“He taught me everything that I know about music” – Foad Nasser Babu

We often see performers or anchors mentioning the names of the music composer or lyricist before presenting a song. However, legends like Alauddin Ali require no introduction.

I feel like every artiste from the music fraternity wanted to see him one last time. However, the pandemic has raised many safety concerns, and coming to see him at Birdem General Hospital could have posed health risks for many. Legends like Syed Abdul Hadi, Sabina Yasmin and Linu Billah, among many others, called me repeatedly for updates. Sabina apa is a cancer survivor and Hadi bhai underwent a heart bypass surgery recently. I am not too fit either, but I did not want to miss the chance of seeing Alauddin Ali one last time, since we have been working together over the past 40 years. Every interaction with him felt like a music class. Even though he was a star, his humility was unparalleled. Back then, we did not have many opportunities to learn the technical aspects of music. As a result, his studio became my school. He was my friend and my teacher. He taught me everything that I know about music. Never did the smile on his face take a break.