Meet Muzamil Maqbool, “The First Professional Podcaster” from Kashmir. Hope Spotify to own his podcast.
Muzamil Maqbool hosts Plain Talk with MMB a podcast series covering national and international issues. His guests come from all walks of life. From Politicians to Development professionals. From doctoral fellows to World renowned activists, he had all of them on his show. His Podcast is available on various platforms and accessible across the globe.
Here is Sheikh Imran in conversation with Muzamil Maqbool.
1:- Tell us briefly about yourself.
I am a developmental professional and Doctoral Fellow from Srinagar. I have studied public Administration, Politics and international relations. I have vast experience of working for developmental sector in India and abroad. I have been a fellow of UNAOC-YSF 2015, Young Bangla international fellow of 2017 and co-authored two books with STEP-UNAOC AND UNICEF-INDIA.
I come from a basic middle class family where job was never a first option.
2:- Tell us about your Podcast Plain Talk?
Plain Talk is a podcast series where I invite guest to talk about various issues like UNSDG’s, Politics, International Relations, Post covid world order and Climate Change in particular. I am very much interested in Global politics and it is also my subject to research on. That is why I have started this podcast where we discussed openly and freely a lot of things going on in the entire world. I also think there is a need of independent platforms like plain talk where people can speak without any issues. It is running under the banner of 101 North an online media group. I invite people from all walks to speak with them openly about a lot of things happening in India and across the globe. I think podcast is the only medium where one can speak freely without any time boundaries.
3:- Your Education and Experience is different from what you do now. How do your manage it all?
I have worked on projects with World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNICEF, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, EY and many other national organizations in India and Abroad. After spending nearly 9+ years into developmental sector, I finally decided to move on completely to my field of research into international Relations. Plain Talk is one such step where I try to understand the view points of many people from across the globe. I have been following Joe Rogan and Mehdi Hassan for a very long time now. The Joe Rogan Experience and Deconstructed is also one of the main motivation behind launching my own podcast. Progressive Journalism is the new key to success now a days. Now the question is how I manage is because I was never happy with my job and starting my own podcast or an online platform like 101 North was always my dream and on my bucket list. It is still work in progress.
4:- You are the first Professional Podcaster from Kashmir, How does it feel?
Yes, I love to do things differently and always. During my recent webinars with Spotify, I was introduced as first from UT of JAMMU AND KASHMIR and among few young podcasters from northern India. People sometimes get confused with audio note and Podcast. Podcasting is an art where one raises the issues in completely a new way to reach as many people as out there. My podcast is available on 13 famous platforms including google podcasts, apple podcasts, and breaker and is accessible worldwide. I would love to teach people how to launch their own. I believe in growing together and peacefully. I hope Spotify would see my good content. I have minimum equipment to make my podcast but if Spotify owns my podcast, I would grow more with professional help possible for everything.
5:- Tell us more about 101 North Group. How do you see it growing from here?
Plain Talk with mmb and Down the line, these shows are just beginning in 101 north. We are planning to create a best platform for budding journalists who want to excel into video journalism and beyond. We are also planning to train youth for blogs/vlogs, Creative/script writings and podcasting.
6:-Is there any advice for young people like you out there who opt for Alternative Journalism?
In present times one has to be flexible with multimedia journalism and there is vast demand in the field for alternative journalism as well. This is the only field where you won’t get everything overnight. It is something which an individual should do out of his/her passion not because someone else has opted it. If journalism is your passion then career can be super exciting. So everyone out there opting for journalism as career must take proper counseling from professionals at schools and colleges.
