The Indira Gandhi Culture Centre (IGCC) on Friday organised an evening of sitar recital with Alif Laila at the centre’s Gulshan branch.

The singer rendered Raag Yaman with alap, Jor and composition in Rupak Taal, Raag Jhinjhoti with alap, composition in Deepchandi Taal, composition in Fast Teen Taal and Jhala, and Raag Desh Dhun.

She was accompanied by Rupak Bhattacharjee from India on tabla. Bhattacharjee, an A grade artiste of All India Radio and DoorDarshan has already become a regular performer both as a soloist and as an accomplished accompanist with several stalwart and top grade musicians all over India and abroad. He has ably supported his guru Pt. Anindo Chatterjee on duet tabla solos in several prestigious concerts.

Alif Laila was trained in the Indian classical music through sitar in Dhaka by Mir Qasem Khan, nephew of the legendary maestro Allauddin Khan. During her final years of training, she attended the College of Fine Arts in Dhaka, where she graduated in 1981 and received several awards for her watercolour paintings.

In 1988, she moved to the United States. She continued her study of Indian classical music in sitar with teachers such as Partha Chatterjee, Krishna Bhatt and Kushal Das.

Laila has performed at several international venues, such as The Purcell Room, London, The Kerala Arts Society, Kerala, the National Museum of Bangladesh, Dhaka, SRA/Bengal Foundation Festival, Dhaka, the India International Center, New Delhi and the Manav Sanghralaya in Bhopal.

Her DVD Hridayaragam was featured in the Women’s History Month at the Smithsonian in 2008 and Strings of Resonance was nominated for the ‘Best Classical Music Awards’ in Dhaka in 2010.

Laila’s creative work in Indian classical music with different genres of music is epitomised in her album, I Am a River, combining sitar and jazz-saxophone. Her latest CD is titled ‘The Chakra’, depicting the cycle of energy.

In May 2014, she digitally released her CD, ‘Amma’, a tribute to her mother, who is an inspiration to her music and life. She has released eight Indian classical sitar CDs and two DVDs.