Iconic photo : Ramanuj Prasad Singh

Ramanuj Prasad Singh says he was fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time in his career. He auditioned for the position of a Hindi newsreader in 1966 at the urging of a close relative – even though he was employed as a psychology lecturer in a college in Jehanabad, Bihar – and got the job. "I just took that as an indicator of what life had planned for me," said Singh.

His deep voice and relaxed style of reading endeared him to All India Radio listeners almost from the beginning. "My wife tells me that this was the reason she [agreed] to marry me." He shyly recounted the time when a group of youngsters in a Srinagar restaurant recognised him by his voice, when they heard him calling out to the server. "And to his great embarrassment, they insisted on autographs," recalled his wife Manimala Singh, who was a newsreader in the Nepali service of All India Radio.

Such was his popularity that when travelling by train, Singh had to use his initials instead of his full name. On the few occasions that his full name did appear on the passengers' list outside his compartment, some passengers would seek him out wondering if he was the same person they would hear on air. 

Contributed by :- Shri. Mitul Kansal

kansalmitul@gmail.com

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