All India Radio : Man ki baat: Radio was extinct till 2014.

Radio was some what extinct till 2014. Then suddenly Man Ki Baat मन की बात happened.  Thanx to our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji.



It was the first time that Prime Minister of the largest democracy and the President of the most powerfull country came together on RADIO.

It was first time that all the Television channels shown a Radio Talk live on their TV channels. In the past 50 years i had never seen any such event on this scale. Television Channels thought themselves superior to Radio. But due to our Prime Minister equations changed and all TV channels lapped up the opportunity to be on eyes of their viewers? 









We had never seen such scenes where forgetting their daily chores and tensions all people listened to our Prime Minister of India with lots of HOPE. Such was seen only during the times of Mahabharat and Ramayan which were telecasted on Doordarshan. Streets had deserted looks during that hour. 

some of the Tv Channels even set up small facilities for people so that they can listen and Tv channels can broadcast those live updates

I have seen on Doordarshan these clips of our great Mahatma Gandhi ji addressing the gathering on radio and our first Prime Minister who said to have addressed on Radio in the Midnight when our nation got freedom.

 

http://allindiaradio.gov.in/Default.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vividh_Bharati
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_India_Radio

Someone asked me to record  market price analysis for Radio. The days are gone when people used to wake up early in morning and tune in for AIR-All India Radio morning prayers, often it started with Vande Matram. 
My talk on market price analysis used to be broadcast on 6 AM back in year 1997 at AIR. I asked the then AIR correspondent(Shri Srivastav ji) to record my talk via Telephone instead of asking me to come to studio. They agreed to my idea. Thus began my connection with AIR. They would telephone me and I delivered my talk-analysis via phone and they recorded it.

Myself also almost forgot hearing Radio. For almost 15 years not heard AIR. When I was at Delhi, the FM channel just had started becoming popular. In 1995-96 I bought a two-in-one, a radio and tape recorder. THOM(P?)SON, I think was the name. That time FM used to air program upto late night and I think it was for 24X7 also. Lot of good programs I heard on FM back then. Which were not there on AIR.

From 1972 we used to hear the famous tune of HAWA MAHAL, at around 8 or 8:15 pm. The music itself was such that everybody in the vicinity and to those the sound reached would immediately come to know about the time and the program.

I particularly was fond of chaupal, Bhoole bisre geet, cibaca(binaca) geetmala of Amin Sayani ji. ANURANJANI.
There was a program at 7.15 or 7.30 AM in that one film song and one classical bandish based on a raag was aired. bhoole bisre geet.

At 3 or 3.15, 3.30 Anuranjini (or such) program was aired. It had some folk music and then followed by the classical music. See I have lost even the names and timings also of my favourite programs. Within my lifetime radio lost the place which it had till the advent of TV. This was the time when National broadcast started. Thanx to ISRO and INSAT etc. and Doordarshan, which was synonym of TV. It was often joked as SANJAY ka Kaliyugi Avatar.

In 1982 we saw the national broadcast. There was one programe on Immortal men Immortal Melodies. I heard and saw various stars. Great Noorjahan sang Awaaj de Kahan hai? Great Naushad sahib was standing there and controlling the music.

Rajkumari ji also sang, that time only I saw her on TV.

In the interview she said she wanted to meet Dilip Saheb once in life time

There used to be a program called Bajm-e-Maushiki and national program of music on AIR late night at 10.30 or 11.30 or so. I heard almost all great musicians of that time. Even Bade Gulam Ali, Rasoolan Bai, Sidhdheswari devi, badi moti bai choti moti bai, Sunanda Patnaik, Sulochana Vachaspati, Omkar Nath Thakur, Mallikaarjun Mansoor, GanguBai Hangal, Pt Jasraj, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Kishori Amonkar, Kumar Gandharva and others the list is long.

We could hear Tabasum ji and others on Radio. There was one program where one personality used to be interviewed and songs of his or her choice were broadcasted. 

In 1975 or 1976-77 I remember only one TV was there in whole street of TYPE ONE IIT Kanpur campus that too black and white one. All the boys hanged around window of that house to get a chance to watch TV, Sunday movies or Chitrahaar. Strongest used to see and loosers often had to content with sounds or they go to home sulking. 

After few years I used to walk for almost one kilometer to reach TYPE TWO near IIT Kanpur gate to watch Sunday movie on TV at one of our uncle’s house. They were very kind to allow us to watch at their home (from inside their house)

Similarly in villages, a transistor used to be a priced possession. An item of luxury too. It was compulsory or status symbol to gift the radio at time of Marriage. Size and type depended on the status of persons. I had a radio of a size of small TV set. Two feet long and one feet wide one foot high.

While working in fields small radios were the sole entertainer of whole generation of farmers of our villages. If I can say so it was the only source for them to know about world outside of village. 
At the time of cricket matches it becomes a public/community asset. Farmers and lads clung to a small radio transistor under a tree or in a chaupal etc to hear cricket commentary.

Sadly Radio faded away from our life. I did try to search radio when Tsunami happened, that time there was no electricity, no communication with  outside world and only hope was a radio, that too if battery was working.

But besides that till 2014 the radio was out of life. It was sitting quietly somewhere in the corner of our homes. Luckily there was a small radio lying in my home getting dust.

Thanx to our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, That everywhere in India, every household did try to locate the oldest member of family of entertainment equipments in their homes.

Those who found their radio not working immediately rushed to nearest shop to repair it. That will make them to hear the first show “Man Ki Baat” by any Prime Minister of India.

I had heard about the speech of First Prime Minister of India that happened on AIR on 15-8-1947 after that not much happened on this scale. It is only due to Man Ki Baat that the extinct radio got a fresh leash of life.

Few electrician must have got overburdened with the work order. Few of them must have got scared as to how they will fulfill the demand of the residents of his street neighbors. 

But it is certain that Man Ki Baat has instilled a emotion of one ness (sense of unity) across the nation. From Laddakh to Arunachal Pradesh from Himanchal Pradesh to KanyaKumari and Andaman, Indira Point the southernmost part of country came together to hear their Prime Minister.

 

 

This is a revolution type of thing. All Tv channels also arranged for listening of Radio. 
The communication medium is used to its fullest.
Opposition is also listening man ki baat very seriously, so that they can criticize our Prime Minister. Even they also point out that he didnt say about such thing or why he said about such thing? that means they are also critically joining the campaign of using communication tools. Also all social media is simultaneously reporting the man ki baat on their platforms.