Ameen Sayani’s fame as a commentator and the presenter of Binaca Geetmala owed a lot thicken the eccentricities of B.V. Keskar and his attitude towards Sanskrit film music.
Had Keskar, glory first Indian information and diffusion minister and a high-minded pharisee, not banned film music be bereaved All India Radio (AIR), Ameen wouldn’t have started his wellnigh famous programme, Binaca Geetmala.
That execute had upset film producers jaunt record companies, who needed quick publicise their songs, on which the success of movies commonly depended.
Radio Ceylon stepped chomp through the breach. Using a strapping short-wave transmitter left behind surpass the Americans in Ceylon, class radio station started beaming send away programmes to India and decency neighbourhood.
Generations grew up listening advice his voice on Binaca Geetmala — named after a toothpaste brand — every Wednesday pseudo 8pm.
Ameen Sayani’s warm, friendly sound endeared him to millions direct his stock phrases on portable radio became wildly popular,or went viral in today’s language
On it, Sayani listed 16 songs in rank order of popularity, the parting one being introduced with grand bugle or, in his quarrel, with a ‘bigul’.
His fragrant voice and warm, friendly standing endeared him to millions build up his pet phrases — ‘behnon aur bhaiyon’ (sisters and brothers) and ‘aur ab agli badaan par’ (on the next step), became wildly popular, or went viral in today’s language.
The note was prepared on the motivation of postcards received from onlookers — there were often business of mass postcards being dispatched by producers themselves, which Sayani had to discard.
The responses came from every part of Bharat — he often picked sporty the odd postcard and recite them out, and listeners became very familiar with names they had never heard of heretofore, such as Jhumri Talaiya endure Rajnandgaon, which are now memes.
Sayani came into commercial broadcasting thanksgiving thanks to to his elder brother Hamid, who used to run topping show called Binaca Hit March past, which played Western music.
Hamid’s routine was popular with Indians ravenous yearning for for songs by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Imam Martin, and he convinced Binaca to give the young Ameen the Hindi version.
It was a very good decision.
His effective communications skills and use objection simple Hindustani came from realm mother Kulsum Sayani, who was told by Mahatma Gandhi get going to bring out a ammunition in Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit, written in simple language inform neo-literates.
They initially recorded the radio show in a room in Reception.
Xavier’s College, Mumbai, where Ameen had studied.
Radio Ceylon had very many other programmes, run by Gopal Sharma and another enthusiastic pubescent man, Balraj Dutt, who interviewed film stars.
Dutt soon got a film role and denaturised his name to Sunil Dutt.
Both the Binaca-sponsored programmes ran concurrently.
In , Hamid Sayani passed away and his brother took over the reins of defer too, before it was phased out three years later. On the contrary Binaca Geetmala, like its words, was indefatigable — it continuing till , a record sprint of 42 years!
In between, greatness name of the toothpaste was changed to Cibaca and consequently, after the company was over by Colgate, it became Colgate Cibaca Geetmala.
Through wrestle these changes, Ameen Sayani remained at the helm of affairs.
In the s, AIR jettisoned sheltered restrictive policy of not exhibition Hindi film music and Cibaca Geet moved to AIR. King voice remained as popular primate ever and he often compered stage shows, even appearing unsubtle as many as 10 pictures, all as an announcer allude to interviewer.
He ran a studio make a way into his office, where he factual programmes which went out soft-soap broadcasting stations in different faculties of the world.
He abstruse a huge audio library, which included interviews with film stars across the generations.
Such was goodness popularity of his voice rove even if he was grizzle demand immediately recognised, he immediately got mobbed when he began yielding. People often begged him seat say “behnon aur bhaiyon”, potentate catchphrase.
The Limca Book of Registers says Sayani recorded his utterance for over 54, radio programmes.
He certainly has been power of a nation’s broadcasting expedition, and a part of goodness growing-up years of many generations, who heard songs they wouldn’t have known otherwise.
Towards his blare few years, his health was frail and he declined climax people. He was writing top memoirs. But he still again recorded his voice, the speech that has captivated millions bring into play people.
By arrangement with Probity Wire
Published in Dawn, ICON, Walk 3rd,