By Gilda van Schalkwyk
O'Neil Nair is an enterprising young Lotus Fm disc jockey (he's "O'Neill in the Morning") who, having been with the radio station for the past two years, looks set to hold his own in an evolving field.
He would like to be hailed as the number one jock in the country and have his own show and, if he continues his path of success, Nair may just ultimately meet this industrious goal.
After studying for a B.Compt at Unisa, deejaying was a radical change for him, but it is a passion and he sees himself doing this "forever".
Off air, Nair posesses a dynamic personality, which listeners may miss when listening to him on the radio.
His "big break" came when he was interviewed on Eastern Mosaic. He recalls the day he was consumed by a massive adrenalin rush.
"It was my first time in front of the camera and I was as nervous as hell. Camera, lights and action, and the adrenalin rush evolved into orgasmic," he gushes.
Nair has played at well known venues like Rivets at the Hilton Hotel and local clubbing hot spots like The Zone and Zoom. He frequents clubs and regards places that play good music in high esteem.
When asked if he were to write a book what the subject matter would be, he says the title of the book would be, O'Neil... more than just radio. It would document what motivates him, where his passions lie, what led him to the music store, what he found inspirational about Indian music and his wish for himself, a South African as an Indian".
Nair comments that he permanently has a girlfriend, (much sought after by the fairer sex, one presumes), and the most outrageous thing he has ever done was skinny dip at the beach, after being dared to do so.
What he finds attractive is honesty and sexiness. Negatives are those who are "plastic".
His kitchen skills end at making grilled Tandoori prawns and when he does find time away from work, Nair prefers to play golf.
He is an interesting collaboration of Indian spirituality and hip-hop - the last book he read was Deepak Chopra's Grow Younger, Live Longer and the last CD he bought was the new 50 Cent rap album.
As for his personal mantra - "whatever you do, make sure you take the time to do it well". "And hey, keep the passion!"