aSHANTI OMkar
www.myspace.com/ashantiomkarBusy as editor in chief of http://lnk.ms/5rT4v and all my other work - following my passions!Mood: content
10:36 AM Feb 8 view more
Ashanti OMkar
- London via Asia & Africa, London and South East, UK
- Last Login: 8/23/2010
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Interests
General
aSHANTI OMkar is a London based editor and multimedia journalist (Print/Radio/Podcasts/Video). She podcasts, writes and has passion for life as whole, while delving into all kinds of assignments from music consultancy to film, travel, books, arts and food writing, especially specialising in interviews. Please follow her on Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/ashantiomkar She enjoys writing, music, film, travel, poetry, cooking, food & cocktails, festivals, books, theatre, internet, gadgets, shopping, beauty, fashion, interiors, alternative health, ethnic fashion, radio, TV, chillaxing with family and close friends. Her motto is Carpe diem - live life to the max! Ashanti worked in the corporate world as an IT consultant for nearly a decade (for the likes of Oracle, Business Objects, Pepsi, Hilton Group) and moved in somewhat a parallel manner into UK's media scene. She freelances for magazines like Asian Woman (creating front page stories like interviewing Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra), Anokhi, BBC Customer publishing: Cineworld Unlimited Magazine, Galatta Magazine in India e.t.c and created the glossy Henna Magazine which was stocked on stands in Selfridges, London and UK's airports.Music
With the creation of The South Side Show, which she brainchilded in 2007, she has showcased many underground and unsigned acts, while interviewing the likes of AR Rahman and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and incorporating the views, culture and music of the Southern South Asian diaspora (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Tulu, Konkani) from all over the world. She now presents South Side as a column on Desi Hits. Interviews have always been Ashanti's forte and she has been published in over 1000 editorial pages since her foray into journalism in 2003, while having presented over 60 shows of South Side. She also produced the Rahmania series on B4U, by interviewing AR Rahman, alongside many of his UK collaborators and team. She has hyped the crowd at AR Rahman's O2 concert and consulted on his UK tour, while also working with the likes of Aamir Khan, as a consultant.,Movies
Remember, PIRACY FUNDS TERRORISM! Having an unlimited cinema card and being a journalist means that I get to watch most movies as they come out. Some of my faves in no particular order, are: I'm a HUGE fan of Mani Ratnam's Tamil movies (re-watching Roja, Mouna Ragam, Thalapathy, Pagal Nizhavu, Agni Natchathiram, Uyire, Bombay and Nayagan brought back a wave of nostalgia) and Hindi ones like Guru, Dil Se. Sindhu Bairavhi, Unnal Mudiyum Thambi, Pudhu pudhu arthangal, Rhythm, Taal, Water, Lagaan, Rang De Basanti, Guna, Punnagai mannan, Thevar magan, Mudhalvan, Salangai oli, Alaigal Oyvathillai, Thavamai Thavamirundhu, Mozhi Rajiv Menon's Minsara Kanavu (Sapnay) and Kandukondain Kandukondain (after spending a week with Aishwarya Rai and Abbas in Dornie Village, Scotland, when they filmed the title song by AR Rahman, I have nothing but love for the movie), I steeped myself in the ups and downs of Mira Nair's Namesake and Mississippi Masala I adored 'Black' (my friend Ravi K Chandran did the amazing cinematography on this) 3 idiots, A Wednesday, Parineeta, Page 3, Jaane tu ya jaane na, Dil Chahta Hai, Taare zameen par, Paa Many Hollywood films that I watch in succession on weekends... I enjoy many genres and films like Brown Sugar, Traitor, Slumdog Millionaire, Volver e.t.c,Television
Books
Dan Brown (Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons), JK Rowling (Harry Potter), Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Mistress of Spices, Sister of my heart), Jumpa Lahari (The Namesake), Paulo Coelho ('The Alchemist' literally changed my life in 2004), Dr Brian Weiss (his past life regression therapy stuff is fascinating), Raga Pravaham, Dr Sambamoorthy's Carnatic series, Eat pray loveHeroes
"One can choose to hate or to love, I chose love" - JAI HO (Victorious) - "Ella Pugalum iraivan oruvanukke" (All fame to God only) AR Rahman 2009 Double Oscar winner "They say it is to know the union with love that the soul takes union with the body". By Tiruvalluvar, one of the greatest Tamil poets that lived! Soon to be made into an album by Blaaze and AR Rahman! "Since Ahimsa [love and non-violence] is essentially a quality of soul, the only effective appeal to the soul must lie through non-violence." Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi AKA Mahatma Gandhi "Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love." Martin Luther King Jr. December 11, 1964
Details
- Status: Married
- Here for: Networking
- Hometown: London
- Education: Grad / professional school
- Occupation: Print/Broadcast Journalist
Schools
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Royal Holloway, University of London
- Egham, United Kingdom
- Graduated: 2006
- Student status: Alumni
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
- Major: Marketing & Managament
- Minor: IT
2003 to 2006 -
The Coopers' Company and Coborn School
- Upminster, United Kingdom
- Graduated: 2003
- Student status: Alumni
- Degree: High School Diploma
2001 to 2003 -
Plashet School
- London, United Kingdom
- Graduated: 1991
- Student status: Alumni
- Degree: High School Diploma
- Clubs: Studied up to GCSEs here! Previously studied in Nigeria, West Africa
1987 to 1991
Companies
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HENNA MAGAZINE
- London, UK
- Editor in Chief
2008 to date -
www.desihits.com
- London, New York UK
- Producer & Presenter, columnist
2007 to date -
Various Publications - The Score, Total Film, Pulse, Songlines
- London, India, UK
- Freelance Journalist
2003 to date -
Asian Post Newspaper
- London, UK
- Entertainment Editor
2003-2008 -
Asian Woman Magazine
- London, UK
- Senior features editor
2006-2007 -
Hilton Group|Credit Suisse|Oracle|Business Objects|Dresdner Bank|O2|Pepsi Cola
- London, Various UK
- Consultant
1996-2005 -
www.THAMARAI.com
- London/Worldwide, UK
- Editor in Chief
2009 to date -
Anokhi Magazine
- London, Toronto, US, CA
- Bollywood Editor
Summer 2010-Date -
Cineworld Unlimited Magazine
- London, UK
- Bollywood Editor
2007 to date -
Bollywood Consultant
- London, UK
- Consultant ARR tour/VTV/Peepli Live
2009 to date
Blurbs
About me:
UK Media Persona: Cineworld/Anokhi/Galatta magazines, food, inspiration, Tamil/BOLLYWOOD Interviews, London Mela co-curator, B4U TV, Desi Hits, Media Consultancy
As with everyone, I too have shared many trials and tribulations in life, but have stayed positive and my creative outputs teamed with good friends & sheer perseverance have helped me through a lot and thus, I count my every blessing. Leaving a thriving IT career for journalism was indeed a big step, but certainly worth it! I started in journalism without a single contact to my name - just a good bunch of editors who encouraged me to keep writing and since then, have produced over 1000 pages on various topics. I believe that one you find your dream, never look back - the universe, as Paulo Coelho says, will help conspire to make it come true, even if it means the world around you changes!
Who I'd like to meet:
There are so many fascinating people one comes across in life. In terms of famous names, here's a selection from me: Nelson Mandela; Obama, Alicia Keys, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Will Smith, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Maya Angelou, Zubin Mehta and many more.