Chattering Classes

Place a group of with-it teens in a nightclub -- with an RJ, DJ and a sprinkling of singers for company -- and you have a party on your h...

Place a group of with-it teens in a nightclub 8212; with an RJ, DJ and a sprinkling of singers for company 8212; and you have a party on your hands. Which is exactly what happened when 20-odd kids from DPS, RK Puram, celebrated the completion of Chatter Matters, the communication course conducted by Shamshir Dus Se Gyarah8217; Rai Luthra. As the guests included DJ Jazzy Joe, Punjabi folk singer Jaspinder Paras and pop-singer Annamika, they were all set to rock My Kind Of Place at Taj Palace down.

8220;I8217;ve been working on this for over a year,8221; says Luthra, who designed the course along with school-teacher sister Shabi. 8220;It8217;s a very competitive world out there and one should promote young talent,8221; adds this experienced RJ, who will teach finalists of the Ms North America contest all about spontaneity in June.

The 15 classes cover everything from voice modulation to interviewing skills to RJing techniques. The spunky bunch of youngsters couldn8217;t wait to put their new-found talent to test. They coaxed Paras into an antakshari session, dared DJ Jazzy Joe to get them on the floor and badgered MKOP Assistance Manager, Sanjay Tyagi, on why sari-clad women were scorned at the joint. The so-called 8220;star attraction8221; Annamika swept in two hours late, lip-synced to Kala Sha Kala8217; and swept out after distributing the certificates.Of course, she wasn8217;t missed.

There8217;s no stopping wannabe VJ Shitiz Malhotra, a Class-IX student: 8220;I8217;ve gained a lot of confidence and learnt the techniques.8221; What the students really appreciated was the opportunity to interact with professionals like George Pullinkala and NSD8217;s Deepak Chibber, perform in public and go on air.There was a definite need for sessions like this, insists Luthra. 8220;I had nobody to help me out and teach me these things,8221; he points out. Paras agrees with him. 8220;I come from a musical family Daler Mehndi is a cousin and know these youngsters need some direction.8221;

Luthra is sure he doesn8217;t want to restrict himself to this and has plans to take the Chatter Matters programme to other schools and colleges. And if it8217;s a success, he8217;ll throw it open to the public. 8220;I don8217;t want to remain a mere sensation but want to become a legend,8221; he smile complacently, before going wild with his students on the floor.