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Strains of the sitar

Alif Laila, a Bangadeshi settled in the US, took up the sitar again after raising her children. She enthralled listeners in the city recently

A FINE BALANCE Between music, art and family

Music and painting are Alif Laila's twin loves. No wonder then that when she plays the sitar there appears to be an intricate pattern, like a delicate, richly woven tapestry. Staging a performance in the city recently, Laila's music is dignified, every stroke fluent. When the sitar breaks into life with the touch of her fingers there is colour and opulence. It is so much like a painting coming to life, every touch like the firm strokes of the brush. Emotions, colours, patterns flit; tones unite with shapes as Laila and her sitar merge into one.

Coming from an orthodox Muslim family in Dhaka, Laila was fortunate to have very supportive parents. When she was around 15 years of age Laila was initiated into the world of Indian classical music. "In the beginning it was at the Nazrul Music Academy in Dhaka where Ustad Mir Qasem Khan, the nephew of the legendary Ustad Allauddin Khan, took classes. He must have been impressed by my progress that he put me through eight years of intensive training. It was my mother who insisted that I take up the sitar. She always longed to do this but was not allowed. So she wanted me to complete that dream of hers. That's how it happened," says Laila.

Her fascination for colours and an innate talent to sketch saw Laila join the College of Fine Arts. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in fine arts and painting and went on to win several awards for her watercolour paintings. The world of art opened before her and Laila went on to paint the moods of life with colour and melody.

Marriage and subsequent migration to the U.S. broke this dream-like pattern of life. Away from the friendly environs of her homeland, its images and rhythm, Laila found herself adrift for a while. "Music and painting took a back seat as we, my husband (Afiqur Rehman) and myself strove to find a space of our own in an alien land. I took up a manager's job in a retail store. Then my boys, Amit and Shurid, came. My family was now top priority. But I made it a point to play the sitar every day. Once all the work at home was over I used to spend hours on the sitar. It was a sure way to relax."

Raising a family

Those years that Laila sacrificed must have surely left its toll on her career. "Yes, of course it was a long break. Perhaps, if I were not in the U.S., I would have made a bigger name for myself. There would have been more concerts, more experience. But looking back I have no regrets at all. I'm proud that I was able to build a fine family."

With both the boys ready to face life on their own and the family well settled, Laila returned to the sitar and palette. She was fortunate to find eminent teachers here like Kartik Seshadri, Joya Bose, Debu Chowdhury, Partha Chatterjee, Anindo Chatterjee and Krishna Bhatt. They helped her find her way back on the strings of the sitar. Laila went on to teach the sitar at the University of Maryland and also conducts classes on her own. "I presently have around seven students, not all of them Indians. I don't think they will turn out to be performers. Most of them are hard pressed for time, with their studies and all that. They learn music to relieve themselves of the stress and strain of life."

Laila brought out her first album, `Devotion,' in 1999 and followed it up with `Inner Voice' (2003) and `Meditation With Sitar,' (2005). "This time, before I go back, I will stop over at Kolkata for the recording of a new album. This one will have Anubrata Chatterjee on the tabla. I intend to play ragas Jayjavanti, Khamas and Bhairavi. I would like to name it `Resonances of Bulbul,' in memory of my aunt who passed away last year."

Laila has performed around the world, from Hawaii to Switzerland, to the National Cathedral in Washington DC to the Bishwa Shahithyo Kendro in Bangladesh.

K.PRADEEP

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