Known among his friends as Kohinoor, Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Raina is a gem of an artist who can make an astounding 1400 sounds of different birds, animals, insects, machines, instruments and musical tunes using his nose, throat and fingers.
Passionate about acting, Raina has won his place in theAsian Book of Records this year as the most talented mimicry artist.
“I got attracted to imitating sounds when I was a 3rdstandard student and gradually I learnt many more sounds,” Raina, 33, toldGreater Kashmir.
Raina’s family used to get worried about him when herehearsed alone in his room for hours on end.
“They though I have lost my mind. It was really difficult tomake them understand that I am all right,” he recalls, adding that he takes hismimicry very seriously.
Raina received his first boost of encouragement as a studentfrom his principal when he performed during an annual function at his school.
“I was imitating only 103 sounds then, however I got ahuge response and appreciation,” he said, adding that the next day he wasthrilled to see his photograph published in Greater Kashmir
“I started to receive invitations and calls from allover and with this I became famous among friends and relatives and everythingchanged.”
The Raina began watching Discovery channel and starteddiscovering and mimicking sounds of more birds, insects, insects and machines.
“Right now I can imitate 1400 different sounds.”
Raina who hails from Wussan area of Ganderbal district incentral Kashmir is an employee at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of MedicalSciences, Soura.
Before making a place for himself in the Asian Book ofRecords, Raina was noted as the most talented mimicry artist in the India Bookof Records.
“But my dream is to make it into Guinness book of worldrecords,” Raina says, who also nurses an ambition to work in Bollywood.
For his friends, no function is complete without Raina’sparticipation.