Meet Ruby Bhatia India’s first VJ
renounced fame for ‘spirituality’
Some people are fated for celebrity yet consciously choose to distance from it.
One such maverick is Ruby Bhatia.Once a familiar face on Indian television, Ruby Bhatia’s journey reads like a paradox. A former Miss India Canada winner, India’s first-ever video jockey, and a popular TV anchor who interviewed everyone from the common man on the street to Amitabh Bachchan—Ruby was everywhere. And then, almost suddenly, she was nowhere.
Over the course of time, snippets of her old videos have resurfaced on social media, often accompanied by wild theories and assumptions. However
truth is far simple and far deeper. Ruby didn’t disappear but went on to choose spirituality over stardom at the age of 30, and
re-established her life on her own terms. As of today, she works as a life coach, quietly helping people find balance, health, and happiness.
Speaking to a channel she shared, that she helps with weight loss help with personality development. Happiness. Personal issues.
Canada born to Indian parents, Ruby was adopted by her aunt and uncle. She faced racism. She recalled that she was the only Indian in a completely white school. Whenever she wore ethnic clothes on Diwali, she would get trolled by children. All of this helped her grow.
Unwittingly nudged her toward the Miss India Canada pageant. She did it just for the sake of it. Destiny, however, had other plans. Ruby won and that victory brought her to Mumbai, where her life transformed overnight.
Ironically, she had no ambitions of entering the entertainment industry. A philosophy student deeply interested in God and spiritual inquiry, Ruby had no idea what being a video jockey even meant.
Moreover, she had no idea what VJing was,” she laughed. She went for an MTV audition and got selected.” Soon after, MTV partnered with Star TV to launch Channel V—and Ruby emerged its only VJ for six months. She hosted every show, gained massive visibility, and became, officially, India’s first VJ and got exposure beyond imagination. She met everyone from a common man to Amitabh Bachchan.
Contrary to popular belief, Ruby never competed in the same pageant as Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen. She was one of the chief guests at a
sub-pageant. She was. crowned Miss Beautiful Hair.
Amidst her Channel V days, Ruby met her first husband, singer Nitin Bali. The marriage, however, lasted barely two years. They were very young—20 and 22. It was a Bollywood dream, but a lot didn’t match. Their parents pushed them into marriage. But they parted ways eventually.
Following her divorce, Ruby took a long break from relationships. Nearly a decade later, she met Ajith—at an ashram. “He is now guru, her husband, and the father of her children and she is extremely thankful for him
Around the same time, Ruby distanced from her career—right at its peak. “she hails from a small town in Canada where there’s nature and silence. Bombay was crowded. Everyone knew her. She had no privacy. She wanted to live her life.
At 30, she hit an emotional breaking point. A devout ISKCON follower while simultaneously being a glamorous VJ, Ruby felt torn amid two identities – was living two lives she admitted. “When she stopped her sadhana, lost her energy and had a breakdown. She kept asking herself—why she is doing this? She was searching for meaning.
In between her anchoring career, Ruby also tried acting. She appeared in Kasauti Zindagi Kii, films like Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon, and Halla Bol. But wasn’t happy doing a negative role in Kasauti, she was young and it paid well,” she said, recalling her character Menaka Bose. She was 28 and playing a 25-year-old’s mother. Balaji did that with everyone.
She also candidly spoke about her on-and-off screen ego clashes with Ronit Roy. “Ronit and she still have issues,” she said with honesty, adding that she shares a good bond with his wife.
Ruby was even selected as the fresh face to host ICC cricket events but she admits it wasn’t her calling since she didn’t understand cricket. Kapil Dev taught her personally, and she learned a lot. But when Mandira Bedi took over, she got relieved. Nevertheless she loved the sport. She was merely doing an assignment.
Today, Ruby homeschools her two sons, creates motivational content online, and lives a grounded life in Mumbai. She feels very happy to be out of the limelight. She loves helping people.
Looking back, she feels grateful she never became a mega star. Big stars can’t live freely. She had the best of both worlds. She was never comfortable with the kind of outfits Bollywood expected.
She also fondly recalled some endearing faux pas—mistakenly calling Anil Ambani ‘Mukesh Ambani’ and once failing to recognise Rekha at an airport. Rekha spoke to her and she didn’t know who she was,” Ruby laughed. “Later someone said, ‘Rekha ji looks so beautiful.’ she asked where is Rekha? They said—you were just talking to her. She was her idol.”
Now far removed from glamour, Ruby Bhatia leads a simple, self-sufficient life. She doesn’t have maids or drivers and does everything herself.
News Edit KV Raman
