India Post News Service

FREMONT: The newest star in the TV show firmament, 'Sitaare', a sixty-minute weekly magazine show featuring entertainment and community events is produced locally in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is hosted by Kavita Bajaj-Arora and features profiles and interviews of Indian celebrities, movie reviews, the making of Bollywood movies, and community events around the Bay Area. The program appeals to people of all age groups and is not only entertaining but also educational because it demonstrates the best work of current and former talent.

"This is a family venture", said Poonam Bajaj the executive producer. Her daughter Kavita is the host, her son Rajiv Bajaj is the cameraperson and editor and she, herself, is the executive producer and editor."We have gathered a brilliant team of professionals. We are using the latest broadcast and editing equipment in the media industry", said, Poonam Bajaj. She further said, "I have always been involved in the community by organizing cultural activities. I moved towards the TV show because there is a huge need for the same.

There aren't that many TV shows in the west coast. My TV Show features community events, most importantly the objective is to share knowledge with the Indian community both young and elderly people that they do not get elsewhere. The information will be of an objective and balanced nature, focusing on our homeland and our new families migrating and settling in America. We will give the viewer a look into our new lives and communities."The host, Kavita has a Bachelors degree in English Literature from Santa Clara University and graduate degrees in Public Health and Law. She has a Masters in Public Health from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a Juris Doctorate from Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska. Married to an oncologist, she has two boys, 7 yrs and 3 yrs old. Kavita has had a lifelong love of Indian cinema and the arts including Indian dance.

She trained in Kathak with Anuradha Nag of Tarangini School of Kathak Dance, a disciple of world renowned Pandit Birju Maharaj. She also has an interest in quality Bollywood dancing and has choreographed and performed throughout the Bay Area for many years for the Indian community.She has a successful career as a Human Resources Analyst for the City of San Jose and as program director for one of the most successful occupational health and safety programs behind her. She said that she would like to bring her experience and education background to the show.Rajiv, Poonam's son and the cameraperson and editor, has a Bachelors degree in English and is pursuing a Master's in Accounting/Finance.

He has also interned for Hollywood actor, Matthew McConaughey, and J.K. Livin Productions, as a production assistant and script reviewer. Poonam Bajaj is fulfilling a life-long dream of working in the media industry. She has a bachelor degree in Political Science from Delhi University and has worked with private industry and the United Nations in New Delhi.

She has a background in theater and the performing arts and has directed and participated in local plays on stage. She has also choreographed dances and directed fashion shows for many Bay Area and Los Angeles based designers and boutiques. Poonam is a skilled editor and her technical experience includes work as a camerawoman.

She continues to take coursework in television series production. Her future projects are a TV serial and a reality show. 'Sitaare' airs every Sunday, from 8 - 9 p.m., on Comcast in Fremont (CH 29), Newark (CH.27), and Union City, Hayward, and Alameda (CH 28).