Video Editor: Puneet Bhatia
Camera: Aijaz Khan
The night before her first-ever debate competition, Rafia Rahim was scared. She recalls how her father gave her a stool to stand on and a makeshift mic to rehearse her speech. Today, she has become Budgam’s first female radio jockey.
Resident of Charari Sharief, a town in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, Rafia hosts an afternoon show on Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM. She credits her destiny and her love for human interactions.
My programme gets a lot of caller feedback. Listeners are either bored, tired or stressed. With my program, I try to entertain them and take all that away.Rafia Rahim, Radio Jockey
Rafia has a degree in Mass Communication from Media Education and Research Centre, University of Kashmir. Earlier, she hosted programs such as Good Morning J&K for Doordarshan.
My family includes my ammi, abbu and grandmother. I have two brothers who are younger than me. My father is a carpenter. Despite a small income, he never stopped us from dreaming big. My father has inspired me to be who I am today.Rafia Rahim, Radio Jockey
In a very short span of time RJ Rafia has become a household name.
“Recently at a wedding, everyone from the kids to adults, were talking about me. They were saying how I'm the first RJ from the district. It feels nice that people now recognise me, even though I am a shy person,” she said.
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