Yestderday, radio presenter Thenkatchi Ko Swaminathan passed away due to a massive heart attack. He was 71. He was a wonderful radio presenter and I have very vivid memories of listening to his program every morning. His programme, Indru Oru Thagaval (Info for the day) was a phenomenal hit and I looked forward to that every morning eagerly. The program ran for just 5 minutes (!!) daily at 7.25 AM in the Tirunelveli Radio station, just after the daily news bulletin. Those days I guess people listened to Radio more than the TV. The concept of the programme was very simple. Everyday Mr Swaminathan comes up with a story and at the end of the story he finishes it with a moral.
It got people glued on to the Radio cutting across social status. I read today that this program on All India Radio ran successfully for 14 straight years without any break. That goes on to show the success of the program. After he retired from All India Radio he started presenting the same message through Sun TV under the title "Indha Naal Iniya Naal". I have not seen many episodes of this on the TV though. His other programme "Pannai Illam" (Farm House) was also a big hit among the farmers and he explained the latest agricultural techniques in a very practical and simple manner.
His way of story telling, his colloquial speech, subtle humour and a strong message to ponder at the end had a great impact. It is unfortunate that he is no more and I pray for his soul to rest in peace.
1 comment:
AIR has lost its voice!
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