Lucknow, June 27 (IANS) Eagerly sought after by hotels and clubs where she sets the dance floor on fire, spinning music with her fingers, Lucknow's Deepti Sadhwani overcame stiff opposition from her family to become Uttar Pradesh's 'first and only' woman disc jockey (DJ).

A winner of several beauty pageants, 21-year-old Sadhwani chose DJing as a career just because she wanted to do something different and challenging that would set her apart from the crowd.

'Frankly speaking, initially I was not so passionate about music. I chose DJing just because I desired to take up an offbeat career option, particularly the one that was not common amongst girls,' Sadhwani told IANS in an interview.

Today she claims to be 'Uttar Pradesh's first and only' woman DJ.

'After being crowned Miss Lucknow 2006 and Miss North India 2006, I could have opted to move forward in the glamour world. But as it was not suitable as per my career aspirations, I left it and ultimately decided to become a DJ.'

Convincing her parents to take up DJing as a career was tough for Sadhwani. 'The day I told my father that I want to become a DJ, he laughed. He thought I was joking. But, when he came to know I was quite serious, he summarily rejected my pleas.'

Her father's strong reactions to the unconventional career did not come as a surprise for Sadhwani. 'I knew this was bound to happen...A girl performing at late night parties with people dancing all around could make any father feel uneasy and afraid for his daughter.'

'But even after facing reservations about a career from my father, I kept on making attempts to convince him and other family members. For this, I gave him examples of girls in Delhi and other parts of the country who took up DJing as their career and shot into the limelight. I also made my father read success stories of female DJs.'

Finally, her family agreed. After getting the much-awaited nod from her dad, she undertook a training course from an institute in Delhi.

Asked why she chose to work here, when she could have moved to a more happening city, Sadhwani said: 'As I belong to Lucknow, I feel my first priority is to entertain people here. That's why I have planned to perform primarily for Lucknowites.'

Sharing her experience, she said: 'If not the toughest, it's surely one of the most challenging careers. You need to analyse music. Mixing songs is an art. You need to have quick reflexes to move from one song to another while keeping people within the beats.'

Sadhwani, who has just completed her B.Com, is now flooded with offers from different clubs, hotels and recreational centres, inviting her to perform for them on a regular basis.

'Now, as I have completed my graduation, I would be in a position to take more assignments to entertain people,' she said.

About her future plans, Sadhwani says she will set up a training institute in Lucknow for all DJ aspirants.

(Asit Srivastava can be contacted at asit.s@ians.in)