Music and Youth
Zee Music plays it up at relaunch party
MUMBAI: Seems like Zee Music — Zee Group’s as yet low-key music channel — has woken up and how!
The channel had a big bash last night at the Hyatt Regency, Mumbai, to announce its rebirth.
(clockwise) VJs Rajalaxmi, Pooja , Himdayal and Karan, Zee Music’s new-comers strike a pose
“Filmi, very filmi!” — true to the image the channel wants to establish with its new look – was the abiding feel of the night. Loud music and blinding laser lights greeted the crowds that kept flowing in even well after 10:30 pm.
And with the wine-God Bacchus in an especially generous mood, Indipop artistes like Xenia Ali and Vikas Bhalla’s attempts to grab the guests’ attention proved rather pathetic.
Interest did stir for a minute though, when the four young VJs walked onto the stage to introduce themselves. VJ Karan, the self-proclaimed womaniser, VJ Pooja, the girl with oodles of sass and attitude, VJ Himdayal, the weird dude and Rajalaxmi, the bombshell, caught ample attention.
Present at the party were TV directors and artistes, music directors, pop stars and VJs (and their wannabes), and a hoard of well-dressed busybees that we had never spotted in the television circuit before.
Of the known faces, we saw filmmaker Ramgopal Varma, VJ-pop artiste Raageshwari, model Mukul Dev, voice-over artist Ninad Kamat, music director Bappi Lahiri, Astitva director Ajai Sinha, who stood mostly by himself, nestling a drink in hand. Members of Band of Boys, the only Indi-boy band were seen hanging around with a smart bunch of women.
And what of the channel itself? According to a source, the revamp of Zee Music is going to be gradual. The channel will start by introducing the four new VJs on screen, and later on, viewers will see a change in the style as well as music. Within a year, the channel aims to be known as a hip music channel. Following the trend set by MTV and Channel [V], Zee Music will also modify its content ratio to 70:30 (Hindi:English), in order to rejuvenate viewership.
New shows that will soon air on the channel include Campus Rumpus, Cinemascope, Daud, Music Theatre, Radio Bandh, Framed for the Fortnight and Blockbuster No1.
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.
