The Dise Jockey

By day, Anil is a soft-spoken, unassuming man who speaks with a heavy stammer. But by night, very much in the way of vampires, he transforms into the life of the party. Anil began his career at small Delhi nightclubs, but his business skyrocketed a few years ago when he began DJing for weddings. Today he has a dozen DJs working under him and co-owns a Delhi nightclub.
Anil arrives at our 2 pm meeting, 30 minutes late. He apologises; he has had a late night, performing at a sangeet, which went on till 5 am.

Anil tells me that today no Indian wedding is complete without a DJ. “Gone are the days of squeaky shehnais and boring tablas. Nowadays people want a DJ even for simple home functions, like a mehendi. We have become part and parcel of the Indian wedding.”
Anil’s DJ services include a portable dance floor and industrial speakers that can transform any venue into a mini nightclub. He usually throws in smoke machines to give the dancefloor a nightclub effect.
According to Anil, the traditional dholak is back in fashion, but with a twist. He demonstrates, beating the dhol to a popular Lady Gaga song. “Today’s youngsters want a mix of the West and the East. No one wants that typical shaadi music any more.”