In a freewheeling chat, DJ Aamish opens up about his struggles and having to face rejections before he finally got his break.

What makes humans stand out is their ability to rise despite hardships and tragedy. They persist and fight, challenging stereotypes to establish their identity and make a space for themselves. One such individual is Varun, who goes by the stage name of DJ Aamish.

Varun’s world came crashing around him when he met with an accident in 2014 while he was still in college during a road trip to Manali.  But even the loss of function of his legs stop him from pursuing his one true love, music.

If you hit up Kitty Su on a usual day, you will probably find him there, since he’s become their resident DJ after playing in other bar/pubs.

However, the LaLit Hotel disco has a ramp, which this wheelchair bound DJ truly appreciates. Before reaching this stage, however, he accumulated a long list of rejections as organisations saw him as ‘disabled’ and they were not accessible for a wheelchair-bound person. This brings into question whether India is divorced from reality and by not having the right facilities discourages the differently-abled to enjoy their lives as well.

At Tamasha bar, where he worked previously, he did not face issues as the dance floor was on the ground floor but at Office in Connaught Place he had to be carried up a flight of stairs. But he’s long past that stage, having performed at TimeOut, private parties and other Kitty Su properties across the country.

He built up his life post 2014, watching YouTube videos about how to become a DJ and music for two years, the amount of time he was confined to his home. He studied music once he was able to move on his own.

“Music is a part of my life. It never makes me feel I am on a wheelchair. Initially, when I was stuck at home I did not think that I have an injury since I was learning music. It took over my life. Even the experiences I had because of music never made me wonder that I was disabled because I was moving towards my dream,” said the DJ, who performed during the disco’s seventh anniversary week, which also included drag, trans and other marginal group performers.

“Music has many moods, it connects people. It brought everything in my life together. It is a part of me now,” he said, adding that the current workplace accepted him because of his merits and now because of the injury he had. He was pushed further to do more and landed an advertisement with Microsoft as well.

“It gave me courage and I realised that people were accepting me because of who I am not because of anything else that can be seen as a hurdle,” he said. He is also gaga about the Keshav Suri-led organisation because they don’t categorise people.

He talks about the lack of opportunity that limits the marginalised LGBTQ+ community and said that when given a chance they can show their talent and do wonders.

“The society categorises and neglects a certain section but it shouldn’t be so,” he said.

“Kitty su accepted me as a DJ on a wheelchair when others rejected me,” he said, adding that it is a diverse place that accepts everyone.

Writer: Asmita Sarkar

Courtesy: The Pioneer

In a freewheeling chat, DJ Aamish opens up about his struggles and having to face rejections before he finally got his break.

What makes humans stand out is their ability to rise despite hardships and tragedy. They persist and fight, challenging stereotypes to establish their identity and make a space for themselves. One such individual is Varun, who goes by the stage name of DJ Aamish.

Varun’s world came crashing around him when he met with an accident in 2014 while he was still in college during a road trip to Manali.  But even the loss of function of his legs stop him from pursuing his one true love, music.

If you hit up Kitty Su on a usual day, you will probably find him there, since he’s become their resident DJ after playing in other bar/pubs.

However, the LaLit Hotel disco has a ramp, which this wheelchair bound DJ truly appreciates. Before reaching this stage, however, he accumulated a long list of rejections as organisations saw him as ‘disabled’ and they were not accessible for a wheelchair-bound person. This brings into question whether India is divorced from reality and by not having the right facilities discourages the differently-abled to enjoy their lives as well.

At Tamasha bar, where he worked previously, he did not face issues as the dance floor was on the ground floor but at Office in Connaught Place he had to be carried up a flight of stairs. But he’s long past that stage, having performed at TimeOut, private parties and other Kitty Su properties across the country.

He built up his life post 2014, watching YouTube videos about how to become a DJ and music for two years, the amount of time he was confined to his home. He studied music once he was able to move on his own.

“Music is a part of my life. It never makes me feel I am on a wheelchair. Initially, when I was stuck at home I did not think that I have an injury since I was learning music. It took over my life. Even the experiences I had because of music never made me wonder that I was disabled because I was moving towards my dream,” said the DJ, who performed during the disco’s seventh anniversary week, which also included drag, trans and other marginal group performers.

“Music has many moods, it connects people. It brought everything in my life together. It is a part of me now,” he said, adding that the current workplace accepted him because of his merits and now because of the injury he had. He was pushed further to do more and landed an advertisement with Microsoft as well.

“It gave me courage and I realised that people were accepting me because of who I am not because of anything else that can be seen as a hurdle,” he said. He is also gaga about the Keshav Suri-led organisation because they don’t categorise people.

He talks about the lack of opportunity that limits the marginalised LGBTQ+ community and said that when given a chance they can show their talent and do wonders.

“The society categorises and neglects a certain section but it shouldn’t be so,” he said.

“Kitty su accepted me as a DJ on a wheelchair when others rejected me,” he said, adding that it is a diverse place that accepts everyone.

Writer: Asmita Sarkar

Courtesy: The Pioneer