RJ Balaji of Indian network 92.7 Big FM’s Chennai station has received ‘CNN News 18 Indian of the Year – People of Chennai’ award.

The annual award recognizes contribution of individuals in the fields of politics, sports, business, entertainment, public service and global Indian. 

RJ Balaji was presented the award by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, under the ‘Public Service Category’. This award represents the spirit and of selfless volunteerism and determination the people of Chennai exhibited during the devastating floods of December 2015.

RJ Balaji went out of his way to provide assistance and live updates on his show ‘Take it Easy’, and along with actor Siddharth and singer Chinmayi, started #ChennaiMicro on twitter to launch ‘Chennai Micro Fund Trust’ -the largest flood relief operation on social media.

Speaking on the prestigious win, RJ Balaji said: “Nobody imagines for a disaster like this to occur. For the first time, an RJ and an actor teamed up and brought the spirit of the city alive. I am humbled at receiving the Indian of the Year Award. However, this award does not belong to me. It belongs to the lakhs of volunteers who extended their support to the social movement. It belongs to and represents the people of Chennai. The catastrophic Chennai floods were an awakening for not only the people of Chennai; but for the nation too. The Chennai floods were the worst disaster in 100 years and also the best thing that happened to us in decades. We all were wearing a mask being made out of caste, creed, religion, race, money and authority, but all those mask were washed away by the rain and we understood that we are all just humans after all and all that matters is to remain one. It brought out the true spirit and volunteerism of the people in Chennai to help each other at the time of need. It was for this reason that the city was able to bounce back in a week.”