Adieu Ameen Sayani

We are living in an era that is mechanical and sans the personal touch. Those who have lived the life listening to the All India Radio (AIR) and Vividh Bharti on their radio sets know the value of the voice quality, pronunciation and voice modulation. Before popularity of the All India Radio(AIR) the quality film music lovers used to tune in to the Radio Ceylon also known as Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.That exists even now. This radio station used to cater to the demand of Bollywood music lovers who cherished the songs of the singing sensations of the early years. It was a time when there were no tape recorders or CD players. Only respite came through the gramophones. That too was the privilege of the select elite class. Even the radio set was a luxury. And those who have listened to the Radio Ceylon in the yesteryears are well versed with the broadcasting sensation known as Ameen Sayani who set the trend with his melodious voice and diction addressing the listeners as “Behno aur Bhaiyon”(sisters and bothers).More than listening to the songs people used to hear the voice of Ameen Sayani that was full of honey .It appeared as if honey dew was entering the ears and people were taken to a new world of pleasure. His voice used to set the mood. The programme he presented was called “Binaca Geet Mala”.Geet Mala means the “garland of songs” and the word Binaca was used as the prefix that signified the patronage of the sponsors. It was the programme that decided as which song was to be placed where on the popularity list and the rank was given to the Hindi film songs. Even the songs that made to the top slots more than once were given the special ranking. Songs of the singing sensations like Talat Mahmood, Mukesh Kishore Kumar, Hemant Kumar. Mohammad Rafi, Manna Dey, Suraiya,Lata Mangeshkar and many more used to be played and it created an ecosystem that talked of golden times in Indian cinema. It was the genius of Ameen Sayani and the quality of his voice that this programme was not famous and most sought after only in India but the entire subcontinent. His career and personality is worth emulating as a case study in mass media and communication skill classes besides in learning the art of presentation. His recordings that are numerous can act as institution to train and groom good communicators. During his early years he helped his mother Kulsum Sayani in editing the fortnightly Rahber. That talks about his grooming in languages and helped him emerge as the top broadcaster of India who had no parallel. In Ameen Sayani India has lost a pioneer in radio broadcasting and communication. The apt tribute to this ace broadcaster will be to keep his memory alive by creating institutions in his name in mass communication, radio broadcasting to develop an ecosystem based on the techniques used by the leading communicator who connected with his audience with air waves in mind. It has to be kept in mind that he was communicating with voice only and was not a TV presenter. Indeed it was challenging for him.It is easy to keep the audience glued in visual presentation but to make people listen to you with the rapt attention needs extraordinary communication skills. Ameen Sayani Sahab was a class apart and knew the trade tricks. He improvised his voice and changed moods and knew how words have to be uttered. When one has to be loud and when the voice has to be mellowed down. This technique can’t be learnt in text books but needs one to train his vocal chords. Ameen Sayani will always live through his voice. And those who listened to him even after the Radio Ceylon days till early 1980’s know what it means to be Ameen Sayani. Nation pays rich tributes to this great communicator who brought life and credibility to radio broadcasting. His voice was the signature voice in broadcasting and will remain so forever. There cannot be another Ameen Sayani in Radio broadcasting.