Downtime: How Etsy's VP & Country Head-India Pankaj Jathar became an accidental DJ

Pankaj Jathar, Vice President and Country Head–India of Etsy, an e-commerce company focussing on handmade products by small sellers, has an ear for music. Little wonder, then, that his friends and family often designate him the in-house DJ for parties and get-togethers. What started as just having fun became a serious passion around three years ago when he purchased a DJ set. “I was told that I have a good ear for the kind of music that would work with a particular audience, and I also enjoyed the process. Encouraged by this feedback, I tried to explore this a little more and bought a DJ set,” says the 49-year-old. 

Professional DJs use many types of equipment, including a controller, turntable and CDs or digital audio files on a computer, to name a few. “I use a Hercules Inpulse 300 DJ controller, a Behringer Xenyx 502 mixer and headphones for mixing and playing my music. I often also use my phone to mix music,” says Jathar. 

In addition, he has five different speakers, each fulfilling a very specific function. While Jathar enjoys listening to and playing all genres of music, he predominantly plays retro—1970s and 1980s western pop, Bollywood and Indipop. “I enjoy listening to music and playing for people. It’s great to see others enjoying the music I pick and having a good time, so you can say that I enjoy this aspect of being a DJ,” he says. 

Jathar likes to host gatherings at home so he can play his kind of music and also does occasional stints at his residential society. At a recent office offsite, he even played for his team. Jathar is self-taught, having learnt from online tutorials and experimenting with music. The India head of Etsy has also recorded some of his work, and a few sets are available on Mixcloud, a British online music streaming service that allows for the listening and distributing of radio shows, DJ mixes and podcasts.