By Nobonita Chowdhury
Edited by Marilyn Thipthorpe
“Talking behind the microphone is one of the best things that had ever happened to me,” claims RJ Arunima of RadioFoo
rti 88.0 FM in a rendezvous session with Daily Our Time. In the session, RJ Arunima talks about her journey into the profession, her present standing, and her future plans.
Arunima has been an RJ for four years now. She started at Radio Shadhin 92.4 FM in 2012, then shifted to RadioFoorti in 2014. When asked about how she came into the profession, she says “My father had just passed then, so I was going through a difficult time both financially and emotionally. A close friend of mine who was an intern at a radio station kept suggesting that I take up a job there. I eventually decided to try out my luck. At first I was quite skeptical about it, even more so as my audio test did not go well. Surprisingly enough I did end up getting the job, without much experience under my belt.”
Arunima claimed that she quickly grew to love her job. “Being an RJ is one of the best things I ever could’ve done,” says Arunima. “I was always camera shy so it was a really good alternative for me. Furthermore, I learnt that you could use your voice for occupations other than singing, such as talking and communicating. This was a really thought-invoking discovery for me.”
When asked about what program she hosts on radio, Arunima replied that she is currently in charge of multiple programs. “I have my own weekend show called ‘Ek Cup Bikel’.” She laughs and then adds, “When my boss assigned me to this program I felt that he knew I was an old soul, for the program is all about old music. I also do a regular show called ‘Good Life’ which airs Sundays through Thursdays from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.”
We then went on to speak about the amount of censoring (if any) is done at the radio. Arunima says that censoring is done but it isn’t as strict as many other mediums out there. In fact it’s something that comes with the job. She further added that being an RJ has made her more aware and brought her in contact with thousands of people. This has made her grow as a person and enriched her personality a lot.
We then inquired about her life at work. “I tend to be the same person on and off air,” claims Arunima.”While that does have its benefits, one drawback is having to cope with your emotions on a bad day. When I have a bad day I try to suppress my emotions, becoming an entirely different person in the process. However, the cheerful and caring messages from my listeners always help to lighten the mood.”
When speaking of the office environment she says it’s quite chilled, there’s no particular 9 to 5 work but you do have to keep your commitments and be on top of your show!
When asked about how she deals with haters, Arunima laughs and says “Haters hate, Potatoes potate”! When and if I get hate mail or someone on air is behaving rudely I just try and reply sarcastically. It’s the only thing you can do”.
Towards the end of the Rendezvous session, the discussion proceeds to talking about future plans. Arunima says that if nothing else she would love to be an architect, but that ambition is on hold right now since being an RJ keeps her pretty busy. As parting words, Daily Our Time asked for some words of advice for young, aspiring RJs. “First and foremost, they should learn to differentiate between reality and stereotypes. Keep an open mind when trying something new. Lastly, remember that no experience is in vain. They all have their values.”