good evening everyone I was born
physican and I’m standing in front of
you as Simran Kohli that’s different
to begin with there’s early different
but before I discovered that being
different means bringing something
unique to the table bringing something
unique to the world trust me I had a lot
of issues with my different Ness I was
born into a slightly dysfunctional
family my mother
Madeleine punt was a Catholic and she
married my father was Liam Athan he was
a true blueblood Muslim but hung she was
more than 15 years his junior it was a
love marriage and she was a second wife
he was married to the first wife and he
did not have any children so this was a
love marriage and they got married we
had three sisters and one brother I’m
the eldest and my brother’s the youngest
my mother was 12th past at that time and
she was teaching in a nursery in a
convent so when my sister and I we were
born we were taken to body mummy but he
was my dad’s first wife and we used to
stay with her and on weekends we used to
come and visit
chhoti mummy
nine years I was totally confused about
who my real mother was we used to call
the real mother ante and the first wife
buddy mummy and then of course there was
my sister and my younger brother who
came and they used to stay with mom the
family never accepted my mother my
father’s family never ever accepted her
also because he was an IAS officer so it
was it was a question of prestige so he
never could publicly declared his
marriage to my mother okay so the
strangeness and everything else ends
there we were brought up like princesses
I was the apple of my father’s eye
because I was born after nearly a beat
of 20 years and he brought me up my
sisters also I think that that pride in
being Who I am was instilled in me by my
father trust me I today also when I read
about gender disparity I really don’t
know how to identify with it because we
had no clue what it was all about every
time my mother used to say kisko kitchen
my coach caravan on aquila by joe Sestak
hi my father used to say why can I
accumulate even even a stack I cannot oh
let her live her life I remember we were
so pampered that once we had gone to see
a film and we were around 15 20 minutes
late so my father called the cinema hall
owner and the the screening was stalled
dr. Hamlin aponte at another time the
hall was houseful and when we reached
Cooper who I’ll meetcha is like I agree
with him look a bad thing earlier so
yeah so life was life was fun life was
exciting except that I didn’t know who
my real mother was okay so when I
discovered who my real mother was and I
thought okay now let me make up and
everything suddenly our world came
crashing down because my father expired
it was a sudden heart attack I was 14 at
that time and my brother was four at
that time and my mother remember she was
still twelfth pass because he died
suddenly he had not left any will any
security and he covered nothing at all
and after his death suddenly buddy mommy
and her side of the relatives decided
they want nothing to do with these
children and we were all dumped on to my
mother’s head he shifted into a one-room
apartment
and we stayed there for the next I think
10 years during which time my mother
studied she started working she joined
an NGO today she’s a respected name in
the NGO circle and single-handedly with
a great her determination she brought us
up so I began this talk by saying
different how different am I and I had a
problem with my different nests my
mother taught me it’s you know it
doesn’t matter whether you’re different
or not what matters it is what
difference can you bring to the people
around you so that’s where I begin my
journey so naturally frame of reference
versa to cochinita but because father
was a nice officer I decided to give
civil services a shot so I cleared the
means but I could not clear the
interview oh no heartburn because I I
just did it for the heck of it during
that time I go through jamia mass
communication I came to Delhi 1995 MA in
mass communication I wanted to be a big
filmmaker because my mother just wanted
me to do something big something great
you know to be to be the apple of the
world’s eyes that’s what she wanted me
to do so all set to become of any very
famous filmmaker and stuff like that I
come to Delhi in July 95 and then in
December 95 I suddenly get through all
india radio which was not planned at all
it was just like that I remember calling
my mother and she was so upset she cried
she said buzz up somebody’s City
challenge I am from Lucknow
she said of mahaki hamato melody AB
radio Colonel to me a breed of Aqaba
would be and I’ll tell you why she cried
because I was one of the worst voices in
college for radio trust me my
girlfriend’s used to borrow me to
frighten their boyfriends and act like
their brother so I was like this cowgirl
reverse slalom or the girl and they
should actually get scared
Oh mommy but nothing to match her teeth
he to be if I was a very sulky kid
because I was so pampered to KO your
kiss he goes nah Subbiah attention they
thought to myself carnal act et and when
I used to talk magazines about guru who
Oh Barbie so do take a Tara they they
the locate they think it’s color Calle
console or akaike Zara
so I was never into that those
he also let me tell you the All India
Radio scenario said uncle aunty aapko
pata Hawkeye Angelo Batio radio Cynthia
mince an esop ke the Monica radio Bach
do you remember any women announcers All
India Radio Kiko neo TT Joe Howe Timothy
Parvati rot whore or people like that
okay so they were these very very
delicate hello namaste yes he helped ya
care they I took on a collie and then
suddenly there’s this ladies and Germans
of the Dali City another good powder
like I can a guy of a duct and phone
rock so this is what I was on it and
trust me I had a very very tough time
because after every show I was hauled up
there was a lady station director at
that point of time she decided to kill
my career and kill me so he’s to get
duties at one o’clock at night two
o’clock at night and imagine I’m a
college student I am not even getting
transport but what happened during that
time was I suddenly fell in love with
radio the first time I said ladies and
gentlemen on the microphone
I knew this is what I wanted to do but
not the kind of radio that was happening
at that point of time I wanted to change
at all so because I wanted to make radio
more personal I wanted to make radio a
friend I wanted to break through the
radio barrier which Radiohead
constructed because I could see beyond
that barrier so I had convictions in
that belief and I started working in it
College me I used to be ridiculed by
people what is wrong with you you are in
one of the premium mass communication
colleges and you want to do radio and
understand again this is 95 96 97 when
there was no FM on the horizon but what
I dreamed at that point of time what I
fought for
for what I get I got screamed at was
soon to become a rage in a new scenario
which is called FM radio in 2001 when
radio was launched in Delhi so so of
course my radio journey began from 2001
to 2007 teen it was the most amazing
journey and like I told you standing
tall believing in your convictions so
when if somebody asks me what what has
been the most important element in your
journey I believe
and I see convictions so you all must
have heard of this lady called Nadia
hunter valley so happily marry and even
she was an Australian I have been in
love with her for I don’t know from when
how where because she was the film
actress Bombay film actress the first
stunt woman of Bombay industry and her
first film was hunter valley which came
in 1935 I wasn’t around but something
must have happened that I’m totally in
love with that woman
you know she threw the the uptight young
Indian actress woman out of the window
she was this tall blonde fair blue-eyed
woman and a very interesting thing
happened she was basically an acrobat in
a circus used to sing and dance and earn
money and then she met the Varia
brothers for a role in the film there
were two conditions put in front of her
and then she would get the rule the
first condition was she’ll have to wear
a black wig because imagine an Indian
film heroine with blond hair and blue
eyes and the him show him body she was
like 6 2 and all she was asked to wear a
black hair wig she said I refused to
wear it because a fair heroine with blue
eyes and black hair doesn’t match I’m
not comfortable ok
so homey body are later when whom she
married then he said ok fine
don’t change your hair change your name
but of what is nadia making Nanda Devi
so she said Nanda
I don’t like and Devi I’m not so how can
I be Nanda Devi and secondly nadia
rhymes with whadya I think that’s where
their love affair began you know she
used to her happiness was she used to
lift a burly men villains you must see
some of old clippings she used to turn
them around and throw them like toys so
yet oh definit see no Tata just say
Sonny the old key film a high-heel ok
hath Cucuy no boy see you know that Oh
Nadia commish I see no that’s she she
said one thing I will always try
anything once
and
stuck with me so I wanted to try it with
Radio another thing which has really
helped me in my journey something that
I’ve learned from my mother and and when
I say this please don’t assume that I’m
standing here for the Miss World
competitions because these kind of
answers come on that stage only work for
joy and empowerment which has been
somewhere at the back I have never
worked for money I have never worked for
status I have never worked to create a
bank balance I think the only thing
which has been always in front of my
eyes was a listener so for 17 years you
won’t believe I did not celebrate any
festival new year special occasion with
my family because I was at the radio
studio and interestingly my family was
always understanding they believed and I
continued to do it
I faced another issue when I wanted to
talk about my cultural diversity on air
remember my father was a Muslim my
mother is a Catholic I married a cigar
by the way so that’s how I became Simran
Kohli I remember when I was going around
with my husband he’s a proper poker you
la serda he came to me and he said God
to me mousse Armani anartha I was
physican at that time and I was having
an affair with him he was state and
Kohli he said he had to my mousse Armani
or not ah it’s a wait listen technically
I’m a Catholic also see if that works
better he said they are nah but then of
course we got married and I have I have
the most amazing in-laws in the world so
I don’t know somewhere somehow I’ve been
very lucky to get the right kind of
people with me so I was talking about my
religious diversity a lot of the radio
stations did not want me to talk about
this on air I continued to do it and you
won’t believe how many times and you
have never heard these calls on air
parents have called me up crying that my
daughter is a Muslim she loves a Hindu
kacica rain and the father used to
listen to my show so I am talking to
them or youngsters have called me and I
somehow felt that whatever I am on air
is affecting the way people are reacting
authen many times like once or twice I
lost my job also because of this then
they said please don’t say you’re
married you have a daughter you have us
because people have a certain image of
an anchor I said why if I’m married if I
have a daughter then I used to and I
asked you today you listen to radio you
shouldn’t listen to FM radio how many of
the anchors talked about being married
or having kids or husband because they
are living in a zone I don’t know why we
create these boundaries kalo gases
searching your load versus watching it I
believe if you are talking about joy and
empowerment people researching it to a
bullet array who was Caleb abu coach in
Sochi okay so 2017 I’m like this really
happening 2014 I’m like this really
happening hot shot radio jockey and then
I say Kenny amber hot dog every to
jockey knee can you put our car thing
and I get the offer to be a CEO of her
of a radio station and that’s where
suddenly something clicked then I
realized am i still bringing joy and
empowerment to everyone or am I getting
taken up by the by you know does this
this thing of looking good now I’m I’m
I’m so much into looking good it this
Holly a Kia Abby a Kia Abby a Kia of CEO
bunge and that’s when I quit I quit
everything I quit
radio in 2014 and then I launched my NGO
which was called speak for change
foundation the journey was not easy but
then I had decided Kim now if it is
about joy and empowerment how can I do
that and I’ll tell you how it began how
that altercation began with the radio
station I had gone to the heart to
interview Emile Amira she was the DG
this is 2013 and she said we are doing
interviews prisoner interviews tachyon
collection which I had no creo make how
can you help so I said I’ll come and
train them I went back to the radio
station and they refused they said it
doesn’t look good Taurus Walker wrote he
can look good looking good Kelly 80k but
don’t get too involved you know we don’t
want so I said no but I want to do it so
it was a impasse and a lot of other
things happened and I quit I went back
to TR I set up the first ever radio
studio in Tihar jail I have been
training those prisoners non-stop I have
become an integral part of their lives
they are running that radio station
themselves because they cannot have a
commercial radio station or a community
radio station now
we have filed a pill public interest
litigation wanting to fight why can’t
the hard jail have a community radio
station so so and again there are many
like-minded people also associated with
us then speak for change did something
called miss trance Queen India this was
the first ever transgender beauty
contest which has happened in the
country it happened in August it has
been happening abroad for a number of
these we have become the training
partners for the transgenders they will
be representing India and Thailand
sometime in April and there is of course
no money’s involved here because there
are lots of people who are involved in
in you know in just bringing equality to
the table whether it’s a transgender man
woman and like I told you it’s very
difficult for me to identify with that
so whenever I see that kind of injustice
or an inequality I feel this just cannot
be accepted this is not the way of life
then I I’ve started working with UN
organization especially UNICEF so the
idea or when I say that I want to bring
joy and empowerment to people it does
not mean that it will happen only when I
am there suppose I am not there then
what happens to the joy and empowerment
so I have been my purpose right now is
to create platforms which are self
driven so even if I’m not there you have
created something that people can take
forward as a part of that initiative we
have started something called radio for
child awards which is the first of its
kind CSR awards for children’s health so
they do jockeys have been doing a lot of
CSR activities tobacco cancer a lot of
other things but there aren’t any radio
jockeys were talking about children’s
health what is the biggest problem
cybercrime
so with UNICEF what we do is that we
identify certain radio stations for
example in North India we’ll identify
certain radio stations we call the radio
jockeys and producers UNICEF tells me
what they want those radio professionals
to be told and we organize trainings
once those trainings are done we tell
those radio professionals to go do
something on air send us a clipping and
we’ll do the awards so this award is now
in its
like UNICEF is in the process of tying
up with with the radio awards
internationally they are talking to them
so the idea is that even if I’m not in
the picture radio of a child is
something that has started on its own
then we are in the process of launching
an online radio station which is
specifically for women empowerment so
and when I say women empowerment
it means showcasing women talents women
achievements everything women across the
world so the idea was so you know in a
nutshell if you ask me what has really
worked in me realizing this dream was I
stopped fighting people who did not like
me I stopped fighting people who
gossiped about me
I stopped fighting people for my rights
who was stupid I started fighting for my
dreams I started fighting for my vision
I started fighting to make a difference
and I have realized when you give up the
small fights the big winds start to
happen thank you so much [Applause]