Md. Sikandar Alam (
Odia
Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to:
* Odia people in Odisha, India
* Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family
* Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...
: ସିକନ୍ଦର ଆଲାମ) (27 July 1939 – 8 August 2010) was a playback singer in
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
film industry (known as
Ollywood
The Odia film industry, colloquially known as Ollywood, is the Odia language Indian film industry, based in Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack in Odisha, India. The name Ollywood is a portmanteau of the words Odia and Hollywood.
Industry
In 1974, th ...
). He is sometimes called the
Salabega
Salabega (, 1607/1608 –?) was an Odia religious poet of India in the early 17th century who wrote Jagannatha bhajans. He was Muslim by birth but his devotion for the Hindu God made Lord Jagannath stop his Ratha Jātrā (Rath Yatra) in Odi ...
of modern Odisha.
In an interview with Monalisa Jena, he said, "I can't appreciate the changing trends where music has become an instrument of titillation with vulgar lyrics. True music soothes the frayed nerves and makes one forget one's mundane life".
Childhood and education
Alam was born on 27 July 1939 in Routrapur, Baialishi Mouzaa of Cuttack district. The family moved to
Cuttack
Cuttack (, or officially Kataka ) in Odia is the former capital and the second largest city in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of ''Kataka'' which literall ...
, where he completed his Matriculation at Christ Collegiate School and his Intermediate in Science at Stewart College. Sikandar then attended the
Gandharva Mahavidyalaya
Gandharva Mahavidyalaya New Delhi is an institution established in 1939 to popularize Indian classical music and dance. The Mahavidyalaya (school) came into being to perpetuate the memory of Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, the great reviver of ...
to study vocal
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...
. He later studied
Odissi music
music () is a genre of classical music in India, originated from the eastern state of Odisha. The traditional ritual music for the service of Lord Jagannatha, Odissi music has a history spanning over two thousand years, authentic ''sangita-shas ...
from Pt
Balakrushna Dash
Sangeeta Sudhakara Balakrushna Dash () was a veteran Guru of Odissi music. One of the chief disciples of the legend Pt Gokul Chandra Srichandan of Kendrapada, Dash worked variously as a vocalist, composer and music director. He received the Odish ...
.
Professional career
His first work in the entertainment industry was with
All India Radio
All or ALL may refer to:
Language
* All, an indefinite pronoun in English
* All, one of the English determiners
* Allar language (ISO 639-3 code)
* Allative case (abbreviated ALL)
Music
* All (band), an American punk rock band
* ''All'' (All a ...
in 1957. His debut in films was in the movie ''Laxmi'' (1964), directed by Balakrushna Dash. He sang in 50 Odia films, including ''Amada Bata, Adina Megha, Manika Jodi, Mamata, Suryamukhi and Puja'', and recorded over 2,000 songs, earning the sobriquet "the
Salabega
Salabega (, 1607/1608 –?) was an Odia religious poet of India in the early 17th century who wrote Jagannatha bhajans. He was Muslim by birth but his devotion for the Hindu God made Lord Jagannath stop his Ratha Jātrā (Rath Yatra) in Odi ...
of modern Odisha".
He created a music album called ''Ala ke Huzur'' with his wife and daughter.
He had performed both in India and internationally. He is credited as the first
Odia
Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to:
* Odia people in Odisha, India
* Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family
* Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...
singer to be heard on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
London.
at the age of 71. He was admitted to the hospital due to prolonged illness.
His father was an IPS officer. His wife Naima Alam, was from
. She was also a singer of Hindustani classical music, and worked at All India Radio. His eldest daughter Sophia Alam is a television actress and his youngest daughter Nazia Alam is an
.
* 1969 – Chitrapuri Award
* 1980 – Soor Sagar Title from Sri Khetra Kala Prakashani, Puri
* 1981 – Dharitri Samman
* 1983 – Odisha Society of America
* 1990 – Odisha State Film Award By Culture Department
* 1991 – Santok Singh Award
* 1991 – Cine Critic Award for Best Playback Singer
* 1995 – Salabega Samman by Salabega Sanskrutika Parishad, Puri
* 1999 – Chinta-O-Chetana Samman
* 1999 – Award From Beach Festival, Chandipur
* 2000 – Chalachitra Sahasrabadi Award
* 2000 – Sarankul Art College & Music Samman
* 2000 – Saraswati Samman from Balakrushna Das Foundation
* 2000 – Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy Award
* 2001 – Akashavani Abasara Binodana Kendra Award
* 2001 – Soor Taranga Award
* 2002 – Nehru Yuba Kendra Award
* 2003 – Kalakar Boita Bandana Utshav, Angul
* 2003 – Sangeet Shree Samman from P.R. Deptt.,
* 2003 – Rajiv Gandhi Samman Award
* 2003 – Rourkela Steel Plant Award
* 2003 – Lion's Club Award
* 2004 – Bani Chitra Award
* 2004 – Akashya Mohanty Award
* 2004 – Utkal Felicitation in Odisha Festival, Kolkata
* 2005 – Shanti Devi Purskar, Bhadrak