Abuzz with plans for the future
In conversation with Alieya
Kavita Charanji
There are powerful social messages in works by Ferdows Ara Khanam, otherwise known as Alieya Ferdowsi. From a call for international peace in the children's drama Shantir Balaka, to Rang Shagarer Mela (also for children) with its emphasis on the dangers of pollution to Henrik Ibsen's Doll's House which homes in on the often suffocating lives that many women lead, Alieya juggles her diverse roles with aplomb. In effect, this means balancing the varied demands on her 18-hour-workday --as headmistress of a Tutorial (pre-school), sports organiser, radio and TV artiste, writer and drama director. Alieya has acted in as many as 300 radio and TV plays. She has written three radio plays. As chairperson for the Radio Drama Artiste's Association, she has been the driving force behind a book comprising 15 radio plays called Betar Natak Bibortaner Dhara (2004). The book includes a drama translated by her from English to Bangla, called Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. She has also done the dramatisation and acting for this play. "This is the first book in Bangladesh on radio drama," asserts Alieya. On TV, she has played roles in plays such as Tagore's Jibita-O-Mrito and Anna Kothao. There are also TV serials-- Kal Srot, Bohubrihi. Among her co-stars are well-known names such as Lily Chowdhury, Rowshan Jamil, Abul Hayat, Tania Ahmed and Lucky Enam, among others. She has essayed a role and in Tagore's Natir Puja and Dak Ghar, besides directing them. She has also written, acted and directed Poddo Patar Pani. She has written and directed six plays for children. How does she manage to effectively balance so many different activities? Answers Alieya: "I don't even waste 10 minutes of my day." And what about the proverbial adage 'Jack of all trades and master of none'? Alieya has a ready response: "I hope I have been successful in all that I have done." Others certainly think so. Take the children's drama called Hashu. This work got an award for the best drama from the Bangladesh Shishu Academy (1995). The Agrani Bank instituted this award. Testifying to her talent in this sphere is also the Best Child Drama Director's Award, which she bagged two years ago. Likewise there's no stopping Alieya in the sphere of sports. As a sports organiser, she got the Anannya Top Ten award this year. A former physical education teacher, she was a general secretary of the Bangladesh Women Sports Federation. In this capacity she developed training programmes for girls in swimming, chess, gymnastics, handball, volleyball and athletics all over the country. She was the winner of the International Olympic Council Women and Sport trophy for Asia in the 3rd World Conference on Women in Sport, held in Morocco in 2004. She is the founder and chairperson of the Bangladesh Women Sport Leaders Association. In addition, she is also the joint secretary of the National Shooting Federation. Alieya is abuzz with plans for the future. One of her ambitions is to publish more adult and children's play and direct TV plays. And she's not resting content as an actress--"I always feel I could be a better performer," she maintains.
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Alieya Ferdowsi (R) seen with Sumita Devi (L) and co-star in Tin Addhay, a TV play |
