Sound of music

Prof Rajita Chaudhuri on 'THEY ARE COMING TO GET YOU – NOT ALIENS SILLY'

The multi-faceted and free-spirited Sophie Choudry returns with an album of original tracks, and a brand new channel on YouTube. Aakriti Bhardwaj in conversation with the remix queen of India

Sound of music You have studied at the esteemed Sciences Po Paris and LSE. How did a career in veejaying and music happen?

I was a very good student, I got four A's for my O level. At the same time I was determined to become an actor. Whilst I was studying, Biddu, who is my mentor and guide, launched me in a girl band Sansara and that's when we first came to India for work and did the videos for Yeh dil sun raha hai. It became really popular but like most girl bands we couldn't stand each other! Then I went back to complete my graduation.

With your latest album Sound of Sophie, are you sort of returning the favour to Biddu?

Not at all! Biddu is the man who launched me, I did my first two albums with him, he's the reason I moved to India. It was Biddu who said, "Kid, you need to move to India for one year and see what happens if you are serious about this." In one year, I became a VJ; Babu chhail chhabila happened. He has done me a favour in Sound of Sophie as he's completely retired from music and the last song he composed was If I can't have you for my album.

Of your various pursuits ' music, dancing, acting, modelling, anchoring ' which one is closest to your heart?

It is really hard to say. Veejaying was wonderful; it made me a household name. Acting is exciting; you wake up being someone different all the time. Singing is really the extension of who I am. That is where I creatively express who I am. I think singing gives me a three dimensional way of enjoying it: one, for the music; two, my music videos are like mini movies and I get to fulfil my fantasies in there, and three, for my live performances where I instantly reach out to my audience. Has there been a conscious effort to steer clear of remixes?

The reason I had to produce this album is because I did not want to do any remixes. When I did Ek Pardesi, it was so big that I don't think I'll be able to repeat that kind of success. I really think that phase is really done with. Today, film songs are becoming remixes. 'Aa Dekhen Zara' did a remix. If the film people are doing remixes then I don't think pop artists need to do it; pop artists need to create something original.

You are the first in India to be signed by YouTube to launch an official celebrity channel. How do you feel about it?

I am having a ball with the channel. I have got all these subscribers and I have got thousands and thousands of 'views'! I have only been active on it for a month but my video uploads have already had 200,000 hits. I am considering breaking my second video on YouTube exclusively.

Tell us about your forthcoming film Alibaug.

I'm grateful to Sanjay Gupta for giving me such a beautiful role. I play a girl called Nisha, and everybody feels that her life will turn out to be perfect ' she marries her college sweetheart ' but ends up going through a divorce. She transforms into 'real' woman ' strong and independent. She is a practicing psychiatrist whose own life is pretty complicated but she handles it with a lot of grace.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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SOCIETY: Mega Sporting Events, Poor Sporting Spirit!

IIPM BBA MBA Institute: Student Notice Board

Sporting events come heavily on the marginalised population

The upcoming FIFA World cup 2010 in South Africa is seen as a major breakthrough in sporting history. Not only because it’s after a long struggle that an African nation succeeded in grabbing the opportunity of hosting such a mega sporting event, but also as it is expected to refurbish South Africa’s economy. Amidst South Africa’s preparation to make this event a major success, the poorest citizens of the country are being largely neglected. In order to bring up world standard stadiums, the government has ordered massive eviction. In simple words, to make space for stadium and games infrastructure, the South African government has evicted low income housing areas and informal traders. More than 70,000 workers employed on World Cup projects have raised their voices for better wages and conditions. In contrast to 500,000 jobs promises, only 22,000 jobs have been created with occupational health and safety survey giving negative rating to 52 per cent of World Cup construction sites.

The construction of N2 Gateway housing project (construction of rental housing for the 2010 World Cup) led to the removal of over 20,000 residents from the Joe Slovo settlement. The government has also came up with the Elimination & Prevention of Re-Emergence of Slums Act to eliminate slums and put homeless shack dwellers in transit camps during the games. Without any apprehension, this mega sporting event would not only will help the country to upgrade their infrastructure but would also help them tap economic gains. But then, the major pie of the profit will eventually go to big business houses and to FIFA.

This is not for the first time that a mega sporting event would create major hurdles for the underprivileged population of the nation. During 1988 Olympic Games, more than 15 per cent of the population of Seoul, Republic of Korea, was evicted and 48,000 buildings were reduced to ruins to accommodate game’s infrastructure. Similarly in 1996 Olympic, around 1,500 social housing units for the poor were destroyed in Atlanta, in 1992 in Barcelona, 200 families were evicted, in Beijing mass evictions were executed, 6000 were made homeless in Sydney in the run-up to the Olympics and similar eviction is predicted to happen in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Besides direct impact such as mass eviction and trade bans, indirect displacement due to gentrification and escalating housing costs can also be led to social crisis. After Olympics, prices of houses rose by 28 per cent in Seoul, by 131 per cent in Barcelona, by 500 per cent in Sydney — to name a few incidents. Many governments went to an extent of criminalising the homeless and marginalised pockets of populations. In Seoul, local authorities created a list of places where homeless people were banned and in Atlanta, homelessness was made illegal. Recently, to address such inhuman issue and rush to the rescue of marganised people, the UN has asked the games organiser to properly scrutinise the host cities and introduce housing provisions in hosting agreements. These nations and host countries should learn from their counterparts like Los Angeles, who uplifted the local economy and permanent housing and an Olympic village.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Run after passion and not money, says Arindam Chaudhuri
IIPM BBA MBA B-School: Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize To Irom Chanu Sharmila
IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri: The New Age Woman

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
IIPM: Planman Stars – Event management made easy
Planman Consulting: The sister concern of IIPM
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