The man behind Haryanvi radio app in Australia

A 28-year-old software engineer started a Haryanvi radio in Brisbane after an Indian radio channel declined his request to play a Haryanvi song.

A 28-year-old software engineer reaffirmed that necessity is the mother of invention when he started an app-based Haryanvi radio in Brisbane, Australia, six months ago.

Arun Malik, a 28-year-old software engineer, started a Haryanvi radio in Brisbane after an Indian radio channel declined his request to play a Haryanvi song. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Originally from Hansi in Hisar district, Arun Malik shifted to Brisbane nine years ago. He moved to Australia for higher education and then started his career as a software engineer.

One morning, he requested an Indian radio channel in Brisbane to play a Haryanvi song but his request was declined.

Spurred by the denial, Malik started working on a radio dedicated to Haryanvi language. The result of his one-and-a-half-year long effort was Radio Kasoot. Kasoot in Haryanvi translates to amazing. The app has registered 10,000 downloaded in the last six months.

“Every program in our radio channel is in Haryanvi. People from Haryana living abroad speak English at workplace and Hindi at home. They are missing the connection with the local language. The radio is getting popular there now,” Malik, who came to attend the first two-day Pravasi Haryana Divas in Gurgaon, said.

Malik started the venture by himself and now he has a team of 10 people working with him. The radio now airs several programs in Haryanvi across Australia. Malik said they have proposed to the state government to start the radio channel on FM in Haryana.

“Usually, business people are invited to such events. We are happy that people with experience in working on culture have also been invited this time,” Malik said.

For women empowerment, the radio airs a segment, ‘Mhara Haryana mhari behan’ (our Haryana, our sister), and social issues are taken up in the segment ‘Chaupal’. The radio also has a segment of old raginis (Haryana folk songs) named ‘Bujurgon ke liye bol’ (songs for elderly) dedicated for the elderly, Malik said.

The general entertainment segments are titled ‘dhakhar chutkule’ and ‘kasoota kavi’. Audience can request songs of their choice on Saturday and Sunday in the segment ‘thaari pasand’ (your like).