Radio-therapy :)

20 years back :
Round,round,round.Till the voice was clear.
If I  fiddled around with it while it worked fine...I would get glares that would make me freeze...
Little did I know what I was listening to was some of the best music ever...and interrupting it by messing with the dials..and there began my fascination...for radio ..for music...for that black thing with so many dials on it that played everything from M.S.Subulakshmi (never quite liked it in comparison to the rest of the collection) ...Jimi Hendrix,Abba,Bob Marley,The Beatles,Elvis,Sinatra,Bob Dylan,Eric Clapton..the list goes on and I don't know if it ends anywhere...

10 years back :
Never quite understood why my sister loved that dude on radio.I mean there was television..there were cartoons..why would you want to listen to a guy you couldn't even see?Ofcourse his voice was amazing..and there were different RJs every night.M-Time and Metro Music.Yes those were the shows.




If I am a music maniac to this day,if I am a like a leech when it comes to good music....it is entirely due to this combination of wonderful music on radio and the variety I got to hear at home.It wasn't a way to relax.It was a habit.These people I didn't even know became some kind of alternate family to me.Joshua -on sundays..one of my  favourites ...I can safely say I loved his voice...and everything about him..Shaju on Saturdays mostly...Niladri Fridays..Harini on Mondays...this whole bunch..and Zack who i also loved tottaly..:) Morpheus ...I am hitting myself now for not remembering the rest of the names...these guys gave me company for a decade almost.And the regular callers...Mr.George(?)..not quite sure.Songs with dedications..facts...specials...my favourite was this one show that happened that had them all on air :) and that never happened again..


10 years.Every single evening.Till they shut down for the night or I had to switch off the radio and go to sleep.Even before exams.Especially before exams.I used to wait for the evening till it started.These were the guys who introduced me to some of my favourites :Bryan Adams,Linkin Park,John Denver,RHCP and so on.The best thing you could call them with requests...something that you couldn't do on most of the other stations.With a dedication too.


And then I passed out of school,moved out of town..realised I couldn't hear AIR Chennai in Mumbai (yes take that all you private radio stations !! AIR chennai Rocked!! tottalllllllllllly)..and Mumbai's AIR played music of their choice,without dedications...and I felt like I had been orphaned.I learnt to adjust to the Mumbai Rainbow's music specials.It wasn't so bad especially with this guy..I never manage to catch his name..but he does try his best to spice up the show.Miss Malini on Radio One kinda made up for everything AIR lacked in conversation..and AIR whatever Radio One lacked in music.There were these band specials which is when I bumped into Goldspot..the one band with a good friday song that I still can't get out of my head :)

Then Radio One went .....um ....mainstream...[and is finally back to awesomeness now:)].And I had to turn that dial around for flavour.I almost broke that radio dial tuning between RadioCity ,Big (honestly I like your older tune and miss the Sunny -Papa jokes..),Red,Radio One,Mirchi,Fever,Meow that became Oye and Rainbow...in the order of frequency.Yes people I juggled between them all...I listen to the RJs more than the music.

Here is the bunch of Mumbai stations for you the way I look at it:

Radio City...Salil (if you ever wondered he looks good too)and Archanaa in the morning.perfect way to start the day.I came on twitter to meet two entirely different people.. Archanaa is lovable wherever.Must listen.Especially on Monday mornings.Sadly I don't get good reception.So its more about whenever I get lucky I listen.

Big :Best for the Sunday mixes.Pure music.No disturbances.Also have a Farhan-Javed Akhtar spoof..though i loved the Deol one better..should listen to on Sundays.Again reception issues.The only place I get good reception is under my granny's bed and it is a pain sticking my phone down there to hear a good song...right?

Red: My alter family.Rishi Kapoor..the  one guy I am addicted to.No longer on the night show - a voice that reeks of mischief and hints.The guy who could make me giggle at midnight.Awesome jokes...must listen to..whenever he is on air..wherever.Mantra :used to be on the evening show.Wonderful to listen to in the evening..turns out he sings awesomely as well.;) Rohini and Malishka need no intro to most.These girls can well do things guys in this city don't have the guts to do.Yes thats what I wanna be like :D

And then the best things that happened to Radio ever : Kamala =Suresh Menon and Hoezzay ..on their comedy show...if you have never experienced laughing till your sides hurt...do tune in..you will go crazy laughing :D

Mirchi: Sud!! I miss Sud.This guy with his joke book and page numbers..and a crush on a girl in office...the best thing that happened to Radio...then he just disappeared.Sunset Samosas...with varying RJs presently with Meera and Suren (I always thought of them as college kids..twitter tells me I am wrong..but in my head they still are..)you gotta listen just to hear them together.Amazing combination.Anmol in the nights...Purani Jeans..something you should listen to if you like oldies.I listen whenever my favourites play..Shammi Kapoor<3 :) and then there is the Radio Don Jeeturaj :)I have to write a separate post about this guy.

Fever: I loved this station tottaly when they started off.Now it has these Russian updates..about Russian traffic and buildings..history ..and I haven't quite understood why I deserve that over great music.So I listen whenever my Russian friend Shweta isn't boring me....if you belong to the team of Fever - please enlighten me~!Meow was this amazing station..with good music and great advice..sadly now its Oye : sabse filmy..but here is the good part of Oye! 104.8 FM Khas Peskas and Sucharita...my company in my lonely nights..with all the twitter gossip (and also the reason I actually bothered to reactivate my account on twitter) ...Filmy...Funny.and Fun.

But you know what the best feeling is?Tuning in and listening to your favourite song playing.When you least expect it.It can change your mood,your outlook and hence your day :) There are times I have tuned in at odd hours like 2am and heard some of my favourites  playing....All the frustration from the day...all the tension...poof...music is the best tension repellant and if you didn't know it..well I am telling 

you!And with that I shall tell you that the best thing that ever happened to me was Radio.

Coz without Radio I would be

1. going crazy with my limited playlist.
2. going crazy coz nobody would be talking to me like these RJs do.
3. going crazy coz at 1am on the day of the exam..the night can be lonely and scary....
4. you still don't getiit?

So if you are one of those people who listen to those people who are too good for radio...welll you are missing out on an entirely different universe out there.You know the alternative universe you hope exists-it does.It is called radio and it can change your life.It changed mine :)