“Economic independence is not the lone criteria that marks women’s empowerment. Development in the social, cultural and political spheres is crucial for a woman to tread the path of emancipation,” says Lakshmi Sharath.
Vibrant, zealous and ready to take up challenges even after 15 years in media, Lakshmi, the Vice President, Operations South of Big 92.7 FM, efficiently orchestrates the functioning of Big 92.7 FM in the whole of southern India.
She not only spots the appropriate place to set up stations in the southern region, but also picks up talents who can congruously strike the right chord with the mood of the listeners.
Women are dominant in the media industry and needless to say, women are always good organisers, she adds.
She almost denies the prevalence of gender discrimination in media. “Women are always looked upon as a professional. The question of gender bias does not arise here,” she says.
Her ardour for communication has provided her the impetus to experience the nuances of working in different media streams. Starting off her career in Journalism as a freelancer, she moved on to be a part of Annanagar Times, a neighbourhood tabloid in Chennai.
“It was while working with this tabloid that I understood the needs of local people and the technique of providing them with contents that caters to their needs.” She has also written articles for The Week, The Hindu and Deccan Chronicle amongst others. Surprisingly, audio-visual medium is also not an unknown territory for her. She carries the pride of working with CNBC TV18, Star Plus, Zee English, BBC, and DD. She has been an associate producer of The Amul India Show (Star Plus) and Correspondent for The Lifestyle Show (Zee English).
The word ‘business’ doesn’t hamper her liking  for media, for  she has etched her identity in business journalism by working for India Business report (BBC), India Business Day (CNBC) and Boardroom (DD News). She has also set up a bureau at TV 18 in Bangalore.
Though Big 92.7 FM is her second venture in the world of radio, she has a tremendous love for the medium. “I have been part of the core team right from the inception of the channel and our team has braved all odds to place the radio station in the top echelons of radio channels in Bangalore ,” she quips.
“Radio has the potential of evoking the theatre of a person’s mind. The ubiquitous presence of this medium now is a testimony to it,” she says.
Apart from this, what sets apart radio from rest of the medium is its vitality to connect people emotionally. “Harnessing this trait, radio has come a long way in keeping pace with the changing trends and providing people with infotainment,” says Lakshmi.
Confident about working in a medium of her choice, she foresees a sound future for the medium, where music will resound even in the remotest places of India.
Diligently working towards retaining the present position of her radio station, her ambition is to constantly evolve as a human and work towards the betterment of society.