The Maharashtra Radio Festival is currently being held in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra. As part of the event, a special interview session was organized featuring the state’s Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis. During this session, Fadnavis was asked several questions about his childhood memories, including a lesser-known fact — that he once did modeling during his college days. He was interviewed by seven well-known radio jockeys and was asked about his brief stint in modeling. Responding humorously, Fadnavis said, “Modeling was an accident. It was a prank played by my friend, but it actually worked at the time. Luckily, I escaped it. I never dared to try it again. I always say that the modeling I did back then got a bit of attention — like the saying goes: if a dog bites a man, it's not news. But if a man bites a dog, then it's news. So my modeling was like that — newsworthy only because it was unusual,” he joked.
He was also asked whether the music he listened to on the radio ever inspired or helped him in his political journey. Fadnavis responded wittily and said, “Of course, always! Look at what happened — we won the elections in 2019, but couldn't form the government. But in 2022, we did. Even the loser can be called a friend — Woh Sikandar bhi dost kehlata hai! So yes, music and radio play an important role in politics.”
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He further emphasized the power of radio in connecting with people, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat program. Through the radio, Prime Minister Narendra Modi can reach the last person in the country. During elections, our political ads often outnumber your songs on radio channels. That’s because we know — if we want to reach the youth, we can do it through your medium. So yes, we are deeply connected with it,” he stated.
Sharing childhood memories, Fadnavis reminisced, “During my childhood, radio was the main source of entertainment. My uncle used to play morning songs at 6:30 am. The magic of radio lies in its ability to express emotions through words, even though you can't see the speaker. We used to listen to short plays on the radio, and the words would bring them to life, making us feel like the events were unfolding right in front of us. I believe that any medium is enough for expression. Even when there was only one-way communication, radio gave voice to expression. It helped shape our culture,” he reflected.