RADIO TARANA: HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY - VATAN KI YAADEIN- COMMENDABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

Radio Tarana -Vatan ki Yaad: Happy 25th Birthday – Commendable Achievements

Thakur Ranjit Singh

It was a drizzly cold usual wintry Saturday evening in Auckland at 5pm on 15 June 1996 that a beautiful sound floated majestically in Auckland air from a makeshift temporary studio. And that was very appropriately named as Tarana - a carol, a song, a chant, a hymn, chorus. Yes, many meanings, but a very beautiful sound - RADIO TARANA.

June 15, 2021 marks 25th birthday of Radio Tarana. After that genesis 25 years ago, it has achieved momentous status. At the age of 26, a very youthful Robert Khan decided to fill a vacuum to create a Hindi radio station for a growing number on people of Indian origin in Auckland. 

And one of the continuing achievements has been proudly maintaining New Zealand’s number one place as its Hindi Radio Station. And with this achievement, the founder and Managing Director of Radio Tarana, Robert Khan (Junior) became the first ethnic Broadcaster to win the Prestigious Supreme Award, which was awarded for the services to NZ Broadcasting at the annual Radio Awards in May, 2016. 

The man behind Radio Tarana - its Managing Director Robert Khan whose initiative and vision has seen Tarana brand reaching new heights.

Then a year later, he netted another award. The founder and chief executive of New Zealand’s leading Indian radio network, Tarana, was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in Queen Elizabeth II's 91st Birthday Honours List in 2017. 

Fiji-born Robert Khan has been acknowledged for his service to broadcasting and the Indian community after more than two decades at the helm of Radio Tarana. From humble beginnings as New Zealand’s first commercial Indian radio network, Khan has led Tarana to become one of the largest independent brands in New Zealand radio.

With diversity and demographic mix of People of Indian Origin (PIOs) from around the globe, the expansion and adjustment was necessary to make Radio Tarana multi-lingual. Therefore, now it includes, among others, Urdu, Punjabi, Tamil and Gujarati. And that record now stretches to still being New Zealand’s number one Indian Radio Station - not merely a Hindi Station.

The powerhouse behind Tarana Team, Pawan Rekha, Station Manager

Overall, New Zealand’s People of Indian Origin are today richer for the fact that they have this 24-hour radio station in their own language with Radio Tarana. It has done much to ensure the language is kept alive. Therefore, we are content with the fact that there still remains a radio station that reminds us of good things back home in our originating birth country.-…vatan ki yaad dilaati hai… .. And that is…Radio Tarana.

The veteran but controversial mainstream former radio personality, Paul Henry with Robert Khan during Prestigious Supreme Awards in 2016. And Paul Henry is back amongst us.

There is something unique, some belongingness with Radio Tarana that it reminds you of your home country, especially Fiji, because the format rightfully mirrors our stations in Fiji, as most of the announcers are Fiji Indians.

Radio Tarana has also contributed handsomely to development within the Indian community. It has been a part of Auckland community since its inception and their dedication to the support of community efforts has been exemplary for other media groups to emulate. 

Their motive has not necessarily been financial gain. They have gone out of their way to promote community based programmes and efforts even if they were of little financial gain to them. It has been this dedication to this vision that saw virtually the whole station at Waitakere Indian Association (WIA) events.

Sanjesh Narain and Neha Sandhu , hosts of "Morning No.1" at Radio Tarana.

Practice shows that a large chunk of budget of any community event goes in public relation and publicity. That is why it is so important to have a media organisation as a partner.

Indeed, you cannot talk of Radio Tarana without mention of Waitakere Indian Association. If one partnership and friendship people will talk about after Jai and Veeru of Sholay is about association of Radio Tarana and Waitakere Indian Association (WIA).

They have grown and prospered together. As WIA Diwali grew in size and complexity, so did the popularity, listener-ship and reach of Tarana. That spelt good omen for our partnership.

Jilesh Desai, the youthful face of "Tez Gadi"- the speeding car of Team Tarana. He displays maturity, knowledge and experience far beyond his age.

Robert Khan and Radio Tarana have stood steadfastly beside WIA in all their functions and the success are shared mutually. Two major events at Waitakere: Diwali and Holi both have become very popular and have now been adopted in the annual calendar of events of West Auckland. And to a great extent, Radio Tarana played a big role in bringing these events to people.

Part of Team Tarana

The lifeblood of Radio Tarana is its evergreen, presentable, charming and superb presenters and hosts who have been adding colour to WIA functions for years. They have been sharing compeering duties at WIA Diwali and Holi functions, and this turned out to be very well-liked by the audience. 

When two Pundits meet: Yours Truly, FIJI PUNDIT, Thakur Ranjit Singh, author of this article (left) with Shalen Sharma of "DJ Shaa...len Show" where Thakur seems to have developed a mini-show. This meeting was during Waitakere Indian Association Diwali in 2018

While celebrating Birthday of Radio Tarana, we are joyful about the birth of something great which has made unique mark in radio broadcasting in New Zealand. However, with birth comes one of the few certainties in life, and that is - death. But this one came too fast, and too soon –someone who was closely associated with Radio Tarana.

Anirudh Diwakar. Indeed you cannot talk about Hindi Radio Stations in Fiji Indian Diaspora without the influence from Fiji. And Fiji’s Golden voice cannot be forgotten during this happy occasion, as he affected too many people close to Radio Tarana, and other Hindi stations in New Zealand.

A salute to the golden voice, Anirudh Diwakar

Most of the announcers were touched by the golden voice of this veteran with 40-year long service to radio broadcasting in Fiji. This golden voice of Anirudh Diwakar had close relationship with Radio Tarana for many years where they weekly crossed over to Radio Sargam to Suva and the golden voice also used to report live from Fiji for Radio Tarana. 

We salute Anirudh Diwakar - the veteran radio personality of four decades during this Birthday who touched so many in so many ways, especially the announcers hailing from Fiji. And in this category, we also salute Rajesh Maharaj who played an important role during the birth of Radio Tarana.

Hemant Parikh, the veteran and roving brand of Radio Tarana, who has been at the station from day one.

Happy 25th Birthday to Radio Tarana and best wishes. We pray it to be continually blessed with visionary management and staff who can make it not only into a responsible and caring media organisation but a conscious and caring community partner which laughs and cries with the community. 

Thanks to Radio Tarana for its community spiritedness. Thanks Robert Khan for your vision and your dedicated exemplary team.

God Bless Radio Tarana and its team.

And in FIJI PUNDIT fashion, Aayushmaan, Chiranjivi aur Kirtimaan Bhava.

[About The Author: Thakur Ranjit Singh is a journalist, a media commentator and a blogger. He runs his blog, FIJI PUNDIT]