Hit by pandemic, local DJs shift to odd jobs

Mangaluru: A key part of any event especially, Mehendi, Haldi, and the wedding ceremony is the music. With the pandemic and restrictions imposed on gathering, though weddings are taking place, it is in silence and without band baja. Several small-time DJs and those associated with the sound and lighting industry who until the lockdown would not have a single weekend to spare, have switched to doing odd jobs.
Vajra Kumar, 28, aka DJ Vajra had bookings till the New Year. It was probably going to be one of the best seasons for him. A resident of Polali, he had become a full-time DJ five years ago and was earning well. The pandemic forced him to turn towards fixing granites for a living.
He told TOI, “I lost my parents at an early age. and after my graduation and diploma in travel and hospitality, I worked in a hotel in Bengaluru. I had returned home to take care of my younger brother when he was unwell. I started working as a part-time DJ and soon had turned independent.”
A week before the government announced the lockdown, he got his sister married. “With the lockdown, we only get calls stating that the pre-booked event has been cancelled. Since I knew the technique of installing granite flooring, I have taken it up now. We have loans to repay and this is one section that nobody has thought about. Like me, several small-time DJs have taken up jobs like plumbing, while reputed DJs are taking to online platforms,” said Vajra.
DJ Likith, 23, from Ullal was also into arranging sounds and lights. He said he even tried to sell fish for a living. However, since they are new to the business and corona had even hit the fishing industry, he is finding it difficult to sustain. “The only call we get these days is from people asking us to repay our loans. It is difficult to even sell the equipment we own because there are no takers,” he said.
His father is a coolie and his mother a housewife.
Meanwhile, post lockdown, plenty of new veggies, fish, and flower sellers are dotting the city roads. In Jeppu, a commercial photographer was forced to convert his plush studio into a vegetable shop. People who own agricultural land have either returned to farming or are investing in small businesses.