By Rubab Nayeem Khan
‘Audience,’- that’s what gets Arunima up and running. She loves hosting her show more than anything! “Let’s not forget Radio Foorti’s office; the name speaks for itself. There hasn’t been a single day that I’ve missed out on foorti,” she exclaims, gleefully.
Her preppy voice lights up even the dullest of days. From Sunday to Friday, you’ll have RJ Arunima cheering you up with her show ‘Good Life,’ airing from 2pm to 5pm on Radio Foorti 88.0 FM.
Although she loves hosting her show, the long hours can become tedious. “If my show ends at five, I need a break in order to function. It’s tough to block out everything at work, but if I don’t take an hour out to unwind, I get burnt out. For me, a cup of tea does the trick. Add my personal playlist to that equation and I’m all set; I just plug in my earphones and browse articles on the web,” she elaborates.
Over the years, Arunima has not just learnt to love her job, but her audience as well. In light of that she mentions that a casual conversation with the audience is a great way to kick-start the show. “If I feel like sneezing on air or if I stutter, I make fun of myself so the listeners can understand that I’m a human being – I make mistakes. I make sure the show is audience centric, so that at the end of the day, I am able to relate to them. When you’re asking someone about how their day has been, it’s almost as good as chatting with a friend.”
Regardless of the highs and lows, Arunima says there’s always something or the other to look forward to at Radio Foorti 88.0 FM. Loud music, fun colleagues and sometimes bad feedback from audience makes her day. “Life at Radio Foorti reminds me of Alice in Wonderland. When the Mad Hatter asks, ‘Have I gone mad?’ Alice replies ‘You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret…all the best people are,’” chuckles the witty RJ.
Arunima recalls how her journey in this industry began and what it brought along the way. She realises that anchoring a show over the radio is an art. “It has taught me to be more confident and it has definitely taught me to be more sensitive. My words can change a persons’ life, for better or for worse. This has indeed changed me in all the better ways,” she concludes.