Born on May 14, 1941, Yengkhom Ningol Wahengbam Ongbi Jugeswari is not only the first lady announcer of All India Radio (AIR) Imphal Station but also the most loved voice of Mala in the “Mani-Mala Chitthi Paokhum”.

“I am the sixth child among eleven siblings – eight sisters and three brothers. There is a very interesting thing about our births. All eleven of us were born at different places. As my father Dr. Y Bhagya was a practicing doctor, he was posted at different places.

I was born in Bishnupur myself. My mother, Hemabati, was a housewife and we would all pack our bags and follow him from one posting centre to another. Later on when we grew up a bit, we settled down for good at Yaiskul Police Lane.

I did my initial schooling at a local school in Elangbam Leikai and then shifted to Tamphasana Girls, studying there from Class III till matriculation. After that my Intermediate (IA) and graduation in Education Honours were completed at Dhanamanjuri College of Arts (then Arts and Commerce).

A few months after completing my graduation in 1963, one of my friends came with the news that All India Radio (AIR) was opening a station in Imphal and they were looking for announcers.

I said I will also apply. My friends laughed. How can you apply, you know neither singing nor drama, they told me.

For that was our concept at that time — radio meant only knowing how to sing and act. It was only later that I realized the importance was on voice and translation.

Of the 150 candidates who applied, only two were selected – me and another person — a male. He left soon after. So I was virtually the only announcer selected.

However, there were some casuals — announcers on contract basis. I used to get around Rs. 150 per month as my pay – a big sum as graduate teachers used to get only Rs. 120.

AIR Imphal Station was inaugurated on 15th August, 1963. Before that we would get programmes from Delhi and Guwahati like the Vividh Bharati, and yes, also the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation programmes. This was around the mid-fifties. After that around the late fifties, the Guwahati station used to air Manipuri programme for about 15 to 30 minutes.

I still remember my first announcement. It was also the first day for AIR Imphal. The studio then was situated on Governor Road. It was 5 pm.

I announced the ‘mitna uba paodam’ of a live audience programme at Johnstone School hall inaugurated by our then Chief Minister, the late Moirang Koireng. The compere of the programme was Chandam Gopal, who had played a great role in establishing the AIR station.

Looking back, I don’t know how I did it. I had no formal training. But now when I think of it, perhaps the proximity of our house to MDU hall helped for we were regularly exposed to the artistes and the way they modulated their voice, etc.

Also, during my School and College days, I had taken part in National Youth Festivals, and had also done some playlets and drama during Saraswati Puja and other festivals.

Microphone is your friend, forget your children, family and all else. Talk to the microphone as you would to a friend – this was the advice given and which I still follow.

Initially the radio programme was divided into three adivesh or sessions – first one from 6:30 am to 8:30 am, second from 1 pm to 2 pm, and the last one from 5 pm running till late to 11 pm or 12 midnight.

Initially there were very little programmes on radio. It was mainly songs being broadcasted, talks and drama came later on, while news was much later. Slowly the various programmes came into being, so also the dialects. Now we have programmes in six dialects — Hmar, Paite, Kabui, Thadou, Tangkhul, and Mao.

I used to compere some programes now and then like the women’s programme or ‘nupigi thouram’. But it was the letter reading session – the “Mani-Mala Chitthi Paokhum” programme which I was involved with for the longest period. Though I wasn’t the only one to do the programme, my voice also became identified with the character of “Mala”.

I think it was the early 70s when the “Mani-Mala” programme started. Initially it had only Chandam Gopal, but later on when Khumanthem Prakash did the show, a female voice (Kamala’s) was added. Then Sagolsem Indrakumar and I started doing the show.

After Indrakumar, I worked with Thoudam Imocha and Thokchom Gobind also, but the show’s peak popularity was the team of Sagolsem Indrakumar and me.

I think what worked was the way we emoted, our presentation according to the tone and content of the letters. And definitely the letters that we read and our response had reactions, if not 100 percent, for it was the public voice.

I retired in October 2000. In between there were lots of casuals filling in, but there was a demand for the earlier Mala. I rejoined as Mala’s voice as a casual in April, 2002 after a gap of two years.

I got married in December 1965, to Wahengbam Manibabu, a teacher by profession and now retired. We have three children — two sons and a daughter.

Working for the radio, especially after marriage, was hard work due to the long and irregular hours, but I was fortunate to have the full support of my husband and my in-laws. In fact, my sister-in-laws took complete care of my children.

During India’s wars with Pakistan and China war, the radio programme would sometimes run till midnight. My children were still very small then, and it was very strict in office. Yet I managed with my family’s help.

Now when I talk about it, I talk about the good times with a laugh. But it wasn’t always good times, especially during curfews, flood or any such problematic times.

I recall wading through the water to reach the office, or having to go or come back to office during curfew – such dangerous circumstances. But it was my duty and so I put in all efforts to fulfill it.

And my reward is that everywhere I go, people know the voice of Mala and they would tell me, do you know that your voice is very similar to that of Mala?”

Though sound broadcasting started in India in 1927 with the proliferation of private radio clubs, the operations of All India Radio began formally in 1936 as a Government organisation.

When India attained Independence in 1947, AIR had a network of six stations and a complement of 18 transmitters. The coverage was 2.5% of the area and just 11% of the population.

AIR today has a network of 223 broadcasting centres with 143 medium frequency (MW), 54 high frequency (SW) and 161 FM transmitters. The coverage is 91.42% of the area, serving 99.13% of the population. AIR covers 24 Languages and 146 dialects in home services.

In external services, it covers 27 languages; 17 national and 10 foreign languages.