Suzy Bell : In your ear
I have to admit that the womens programmes on Radio Lotus presented by the soothing Asha Maharaj, almost saw me zombie-like off to the supermarket buying baking equipment. I even considered star- shaped biscuit cutters after a genteel man phoned in and read, rather hypnotically, a recipe for peppermint crisp biscuits.
But who on earth is ever likely to cook breyani for 80 guests tonight? Maharajs patronising tone smacks of those dated 1950s housewifey programmes as she annoyingly purrs: Now remember girls, this is your programme to help you cook, cater for guests, and to give you handy household hints. And remember girls, you are what you eat! Pahleeze! This is the 1990s and the housewife is virtually extinct among my generation. More arresting guest speakers please.
In the gardening slot, a very calm horticulturist raved on about container gardening in rich tones. He gushed about blooms as if about young men in tights, simply luscious, simply gorgeous. He also placated a distraught listener whose roses are being beheaded by some klepto- valentino.
Feisty talk show host, Devi Sankaree Govender, ensures the afternoon Viewpoint is just that. She is devilishly slick at ever so politely cutting short callers who attempt to ramble on about driving inspectors who accept bribes of home- cooked biryani or buckets of Kentucky. Aiming for more erudite debate, Govender reminds listeners to phone in with hard, factual evidence.
Those who ask silly questions should stick to Just for you at 8am to 11am, a music programme where you call in with requests to play your favourite song, whether Indian folk, bhangra or chutney. Yep, those soundtracks from those ever popular Bollywood movies reaches some 400 000 Radio Lotus listeners daily.
Radio Lotus is found in KwaZulu-Natal on 87.7FM, Guateng at 106.8FM and the Western Cape at 97.8FM