RJ Pankaj is riding the radio waves once again Sitting in a taxi on his way to Chandigarh from Shimla just a few days ago,RJ Pankaj answered his phone in his imitable style saying,saying Haanji. The driver of the cab,he recalls,almost screeched to a halt. He looked back instantly and asked me whether I was Pankaj,the radio jockey, reminisces the RJ as he adds in the same breath,its this fan following that I missed sorely. After a hiatus of nearly a year,the popular radio jockey is riding the air waves once again with the Chandigarh station of Big 92.7 FM. An active thespian,Pankaj kick-started his journey with FM radio when Big FM launched in 2007. He went on to steer popular shows like Seeti Baja Ke,Big Geri and the all-time favourite Shararat. The latter saw him play phone pranks and its a show hes best remembered for. It had a fair share of dramatics, quips RJ Pankaj who moved on as the programming head of the channels Shimla station. I was off-air for a while and though being in-charge of content was challenging,I missed interacting with listeners, says the radio jockey who is back in the city with his new shows. I am live on the 3pm to 6pm band. Its predominantly a youth hour band and my show is called Yaaron Ki Geri that has many fun segments, says Pankaj who is thrilled to be back in the studio. Going off-air has made him realise that radio is his chosen medium. I had a choice to be with any medium of mass communication but I feel radio connects so well. I am a peoples person and I think being a radio jockey gives me the liberty to bond with listeners across a wide spectrum, says Pankaj who also spent time conducting RJ workshops across the country. Most youngsters think RJing is a part-time,fun job. They have no idea the kind of hard work that goes into making a show,scripting,ideating. Its not just constant chatter, RJ Pankaj says. The task can be very trying at times. I remember my father was in the ICU at the hospital and I continued to do my shows without my listeners feeling the slightest of change, says Pankaj as he goes on to add,At the end of the day it is the love of my fans and listeners that brings me back. Those who missed Shararat while the RJ was away will be delighted to know that show is making a grand comeback,but just on weekends. I am planning to get back to theatre once again. I am writing a monologue at the moment, he says. Now that should be worth listening and watching.
