Singer Nazia Sayeed. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, July 27: If the famous singer, Md. Sikandar Alam, is known as Salabega of music industry in Orissa for singing bhajans for Lord Jagannath, his daughter Nazia Sayeed is not far behind.

For Nazia, singing songs of the Gita Govinda by Jayadev has become a passion. Her devotion while singing is so palpable that it has helped her create a distinct identity for herself in the music industry of the state and of the country.

Jayadev’s Gita Govinda is considered as one of the profound literary works dedicated to Lord Jagannath. Its poems have now become the backbone of Odissi dance performances worldwide.

“I am recording for two major projects on Jayadev’s Gita Govinda and they will be released soon,’’ she said.

For Oriyas, Jagannath and Salabega (the Muslim devotee of the Lord) are inseparable. Once Salabega went to Puri to see the Lord, but the authorities of the temple denied him to take part in rath yatra as he belonged to the minority community. However the Lord himself had appeared before his devotee and fulfilled his wish.

Salabega had penned the celebrated bhajans like “Pati tapabanabana au kete belaku’’ and “Ahe nila saila prabala matta barana’’.

Interestingly the song “Pati tapabanabana au kete belaku’’ was also instrumental in making Md. Sikandar Alam a household name in Orissa.

Youngest daughter Md Sikandar Alam and Naima Alam, Nazia was inspired by her mother, also a professional singer, to take up music.

Guided by her mother till her graduation days, Nazia mastered higher form of Hindustani Classical from Ustad Mashqoor Ali Khan Sahab of Kirana Gharana at ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Calcutta. She also learnt Odissi from guru Keshav Chandra Rout.

Nazia first recorded her voice professionally in 1997 and since then there was no looking back. A refined singer, she has performed on stage with many senior musicians, composers and singers in most places of Orissa and many parts in India.

She even shared the stage with the legendary singer Manna Dey with whom she sang a duet.

“It was quite an occasion seeing you and then singing together. You are destined to go ahead in the field of art. You are very dedicated in your approach towards music. Keep it up,” said Nazia, quoting Dey who had become her fan.

Presently considered as one of the best female exponents of classical music in Orissa, she has also rendered classical singing for Odissi dance at the renditions of Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, Aruna Mohanty, Sujata Mohapatra, Meera Das, Sarmila Biswas, Aloka Kanungo and Jyoti Srivastav.

“Of all my performances I remember my tour to America in 2003 vividly where I was invited by the Orissa society of Americas for their 34th annual convention. The listeners were so happy to listen to my songs that I had to extend the tour for four months in a whirlwind assignment spread across 16 states of the US,” recalled Nazia.

“My singing was so much in demand that I was also invited to sing for the Bangladeshi community in the US. The Indian Social Club (Oriya wing), Muscat too invited me to sing for their annual day celebration at the Indian Embassy auditorium at Al Khuair, in 2008,’’she said.

Nazia is currently pursuing her Ph.D in music after earning degrees in Sangeet Visharad and Sangeet Bhaskar in Hindustani classical and Odissi vocal respectively. She also has a post graduate degree in Sociology from Utkal University.

Nazia’s has released six Oriya, two Bengali and one Urdu audio till date.

As a part of her social responsibility, she is running a music school Sangeet Niketan in Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar for over a decade for children.

“I want to see more Nazias in these budding artistes, so that Orissa will have a greater contribution in the national music scenario,’’ she added.