Top Drawer

When he was hired as the director of business development, Channel V, Mel D8217;Souza found his designation ambiguous. But after six months in the job, he feels it fits his work sheet perfectly. quot;It is a vague title but basically it means I have to create opportunities out of nothing.quot; A task he really enjoys. Before Mel joined the music channel, he was working for Incable. There his job involved pretty much the same thing 8212; any time the Hindujas had any business related to the media, Mel was their man.

For the India-born but Canada-bred Mel, India has always been home and the last four years have seen him settled in Mumbai. quot;I think I will always have one foot here.quot; In fact, he enjoys the city so much that he actually has no problems with the tiny spaces people call home. Or office. His cabin in Channel V was originally a storage room which he has transformed into his personal work station. His pin-board is full of pictures of his friends and family. Among his close friends is model Madhu Sapre and there are several pictures of her on his wall. At the back of room is a Bombay Boys poster signed by Tara Despande. quot;The director Kaizad Gustad is a close friend.quot;

But it is in his top drawer that Mel keeps his most important possession. quot;My boxes of business cards are really vital to my work.quot; Mel has the cards of most of the top media personalities from all around the world and he needs to call them fairly often in the course of work. His drawer also has the normal stationery that he needs as well as a stress ball, which comes into good use after a hard day8217;s work. There are also a couple of CDs including a sitar funk one from London. quot;I like some fusion music, but this is special as Talvin Singh gave it to me.quot; He also has some CD-ROMs including a very high-tech one which he got from England8217;s Channel Four, which contains information on all their new programmes. quot;Lots of people now give out CD-ROMs instead of a business card.quot; And if Mel has his way, his drawer will soon be filled with CD cards instead of paper ones. quot;It is really useful as you can pack it with all sorts of information.quot;

And information is key in his business. As is fun. Next to a stack of neatly-piled papers and a laptop is a stuffed toy seal. quot;That was a gift from Madhu.quot;