Knowing Suraksha Bhattarai: A dance passion turned media career

KATHMANDU: A girl with a lot of flair is now a familiar face in the entertainment industry. Although she is not a celebrity, she is often seen around them, sometimes conducting interviews and sometimes creating videos on TikTok. She is none other than Suraksha Bhattarai, who is currently holding the position of Vice President in the Film Journalist Association.

Suraksha is a modern-day 4D journalist. She can write and read news, as well as shoot and edit videos.

Born in a small village in Palpa district, she is the first child of her parents. Her father was a tourist guide who worked in India for a long time. Bhattarai started her primary education at a government high school near the village. However, she never focused much on her studies and was often a backbencher in her class.

Her passion was dancing, and she often participated in school programs and other cultural activities. She managed to pass the SLC in 2069, after which her new journey began.

At that time, local FM radios were booming in rural areas of the country. After finishing SLC, one of her friends informed her that a local radio station, Srinagar FM, was organizing a Radio Jockey(RJ) training program for aspiring youths. She was attracted to this opportunity and asked her mother for permission, which she received.

She says, “My mom never failed to fulfill my dreams. She always supported me in whatever I did or wanted to do.”

One day, Bhattarai climbed the hill and went to Tansen, a Municipality and the administrative center of Palpa District, to join the RJ training class, which later became her career. Bhattarai was the last attendee in the class, but after the training, she was shortlisted and selected for a job at Srinagar FM. The rest, as they say, is history.

Bhattarai recalls, “I was a good speaker from childhood and was never afraid to face people. That quality helped me move ahead.”

Her high-pitched voice easily attracted radio listeners. During the break after SLC, she also participated in a dancing reality show, ChamChaami. She was selected for the first audition, but the date and time of the second audition conflicted with her voice test for the radio. She had to choose between participating in ChamChaami or attending the voice test.

After some thought, she decided to forgo ChamChaami and attended the voice test instead. She passed easily in that test which later became a turning point in her life and career. Within 15 days of her training, she became an RJ at just 16 years old.

“If I had gone for ChamChaami, my career could have taken a different path. I might have become a music video model or even an actress,” she reflects seriously.

She spent four valuable years at Srinagar FM. She was able to receive Rs. 1500 in the first month of her job. Bhattarai proudly says, “After receiving my first salary, I have never asked my parents for a penny.”

She still remembers her first time on air: it was a vacancy advertisement, and she had just one line to read—“KARMACHARI AAWASYAKTA.” Every time the ad played on the radio, she would turn up the volume just to hear her own voice.

Initially, the radio station paid her Rs 125 per program. She ran four to five programs simultaneously, with “Hot and Cool” becoming very popular among youths.

Later in her career, she received an offer from a local television station and worked in both radio and TV concurrently. “My earnings from radio and TV were Rs 8,000 per month, which was more than enough for me,” she says.

She was living in a rented house with a friend in Tansen, which later turned out to belong to movie actor Dhiren Shakya, although she was never close to him.

Her journey at Srinagar FM ended in 2073 when she had a dispute with the new television manager and decided to quit. Though this was a moment of frustration, it didn’t last long. On the day she resigned from TV, she received a call from Kathmandu. Tk Bhattarai, the editor at dcnepal.com, offered her a job at the news channel and asked her to come to Kathmandu immediately.

She sought her mother’s permission, which she received like always. The next day, she packed her bags and took a night bus to Kathmandu. Bhattarai joined DC Nepal as a cameraperson, carrying large cameras and following reporters for interviews. After gaining experience, she started taking interviews, learning video editing, and writing news.

Bhattarai proudly says, “During those days, I used to shoot, ask questions to celebrities, write news, and edit videos. I was a four-dimensional journalist.”

Her salary was Rs 20,000 per month, but she couldn’t continue there for long. After one year, she resigned due to another clash with the manager. The station changed, but the routine remained the same when she joined onlinetv.com.

Bhattarai also started her own YouTube channel and did advertisements. During the nationwide lockdown following the COVID-19 pandemic, she focused more on her channel. Initially, she did a few prank videos and received massive responses, which boosted her channel. She now has 104k subscribers on her YouTube channel named Surakshya Bhattarai and also works for Citizen FM as a newsreader.

When asked about her current earnings, she wears a trademark smile and says, “I don’t want to disclose, but it is satisfying for me.”

-What are your future plans?

“I don’t make long-term plans. You will probably see me more focused on my YouTube channel,” she said.

-What about marriage?

The question turned her face red. “You may hear good news very soon,” she hinted.