Tag Archives: Muslims of Bengaluru

Just like old times

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Karnataka (under research project), World Opinion, , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

Musical duo Lucky Ali and Mikey McCleary, who first worked together on O Sanam, is collaborating again after almost 11 years for an album, Intezaar, the first song of which is out and trending.

Singer Lucky Ali. (File | PTI)

Bengaluru :

Lucky Ali turns to music to express himself. He might never be in a hurry to create tunes, but Ali makes sure the wait is worth it. The singer is now out with his latest album Intezaar, which has touched over 2 million views.      

Ali’s loungey music has always been popular among music lovers and Intezaar has something to it that makes it a crowd-puller too. The music of the album is by composer and long-time associate Mikey McCleary. The first time McCleary and Ali worked together was for the singer’s first album Sunoh in 1996, which created magic with the song O Sanam. The duo subsequently went on to work on many projects but is back together after a long break.

Ali says this is the first of many songs that is going to be out. “It’s an album, but we’ll be releasing one song at a time,” says Ali, adding that the composition was done a while ago but they were waiting for the right time to release it. The lyrics are by IP Singh which was a ‘new experience’ for Ali. “IP brings in more depth and has worked around the tunes,” he adds. 

When the seasoned musical duo took a break from working together, 63-year-old Ali says it gave him time to explore live shows. “Music took me to live experiences where I overcame stage fright. Performing live was a new experience all together,” says Ali. 

Meanwhile, McCleary has been a shining star in the Bollywood music scene, whose last project was in Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar-starrer The Sky is Pink. This song, for McCleary, has been about revisiting some of his older ideas. “Intezaar was actually an idea that we had worked on around 10 years ago. I was going through some of the older works and found a rough outline.

After developing the work, I showed it to Lucky who really liked it,” says McCleary, speaking to CE from New York. “I loved working on it because even if it is not a fast track, there is an uplifting feel to it. It’s a nice track that feels appropriate for the times we live in,” he adds. 

In times where remixes are trending, McCleary’s music, especially his remix of Khoya Khoya Chand for the movie Shaitan in 2011, has revamped the notion of remixing old classics. “My interest in classics, like Hindi film songs from the ’50s and ’60s, came from my wife (Diksha Basu, an author), who used to play Geeta Dutt’s classics. She encouraged me to experiment with that and I started doing that as a passion project,” says McCleary.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Monika Monalisa, Express News Service / May 02nd, 2022

Show of strength

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Karnataka (under research project), Sports, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

Becoming the youngest female lifter wasn’t an easy task but Maryam Mohammed’s focus helped her achieve it

Maryam Mohammed lifting weight during the tournament

Bengaluru:

Among the many champions who participated in the event, it was 13-year-old Maryam Mohammed who became the youngest female lifter to set a deadlift record in the Push-Pull Championship. Sports establishment Professional Raw organised the first championship at Onyx Fitness which Mohammed was a part of. There were over 300 athletes from across the country who registered themselves for the event.

It’s not the first win for the young lifter either. Speaking to CE, she says, “It’s the fourth competition that I have won so far. I started powerlifting two and half years ago, when the pandemic started and schools went online.” Her father, Mohammed Azmat, who is a powerlifter himself, has been doing it for over three decades now. “He’s my biggest inspiration. He’s the one who trains me and my younger brother has also started participating in competitions now,” Mohammed says.

She spends her weekdays on school work and uses her weekends to train. The basement of their home has been converted into a gym set-up which has helped her practice more. “I know there are many strong people out there but all I do is focus on the bar and just lift it. There’s nothing else to do,” she says, adding that her younger brother is more focused, something she is working on. 

While Mohammed is hoping to get better and win more awards, her father encourages another strategy. “Medals can always be achieved but if they grow up without character, it won’t be of any use,” he says, pointing out that Mohammed always grew up watching him practice in their home set-up. “After she was born, my wife needed my help at home. So, I set up a gym to spend more time at home. Maryam grew up watching me lift weights and when she was finally ready, she showed interest,” he explains.

He adds that neither of the children was ‘forced’ into following in their father’s footsteps. “Seeing them be happy with what they want to do is what I encourage them to follow. They were never forced to follow my footsteps but it’s definitely an icing on top for them to have shown interest,” Azmat says.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Anila Kurian, Express News Service / April 18th, 2022