Breaking a male bastion

Naher Ahamed, a slide guitarist, started her journey of playing the instrument around 2004. Being a female may have worked against her sometimes, but her family was a great support, she told The Daily Star in a conversation about her passion.

“Although there were lapses in my practice during this time, my passion for the slide guitar enabled me to pursue my dream. I regularly practice the slide guitar. I was also interested in the sitar and dotara, but I was more in love with this instrument. Beside this, I also write for children and adults; I have a few published books.

 “I am where I am because I was inspired by my sister. My family had a very cultural mindset. We always had musical programmes at our place. My brother used to play the tabla, I played the slide guitar and my sister used to sing. The ambience was always musical.

“I have tried to inspire my children to be culturally-inclined. Three of my daughters are dancers. One teaches dance in a school and the other two are choreographers. So our home environment has always been very favourable to nurturing of creative talent.

“A woman should not focus solely on family. They should always do what they love to do. There should be no distinction between a man and a woman. Each individual should have the freedom to live their life the way they want to.”