DUBAI // Shamas Mashi cleared his throat and knitted his eyebrows in concentration, then belted out his well-rehearsed number at a labour camp in Dubai Investments Park on Tuesday night.
Mr Mashi got this year’s edition of the Western Union Camp Ka Champ under way with his catchy Bollywood tune, and set the stage for three months of auditions in which thousands of labourers will vie for the coveted title.
About 3,000 workers from nearly 100 labour camps across the country are expected to try to win over the judges with their musical renditions.
“I like music and love Bollywood songs,” said Mr Mashi, 30, a Pakistani national.
“I play the tabla as well and hope I stand a good chance.”
Another worker, Firoz Bhaitha-shafi, 32, was among the contestants at the Larsen and Toubro camp on Tuesday.
“I was just passing by and heard people singing,” said the Nepalese electrician, who had never sung in public before.
“I couldn’t remember the words and was so nervous, but somehow managed to sing well.”
Despite the oppressive humidity hundreds of enthusiastic workers gathered to cheer him and the other contestants on.
Organisers said auditions would be held every night at camps in Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah until August 30.
The quarter-finals will take place next month and the finals will be in October.
“There has been a 25 per cent increase in participation overall from companies, camps and workers,” said Rupa Vinod, managing director of Right Track Advertising, the company organising the competition that is now in its eighth year.
“The interest is growing in the event every year.
“More people are coming forward to sing, unlike before when many were shy.”
The contest, nicknamed Dubai Idol, will consist of an English segment for the first time to encourage Nigerian, Ethiopian and Filipino workers to take part. This year’s cash prize has been increased from Dh15,000 to Dh20,000.
“The money will change my life if I win it,” said Waqas Ali, a security guard at the L&T site, who had also registered to sing.
“I hope I can win that kind of money. I am confident I can sing well.”
pkannan@thenational.ae
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Profile of Whizkey
Date founded: 04 November 2017
Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 10
Sector: AI, software
Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million
Funding stage: Series A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Most wanted allegations
- Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
- Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
- Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer.
- Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
- Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
- John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
- Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
- Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
- Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain.
- Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
- James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
- Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
