Mangalore Dentist May Enter Indian Idol, with Public Support
Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, May 6: If all goes well, a Mangalorean may well be in the race for the coveted crown of Indian Idol, the popular reality show on Sony Television.
Dr Suhail Ahmed, a dentist with an MDS in maxillofacial surgery, who graduated from Yenepoya Dental College in the city, tried his luck in the Indian Idol 6 web auditions, and to his surprise, he found his video among the most popular ones in the site. While there are videos that haven't been viewed even once, Suhail's video has been viewed 6,780 times, and is placed in the 10th position out of a whopping 9,000 entries from across the country.
Suhail, who hails from Babugudda here, is presently working as lecturer in a dental college in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He belongs to a business family and is the son of the late B A Rahiman, a timber merchant.
What works in Suhail's favour is that he is not just any amateur - he is in fact a trained classical singer, having learnt Hindustani vocals at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in the city.
Speaking to Daijiworld, Suhail recalls that it was his mother who first noticed his interest in singing early in his life and enrolled him in music classes. "She has been very supportive and am indebted to her for my musical achievements so far...I believe we need a supportive family to pursue our passion," he says. The prizes that he has won in singing are a testimonial to his talent.
Suhail is also a talented percussionist and can play the tabla. He has also lent his voice to several commercials in Bangalore. An alumni of St Aloysius High School and PU College, he is married to Dr Nafeesa, who too is a dentist, and the couple have a year-old child.
Indian Idol audition
The voting system for Indian Idol web auditions is based on the number of views the video is able to attract. More the number of people viewing Suhail's video, better the chance of making it to the top. As stated already, his video has been viewed 6,780 times, and amazingly, the song has cut across borders and has been liked and commented upon by even Arabs who don’t understand Hindi.
Among the contestants his name appears as Ahmed Suhail. All that the viewers need to do is to go to the site http://www.videochaska.com/indian-idol/entries/54612 and watch the video. Those who like the video can register their liking through Facebook, Twitter or G1. At the bottom of the video there are links for these social sites. For example, To like through Facebook the viewer needs to click on 'f'like at the lower border of the video. Facebook screen then appears asking the viewer to register their 'like' by entering their Facebook id and password which is absolutely secure. Viewers can also comment on the video on a comments box below the video on the Indian Idol website.
"Viewership by Mangaloreans can possibly elevate my standing and I can have a better chance of representing Mangalore at Indian idol," says Suhail.