Radio City Bangalore's breakfast show RJ Vasanthi Hariprakash has won a number of awards and felicitations including the Radio Forum award as the Top English RJ in India. Vasanthi took over the breakfast show as a reluctant RJ from a well known and well established predecessor - Sunaia Lal. John Denver is one of her favorite singers with his "Country Roads' one of her favorite songs. Excerpts of an interview by Radioandmusic.com's Bangalore correspondent Tarachand Wanvari.

Excerpts:

What made you think of becoming an RJ?

By intention, by passion I was a mainstream journalist with Indian Express. I was taking a break from being a journalist as a Chief Sub Editor, when I was invited by Radio City as a guest to speak on Press Freedom, because I happened to be a coordinator of a network of women journalists - NWM - Network of Women in Media and I ended up being an RJ.

Where did Rainbow fit in?

That happened after the interview on Radio City as a guest. I'd never visited a radio station ever before. A friend of mine suggested that I try radio. So I started doing Western Music shows on Rainbow. A few months later, I got another call from Radio City inviting me to be the Breakfast Show RJ.

I had never thought of it as a full time career and had my apprehensions about it - A four hour live show - would I be able to do justice to it?

How do you feel three years down the line?

I feel satisfied. I very much enjoy what I am doing.

Can you trace your evolution as an RJ? How have the last three years been?

When I started off, I was a reluctant RJ. I was trying to find myself in radio - Am I making sense to the Bangalorean?

How can I make this more relevant? Over the last three years I also knew that if you put your soul into what you are doing and you will be able to find out what the answer is. One didn't think of doing so much content especially, because the Breakfast Show is meant to be light. It's not meant to question issues. You probably do some fun-fun stuff and move on. During my recent visit to London, I found that this is the pattern that is also followed abroad - most of the breakfast shows are tuned to be just fun. While fun is certainly important ingredient, it doesn't hurt to be inputting, not just entertaining.

Do you do a lot of research?

What gets termed as research is very tricky. I don't see myself poring into certain books. But what you are absorbing all the time could be useful. You might just be reading a trashy film magazine for all you know, or reading a health snippet while waiting at a doctor's clinic, but it sticks in your head - Maybe this is something that I could talk about - anything that connects with you as a listener - if I am able to put that thought in your head in the morning and you find a chord then my purpose is served. At the end of the day, you should be tuned into the radio show because you find me interesting.

I was big on music even before I became an RJ. I love to know not just about the song, but the lyricist, as well as the feel of the song. The lyrics matter a lot to me - so why a lyricist has written a particular line, why Majrooh sahib said "Hal Kaisa hai Janaab ka" or "Aaj mai oopar", so I am constantly trying to connect to the bigger picture. I also was a part of a singing group. Then I am into Carnatic music myself and I like one style of country music.Many of the songs that I play, I personally enjoy.

So do you plan out your radio shows?

Yes and no. Our team is a very vibrant one and we brainstorm together. We plan what we are going to do next week. I know the big plan, but not the minute to minute plan. It's something that I don't believe in because it loses its spontaneity. Also, if you plan too much, you lose out on the currency of it - in the sense that I might be speaking of something and you have a question in your mind - it should be inclusive of all that happens at that moment. Ideas are not as difficult as making it radio friendly.

What do you think makes you stand out from the clutter of RJs?

Maybe it's the advantage of having the local feel. For example, when I do the Kannada shows on the weekends, people don't see me as an RJ at Radio City. They feel that I am so much a part of their family and system, even the conversations are like that. They think -'She's our girl'.

It's certainly an advantage to have language skills.

What are your feelings towards regular listeners calling in, some may misbehave……….

Crossing the line happens all the time. It's a radio hazard.

While there are regular callers who just believe in letting you be, there are some regular callers who are very intrusive, they feel that they own you. As an RJ, I have to have the skills to handle a marriage proposal, especially if you are already married.

What do you think are the keys to be a successful RJ?

The strength is to go deeper than just fluff. I think it has been an advantage for me that I have been a journalist and my mind functions like that of a journalist. It's just not playing, introducing - "This is Sonu Nigam' and just move on.

My mind is always working on how I can give that little extra to that person who's tuned in? It might be as an insight into a film personality, or it's my really personal philosophy that I deeply believe in is that radio is not just meant for super celebrities. While you might just about be interested in the Kareena Kapoor Shahid thing as a gossip value, but what ultimately matters to me is that "Okay how do I start my own business". How to strike out on your own and what are the real daily role models. Which is why I have a segment on my show called 'Bangalore Inspires'. And that is about these everyday victories, it's not about the super hero who does the social work or something, but there's this lady who is fighting for a children's park while also managing her job as well as a family and kids. For me, it's very important that radio being such a powerful medium projects these everyday heroes who just go about their everyday lives with such spunk.

There are so many things that are taken for granted - you have to have the presence of mind, you have to be multitasking at a functional level, you are handling the show, taking calls, SMSs, you are really straddling a lot of things. Then energy levels, all the time you have to sound the same. You might have had a scrap at home, you might have a lousy beginning to the day, but when you are live on radio, you have to sound as fresh to a listener. Those are all definitely keys. But what will take you ahead is constantly examining yourself - reaching out to people, examining yourself, and then we tend to be just in love with ourselves.

You may have a terrific voice, but you may just not be making sense. As in any profession, even on radio you have to accept how you are making sense to people and constantly study yourself.

What do you think needs to be done to make radio even 'more happening'? With so many stations coming up….. And then community radio is also slowly entering the Indian scene...

We need to make radio more valuable, more local, not having a national formula. I am a big believer in community radio. And radio being a medium that it is, one has to understand it.

Community radio is such a fantastic thing, like I may be in a university and I might have a radio that is tuned into exclusively my needs, or I might be someone in a smaller town and might want to start a new venture, a community radio for a group of women farmers, or for marginalized sections. It's very essential that radio be local, therefore the RJ also needs to understand this, be tuned in basically. The RJ must empathize with the local people.

Sunshine Girl - How did that happen? How did you get that nickname? Who coined it? How do you feel about it?

The feeling is damned good! I think it all started from what it used to be called earlier, which was 'Good Morning Bangalore' and much before Vidya Balan said 'Good Morning Mumbai' in the film, I have been saying that for three years, just because of the way I am. People got so used to the way I said 'Good Morning' that a lot of times I would be called to events even at the dead of the night people would greet me with a 'Good Morning'. Even now there's nothing called 'Good Evening' in my life. The coinage got stuck. And because I have a certain way of saying it even in different languages every morning. Someone on my Kannada show came up with it and then it got translated into 'Sunshine Girl'. Now sometimes when I do the evening shows, it's got added on as a 'Sunshine-Sunset Girl'.

Do you think that you have found your niche in life?

There are certain things that I have planned, not on the career front. I want to write a book on my experiences on radio and I want to travel a lot, because I am a travel freak, thanks to my childhood. I feel terrible that I don't get time to read as much as I like to. Doing something eco, something very, very deep. One of my main desires is to learn Urdu and Sanskrit. Then I am very interested in mythology, folklore and also understanding different religions.

Basically you are enjoying life?

Yeah! The possibility of radio is so immense. I want to take radio to new levels, and not just saying this for effect, I want to try and do things that have never been done before.

Such as?

It might be like reality television, but without the gimmickry. Reality radio, then News on Indian Radio is a no-no till now. Having been a journalist and having been very much in the thick of things, at least trying to raise the awareness about issues, really to create those spaces. Radio is a fantastic medium to be holding public opinion, even a little bit of that. It would be exciting to do News on radio.

Radio is still a very young medium in India, but when compared to international radio, we are very good, but we can do a lot more.

What kind of learning's did you bring back from your recent trip to England?

Basically, I brought back a reassurance that we are doing pretty much the things that they are doing on UK radio, despite starting almost sixty years behind them. This is in terms of the technology that they have and the content that we do, in terms of the diversity that we bring onto our radio programs. India being a country with the sheer variety, its so interesting to tune into an Indian radio station vis-avis a radio station in the UK.

How do you compare working for a government radio station such as Rainbow and a private station such as Radio City, and then you must have shared some time with RJ's in the UK? How would you compare all the three?

I think when you have worked in a regulated radio station in India, and worked in a premiere radio station like Radio City, you are confident that you can do radio anywhere in the world. You could just pack me off to Brunei to do a radio show over there. You know the basics of the business, language may be a problem, but that's it. What I am trying to say is that as an RJ you have an understanding of the medium.

Having said all this, there is also a lot to learn. Being confident does not mean being arrogant. There are some days when I just feel that I should have done this better, but you are constantly in competition with yourself. International radio is different, but not that different.

I think Indian radio is at such an exciting stage that the opportunities are more here than anywhere else.

What about your family? How do they accept your job? How do manage the balancing act?

I have a ten year old son and my husband is a 'techie' businessman. My family has been a big support. If that support system wasn't there, I'd just be dying of guilt. If someone calls you a Sunshine Girl, there are people at who need that Sunshine Girl back at home too. At the end of the day you might have won an award or so, if your son hasn't done homework at school, then you'll feel bad for that than feel happy for the award. That's the way you are wired. You try and compensate by being at home.
It's fun, but then it's got these terrible moments of not being there, but then, how many people get the opportunity of having the mike to speak to a city of 7.5 million people?

Do you receive offers from other media, television?

Yeah there are offers from television.

Local or national?

National television, when I had offers, it was impossible and impractical because my family is here. For now, I wouldn't think of moving out of Bangalore. As it is, radio is so occupying that I have to really think how I'd accommodate.