Ameen Sayani
On the highway of frequency waves the tuning needle flitted from one station to the other…either you remembered the frequency on which your program was broadcast, or the position of the tuning “needle”, approximately, told you whether you were on the right place to hear your favorite program, then all that was left for you to do was to check the clock or your wrist watch.
Ceylon Radio broadcast Hindi film music…Ameen Sayani bacame a household name. The program known as Binaca Geetmala is remembered by the older generation most vividly. You can hear the programs on YouTube. The program has been lovingly preserved in crystal clarity. It was because All India Radio broadcast only classical music, which could be appreciated by only a few people, Ceylon Radio became popular.
If people wanted entertainment then they had to have a radio that was good enough to receive the broadcast from Radio Ceylon. To get the program was a chore, because the station could be found only after considerable fiddling of the tuning knob. Those days the radios were huge sets that occupied the pride of place. The older generation would need to displace the younger ones when they wanted to listen to the news.
Entertainment, otherwise, meant either going to the cinema or the theater. In the really old days before the advent of moving pictures the only way one could get some entertainment was by visiting the theater. The theater would advertise a stage play or a musical performance. But that was much before my time, perhaps even before my father’s time. Or the circus would visit the town where you lived.
Much depended on one’s own initiative…someone may have been a good singer and could entertain their audience of friends and family, or they could have been good at playing the piano. However, financial considerations forced the hands of the bureaucrats and commercial program began on All India Radio. It was during the prime listening time that a chatty voice would take away your attention from more immediate concerns. However, the die hard listeners of Radio Ceylon never gave up.
Ameen Sayani’s voice could be heard on All India Radio. He used to present film music based programs. His style of presentation and voice modulation was exactly like it was on Radio Ceylon. AFS Talyarkhan was a well known cricket commentator, he had a sponsored program whose name I could not find in Google and have forgotten it. Even people who had nothing to do with cricket would listen to his end of the day talk on the day’s play.It was in English but was hugely popular.
The cinema held sway over All India Radio, soundtrack of a movie used to be played on Sunday before DoorDarshan the government owned TV put an end to it by telecasting movies every Sunday.
India’s romance with the TV began in the early ’80’s when color telecast began as a result of Asian Games being hosted by India. For me who liked radio, TV was almost a nightmare, because you would be called to watch boring people do stupid things in front of the TV cameras under blazing light. It wasn’t all gloom or doom there were some very interesting programs too, but they were so few.
Now even BBC radio does not have the charm of those days when the famous signature tune told you that it was time for the BBC World Service News from London. The news would broadcast world events. My interest in global politics can be traced to this beginning. Reporters would present news stories from various locations around the globe! Whereas All India Radio read news that was vetted by India’s “Kremlin.” I wanted to be the person who sat at the 24 channel console ensuring that what was broadcast was heard on various radios in crystal fashion; but here I am a blogger who thinks he is a broadcasting guru.