Indira Gandhi Culture Centre (IGCC) is organising an evening of sitar recital by Alif Laila accompanied by Rupak Bhattacharjee on December 18 at the IGCC’s Gulshan premises in the city. Alif Laila was trained in the Indian classical music through sitar in Dhaka, Bangladesh 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 with a bachelor’s degree and received several awards for her watercolor 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 internationally, including in 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, Bhopal.
Her DVD ‘Hridayaraga’ 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 epitomized 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.
In the event Laila will be accompanied by Rupak Bhattacharjee on tabla. Rupak Bhattacharjee was born in a family of very strong musical background.  He was initiated into tabla by his father Arun Bhattacharjee at the tender age of four. Later he started learning under Mrinal Kanti Bakshi of the Farukabad Gharana. At present, he is receiving extensive training under the guidance of Pt. Anindo Chatterjee.
Rupak 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.

Where:  IGCC, House 35, Road 24, Gulshan 1.
When: 6pm, Friday