MUMBAI: Hosting the show, ‘Salaam Allahabad’ for Big FM, RJ Nevesh was always inclined to the world of radio. After pursuing MBA and working for a corporate company, he contemplated going back to radio to pursue his dreams of being an RJ. As an ardent fan of Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi, Nevesh Mittal talks about his journey as an RJ, childhood and music preference, amongst other things.

Childhood:

Right from my childhood, I was attracted to radio. My mother was the principal of a school, and would often help me with my studies. Because of the influence of radio, there would always be a song stuck in my head. I always had an inclination towards radio.

Starting out in Radio:

After completing my MBA, I started working in a corporate company, but somewhere down the line I still itched to try my hands at radio. I quit my job at the company and joined a radio station as an intern. My parents were not happy with my decision, as I was paid well in my corporate job, and here I was just an intern. The tenure of my internship was three months and in that time, I learnt a lot. I thoroughly enjoyed each minute of my job as I learnt to anchor, write promos and show packing. So overall I learnt to be a music manager. On the last day of my internship, I did not know what to do. I did not want to go back to working in a corporate firm. Before I could leave the office, one of my seniors asked if I was looking for a full time job in radio, and obviously my reply was affirmative. They told me about a full time vacancy in Kanpur and I agreed to it.

Things to be cautious while on radio:

Radio is a medium where an RJ caters to lakhs of people at one go. It is more about connecting with listeners; the more you connect with people the better it is. One should also refrain from making political and religious comments. I firmly believe that before being an RJ, one should be a good human being. If you are good, things will automatically fall in place.

Social Causes:

We had this initiative ‘Choora Ganga Kinarewala’ which was initiated by Big FM. We also did a program on ‘Save Water’ for the city of Allahabad during the summers. During the summers I had installed four huge pots as a drinking water facility.

Music I listen:

I grew up listening to songs by Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. So I obviously love listening to their songs. My favourtie music genre is ghazal, so I love listening to Mehdi Hassan, Begum Akhtar, Ghulam Ali and other ghazal singers. I only like songs from that era.

Sports I follow:

I do not follow cricket much, but I liked playing cricket when I was in school. I represented my school in cricket. I was a wicketkeeper batsman but then as I grew up I stopped playing. I like playing pool, which I still do.

Leisure time:

I usually stay at home during my holidays as I am very close to my family. I also like watching old Bollywood movies with Dev Anand and Guru Dutt. I have watched each of their movies for more than 50 times.