When was the last time you tuned into a radio station and sat through a series of advertisements only to listen to your favourite song or show? In the world of Spotify, YouTube, and other digital music services, the good old radio has become ancient. But Ram Singh Boudh, a resident of Gajraula in Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh, is guarding the humble radio. His collection of over 1,000 radios has secured him a position in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Mr Boudh has radios from the 1920s to 2010, purchased from various markets of the country, including Delhi and Meerut. He has 1,400 radios but as per the guidelines of the Guinness World Records, all radios should be unique. The duplicates were removed from the list. With 1,257 radios, Mr Boudh broke the previous record of M Prakash, who had a collection of 625 radios.

When asked about his motive behind establishing a radio museum at home, Mr Boudh said it is to make the future generation aware of the impact of radio on society. He added,

10 years ago, on October 3, 2014, PM Modi started Mann Ki Baat, giving a new lease of life to radio and Akashvani, bringing the broadcaster advertisements and money.

In November 2023, during his monthly radio show Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recognised Mr Boudh’s efforts. In his address to the nation, PM Modi noted that Mann Ki Baat has made radio more popular in every household. Sharing a letter by Mr Boudh, PM said,

Ram Singh Ji has been collecting radios for many decades. He says, that after Mann Ki Baat, people’s curiosity about his radio museum has increased.

Following PM’s mention, Mr Boudh received a special invitation for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi this year. He is retired from the post of supervisor of Warehouse Corporation of India.

Known as the ‘radio man of India’, Mr Boudh claims to have the only radio museum in the world.

With inputs from Afsar Ali