Vaishalee Saikia or as she is popularly known as, VJ Vaishalee was born in the land of hills, Guwahati, Assam. She is the elder daughter of ex- Indian Railways Officer Mr. Sanjeev Saikia and homemaker Mrs Mrinalinee Saikia. It was because of her father’s government job that Vaishalee’s childhood was spent in different parts of Northeast. Hence she compensated for the lack of a permanent home address to her permanent love for music and hosting. As a child, television became her safe space and watching music channels like MTV and CHANNEL V became the favourite part of her day. Coming from a place which is known for its vibrant taste in pop music, Vaishalee was naturally inclined towards music and the entire world of music video announcers. She took her inspiration from popular faces like Nikhil Chinappa and VJ Bani.
Further, when she was prompted to speak more about her inspiration, she said:
‘There are several people who inspire me, but I believe the largest inspiration in my life is my family. Through thick and thin, my parents have walked with me shoulder to shoulder. They always say, nothing comes in your hand without hard work, believe in hard work and never ever lose hope in your life’
Before embarking on her journey as Video Jockey, Vaishalee was determined to complete her full education. She did her Bachelors in English Honors, Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism and further completed a certified course on Marketing and Communication from International Business Management Institute (IBMI) from Berlin, Germany. All these helped us in creating a base for herself upon which she would later build her career.
It was probably the teachings of her parents that from a very young age of 19 years, Vaishalee started to work hard and manifest her hobby into a full-fledged profession and in no time, she became the first video jockey to introduce Vjing in Assam in 2014. When asked about what drove her as a VJ, she expressed
‘I used to like people with a strong personality, especially the ones who were vocal, me being an introvert in my childhood and that’s how I liked the way the Vjs were; Smart, fluent and vocal’.
The first major feat in her career was in 2013 when she became Miss Fresh Face in 2013 of a women’s exclusive fashion brand called ‘MADAME’. It seemed being ‘first’ was her forte since she also went on to become the first woman from Northeast India to shoot for the globally recognised brand ‘GUCCI cosmetics, GUCCI lip colour, for a UAE based luxury brand selling site. Other than this, she has also been a popular face of many other famous brands like Myntra, Nikon, Tanishq, Tansukhrai Jewelry, Annapurna to name a few.
She gained much popularity and recognition by hosting many esteemed events including The Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics Forum 2016 and Balipara Foundation Awards with the EMMY Award-Winning Producer Director, Nicholas Calxton. 2016 was an eventful year for her because it was the same year when she became the jury member for Fbb Femina Miss India Northeast Belt. From being a fan girl to many Bollywood celebrities in her childhood, her professionalso gave her the opportunity to meet and interact with the many likes of Bollywood stars. She became the brand ambassador from Northeast for Bamboo India, along with popular Bollywood actresses like Juhi Chawla and Diya Mirza. She has also interviewed many Bollywood artists like Jackie Shroff, Shilpa Shetty and Adil Hussain.
A popular saying goes that ‘Once you taste success, tongue wants more’. The same seems to apply for Ms Vaishalee Saikia too. After solidifying her feat in the world of VJs, Vaishalee decided to give her career a new fillip by becoming a Financial Advisor in 2018. It all started when she began working for a finance company called Generali, HO being in Milan, Italy. Her designation in the company is related to product sales which, as she quoted, ‘demands for a very good communication skill’. Further when she was asked as to what made her choose finance as her career, she said that ‘
As a VJ, I met a lot of people, and this profession of mine helped me to open up a lot. I started coming out of my box bit by bit and also polished my communication skills a lot.
While she always referred to the love and appreciation that she has received from her audience as her biggest awards, she has also been bestowed with many prestigious accolades for her work. Some include Indian Inspirational Woman Award 2021 by Dr. Kiran Bedi, Indian Glory Award 2021, India Excellence Award 2021, India Achievers Award 2023 by actress Amrita Rao and Indo Global Business Awards 2023 from Padam Shree, the Bollywood “Dhak Dhak girl” Madhuri Dixit Nene.
Today, after coming so far from where she initially started her journey, when she was asked about what struggles and problems she had to face as an entrepreneur and what she has learned from them, she had a very encouraging reply to it. She said
‘Whether you lose your job, an opportunity or a relationship-loss is an inevitable part of everyone’s life. Struggle in life, losing something that you had or wanted can be a wake-up call. Having a clear understanding of what you value and why you value is key to becoming a better person because it given your words and actions integrity’
The 31 years old VJ turned financial advisor, Ms Vaishalee Saikia also believes in multi-tasking. Hence, along with working in Generali and occasionally satisfying her hobby of baking, she has been hosting the on-going ‘BeatBox’ show for 10 years, which is telecasted in Ramdhenu (News Live). Lastly, on a concluding note, she has a special message for all the budding and aspiring young Video Jockey,
‘A Video Jockey can work in a plethora of areas. When starting out, they can either start as a freelancer in case they are yet to get an opportunity in television. This will not only help you in getting hands-on experience in this field but will also help you build and increase a good fan following. The internet is an influential tool at the disposal of a Video Jockey. Thus, you can utilize this platform to showcase your projects while working as a freelancer’.
Awards and Accomplishments:
- First VJ (Video Jockey) of Northeast India (Assam), renowned as VJ Vaishalee, hosting “Beat Box” for 10 years on Ramdhenu (News Live).
- Currently employed at Generali, headquartered in Milan, Italy.
- Received four prestigious national and global awards:
- India Inspirational Woman Award 2021 by Dr. Kiran Bedi
- Indo Global Business Awards 2023 by Madhuri Dixit
- India Achievers Award 2023 by Amrita Rao
- Indian Glory Award 2021
- India Excellence Award 2021
- Former judge at Femina Miss India 2016.
- First woman from Northeast India to shoot for GUCCI cosmetics and GUCCI lip color (for a UAE luxury brand).
- Brand ambassador for Bamboo India in the Northeast, alongside Juhi Chawla and Diya Mirza.
- Featured as the brand face for LG, HP, Nikon, Tanishq, Tansukrai Jewelry, Waheeda Jewelry, Annapurna, etc.
- Awarded Miss Fresh Face 2013 by women’s exclusive fashion brand MADAME.
- Conducted interviews with various personalities and artists, including Bollywood actors like Jackie Shroff and Adil Hussain.
By: Ritika Das
