Soung engineer-turned-DJ-turned wedding planner Jigar Shah is the quirky mind behind an online wedding service that organised a diamond merchant's shaadi where a nine-member British band had the baraatis swinging to Dhan Te Nan. Soma Das does a soundcheck This is outsourcing of a different kind, and in reverse. For once, a developing nation is the one hiring labour from a first world giant. On May 2, 2010, a five- star in Bandra hosted the wedding of a Marwari couple. Band-baaje ke bina shaadi kya? And so, the family hired a nine-member band to churn out foot-tapping hits like Kajra Re and Dhan Te Nan. <object height="344" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YTWJGKba1GI&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YTWJGKba1GI&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="344"></embed></object> Except, these weren't Nasik band veterans. Dressed in ethnic finery, some of them playing dhol-taashe were a group of music teachers from England who'd been flown down for the 'gig'. The team was sent notations by email so as to allow them to rehearse the nuances before they took a flight here to performe live.u00a0 The event was conceptualised and executed by soundspirit.in, a one-stop online wedding service. Other than the more sober aspects of your wedding preparations -- invitation cards and the dinner menu -- they offer whacky entertainment solutions. Sample the line-up: a French musician plays songs from DDLJ on a gold-plated harp that once belonged to king of pop Michael Jackson. Fifty veteran Bollywood musicians play an acoustic symphony. A 3D laser show, aerial acrobats, sand animation and a tap dance-kathak jugalbandi. Not quirky enough? How about a virtual cultural world tour, a 90-minute audio-visual show that incorporates song and dance elements from all over the world including the Chinese dragon dance, African acrobats, and rappers who use buckets to make music? Sound engineer Jigar Shah runs the show with his family. The 26 year-old has put his career on on the backburner to run the event management company. "Music and planning for weddings are not really poles apart. After all, music has a 50 per cent share in making any wedding a success," he says. Shah should know. His mother trained in classical music from Purshottamdas Jalota and his father carries the title of Sangeet Visharad. Shah began learning the harmonium when he was seven and enrolled at the Trinity College of Music at 17. After training in sound engineering, he DJed in Bangkok, Singapore and Dubai. Shah admits that he has managed to infuse some funk into his family's decade old wedding planner business. Most of his clients are affluent Gujarati diamond merchant families, and the Marwari community. NRIs and foreigners too manage to stumble on soundspirit online. "People are always looking for something 'that's never been done before'," he says. But that doesn't mean it's hands-off for those on a modest budget. "We have something for everyone. Based on the caliber of the performer, costs vary. We start at about range Rs 15,000, which I believe is affordable, and it can go up to a couple of lakhs."u00a0 Keeping the fresh factor going doesn't come easy. Shah spends long hours surfing the net for the next big idea. "My wife hates it!" he grins. Coming up shortly: Set up a 'flying band' of performers on violins, cellos, and drums. Suspend them in mid-air for some music before they shower mere moneyed mortals on earth with rose petals. At: Arisa Mahal, 8, Walkeshwar Road. Call: 9820746266 / 23696221. Log on to: <a href="http://www.soundspirit.in/">http://www.soundspirit.in/</a>. Email: <a href="mailto:info@soundspirit.in">info@soundspirit.in</a>

The new games people play

Soung engineer-turned-DJ-turned wedding planner Jigar Shah is the quirky mind behind an online wedding service that organised a diamond merchant's shaadi where a nine-member British band had the baraatis swinging to Dhan Te Nan. Soma Das does a soundcheck

Music teachers from UK drum up dhamaal at shaadis

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