Wake Up and Smell the Silicon

When a radio jockey uses breast implants and rain water harvesting in the same sentence, you can’t help but pay attention, no matter how mundane the topic. When he urges you to shower with neighbours, the idea of saving water suddenly doesn’t seem so tedious.

Set up by the Union Park Residents Association (UPRA) in Bandra, 90.8 Jago Mumbai is the city’s first community radio station, which uses humour and wit to address civic issues, and also provides a platform for the many indie music acts that have been mushrooming all over the city recently.

Frequency Flyer

We tuned in Monday morning (they launched on May 15) to the Jago Mumbai jingle, confident and catchy: great first impression. But then came staid segments in Hindi and Marathi about working couples with children and the rent-a-womb phenomenon; the only thing that kept us from zoning out was the fun line up of songs by Tough on Tobacco, Soul Fusion and Ankur, which punctuated the dry monologue. It’s not often that you get to hear this kind of music on Mumbai radio. We like.

The English shows were better: “Campus Connect” might have sounded like a tired leftover from MTV if it hadn’t been for RJ Mariam’s infectious voice and her fresh take on everything from Bon Jovi’s live stream concerts to how to be an eco warrior. Next, a thoroughly entertaining duo who introduced themselves as “two fat guys doing bakwaas” talked about community issues in the context of the above mentioned implants and shared showers.

Key Notes

90.8 has a long way to go yet. True to community radio style, it features untrained voices along with a smattering of professional volunteers; some segments are dull and listeners must bear with the occasional sermon; and mainstream music is almost never on the playlist. Plus, there’s the limited reach: you can’t access the channel unless you’re in Jago Mumbai’s 10 km radius - Mahim, Dharavi, Bandra, Santacruz, Khar, Juhu, Vile Parle, Versova and Chembur – and it only plays from 8 am to 12 noon daily.

But team UPRA plans to spend the next year expanding. “We will work on building our listenership, move gradually to twelve hours of broadcasting a day, and look forward to an increased participation from the community across all demographics,” says UPRA member Bharati Kakkad. Already, the radio channel has roped in city leaders like MLA Baba Siddiqui, MP Priya Dutt, ACP Amitabh Gupta, as well as musicians and other key members of the community to support its cause.

Air (Wave) Kisses

Jago Mumbai is a brave project, one that takes the idea of community seriously and engages residents from all over the city, who contribute  money, time and any professional skills they can. So if you can think up ways to add to the air waves, pitch in your expertise (we certainly will), or send in your feedback via phone, email, Twitter or Facebook.

But most importantly, if you happen to be in the neighbourhood, remember to listen in: bpb hearts most of the patches in this community collage, and we bet you will too.

Getting there: 90.8, call 40060026, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , twitter handle: jagomumbai, Facebook page: 90.8 Jago Mumbai, tune in everyday from 8 am to noon.

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