Music and Youth
Former MTV VJ Nafisa Joseph dead
MUMBAI: Former Miss India and MTV VJ Nafisa Joseph died last night. The former VJ apparently committed suicide over what reports say were problems with her fiancé Bandra businessman Gautam Kanduja’s (28) divorce.
The MTV House Full VJ for six years, Joseph had moved on to host Style, a show on Star World, which ended on 30 May. Currently, re-runs of the same is on at the 8 pm slot on Sundays. Apparently, according to an interview given by Joseph to The Hindu, earlier this year, Nafisa has found time to launch her own TV programming unit, Two’s Entertainment. She had stated “I have now taken my career to a different level. There is a lot of competition in this sector but I work best under pressure.”
If all had gone as planned, Joseph was to get married to Kanduja on 28 August.
Nafisa was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her rented flat at Versova, at about 9 pm.
According to close friends and relatives, Joseph had been unhappy about something for some time, and had stopped socialising.
Police have been intimated about the two supposedly having an altercation over his divorce papers.
Kanduja who resides at Pali Hill, Bandra is a dealer in automobile parts. Joseph hailed from Bangalore, and had been modelling since the age of 13. The beauty queen was also an animal lover, who spearheaded fervent campaigns for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and PFA (People for Animals).
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
