Search “Dil Ki Jang” under APARAJIT also listed as “Dil Ki Jung (Song on Student Suicides in India)”
If it helps start conversations, offers solidarity to someone hurting, or keeps those stories from being forgotten, that’s the real victory. This is why I create: to connect deeply, heal through expression, and push for a kinder world where dreams don’t come at the cost of lives.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m Aparajit, an independent musician, songwriter, and storyteller immersed in the vibrant LA creative scene. I craft music that dives deep into the human experience, raw emotions, personal battles, triumphs over adversity, and the kind of heartfelt vibes that make you feel seen and connected.
My tracks blend cinematic storytelling with global influences, often in Hindi-English-Telugu mixes, drawing from my journeys across cultures and life’s wild twists. Think soul-stirring anthems about mental health, love, resilience, and chasing dreams against the odds. You can find my releases on Spotify and YouTube under APARAJIT check out my latest like “Dil Ki Jang” (a tribute to student mental health struggles) or upbeat ones inspired by heartbreak and growth “Unchangeable”, “Aint no way down” or “Below the Blue”.
My path into music wasn’t a straight line, it’s more like a rollercoaster that started in my early days in India. Growing up faced some tough times, pursued engineering at IIT Kharagpur, one of India’s top tech institutes. College was intense and Music became my escape. I started writing songs in my dorm, even made one that flopped hard, but it ignited something unstoppable. Amid the chaos, I realized engineering wasn’t my soul’s calling; creating art that heals and connects was.
After graduating (barely scraping through with mental stress but pulling it off) in 2014, I took the leap and flew to LA for the first time, and trained in acting to layer storytelling into my music. That trip was transformative, spending months soaking in Hollywood’s energy, networking, and shooting early videos around Encino, Burbank, I’ve been back multiple times as LA gives the creative fuel to my soul. It’s allowed me to blend my roots with LA’s bold, innovative spirit. Releasing songs, making videos, and turning personal lows into art that resonates.
What I provide is Original music and visuals that tackle real issues, mental health crises (especially in high pressure worlds like elite schools), emotional flings turning into growth stories, the hustle and finding joy in the grind, its a vibe where we share vulnerabilities and uplift each other.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, heartbreak, or chasing big dreams like most of my friends here, my work solves that isolation by saying, “I’ve been there too, let’s turn it into something powerful.” What sets me apart? Authenticity born from real scars, I’m not just singing about it, I’ve lived it and the creative rejections (songs with 10 views at first).
That global LA fusion gives my music a unique edge, emotional depth with cinematic flair with vulnerable lyrics. Plus, I’m all about collaboration, whether it’s co-writing with other artists or connecting with those who vibe with the message.
I’m most proud of persisting through the noise: Releasing “Dil Ki Jang” in 2025 as a tribute to IIT students lost to suicide when I first released in 2019 in Telugu, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvLTvXFbBug Yudhama Neelo Neeke, even when my own releases faced low traction early on. It’s personally impactful, and reminds me why I do this.
Also, those breakthrough moments like my first LA acting classes involving Cold reading or improv or helping clients optimize their businesses using my engineering management degree to support my art, its proof that resilience pays off.
My brand is about real connection, music as therapy, stories as bridges. If you’re into original artists, hit me up. stream my tracks, and let’s build something meaningful. I’m gearing up for more releases in 2026, fresher sounds, maybe some live LA gigs if things align and I’m open to chats, features, or just sharing vibes.
Whether you’re a fellow creative, wanting to collab or someone drawn to deep conversations, share inspiration, reach out. DMs open for collabs, stories, or just venting over a track. Instagram @the_aparajit
Life’s too short not to create and connect boldly. Grateful for this platform, let’s make waves!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My ultimate goal is to use music as a tool for healing, connection, and quiet rebellion against the things that silence people: mental health struggles, unspoken pain, societal pressure to “succeed”.
The isolation that comes with chasing dreams in a tough world. From my own life, the rejections and flops, the emotional scars from heartbreak and hustle I learned that pain doesn’t have to stay hidden. It can become art that says, “You’re not alone in this war inside.” That’s why tracks like “Dil Ki Jang” exist, to spark conversations about mental health, and remind listeners that their feelings matter, even when systems fail them.
Broader than that, every song I release, whether it’s the raw introspection of “Below the Blue,” the resilience anthems in “Unchangeable” or “Aint No Way Down,” or the global blends in Hindi-English-Telugu, is about turning personal battles into bridges. I want to create music that makes people feel seen and understood in their vulnerability.
Heals through expression, music as therapy, as medicine for the soul. Inspires resilience, showing that from lows, you can rise and create something meaningful.
Build a community where we uplift each other, share stories, and connect deeply. In a world that often glorifies surface-level wins, my mission is to champion the human heart behind it all, the anxiety, the loneliness, the hope, the love.
I believe music can move bodies on the dancefloor, spark tears in the dark, or simply make someone feel less alone at 3 a.m. That’s what want me to break boundaries as an independent artist, fusing my roots with LA’s energy, and hoping to touch lives, heal minds, and remind everyone: Stay true to yourself, because every person is beautiful and worthy of being heard. This isn’t just a hobby or career, it’s my way of giving back what life taught me the hard way.
If my music helps even one person keep going, feel empowered, or start a conversation that matters, that’s the win. That’s why I keep creating, no matter the odds.
One track that captures my mission right now is “Below the Blue”, it’s about those restless 3 a.m. nights when grief pulls you under like an ocean, with lyrics like ‘Below the blue, where no one calls my name’ and the cold water feeling the same. It’s raw and melancholic, confronting loss while quietly hinting at resilience. Stream it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgbycQVhQrk (official audio with lyrics). If you’ve ever felt invisible in your pain, this one’s for you.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
All self help books
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UdPFMQsz8M
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_aparajit
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aparajitmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aparajit
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/a-pj
Image Credits
Aparajit