The radio

 THIS WAS PUBLISHED IN HT CAFE DT. 2/1/2010.

I am a big fan of the radio.My radio is always on full volume.My mother is always chiding me for this habit of mine. As I do not want to listen to my own thoughts,I insist on keeping the radio running at the maximum volume.Maybe, I will go deaf but that also has an advantage - no words will hurt me then onwards.

I have been a regular listener of Vividh Bharathi earlier but now with so many FM stations,I have switched loyalties but I am partial to the state radio stations.This is due to the fact that they play old hindi film songs which I adore.The private stations usually play new songs which I may like but not as much as the older ones.

I also listen to Marathi songs especially the old ones though Marathi is not my mother tongue nor the language I converse in.I have just developed a liking for it having stayed in Mumbai for the last 25 years.I particularly love the bhav geets & even the soulfully rendered bhajans especially the ones praising Lord Vithala-the presiding deity of Pandharpur.

Radio plays songs & the music in fact, helps me to work with enthusiasm be it dusting, cooking , writing or even surfing the net.Also,radio helps me to keep track of time.When the radio is on,I don't feel lonely.I love the voices of the announcers & feel at home with them.The FM radio stations give various pieces of information like major news events as also the traffic situation.The state radio stations broadcast information about the weather as also the arrival & departure of trains on a daily basis.Also I can listen to the news broadcasts at regular intervals on the national radio stations.

My daughter keeps telling me to switch to a channel wherein they play the latest hit songs & my hubby simply asks me to switch off the radio.My better half opines that the noise of the radio interferes with his thought process.Well,atleast one thing is clear- he thinks ! I was of the view that the male of the homo sapiens is a man of action & not words ! But my love affair with the radio continues.The radio never interferes with my routine -it actually is a perfect background to which I have got attuned.

In conclusion,I am reminded of the matrimonial advertisement in which my father had stated that I liked assorted light vocal music.My brother had later explained to my fiance that this meant that I was an avid listener of Hindi film songs.My hubby keeps telling me that he has never felt so cheated by the words used in the advertisement.