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. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/iconic-radio-ameen-sayani-namaskar-shubh-ratri-shab-bakhair/d/131779 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