”Behno Bhaiyon…” the melodious voice emanating from the old radio, the much coveted and the primary source of daily entertainment, particularly in the 1950s to 1970s era, would instantly catch one’s attention.
The lilting voice invariably held the promise of wholesome entertainment, be it the super popular film song countdown ‘Geetmala’, celebrity interviews, movie reviews or quiz contests.
The programme conducted in the unique sing-song style became synonymous with Ameen Sayani – the radio announcer par excellence!
Born in erstwhile Bombay on 21 December 1932 into an influential Gujarati Muslim Khoja Ismaili family, Ameen Sayani was into literary pursuits from an early age. He assisted his mother Kulsum Sayani in editing and publishing a fortnightly journal ‘Rahber’ between 1940 to 1960, utilising simple Hindustani language promoted by Mahatma Gandhi.
This grounding in simple communication helped him develop his unique brand in commercial broadcasting. He was introduced to All India Radio by his elder brother and mentor, Hamid Sayani in 1951.
Following a ban on Hindi film songs, he started compering the iconic radio programme Binaca Geetmala over Radio Ceylon from 1952, and later over Vividh Bharati (AIR), for a whopping 42 years!
The conversational tone and engaging style of speaking made his audience feel as if he were conducting the show sitting across them in their living rooms. As his popularity increased, so did the number and variety of programmes that he produced and conducted – Bournvita Quiz Contest, S Kumar’s ka Filmi Muqaddama, Shalimar Superlac Jodi and countless others.
He also featured in several Hindi films as an announcer.
In a career spanning nearly seven decades, he won much recognition in India and abroad, and was conferred many awards including the prestigious Padma Shri and Hindi Ratna Puraskar.
While he had slowed down in the recent years, he continued to remain active in his field till the very end. Sadly, the world of broadcasting lost the Grand Old Man of Radio on 20 February 2024, at the age of 91.
Probably the most imitated radio announcer ever, one can almost hear the legend sign off with a flourish in his unique style: “Behno bhaiyon, main Ameen Sayani, Zindagi ki aakhri paayedan paar karne ki ijaazat chahta hoon….”
Alvida, Ameen Sayani sahib – The Man with the Golden Voice!
