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It was on 1st September 2001 when Jassi Parmar, Dara Singh , Happy Heer and Baljit Gill got together as they wanted to start a radio program that would connect people back to their motherland.
Desi Junction was started as a 1 hour pre-recorded show and in the weeks to follow, It turned into the 100% live talk and music show. Gradually over the course of a couple of months, Desi Junction became a popular Radio show.
But now "Desi Junction,", has become an unlikely sensation. Phone lines are flooded, remote broadcasts draw scores of fans and the listeners are pouring song requests. Above all, "Desi Junction” has given Indian immigrants in the suburbs a connection to their culture--and to each other. Avid listeners find the program fun but hardly trite.
Desi Junction is being run by all volunteer team. Our listener base comprises of people from the ages 10 and above and from all kinds of races - Indians as well as Pakistani's as via our show we try and cater to all their needs and try and fill the vacuum created by the Individual Countries political interests. We have no religious, political or national affiliation other than providing quality entertainment to South Asians in the area. |
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The Founder Members
Desi Junction was founded by Jassi Parmar, Dara Singh, Happy Heer and Baljit Gill, in 2001 with the purpose of entertaining South Asian immigrants. Our show got such a huge response that within six months we had to ask for help from volunteers. And Today we have 15 volunteer professional team members. | |
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We started small with a 1 hour recorded show in September 2001. With big objective to establish a common platform where people from India & Pakistan can share their views freely. A show which can be enjoyed by entire family. Our primary aim is to keep our traditions, culture & heritage alive by passing it to our young generations. It is this spirit that keeps over 100,000 listeners in Midwest USA informed and entertained. |
Read Chicago Tribune Article
On the air for Indian community
Radio show a hit with immigrants in the suburbs
By Oscar Avila
Tribune staff reporter
Published December 27, 2001
Radio novice Jassi Parmar and his three partners started their show as a lark, hoping to entertain the booming Indian community in Chicago's suburbs with feel-good tunes and lighthearted banter in their native languages.
But "Desi Junction," originating at a small AM station, has become an unlikely sensation. Phone lines are flooded, remote broadcasts draw scores of fans and the founders are lining up sponsors to increase the show's
length to two hours each Sunday.
Above all, "Desi Junction" (named for the colloquial term, pronounced "day-see," for people of South Asian ancestry) has given Indian immigrants in the suburbs a connection to their culture--and to each other. Avid
listeners find the program fun but hardly trite.
"This kind of show is something we always wanted to hear, so we knew there was a demand," said Parmar, 29, a computer engineer who moved from India in 1998. "But we didn't think it would grow like this."
Each broadcast captures a microcosm of the South Asian experience in America: the divergent cultural tastes of parents and children, the isolation of the sprawling suburbs, the backlash after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The program, broadcast in a hodgepodge of Hindi, Punjabi and English, complements an already rich menu of media with a South Asian perspective. Two local powerhouses, India Reporter and World News and SBC-TV, are based
near the traditional hub of Indian culture around Devon Avenue in Chicago.
But "Desi Junction" is the only live radio show for that audience.
What sets "Desi Junction" apart, its founders say, is its geographic and emotional connection to the strip malls, subdivisions and temples that form Chicago's new suburban axis of Indian culture and life.
The suburbs have been a draw since the 1960s when the first migration of Indian professionals took place. The 1990s saw another wave, fueled by high-tech workers arriving on special visas. The 2000 census found that 4 of
5 Chicago-area residents of Indian origin now live in the suburbs.
Three of the show's founders live in Schaumburg, the fourth in Naperville.The signal of WJJG-AM 1530 in Berkeley is strongest in DuPage, Kane and
suburban Cook Counties. On a cloudy day a Devon Avenue shopkeeper might not even hear it. The founders solicit mainly suburban sponsors.
"There really isn't that one place in the suburbs where people come together, like a Devon. Our show is that place, in a way," Parmar said.
`Somewhere to turn'
The partners--Parmar, Happy Heer, Baljit Gill and Dara Singh--had hoped to avoid political and social debates. They do not want to offend listeners,who hold an array of religions and political views. The partners buy the
radio time and find sponsors to defray costs.
Parmar and Gill work in the high-tech field; Heer and Singh own gas stations. But all four have backgrounds in writing and acting, which fueled their vision of the show as a forum for the arts.
When "Desi Junction" went on the air Sept. 1, its founders envisioned a lighthearted lineup of modern music and oldies, nearly all from the "Bollywood" films of Indian cinema. The show takes requests by phone or
e-mail and often plays Pakistani music as an invitation to listeners from that country as well.
But after the Sept. 11 attacks, the compact discs went back on the shelf. The hosts abandoned their aversion to politics to let callers talk about the backlash they experienced. Entire shows were devoted to tales of harassment and fear.
"We shared a lot of stories on the air," Singh, 23, said. "People felt relieved to have somewhere to turn."
Three months later, the lighthearted fare has returned.
The show is a pleasant, some might say saccharine, blend of songs, trivia contests and conversation. This month's terrorist attack on the Indian parliament didn't warrant a mention.
One week, the hosts dedicated a song to dozens of taxi drivers after one sent an all-points message on his scanner telling his colleagues about the show. Another caller "paged" someone on the air, asking them to call home. And it isn't rare for callers to send romantic, discreet dedications without using their names.
The result is a casual and relaxed back-and-forth among hosts and callers,who dish the latest Bollywood gossip, spread news about weddings, tell jokes or just send greetings to friends old and new.
"The show makes you feel at home, and that's a good feeling," said Indra Prakash Kinger of Hoffman Estates, who moved to the United States 20 years ago and listens weekly with his wife and 7-year-old daughter.
Growing popularity
Although it's too soon to measure ratings, WJJG owner Joe Gentile said the show's call volume is among the highest at the station. After initially running for an hour, the show airs from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays. Parmar said
he has received interest from two other stations about adding a second day.
The show cultivates interest by drawing on an e-mail list of nearly 2,200 names, created and expanded from the hosts' other business interests.
When the show's "mobile studio" (actually one of the hosts' vans) hits the road for remote broadcasts patched via cellular phone, the response has been overwhelming. Scores recently awaited the van at a Schaumburg strip mall, hoping to be interviewed or win prizes.
The hosts also plan to use the show as a forum for Indian culture, including opening their airwaves to musicians, a la "Star Search." The hosts also are looking for aspiring journalists to begin a weekly reading of Hindi news.
The show's tone shouldn't change, but Singh added: "We realize that the program has a lot of influence. And we take that seriously." |
