Records that Reached People Though the Radio

Radio speaks the languages of the masses. In a country like India with so many languages, radio reaches is one of the most effective means for broadcasting messages of change.

Limca Book of Records has chronicled some of these changes and events, which have a uniqueness of their own.  For example, when over seven million people give a missed call for radio driven entertainment on their mobile or a music marathon of rare musical instruments across 15 cities takes place, it speaks about the power of radio as a medium.

Here are some interesting records around the radio from the archives of Limca Book of Records. 

Most missed calls by a toll free number 

The Kan Khajura Tesan (KKT) team of Hindustan Unilever Ltd initiated a 120 hr activity all over the country including the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, which started at 00.01 am on August 13, 2014 and completed by 11.59 pm on August 17, 2014. During the period, 72,32,612 missed calls were received. The activity was in continuance of another activity of the same name wherein the consumer was required to give a missed call to 1800-30-000-123, to receive a call back from Kan Khajura Tesan, a free mobile radio entertainment channel. Kan Khajura Tesan, with pre-programmed content that consisted of popular local music, HUL advertising spots, jokes and an RJ to host the show, literally translates to ‘ear worm radio channel’. This initiative was first piloted in Bihar and Jharkhand on Oct 3, 2013 and then extended all across India on April 1, 2014. The activity won three golds at Cannes in June 2014.

Most letters about a radio programme

Dr Aravind Nilkanth Navare (76) of Pune, Maharashtra has been writing a postcard to his son Ajit Aravind Navare in Mumbai every day about Chintan, a programme broadcast on All India Radio (Pune Centre) daily at 6.40 am. The first letter was written on March 30, 2001. Aravind has completed 4,820 letters to his son as of May 31, 2015. Ajit has kept all the letters, a perusal of which would be quite a good read, even today. Incidentally, this is the 12th time since 2005 that this record is mentioned in Limca Book of Records!

Most pledges taken on air in a day

Under the aegis of the Rajasthan Government National Health Mission’s Save the Girl Child programme, 3,95,695 people all over the State took an oath to Save the Girl Child, which was aired on AIR, Jaipur on Dec 21, 2014. Of these, 2,35,000 took the oath at the same spot – Swarn Jayanti Stadium, Jhunjhunu. The activity was the brainchild of Rajendra Rathore (Minister of Medical Health & Family Welfare, Govt of Rajasthan) and CM & HO and Chief Medical Officer, Dr Satyanarayan Dholpuria and his Department of Medical Health at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.

When 2,224 people sang together live for radio

At Delhi Public School (DPS), Bengaluru North, Karnataka, 2,224 students of the school along with teachers and other staff sang live on Red FM 93.5 at 8.30 am on August 15, 2014. Red FM 93.5 and DPS organised the event at a single venue to mark Independence Day. The song sung was Hum Honge Kamyaab.

 

 

Music Marathon on musical instruments

To celebrate World Music Day (on June 21) MY FM 94.3 of Dainik Bhaskar Group executed My Music Marathon across 15 cities on June 21, 2014. The spotlight was on musical instruments and classical rare instrument players were invited to play and were honoured at the event. The event, sub-titled Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, which was covered live on air also featured instruments like Algoze and Pakhawaj. Music celebrities like Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Ravindra Upadhyay, Ali Brothers, Rapperiya Balam, violinist Gulzar Hussain and Meru Nights Group were among those who graced the event.