One
morning, radio jockey, Akhil George, got a call while he was hosting
his programme, 'Morning No. 1' on Red FM 93.5. It was a 65-year-old
housewife, Meenakshi. “My son and daughter-in-law have abandoned
me,” she said. “Ever since my husband died a few years ago, I
have been living alone. My daughter-in-law poisoned the mind of my
son and they went away.” Meenakshi, who stays in Vaikom, cried
audibly on air for a while.
Akhil
commiserated with her and told her things would get better. That one
day her son and daughter-in-law will get reconciled with her. That it
was important to remain positive and patient. That all was not bleak.
Meenakshi
said, “Thank you. I feel better now.”
For
Akhil, this was one of his more touching moments on air. “Many
people called me later to express their appreciation,” he says.
Akhil
had another moving moment. During the Delhi rape case he was
discussing the topics for days together, just like the entire media.
One
morning while he was on air, he told his listeners that everybody
should pray for the girl. “As I was saying this, I saw on the news
ticker that she had died,” says Akhil. “Immediately, tears came
to my eyes.”
Usually,
on air, radio jockeys rarely talk about a person's death, since it is
an entertainment media. Words like 'vomiting', 'death', and 'dog' are
avoided. “But I still felt that I had to inform the public,” says
Akhil. “So, I said, 'Please forgive me, but I have just received
the news that the girl is no longer with us'. And my voice broke. I
had become emotionally attached to the girl. The listeners could
detect that.”
Somehow,
Akhil, still feeling dazed, moved to a song. “By the grace of God,
I played the right one,” he says. It was 'Nejukulle Nenjeirruku',
by AR Rahman, from the Tamil film, 'Kadale'. The translated lyrics
went like this: 'In my heart/You are close to me/I don’t know/in
which direction my day would be.'
When
Akhil sits behind the controls, just before his show begins at 7
a.m., he feels excited. “I have never experienced any fear,” he
says. “Instead, I always get an adrenal rush.” Initially, there
are birthday requests by housewives and college students. The men
come in during the 8 am segment when Akhil will introduce the subject
of the day: this could be topics like whether escalators will be good
for the South railway station, the state of the roads or whether the
Oommen Chandy government has lost its image.
There
are calls come from IT professionals, CEOs, retired people,
auto-rickshaw drivers, elderly parents, and teenagers too.
Sometimes,
it has put Akhil in an embarrassing position. There was one girl
who was giving wishes for her parents and friends and lastly she
said, “I see your show all the time. I love it. I want to see you
face-to-face, hug you and give a kiss.” Akhil did not know how to
react. He remained silent for a full five seconds.
“I
had to remind myself that there are other listeners,” he says.
“They should not conclude that I am getting attracted to a
particular person. People will think that I am a flirt.” So Akhil
said very slowly, “Thank you.”
Asked
about the qualities needed to be a good RJ, Akhil says, “He should
be a good listener and keep his eyes open about what is happening in
the city. You have to move around all the time. There should be a
commitment and passion to the radio, as well as to society.”
The
voice is also important. “It should be pleasant and clear,” he
says. “But more than that, if I say something good and informative,
then you will enjoy listening to me more. The voice, by itself,
cannot be captivating.”
As
Akhil speaks, RJ Tara is hosting a morning programme, in the 11 am to
3 pm segment, which is meant for housewives. So she talks about the
concerns of women, discusses recipes, and plays requests. Tara has
regular listeners who call and have a chat with her, in between
songs. One of them is Mary, a housewife, who was afflicted by cancer
and is making a slow recovery, as well as a blind lady.
“Some
call and say my voice sounds like [actress] Samvrutha Sunil,” says
Tara. Maybe, that was why she got the opportunity to do dubbing for
the heroines in the films, Amen and Aami (a segment of
Anju Sundharikal).
For
Tara the work is enjoyable, because when she sits in the studio, she
can forget all the worries and tensions of the outside world. “It
is an oasis of peace,” she says. “And I am being paid to play and
listen to music. Isn’t that fun?”
(The New Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)
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