Radio-day, today !!!

Heard of  or remember   “Radio – beach “?  in Madras  ?? 

In my younger days, this jingle was too catchy:  ஆரோக்கிய வாழ்வினையே காப்பது லைஃப்பாய்! ~ ~ லைப்பாய் எவ்விடமோ ஆரோக்கியம் அவ்விடமே! [Hindi equivalent : 'Lifebuoy hai jahan tandurusti hai wahan']   ~ those were the days of advertising in radio – not the visual media…. Still Lifebuoy could create a relationship of its red coloured product likened to a red-brick to health. 

Back in mid 1970s  - the present Marina beach, opp to Presidency College grounds, behind Kannagi statue was busy with Aquarium, library, Marina swimming pool, mobile Postal van (mail van) and .. .. two conical speakers fitted to poles – there were cemented seats (Pial / Porch / திண்ணை)  -  where people flocked to hear  ‘maanila seithigal’ [news about the State] in the evenings, broadcast at 6 pm.  Those speakers would also dish  out songs – Carnatic and film music too, to the delight of audience.    

Before the advent of television, and even for sometime after, the radio was at the epicenter of news and entertainment. Every  household had a AC/DC radio nestled into a corner or front-and-center in the living room, mostly powered by current,  family and friends would gather around the set to listen to narrative radio shows, historic sporting events, or announcements from world leaders that changed the course of history.

 

In 1970s, license was required to keep a radio, there would be a book and fees would be paid at local Post office – not many would remember.    Today, February 13th, the world is celebrating World Radio Day. Radio is one of the most powerful and timeless mediums of communication, and it has played a significant role in connecting people. 

Radio has been used to disseminate information, provide entertainment, and keep people informed about current events. It is also a vital tool for education and awareness and for bringing communities together, especially in remote areas where other forms of communication may not be easily accessible. 

Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquess of Marconi (1874 – 1937) Itlian electrical engineer, inventor and politician  is credited with inventing radio  and sharing the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand Braun "in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy".  Radio was invented in the early 19th century and uses sound waves and signals to deliver messages across a designated bandwidth. In India, the radio first came in the early 20th century; it took years to be widely used for mass media.

 

Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose,[1858 – 1937) was a polymath, physicist, biologist, biophysicist, botanist and archaeologist, as well as an early writer of science fiction.  He pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics, made very significant contributions to plant science, and laid the foundations of experimental science in the Indian subcontinent.    He made remarkable progress in his research of remote wireless signalling and was the first to use semiconductor junctions to detect radio signals. However, instead of trying to gain commercial benefit from this invention, Bose made his inventions public in order to allow others to further develop his research. 

One of the most important and iconic speeches in modern history Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech was aired on radio.  Radio Zambia became the voice of a struggling generation, and outspokenly defied the apartheid state led by Prime Minister John Vorster. Radio Zambia was hosted by Walter Sisulu, a close friend of Nelson Mandela. 

Back in home,   All India Radio (AIR) broadcasted the first news bulletin on January 19, 1936.   The first radio station in India was Akashvani, which was later known as All India Radio’s on-air name in 1957.  There are over 415 radio stations in about 23 languages and 146 dialects.  AIR is one of the largest radio broadcasters in the world covering 99 per cent population and 18 FM channels.

Broadcasting in India began in June 1923 during the British Raj with programmes by the Bombay Presidency Radio Club and other radio clubs. In 1924, the Madras Presidency Radio Club was established by V. Krishnaswamy Chetty. It made its first broadcast from Holloway’s Garden in Egmore. The Club later faced some financial difficulties but was rescued by the Madras Municipal Corporation in 1927, which ran it till All India Radio was established in Madras in 1938. The radio station at the Ripon Building complex was founded in 1930.   All India Radio Madras began its operations on 16 June 1938. It became one of the six operational stations in the AIR network in the country when India gained independence in 1947, along with Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Lucknow, and Tiruchirappalli. 

By the 1960s, portable transistor sets became common in India. This was a significant leap from the enormous ‘box radios’ of the yesteryear, which only the privileged could afford and have a space large enough to accommodate.  Have seen people carrying transistors (bigger ones) to Chepauk stadium too.  In Car Street, a friend of mine TR Babu, used to carry a transistor often listening to Australia matches and few of frequent visitors were McCosker, Alan Knott (nick names).   

Cricket commentary was a delight hearing the voices of Balu Alaganan, Anant Setalvad,   Berry Sarbadhikari, Dicky Rutnagur and many others. There was the mesmerizing voice and description of V Ramamurthy (IAS officer) and Abdul Jabbar in Tamil.   Balu Alaganan had captained the Tamil Nadu (then called Madras) Ranji trophy side to its maiden Ranji trophy victory in 1955.  Cricket was such a mania that covering Test Series would mean six hours into 5 days wiping out space for any other sports / any other activity.   Fifty years later, the gulf between the popularity of cricket and other sports has merely increased in India. 

Radio sets would be everywhere, from Tailor shops, Tea shops, roadside eateries, and .. ..    cricket on radio would not be interrupted by power cuts, a not-too-uncommon occurrence of 20th-century India.  

Back in 2013, for SYMA program, we went to invite a famous person who   rose to fame for the variety of children’s programme organized on All India Radio for over 25 years and earned the sobriquet ‘Vannoli Anna'.  His tone and tenor were so friendly and uncomplicated that he was perceived so closed to all children, even when they had not seen him.    Koothabiran, famously known as ‘Vanoli Anna’,  discovered and nurtured many a young talent, who rose to become successful later.

 

His rich and emotive voice entertained hundreds of children,  he would have narrated over 1,000 stories in the popular ‘Pappa Malar’ segment on the All India Radio (AIR), for over 25 years, and through other television programmes. Through the stories, he imparted cultural and patriotic values to children.  “Children are children no matter what generation they belong to. They grow up according to how we mould them,” he said.  

When my Uncle returned from a Singapore trip, he gave a Sanyo pocket transistor which was a cherished treasure for decades – and when I lived in Kakinada alone and away from family, some time was spent hearing to   a Phillips portable  transistor gifted by Peyalwar Koil street friends. 

Radio for sure brings out many many happy memories of young days.

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
13.2.2025