Being me..

Radio Jockey(RJ) one of the passionate professions I dreamt to be on.. Did it for sometime during college.. My show on 91.1 FM used to happen every weeknight 9PM-12AM…The show I did was to ask the listeners of my show to drop in a SMS and I would call them back. Also just in case listeners wanted to leave a voice message 24/7, they hadto dial and reach out my IVR, speak their heart out and confess on what they wanted…this IVRS facility provided yet another platform me to connect with my listeners…and I realized that a lot of listeners started using the facility to reach out to me, may be they felt it more comfortable than a direct conversation. This is just like how you vent your heart out with a stranger exactly when you are unable to express the same with your loved or close ones.

One day, anonymous person had left a message saying that she is plagued with guilt about how she left her boy friend in lurch and got married to another…she kept in touch with her ex thinking she will try and ease out things with him, but realized that he was still not over her, and was insisting he would never marry another which made her feel even worse about things…for now she had changed her mobile number, but couldn’t help feeling guilty about the fact that even while she was with him, she never really explained to him why she would never be able to convince her parents about this relationship and why it wouldn’t work out..

This is such a classic situation…one thing I did not understand is that if people are already aware of such facts at the onset of a relationship and they know they won’t have the guts to stand up to their parents regarding their choice of a life partner, then why go along with the whole charade? or do we have a tendency to just leap into things, thinking jo hoga toh dekha jaayega [enaadru amele nodkoteeni]…I am thinking of the guy who must be left wondering what went wrong suddenly? How do you come to terms with the fact that somebody who professed to love you for a lifetime had suddenly chickened out and opted out of the relationship without even giving a proper reason? and the girl changing her mobile number must be another slap on the face…but maybe at that point it’s better for her to break all ties with him, and try to sort out things in her head…nahi toh agar aise hee baatcheet hoti rahi, toh samajhne samjhaane ke chakkar mein dimaagh ka dahi naa ban jaaye…[if not if the conversations continued, you would have gone insane]

As for the girl, I did not understand that it’s at times really hard to withstand the emotional blackmail that parents can put one through when they want their way…and sometimes it’s just easier to give in and surrender to their demands, and go by their wishes…but then you have to gather enough inner strength to let go of your past and start afresh, as like in this case, unless and until she stops thinking about her ex, and lets go of the guilt, she will not be able to give his 200% to her newly-wed hubby, her new life ,which deserves nothing but her best effort..

I hope she can get sorted out soon… can forgive herself for being weak, taking the easy way out and in the process hurting somebody so badly…and I hope her ex is also able to accept the fact that it’s over, and that its time to move on…can only try and imagine what he must be going through...
This is one incident I just reminisce for the days I spent as a RJ.

PS: tried out a different kind of narration to bring out some thought flow I was going through.
PPS: if you find it close to life, yes it is.
PPPS: Wanted to jot a story about this incident, bringing out the emotions involved in the situation. Somehow was lazy to narrate.

Good-bye, Farewell & Amen..Sunshine Girl

Totttttallly my pleasure, I must say...
Ohhh my Gaaaaawd!!! I am humbled & thrilled...
Phew!!! Touching one...
Gooooooooooood Morning Baaaaaangalore...

I think most of you must be missing these lines just as the way I am missing right now.

The ‘sunshine girl’ who brightened Bangalore City has now dusked into history. We wouldn’t get to listen to her voice anymore. Saturday she decided to move-on who was unanimous queen of hearts since 4 years now for millions of radio-fans like me. From a mere listener to ardent listener of radio, I transformed with her shows.

When Vasanti’s Box was opened, along with all the evils & vices came something that would turn out to be the elixir of life – Hope. It’s the drug that all of us live on, and it’s the only ray of light that gives you belief in the dark. That’s the caliber RJ Vasanti had.

She marauded her listeners & changed the traditional RJ perceived. She was ready for her own onslaught.

We take time to open up to people but there are some people whom I connect instantly. It surprises me how I get into long conversations with people we barely know. Vasanti was one whom I could connect to as well.

It is ironical that while she was the breakfast and travel companion for lakhs of Bangaloreans she rarely shared the breakfast tables with her own family even on holidays – for these are occasions for special shows on air. Well, such is life…


Professionally, her big moment was when she was chosen to represent India at the “Global Young Leaders Seminar” in Salzburg. Trivialities such as the color of your skin just did not figure as they plunged themselves into scenario- building - on how the world should look in the year 2030. She spoke on “Radio for Social Change”.

She did her bit to create an awareness, rope in organizations to this big cause thereby bringing people ready to help and the needy together. A concerted plan is slowly emerging from her efforts in building ‘a sunshine’ community for Bangalore. For this she truly deserves the title, ’Bangalore’s sunshine Girl’

She vows that she will never delete that mail by Mr. N. R. Narayanmurthy, “I listen to Vasanthi’s shows whenever I can. I notice that she has a genuine desire to make a difference to the world around her. She has the power to mould the opinion of over 2 million listeners through her radio show.” was at once wonderfully motivating and humbling for her.



When Radio or even disc Jockeying is full of negatively funny ’evil’ pranksters who love to rip you apart, here was a person with whom you will ‘connect’ endlessly without squirming in your seat. Little wonder that she was chosen for the Radio Excellence Award for the India's Best English RJ.

Vasanthi Hariprakash must surely be the fizziest thing amongst all those that dot the FM horizon with their light-hearted banter. Her energetic waking up of the city with a beautiful thought here, a concerned enquiry there, a sympathetic tch! tch! sprinkled at the right moments ringing laughter in us. Speaking your hearts language she truly did. She spoke 6 languages including Hindi, Kannada, Gujrati, Tamil, English etc. ….!! Vasanthi’s intensity and depth as a person, her genuine desire to heal and make a difference was apparent. She has deeply lived those moments and feels good that she can keep that faith for that is the beginning of change to other people.

Her shows – Breakfast with the brats for kids, Friday Flashback for hindi retro, her fitness tips, her investment suggestions, party at 6-40, by-2-coffee, babbar sher & lingo-leela for vocabulary enhancements. Bangalore Talkies, Idly vada funda, Music-e-azam, her interviews diverse with people spanning to NRN, bolly celebs, journos, her London travel-tales..list seems endless, every bit of it would be missed for a long time to come. The scaled success of hers would be unachieved by other RJs for a long time to come.

Her choice of songs which unwound me is truly commendable.

I owe all my gratitude & thanks to her for being such an influencing factor all these days.
I infact have few memories with her to cherish, I had spoken to her on-air & met her couple of times in Radio-city studio & inside Infy campus as well.

Now she has moved-on, I wish her the best of Life’s Journey & a bright future ahead.
Wish to see her back soon… as she told even she missed Radio badly when she moved out…

Sayonara Vasanti, Kabhi Alvida na kehana..

PS: For people who don’t know, Vasanti was the most celebrated RJ of Radio-City 91.1 Bangalore.
PPS: She can now be reached through www.vasanthihariprakash.com
PPPS: I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy