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It’s that time of year. "From the Maldives to Switzerland to Ahmedabad, I'm doing a lot of weddings!" proclaims model and disc jockey Megha Kawale, Not bad for a "Maharastrian girl from a nice family” who ignored nasty gossip and broke ground as the first female DJ

In the country BACK IN 1998. Even more incredulous, this leggy beauty gets gigs purely through word-of-mouth. She hasn’t once chased a job; she doesn't publicise or plead with clubs to spin on a much-coveted Saturday night. "Someone hears me at a party. They like my work,” she coolly explains. "And then, one party leads to another." Kind of like dominoes. After playing at the Lakme Fashion Week opening party earlier this year, Megha got a weekly gig at stylish members-only Mumbai lounge bar Prive, where she plays "excellent UK house'' along with techno beats on Friday nights for the glitterati in attendance. She's eager though to move beyond just mixing tracks. She's got two albums in the works: The first, a domestic release due out by the end of the year, is admittedy for mass consumption; the second, meanwhile, is a bit more Fine-tuned for the European market, Megha says. "Europeans don't like harsh vocals. They would find Lata Mangeshkar— too shrill. It has to be melodious." Her Indian release features Bollywood tunes, original compositions and remixes, but all compiled with taste, she maintains. "Songs like 'Chaiyya Chaiyya' or 'Chunari Chunarf that are still classic...but not Himesh Reshammiya." All the ramp-walking and jet-setting to private parties abroad clearly haven't gone to Megha's head. "I have seen the high of being on the ramp; I have travelled to Milan for Tarun's [Tahiliani] show and Switzerland to play for this rich billion¬aire, and I feel like I have a house in every country. But it's this city that's made me." Lucky for us, her love affair with music and Mumbai - are to be continued. Tanvi Chheda