Now having the knowledge, the passion and the power of the airwaves, I decided to combine all my powers and strengths together. Having a 2-5pm weekday slot was my biggest asset, as I wanted my voice to reach the younger generation and having the home-time (3-5pm) show was icing on the cake! So I decided that I wanted to be informative without being over-whelming. And thus came out the planning pads (from uni days!).
In the end, I chose to have a special one-hour feature on the different aspects of Navratri between 3-4pm, simply as most children would be on the home run, in cars/getting home and would get the chance to listen in. However, as I wanted to make it short and sweet, I planned to do a small-snippet piece, right after the traffic and travel road reports, around 3:40pm. Everyday would be a different topic related either to that particular day or general knowledge. I finally finished all the planning and put my idea 'out there' through social networking sites and told listeners two days before Navratri started. At first I was a little worried about the response it would get, but soon after putting the idea out there, I was flooded with positive feedback, suggestions and questions too!
Wednesday 28th September came along... The First Day of Navratri. I was feeling a little anxious, a little nervous. I wanted to have a positive impact; I did not the youngsters to switch off or over, in fact I wanted to create a hunger, a fire in their bellies and a sense of pride. So rolled on the 3:30 traffic and travel road reports, and around 3:40pm I got ready to air my first ever Navratri link.
I finished the link and internal studio phone started flashing! My heart sank and I put on the next song, setting my mind up for a negative call from the ‘big bosses’ listening in. Instead, it was Doni Brasco, the breakfast DJ and my icon at the studio! He must have been listening in during his drive home and was full of praise, saying how he never knew this fact and that detail! I felt a warm glow; such praise from someone of his calibre was a big boost to my confidence.
Just as I was getting my feedback, the phone lines started flashing; the listeners loved it and were so pleased that there was a link between the younger generation and their heritage. It did not stop there either, as the days passed, the interaction was through the roof! People loved the links and were tuning in for it. If I was a few minutes late on the link, the enquiring messages started coming in. I was so glad that I went with my themed feature. My real reward came when I attended the Garba festival in the evenings and was approached by parents and their children, thanking me and quoting back links that I had previously done. I had achieved what I had set out to do; reach the young generation.
So this blog is a special thank you to everyone who supported, got involved and generally wanted more from my Navratri Special Feature. If you missed one of the days, fret-not. The next blog will high-light each day’s topic and what it entailed. Enjoy!
Jai Ambe, Jai Bhavani and Jai Durga...x
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