Courtesy: www.radioandmusic.com
Tarachand Wanvari 08 Jul 14 20:13 IST
BENGALURU: A few days ago former RJ and friend Vasanthi Hariprakash mentioned on her facebook page that Radio City Bangalore (Bengaluru), private FM radio had completed 13 years (started broadcasting on July 3, 2001) and entered its teens. Hariprakash aka 'Sunshine Girl' was an RJ on that very popular private FM station in the country.
With fathoms of changes in the radio broadcasting in the country I hereby reminisce the era of revolution in this report.
While I was growing up, the memories of the war between Indian and Pakistan still remains. My first vivid memories of the radio are those of a five year old boy who witnessed the sobbing of his uncle and dad when they heard that Prime Minister Lal Bahadhur Shastri had passed away in Tashkant.
A few years later in December 1971, I clearly remember the in my aunt's voice as she breathlessly announced that Pakistan had called for a ceasefire of hostilities. I remember the negative comments that followed whenever we heard Yahya Khan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Nixon on the radio.
I evoke the memory my friends cheering when All India Radio announced the arrest of Mujibur Rahman.
How times have changed since then and growing up in Mumbai I sat glued to the transistor. My generation grew up with radio as the only form of communication.
The voices of Ameen Sayani resonate even today. 'Binaca Geetmala' (later Cibaca Geetmala) was an absolute must, as was the mandatory narration and exchange of dialogues.
It is about the period in the 1970s' that I remember how all the family members gathered around the breakfast table on Sunday only to hear Havaldar Naik's peals of laughter and later listened to an hour long Bollywood chartbusters on Vivid Bharati. The weekday afternoons were reserved for western music, mostly classical over a quiet lunch on return from school before homework. I often waited for Saturday Pop on Saturday on All India Radio. Jingles like 'Mummy, mummy Modern bread' or 'Harvik, Harvik whistle pop khaie ye' remains fresh in my memories.
Cricket as usual was a binding factor. I remember everyone in my school including teachers, principals and school mates wanted to know the score during recess and the physical training period. Many a times, a student would get away from being punished when he/she was caught listening to cricket commentary during class hours on a small
pocket radio. The student would simply disclose the latest 'score' to the teacher. Like mobile phone today, pocket radios were also not allowed in most educational institutions.
Unlike today, Ranji Trophy matches ran for five days and were aired live on radio.
AFST or Bobby Talyarkhan, Ravi Chaturvedi, Joga Rao, Jasdev Singh, Suresh Saraiya, Raj Singh Dungarpur, Dicky Rutnagur and Anant Setalvad are the names that come to mind, when one speaks of radio cricket commentators. Vijay Merchant's expert comments during the match were like manna from heaven for the cricket aficionado. His Sunday afternoon programme on Vividh Bharati 'Cricket with Vijay Merchant' was a must listen for cricket lovers.
The short stint between 1993 and 1998, when the government sold time slots to private companies to run their programming is best forgotten. My memories of this period are vague – Times FM and Radio Midday are the only names that come to mind. There must have been a few odd shows that were great, but, not memorable.
As I said, a lot has changed, including my city of residence Bengaluru. The garden city is now more of a concrete jungle. SW and MW are suddenly as strange as an alien. I listen to radio only when driving or in a car as opposed to all day on a shared transistor, because the pocket radio required batteries which were too expensive to replace regularly. Rechargeable batteries were a rarity in those days. The pocket radio for a limited period of time had become a fashion statement, an item to show off.
Music of my choice with great RJ talk is now doled out 24x7 on not just one or two sporadic stations, but among others on Radio Rainbow, Fever FM, Red FM and a completely international radio station Radio Indigo. Kannada radio too has some lovely music and there are three stations that play Kannada music in Bangalore– Big FM, Radio Mirchi and Radio City which went Kannada a few years ago.
Prithvi, Shraddha, Sriram, Rubina, Disha, Julius, Melodee Austin, Shagufta, Michelle, Nathan are the people that I listen to while driving. The good looking Danish Sait on Fever FM and Rakesh with their funny impersonations have replaced Havaldar Naik's peals, and radio shows such as Picture Pandey have replaced the mandatory movie soundtracks of yesteryear's Vividh Bharati, but as I mentioned before, only if I happen to be in a car.
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