A ten-day vacation in Goa six years ago made Marina Nikitushkina from Moscow make it her home. After staying on in Goa for two years, the popular DJ shifted base to Bangalore, where she has now been living for the last four years.
“The original plan was to have a good time in Goa during my vacation. But I fell in love with the place and decided to stay on,” she recalls. During her stay in Goa, she used to come to Bangalore quite often and found herself being offered a number of gigs. That’s when she took the plunge to move to the City. “There are a number of gigs that happen in Bangalore. In fact, I’ve found that a lot of international artistes perform here frequently. So far, so good. That’s what I would say about my stay here,” she says.
According to Marina, Bangaloreans have a good knowledge about music. “They have a good taste and appreciate music. That’s what I like about them,” she says. Trying hard to recall her first impressions about the City, Marina says, “It felt quite different. That’s what I remember. I think I was pleasantly surprised. Of course, over the years, I’ve come to understand and adapt to the numerous cultural differences that exist between the two countries.” She adds, “I have a lot of Indian friends who have also explained these differences to me.”
Marina, who is constantly on the lookout for different kinds of places to visit, says that malls here hardly interest her. “I’m not that fond of any malls. In fact, these can’t even be compared to the ones in Moscow — they are so much better,” she declares.
“What I do like,” she says, “is going to places which are new to me and different from those back home. I love everything that has to do with nature.” Some of her favourite hang-outs in the City include Pebbles, Sanctum and Jayamahal Palace Hotel.
What strikes Marina in India is the huge gap between the rich and the poor.
“In Moscow, there is a definite middle class, whereas here, there is a huge difference between the rich and the poor,” she says.
Pointing out to the civic issues plaguing the City, Marina adds, “There are hardly any dustbins here, which shocks me. One has to go hunting for a bin. I find this irritating,” she says. The influence of music came early in Marina’s life with her father being a musician.
She took to singing at the age of six and joined a Russian choir called Iskra as well as other musical groups. So much so that at the age of 11, she found her first love in the guitar and formed a band named ‘Red Sails’ that played pop and soft rock.
She started DJing in her native place and soon became well-known in the circle.
Her passion for music and travel has taken her across the United States of America and Europe. The DJ, who spins tunes across genres that include trance, drum, bass, techno and progressive house, says that there is much that India has taught her. “It’s been a learning experience. In Goa, in particular, there were many who helped me improve my DJing skills,” she says, adding, “There is a lot of talent here.”
Ask her if there is a difference in the work culture and she states that what she finds odd is the ‘early deadline’. “There is no night life. It’s more of an evening life here. It’s so different elsewhere and in Moscow. Clubs and parties in Moscow are much bigger and the extent to which people party too is more. People start partying late in the evenings and it goes on until morning,” she explains. Marina, who has visited several places across India, is truly fond of Bangalore.
“I find that people here are really friendly when compared to places like Mumbai and Delhi,” she says. She has also visited Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Coorg, Kerala, Maldives, Hampi, Chennai and the Andamans among a host of other places.
“Most of my work is travel-related,” she says, adding that she would like to visit
Rajasthan.
Marina, who goes back to Moscow once in six months, reveals, “I haven’t thought of how long I’ll stay here. One day, I might just pack my bags and head back.”