‘Radio’ the real pioneer

Broadcasting in Lahore started in a small way with a transmitter installed in the YMCA building on The Mall. This was in 1928 i.e. the previous century. It was later shifted to the house owned by Sir Fazle Hussain near ‘Simla Pahari’, on the road leading to the Governor’s House, in 1937.

It was at this location where broadcasting stars were born before independence and after independence. At the historical inauguration on December 16, 1937 the ‘days artists’ were Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, Inayat Bai Dheruwali and Gohar Sultan. Talker was Sir Sheikh Abdul Qadir and the announcer was SA Hameed. The Lahore station was on its way to give to the subcontinent most of the great performing artists who made their name and reached stardom.

In retrospect the broadcasting came to Indian subcontinent in March 1926 when The Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC), a private Company was formed. On July 23, 1927 IBC started a station in Bombay, and made the beginning of organised broadcasting in the subcontinent. It was followed by Lahore radio station in 1928. Bombay and Lahore were at that time the hub of performing arts. Lahore had the additional advantage of being a city of intellect and education, so it deserved, on merit, this pioneering role. In March 1935, the Government of India created the Office of Controller of Broadcasting under the Department of Industries and Labour. In August same year, Mr Lionel Fielden assumed charge of first Controller of Broadcasting and in 1936 Delhi radio station was opened.

Mr AS Bokhari, Station Director Delhi, became Deputy Controller of broadcasting in July 1936. Mr AS Bokhari was a close friend and college fellow of Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj from the Government College. They were both known writers and AS Bokhari used the pen name ‘Patras’.

On June 8, 1936 the name of Indian State Broadcasting Service was changed to ‘AIR’ or ‘All India Radio’.

Lahore was the centre of artistic movements particularly the performing arts. Around Lahore lived persons like Om Parkash, Uma Kayshap (later filmstar ‘Kamini Kaushal’), Balraj Sahini, Dev Anand, Shamshad Begum, Surinder Kaur, Malika Pukhraj and poet Hafiz Jallandhri who all had a stint with Lahore Radio at some time or the other. Commercial film had started in Lahore. There were several studios churning out films.

Even the first international film of silent era, ‘The loves of a Moghal Prince’ based on Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj’s ‘Anarkali’ had been made in Lahore with the partnership of UFA company of Germany. Unfortunately, the film is untraceable though its posters and credits are seen on Internet. It shows Imtiaz Ali Taj in it as an actor also, along with Mr Rafi Peer and ‘Patras’.

The live theatre movement was still alive and the period of Agha Hashar and others was not yet entirely over. But with the decline of traditional theatre companies the talent looked at film and radio as their future sponsors. The situation was ripe in Lahore and almost all distinguished and talented writers and performers, particularly musicians and actors, started to get associated with ‘Radio’. Radio had a large reach; it could be heard anywhere and everywhere. If the performer or the production was good every household would recognise it. Stars from radio began to emerge. The popularity of the ‘Radio’ grew. To own a ‘Radio Set’ was a matter of prestige. The popularly called ‘Radio Set’ was placed at a place of prominence in the house and listening to radio was a daily routine. It gave news, music, drama, talks, features and a lot more. The Lahore Radio had a pick of writers, directors, actors and directors employed with it. The great advantage of the presence of this distinguished group was fully availed by the participants. For actors the perfection in diction was ensured. A team of experts checked the pronunciations. They were helped in understanding the plays and the character they played. Since every emotion was to be communicated through voice only, the actors had to take up the challenge and learn to use, modify, or completely change their voice persona for the character. Sultan Khosat the veteran actor was known to have played normal male characters as well as the child ‘Ultey pultey’ and many times as old women. Mohni Das (later Mohini Hameed) was versatility at its best. She was an actress who could hold your attention by her vocal expression for every minute she was on air. She sang for children as ‘Apa Shamim’ and compared programmes for children. The tradition of storytelling to children was later upheld by Iffat Sultana. During the turbulent times of August 1947 Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj rose to the occasion and Lahore Radio played a great role of social service. He started the programme “Pakistan Hamara Hae”. It was meant to communicate with the migrating multitude. He volunteered to link the programme with field service of recovering abducted women and joined the teams to do so. Through this programme he appealed for donations of the articles desperately needed by refugees. The success of the appeals was such that materials were over supplied. The leader of the calibre of Gandhi himself congratulated Mr Taj on this service through ‘Radio’ and wished Taj was an Indian. Mr Taj later continued his social message in his talks ‘Panch minute kay liyae’ a series of 5-minute message.

I was associated with Radio in Lahore much later, in mid 50s, and I found it a great learning experience. I was lucky to be in the set-up of those who still upheld the old traditions. At that time Mr Mehmood Nizami was the director. There were Razi Tirmazi, Izhar Kazmi, Chaudhry Bashir, Shad Amritsari, Raja Farooq Ali Khan, Aminur Rehman, Bazle Haq Mehmood and a host of others. There were also very knowledgeable announcers/compares like Akhlaq Ahmed Dehlvi who responded to listeners’ letters and Mustafa Ali Hamadani who made the first announcement at the moment of creation of Pakistan and Mohyuddin.

On top of it there were some distinguished producers from ‘outside’ like Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj, Rafi Peerzada, Zia Mohyuddin and Ishfaq Ahmed (historical ‘Talqeen Shah’) for drama productions. All of these people provided me with a learning opportunity and enabled me to broadcast from most of Pakistan’s Radio stations.

Music was perhaps the greatest of Radio’s attraction. Listeners could get everything they wanted. Classical, popular, or devotional music, all were available. Roshan Ara Begum, Nazakat Ali/Salamat Ali Khan, Amanat Ali/Fateh Ali Khan, Iqbal Bano, Farida Khanam, Umrao Zia Begum, instrumentalists Sharif Khan ‘Poonchwaley’, Hyder Bukhsh, Shaukat Hussain, Sain Marna, Babu Khan, Siraj Ahmed Qureshi and Kaley Khan, and the actors like Sheikh Iqbal, Muhammad Husain, Haseeb Malik, Mrs Haseeb Malik, Sabira Sultana,Khurshid Begum and SM Saleem are only a few names amongst a galaxy. Of course not forgetting singer Reshman who was entirely the discovery of Mr Salim Gilani in Lahore from amongst the gypsy singers.

I recall an incident about Sain Marna. He was a ‘Saeen’ completely lost in his own world but no one could match his recitals of ‘IK-Tara’, the single stringed instrument. On one occasion he was booked as an ‘Artist of the Day’ for a particular day of the month. He was to appear in several chunks throughout that day. Saeen Marna came to the gate of the ‘Radio Pakistan’ on that day, and took a paan from the vendor at the gate as usual. The vendor congratulated him for being the ‘Artist of the Day’ as an honour. ‘Saen’ was pleased and happy at the honour, but he disappeared and the producers couldn’t find him anywhere near about! The radio producers had to make emergency alternate arrangements; Director Mehmood Nizami was also very upset. Three days later Saen Marna made his appearance wearing a very decorative, fancy ‘kurta’ and ready to perform – Nizami gave him a bit of his mind for having disappeared. Saen Marna did not understand the administrative hassle he had caused and the subsequent attitude of the director. He said to the director ‘I don’t like this, I went to have a special kurta made for your programme and still you are angry? Now I am not going to play for you, I will sit outside the studio and play in the lawns for grasshoppers and not for you,”

Mr Nizami realised that Saeen Marna has his own world and it did not relate to the realities of administration. But Saeen Marna was one and only of his calibre so Mr Nizami rushed to the engineers, laid special cables and sent microphone to the location in the lawns where ‘Marna’ was playing for ‘grasshoppers’ completely absorbed in his creativity.

He may not have even realised if he was being broadcast! But Nizami had grown beyond personal vanity and provided the experience to the listeners. Such was the relationship between the team of administrators and creators.

Later in the 60s, Yasmin Tahir introduced the western music in association with Mr Kroders. Yasmin also compared ‘Fauji Bhaiyon Ka Programme’ and the first ‘call in’ audience participation programme, ‘52292’.

It was introduced by Mr Salim Gillani and assigned to Yasmin. Yasmin introduced the new FM 101 programming for Radio, and compared it, and finally, the daily ‘Sat Rang’, during her 30 years dedicated services to Radio. “Sat Rang” was a unique programme of about one hour daily, and Yasmin was the single compare talking to the listener as a friend.

There were many other programmes of top popularity like ‘Dehati Bhaiyon kay liya’ with Mirza Sultan Beg as ‘Nizam Din’, in his inimitable coarse voice representing the rustic tiller of the lands. Also not to be forgotten is writer/humorist/actor ‘Qazi ji’ of Shaukat Thanvi.

Lahore Radio even maintained its contact with listeners in India through a regular programme produced by Riaz Mehmood.

The memories of the ‘Radio experience’ are unending.

Great artists were introduced and developed by it for its audience. There is hardly any great name in literature or performing arts who does not know a gratitude to the ‘Radio’ for its support.

The traditions of the old ‘Radio Station’ from the Fazle Hussain building changed with a move to the new ‘Broadcasting House’. I made some recordings for the archives with the cooperation of its dedicated Director Mr Shamsuddin Butt. The great Sufi Tabassum, A Hameed, Intizar Hussain, Nasir Kazimi and other colleagues like Akram Butt, Islam Shah, Raza Kazmi and Yasmin Tahir continued to uphold the great traditions for some time. But there were new challenges. The greatest being the TV in 1964.The role of Lahore Radio during the war of 1965 and Noor Jehan’s voluntary contribution are part of its proud history.

The old guard has mostly faded out now. But still radio has such lovingly dedicated individuals as its Director General Ms Samina Pervez, Director Programmes Ms Nayyar Jamal and Director Lahore Station Mr Raza Kazmi that the outlook is optimistic. It is an expression of pride, and dedication that they have decided to celebrate the anniversary of Radio in Lahore. I congratulate them and they need to be heartily congratulated by all old and new associates. ‘Radio’ has a huge reservoir of creative artists, big names of past and present are Radio’s assets and a strong bond still exists between all of them. These are such assets which cannot be claimed by any other institution. It is the ‘Radio’ which provided the stream of creative individuals to Pakistan TV and it sustained it for a long time. At the time in late 60s when I became the first Pakistani Principal of Pakistan Television Institute I found that most of the inductees had a background of radio broadcasting. It was true at all stations including Dacca where I conducted courses on sports coverage for TV. I often wonder why the Pakistan Broadcasting Service did not start a TV network of its own as the BBC did. It is still not too late. Radio can support a TV network better than many an upstarts in the field. It also needs to discover new avenues like cyber space and electronic social media.

There is no doubt Lahore ‘Radio’ is the ‘mother’ of the electronic media in Pakistan and it deserves the respect and support that is due to a ‘mother’.

Daily Times