The ‘on air’ sign in the radio studio lights up red at 7 am sharp. On cue RJ Naved puts on his headphones and starts speaking: “Aap sun rahein hai Radio Mirchi RJ Naved ke saath… (You are listening to Radio Mirchi with RJ Naved).” There is neither script nor teleprompter. As he prefers to do his show impromptu, he can’t fall back on retakes either.
In the large sound-proof studio, Naved Khan, 44, sits behind a console studded with multi-coloured knobs, operating them with an instinctive ease that comes naturally to someone who has spent over a decade in the profession. Being a host of a dial-in show, he gets a slew of calls every day. Some talk to him reverently while others chat with the informality of a close friend. During the show, he manages to squeeze in a few tea breaks. But the ‘machine chai’ readily available outside his studio holds no charm for him. He prefers the thoroughly boiled cutting chai of a makeshift tea stall across the road from his fourth-floor office.
His workplace, though, seems more...
