“Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank. Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.”– Mike Ditka
Success comes to those who are willing to put their heart and soul while battling all the odds that life has to offer. No two success journeys are comparable because your definition of hardships may differ from another person’s perspective. Muzamil Maqbool is the first podcaster from Kashmir Valley who sheds light on social/ international relations and political issues with his podcast. He is a national phenomenon now and is a famous podcaster for citizens in India and a few neighboring countries as well. Muzamil Maqbool’s success as a podcaster is a result of his unwavering determination combined with the will to bring a change in society.
Looking back at his arduous journey to become the first podcaster from Kashmir, Muzamil Maqbool says, “I did not even have the basic setup for conducting a podcast but that didn’t stop me from improvising and making the best use of available resources to conduct a podcast. My initial setup comprised of a 7 by 7 square feet of room along with a laptop and a couple of sieves for pop filter and passive noise cancellation. I did not have a preamplifier or an audio mixer that would make my voice clear to the audience. Podcasting is an empty room generates horrendous echo, and to curb that I used cardboard to patch up the windows. This was my bare-bones setup using which I started presenting my views and opinions on global politics and other international affairs that needed to come to light.”
The troubles for Muzamil Maqbool didn’t end there. His broadcasting career was taking off and registered a steady growth but little did he know that his broadcasting career and success would come to a screeching halt. He says, “With the scrapping of article 370 in the Kashmir Valley, the internet connectivity for the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir was cut off for nearly a year until 2G was restored in May 2020. High-speed 4G data services were restored in February 2021 nearly after 18 months. I had invested all my time and resources into my podcasting career and without any internet, it came to an abrupt stop. I couldn’t connect with my fans or follow the developments of global politics and international affairs. I turned to engage myself in social work, providing free tuitions and the pacifying scenery of Kashmir Valley helped me maintain my composure. My joy knew no bounds when I heard that the 2G internet connectivity was restored in the Kashmir Valley. I mustered up the courage to revive my broadcasting career and slowly begin rolling out podcasts in a consistent manner to engage with my audience.”
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Muzamil Maqbool has been a developmental professional in the past and is currently a Doctoral Fellow of international relations from Srinagar who holds extensive experience in public administration, international relations, and global politics. He began his podcasting career with his podcast titled” plain talk with MMB” for voicing his opinions and raising awareness about the lingering political issues and international affairs that can affect southeast Asia and beyond. His inspiration comes from the renowned Global podcasters/Journalists like Malika Bilal from
“AJ THE TAKE” Mehdi Hassan from “Deconstructed” and Joe Rogan from “The Joe Rogan Experience” All of them are famous for their vociferous podcasts that are listened to by millions of people worldwide. Muzamil Maqbool’s podcast is available on all major audio streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple podcasts, breaker, and 8 other popular streaming platforms. Despite being stripped of basic internet access, Muzamil Maqbool did not lose hope. He revived his career and now conducts podcasts and interviews with eminent personalities that share information and insights on global politics and international affairs. He is a beacon of hope for many emerging podcasters from the Kashmir Valley who are want to make it big in the podcasting realm.
