Gitikka Ganju Dhar Talks About the Importance of Balancing Expectations with Delivery for an Emcee

by EVENTFAQS Bureau Entertainment | December 7, 2017 | Promo Feature

Gitikka Ganju Dhar, curator of TalkTheStage completes 18 long years of anchoring in February 2018, and has been named amongst the ten most powerful women in the Indian experiential industry in the decade gone by - The Decade of Transformation, presented by EEMA. Winner of multiple awards, the multi-tasker who balances multiple roles as an Anchor, Moderator, Writer, Content Curator, Actor runs EVENTFAQS through her journey and her passion for talk.

The industry has quickly evolved over the past decade. How have you, as an anchor, kept ahead of the times?

For any category of artists to be under the spotlight, the attention of the target audience needs to be repeatedly captured and in the right manner. From the way anchors engage on stage, how they present themselves, their personalities, how they market their brands and run their business, every aspect stands transformed for the better.

One can safely say that anchors in India, in general, have raised the bar. A few years back it had shifted to being a largely cosmetic function, but now is back in the reckoning as a frontline function on an event.

What is one of the biggest challenges for an anchor?

Anchors need to focus harder on their core job and much harder on the content they are expected to deliver. An anchor is not only expected to deliver on stage but has to be multi-tasking, ensuring every aspect right from content creation to content delivery is beyond expectations. Great expectations call for great delivery. If that does not happen now, a great opportunity will be lost. Have we come of age? No, but we are close, very close.

What is the thumb rule you bear in mind while engaging with a LIVE audience?

The LIVE audience wants to be arrested by a baritone voice, to be commanded by content that arrests their attention, they want their intelligence to be respected, they want to be enraptured. Now, whether a celebrity anchor does that or a professional anchor does that, believe me, they truly do not care.Anchoring is one category that is about calibre not physicality or celebrity status. There are many professional anchors who do not deliver; there are many celebrity anchors who rule the stage with their talk. It has to be about the job at hand. The rest of the fluff-baggage does not matter when the audience is listening to you. They are the judge and the jury. It is time we take the audiences a little more seriously.

Is there any mantra you follow while taking up an assignment?

I am only taking up the best or the most interesting work coming my way. I’d rather sit at home than invest my time towards events that do not understand the value-add that an anchor can bring to the table. Also, I have expanded my core team. I can no longer deliver good quality work being a one woman army. My thought process is very clear, I will either deliver good work or I will do no work at all. Volumes have never attracted me.

Tell us about your best work this year.

The most important thing I feel I have achieved this year is the balance between different genres of events. I have been roped in for critical government events, for prestigious PSU events, for some of the biggest weddings of the season and many key, flagship summits. As an artist, I feel very satisfied. To defy the image stereotype has always been a key goal for me. From The International Children’s Film Festival to the EFactor4U wedding in Jaipur to IDC, Insights to WOW Awards Asia to the EEMAGINE International Summit, IIFCO Golden Jubilee Celebrations, Sufi Route Concert, Indian Army Infantry Day Celebration, Jagran Film Festival, TATA Motors Annual Meet, Tomorrow’s India Global Summit, Hotelier Awards, Eazy Diner Foodie Awards to the Ironation Nutrition Series, it has been a wholesome mix of top quality events that have come my way. I have also gone back to acting in commercials. I shot for four this year - not a great number, but a start - given the limited amount of time I get apart from executing events. I was also pampered with two awards this year. I once again thank EEMA and the jury for the EEMAX Spotlight Best Anchor Female India. But now, it is time to think ahead.

What are your plans for the near future?

To take this generous gift of opportunities and expectations on a solid journey. I have some very interesting plans for 2018. Let us see how much I can push myself. I am going to take a month off soon, to think, ruminate, and explore the ideas in my head. I want to write a book and structure my career as a motivational speaker. I also see myself giving back to the industry through an organisation that may curate or nurture talent for talk, but let’s see. And, I will continue to talk the stage till I want to. If there is anything I am sure of, it is the feeling that I have a very long and interesting innings ahead of me, as an anchor, not just in India but probably elsewhere too.

Your thoughts on our new initiative, Live Quotient Handpicked Artists of India...

Firstly, I’d like to thank EVENTFAQS for this initiative. Also, what was special was that I was the first Live Quotient Handpicked Artist to be showcased in this new initiative. Artists are the main element of any event. A showcase of the best available in the Indian live industry will not only benefit artists but also be of solid use to the experiential community. I am looking forward to another set, maybe a master class set curated by industry leaders...

You are a part of EEMA. Which according to you is the most important initiative that you would want to support?

I think team EEMA’s top priority needs to be to drive membership across the country, which I think it is. Alongside, brand EEMA needs to be nurtured at a national level. EEMA We Care needs to be adopted by the industry in much larger numbers. There is a genuine enthusiasm amongst the working team, thanks to Sabbas Joseph’s leadership. The future too, looks bright.