By: Husnina Zahra Hadri
SERDANG, 15 April – The nasyid group from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Putra Nahwan, achieved a proud milestone after being crowned overall champion at the Malam Irama Nasyid Majlis Kebudayaan Universiti-Universiti Malaysia (MAKUM) 2026, or MAKUM Nasyid Night 2026.
This achievement further elevated UPM’s standing at the national level while highlighting the excellence of students’ artistic talent in promoting nasyid as a medium for dakwah and character development.
Husalshah Rizal Hussian, Director of the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Cultural and Arts Centre (PKKSSAAS) UPM, said the victory was a major recognition of the group’s effort, commitment and dedication in advancing nasyid at the public university level.
“This victory not only reflects the excellence of students’ talent but also demonstrates that arts and culture can serve as an effective medium for dakwah and a platform for students’ character development.”
“Overall, this achievement strengthens the university’s image as an institution that balances academic excellence with character development through the arts, while symbolising the success of synergy between PKKSSAAS and BHEP in producing holistic and competitive graduates,” he said.
He added that the success was the result of careful and structured preparation, including intensive and consistent training in vocals, harmony, stage presence and lyrical interpretation.
“Song selection, creative musical arrangements and performance concepts were also emphasised to ensure uniqueness and to deliver a strong impact on both the judges and the audience.”
“We were also fortunate to collaborate with renowned composer Wan Saleh, an alumnus of Putra Nahwan, whose contribution greatly enhanced the group’s performance,” he added.
The competition, organised by MAKUM with support from the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT), brought together leading nasyid groups from public universities nationwide.
In addition to UPM emerging as champion, second place was won by Insof from Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), while Intracksee from Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) secured third place.
Commenting on the group’s future development plans, Husalshah Rizal Hussian said several structured training programmes would be implemented to sustain the momentum of success.
“Efforts to nurture new talent will be strengthened through a structured talent development system and the involvement of students and alumni, alongside continuous improvements in production quality and performance creativity,” he said.
This achievement reflects UPM’s ongoing commitment to empowering student artistic talent development holistically, in line with its aspiration to produce graduates who are balanced in intellect, character and creativity.
