Sunday 5 January 2014

RADIO HYDERABAD (NashrGah Hyderabad Dakan Mehakma LaSilki )


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RADIO HYDERABAD 
(NashrGah Hyderabad Dakan Mehakma LaSilki )
                            

      
                         Inauguration of NashrGah LaSiliki  ( Nizam Radio ) - 1933                        


The Deccan Radio went on air early in the year 1933 . It started as a private radio station 
with a transmitting power of 200 Watts . The transmitter was assembled locally . 
The radio station was privately owned and operated by the family members . 
It was situated at the " Azam Manzil " Chiragh Ali Lane opposite John Co,
Abid Road . Hyderabad did not lag with the rest of the country as regards to 
radio transmission .


          
                               
                                John & Co advertisement - 1933
  

                          
There were broadcasts of news in Urdu , Dakhni dholk ke geet ,ghazals , qawwalis etc . 
At a time when film songs did not exist and only a handful of discs by singers like 
Gauharjan , Jankibai of Allahabad and Zohrajan of Agra etc existed the local 
artists came forward and entertained with their lovely voices . With the opening 
of a radio station a number of talented artists specialised in both vocal and 
instrumental music enrolled themselves with the radio station for audition . 
Roshan Ali a noted musician of that time was the first music director of 
the Deccan radio . Later MA Rauf joined the Deccan radio as a 
studio executive , he was a notable ghazal singer . 

There were no transmissions during the month of Mohurrum . 
Later the transmission was suspended only for the first 13 days of the 
month of Mohurrum but there were no programs on music . The 
news was taken from the local news papers and the important 
events were reported . The news mostly contained matters related 
to the State . After 1935 some of the songs appeared on the discs 
and the Deccan Radio procured some of the good ones and presented 
them . The program on Film music although a brief one received 
appreciation from the listeners .

The Deccan radio was taken over by the Nizam in 1935 . 
It came under the Department of wireless .NashrGah 
Hyderabad Dakan Mehakma LaSilki .

                                  
             NashrGah LaSilki -                                                   Nawab Ali Yawar Jung 

Specimen of a days Radio Program .


The department of wireless was headed by Nawab Ali Yawar Jung Bahadur , 
an eminent personality who later held offices of Vice Chancellor , Ambassador and Governor .
A powerful transmitter of 500 Watts was purchased and installed from the Marconi Co, England . 
The new studios were set up at the Yaawar Manzil , Khairatabad and the transmitter with 
big antenna was set up at Saroornagar on the out skirts of the city . The red lights on the twin 
antennas were visible from many parts of the city . Broadcast Studios were also established at 
Saroornagar later and many programs used to go on air especially during the second world war . 
One person was deputed to BBC London for training . Nawab Ali Yavar Jung a great visionary 
was trying hard to bring the broadcasting on the lines of BBC . New equipment such as wire 
recorders were purchased .


The family members of Chiragh Ali left one after the other after it was taken over by the Nizam . 
The 200 Watt transmitter was shifted to Aurangabad and a small station at the district level was 
established . The majority of people at Aurangabad spoke Marathi and so along with Urdu the 
programmes in Marathi were also broadcast .


The demand and importance of music was felt by the Deccan Radio and soon arranged music 
programs by local artists . A large number of talented local artists came forward and initially 
volunteered to perform  . By mid thirties the Deccan Radio became so popular that great 
classicalists like Ustad Fayyaz Khan , Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan , Hira Bai Barodekar and 
her sister Saraswati Rane were on the list of artists of the Deccan Radio . Ustad Abdul Karim 
Khan visited Hyderabad twice and during that time gave performance at the Deccan Radio .

The talent of the local artists were recognized in a short time and there were a large number 
of artists on the list of the Deccan Radio . Some of the notable artists of those times are Ustad 
Qayyum Husain Khan ( sarangi ) Pt Venkat Rao ( Harmonium ) , Amba Prasad ( Harmonium ) 
Sheikh Dawood ( Tabla ) GN Dantale - (Jaltarang and Vocal ) . The other Vocalists included 
Shankarlal Masterji , Vasumati Dantale , Ambadas Apte , Vittal Rao , SB Deshpande . Amba 
Prasad was a master of Harmonium . He was called for occasions when others were unable 
to accompany some of the vocalists like Ustad Fayyaz Khan and Hirabai Barodekar .

The artists who were famous for singing the Dakhni dholak ke geet, tappa , and folk songs of 
Deccan were Noorjehan Bharatpuri ,Kaneez Fatima , Qamar Jahan and Bangari Bai . 
A large section of the Hyderabad city was not electrified . This was a precious commodity 
and coupled to this the radio set was very expensive and beyond the reach of a common 
man . In many localities there were a handful of radio sets and sometimes the non-privileged 
were accommodated to enjoy the programs by those who had the radio sets with them .

By late 1930's the markets were flooded with songs on 78 RPM discs from the movies . 
The public got more and more interested in film music and a number of middle class 
opted to buy a radio set on instalments when their houses got electrified .

As a large section of population consisted of locals who spoke Telugu , Kannada and Marathi . 
There were regional programs in those languages and were alloted some slots on specific days .

MA Rauf who joined Deccan Radio as a Program Executive later became the Station Director . 
An excellent ghazal singer and a composer who went on to score music for few movies 
produced from Bombay . The films are Tohfa , Beete Din - 1947 and Basera - 1950 .

Moizuddin was another notable ghazal singer who was one of the court singers at the palace 
of  Moazzum Jah Bahadur the second son of Nizam .


                                                     Program


                                  NasharGah  Hyderabad

December 31 , 1941  Iswi ( CE / AD )                      ChaharShunba 28 Bahman 1351 Fasli
           ( Wednesday )
Sa'at Shaam

5 - 30   -   Khayal , Sudh Sarang

5 - 50  -    Ghazal , ' teri khushi se agar gham men bhi khushi na hui ( Jigar )

6 -  00       Aam pasand  Mouseqi 

6 -  20       Marathi Pad aur Bhajan

6 -  40       Ghazal   - Ishq mujhko nahin wahshat hi sahi   ( Ghalib )
                    Ghazal      Mere haal par bebasi ro rahi hai

7 - 7 30     Bachon ka program

7 30          Khatm Saal   - Taqreer

7 45         Khayal Maalkouns 

Sa'at Shab

8 - -              Urdu men khabren

8 -  25          Angrezi men khabren

8 -  50          Aam pasand mouseqi

9 - 10       Karnataki Anand Bhairavi 
10            Duae Salamati


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For those who cannot read Urdu here is in Roman Urdu .

                 Muqami NashrGah Aurangabad
               ( Local Radio Station Aurangabad )
(319) meters (940) Kc/s Roz ChaharShunba , 
14 Bahman 1351 Fasli . Auqaat Nashr 5-30 ta 9-30
Sa'at Shab .

Marhati program dehatiyon aur shehriyon ke liye
5-30 to 7-30 sa'at shaam .

Urdu program dehatiyon aur shehriyon ke liye
7-30 to 9-30 sa'at shab .

    Mutakhib kalam - Dattu Pant Padmakar
Gaane walon mein AK Thakurdas aur Khwaja Mehmood Baig qabil-e- zikr hai .

                     ( Mehikma LaSilki )


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3 comments:

  1. Thanks for acknowledging my original article .
    http://kamalp.blogspot.com/2010/12/hyderabad-goes-on-air.html?view=sidebar
    How nice it would have been if a comment was posted on my blog before being
    placed on your blog ? - kp
    kamalakarp_2000@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sir, you forget a famous qawwal of Hyderabad Padmshri Aziz Ahmad Khan Warsi who was also singer of Royal Court of Nizam.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Please write his name in famous singers of Hyderabad India

    ReplyDelete