On the Wings of Radio Waves: A Broadcaster's Journey

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My father, the Late Jasdev Singh, was very keen that once the original Hindi version of his autobiography was published, it should also be translated into English, reason being he had a huge fan following even among the non-Hindi speaking population of the country as well as across the borders in Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. He also had a large number of friends in western countries, mostly the broadcasting fraternity, and also the Indian diaspora in countries such as UK, USA, and Australia etc.

For some reason or other, this work got delayed, and one fine day, in my enthusiasm, I told him that somehow I did not trust anybody other than myself with this job, as I felt that nobody else could do justice to it (perhaps very immodest of me). I strongly felt I was best placed to do the job properly because I was closest to him almost since his first live sports commentary when I was just five years old. I have seen at close quarters, his dedication to his job, his emotional connect with each and every assignment, and how he would burn the midnight oil preparing meticulously for every one of his broadcasts - be it a live commentary or a radio documentary feature.

This autobiography is not just interesting; it is also thrilling...!

The world of speech or the spoken word has its own traditions and styles and Jasdev Singh is a well-known and popular name in this world. So far, we have been listening to his flowing commentaries as a sports commentator on the radio or on television, but now I see this same flowing and lucid language in his autobiography. He maintains the same style in written text no confusion, no breaks! As I read his life story, I learn how dedicated and determined he has been to reach his life's goals and how far he has travelled to get there!

In his school and college days, having studied only Urdu and English, Jasdev did not know how to write Hindi, but having determined right from his teenage that he 'will become a Hindi radio commentator', he knew he had to master the language and script, and he simply went ahead and did it. I have shared the microphone with him during live commentary on many national occasions. I have always been a fan of his spoken language - it is not just another tongue, it is a beautiful and natural amalgamation of Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.