Anjaan, now in Australia, is living his dream on a reef island
Anjaan, now in Australia, is living his dream on a reef island
"The first thing I'll do when I win is cry, and then I'll say thank you to the fish because they've become my best friends," quips Anjaan.
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Two of a kind: Anjaan with his brother Karthik in Kuwait |
The Bangalore boy, who is RJ at 94.3, RadioOne, has been spending the last three days on Hamilton Island, swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving as he pits his skills against nine other contestants for the World's Best Job as caretaker of an island in the Great Barrier Reef and prize money of AUD$ 150000.
"I'm still in a dream because I am doing dream-like things like visiting exotic places, sampling gorgeous food and matching my wits with the best in the business," declares the effervescent RJ, who was shortlisted among 4 lakh entries from around the world.
Not nervous
Clearly, he isn't letting his nerves get the better of him. Confident and positive about the results of the mega contest, initiated by Queensland Tourism, he admits that the exposure that the contest has given him is a prize in itself.
"Suddenly my world has become bigger. I have been catapulted from a small well to the big blue sea. I haven't got 10 bylines in print, but I am now being invited to host travel shows and write guest columns for international publications. And to think, I am just doing what I love to do travel and talk," he exclaims, over phone from Australia on the eve of the mega final, while a TV crew waits to kit him up for an interview.
Totally floored
Behind the easy manner and the quick quotes is a sharp mind. "Two months before the big day, I sat down and analysed how my firangi fellow contestants could score over me, and I realized that they would be winners in the fitness department. So I hired a personal trainer and worked out religiously. Even then, when I saw my rivals' 8-pack abs, I was floored man," he admits, adding that the female contestants are also "toned and totally fit".
But his confidence makes a quick comeback. "I am earning my right to drawl, 'Good day, mate', and if the last three days are any indication of how I will have to spend the next 6 months, I am already in love."
No Indian media coverage
Amrita is amazed by her husband Anjaan's unflagging energy. "He's on the move from dawn to midnight, and like all the other contestants, his every waking minute is under the scanner. While he's swimming and scuba diving and giving media interviews, I am content to enjoy my time in the spa and my plate of fish n' chips," says the supportive wife.
The only discordant note is the absence of Indian media at the contest. "From Chinese TV to Japanese papers to UK radio, they are all here to cheer their country men and women but there's no one from India, perhaps because travel isn't all that big in India yet," observes Amrita.
