I would like to be a versatile music producer: DJ Aaron Amir
The Hindu
Bengaluru-based DJ Aaron Aamir talks about the art of mastering mashups
His ‘Stay x Ranjha’ mashup may have garnered over 2.3 million views online, but there was a time when Bengaluru-based DJ Aaron Aamir never dreamed he would come so far.
“I hail from an ordinary middle class family and both my parents work hard. There was no way I could tell them I wanted to pursue music as a career, even though I knew that was what I wanted to do from the time I was 17,” says Aamir.
“I was studying at Dayanand Sagar University and I saved up my B.Tech scholarship fund to enrol for lessons in music production at Livewires in Koramangala. The scholarship covered only a portion of my fees, but the team at Livewires liked my work even though it was not crafted too well. I could rap, compose music and write lyrics and they offered to tutor me.”

A vacuum cleaner haunted by a ghost is the kind of one-liner which can draw in a festival audience looking for a little light-hearted fun to fill the time slots available between the “heavier” films which require much closer attention. A useful ghost, the debut feature of Thai filmmaker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke being screened in the world cinema category at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), even appears so in the initial hour. Until, the film becomes something more, with strong undercurrents of Thailand’s contemporary political history.

Sustainability is not an add-on, but stamped firmly into the process: every piece is biodegradable, waste-free and unembellished, free from glitter or beads. “Products should be sustainable and biodegradable so that our planet is not harmed,” says Anu Elizabeth Alexander, a student of Sishya, Adyar. At a recent exhibition, the stars she made sold the fastest, followed by the small diamonds. “I would like people to know about the process, how it is created, and that it is sustainable,” says Anu. Infanta Leon from Kotturpuram developed an interest in crochet as a teenager. It was a hobbyhorse that evolved into a steed that would help her embark on a journey of identity-shaping creative engagement. She started making Christmas-themed decor two years ago, spurred by a desire to craft safe, eco-friendly toys for children. “With a toddler at home, and my elder child sensitive to synthetic materials, I wanted to create items that were gentle, durable and tactile,” she explains. Her earliest creations were small amigurumi toys which gradually evolved into ornaments that could adorn Christmas trees with warmth and charm.











