Mangaluru teen Munaz sings ‘Zaalima’ cover with singers across countries

It was her love for singing that encouraged Munaz Mariam, a 19-year-old from Mangaluru, to participate in an online initiative aimed towards creating bonds among youth from different backgrounds through music.

munazmangaluru

SAMAA - a band based in Chicago, USA - invited people to send cover versions of two popular Bollywood songs, in an effort to bring them together. When the initiative #singwithSAMAA was started initially, the band received responses not only from India, but also from Pakistan and other countries. It was then that SAMAA decided to select entries from singers of all nationalities.

munz 2 When Munaz decided to send her cover version of 'Zaalima' from the Bollywood movie 'Raees' to this initiative three months ago, little did she expect that she would be featured in the final video compilation. Along with Munaz, the video features covers of 'Zaalima' , 'Afreen' and 'Sajde Kiye Hain Lakhon' sung by other Indians and Pakistanis, and two singers from Qatar and USA.

This video was uploaded by SAMAA on Facebook and YouTube, and has gathered over 2.8 lakh Views and over six thousand Likes since then. A look at the musical video shows people from India, Pakistan, Qatar and USA with a real talent for singing.

A student of St Aloysius College in Mangaluru, Munaz came across this initiative through SAMAA's social outlets and decided to give it a try. "It was a spontaneous decision and I had not expected that my cover would be selected. Their response was immediate and I was elated at the selection," she said. Munaz was further excited after the release of the final video when she realised she was the only singer from Karnataka to be featured.

"I had submitted my cover song keeping in mind that I was an ordinary singer and I am really happy at being featured. Some of the other singers in the video are really good," said Munaz, who was also joyous at the positive comments she received in response to the video.

Other singers from India such as Anmol from New Delhi, Mahima and Vaibhavi from Mumbai, Sravya from Hyderabad, Chayanika from Golaghat and Vaidehi from Badlapur are featured in the compilation, while those from Pakistan include Ali from Sialkot, Dr Rabail from Hyderabad (Pak) and Mobeen from Islamabad. Vinutha from Doha, Qatar and Justin from New Jersey, USA have also been featured. Interestingly, another singer in the video, Romesa from Lahore, Pakistan, is only a little girl.

At a time of restlessness and animosity between sections of people in India and Pakistan, efforts such as #singwithSAMAA initiative come like a whiff of fresh air. It also goes on to show that music can indeed bring people together.

With her participation in the musical endeavour, Munaz has not only helped towards building bridges across borders, but has also formed new friendships in the process.

click here for the video

Comments

wow nice to hear! festival for ears.

Young Girl ! it would be better for you to recite your lord's word instead of film songs... God has given you a beautiful voice. please contemplate on reciting the word of God. Make a video of your lord's word so that many people who are unaware of their creator will know thru your beautiful voice.

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Expectations of Education leaders for 2020

Media Release

January 9,2020

Education sector is set to witness one of the biggest changes in its history in the coming future in India. Emerging trends will help shift the curriculum from strictly marks based to one which takes into account a student’s overall development. Efforts are being made to make education more industry based as most of what students currently study is not something which they use when they join companies.

The New Education policy aims to provide free education to girls, develop world class industrial workforce that is at par with global standards and provide spiritual learning for sound mental health. With the help of technological tools teachers will be able to instill and home more creative and independent thinking, problem solving and soft skills among children which have a direct impact on their ability to find good jobs in the corporate world.

Technology has already been the catalyst in overcoming some of these challenges and is now all set to underpin the emerging trends in education which will cater to the demand of individuals, learners, institutions and the industry in general. Some of the education trends powered by technology will be Augmented Reality and Gamification, Interest based learning, social and emotional learning, self paced learning, Internet of things (IoT), Block chain and the use of LTE chrome books.

Here are the views of some of our education experts on the future of education industry in 2020 and beyond:

Dr. Narendra Shyamsukha, Founder & Chairman, ICA Edu Skills

Vocational training in India is all set to see a rise with many virtual and augmented reality simulations helping students learn and practice job skills that will result in direct employment. Vocational training courses will not only enable students to acquire different techniques but will come in handy if students want to get that extra skill which gives them an upper hand over other candidates while appearing for job interviews. Vocational training in institutes and schools will help reduce the burden on regular curriculum as education itself will become more diversified with students focusing not only on theoretical study but also on the other aspects. This will help those students in particular who have not completed primary or secondary education and have entered workforce age without these credentials. Vocational courses require no particular experience and can be completed in a short duration and with greater use of technology in the coming years it will be way easier to impart the teachings that will enable students to get industry based jobs.

Dr. RL Raina, Vice Chancellor, JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur

The overall education system in India is all set to undergo a massive change in 2020 and beyond as both government-based and private educational institutions like schools and colleges will embrace technology to provide new methods of learning to students. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT), among others will equip students with skill sets and competencies that they can employ on the job and in the industries that they choose to work with. It is not news that India has an acute shortage of teachers at elementary, secondary and even at the higher levels of education. Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) of the Government of India states that there is a shortage of over a million teachers across the country. And, the usage of these new technologies in Indian classrooms is the need of the hour. The growing penetration of mobile phones in the country has helped students learn anywhere and at any time, which has prompted institutions to use digital tools for teaching as they help students learn at their own pace without feeling the pressure to match their peers. This will help every student form a basic understanding of the main concept which is crucial to the subject. The new trending technologies of today will also play a massive role in breaking down difficult concepts to students with the help of live examples, the details of which they can pay close attention to, thanks to unprecedented developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Mr.Rachit Jain, Founder & CEO,Youth4Work

The New Year will be considered as a silver lining for the Indian job market. About 41% of respondents said the job market will be positive in the Year 2020. The major hiring trends for 2019 were automation, artificial intelligence and were more driven by niche skills, new-age positions and roles. Though the initial quarter of 2020 looks little gloomy since the GDP growth has gone down and the organisations are being cautious for their expansions or new initiatives, the second half of the year looks promising in terms of job opportunities of the companies resume looking at business expansion and new initiatives. In terms of salary and increments, various HR firms and experts believe the year 2020 will see a muted activity. According to the latest Q3 2019 Salary Budget Planning Report released by Willis Towers Watson, salaries in India are projected to rise 10 per cent in 2020, marginally higher than the actual increase (9.9 per cent) in 2019.

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