[Music]
my name is Sheila Celia I host a joke
for a radio show I am a podcaster I
dabble with comedy I post stuns of
videos on the internet and I am an MC I
host a whole lot of corporate shows get
to travel around the world hosting shows
for companies and it’s a great gig you
know you have a great gig when people
come up to you and say shouldn’t what
you be doing considered a hobby how much
do you actually get paid and what are
you going to do five years from now
that’s that’s when you know that what
you’re doing is actually something
that’s on the edge something that’s
alternative which makes you feel great
so let me just take you on a small
little journey of how I started out
being a broadcaster it all started when
I first heard frequency modulation radio
waves in Bangalore City for the very
first time and I remember listening to a
guy called John Z Korean and going wow
what a fabulous gig this is I can’t
believe somebody is getting paid to
actually speak their mind have fun and
just go back home
can there be something like this and
that was the time when I was doing my
commerce I just finished my graduation I
was placed with a couple of companies
top financial institutions but something
that’s coming to you so easily can never
be respected you have to strive
something you have to actually put your
efforts for something that’s when you
feel that yes I now rightfully deserve
this so that’s when I decided I’ll take
a couple of years of Media Studies and
that was pretty much what I’d call my
decision something that I definitely
wanted to do I don’t know how many of
you out here actually wanted to study
engineering but but still nonetheless
great to see you actually following your
passion and that’s what I will be
talking about here and I will dabble
about what the reality is but what it
looks like from the outside as well so
during my stint with this college I
ended up setting up a first of a
kind internet radio station a campus
radio station and I posted a whole lot
of content that was objectionable to the
college
it was Christ’s College but that’s when
I knew that what I’m doing can actually
have a lot of impact and the medium
itself is so powerful that it can it can
raise a whole lot of objections and
people coming up to you and talking
about what you have actually put up at
the same time I approached a place where
you can store a nuclear bomb and still
nothing will happen because there is no
radioactivity happening whatsoever this
place is called All India Radio
good old All India Radio where I walked
in they still hold written auditions you
have to give you a voice test and that’s
how you get actually selected to do a
radio show I was in college I started
hosting shows for all india radio it was
a part-time gig they used to pay me 300
rupees to do one show it was great for
fuel money you go from your bike one
place to another and come back and
you’re broke all over again but I would
do anything just to be on air just to
have my voice heard across Bangalore
City at least for a few minutes I joined
as a content producer for a Kannada
radio station at the same time I was
also working as a traffic reporter where
I would sit with the traffic management
centre Bangalore City police and I would
just give our traffic updates about the
most obvious places where you find
traffic in Bangalore what else can there
be so I would do that for exactly one
minute when my voice was heard on the
radio but I felt it was absolutely worth
it and when I was through with this gig
I got hired as an intern from an intern
worked my way to being a producer and
one fine day when an American host I was
working with decided to leave town
they said why don’t you host the
breakfast show you seem to know a lot
about the show so why don’t you just go
ahead and start hosting the breakfast
show I was 21 I was hosting the
breakfast show – what I looked up to the
most at the same time I didn’t even have
conformed opinions on a lot of things
so it felt great it felt great having so
much of responsibility when you don’t
even know what it is that you’re putting
out whatever it is that you’re seeing is
that actually impacting so many people
at the same time but the journey though
has been from there to no looking back
because from one thing to another
you actually end up being a predominant
voice in a city where radio is such a
secondary medium and it is even to this
day you guys are tuning in to the radio
it’s running in the background you guys
are doing whatever it is that you’re
doing but my voice comes in just for a
few minutes and at that minute of time
am I able to make enough impact or no
that’s where the deciding factor lies
all over again
so in this journey it’s it’s been
absolutely fabulous because when I was
through with my all india radio gig i
actually put up a whole lot of demos i
ended up putting and burning a lot of
cds do you guys know how to burn a CD
you still do I thought we have way
advanced now but no we used to burn CDs
and I would hand it over to a lot of
programming directors just so that they
give me an audition just so that they
hear what it sounds like
and I get an honest opinion on what this
is going to be like but the reality of
the situation though is that this is
such a revered gig that a whole lot of
people want it and I’m sure at one point
of time in your life you guys have heard
somebody on the radio being extremely
judgmental about the voice you’ve been
hearing or thought I can easily do this
I had the extreme same bug except I
never let go of it I wanted it so bad
that I ended up pursuing a whole lot of
programming directors and when I finally
got the gig it wasn’t easy after that as
well because that’s when you’ve got what
you always wanted
what now because you can actually get
away by putting up a show probably a
twice probably thrice but what if you
have to do it consistently and you have
to do this as your livelihood you have
to do this every day that’s when the
challenge lies
I’ve actually had days when my station
head has walked up to me and said
Shriram why do you sound so constipated
and I’m wondering how does he know but
you get extreme harsh criticisms and you
develop a thick skin to take it all it’s
not just from people within the four
walls of where you work but you are a
public voice so everyone has an
entitlement to pass on their judgement
of whether you’re good or bad whether
they should switch channels or not why
should they subscribe to you on social
media or not and it’s all fair and
that’s what I love about this medium I
could be talking in Bangalore but
somebody in Delhi is getting offended
about what I’m saying because I’m
cracking a joke makes all the more fun
makes it all the more enticing at the
same time and it puts you on the edge
every little time you are live on the
air doing something or another so over
these years there have been times when
I’ve gotten to meet a whole lot of
business leaders people who owned
multi-billion dollar industries because
my job requires me to interact with them
on a daily at the same time you’re
standing on the same pedestal and a
stage as a Shahrukh Khan and one thing
I’ve noticed is everyone’s a person we
are all just people but some people end
up striving a little more for what they
are passionate about and I guess that is
a big differentiator from one individual
to another if you have a passion you
definitely need to aim for it and I’ve
seen a big generation gap that’s
happening right now where parents are
totally okay with you guys getting a gig
of your choice they are totally okay
with you pursuing whatever it is that
you love doing but finding that niche
however can take time and it is
subjective but don’t ever stop doing it
as a radio personality who talks to you
on a daily I speak to strangers I
thoroughly advocate you speak to
strangers as well greet people talk to
people with a smile wherever possible
because that could take you a very very
long way and always have
very very positive approach to whatever
it is that you’re doing because it could
definitely take you a long way it’s now
proved that happiness is just a state of
mind but how do you make it happen
constantly it could actually happen if
you are upbeat about whatever little
things that you are doing makes you feel
excited as a kid and you go pursue it
and achieve it in all of the flow and
all of the admiration that you have for
whatever it is that you’re doing that’s
all the time I’m going to take from you
guys but thanks so very much guys really
appreciate your time once again
[Applause]
my name is Sheila Celia I host a joke
for a radio show I am a podcaster I
dabble with comedy I post stuns of
videos on the internet and I am an MC I
host a whole lot of corporate shows get
to travel around the world hosting shows
for companies and it’s a great gig you
know you have a great gig when people
come up to you and say shouldn’t what
you be doing considered a hobby how much
do you actually get paid and what are
you going to do five years from now
that’s that’s when you know that what
you’re doing is actually something
that’s on the edge something that’s
alternative which makes you feel great
so let me just take you on a small
little journey of how I started out
being a broadcaster it all started when
I first heard frequency modulation radio
waves in Bangalore City for the very
first time and I remember listening to a
guy called John Z Korean and going wow
what a fabulous gig this is I can’t
believe somebody is getting paid to
actually speak their mind have fun and
just go back home
can there be something like this and
that was the time when I was doing my
commerce I just finished my graduation I
was placed with a couple of companies
top financial institutions but something
that’s coming to you so easily can never
be respected you have to strive
something you have to actually put your
efforts for something that’s when you
feel that yes I now rightfully deserve
this so that’s when I decided I’ll take
a couple of years of Media Studies and
that was pretty much what I’d call my
decision something that I definitely
wanted to do I don’t know how many of
you out here actually wanted to study
engineering but but still nonetheless
great to see you actually following your
passion and that’s what I will be
talking about here and I will dabble
about what the reality is but what it
looks like from the outside as well so
during my stint with this college I
ended up setting up a first of a
kind internet radio station a campus
radio station and I posted a whole lot
of content that was objectionable to the
college
it was Christ’s College but that’s when
I knew that what I’m doing can actually
have a lot of impact and the medium
itself is so powerful that it can it can
raise a whole lot of objections and
people coming up to you and talking
about what you have actually put up at
the same time I approached a place where
you can store a nuclear bomb and still
nothing will happen because there is no
radioactivity happening whatsoever this
place is called All India Radio
good old All India Radio where I walked
in they still hold written auditions you
have to give you a voice test and that’s
how you get actually selected to do a
radio show I was in college I started
hosting shows for all india radio it was
a part-time gig they used to pay me 300
rupees to do one show it was great for
fuel money you go from your bike one
place to another and come back and
you’re broke all over again but I would
do anything just to be on air just to
have my voice heard across Bangalore
City at least for a few minutes I joined
as a content producer for a Kannada
radio station at the same time I was
also working as a traffic reporter where
I would sit with the traffic management
centre Bangalore City police and I would
just give our traffic updates about the
most obvious places where you find
traffic in Bangalore what else can there
be so I would do that for exactly one
minute when my voice was heard on the
radio but I felt it was absolutely worth
it and when I was through with this gig
I got hired as an intern from an intern
worked my way to being a producer and
one fine day when an American host I was
working with decided to leave town
they said why don’t you host the
breakfast show you seem to know a lot
about the show so why don’t you just go
ahead and start hosting the breakfast
show I was 21 I was hosting the
breakfast show – what I looked up to the
most at the same time I didn’t even have
conformed opinions on a lot of things
so it felt great it felt great having so
much of responsibility when you don’t
even know what it is that you’re putting
out whatever it is that you’re seeing is
that actually impacting so many people
at the same time but the journey though
has been from there to no looking back
because from one thing to another
you actually end up being a predominant
voice in a city where radio is such a
secondary medium and it is even to this
day you guys are tuning in to the radio
it’s running in the background you guys
are doing whatever it is that you’re
doing but my voice comes in just for a
few minutes and at that minute of time
am I able to make enough impact or no
that’s where the deciding factor lies
all over again
so in this journey it’s it’s been
absolutely fabulous because when I was
through with my all india radio gig i
actually put up a whole lot of demos i
ended up putting and burning a lot of
cds do you guys know how to burn a CD
you still do I thought we have way
advanced now but no we used to burn CDs
and I would hand it over to a lot of
programming directors just so that they
give me an audition just so that they
hear what it sounds like
and I get an honest opinion on what this
is going to be like but the reality of
the situation though is that this is
such a revered gig that a whole lot of
people want it and I’m sure at one point
of time in your life you guys have heard
somebody on the radio being extremely
judgmental about the voice you’ve been
hearing or thought I can easily do this
I had the extreme same bug except I
never let go of it I wanted it so bad
that I ended up pursuing a whole lot of
programming directors and when I finally
got the gig it wasn’t easy after that as
well because that’s when you’ve got what
you always wanted
what now because you can actually get
away by putting up a show probably a
twice probably thrice but what if you
have to do it consistently and you have
to do this as your livelihood you have
to do this every day that’s when the
challenge lies
I’ve actually had days when my station
head has walked up to me and said
Shriram why do you sound so constipated
and I’m wondering how does he know but
you get extreme harsh criticisms and you
develop a thick skin to take it all it’s
not just from people within the four
walls of where you work but you are a
public voice so everyone has an
entitlement to pass on their judgement
of whether you’re good or bad whether
they should switch channels or not why
should they subscribe to you on social
media or not and it’s all fair and
that’s what I love about this medium I
could be talking in Bangalore but
somebody in Delhi is getting offended
about what I’m saying because I’m
cracking a joke makes all the more fun
makes it all the more enticing at the
same time and it puts you on the edge
every little time you are live on the
air doing something or another so over
these years there have been times when
I’ve gotten to meet a whole lot of
business leaders people who owned
multi-billion dollar industries because
my job requires me to interact with them
on a daily at the same time you’re
standing on the same pedestal and a
stage as a Shahrukh Khan and one thing
I’ve noticed is everyone’s a person we
are all just people but some people end
up striving a little more for what they
are passionate about and I guess that is
a big differentiator from one individual
to another if you have a passion you
definitely need to aim for it and I’ve
seen a big generation gap that’s
happening right now where parents are
totally okay with you guys getting a gig
of your choice they are totally okay
with you pursuing whatever it is that
you love doing but finding that niche
however can take time and it is
subjective but don’t ever stop doing it
as a radio personality who talks to you
on a daily I speak to strangers I
thoroughly advocate you speak to
strangers as well greet people talk to
people with a smile wherever possible
because that could take you a very very
long way and always have
very very positive approach to whatever
it is that you’re doing because it could
definitely take you a long way it’s now
proved that happiness is just a state of
mind but how do you make it happen
constantly it could actually happen if
you are upbeat about whatever little
things that you are doing makes you feel
excited as a kid and you go pursue it
and achieve it in all of the flow and
all of the admiration that you have for
whatever it is that you’re doing that’s
all the time I’m going to take from you
guys but thanks so very much guys really
appreciate your time once again
[Applause]
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