BHUBANESWAR: Mohammed Sikander Alam, one of the links to Orissa’s golden musical period, died of a massive heart attack here on Sunday night. He was 71.
A devout Muslim, he was more known for his bhajans rendered for Lord Jagannath. In fact, in the sixties, his first and all-time famous ‘Arata sure bare kare minatire,’ which was an ode to the Lord, established Alam as a singer of repute. And he had not looked back since then.
Some of his famous songs came from the composition of noted musician Prafulla Kar. Starting with “Laxmi” in 1963, when he sang for the composition of legendary Balakrushna Das, Alam rendered his voice as a playback singer for over 50 films.
Often called the Salabega of Oriya film industry, Alam sang several all-time famous bhajans __ ‘Ahe Nilagiri,’ ‘Patitapaban bana au kete belaku’ and ‘Brundabane ke banshi bajaila.’ He is survived by wife and two daughters _ Sofia and Nazia. Prominent members of the Oriya film industry arrived at his IRC Village residence to pay their last respects.
