If “Excited main aida” is a way of life for you, if your ideas stream at the speed of 46 Mbps, if you abhor dull moments, then welcome to my life. Hi! I am Janavi, popularly known as RJ Janavi on Radio City 91.1, the chirpy morning alarm that the city of Vadodara wakes up to. The sincere team at CareerNaksha asked me to write about my journey and boy did that get me nostalgic! So here it is,my flashback in 3,2,1.

I always wanted to work for the media in school. Back then, I did not even know the different forms of media. Naïve, Yes. In senior school, I started reading up about the media scene in India. Having grown up on a steady diet of Barkha Dutt and Prannoy Roy, the news always attracted me. The adrenaline that came with ‘breaking news, the first one to report from a scene, seemed like the exact thing I wanted to do. So alongside my graduation, I prepared myself for interviews- colleges and TV channels.

Growth‌ ‌of‌ ‌Indian‌ ‌Radio‌ ‌industry.

Little did I know, I would find my heaven elsewhere. Having been on the stage since I was 5-years-old, the microphone as always been my best ally and speaking my mind, my most favourite trait. Lucky for me, the India radio industry underwent a growth spurt while I was in college and radio stations mushroomed in smaller cities like Surat and Vadodara. My college professors insisted that I appear for a few auditions. That, alongside being a strong contender in the public speaking scene in college, got me a ticket to the final round of auditions at Radio City Ahmedabad. It wasn’t easy. I underwent several auditions. The fact that I did not speak Gujarati was a bummer. There were months of post-interview suspense where every time the phone rang, I felt my heart skip a beat. You get the drift. And finally after many misses, a hit! I joined Radio City in Ahmedabad. Away from home and in the job life, it was eventful and a learning experience. That I had never really interned anywhere meant I had to learn everything on the job. Overwhelming.

Soon though, the news keeda in me also found its footing and I joined the Times of India. While in college, I had my blog at Indiatimes then and would write for the paper off and on. Every time an article or a letter to the editor published, I’d be elated, secretly saving it up in my memory to bring it up in an interview a decade later, like this one. So yes, I worked with the newspaper for close to 2 years. I was on the editorial desk but contributed through my writings as well.

Radio came calling again and I found myself behind the microphone again, waking up Ahmedabad city on Radio One FM 95. It was an enriching experience. This time around, I was more equipped to handle radio things, the people that call you looking for a confidant and the people that work with you. Several campaigns and activities later, the family decided to move to Vadodara and thus started the most exciting phase of my career with Radio City Vadodara.

‌ Life‌ ‌at‌ ‌Radio‌ ‌City‌ ‌(Vadodara)‌

I joined Radio City in 2012 Feb as the evening show jock. Fun, crazy, mad, chirpy, I had a blast riding the airwaves. Here, a special mention to the people of Vadodara for being such kind and warm audiences. Here at Radio City, I donned many hats. From handling the evening show jock to taking care of the music as a music manager, the digital pages and currently the morning show along with reviewing movies every Friday, it has enabled me to explore all facets of radio. This stint saw me doing several campaigns that I am extremely proud of. Awards like the India Forum Awards and the coveted New York radio awards came my way last year which are huge milestones in my journey that continue to be very promising and fun. I could go on and on but should you have any questions, reach out to me on my Instagram rj_janavi or facebook rj_janavi. Let's stay connected there!