Lending a voice to HIV-infected kids – RJ Rofina hosted a 50 hours marathon show
Who can refuse to make donations for HIV infected children? Who can pelt stones at them and force them to abandon their shelter overnight just because they have AIDS? RJ Rofina was left pondering over these questions after spending some time at Shelter Home, an orphanage which takes care of HIV- infected children in Red Hills, Chennai. The visit made Rofina to realise that people were still ignorant about the issue and a lot needed to be done to spread awareness.
It sparked an idea and a month later, she was on air hosting a 50-hour marathon show between October 9 and October 11, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on www.TamilKushi.com, an online global 24 X 7 ‘Tamil’ radio channel.
The event was in support of HIV-infected and cancer-affected children. It was adjudicated and certified by India Book of Records, Tamil Nadu Book of Records and Assist World Records and RJ Rofina became the first woman to create a record of Longest Radio Jockeying Marathon.
It all started with a small idea. “I was in the first batch of RJ Dheena’s academy. I was inspired when he made it to the Guinness World Records and I thought if a man can do it, why not a woman or why not me, who can talk for hours. I discussed the idea with my boss Mohana Opesh. She liked the idea and within a month we had the entire plan ready,” says 28-year-old Rofina (alias) Prabhala Subash, RJ and programme head at the online portal in Chennai.
The 50 hours were dedicated to spreading awareness about HIV AIDS, interacting with the children of the shelter, sending out messages though celebrities, caller interactions and expert opinion.
“We had an extensive script ready, but once we went on air, things were different. We weren’t sure of the response, but calls started coming in from across the world,” says Rufina.
Though the team didn’t want the show to be a fundraising event, it ended up being one. “We started receiving calls from people who wanted to contribute to the cause. We didn’t want anything to go through us, so we gave them the number of the NGO. The organisation told us that many came forward to adopt children and raise fund for their treatment,” says Rofina.
It was a humbling experience for her and she says she couldn’t have done this without the support of the guests who came on the show.
“I was worried if I’d be able to carry the show but I just went with the flow. In fact, I was allowed to take seven hours of break in total but I didn’t want to leave the mic. I ended up taking a break of just one and a half hour,” she says.
Of the guests in the marathon show, there were many prominent people like Mr. S. Ve. Shekher, director Cheran, music directors Ravipriyan and Praveen Mirra, Fathima Babu, and many social activists also were present.
Rofina wishes to host a 250-hour marathon next.
