Some of you reading this article may not have
even been born when ‘Binaca Geetmala’ was the only source of the latest music
for some. The programme, aired on Radio Ceylon, was started in 1952. In those
times, radio was the only medium of listening to songs. The gramophone and tape
recorders were out of reach for people living in rural areas and even cities.
Even those who owned either of them still listened to the programme everyday.
Ameen Sayani hosted the show and was one of
the most popular and recognisable voices in the Indian sub-continent. A
recipient of the Padma Shree, Dada Saheb Phalke award and many others, he is
one of the few radio hosts to have become more popular than many actors. There
are several radio channels now, especially on Frequency Modulation (FM), but
how many radio jockeys can you think of who are as popular or even come close
to Ameen Sayani? He remains the golden voice of radio and played a major role
in the success of Binaca Geetmala.
Binaca Geetmala, in the initial years, did
not play the top ten contemporary songs. Songs were played in no particular
order. Later, a top ten countdown was adopted. The list was compiled based on
album sales, opinions of record store owners and ‘Shrota Sanghs’ (listeners’
clubs). The first countdown on the show was topped by Mera Man Dole sung by
Lata Mangeshkar in the film ‘Nagin’.
The show was renamed as Cibaca Sangeetmala,
Cibaca Geetmala and Colgate-Cibaca Geetmala. Later, it was aired on Vividh
Bharati and ran till 1994. Vividh Bharati is still continuing on radio;
however, Binaca Geetmala is no longer a part of it.
People belonging to the era when radio was
popular still like to hear Vividh Bharati. Of course, they miss their favourite
show, ‘Binaca Geetmala’. You may find people trying to tune into Vividh Bharati
on the contemporary compact music players, which do not have any frequency
other than Frequency Modulation (FM).
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