By 1981, he was travelling through the length and breadth of U.S.A... Dekha Hai Aise Bhi...., imbibing various aspects of farming and horse-breeding. ``I returned and took charge of Dad's estate (Dad being Mehmood, the actor) but it was in the process of closing down.'' So off went the traveller, as new experiences and a new life beckoned. ``And I have no regrets,'' he says, as a smile sits content on the face covered with a grey stubble.

``What you see is what I am. If I have grey hair, it shows; if I have put on weight, I have. The name that people have given me is a creation of a marketing team. I am Maqsood Ali and I shall always be Maqsood bhai''. ...Nahi Rakhta Dil Mein Kuch.... For he has always let the child in him have fun. After all, ``Nothing is purer than the child,'' as the father in Maqsood bhai scans the hotel and picks out his little son who waves out to him. ``I let my children be that - children. Let them find out what they want to, even if it means that they might end up putting their hands into the fire. I shall warn them, and if they burn themselves, I shall comfort them.'' The father waves back to his son... Jab Hum Chote The...

Settling down in New Zealand helped him discover the essence of being an Indian. From the shores, he would look out to sea and imagine where Calcutta or Chennai figured on the map. ``I was missing the smell and the people of the land...'' Yeh Hai Mumbai Nagariya... It would please him immensely when people would say, `You represent India well.' This ``would make me proud. But when they looked down upon me because I was an Indian, I carried that pain.''...Anjani Rahon Mein.... So he came back to India, specifically Bangalore, staying close to his father, ``who needs me''.

Somewhere in-between, some films also happened. There was Shyam Benegal's Trikaal and Bharat Ek Khoj but he did not enjoy films much. It was one of those things he touched upon and moved on. In 1989, while he was busy ``washing carpets,'' the idea of music came about. And that is where Aslam, his lyricist, was brought to him ``by Providence. I met Aslam at a jamaat. He wanted to write songs for me, so we got together and everything happened. We vibed well.'' And both went on to add a dimension to Indian music that was hitherto uncharted.

``I may not be a great singer. If I were compared to someone like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, I am nothing. But I do what I like doing''.

So with brother-in-law Michael McCleary, he produced his first album, Sunoh. ``Everything is a new start (Sifar, the zero), where a new journey begins.'' Launching new concepts, ``I am into software applications with my new company, Crossover Software, where we use technology for the masses.'' His `Agrinet' programme, he feels, will enable the farmer to get in touch with the co-operative to sell his toil's produce... Milegi Milegi Manzil....

So the traveller moves on. To new things and new ideas where economics is not the sole criterion... And, oh yes, somewhere along the way, `they' have also named him Lucky Ali.