I Used to Play Sidhu Moosewala Songs While Training, Says Nooh Butt, Pakistani Weightlifter

Birmingham: Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt who made his way to winning gold by lifting 405 kg in the 109 kg- plus category in Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022, enjoyed the moment of glory with his Indian counterpart, Gurdeep Singh, who won bronze in the same category.

Their party was filled with their favourite Sidhu Moosewala’s songs playing in the background away from media presence. Their bond came as evidence of ongoing culture and mother tongue of the two Punjabs of India and Pakistan.

“Gurdeep and I have been very good friends. After the gold, I first congratulated Gurdeep and later we did a small celebration where we danced to Moosewala’s songs,” Nooh told Indian Express from Birmingham.

“Nooh and I first met in junior championships six years ago and would share tips about diet. Conversing in Punjabi obviously helped our friendship,” Gurdeep said when asked about his friendship with Nooh.

Speaking about his interest in Sidhu Moosewala‘s song, Nooh said, “When I saw the news of Sidhu Moosewala’s death, I messaged Gurdeep to confirm. At my home gym, where I train, I played songs like Jatt Da Muqabla and the recently released Song 295 to set the tempo for my training.”

Nooh comes from a family of weightlifters. His father Ghulam Dastgir Butt is 16-time Pakistan national champion. To Nooh, he always talked about India as a friendly nation.

Nooh had also felt the same about India as he said, ““I visited India twice and competed in Pune and Guwahati. The kind of love India has given me, no other country has given me. I have more fans from India than Pakistan in the weightlifting community. When I was leaving the hotel in Guwahati, the staff and volunteers were crying. It made me emotional.”