11 Jun 2020  |   04:20am IST

International DJ’s stuck in Goa, are mixing anxiety with hope

DJ’s stuck in the Goa because of the virus are now running out of money and a social initiative is on to help raise money so that they can be flown home to various countries in mainland Europe and Russia.
International DJ’s stuck in Goa, are mixing anxiety with hope

Ajit John;

There are quite a few people stuck here in Goa. There are several Psy Trance DJs stuck in Goa. These DJs come from countries as diverse as Russia, Israel, Italy, Greece, and yes Indian DJ’s stuck here. 

DJ Karan Khanna who has been living in Goa for several years now said there was no money coming in and he knew for a fact the DJs were now dipping into their savings. He said, “Employers are helping them out and they are getting lodging but they don’t have money to fly home”.  

DJ XP or Timur flew in from Moscow in November for his gigs. He has been visiting Goa for over twenty years and has his family with him. He said “I am ok but I cannot spend any money because I cannot convert my dollars into local currency. I am comfortable here but I have to go back. The Russian government is helping me out but I have to go back with my family. I have a house here but I need to go home with my kids”. 

But some help is at hand for those who keep the crowds on their feet- crowdfunding. Starling D’Souza of Hilltop agency who had earlier tied up with Ketto a   crowdfunding platform to send migrants home in different parts of the country reached out to DJs needed help to return home.  He said  “The entertainment industry is been hit quite bad there has been no events in the last 3 months because of COVID 19 and so basically there is no income whatsoever. These people are stuck here. They are staying all over the place and some of them and surely run out of money now”. He said he knew them and they were all looking forward to going home but could not because either there were no flights or they had just run out of money. He said, “They are all popular locally and DJs like Michael, Mike, Pinar, Timur, Merv, Karan, Jehan , Nitin , Savi, and a few DJs from the rest of the country were popular here”. 

The appeal for funds has so far raised around Rs 75000 plus and it is a long road ahead if all of them have to fly home to various countries in the EU.

IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar