The Unforgettable Voice of Iconic Radio Presenter, “Allow Ameen Sayani; Namaskar, Shubh Ratri, Shab Bakhair”
By
New Age Islam Staff Writer
23 February
2024
Ameen
Sayani's Legacy and Impact on Radio
Main
Points:
1. His show,
Binaca Geetmala, had 21 million weekly listeners by the late 1970s, featuring
Hindi movie tunes.
2. Sayani's
voice was a powerful attraction to radio listeners, drawing them in from start
to finish.
3. Binaca
Geetmala's success was largely due to Sayani's captivating voice, which
captivated listeners for 41 years.
4. Sayani's
final program of Binaca Geetmala was presented on March 12, 1994, with the song
"Jadoo Teri Nazar Khushboo Tera Badan".
5. Once Amitabh
Bachchan, who was a young actor at the time, attended the test but had to leave
due to Ameen Sayani's busy schedule.
6. His legacy
and contributions will always be remembered in the radio industry, with his
voice and contributions forever remembered.
------
“Bhaiyon
Aur Behno! Aap Ki Khidmat Me Ameen Sayani Ka Aadaab [Brothers and sisters! Etiquette of Ameen
Sayani at your service]”. These terms were practically a sensation fifty years
ago, the most widely used buzzwords in the radio world, making people happy.
Indeed! The voice was that of Ameen Sayani, who was first heard throughout
India on Wednesday, December 3, 1952, at 8:30 p.m. via Radio Ceylon. His voice
has now gone silent forever. Ameen Sayani is no longer with us.
Ameen
Sayani, whose soulful voice was immortalized in the world of radio, reminds
everyone of the eras when radio was the only life of broadcast, even after the
nearly fifty-year journey of Binaca Geetmala has come to an end. His voice, one
of the most beautiful in history, was heard on more than 54,000 radio shows.
Ameen
Sayani was born in Bombay on December 21, 1932. Coming from a family with a
strong literary interest, Ameen Sayani started the daily Rahbar, and his
brother Hamid Sayani became a well-known English broadcaster. He shot to fame with the fabulous show
"Geetmala," which aired for the first time in December 1952. He began
his career as an English broadcaster before moving to Hindi following
independence.
His show
Binaca Geetmala, which had 21 million weekly listeners by the late 1970s,
featured Hindi movie tunes. Every week, it got 65,000 letters. Ameen Sayani
only 30 times in 41 years denied Binaca Geetmala access to his talismanic
voice, and those were the only occasions when he was not in his own country or
town.
No voice in
Asia or India can compare to Ameen Sayani's. As a result, Binaca Geetmala's
magic left a profound impression on many viewers, and even now, years after the
show's 1994 conclusion, everyone can still clearly recall his words and
memories. This unique musical programme held the attention of radio listeners
for a significant duration. People were waiting impatiently for the broadcast
of this programme. While everyone remembers this period differently, they all
remember sitting in front of a radio to listen to Ameen Sayani's voice.
At that
moment, Ameen Sayani's voice was the only thing drawing attention to the ears
as labour ceased. When this show aired at the designated hour, nobody could be
away from the radio from start to finish.
Ameen Sayani's captivating voice was what drew listeners into this
programme. Ameen Sayani was the one who ensured this cherished program's
success. For 41 years in a row, Ameen Sayani delivered this programme with
success, and not even a dull period could derail it.
You could
say that each has its history, regardless of whether it is connected to Binaca
Geetmala or Ameen Sayani. One chapter or article cannot adequately describe
what they did. There was a time when radio fascinated people to the fullest.
You may imagine that for 48 years, Wednesday from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. was
the designated day and time for Binaca Geetmala to air.
On October
27, 1988, it started airing every Thursday from 9 to 10 p.m., rather than on
Wednesdays. The cause for the change in time and day was "Door Darshan,"
which started airing its movie soundtrack-infused show "Chitrahaar"
on Wednesday night. The show was scheduled to start at eight at night.
Television hosts probably used movie soundtracks to entice viewers because, at
the time, radio was going out of style and television had become a standard in
every home owing to broadcast services.
Radio had
become irrelevant to the younger generation. The audience did not have to spend
two and a half hours in the movie theatres to watch and hear the soundtrack.
The television screen unavoidably became more appealing and pleasurable since
the Chitrahaar that was heard on Vividh Bharti’s radio station was now visible.
Somewhere, this had an impact on Binaca Geetmala. Because at that time, people
continued to switch their allegiance from radio to television. After that,
Binaca was forced to embrace the burgeoning television trend, and its
forty-one-year reign came to an end.
Ameen
Sayani presented the final and farewell program of Binaca Geetmala on March 12,
1994, with the song "Jadoo Teri Nazar Khushboo Tera Badan"
(Movie: Dar).
Upon his
radio comeback with his new show, "Sitaron Ki Jawaniyan,"
Ameen Sayani disclosed that Big B [Amitabh Bachchan] had not scheduled a vocal
audition, therefore he did not have time to meet with the actor. Ameen claimed
in the interview that he was involved in every facet of radio programming back
in the 1960s when he was doing 20 shows a week and spent most of the day locked
in the sound studio. Amitabh Bachchan, who was young at the time, showed up for
the voice test one day but had to leave because of a busy schedule of Ameen
Sayani.
Ameen
Sayani became well-known throughout the world of radio because of his melodic
voice and mannerisms. His fluid Urdu and distinctive speech pattern elevated
him. Everyone was moved by Ameen Sayani's voice. With this voice, "Binaca
Geetmala" was assured of success and went on to captivate his audience
for 41 years in a row. In the radio industry, Ameen Sayani's contributions and
name will always be remembered. His legacy will live on in the world forever,
as will the light of his voice.
------
The
source of this data is an Urdu article by Mansooruddin Faridi.
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism