| by Dr. Sripali Vaiamon
Former Director/ SLBC
( April 7, 2013, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) With the production of Kismet in 1943, The Hindi movie industry in India was ascending unimaginably with a revolution of modern music created by wizards like Naushad, Chitalker Ramachandra, Salil Choudary, Anil Bisvas, O.P. Nayyar. Even the highly acclaimed Sri Ravi Shankar provided the music score for Godan and Anuradha. Most of the films were in Black and White. More than the story value the new melodies rendered by Lata ji,Mohamed Raffi,Talat, Mukesh,Shamshad Begum,Geeta Dutt, K.L.Saigal, Manna Day, were alluring particularly to younger generation all over India and peripheral countries such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan Bangaladesh,Nepal up to Singapore.Cinama goers flocked to every theatre where a Hindi movie is being screend.They visited 10 to15 times to watch the movie as they were more interested to listen to scintillating music.
Purely because of the Hindi music in films such as, Dard-1947,Babul- 1948, Dulari- 1949, Anoki Ada- 1948, Deedhar- 1950, Awara-1951, Malhar-1951, Baiju Bawara-1952, , Dho Bigha zamin-1953,Nagin-1954, Sri 420-1955, Mother India-1957, etc.with most renowned artists such as Raj Kapoor, Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar,Devanand, Johnny Walker, Kishor Kumar, Nargis, Madhubala, Nimmi, Nutan, Hema Malini, Saira Banu,Vijayanthimala,Geeta Bali and few others of yore became extremely popular.
But this popularity became a terrible menace to classical singers and folk artists who were accustomed to traditional music pattern for ages. They embarked on generating a mass protest and total dislike for this modern revolution in Hindi Film music which they hate like opium. May be because it was a massive blow to their reorganization of classical and folk music in all over India. True enough India was a country fully devoted to Classical music which they have well established for centuries. Folk singers who do not like to get mixed up with modern trends too hate this upcoming Hindi movie songs.They condemned, they protested, wrote petitions and drew the attention of Minister of broadcasting Dr.Kesker,who also was a favourite of classical and folk songs. He was compelled to ban the broadcast of Hindi film songs over the AIR net work. It was worse than a cannon shot. It was a terrible blow to the upcoming industry. Main publicity they had on the films was broadcasting of revolutionary Hindi Film Music. Without such publicity the whole industry would have been crashed. Film Industry in 40s 50s had produced films to packed audience which were shown in every theatre in all over India were about to collapse. When this was brewing in India Radio Ceylon in consultation with her advertising agency RAS, Particularly Mr. Ameen Sayani, veteran broadcaster obtained the assistance of Radio Ceylon to initiate a series of discussions with Film producers and had prepared a powerful broadcast to India and surrounding countries with transmitters more stronger than the AIR. Film producers agreed to send all the records free of charge and free of copyright to Radio Ceylon. Amin Sayani at the RAS trained two announcers Wimala and Kamini Ganjewars and send over to Sri Lanka.By that time Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon had inaugurated on the 30th of September 1950 with the All East Asia English transmission by utilizing the powerful transmitters donated by terminating RADIO SEAC station which was broadcasting News Views and programmes to British battalion that were engaged in South East Asia. By this the film producers had realized the strength and the clarity of Radio Ceylon transmitters over AIR.
Immediately after the World War 11, the transmitters of 100 kw and two 35 kw along with the ancillary antenna field of 78 acre land at Ekala which South East Asia Command used for their Broadcasting station was disband and donated all the equipments along with the 78 acre antenna field at Ekala to Sri Lanka Government as an outright gift. It was with these facilities govt. decided to utilize for a Commercial Broadcasting station. Under the Colombo Plan a commercial broadcasting expert was got down from Australia, Mr.Clifford R.Dodd.who organised the Commercial Service with a code of Ethic to suit the culture of the country and helped the Indian movie producers to avert the crash without absolutely keeping provision for a downfall to their coming up industry by opening a Hindi beam under the call sign, Idhar Radio Ceylonka Vyapar Vibhag Hai. Hindi film music was broadcast with varieties of programmes over the Hindi Service of Radio Ceylon and the banning of Hindi music over AIR network became just a futile attempt. It did not became an obstacle to the development of the film industry up to today’s Bollywood level as Radio Ceylon averted the crash.India should be ever grateful to Sri Lanka for avoiding the downfall of their economy by assisting to develop one of their major industries, the ever alluring movie production up to the present day Bollywood level.
Subsequent to Ganjewar sisters RAS sent over to Sri Lanka versatile radio personalities such as M/S Kishore Dubey, Gopal Sharma, Vijaya Laksami de Saram and several others who constently endeavored to keep the Hindi beam ever stronger and build up a messive listenership. The present broadcasters too follow their predecessors and sustain the popularity in competition to present radio stations in India with the current Hindi film music channeled over to Radio Ceylon, the Govt. Broadcasting Station which is presently known as Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.
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