What is the song Rastafari aboutIJ
Rastafari celebrates the spirit of travel and what travel invokes in you. It is also a religion in Jamaica which believes in an easy way of living. It’s about how travel changes your perspectives and makes you realise how insignificant your little day-to-day problems are. Deb (Bishwadeb Bhaumik) came up with the idea for the song when he was composing the background score for a travel documentary that I did for Discovery Channel. We finally recorded the song with Culture Machine’s Being Indian channel.
This is your first song as a singer…
Initially, when Deb asked me, I was sceptical and not entirely open to the idea. But he finally managed to convince me.
You’ve travelled a lot on your own and through various professional projects. Anything that is still left to tryIJ
At the top of my bucket list is flying around the world in a small aircraft. I am almost done getting my pilot’s licence, so I would like to be the one flying the aircraft.
You’re very active on social media. Do you think its influence is negative or positiveIJ
like any other medium of information, social media has its pros and cons. But I do believe that it is impacting us in ways we probably don’t even realise. Social media has democratised the content, the process and it’s not a result of the hegemony of a few people any more. Today, anyone can make a film and release it through YouTube, they do not have to depend on the movie theatres. Most importantly, the impact of social media is felt offline as well.
You’ve been into fitness a lot…
Yes. I run a tech company that makes fitness apps. We already have three apps — one each for walking, running and strength training. I am also writing a book about fitness because that’s something I’m passionate about. Fitness is something that has opened my mind and my horizons.
You also have a production company…
I thought that it’s quite easy to complain about not getting good content. Through my production venture, I wanted to create content that I would like to watch personally. We make cutting-edge content about lifestyle, travel and adventure.
Do you feel celebrities leading the way for causes like fitness makes a deeper impactIJ
Absolutely! People who have public position and a degree of influence can push other people. In India, we only have Bollywood or cricket icons. But what is needed is a fitness icon. We need a fitness culture. People keep saying that despite our large Olympics contingents, we don’t win medals. That is because fitness and, in turn, sports are not taken seriously. We need sports and fitness cultures in India.
Any film projectsIJ
I did a Punjabi film called Ambarsariya with Diljit Dosanjh earlier this year. I have been reading scripts but I’ve not come across anything good enough for me to take out some time from my entrepreneurial ventures.