Jajpur: The story of Kshirabdi Tanaya Jena, a resident of Bari area in Jajpur district is the perfect example of a woman’s strength. It here just doesn’t mean physical abilities, but that innate desire to pursue what she does with passion.
Kshirabdi made up her mind to pursue the profession of disc jockey (DJ) knowing that hindrances and objections would be littered on the way. Did that stop her? No, it did not.
By sheer dint of determination and passion she has managed to break the glass ceiling and carve a niche for herself. Kshirabdi is now working as an in-house DJ at a star hotel in Bhubaneswar and is known by her pet name ‘DJ KT’.
Kshirabdi completed her engineering course and joined a Bangalore-based company in 2017. But she did not stick to the job. “From childhood music has been passion and I used to listen to those. During my tenure in Bangalore, I often used to go to pubs to watch DJs in action at the wheel. Seeing them, I could not control myself and finally quit my job to pursue my passion. Luckily I have succeeded,” she informed.
Kshirabdi is the first to admit that her first experiences on the DJ table were not all that good. “I played at a club in Bangalore and I could clearly see that the revellers were unhappy. However, I did not allow negativity to creep in and continued to work hard and finally today it has paid off.
It has been a year since she has been working in Bhubaneswar and the first thing she has learnt is to adapt to what people want. “I am all for electronic dance music (EDM) and techno. But people in Bhubaneswar like more of Hindi film music. So I am now mixing and matching those kinds of songs,” informed Kshirabdi.
The talented DJ also informed that her family was very much against her decision to quit the job and try her hand at something which is completely ‘new’. They used to dissuade me not to try my hand as a DJ. To them till now a DJ is ‘one who plays songs during village weddings,” informed Kshirabdi.
“Even now my father doesn’t really know my job profile and still questions my new profession. Thankfully now I have got the support of my mother,” the lady DJ added. “At times I am even treated like a celebrity and that please me more,” she added.
Kshirabdi also said that initially when she started working as DJ she had faced gender issues – both in Bangalore and Bhubaneswar. “People did not praise my talent, they said I was getting contracts because I am a girl and because of my looks. But I really don’t care, I am where I am because of hard work,” Kshirabdi stated with her jaw jutting out in defiance.
“Girls can be as good as men in every sphere, but then they must realise there are no short-cuts. One will have to honestly work had to achieve success,” Kshirabdi signed off.
PNN