MUMBAI: Chennai’s only English Radio Station, Chennai Live 104.8 FM, celebrated Pongal with a mix of varied initiatives for its listeners.
The celebrations, which were on for about a week, spread across various shows. RJ Disha Oberoi unveiled the delicious Pongal spread at Taj Connemara for the Evening Drive, and took listeners on a short voyage to Madurai, which is known for the traditional jallikattu event and extravagant Pongal celebrations.
On Chennai Connection, Sanobar Sultana got the young â€?facebook’ generation to confess their plans for this Pongal, which ranged from search for the best sugarcanes in the city to spending time with family to making Pongal themselves. Sanobar also went on a Pongal hunt and brought to the table the best places in the city for Pongal dish. The mouthwatering chase literally took her to the petit shops to leading hotels, where she was given a glimpse into how they prepare the simple and delightful dish for the festive season.
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Geoffrey G. Thomas, Programming Head of Chennai Live 104.8 FM told RadioAndMusic.com, Even though people seem to be saying that as time passes by, Pongal is slowly losing its sheen, we were convinced that it is rather the opposite. So our objective was mainly to reach out to the audience who are not just modern-thinking but have strong cultural roots, and hence we designed our shows to have the right mix of both….
Chennai Live’s breakfast show Live Talk host RJ Edel Devenesan chatted with danseuse and activist, the charming Dr. Anita Ratnam, which ranged from her childhood memories of Pongal to her perception of the festival over the years. After that conversation, Edel caught up with former model and sports enthusiast Shvetha Jaishankar, and a successful name in technology sales and marketing in India, Meera Sreedharan, who have started a unique and creative venture, alotofdreams.com.
Chennai Connection also saw Sanobar in conversation with actor, comedian and Padma Shree winner Vivek, who spoke about his Pongal memories and journey in Kollywood so far. About her rendezvous with the actor, Sanobar told RadioAndMusic.com, Coming from a family with agriculture being the main occupation, he has seen how Pongal is actually celebrated. Adding to it was his intelligent sense of humor as he pointed out how during his time it use to be â€?sunrise Pongal’, which is now replaced by â€?cooker Pongal’!…
Thomas said he was happy with the tremendous listener-response to his station’s Pongal initiatives. Chennai is a city of multicultural potpourri and being the only English radio station here, Chennai Live 104.8 FM got all the right ingredients to get their presence felt to the wide cosmopolitan audience this Pongal. From great interview line-ups to giving information on what Chennai is up to for the long holiday weekend, every show went all out to spread the message of new beginning this festive season….
