PEARLS 4 Radio Presentation and Production Course
 
PEARLS 4 trainees completed the course at Desi Radio in Southall in December 2008.  Click on the links or buttons below to listen to some examples of their work (in MP3 format):
 
Or click here for information about the trainees and their particular interests.
  
You can also visit the PEARLS Showcase 
or click here to find out more about the PEARLS course itself.

Interviews, features, PSAs and reports

	Diwali programme - joint feature Manprit Dayal, Rashmi Varma and Rajinder Khabra explore the significance and traditions  of Diwali for Hindus and Sikhs. Including an interview by Aman Dhaliwal. Listen (12' 27")
	Reggae Sound System Experiences - by Zoe Baxter  Zoe reads her report on one of her first experiences of hearing a Reggae sound system in action.   Listen (1' 03")
	Alcohol Report - by Beth Curl Like many other young people I enjoy alcohol and have never been too concerned about its potential long term effects, even with the media attention given to binge drinking. After taking a job in a pub I have started to see things from a different point of view... Listen (3' 09")
	Interview with Harbinder Singh - by Aman Dhaliwal  Harbinder Singh is the Chairman of the Duleep Singh Trust. I met him at the launch of a new book, 'Empire of the Sikhs: The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh' (published by Peter Owen). I began by asking him how significant the release of this book was for the Punjabi community.   Listen (2' 34")
	Interview with Bisrat Yigletu from Naz Project London - by Rashmi Varma  Rashmi Varma interviews Bisrat Yigletu, Women’s Health Worker at Naz Project London, which is an HIV, Aids and Sexual Health Agency for black and minority ethnic communities. She talks about gender issues affecting the ability of women to access information, care and support. Listen (6' 54")
	Bhindi Report - by Rashmi Varma Bhindi - often known as okra or lady's fingers in the UK - is a vegetable which I remember from my childhood in India.  In this report I talk about what happened when I first tried to cook it for myself. Listen (1' 46")
	Interview with Satish Dutt - by Rajinder Khabra  Satish Dutt is a founder member of Fun and Fitness in Retirement. The group meets every Thursday at Age Concern in Brentford. Satish organises the events and activities with the group. I went to interview her about how she runs the group and who funds the activities. Listen (6' 39")
	Voxpops - by Rajinder Khabra Some of the members of Fun and Fitness in Retirement talk about what they enjoy about the group.  Listen (1' 01")
	New Orleans Report - by Manprit Dayal  In October I went to Festival New Orleans at the O2 in London.  As I'd been to Mardi Gras in the city of New Orleans, I was excited to compare the two.  That's what inspired me to the write this report.   Listen (1' 43")
	Jingle - by Manprit Dayal This jingle is for a cookery programme by Zoe. I produced it and wrote the lyrics "You don't need a book - listen, learn and cook.".  Everybody sang the lyrics then I treated the sound in Audition using special effects.  Listen (0' 30")

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Trainees:

	Zoe Baxter Music has always been my passion, I've been collecting vinyl for nearly 20 years, and in 2000 I started DJing at parties and clubs. I have some previous radio experience: I made 2 'Clearspot' programmes, Ni Hao Chinatown, for Resonance FM focusing on the Save Chinatown Campaign and the history of Chinese immigration in London in 2005. I have since presented and produced 2 series of weekly one-hour radio shows for Resonance, Lucky Cat, a magazine style programme focusing on Chinese and East Asian culture with a mixture of music. Series 3 of Lucky Cat will return to Resonance 104.4FM on Tuesday 6th January at 9pm. Having never had any formal radio production training I have enjoyed the PEARLS course enormously, as well as learning a lot technically. I have met a wonderful bunch of people from different cultures - I can even make my own paneer now!
	Beth Curl My name is Beth. I have been interested in working in radio for many years but have never had an opportunity to gain any practical experience. The PEARLS 4 course offered me so much and exceeded my expectations. The tutors were very helpful both in what they taught practically and in the advice they offered in pursuing a career in radio. I hope to eventually work in the area of audio drama production and I'm currently exploring work experience opportunities.
	Manprit Dayal My Name is Manprit, but everybody knows me as Mani at the PEARLS 4 course. When I joined the course, I had only been back in England for 9 months after being in America for 22 years. I had a baby boy in March and this course was sort of a gateway to reconnecting to the world. I have no previous radio experience, only as a listener. I have worked in the restaurant industry for many years and never thought about radio as a career. I have learned quite a bit, as well as meeting some wonderful people. I’m looking forward to putting my acquired skills to use in the professional field - let’s see where it leads. Hopefully you’ll hear more of me in the near future.
	Aman Dhaliwal  Hello my namme is Aman. I'm 21 years old. I enjoy travelling and this year I've visited China and Hong Kong. In my ideal world, I would love to be paid to travel. I'm going to be involved in radio in the future - I present a radio magazine programme for women on Asian Star FM in Slough. I'm also planning to do some radio programmes on Spin FM in Reading next summer.
	Rajinder Khabra Hi my name is Rajinder Khabra. I can speak Panjabi, Hindi and Urdu and I can understand some Gujarati. I worked with Hounslow Language Services from 1987 to 2001. My keen interests are gardening, cooking and sewing. After completing my Radio Production Course I would love to work with a radio station, where I can present my own Gardening Programme. I also enjoy recording and editing.
	Rashmi Varma I'm a Member of Chartered Institute of Management. Currently I am working freelance and like the flexibility that it allows me to pursue my interests and creative side. I am devoting my time working for the community and relish the challenges of making a difference. I have thoroughly enjoyed my training with Desi Radio and appreciate the technical aspects of radio production. I am looking forward to advancing the skills that I have learnt in presenting and producing programmes highlighting community issues. My career has been varied giving me insight and experience of project management, gender issues and its impact on mental health and equality and community engagement. Promoting health has been central to my work which I have pursued through my involvement with various trusts and health organisations at board level. My last position was Chief Executive with Confederation of Indian Organisations (UK).

The PEARLS courses are funded by the London Development Agency (LDA) Opportunities Fund 2007-2010
The audio on this site is hosted by London Link Radio, using the Canstream service from the Community Media Association. 

Desi Radio