RJ Naved of 'Mirchi Murga' turns deaf ear to abuses

He is known to make a mickey out of listeners on as part of a "Mirchi Murga" programme on the radio, but when people get down to abusing and using foul language, popular and versatile radio jockey Naved says he just takes his headphones off.

From being a Punjabi telephone operator to acting as a police constable, Naved has donned several avatars over the years to pull his listeners' leg, making them 'Mirchi Murgas' via Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM. Some take the jokes sportingly, but some react aggressively too.

Naved, who is also lovingly called 'Delhi ka Don', has learnt to handle it all over the years.

"When people shout a lot at times, I have become nervous once or twice...but then I learn few things from that too. Sometimes when the other person goes overboard, I immediately tell them that I am from Radio Mirchi or I am from 'Mirchi Murga', but there have been circumstances wherein I had to take off my headphones and leave the room?I was left with no option," Naved told IANS.

His show won the Best Radio Sparkler (Hindi) at Excellence in Radio Awards.

Having spent almost a decade in the field of radio, Naved said that what's important is to make people smile.

"It's been almost 10 years in radio...in these years of what I have understood, my show is still in demand. There is a lot left to do in radio," he added and stressed that as a radio jockey, one should go ahead with what the audience likes or enjoys.

He also foresees a bright future for the country's radio industry.

"Earlier, there was a compulsion that to get into radio, one has to do a course and or be from the journalism background, but now...anybody can do radio -- even if it is our senior citizens sitting anywhere in the country.

"Some of our people have such a brilliant way of talking, their conversation styles are so interesting...so, radio will pick up people who are talented," he said, also pointing out how listeners in the future will have more options, thus increasing competition for the radio stations.

"The fight for ratings will be fun," he said.