One day, I just carried Dan Brown and his secret Da Vinci Code to be discovered, into the Diana memorial side of Hyde Park. With the little rivulet, made in the late Princess’ name, flowing peacefully in the background along with the sound of children laughing, I just put up my feet and began reading the novel in the balmy afternoon sun.

Luckily, London’s infamous rains had ceased during the past three days, so there was respite from the umbrella,” says Vasanthi Hariprakash known more popularly as RJ Vasanthi in namma Bengalooru.

Privileged few

In recognition of consistent high performance by radio jockeys across all Radio City 91.1 FM stations in the country, the organisation instituted ‘The Radio City CEO Award for On-Air Talent’.

Four of its best RJs from across the country were chosen to travel to London to interact with local radio stations and undergo training and developmental programmes. Vasanthi was among the four RJs selected for this purpose.

Metrolife caught up with Vasanthi, who’s back in the City, enriched by her experiences in London.

“The first difference I noticed is that RJs are referred to as DJs! It took me a while to get used to that because whenever they said DJ Vasanthi, I pictured myself clubbing back in Bangalore!” she says laughing.

Global perspective

Vasanthi interacted with Magic FM, Kiss FM and BBC radio but also listened in to a lot of other stations. And what differences did she find between radio in both the countries? “Actually I was surprised to find that there aren’t many differences.

Private radio stations are more than half a century old there, whereas in India, it is a relatively new medium. Yet I did find that as far as technology is concerned, we have taken a huge leap and are on par with what they are using. In terms of content, I found that Indian channels have greater vibrancy.

“I did think our shows cater more to entertainment that theirs but then the thing is, in London they have channels and shows with select content. For example they have private news channels, so they wouldn’t have to bring in the information angle into their entertainment channels, like we do.”

She adds, “What I did admire in London was that radio is just no holds barred whereas, in India, we still have a long way to go in terms of content that isn’t ‘acceptable’. Another amazing aspect is that they have wider reach.
“Thanks to webcasts, a person sitting in Arizona can listen to a radio station in Birmingham. That is international radio in the true sense.” 

On the personal front

For Vasanthi, the experience wasn’t just enriching professionally but personally as well. As this wasn’t her first trip to London, she decided to get off the beaten path and explore the nooks and corners.

“This time, since it was a professional trip, I noticed and learnt more intimate cultural differences. Everyday as I travelled through the City, I noticed that most people there had their headphones on, listening to music on their own, as opposed to India where it is more community-based,” she says.

Travel log

Vasanthi also travelled to a few other cities across England and maintained a log of her experiences which she shared with her readers by posting them on the internet.

“If I saw a new place, I would post pictures or talk about a cute new DJ that I met! I gave people information as well, like where you could get good vegetarian food! Also finer details like the fact that I didn’t hear a single dog bark during my entire stay there!” she shares.

Vasanthi claims that the trip allowed her to look at fresh ideas which she is looking forward to incorporate into her show. “I hope that we can push radio possibilities in our country, not just with news but with finer details of content as well. I will, now, dream a little more for radio in India!”