He spends 17 hours a day in the studio, and goes home only on Saturdays. Juggling the responsibility of hosting two shows, RJ Praveen has been working with Red FM for nine years now. One of the shows- 'U-turn' is a regional show, catering to the audience in Kolkata, while the other- ‘Ek Kahani Aise Bhi’ is a national programme. In an interview with Radioandmusic.com’s Dhairya Ingle, he talks about his childhood, early days of RJing and more.

Childhood:

I grew up in a place called Patratu, near Ranchi. I studied in a Hindi medium school and my father owned an ice cream and a cold drink factory. So, as a kid I would always have ice cream packs and cold drink crates at home. Since it was a seasonal business, every four months our family would go on trips. As a student, I was fairly bright, and a lot of my childhood revolved around playing. Right behind our house, we had a huge field and we would wait for harvest season, so that children in our locality could play cricket on that ground.

Growing up:

When I was 14 years old, we moved to Kolkata. Our life was very different there. It was fast and our economical condition was not that great. I was enrolled in an English medium school, which was very difficult to cope with at the time. The first few months, were really difficult, which is why I started going for tuitions, and by the end of six months I topped my class. When I started going to college, I aimed to pursue ‘International Marketing’.

Becoming an RJ:

I was on the verge of applying for International Marketing, but then I auditioned at Red FM. During the audition they asked me to script a programme adding a humorous angle to it. A few days later I got a call from Red FM, asking me to come to the office. After a few tests, I got through, and since then I have been a part of the radio station.

New additions to ‘Ek Kahani Aise Bhi’

For the new edition of the show, we plan to go to a haunted location and broadcast show from there. Even my producers have permitted us to do that, so let us see how it goes. I want to go to Bhangrah Fort and broadcast a show from there.

Belief in spirits:

Whatever I talk on radio is largely influenced by what I have seen or heard from my past experiences. I do believe that spirits exist. Not that someone will come in front of you wearing a white sari with a huge bindi and all. But in this world, we do have them. I have personally experienced it.

Hobbies:

Being a complete fitness freak, I love working out, and I love swimming. However, off late due to a ligament injury I have not been able to do these. As a part of my hobby, I like observing people and mimicking them.

Things to be careful about on radio:

I am careful to not hurt any religious sentiments since I cater to masses at one go. Apart from this, you can be yourself.

Advice for upcoming RJs:

I think it is a myth that voice matters the most in radio. More than voice I think, you need to be yourself. Your personality should not differ on and off air. Suppose a listener wishes to meet you, and if you copy others or you are not yourself, he or she will be disappointed. I also think you need to read a lot.

Social causes:

Anyone who needs help, I am up for it. For example, in Kolkata there was this football academy which was about to shut due to lack of funds and we were the ones who ran a campaign on radio, collected funds and the academy is running now.

Music I like:

Right from Arijit Singh to Yo Yo Honey Singh I love everything. Very often when we have lined up five songs back to back on radio, I end up playing a peppy number and make everyone dance at the office.