Meet the voice behind the coronavirus caller tune
You may or may not know Jasleen Bhalla, but we bet you know her voice. The lady, a voice-over artist, is behind that now-familiar voice that has been telling you to take various necessary precautions like following social distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands regularly, in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Here, get to know the lady behind this iconic voice.
Here's how the caller tune plays out, "Coronavirus se aaj poora desh lad raha hai, yaad rahe humein bimari se ladna hai bimar se nahi (The entire nation is fighting against coronavirus, but we have to fight the disease, not the patient)."
Jasleen, a former sports journalist, has been working as a voice-over artist for 10 years. A graduate in English from the Delhi University's Khalsa College, Jasleen has previously recorded her voice for various advertisements and announcements for organizations and companies like Delhi Metro, SpiceJet and IndiGo. She recorded the COVID-19 caller tune from her flat in Alaknanda, Delhi, that doubles up as her office.
Now, in an interaction with TOI, Jasleen said she was also surprised when she first heard her voice playing as a caller tune. She informed she had recorded the message for a production house in March, but was unaware that it was meant for a public campaign. "Now I can't help but feel a certain sense of pride whenever I hear it," she said.
In an earlier interview with NDTV, Jasleen called listening to her own voice on phone an "out of body" experience. She also informed, "Each time the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) updates its information, I have to record a fresh voice-over like the time they changed social-distancing norms from two feet to six feet." She has recorded the message in English and Punjabi.
Jasleen admitted her previous gigs didn't feel as important as this one, saying, "My family knows it's me on the other end of the cell phone so in a way it has made them more cautious about following guidelines, wearing masks and using sanitizers." She added the responsible tone came easy for her as she was taught discipline and responsibility at a young age.
