RJ Punitha Acharaya is a relative new comer to the industry. Right from her school days, Punitha has been interested in being a part of the media world. Punitha has a psychology degree and has completed her Masters of Science in Communication at Christ College in Bangalore.

Punitha joined 94.3 Radio One Bangalore about two and a half years ago, Initially, she says that she spent some time just filling in for others while she gained experience and learnt a lot on the job. Over time, her talent, natural wit and voice were recognized. She is now the music manager at 94.3 Radio One Bangalore and hosts her own show between 5pm-9pm.

While in college she did a couple of internships in the radio industry and hence has been associated with radio for the past three years. She says that she enjoys her work because she loves talking and getting paid for something she enjoys so much. Her job, to her doesn't seem like work, and she says that her colleagues are in fact like a second family.

With a well set career that has given her fame, fortune, and above all, happiness, Punitha says that she is just taking it all as it comes. Excerpts of an interaction between Radioandmusic.com �s Tarachand Wanvari and RJ Punitha Acharaya.

How easy or difficult is to be a jock? Care to elucidate?

Being a jock can be difficult if you take in the technical aspects like saying the right thing at the right moment. Saying things that would either make a person say �Wow' or a �what?!' or at the least bring a smile. And while you do that you have to manage the show, manage the board, play out elements, introduce songs, read out messages, take calls, make mentions, run contests, give score updates, traffic updates etc. That's a lot of multi-tasking there. If all these were the difficult parts, the easy part is you just have to be yourself on-air and wait and witness people fall in love with you.

Before you got your own show, you were a fill-in jock? Care to share some experiences? How did listeners take to a person that was different from the voice and the person that they were used to?

Fortunately listeners have been very sweet and encouraging to me from the very beginning. And I was well received, no trouble there. At the max people initially got my name wrong – Sunita, Preetha, etc.

What do you enjoy as a jock?

I'm lucky to have a job that allows me to be me! I've always loved talking. As a toddler - would yap a lot and as I grew up the yapping continued…Everybody thought i'd make a fine lawyer. So today you can hear me on frequency going Yappity Yap! So I love everything about being a jock. But I love listener interaction the most, that's usually very amusing. The adulation, the recognition and also the funny things that listeners innocently say. For instance - A listener dedicates a song for her boyfriend and when I ask her what's his name. She innocently and coyly says His name is X… But please don't tell anyone.... I had to reply �Sure I won't sweetheart...The only problem is that you do know you are on air and the whole of Bangalore is listening?...

Who is your idol in the radio industry?

FM Radio itself is a few years old in India, so no one I guess.

What is your role as music manager at 94.3 Radio One Bangalore?

I set the playlist of the station for all shows, that is,  I decide the music of the station. I manage a software - with songs and elements and decide the sound of a particular hour, the energy etc.

Care to share something about your passion for dancing?

I started training at the age of five. I have trained in dance forms like Bharathnatyam, Kuchupudi, Kathak, Yakshagana, contemprory, Bollywood etc. I Have performed for prestigious festivals and in forums in India as well as abroad.- in the U.S, the U.K, the U.A.E and Switzerland.

What do you aspire for in life?

To be good at whatever I do and earn myself name and fame.

Any messages for music lovers, readers, aspiring jocks?

Music lovers – Keep listening to 94.3 Radio One. Aspiring Jocks –I say to you all, Work hard, follow your dreams, do a lot of internships, build your contacts and you will get there....