In an exclusive column, Abhijeet Ghoshal says radio’s human warmth and emotional connection keep it relevant even in today’s screen-driven world, calling it a timeless companion on World Radio Day.
There is a sentence that floats around often these days: “Radio ka time gaya.” It is usually said casually, sometimes with certainty, especially by younger people who have grown up with screens in their hands. Music today arrives with images, captions, and endless choices. Everything is instant.
Radio, on the other hand, comes from a time of waiting.
When a song played on the radio, it played once. If it was missed, it was truly missed. That single chance taught patience. It taught listening. A voice on air became familiar without ever being seen. Imagination completed what the eyes could not.
This difference between generations is not a conflict. It is a journey.
Younger listeners today experience sound differently. They listen while travelling, working, painting, or simply moving through the city. In big cities like Mumbai or Bengaluru, a large part of life is spent in transit. Watching something while travelling is not always easy. The eyes are already working hard. Constant visuals tire the mind. In such moments, sound feels natural. Listening fits into life without demanding attention.
That is where radio quietly steps in.
Radio allows the eyes and brain to stay focused on what one is doing while the ears absorb something comforting or meaningful. This is why audio continues to thrive, whether through All India Radio, Vividh Bharati, FM stations, or digital platforms. The habit of listening has not disappeared; it has simply expanded.
What makes radio distinct is not just music. It is the presence of a voice. A radio jockey speaks in a language that feels familiar. There is conversation, humour, warmth, and a sense of someone being there. At a time when even families sit together but speak less, that voice fills a gap. It restores the feeling of dialogue.
When someone calls in to dedicate a song to a loved one, it is never just one person listening. Many others feel that emotion but may not have the words or courage to express it. Remember Munnabhai? Radio carries those unspoken feelings for them. That is a quiet kind of intimacy.
Radio has always understood timing. Mornings sound different from late nights,a devotional song at dawn, a ghazal after midnight, a soft romantic melody during a long drive. These choices were never accidental. They came from instinct, not data. Long before algorithms existed, radio trusted human awareness.
Radio was, and still is, a human algorithm.
There is also a deep honesty in radio. It is live. It breathes. When a voice trembles, it is heard. When a pause arrives, it is not filled unnecessarily. Even news on the radio feels different. It informs without overwhelming. It respects the listener’s mind.
Across generations, radio has remained a companion. In small towns, a radio still plays in tea shops and barber shops. In cities, it stays on in cars and homes. It has accompanied early mornings, long journeys, power cuts, exam nights, and moments of loneliness. It has never asked for attention. It has simply offered presence.
Radio has evolved, but its soul has not changed. Analog and digital are not opposites; they are extensions of the same idea, connection through sound.
On World Radio Day, radio deserves to be seen not as something old, but as something rooted. It belongs to the past, the present, and the future all at once. It adapts without losing its essence.
As the world becomes louder and faster, radio reminds us of the value of listening,not scrolling, not watching, just listening. And perhaps that is why, across generations, radio continues to matter.
Congratulations on World Radio Day.