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For Vasudeva, Manoranjan is about emotion

Nitish S Rele in Tampa

He sounds just like Ameen Sayani. You tell that to Vinod Vasudeva, host of the weekly live radio show Manoranjan out of Orlando, Florida, and he says, "As Udit Narain once said in his interview with me: 'Rafi, Kishoreda, Mahender Kapoor, aur baaki sab, mahaan kalakaar thay... lekin Udit ki awaaz zara hut ke hai.' [Rafi, Kishoreda, Mahendra Kapoor, they were all great singers but I have a unique voice]. Ameen Sayani is a legend in his own time. I am Vinod, just Vinod."

Manoranjan has been on air for 10 years now. "In those years, my career took many twists and turns, ups and downs," says Vasudeva. "For a couple of years, I had to travel [within the US and abroad] on a regular basis. But my travels revolved around my show. No matter where I had to go or [what I had to] do, I would make it a point to be back in town to do the radio show -- LIVE."

The radio show host is proud that since Manoranjan took off, only three shows have been pre-recorded. One was when he was in Europe and could not get a flight back on time; the second was when he accompanied daughter Anjali to Emory University; and the last time was when he visited India.

Vasudeva said: "Other than this, the show was off the air for a month in 1993 when some people bought the time slot that was supposed to be for Manoranjan. But soon listeners put the show in a station that had a reach from St Petersburg to Ormond Beach."

The Orlando area resident asserted that Manoranjan was not a show that "makes money; it really is a show for the people wherein they dedicate their emotions to loved ones, bless the little ones, bid farewell, greet newcomers, express sorrow upon the demise of loved ones, celebrate the birth of a new life... Every emotion that is human is expressed in the show."

The fascination with and love for music goes back to Vasudeva's days at Delhi University in the early 1960s. Then, he and a friend Samir would sing qawwalis and ghazals as part of a group on stage. "Whatever instrument Samir chose, the others would pick up the harmonium, tabla, etc," said Vasudeva. "God did not think the world was ready for him, thus took him away at the young age of 21. This broke up the group."

Vasudeva had also done some programmes on All India Radio, hosted several 'jam sessions' for soft drink manufacturers such as Limca and Coca-Cola, and fashion shows for boutiques and designers and various other gatherings. "Entertainment was my forte and I enjoyed it," he said.

A native of Bombay, Vasudeva immigrated to the United States for clothing/handicrafts import business. He worked in New York till 1983 before moving to Florida. "The desire for Indian culture and the unity of the peoples of India prompted me to become an active member of the India Association of Greater Orlando," he said.

In 1992, a radio station offered to let the association announce the winners of its essay competition on air and also allow a half-hour to play some Indian songs. "That was the beginning of Manoranjan, the radio show that I thought would give the people of Indian heritage a venue of culture. So getting into the Manoranjan act was a path that I willingly chose."

Manoranjan can be heard live from 6 pm to 8 pm on Thursdays at www.wprd.net

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