Desi Shinchan To Ex-Doordarshan Newsreaders, Who Are India’s Metro Announcers?

The Metro has become an essential part of the public transit system in many Indian cities. The announcements on the carriages, ranging from the next stop to general instructions on which side the door will open, are also part of commuters’ travel experience. But do you know about the voices behind the announcements? Many metro systems are opting for announcers working in radio, advertising, dubbing, and studios.
(Photo: Instagram/@officialdmrc)

As per a report in The Print, while Doordarshan News stalwarts Shammi Narang and Rini Simon Khanna’s voices remain the gold standard for public announcements on the Delhi Metro, other cities are going for scripts rooted in the duo’s calm, dignified style. The announcements are also being broadcast in regional languages to connect with travellers. (Photo: Instagram/@shamminarangofficial)

Prasanna V’s Marathi announcements on Mumbai’s Metro Lines 2A and 7 are known for his bass tone. An RJ and multilingual voice artist who has worked in several languages, including English, Marathi, Urdu, Hindi, and Konkani, Prasanna was selected for the Mumbai Metro in January 2022.
(Photo: Instagram)

The RJ’s work includes ads for Tata Tea and Aarogya Setu. Prasanna explained to the Print that since commuters are distracted on the metro, the voice of the announcer must be such that it gets their attention. In this endeavour, he believes that bass and perfect pronunciation help him. (Photo: Tata Consumer)

Another voice artist making waves in Mumbai is Ani Ramniklal Shah. Famous as the Hindi voice of Shinchan, she is also the English announcer for the Mumbai Metro on the stretch from Andheri West to Gundavali. Shah, who shifted from Nagpur to Mumbai after Class 10, started voice work as a side hustle to supplement her corporate job. She switched to it full-time in 2020. (Photo: Instagram/@shahsaahab_ki_bitiya)

Many commuters in Maharashtra can also recall the calm tone of former Akashvani Pune newsreader Mridula Ghodke, whose announcements assist travellers in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. A Marathi purist with a penchant for perfect diction, Ghodeke’s career started at the age of 12, with a recording for Ceylon Radio’s Crown of Thorns series. She retired from AIR Pune in 2019 after a four-decade-long career in news reading, including a post as the in-charge of Prasar Bharti’s Marathi national news division. (Photo: prasar9.rssing.com)

For Ahmedabad’s Disha Doshi, Narang and Khanna remain inspirations. A Gujarati voice-over artist known for her steady, composed delivery, Doshi has worked on projects ranging from radio spots and IVR systems to corporate explainers. She believes that people find their mother tongue more reliable and relatable when it comes to safety announcements. (Photo Credits: Instagram)

Chennai’s Devasena ES built a strong presence in dubbing and advertising with her warm delivery and chatty style. In the mid-2000s, she made her name as RJ Deva on Radio Mirchi. She received an invitation to lend her voice for Chennai Metro’s announcements in 2014. Devasena told the Print that her brief was about clarity, rather than personality. She did not know if she was selected, and found out months later when she took the metro.
(Photo: YouTube/@GalattaPink)

For Rini Simon Khanna, the voice of Delhi Metro’s English language announcements, including the “please mind the gap” instruction, a calm voice is what connects with commuters. Khanna first gained prominence in Class XI when the then Information and Broadcasting Minister Vasant Sathe heard her at a school event and introduced her to radio artists. She was soon roped in for major events like the 1982 Asian Games. Khanna first recorded for the Delhi Metro in 2001. She was a Doordarshan news anchor from 1984 to 2006. (Photo: Instagram/@rinisimonkhanna)

Shammi Narang was a mechanical engineering student at the J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology when an American technical director picked up his voice during a routine mic check and asked him to visit the Voice of America studio in Delhi. Narang juggled a job at Larsen & Toubro with part-time freelancing as a voiceover artist. He later became a household name in the 1980s and 1990s as a Doordarshan news anchor. His soothing ‘Agla station…’ line is part of the daily commute experience on the Delhi Metro.
(Photo: FaceBook/Shammi Narang )

These artists have bridged the gap between neutral announcements and a warm delivery, ensuring that commuters remember their voice while travelling on the metro. One thing common among these announcers is their dedication to ensuring that travellers can step away from the daily chaos of their commute and listen to calm, measured instructions that make their journey better. (Photo: Instagram/@officialdmrc)