Recently an Insta reel of Sohail Hashmiji opened the floodgates of memory.
He recalls, in the reel, how in the days of yore it was mandatory for the owner of radio/transistor radio to hold a licence (BBL or Broadcast Receiver’s License) and periodically renew it.
Since, technically the radio could also be used as a wireless receiver to transmit and receive messages the possession of a licence was therefore necessary.
This rule came in force during the British Raj and continued thereafter too, which according to Hashmiji, was illogical because after independence radios were only used for the purpose of entertainment and listening to the news (local, BBC) etc.
I remember my father once showing a small white booklet , almost like the erstwhile bank or Post Office pass book to us. It was the License Book that Hashmiji refers to and had to be renewed yearly by paying a stipulated sum of money. Much later, I guess the rules were modified and the licence and it’s renewal were no longer required.
We had a radio of Bush Company. It had knobs and an internal aerial and a green ‘cat’s eye’. The knobs had to be wound to catch the ‘station’ at the right frequency. The cat eye was the indicator to show whether the aerial had caught the signal. At the wrong or weak frequency sound got lost or distant or had a lot of disturbances. The transmission got affected in bad weather too when it was hard to catch the correct frequency.
My sister recalls the radio in our maternal uncle’s (Mamu). It was of Murphy Company. The knobs perhaps had stopped functioning but my cousins could still get some sound out of it by thumping hard on its sides and the top. 😂😂
Those were the days when television was unheard of. Later black and white TV did make an entry but only few households could afford it. Even radio was beyond the means of many. In those days a radio, a transistor or a fridge was a once-in-a-lifetime purchase and continued functioning without any glitch for years/generations.
We were allowed fixed times for listening to the radio that too at low volume – after completing daily homework or on quiet afternoons when Babuji was not at home or late at night (i.e. between 9 and 10 PM) or specific programmes which were enjoyed by the entire family. I remember waiting for those pre-approved time slots – listening to Chhaya Geet , Binaca (later Cibaca) Geet Mala, Jai Mala (aired for the benefit of the Armed Forces), Hindi plays on Hawa Mahal and English songs on Mondays and Fridays. The name of the programme was I think Listening To The Grooves or something like that.
Sometimes while winding the knobs we were lucky enough to catch Radio Ceylone or Aakashvani Kolkata. And what excitement that would be especially on Mahalaya day (days before Durga Puja) early in the morning at 4.00 AM to listen to the one and a half hour programme welcoming Maa Durga as Mahishasuramardini.
Whether radio or TV , both were considered causes of potential distraction that could lead youngsters astray. That is why their use was strictly monitored by the elders. A loud, blaring radio was disruptive for the family where the other members might be engaged in more serious activities. The concept of individual space and privacy had not entered our dictionaries. Headphones and earphones were merely figments of imagination (probably they came in vogue with Walkmans). Emphasis was laid on reading the newspaper, school books and books which would enhance general knowledge and engage in introspective discourses.
But youth is always looking for temptations. So did we. In today’s age of global exposure through the internet or the ubiquitous mobile phone which enables loads of wanted and unwanted information on feather-touch, the license for possessing a radio and strict parental control to listen to it, which could only connect to limited portals of infotainment, may seem amusing.
My cousins had a fine collection of vinyl records (LPs and EPs) of the latest English and Hindi film songs. So we looked forward to hearing those songs on the radio too.
Listen to this song by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood which we often played on the record player as well as listened on the radio.
Footnote : Sohail Hashmi, brother of Safdar Hashmi, is an oral Historian of Delhi , social activist, filmmaker and heritage conservationist. He is known for his immersive Delhi Heritage Walks conducted to introduce the citizens, especially children and students, to the city’s history, people, food, architecture and culture.
panaecea 