MUMBAI: Age doesn’t matter if you are young at heart. SFM RJ Leslie Hardinge stands true to the adage. The 70-year-old RJ christened Bah Besbha (Mr Best), the newest RJ in Shillong has effortlessly carved a niche for himself within no time. The Station claims he is the oldest RJ in the country and is the USP of their brand.
His show, the â€?Besbha Show’ is conducted in the Khasi language and is filled with wisecracks and messages for listeners. Author of a number of books, Hardinge says, I wish to promote Khasi language among the younger generation and so I am using the language as a medium for communication….
Becoming an RJ just came his way after retiring from active service. As Meghalaya Employment and craftsmen training former director says, The idea was mooted to me by 93.5 SFM, as they thought I could be an RJ with my sense of humour which is appreciated by many here. The next day they told me that they wanted me to be an RJ for one of the shows named after my character, Besbha…, which was quite popular on the small screen in Shillong some time back. I agreed and the rest as they say is history….
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Besides being a small screen actor, Beshba has been actively involved in hosting shows, he used to be an announcer/MC at fetes during the early 60’s. Being in a sitcom for more than 60 episodes gave him the confidence to take on any media related activity, he says. The audiences have accepted his performances, writings and association with the theatre, street plays and TV. So, radio came naturally to him.
Beshba brushes away the thought that he is competing with younger voices. I am not competing with young voices but it is challenging to script links for my one hour show as I have to come out with fresh and funny ones every day. The only competition from them is probably their knowledge of the contemporary hits which I’m pretty ignorant about. I have altered my lingo to suit the youngsters and always shout out the tag line It’s Rocking… at the end of each link before signing off!…
Quizzed if acceptability been a real challenge for him, he snaps, My listeners love me and they even come to the station to meet me, demanding photo sessions with me. They tell me Besbha rocks on radio!…
