World Radio Day: 'I talk on radio, but rarely do I get to talk about radio'

New Delhi: On the occasion of World Radio Day 2021, CitySpidey had an exclusive conversation with RJ Raunaq aka Baua. The ace radio jockey shared about his journey, evolution of radio, and many other related subjects.

Here is the conversation:

Question: You have millions of fans and followers, you perform on radio, you have your own three YouTube channels, 'RJ Raunac', 'RJ Raunac No-Po' and  'RJ Raunac Reviews', and you create different video contents very frequently for all the three channels and radio show on Red FM, how do you manage all this work, you seem to be overflowing with energy?

Answer: I have a full team behind this, my family supports me, so I can not take complete credit of all the work I do. But yes, I will mention that I learnt meditation from Sadhguru's Isha Foundation, it helps in balancing energies, life, and work, it has worked for me.

Question: You interviewed big celebrities and political entities, like our Prime Minister and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, interestingly you got into his phone, and also showed his personal photos and messages to your viewers on YouTube, how was that experience?

Answer: That was spontaneous, rather improvisation. I took his phone and asked if I could take a look and show to viewers that he also receives spam messages, it came impromptu. People may think that showing his personal phone must have been pre-planned, but it was not. I randomly asked him and he was a sport. He could have said that cut this part of the interview but he did not. So it went well.

Question: You were born in Mumbai and did your schooling in UP, now you work and live in Delhi. How many cities did you see and travel in your personal and professional journey?

Answer:  I was born and raised in Mumbai, so this information over the internet is false that I did my schooling from Uttar Pradesh, yes it is true that my ancestral house is in Uttar Pradesh but I spent a good 2.5 decades in Mumbai.

Question: How did your journey for radio started?

Answer: I started working with AIR Mumbai in 2006, and I joined Red FM in 2010, since then there is no turning back. And from the past 10 years, I have been living and working in Delhi.

Question: As pandemic struck last year and lockdown happened, how did you manage working for radio, in your home setting?

Answer: For me, it wasn't very difficult, because my team helped me set up a workable studio at home. I am into the industry so I had basic equipment at home already. Though it was difficult for my family to tolerate so much pin drop silence and discipline at home. They said, 'they couldn't live as they do in their own home' because I am working and I require a certain setting.

At times, my 2-year-old cried and his voice fell in the radio programme, but one can't control a baby after a certain point, he is just a little baby after all. Yes, it was difficult and we have been through unforgettable moments of our life, but now it's over and gone fortunately.

Question: What do you think about the evolution of radio, from AIR, to FM and now it's digitally present on multiple platforms?

Answer: Earlier, only a handful of people got this chance of expressing their art and creativity, there were few platforms and few production houses. YouTube and other platforms have given a lot of people a stage to showcase their skill and talent. Now, be it you or me, the lesser known or celebrity we all are on the same stage to present our craft. Back then, radio was about ears and listening and now it has acquired eyes and sight, so that is certainly an evolution. They can watch their RJs which has brought in better recognition.