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Birthday girl Rheanna Mouktika Kantipudi had an extra present on her special celebration when she partied with family and friends – a BD100 award-winning surprise as the kingdom marked National Day.
The talented 18-year-old Indian expatriate won first prize in the GDN Media ‘Tribute to Bahrain’ video contest with a playful rap which had thousands of viewers singing along on social media and thrilled our panel of judges.
She wrote and performed ‘Bahrain! A Rap to Remember’ accompanied by a Justin Bieber-inspired Ludacris Karaoke backtrack
“I’m very grateful that my rap has been chosen and loved by so many people!” said student Rheanna, who is studying at RCSI Bahrain (Medicine). “Honestly, I just wrote it in some dead time on a Friday morning at home, not thinking that it would reach so many people and I definitely did not expect the overwhelmingly positive response it garnered.
“Writing funny songs and raps has always been a huge source of entertainment for me as I’ve always enjoyed parodying popular music as a pianist and singer myself.
“This rap was a way for me to show the love I have for my second home country Bahrain through something that I could sprinkle my own unique flavour into.”
Music and medicine run in the family. “I live in Awali with my parents and older sister and we’ve been living here for the last 21 years,” she explained.
Her father is well-known medic Dr Moses Kantipudi who works as an Occupational Health Physician in Awali Hospital.
Her mother Joan is currently a stay-at-home mum having previously also worked for Bapco Training and Development Department as a Learning Resource Coordinator.
Her sibling, Ruchira, 23, is currently working as an intern doctor at Salmaniya Medical Complex and is also an alumni of RCSI Bahrain.
American schoolgirl Elaya Adeel Pasha’s cute Tribute to Bahrain took the BD50 second prize.
The sensational seven-year-old delighted viewers with her entry that has also received thousands of views on www.gdnlife.com and across the other GDN social media platforms.
She is a pupil at Britus International School Bahrain and lives in North Sehla with her parents, father Wasi Adeel Pasha, Assistant Director Sales at Hilton City Centre Bahrain, entrepreneur mother Shehla Khowaja, and five-year-old sibling Erina.
They have lived in Bahrain since 2019. “We’re truly honoured that our daughter has been selected as a prize winner,” said proud mum Shehla. “This recognition means a lot to us as parents and has encouraged her greatly. Her love for music and her excitement for Bahrain National Day inspired her to participate in this contest. She enjoys expressing her feelings through singing.”
The BD25 third place went to Bahraini teenager Yousif Fawaz Abdullah Ghaleb who was one of the first to enter the contest and helped inspire many others to participate.
The 18-year-old from Hidd is a Bahrain Polytechnic foundation student and aims to major in electrical engineering.
As reported in the GDN, the ‘Tribute to Bahrain’ initiative had the support of Maitham Al Muharraqi, the polytechnic’s dean of the Faculty of Professional Studies.
He described the contest as a ‘wonderful way’ for students to practice their English skills while expressing their love and pride for Bahrain through writing and performance. The contest had been integrated into its Foundation and Degree English courses.
“I can’t believe it!” said happy student Yousif. “It was a nice surprise that I won a prize and I would like to thank my tutor Dr Marika Wood for her support and encouragement to participate in the competition.”
l Check out all the winning entries by placing your smartphone over the QR codes.
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