Malhaar's melodies beyond borders

Music is not just a form of art, but a philosophy and a way of life for Jogiraj Sikidar. An established artiste of Indian classical music, he recently won the prestigious NRI (Non Resident Indian) of the Year award in the Art & Culture category for his tireless contribution to classical music through his founded Malhaar Centre for Performing Arts. The Daily Star talks to the artiste on his plans on bringing his esteemed foundation to Bangladesh.

How did you come up with the concept of Malhaar?

For the last forty years, I have been a student of Hindustani classical music. When I shifted to Dubai twelve years ago, I noticed that the kind of music most prevalent there from the sub-continent was mainstream Bollywood songs. Classical music was a niche amongst some of the south Indian residents there. I started tutoring some people as per their request, so that I could be in touch with the art myself. After a while, the idea of a classical choir enticed me, and we decided to name it Malhaar.

Malhaar is also known as one of the very few theatrical Indian classical acts. What inspired you to pursue this route?

The idea of Broadway always intrigued me, Malhaar's performances somewhat resemble that concept. Classical music, dance and theatrics are included in what is an amalgamation of the best of all three worlds. All of our productions have a unique theme to which we adhere. We've had productions portraying the lives of great figures in history, including Wajed Ali Shah, Begum Akhtar and Satyajit Ray. Also, I am proud to tell you that our organisation is completely transparent when it comes to funding, as the participants are passionate volunteers with sheer willpower. After each production, we try to donate our leftover funds to charity.

Tell us about your plans of opening a branch of Malhaar Centre for Performing Arts in Bangladesh.

We opened Malhaar Centre for Performing Arts in February 17 in the UAE, and have received amazing responses internationally. We will likely partner with the Dhaka based SSD Tech, in order to set up a branch here in Bangladesh. The entire operation will be overseen by me, with teachers of high impetus handling the regular affairs. I believe that if a person has art and culture inside him, he can never go rogue, and thus the importance of spreading knowledge can never be overstated.