UK
www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 2nd August 2014
Leading Lights
Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor
“My Love for Radio and the Stage;” First Indian BBC Hindi Head Kailash Budhwar was the first Indian head of the BBC Hindi Service, a position previously also held by Sir Mark Tully. Kailash worked at the BBC’s World Service for 22 years. Kailash had an illustrious career away from the BBC, too. He was studying for an MA in History at Allahabad University where he also held the celebrated post of the General Secretary of the Dramatic Association when Prithviraj Kapoor, the founder of Prithvi visited. Theatres, Kailash’s dramatic prowess led to Kapoor offering him a staff writer/performer position at Prithvi Theatres when Mr Budhwar later moved to Mumbai, then Bombay. Kailash travelled with the troupe all over India. “Prithvi Theatres was an academy at that time because there was no National School of Drama, no Film Institute,” he told me in the conservatory of his home in Harrow. “It gave you an entry into stage and film.
to do. He joined All India Radio Delhi twice, but though jobs were offered, the promised newsreader posts never materialised because of “the old story of getting jobs in India,” Kailash explains, musing about how and why he was not offered the job which he was twice selected for by the central panel. But the BBC World Service, then broadcasting in 42 languages (now 27), came calling and Kailash started a long and difficult set of entry tests which took a year and a half. “First of all we had home tests, where we had to prepare lots of essays and questions,” Kailash narrated. “And after completing those home tests, we were invited for formal tests; for auditions, for voice tests, and finally, for an appearance before a board of selection, which had flown from London to Delhi. You were interviewed, and of course there were hundreds of applicants. It was tough competition. After I was selected it took me six months to decide to come here as I did not want to leave the country. Once, when I did not proceed with my response for a while, the senior personnel officer wrote to me asking if I was serious about joining the BBC. But having reached here, I
have never regretted it.” Finally, he succeeded Mark Tully, Evan Charlton (former chief editor of the Statesman) and Towyn Mason to become the Head of Hindi- and Tamil. His audience reach at that time was estimated at around 35m regular listeners, larger than the total audience of all the channels in the UK put together. Kailash travelled to Tamil Nadu as well to
“My biggest challenge was, without fear or favour, to find out the truth for listeners and to broadcast the truth.” Kailash Budhwar.
Kailash Budhwar
When I joined, 13 producers had been trained there, big names like Ram Gangooly, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor. Shashi Kapoor was a newcomer, a school student, but he used to come and perform on the stage with me,” he commented. After Bombay, Kailash became Senior House
Master and Head of Department at boys’ public schools in Ranchi and Karnal, though during that period he sat twice for All India Radio national entrance competitions and was awarded the top entry level grade, known as the “C” category, each time. This was for newsreaders, something Kailash wanted
Prem Rawat presented his Message of Peace Wembley Arena on June 29th 2014
"The cloudy days do not take away the importance of the sun. The sun does, and always will have, its importance. It is the giver of light. I, too, need that sun in my life — the remover of darkness. To bring light into my life every single day so that I can see, so that I can understand, this life that I have."
- Prem Rawat, Wembley London. June 2014. International Ambassador of Peace Prem Rawat attended an event in Wembley where over five thousand people attended. This was the penultimate event in the European tour. He had already addressed audiences of several thousand people in Lisbon, Madrid, Athens, Las Palmas and Barcelona as part of his European tour. After London, events have been scheduled for Dublin and Canada and USA.a Whilst in London he attended two events in Westminster. The first was at the Houses of Parliament where Prem Rawat presented the Pledge to Peace to the UK Parliament. The second event was The Water and Food Award (WAF), at Westminster Hall. WAF has presented Food and Humanitarian award to organizations that have initiated the most innovative, sustainable and replicable projects globally to provide food and water to those people most in need. Prem Rawat was invited as the keynote speaker at this special occasion. He was also the Patron of the 2014 award along with HRH Princess Basma Bint Ali of Jordan. Earlier this year, in India Prem Rawat attended nine events, one was particularly groundbreaking, a Youth Peace Festival held in New Delhi. The Times of India Foundation and The Prem Rawat Foundation cosponsored this event to promote a culture of peace and wellbeing for young people in the city. Prem Rawat was invited as the keynote speaker. He addressed a live audience of over 185,000 people, with a further estimated reach of 6.5 million through TV, radio, online publications and newspapers. For further information :SONY SAB TV: SKY 816 – Watch: “Words of Peace” in Hindi, every SUNDAY at 08.00am. In English: Tuesday 8.00pm on SKY 212 and FREESAT 401, repeated Saturday 5:30pm
UK Info Line: 08450 76 77 78 Hindi: 0845 387 0009;
www.wopg.org www.tprf.org
meet listeners, editors and leaders, as he did in the Hindi speaking states. While at his desk or at home, any time of the day or night, he was constantly, he told me, “consulted and asked to give an opinion about the Indian Subcontinent, which I do even now.” Kailash’s BBC highlights are many, but he has three top ones. “I was lucky to travel to India and Nepal with Prince Charles when he was on a three week tour. Even after I had retired I was asked to accompany
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John Major when he was the chief guest on 26th January. I met eminent leaders, writers, musicians, politicians...like before Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister, I was able to interview him and have a long chat. The biggest challenge was keeping the faith of the listeners; making sure that the news was never twisted. The news department has lots of intake [stories] lots of PR companies, lots of people who want to set the news in their own way. So news is a very tricky area. People can make the news sound totally different to what happens. But I know the reality cannot be hidden from people. So my biggest challenge was to find out the facts, not let them be twisted by any side, any wing, or any pressure. My biggest challenge was, without fear or favour, to find out the truth for listeners and to broadcast the truth.” And a final reveal that unforgettably binds Kailash Budhwar and me. The BBC bought an episode of Thunderbirds to dub into Hindi and asked me to be the voice of Lady Penelope. And guess who they asked to be Lady Penelope’s trusted driver and confidant, Parker? Kailash Budhwar, who also transformed the whole episode from English into Hindi!