Hindi radio in Oman to reach out to expat community

With over 700,000 Hindi speaking expatriates residing here,a radio station in Hindi will be a great medium to connect with them.

Al Saleh is the owner and the operator of Hala FM in Arabic and Hi FM in English.

The channel will not only play popular Bollywood music but will also focus on content like news,views and contests,thereby allowing a larger section to take part in this interactive platform,the report quoted Al Saleh as saying.

Neighbouring UAE has several Hindi and Urdu stations that are popular with expatriate communities.

Al Saleh said the channel will also serve as a medium to educate non-English and non-Arabic patrons about the rules and regulations instituted by the government and also enable the Indian consulate in Oman to interact directly with the community.

“Apart from music,contests and news,the channel’s programming lineup can focus on furthering bilateral ties and boosting tourism between the Sultanate and the native countries of the Hindi speaking expatriates (namely India,Pakistan,Bangladesh and Sri Lanka),” he added.

He said he also feels strongly about the channel because many Omanis speak fluent Hindi and have a taste for Hindi music. Al Saleh is said to have already written to the concerned ministry proposing the idea,the report said.