DAYS were when radio was socially accepted as a ‘prized’ possession in a household. The proud few, who possessed it, were regarded as men of status.

A colleague, taking a trek down the memory lane, confided that when he was born in the late 50s, his father, an incurable radio buff, had bought home a new Murphy radio set. It was like a dream come true for the family which had long cherished a desire to own one. The colleague’s father, now in the twilight of his life, vividly recalls how the news about this ‘prized’ possession had travelled in their locality, faster than wild fire. A few family friends had descended to congratulate them on the two new arrivals. The victorian set still adorns the living room of their modest countryside house.

I feel nostalgic as I recount the days of childhood when we, a band of three buddies, would devise different ways and means to woo our septuagenarian uncle, who had earned an affectionate soubriquet of Radiowala chacha, to grant us permission to use his radio for our choicest weekly programmes. After a lot of cajoling, the stubborn chacha would finally succumb. This radio set had been gifted to him by his colleagues on his retirement from the Indian Army. In return, we would do odd jobs for him, like fetching one or two pitchers of water from the village well, serving him piping hot morning and evening cuppas and, at times, cleaning and lighting his hookah.

We would sway in sheer ecstacy as we would tune in our favourite weekly slot: Binaca Geet Mala, a soulful soiree of old and new filmy songs on the Cylone station of AIR. We would extend a standing ovation to anchor-compere Amin Syani and enjoy the timeless melodies belted out by legends like Lata, Rafi, Mukesh, Talat, et al.

A host of other heady slots, like Fauji Bhaiyon Ke Liye, Aapki Farmaish and Geet Mala would, indeed, come as a bonus for us incurable radio buffs. The hot favourite was Tamil-e-Irshad, a programme of golden melodies of the bygone era, interspersed by Tapsra (commentary). The other programmes that we looked forward to included Hawa Mahal, movie stories, short plays, skits and educational talks.

The indisputed king of entertainment slipped into a ‘forced’ hiatus when the idiot box stormed the volatile world of entertainment with a bang. With the invasion of television, its poor cousin took a backseat. With the burgeoning population of TV aficionados, there seem to be hardly any takers for the radio, which has never ditched its die-hard fans. Be it in your sweet home or miles away from its cool comforts, be it in a merry or a melancholic mood, it has always stood by you like a trusted sentinel. Were you to ask a young one to come up with some popular stuff aired on various TV channels, he or she would go in for a quick countdown: Cartoon Network, Boogey-Woogey, Kaun Banega Crorepati, and so on. A little prodding to cough up just two popular programmes the radio has in its kitty, and he or she would draw a blank, and say" What is this radio business?". A little flummoxed, you would simply sulk in sheer resignation.

With the growing influence of television on the minds of the younger generation, this little master of entertainment is steadily heading for turbulent times. And if this trend continues, the coming generation would be deprived of the thrills of listening to the radio!