Shammi Narang
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Shammi Narang is an Indian
voice-over artist Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
, ex news anchor and entrepreneur based in
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
. Graduating with an engineering degree, Narang first got into the voice-over profession by working in the
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
division of
Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...
. Later he was selected from among 10,000 candidates into
Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...
, which was then the only channel in India, and became the 'face of Doordarshan news reading' and Indian Television in general during the 1970s – 80s. His rendering of ''Sarab Sanjhi Gurbani'' has become the voice of
Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
s globally as well. After the advent of
satellite television Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna comm ...
, Narang left the channel and instead started training upcoming and budding news anchors, journalists, voice-over artists and emcees. All
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
in-train and in-station voice messages and announcements of the
Delhi Metro The Delhi Metro is a mass rapid transit (MRT) system serving Delhi and its satellite cities of Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Bahadurgarh and Ballabhgarh, in the National Capital Region of India. The network consists of 10 colou ...
,
Rapid Metro Gurgaon Rapid Metro Gurgaon is a light metro system serving the city of Gurgaon, Haryana, India. Rapid Metro connects the commercial areas of Gurgaon, and acts as a feeder link to the Delhi Metro with an interchange with its Yellow Line at Sikander ...
,
Mumbai Metro The Mumbai Metro is a rapid transit (MRT) system serving the city of Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region in Maharashtra, India.Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority is responsible authority for maintaining the metro system ...
,
Bangalore Metro Namma Metro ("Our Metro" in Kannada), also known as Bengaluru Metro, is a rapid transit system serving the city of Bengaluru, India. Upon its inauguration, it became the first underground metro system in South India. Namma Metro has a mix of u ...
,
Jaipur Metro The Jaipur Metro(Hindi: जयपुर मेट्रो) is a rapid transit system in the city of Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Construction on the mostly elevated part of the first line, called Phase 1A, comprising of route from Mansarovar ...
and the
Hyderabad Metro Rail The Hyderabad Metro is a rapid transit system, serving the city of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is the second longest operational metro network in India after the Delhi Metro (285 stations) with 57 stations and the lines are arranged in a ...
are recorded in Narang's voice. Narang is also the director of Delhi-based Pindrop Media Group.


Early life and education

Narang's grandfather was a Sikh belonging to the
Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by th ...
and originally of Lahnda origin. His father served the
Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
. Narang graduated with an engineering degree from YMCA, Faridabad and was motivated by his father to indulge in hobbies such as stunt riding. He worked as a stunt rider for ''Escorts''. Narang is also a 'semi-trained' singer.


Personal life

Narang is married to Dolly Narang, who hails from
Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...
. Dolly is a disciple of music composer
Jaidev Jaidev (3 August 1918 – 6 January 1987; born Jaidev Verma) was a music composer in Hindi films, most known for his work in films: '' Hum Dono'' (1961), '' Reshma Aur Shera'' (1971), ''Prem Parbat'' (1973), ''Gharaonda'' (1977) and '' Gaman ...
and gives
Ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...
performances. The couple have a son and live in
South Delhi South Delhi is an administrative district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India with its headquarters in Saket. Administratively, the district is divided into three subdivisions, Saket, Hauz Khas, and Mehrauli. It is bounded by t ...
.


Pre Doordarshan days

Narang made his foray into the
voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentation ...
industry with
Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...
. Flanager, a
technical director A technical director (TD) is usually a senior technical person within e.g. a software company, engineering firm, film studio, theatre company or television studio. This person usually has the highest level of skill within a specific technical f ...
of the
United States Information Service The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bill ...
(Delhi), spotted Narang in the then-newly built IIT, Delhi campus auditorium and asked Narang to assist him in his sound testing. Flanager saw the potential in Narang's voice, and promptly referred Narang to Shastri, a Hindi scholar, who groomed Narang to take over the Hindi division of Voice of America. After his post graduation, he joined
Larsen & Toubro Larsen & Toubro Ltd, commonly known as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate company, with business interests in engineering, construction, manufacturing, technology, information technology and financial services, headquartered in Mumba ...
as a marketing professional and was working there for a while. Later, his love for adventure made him join ''Escorts'' as a stunt rider, inspired by
Rishi Kapoor Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry base ...
, a character from the film ''
Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...
''. While at it, he had an accident in the late 1980s which is the reason behind his misshapen nose.


With Doordarshan

In 1982, Narang attended the auditions for selection into Doordarshan in a T-shirt and tattered jeans, where he had to compete with around 10,000 aspirants
Devki Nandan Pandey
a veteran news broadcaster, praised his performance. Then started his 20-year association with the channel. Narang developed a style for himself, with his baritone of a voice. With the newscasts of those days having significantly fewer visuals and more of impersonal, restrained vocal illustrations, Narang became 'the face of Doordarshan news reading' with his correctness in pronunciation and diction. People even regarded news readers to be powerful enough to influence the Government for them. Narang recalled once, in an interview, an incident after he had read out a new pension scheme for ex-servicemen, wherein an elderly
havaldar Havildar or havaldar (Hindustani language, Hindustani: or (Devanagari), (Perso-Arabic script, Perso-Arabic)) is a rank in the Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese armies, equivalent to sergeant. It is not used in cavalry units, where the equivalent ...
had turned up at his door two days later, pleading him to update his pension scheme. Referring to the allegations on the then newscasters of reading out lies in favour of the Government, Narang said that they don't read lies, but just hid the truth. Doordarshan lost its acclaimed spot after cable and satellite television entered India as it just couldn't stand the competition, with its refusal to adapt to the age of live telecasts. The crews in the competing channels were also comparatively younger, as against the predominantly middle aged Doordarshan crowd. Initially regarded as an expensive novelty, cable television gradually picked up, eventually pushing Doordarshan to become a 'dull-as-ditchwater propaganda machine' of the Government, despite initiatives taken by its professional Directors General. With the trend then demanding the old
newsreaders ''Newsreaders'' is an American television comedy that aired on Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. ''Newsreaders'' is a spin-off of ''Childrens Hospital'', presented as the fictional television news magazine program ''Ne ...
to switch to the roles of news anchors, not many were able to adapt and instead changed their pursuits. Referring to this, Narang said that he would have been a misfit in the current era. On the current scene, Narang observed that it has become 'trivialised' and added that 'the young reporters, fresh out of college, in vogue now would be good in interviewing filmstars but wouldn't be an appropriate choice before Dr Karan Singh or Manmohan Singh.'


After Doordarshan

Narang switched to doing voice-overs and compering shows post Doordarshan. He has done theatre with artists lik
Sheila Bhatia
Narang has been compering the Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Awards ceremony since its inception in 1997. In 1998, Narang founded Studio Pindrop, Delhi's first digital recording studio, which is popular among voice over artists and musicians. He is also a visiting faculty at MADarts,
Jaspal Bhatti Jaspal Singh Bhatti (3 March 1955 – 25 October 2012) was an Indian television personality known for his satirical take on the problems of the common man. He is most well known for his television series '' Flop Show, Full Tension'' and mi ...
's film school, and has done voice-overs for its award-winning two-minute animation film, ''Nanhi Chidiya''. He has lent his voice to the audio guides on heritage monuments in
Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known ...
,
Jodhpur Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the Ki ...
,
Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Formerly the capital of ...
and
Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
. He also compered the Guinness record breaking tea party in
Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is t ...
. Narang was in one of the four two-member teams that undertook a journey from
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
to
Haridwar Haridwar (; ) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is situated on the ri ...
as part of the TV show, ''Be Positive'', that was on air on Pragya TV, a spiritual lifestyle channel. The Jai Ha! campaign of
Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
during the 2009 elections used Kaka Hathrasi's satirical jingles sung by Narang. On the potential of the voice-over industry, Narang spoke in an interview that 'voice is the biggest asset of communication' and it can get one a very decent pay even at the starting level. He noted the importance of a good and clear voice. He believes that everyone is capable of voice modulation, though one realises it only in front of a camera or microphone. He recommends a 3-minute recitation session of 'Om' everyday, steaming the throat without gargling, yoga, meditation and avoiding abusive language for a deep and young voice. He is the male voice with a deep baritone that guides the passengers on the do's and don'ts and the Hindi version of the courteous '' 'Please mind the gap!''' announcements inside the
Delhi Metro The Delhi Metro is a mass rapid transit (MRT) system serving Delhi and its satellite cities of Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Bahadurgarh and Ballabhgarh, in the National Capital Region of India. The network consists of 10 colou ...
trains everyday and night. He has composed music for a number of ad films, like Tata Tea's ''Na jaane kya rishta''. He was also seen in a couple of films. In an interview with NDTV on the occasion of Hindi day in 2016, Mr Narang expressed that Hindi learning should not become a burden for the young generation. He suggested that the difficult and rare words that are not in use in our day-to-day life should be replaced by common, simple words. In 2021, he appeared in an episode of ''TV Newsance'' by
Newslaundry ''Newslaundry'' is an Indian media watchdog that provides media critique, reportage and satirical commentary. It was founded in 2012 by Abhinandan Sekhri, Madhu Trehan and Prashant Sareen, all of whom earlier worked in print or television j ...
titled “''History of TV News , 75th #IndependenceDay Special TV Newsance Episode 143''”


See also

*
Dubbing (filmmaking) Dubbing (re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production, often in concert with sound design, in which additional or supplementary recordings are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production so ...
*
List of Indian Dubbing Artists This is a list of Indian dubbing artists that have Wikipedia articles and are credited for giving voice to certain roles in foreign media. It can also be for Indian media as well, but spoken in a different language, or for those that are unabl ...


Filmography


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Narang, Shammi Indian television news anchors Indian male voice actors People from Delhi Doordarshan Delhi Metro 1956 births Living people