Anchoring is both art and science

Known popularly for being the host of the television game show Family Fortunes and as the director of the Hindi movie Always Kabhi Kabhi, Roshan Abbas has been a pioneer in the field of anchoring with many accolades in his cabinet for his radio and television performances. We tracked him down for a cuppa on his visit to Hyderabad, to conduct a workshop titled ‘Art of Anchoring’ at an event management academy.A to Z of anchoring“Anchoring is a two part process, with scientific and artistic angles to it. The scientific part is doing one’s homework — a background check and collecting relevant information. The artistic part is the implementation and presentation,” explains Roshan Abbas, as he continues, “This is the quality where anchors can be differentiated from others. Few people take up anchoring as an art, but those who do, have unfailingly succeeded.” The workshop, which was aimed at helping aspiring anchors, gain an insight into this profession and help them hone their skills. Abbas shares, “I conduct these workshops to identify people with genuine passion and help them move forward towards their goal.”Dedication is the keyAs an RJ, Abbas used to go put on his pajamas at 6 am and go to work. Having  been a part of both, the television as well  the radio industry, he finds TV anchoring very taxing and enjoys radio work more. According to Abbas, hard work and patience are the prerequisites for progress in this field. He says, “Today’s youngsters are an impatient lot. Patience is an important virtue and I say this not philosophically, but from experience. Similarly, hard work goes hand in hand with patience and is of utmost importance to an anchor of any level.” Citing examples, he says, “Mandira Bedi has come a long way to the top through sheer hard work and dedication to the field and is a widely celebrated person today. And, of course, there are those with inbuilt talent such as Cyrus Broacha, who can never be replaced, but he is one of the few exceptions. Anchors need to constantly be updated and hone their skills because they are the bridge to the people. A bit of seriousness and professionalism would also create a better impression.”Current scenarioHaving won a host of awards, and with almost two decades of experience on various TV shows and radio programs, Abbas says that the current state of affairs in this field have been affected by various celebrities taking up the role of anchors. This, according to Abbas, provides good publicity and a better connect with the audience, but that is as far as it goes. “Such a situation causes a decrease in the efficiency of conveying information to the public because a professional anchor would be able to provide an in-depth message. This is also creating a lack of opportunities for many talented and upcoming professionals,” moans Abbas.Education, a prerequisiteEmphasising on the need for a strong educational profile, Abbas recalls, “I used to discard the things taught to me during college as I wanted to explore various other opportunities as a student. However, only when I started working as a professional, did I realise the value of what my professors had taught me as it goes a long way to relate with the practical aspects of the profession.” He continues, “Anchoring is an experience-based profession. You need to exude confidence and know what you are saying. But, having said this, I feel that a Master’s level of education would go contribute in helping the aspirants.” “Go to college, get some knowledge. If they can make Penicillin from moulds, they can surely make someone out of you,” he signs off.