"I love to talk and listen to music twenty four hours a day"
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Shamshir Rai Luthra
Radio Jockey |
Once upon a time there was a little boy, who was obsessed with programmes on the radio. So much so that he improvised a radio for himself. And like Mary's little lamb, it went everywhere with him. Now cut to the present. The same little boy has grown into a tall, burly and good looking gentleman (still a bachelor!) whose delightful voice has charmed thousands of radio audiences for more than a decade and a half. Meet Shamshir Rai Luthra, a highly well-known Radio jockey, associated with the All India Radio. He has an immense fan following among the teeny boppers and trendy youngsters. Of late, Shamshir has shot into the limelight with his book
Talk To Win, which focuses on ways and means to develop communication skills. His work is based on varied experiences. garnered during his long tenure in the electronic media. Along with a band of close friends Shamshir also conducts courses for personality development and boosting self-confidence, in New Delhi. At the very first encounter, Shamshir comes across as a level headed, unruffled individual brimming with self confidence and a sense of humour.Not willing to neglect his spiritual side, he is a firm follower of ISKCON and Sokagakkai cult of Buddhism. And he leads a fairly comfortable life in the second floor quarters of his south Delhi home. That is S R L in a nutshell for you!!
We at
National Network of Education thought it would be a fairly good idea to talk to Shamshir Rai Luthra, in order to discover the persona behind the famous voice. The interview:
Tell us about your schooling, college, family background etc?I belong to Delhi. I did my schooling and college from D.P.S, R.K.Puram and Deshbandhu College, Kalkaji, New Delhi, respectively. Besides, I have done a few computer courses, and a diploma in export marketing. My father is from a marketing background, and my mother is a housewife. I have a sister who is a professional teacher, presently living in Dubai.
How did you venture into radio jockeying? It has always been at the back of my mind. It is a profession which you can easily pursue along with other things. I personally feel I am actually cut out for this. That's because I can and love to talk and listen to music 24 hours a day. In fact the radio is an obsession with me. I carry one with me everywhere I go. To me, the radio seems to possess a mysterious power. I have always felt I could be the next Ameen Sayani. My brush with Radio Jockeying dates back to my school days. Very often, I would sneak away and land up at the All India Radio office. Seeing a lad in school uniform, they often drove me away from the gates. Even when I managed to wriggle through, I found it was an uphill task to obtain a pass and finally get to meet the concerned officials. Even while I was working, I would sometimes skip office, told my mom to tell the boss, that I was unwell and taking rest. After a little while, I would slip away from home without my mother's knowledge, and land up at the radio station. (laughs) By and by, I managed to get assignments for myself. Those days, radio jockeying was so different, there was no FM.......
Please trace your career graph? My first ever programme on Radio was 'In The Groove': Yuv Vani dated June, 1985. Subsequently I was involved with Yuv Vani's 'Face to face', Pop Express, 'Play It Cool' (Breakfast show) and Delhi B's 'Classically Yours', 'Music International', 'A Date With You', 'Relax and Listen' , 'Music Without Words', 'Music With A Theme', 'Jazz time', 'Yesterday Once More', 'Pop Session', 'Music In Quick Tempo', 'Music Miscellany', 'Show Time. On the National Channel, I handled 'In the Mood' (Nation-wide Letter Request Shows), 'Golden Oldies', 'Pot Pourrie','Time forJazz', 'Pick of the Pops' 'Heritage India' etc. Then the FM happened! It was a whole new concept! I decided it was time I changed my style, that instead of following trends I ought to create a few of them myself. I presented programmes on AIR FM- 'You asked for It', 'Music on the Rocks', 'Mixed Bag' etc. Do you know, the night prior to the launching of Six O'clock FM, I slept in my car outside the recording studio, waiting for the studio to give us time to record our launch programme for the same evening?
Thereafter I hosted 'Rock Out' and '6'oclock Party' on 6 O'clock FM. The latter included the top numbers played in Delhi's discotheques each week, as well as interviews with DJs, VJs, music composers, rock groups, artists etc.
On Times FM, I did 'Time Out!', 'Dial In Hour', 'Dial Out', 'Polo Dial In Hour', and 'Lehar Namkeen Mazaa Unlimited'. I gradually shifted to doing Hindi ('Tip Top Monoranjan', on AIR FM) and Hinglish ('10 se 11' on AIR FM). The concept of Hinglish grew immensely popular after a couple. of months on TV too, thanks to '10 se 11'
Apart from radio jockeying, I have presented several fashion shows within and outside the country e.g. CTC, Organics, JD Institute, National Institute of Fashion Technology of India, International Wool Secretariat, Apparel Exporters and Manufacturers Association, Apparel Export Promotion Council of India, Embassies and High Commissions; corporate presentations for Hero Honda, Whirlpool, Carrier Aircon etc; product launches for Pepsi, Coca Cola, Clorets etc. and Celebrity Nights for people like Ghulam Ali, Daler Mehendi, Ila Arun, Malkit Singh, Bally Sagoo, Jagjit Singh etc. Of late, I have been hosting the 'Starstruck' (daily horoscopes), section on 'Good Morning India', (Star Plus). Down the years, I have produced, scripted and voiced some of the memorable and finest radio spots/ jingles in India.
After such long innings, how does it feel? After fifteen years in this profession, I feel you have to keep improving and reinventing yourself. Self publicity and self promotion are two basic and vital requirements of this profession, which I am not very good at. Going to glittery parties also comes in useful.
What personal qualities have helped you to succeed?Good communication skills, patience, selflessness (as opposed to self obsession) etc. It takes a long time to establish yourself. You need to have the right kind of contacts at the right time. You must remember that unlike modelling, acting and video jockeying, radio jockeying can be the longest lasting profession. In this profession, an individual's face is not important. Since it is so, I keep altering my looks every now and then.
Who do you think are your rivals in the profession? None. If I had rivals I would not have opened a school to teach people voice modulation, compering, /RJ and VJ ing, confidence building etc.
Some anchors and RJs whom you admire? I admire people like Arun Sinha, Seema Verma, Maneesha Dubey, and Ravi Kapoor. Then, among the younger lot I like Daman, Ali, Nivedita and Rachna Sarda...........
Tell us about the classes conducted by you? The classes are held every Saturday for two hours i.e. 4p.m. to 6p.m..The monthly fees are Rs 950/- and Rs 250 for initial registration. The USP is that your fees decrease every time you bring in a friend to get enrolled in the course. An individual student can undergo the course for four months at the most. Each month we focus on a new theme. You study in air-conditioned environs. Moreover we bring in an excellent guest faculty comprising media personalities and celebrities. We take in not more than 20-25 students in each batch. We also conduct Win(1)day workshops for the people.
What are the pre-requisites for this profession? Excellent communication skills, patience and a cool frame of mind, among other things.
What are the job prospects in radio jockeying? You can get into compering, anchoring, script writing, sound engineering, copywriting, films and lots of other similar spheres.
What is the present day attitude towards this profession?Those people who have got into this field lately, want to become famous quickly. There is a lot of personal selling. People show off their voices. They talk too much during the programme, which is rather unnecessary. Ideally there should be more of music and less of talk. Also, to be a good RJ you need to be a good listener, which most of them are not.
Who make better RJs , boys or girls? /Unlike modelling and video jockeying, where girls are more in demand, Radio jockeying is a field where an equality of sexes exist. I think both boys and girls can do a perfectly good job.
Some memorable anecdotes about your career?There was this girl who on one occasion called up and said I love you to me exactly 101 times. Another memorable instance was when Mr. Raghav Behl of CNBC who had heard me and was impressed, contacted me with an offer. He gave me a very important break with an assignment on LTV.
If not an RJ what would you have been? I don't know (shrugs). Perhaps I would have been playing daddy to growing kids.
The future of radio jockeying in India?The future is indeed very bright. The quality of broadcasting in India is coming up in a big way. Consequently, thousands of enthusiastic youngsters will vie for entering this field. But only a few among them (guided by Shamshir Luthra) will become successful (laughs).
Note: Shamshir Luthra can be contacted at:
SFST (Shamshir & Friends Set Trends)
36 F IInd floor, Malviya Nagar (opposite Modi Hospital) Saket
Contact nos: 011-6446472, 9810101243, 011- 6677408
Email: ShamshirLuthra@hotmail.com or talktowin@yahoo.co.in
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