Rafia Rahim, 26, a resident of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district is Kashmir’s first female radio jockey (RJ). She has hosted various local programs on the radio station which makes her a prominent name among radio listeners.
RJ Rafia Rahim in a conversation with Onlykashmir[dot]in special correspondent Sahil Iqbal tells about her eventful and adventurous journey of experience in radio world.
RJ Rafia Rahim has the credit to be the first woman posted in Kashmir’s private radio station “Radio Mirchi.” She graduated in 2016 with a degree in journalism from the Department of Media Education and Research at the University of Kashmir. Her evening show on Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM is very popular among the listeners.
Long before joining the journalism department at Kashmir University, Rafia hosted Good Morning J&K on Dordarshan, a program that discusses social issues. This was the time when hosting a live program and talking to experts from different fields made her skills shine.
Radio show not only gave recognition to Rafia, but also gave a strong answer to stereotypical society who had previously questioned her decision to join the male-dominated profession in Jammu and Kashmir.
“I was often asked to complete my education and apply for a job as a teacher. But my father always supported me,” Rafia stated.
After completing her education, she tried her luck in print media, working with a local daily. However, a few months after working there, in the summer of 2016, when the Valley was under a five-month long lockdown, Rafia flew to New Delhi in search of work.
This was her first experience of being away from home, “It was a challenge but I was determined,” Rafia maintained.
After struggling for a month, Rafia said she got a job as a news anchor / reporter in a Noida based news organization. After gaining experience, she left and moved to Bangalore where she worked for a few months as a sub-editor at an online news portal, Logical India.
This was the time when Radio Marchi was planning to set up its own station in Kashmir. While auditions were taking place in Kashmir, Rafia sent an email to the radio station and expressed her desire to work in the radio station, after which her audition took place in Delhi and she was selected based on her abilities.
Today, she runs her show six days a week, from 4-7 pm ‘Rafia ka Mafia’
She says that her aim is to entertain the people through her programs. “My odyssey is full of critics, but I never gave up, adding, my father always stood behind me.
Rafia’s father died in a road accident a few years ago. Now she is the only source of income for her entire family while her two younger brothers are pursuing studies.
“I like it when people recognize me because of my work it makes me feel proud,” she said with a sigh of relief.”
The Onlykashmir[dot]in wishes Rafia a brightful future.
