Kulraaj Anand’s artistic mind, hard work, and willpower have made him a renowned Radio Personality in the Tri-State Area. Kulraaj’s mastering of the craft of communication doesn’t simply limit itself to Radio Broadcasting–rather, it goes beyond, extending itself to the realms of Cinema and Photography. Kulraaj is also a director, actor, and model, describing himself as “the feather of old-school Bollywood.”
Kulraaj’s passion for the performing arts began in the streets of Delhi, as a young teenager in the 1960s, where he would write and perform skits with his school friends. Kulraaj’s story spawns even further back, to 1948, the year he was born. Kulraaj was born in Delhi, to parents who fled Pakistan during the partition of 1947. Kulraaj’s father was a freedom fighter, who was instrumental in the development of India during the 1950s and 1960s, working in the Government, specifically in the sectors of health, civil aviation, telecommunications and shipping textiles. He was also the District Attorney of Jalandhar, a city in Punjab. Both of Kulraaj’s parents were from small towns in Pakistan, and got a married at a young age. Kulraaj recalls the impact of the partition on his family, describing his father’s trips from India to Pakistan and back, persuading his family members to leave Pakistan due to the political and religious tensions. Despite this, the partition hasn’t affected Kulraaj’s identity, as he believes that everyone is “equal” and that having a good education and cultural background are crucial in creating a harmonious life and society.
Kulraaj describes growing up in Delhi as a “very interesting” experience. He recalls living in a two- or three-story building provided by the government, and attending excellent schools. He recalls having a “great” childhood alongside his brother and two sisters. He described his life as comfortable, never lacking food, shelter or servants. He recalls his neighborhood being very safe and without high crime rates. In regard to his neighborhood, Kulraaj describes the “family values” and “cultural integration” as very interesting. He describes the neighborhood culture as vibrant and very understanding, with a focus on family, but also on community and shared wealth among neighbors.
In regard to the values, traditions and culture of his own family, Kulraaj states that his livelihood was filled with restrictions, what he describes as “dos and don’ts.” Kulraaj recalls having interests in theatre, art, music, dancing, singing and acting at a very young age, and how those interests clashed with his parents’ expectations, as they wanted him to be an engineer or a doctor. During this time, Kulraaj was very rebellious and would disobey his parents and his teachers at school. Kulraaj attended a “hardcore” boarding school which was between fifteen and twenty kilometers away, which had “very good” teachers and principals, along with having sport activities and interschool competitions. Kulraaj believes that the educational system was (and still is) very good, attributing Indian success to this very system.
Despite having a passion for the performing arts, Kulraaj couldn’t experiment and grow his passion during his high school years, as his parents wouldn’t allow him to do so. He recalls how his father threatened to have the theatre club shut down, to prevent him (Kulraaj) from joining. Despite these restrictions, as mentioned earlier, Kulraaj would act in small skits and plays with his high school friends. Kulraaj got his “big break” when he moved to Mumbai after high school. He moved there due to his father’s job, as he was the director of general shipping and was assigned to Mumbai. In Mumbai, Kulraaj worked up the ladder, starting off as a production assistant, then becoming a director assistant and finally a director. Kulraaj directed both movies and documentaries. He made documentaries for the Indian government, along with individual Indian states and regions. Furthermore, he became the first Indian to act in a TV serial and first Indian to act in a short serial called The Lost Child, which was written by renowned Indian writer, Mulk Raj Anand. In regard to his directorial career, Kulraaj describes the importance of storytelling, including understanding, lighting, sound, movement, performance, clothing, colors, background and foreground. He describes the importance of the “thought process” and having a creative mind.
On top of his directing and acting career, Kulraaj also modeled, becoming one of the most prolific Indian models of his time. He performed in over two thousand fashion shows across India and also won “Mr. Bombay.” He recalls seeing his face in many newspapers, magazines and bookshops not only in Mumbai but also across the country. At this point in time, Kulraaj was content and satisfied with what he had created for himself in India, and had no intention of moving to the United States. That notion changed when his sister, who was living in the US at the time, decided to get married. Kulraaj first set foot in the US to attend his sister’s wedding. His brother was also living in the United States, moving there in the early 1970s, recruited as an engineer. Kulraaj arrived in the United States on September 15, 1977, settling in Wayne, New Jersey, where his brother and sister already lived.
Kulraaj recalls the culture shock of moving to the US, citing the wide array of readily available products and huge supermarkets and department stores. He recalls trying hamburgers, fries, sodas and milkshakes for the first time, and how such items weren’t available in India. He recalls the amazement of seeing so many different brands of cheese, meats and vegetables. He also describes the stark contrast between mom-and-pop shops in India and franchise-corporation stores in the US.
Initially, Kulraaj wanted to continue his modeling career in the United States but soon found out that modeling agencies were looking for different looks and his identity didn’t fit in with the portfolios. He then became a program director for Vision of Asia, the only Indian program in the country, which was televised every Sunday for an hour. As the program director, he displayed Indian movies, ran several shows and edited the program. He worked as the program director during the years of 1977 and 1978. After that, Kulraaj bought his sister’s smoke shop, which was located in Queens. He ran the smoke shop with the help of his wife, keeping it open seven days a week. He also opened a cookie store in 1983 in Secaucus, New Jersey. Between 1980 and 2000, Kulraaj opened various successful restaurants throughout the Tri-State area. These restaurants include several Blimpie shops. an Indian restaurant called “Mela” and a Mexican restaurant called “Baja Cafe.”
After starting these successful restaurants, Kulraaj decided to return to his passion, the performing arts. He got involved with RBC radio, which was a subcarrier of Indian Radio, doing voiceovers and imitating Bollywood actors. His radio career reached new heights, being honored as a “Radio Guru” in the year 2000, and becoming CEO of a new radio station called EBC Radio. Initially, the station was only operative on the weekends, but Kulraaj turned it into a 24/7 radio station. He also trained a few hundred radio jockeys during his time at EBC. He currently hosts a drive time show everyday between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm
Kulraaj enjoyed a successful life both in India and the United States. Regarding the growing Indian-American community in the United States, Kulraaj addresses the importance of values such as kindness, honesty, generosity, and gratefulness, and how the education of these values leads to a thriving community. He also stresses the importance of first-generation parents, and how their experiences in India, their struggles, help shape the upbringing and positive values of their Indian American children. Kulraaj extends this notion to other nationalities, and how people from all over the world immigrate to the United States in order to create a better livelihood for themselves and their families.