Ram Singh Bouddh, fondly known as the 'Radio Man', has carved his name into the Guinness World Records for amassing an unparalleled collection of radios, with an astonishing 1,257 unique pieces.
Bouddh, a 68-year-old resident of Naipura village in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha district, achieved this remarkable feat, marking him as a guardian of radio history.
The Guinness World Records website confirmed, "The largest collection of radios is 1,257, and was achieved by Ram Singh Bouddh in Gajraula, Uttar Pradesh, India, on February 13, 2024. Ram Singh was inspired to begin his radio collection after listening to the radio show 'Mann Ki Baat' hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
Although the website acknowledged that records are not updated instantly, the entry was officialised on September 26.
Bouddh recounted that his collection, which totals around 1,400 radios, was visited by a Guinness World Records team on February 18, who ultimately selected 1,257 radios to be included in the official count.
“My name was registered in the Guinness World Records on September 26 and the certificate was uploaded on its website the following day," Bouddh said.
His passion for radios received a significant boost when Prime Minister Modi mentioned him during the 'Mann Ki Baat' radio show in November 2023.
"After hearing my name in 'Mann Ki Baat', my enthusiasm for collecting radios increased even further," Bouddh said, recalling how his unique hobby gained national attention.
Bouddh’s fascination with radios began after he started listening to Modi’s monthly broadcast, which celebrates India’s heritage and history. It has since blossomed into a full-fledged mission to preserve the legacy of this communication tool.
Now retired from his role as a supervisor at the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), he dedicates most of his time to his vast collection of radios and other artefacts.
His expansive collection includes radios from prominent manufacturers like Bush, Murphy, and Philips, as well as international brands such as Sony and Panasonic.
Among the highlights of his collection is a US Army radio from 1920, valued at Rs 20,000.
The largest radio in his possession comes from the German Ground Link Company, measuring an imposing one-and-a-half metres, while the smallest, in sharp contrast, is a mere one inch.
Not content with merely accumulating radios, Bouddh has already gifted 137 of them to the Akashvani Bhavan museum in Delhi, furthering his mission to share his collection with the public.
Manohar Singh Rawat, in charge of the 'Mann Ki Baat' show, personally expressed his gratitude to Bouddh for donating radio sets to the museum.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath praised Bouddh’s efforts, stating that his collection is an important preservation of radio heritage that will educate future generations about the evolution of communication.
Bouddh has also written to Prime Minister Modi, expressing his desire to establish a radio museum in his hometown, which he hopes will be a permanent monument to his passion.
In addition to his radios, Bouddh’s collection includes a wide array of antiques, such as 200 film reels dating back to 1931, 300 ancient manuscripts, 2,500 coins from various periods, including the British era, and 12 pocket-sized TVs.
His collection even boasts a 400-year-old handwritten copy of the Bhagavad Gita and the world’s smallest Bible.
Despite his extraordinary achievements, Bouddh muses with a hint of regret that he did not receive a radio as a wedding gift, quipping that it is the one thing he wishes he could chang
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