Ears used to hearing “Bahno aur bhaiyo” in a very familiar voice will not be able to hear that magic voice! Ameen sayani gave radio a new lease of life with his 50’s Binaka Gitmala program, ushering in a new way of thinking about radio. Ameen Sayani, Binaka Gitmala of 60’s and Ameen Sayani have made a lot of history with each other. With millions of listeners and a huge radio family, Binaka Geet Mala was a great show.
If you sit down and think today, you may not understand where the achievement or hard work? The atmosphere of the song was created by playing one song after the other and each song was preceded by funny pretense, sometimes interviewing the actors of the film, sometimes famous singers came to the event, to sit together and listen to the song. Share music or all the fun facts from their life. And all this happened, the key man behind the program structure was Ameen Sayani, a radio wizard.
Ameen Sayani, Earlier life & career
This man was born 21st December 1932 in the then Bombay Presidency. Ameen Sayani came to Radio Mumbai with his elder brother Hamid Sayani, and ameen participated in broadcasting in English for ten years. Later worked in films like Bhoot Bangla, Tin Devi Boxer, Qatal.
Few people know that Ameen Sayani worked for Tata Oil Mills Ltd. in the marketing department for the company’s two soaps Hamam and Jai Soap.
Various radio programs produced by Ameen Sahib
- Cibaca (formerly known as Binaka Geet Mala) was expanded from 1952 – from Radio Ceylon and later from Vivid Bharati – for about 42 years. After a gap of 4 years, it was restarted as Colgate Cibaca Geetmala, the program lasted for about 2 years.
- Bournevita Quiz Contest for 8 years.
Ameen Sayani breathed his last after cardiac arrest in Mumbai on Tuesday, aged 91. His son Rajil Sayani said his father suffered a heart attack on Tuesday night and was rushed to NH Reliance Hospital, Mumbai, where he died. Doctors tried desperately but failed to save him and declared him dead.
Tributes are pouring in on social media after the death of Ameen Sayani, whose contribution in popularizing All India Radio in India is undeniable. In social media the audience paid their respects in their own words “Binaka Geetmala is immortal. None of us will ever forget this concert”, “RIP Ameen Sayani sir”.