Mahe native Praveen Kumar is making his mark in the world of ham radio, connecting communities across continents and demonstrating that radio waves can unite people without face-to-face contact.

Praveen, who has been active in ham radio for 20 years, is a member of 45 international amateur radio clubs. From his home, he can even communicate with astronauts aboard the International Space Station using ham radio.

Using ham radio requires a license from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. When conventional communication systems fail, ham radio can link a region to the world via radio waves, functioning reliably in any weather. It has even proved invaluable during tsunami emergencies.

During his school years, Praveen frequently listened to programs on Sri Lankan radio stations. One day, he overheard a coded conversation between two operators, which he could not understand.

 In 1992, he again heard one person from Illikunnu in Thalassery giving another their address over the radio. Though he could grasp only part of the information, his curiosity led him to investigate, and he eventually reached the person’s home. This was Kunjikrishnan Nambiar, a ham radio operator who introduced Praveen to the world of ham radio. Later, Balan of Chetttamkunnu taught him the fundamentals of ham radio technology.

Praveen’s collection includes an SSTV image of astronaut Sunita Williams celebrating Christmas aboard the International Space Station. In recognition of his contributions, he received the Rabindra Ratna Award last December.

Praveen works as an office manager at Mahe Municipality. His wife, K C Sreelekha, is a teacher, and the couple has a son, Shravan Kumar.