Ameen Sayani & the sound behind Barfi's name

MUMBAI, INDIA: A man born in 1932, blissfully unaware of the surge of technology, Ameen Sayani is still that seven year old child somewhere whose eyes lit up with excitement and curiosity when his elder brother took him to a radio station. Sayani Ji is still curious, honest, open-hearted and the curator of a pricelessly pure voice. But there's more to this name who needs no introduction, partly because his name is synonymous to the radio eon itself for many.

An interview with him reveals the magic a bit. This conversation is enough for anyone to guess why our parents' generation was in awe of the phenomenon called radio and why would anyone name their son after a radio brand.

What's your view of technology in daily life? Do you consider it a boon?

To a certain degree, I am practically ignorant of high-level technology. I am still blissfully unaware of it in many ways. Having said that, technology has been very useful nonetheless. From mobiles, digital recorders to computers my team uses a lot of its powers. I do take advantage of technology.

Any thoughts on the journey of technology's rhythm with music from Gramophone days to iPhone days?

 

My earliest link to music was through a 78 rpm gramophone. It was not a machine or a gadget. It was something so precious and delicate that you had to treat it gently and handle the head softly for playing songs. The needles could scratch records soon but there's still nothing like it. Gradually I was introduced to broadcasting and one day when I was seven, my elder brother, who was a seasoned professional in the industry himself, specially in the English genre, took me to a radio station. He initiated me to things like wire recorder (which was the precursor to disk recorder that came later) and how everything was being broadcasted live. I was stunned and happy when he asked me to play my voice back. I sounded very different and then he questioned if I wanted to be in this space. I was new to any language except Gujarati but that day gave me a new horizon. I started grooming myself and since then there's been no looking back.

So, broadcasters and anchors did not have much to leverage on technology those days?

It was a different period. In AIR, for example, there was a principle that one had to have a proper script in front of him/her while announcing or relaying programmes. Off-the-cuff delivery was not something you would hear often. We had to stick to scripts. I used to write my own scripts. And yet, the mandate was that it should not sound like script-reading. Breathing life and natural impact in a script was my task in that role. Later on we saw the advent of tape recorders. There was no mixing facility in those days. Reading out portion or complicated spot announcements, splicing music personally or retransfer onto another machine were some things I recall with fun. I created so many radio shows and most of it was without much use of gadgets. From 78 rpm to EPs (Extended Play), LPs (Long Play) and CDs to digital mediums and many things that look and sound Greek to me, it has been some journey. I guess Radio had a big advantage but also a big challenge.You had to say in a way that the listener not only hears with ears but listens with eyes. They should be able to see the sound, and smell the fragrance by just the way you speak.

You used to galvanise so much devotion, following and a community in itself through your programmes. Do you see social media as an apt mode of engagement these days? How do you compare it with yesteryear's radio as a community driver?

I remember that my focus was to embed social messages as undercurrents. They were not necessarily huge ones but things like good manners, nice relationships, traffic sense, health awareness etc. I have continued to do that all my life. When community-radio started raising its head, radio became a little stratified. Unless one could make one station interesting, there was competition around to reckon with. Initial FM stations that spanned AIR channels also started a bit of social awareness. All that thrust is not seen much now. Radio can have a lot of social value and a big role in progress of community.

The community impact must have been a strong force?

So much was so beautiful in the past. Values, real bonding and deep connections were formed even around a medium like Radio. I remember that initially even when people did not recognize me by my face; just a name did the job of being greeted warmly by strangers if I traveled to a new city. Even at a remote village or town you would find warmth, dinner invitations and conversations from people who know you only because of radio. People knew each other's family members without any Internet those days, only through radio messages and bonds. I am sure I speak on behalf of many people who were part of the radio community in those days. Standards and values drove that kind of love and respect. Unless we keep standards upright, we can't expect real forward-moving progress. I have had my grounding in the National movement of India, thanks to my family's involvement. I have had the honor of sitting at Gandhiji's feet and looking up at a tall Nehruji in awe. India fully imbibed everything in those days and it was felt strongly in our culture, movies, music, its lyrics.

What's your reckoning of today's scenario that also demonstrates the unprecedented viral power of technology (Kolavari Di etc).

As technology improves, the power of music has gone up, be it India or globally. Taking a leaf out of Naushad ji's lines I would say, "Music is music only if it touches one's soul. Today music touches body. It's more about rhythm than melody. We have seen how the west saw beats replacing lyrics and melody many years back. As we start forgetting moral values, love, maturity etc, things can muddle up. If these values are kept alive, no matter what generation or genre of music we are talking about; beauty and the power of music will thrive. I am doing slots on a FM station these days and it is broadcasted across many cities in India and abroad. I find that radio is still a powerful medium if one knows how to harness it, present it with engagement and make sure values live on.