N. Mohammad Afzal with his parents and younger brother Faazil. | Photo Credit: M. Moorthy
N. Mohammad Afzal loves computers and cars, and thanks to his prodigious memory power, he is his family’s ready reckoner on anything from bank transactions to route maps.
“Even in our lowest moments, Afzal has had the most practical and sanguine attitude about his disability, and that has kept us motivated,” says his father Ahmed Nasir, a businessman based in the city.
Diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 7, Afzal slowly lost the use of his limbs, but remained active in academic pursuits. He passed his Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) Class 10 exams (written with the help of a scribe) with a total score of 419 in 2016 under the Samacheer Syllabus.
“I was unable to fulfil my dream of studying in NITT due to my personal circumstances, but my son is doing it,” says Mr. Nasir with pride. “While he has got admission to Civil Engineering in the first phase, we hope the authorities will consider him for Computer Science.”
Afzal also has his own YouTube channel, where he showcases his love for technology and gaming. He has taught himself to operate and assemble computer equipment, and prefers no special treatment when he is at home.
“We have adapted the design of our residence in Palpannai to allow him to move around in his wheelchair without assistance,” says his mother Shahida.
He is very excited to be part of a classroom after his many years of private study. And Afzal has just one response for those who may say hurtful things about him.
“I will simply ignore them,” he says with a smile.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Nahla Nainar / Tiruchi – July 03rd, 2019
The Calcutta boy plays one of the primary characters— opposite Aditi Rao Hydari’s Nusrat — in Ribhu Dasgupta’s directed movie, now streaming on Netflix
Shamaun Ahmed : Styled by : Nazmee Niten / Picture : Brandon Chung
City boy Shamaun Ahmed plays one of the primary characters — opposite Aditi Rao Hydari’s Nusrat — in The Girl on the Train, now streaming on Netflix and also directed by another Calcutta boy, Ribhu Dasgupta. t2 caught up with Shamaun on his big break and the road ahead.
Given that it’s your big Bollywood break, was there an initial sense of disappointment when you found out that The Girl on the Train was headed for a streaming release?
I wouldn’t say I was disappointed… that’s a very big word. Yes, this was going to be my first Hindi theatrical release. But I believe in destiny, and I am sitting here and thinking, ‘How will this benefit me’ and I know eventually, God will show me how.
I am happy that with a streaming release it will reach so many countries at one go. I am grateful to OTT because actors like me who don’t want to do television and wouldn’t get films in a hurry, now have the opportunity to do similar, or even bigger stuff, on OTT.
I am fairly new, the other cast members are established and are doing a lot of work. But after the trailer came out, I became very nervous because the buzz was quite insane. Because of the trailer, my Instagram followers bumped up by a couple of thousands, an effect which I hadn’t seen since Bard of Blood (Shamaun starred as a key character in the 2019 Netflix web series). I haven’t had a release since then anyway. The Girl on the Train is a niche film, so we didn’t really expect this kind of a buzz. It’s now translated into a lot more responsibility. It’s not going to be a few thousand cinema halls, it will be the whole world.
Bard of Blood was, of course, also directed by Ribhu Dasgupta. How did you bag this film?
I was in Calcutta, and I knew that the cast and crew of The Girl on the Train were then in London shooting the film. At that time, I was in talks about doing a three ad film deal. I got a call and Ribhuda asked, ‘London aayega?’ He said that he was taking an English actor for the part, but eventually decided to talk to me. Ribhuda asked me if I could leave the ad deal, and I spoke to the agency and they graciously let me go. Within 10 days, I was in London shooting for the film.
For an artiste, it’s very significant when your director repeats you in his very next project. That made me a lot more confident about my craft. I am grateful to Ribhuda for the opportunity.Had you watched the original Hollywood film, starring Emily Blunt, either before or after starring in the Hindi version?
I actually had watched it a couple of years ago when it released. I like to get my script in my hand, but with this film, Ribhuda’s approach was very different. He said, ‘With this one, you have to trust me’. He sent me a rough idea of the script and then I watched the Holly film again to see what my character was meant to be doing. But I knew that our film would be quite different… Ribhuda has put in a lot of his own, whether it’s the detailing of the characters and everything else too. Ribhuda has told me that this film will surprise even the biggest The Girl on the Train and Paula Hawkins (the author of the book on which the film is based) fans. Even when we were shooting this film, we knew it would be quite a ride.What was it like shooting in London with the ensemble cast?
I have been in the industry for a while and have interacted with a lot of good performers. But when you know that you will share the frame with them and will be watched by the whole world, then a sense of nervousness obviously creeps in. When I reached the set on the first day, I walked into Totada’s (Roy Choudhury) room by mistake, instead of mine. We were shooting in Surrey and that was a very calm room on a set that was going fully mental. I was about to introduce myself to him, but he knew who I was, and he said, ‘Aamra toh ek desher chhele!’ For an actor to be recognised by a senior artiste is always very special.
Then I met Parineeti (Chopra) who was also damn cool. Aditi (Rao Hydari) was doing a scene with me in which I had to be rough with her. There were people on set who told me I had to be very careful, but I was like, ‘This is a scene that can’t be cheated. The camera is really close to us’. We did two takes and then Ribhuda told me, ‘Shamaun, ki korchhish? Do what you always do’. And that gave me confidence and a sense of belonging that my director is aware of what I am capable of as an artiste, and the scene worked out. Aditi later asked me, ‘You’ve done this before, right? This is not your first film’. I told her I had been acting for a while and she was like, ‘Good, man’. That, in itself, set the pace for me. There were such warm, loving people working on this film. If they would head out after work, they would always invite me. Avinash (Tiwary) and I would chill out a lot together. Jim (Sarbh) and Harshvardhan (Rane) were also staying in the same hotel and were shooting Taish at the time. Jim had told Avinash about a certain bar in the village which was near a river. After that, Avinash and I had quite a few romantic evenings together, staring at each others’ faces and having gin and tonic! (Laughs)
After we came back from London, we had the Bombay premiere of Bard of Blood. Parineeti had come for the premiere. I was in a corner stuck with a crowd. She saw me from a distance, worked her way through the crowd and gave me a tight hug and said, ‘Congratulations buddy, this is your big release’. My eyes actually welled up, it was such a nice gesture. There were some amazing bunch of actors on this one. Kirti (Kulhari) and I, of course, had also worked on Bard of Blood together.How are you planning to use this film to further your career in Bollywood?
I have had only one release every year for the last three years. There are some friends who I started with and they have become big stars and they tell me, ‘Why are you not here with us?’ And I am like, ‘Because you deserved to be where you are’. I did get opportunities, but I probably didn’t take them because I wanted to be ready for them. Somehow I felt I wasn’t, and that’s why I stayed away. Even now, I do a project only if I think I can do justice to it. I never say I am talented, I always say that I put in a lot of hard work. I am always going to be the guy working the hardest on that set, or in that frame. That I am sure about.
Adil bhai (Hussain, actor) has been aware of my journey, of me not being confident enough about my craft, or even my looks. That is also something that keeps me on my toes all the time. So Adil Hussain told me, ‘Ei nyakamo ta chharo and start working’.
Honestly, I am what I am because of what Calcutta’s advertising fraternity gave me. All the love and support from senior photographers as well as directors like Tonyda (Aniruddha Roychowdhury) and Anikda (Dutta) who gave me my first ad films. That gave me confidence and that’s when The Big Bong Connection happened and then came Bard of Blood and The Girl on the Train.
All these years, in Bombay, I have been offered ‘hero’ type roles of beating up 10 goons at a time by smaller studios, and there are some bigger studios that offered me roles that I didn’t like. In Calcutta, I haven’t worked in some time because I don’t get offered roles of consequence, probably because of the way I look (laughs). Since I play one of the primary characters in The Girl on the Train, I am hoping that in Bombay, substantial roles will now come my way. The fear of regret has brought me back to acting and now I plan to pursue it seriously.
Shamaun in Bard of Blood
I do a project only if I think I can do justice to it. I never say I am talented, I always say that I put in a lot of hard work. I am always going to be the guy working the hardest on that set, or in that frame. That I am sure about.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> Entertainment / by Priyanka Roy / February 26th, 2021
Paediatric dental specialist Dr. Shifa Shamsudeen discusses the work The Tongue Foundation, a non-profit founded by her, will be doing.
Did you know breastfeeding is a bulwark against diseases for both mother and child? Do you wish more people knew this? If you do, then join hands with The Tongue Foundation which looks for support groups to create awareness about mother-child health, in Chennai.
Founder of the non-profit The Tongue Foundation, Dr. Shifa Shamsudeen is establishing her first paediatric dental clinic, We Little, in Chennai soon, and she seeks to replicate the Foundation’s work in Coimbatore, where it has doctors, researchers and parents on board.
“The Foundation informs the general public about how the tongue as a muscle is related closely to many other parts. It starts with breastfeeding, then goes on to teeth development, eating and breathing. It even has a link to cardio-vascular diseases,” says Dr. Shifa, who has earlier worked at various hospitals in Chennai.
“We are trying to find an association between non-functioning tongue, hyperactive deficiency and attention deficiency,” she says, adding that the Foundation is collaborating with researchers and doctors, locally and globally, to initiate more research into the role of the tongue in breastfeeding.
“Bottle feeding can cause narrow jaws and also narrow the wind pipe, eventually leading to disjointed teeth. We are trying to break this chain by creating awareness,” says Dr. Shifa, adding that the group used talks, workshops and seminars towards this end.
“In the past we had associated with Coimbatore Parenting Network to conduct sessions regularly, but we need more people to help us take the Foundation’s activities forward,” she says.
In Chennai, the Foundation wants parents’ groups to spearhead a campaign against bottle feeding, with support from them.
“Or, if you stay in a gated community, invite us over for a talk,” she adds.
For details, visit www.thetonguefoundation.org
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> Wellness / by Liffy Thomas / February 27th, 2021
Majees Technical Services continues to look at new lines of business in line with the growing need for localization of services and manufacturing.
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BIOGRAPHY
Ishrath Habibulla is an experienced Managing Director with a demonstrated history starting up and operating profitable businesses in varied sectors including oil, gas, power, construction, automation. He is skilled in negotiation, business planning, and sales. He is also a strong business development professional. Since 2006, he has been the Managing Director of Majees Technical Services, positioning the company as a leading turnkey security and telecoms contractor, as well as flare system manufacturer. He holds an MBA from the University of Florida, US, and a BSc in electrical engineering from Crescent Engineering College.
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INTERVIEW :
What role does MTS play in Oman’s market and what is your medium-term growth strategy? Majees Technical Services started purely as a trading organization and then moved onto services and eventually into manufacturing, mostly geared toward the oil and gas industry, targeting the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. We continued the traditional lines of business and added newer lines under our new focus on manufacturing. We are looking to bring in skillsets that are not present in Oman. At present, we produce flare packages in Oman, but we want to take this to the next level and produce more process packages. On the digital transformation aspect, we already provide cybersecurity solutions for a number of banks. Internally, we are exploring robotic process automation. In this sense, our priorities for 2020 can be summarized as increasing the local content in our teams, exporting more, and implementing more digital strategies.
Are these avenues for growth a reactionary approach to how the market has evolved? In the last few years, the market has moved toward the localization of services and manufacturing. There is a policy that Omani-made products must be given a 10% price preference, especially in engineering services and equipment. On the employment side, local companies are under tremendous stress because of Omanization. On the digital transformation side, although we are one of the leading telecoms and security providers in Oman, PDO is leading the charge because it established digital transformation as a unit within the company, setting new rules of engagement and pulling in companies like us who are service providers. This might lead to the development of some models that are relevant for all players.
How will Oman strike a balance between the government trying to engage SMEs and big established players? In the last few years, a handful of companies that were once SMEs have grown, and there is currently a lack of SMEs. Young companies will grow to fill that vacuum, while the larger companies will no longer compete on smaller projects due to high costs. The marketplace will adjust itself. The bigger companies might suffer, or they might even grow their prospects and revenues. Nonetheless, there is space for new players to come in.
How do you expect the relationship between local players and foreign players to evolve? The new foreign capital investment law will possibly allow foreign investors to hold up to 100% ownership. We welcome competition, though at the same time we have to be careful about foreign manufacturers if we want to develop a manufacturing industry in Oman. Foreign investors will be more confident in deploying capital, and the practice of having silent shareholding will also stop, which means serious Omani businesspeople will probably start investing more. Previously, Omani businesspeople were investing because the law required them to be a 30% shareholder. More active engagement between all shareholders is good for the entire economy.
What is the key for filling the skills gap in the market in a sustainable way? It has been a challenge because we can no longer hire foreign engineers, and there are not many engineers in the local market. The private sector has to be profitable at the end of the day, which means we need to find competent people with the right skills and work ethics. We are training fresh Omani graduates and helping them assume junior management and mid-management roles in the future. We need to continue to improve the workplace and grow our presence on social media so that we can better attract young Omanis.
Where will technology have the greatest impact within your industry, and what is your definition of innovation? The deepest impact will be on how we market ourselves. The market is still dependent largely on local clients, but that is changing. As a business, you also want to innovate in terms of new products. For us, innovation is using the latest technology to improve your processes and increase profitability.
source: http://www.thebusinessyer.com / The Business Year / Home> Oman 2020> Industry> Interview / by The Business Year, UK / UAE – 2020
