Ameen Sayani is a popular former radio announcer from
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. He achieved fame and popularity all across the
Indian Subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
when he presented his ''
Binaca Geetmala
''Binaca Geetmala'' was a weekly countdown show of top filmi songs from Hindi cinema. It was popular and had millions of listeners. ''Binaca Geetmala'' was broadcast on Radio Ceylon from 1952 to 1988 and then shifted to the Vividh Bharati
...
'' program of hits over the airwaves of
Radio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon ( si, ලංකා ගුවන් විදුලි සේවය ''Lanka Guwan Viduli Sevaya'', ta, இலங்கை வானொலி, ''ilankai vanoli'') is a radio station based in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the first ...
. He is one of the most imitated announcers even today. His style of addressing the crowd with "Behno aur Bhaiyo " (meaning "sisters and brothers") as against the traditional "Bhaiyo aur Bahno" is still treated as an announcement with a melodious touch. He has produced, compered (or spoken for) over 54,000 radio programmes and 19,000 spots/jingles since 1951.
Career
Ameen Sayani was introduced to
All India Radio
All or ALL may refer to:
Language
* All, an indefinite pronoun in English
* All, one of the English determiners
* Allar language (ISO 639-3 code)
* Allative case (abbreviated ALL)
Music
* All (band), an American punk rock band
* ''All'' (All a ...
,
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, by his brother Hamid Sayani. Ameen participated in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
programmes there for ten years.
Later, he helped popularise All India Radio in India. Sayani was also a part of various movies throughout the years like ''
Bhoot Bungla
''Bhoot Bungla'' () is a 1965 Indian Hindi-language horror comedy film directed by Mehmood, who stars in the film alongside Tanuja and Nazir Hussain. Music for this film was composed by R.D. Burman.
Plot
Fifty years ago, Kundanlal was murde ...
'', ''
Teen Devian
''Teen Devian'' () is a 1965 Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular ter ...
'', ''
Boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
'', and ''
Qatl
''Qatl'' is a 1986 Indian mystery thriller film directed by R.K. Nayyar and starring Sanjeev Kumar, Shatrughan Sinha, Marc Zuber, Ranjeeta Kaur, Sarika and Ashok Kumar. The film released two months after Sanjeev Kumar's death and was the f ...
''. He appeared in all of these movies in the role of an announcer in some event.
Sayani assisted his mother, Kulsum Sayani, in editing, publishing and printing a fortnightly journal for neo-literates, under the instructions of
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
. The fortnightly, ''RAHBER'' (1940 to 1960), was simultaneously published in the Devnagri (Hindi),
Gujarati
Gujarati may refer to:
* something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India
* Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat
* Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them
* Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...
scripts – but all in the simple " Hindustani" language promoted by Gandhi.
It was this grounding in simple communication that helped him in his long career of commercial broadcasting, and culminated in his being awarded the "Hindi Ratna Puraskaar" by the prestigious Hindi Bhavan of
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
in 2007.
One little known fact about him is that he worked in the marketing Department of Tata Oil Mills Ltd. during 1960–62 as Brand Executive – mainly looking after their toilet soaps: Hamam and Jai.
Between All India Radio (since 1951), AIR's Commercial Service (since 1970) and various foreign stations (since 1976), Sayani has produced, compered (or spoken for) over 54,000 radio programmes and 19,000 spots/jingles. (The fact is recorded in the ''Limca Book of Records''.)
Radio shows produced and compered by Ameen Sayani
Some of the better known radio shows produced (mainly for consumer product clients):
* CIBACA (formerly BINACA) GEETMALA: broadcast since 1952 – mainly over
Radio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon ( si, ලංකා ගුවන් විදුලි සේවය ''Lanka Guwan Viduli Sevaya'', ta, இலங்கை வானொலி, ''ilankai vanoli'') is a radio station based in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the first ...
, and later over
Vividh Bharati
The Vividh Bharati Service (VBS; ) of All India Radio was conceptualized to combat Radio Ceylon in 1967. Due to the Indian Government stopping its short wave relay centers, VBS is only available on the Internet. Vividh Bharati radio channel w ...
(AIR) – for a total of over 42 years. It was again revived after a gap of 4 years, and was aired over the National Network of Vividh Bharati for 2 years as COLGATE CIBACA GEETMALA.
* S. KUMARS KA FILMI MUQADDAMA and FILMI MULAQAAT: over AIR and Vividh Bharati for 7 years. Re-commenced, after a decade, on Vividh Bharati for a year.
* SARIDON KE SAATHI: 4 years. (AIR's first sponsored show.)
* BOURNVITA QUIZ CONTEST (in English): 8 years. (Took over from his brother and guru, Hamid Sayani, after his death in 1975.)
* SHALIMAR SUPERLAC JODI: 7 years.
* MARATHA DARBAR shows: SITARON KI PASAND, CHAMAKTAY SITARAY, MEHEKTI BAATEN, etc. : 14 years.
* SANGEET KAY SITARON KI MEHFIL : 4 years – and still running (in 2014). (The format comprises interviews and musical career sketches of top singers, composers and lyricists. Syndicated to various radio stations in India and abroad for their commercial clients.)
Sayani also produced a 13-episode radio series in the form of plays based on actual
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
cases – including interviews with eminent doctors and social workers. (The series – entitled ''Swanaash'' –was commissioned by All India Radio, and its audio cassettes have been acquired by many NGOs for their field-work.)
Ameen Sayani's Audio Communication on Compact Discs
(And Earlier on LPs And Cassettes)
After producing several audio features on cassettes, LPs and CDs, Sayani is currently producing (for Saregama India Ltd) an unusual retrospect of his flagship radio show ''Geetmala'' on CDs. The series is called "GEETMALA KI CHHAON MEIN", of which 40 volumes (in packs of five CDs each) have already been produced and released. The volumes have been well appreciated in India and abroad.
Sayani has pioneered the export of Indian radio shows and commercials since 1976. He has exported to
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
,
Swaziland
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
,
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
,
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. In addition, he has compered several shows directly for radio stations abroad.
Ameen Sayani's successful international radio shows
*"MINI INSERTIONS of FILMSTAR INTERVIEWS" : Over the
British Broadcasting Corporation #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
's Ethnic Network in the UK : 35 installments.
*"MUSIC FOR THE MILLIONS" : For the BBC's World Service Radio : 6 episodes.
*"VEETEE KA HUNGAMA" : Over Sunrise Radio, London : 4 ½ years.
*"GEETMALA KI YAADEN":Over Radio Ummul Quwain, UAE : 4 years.
*"YE BHI CHANGA WO BHI KHOOB" : Over Radio Asia, UAE : 8 months.
*"HANGAMAY" : Over ethnic radio stations in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Washington,
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
: 2 ½ years.
*"SANGEET PAHELI" : Over Radio Truro, Swaziland : 1 year.
Stage Compering
Sayani has compered over 2,000 stage functions of all sorts in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, including musical variety shows, beauty contests, fashion shows, award functions, film silver jubilee functions, an International Film Festival closing session (in Delhi), concerts, seminars, workshops, and trade presentations. Has also compered stage shows abroad – in the US, Canada, UK, South Africa, UAE, the
Netherlands
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and the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
.
As of 2014, Sayani is still active in radio in India.
Honours and awards
In 2009, he was presented with the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
award. Apart from this, Ameen Sayani has been a laureate of numerous awards such as:
*Living Legend Award (2006) from loopFederation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, with India Radio Forum
*Kaan Hall of Fame Award (2003) from
Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi (also known as 98.3 Mirchi) is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the ENIL, EntertainmentNetwork India Ltd (ENIL), which is one of the subsidiaries of The Times Group. ''Mirchi'' is Hindi f ...
(FM Network of the
Times Group
Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited, (abbreviated as B.C.C.L. and d/b/a The Times Group), is an Indian media conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The company remains a family-owned business with Sahu Jain family owning a majori ...
)
*Golden Abby by Advertising Club, Bombay (2000 ) for the OUTSTANDING RADIO CAMPAIGN OF THE CENTURY ( "Binaca/Cibaca GEETMALA" ).
*Hall of Fame Award (1993) from Indian Academy of Advertising Film Art (IAAFA)
*Person of the Year Award (1992)
Limca Book of Records
The ''Limca Book of Records'' is an annual reference book published in India documenting world records held by Indians. The records are further categorized into education, literature, agriculture, medical science, business, sports, nature, advent ...
*Gold medal (1991) from Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) presented by Mr.
K.R. Narayanan
Kocheril Raman Narayanan (27 October 1921 – 9 November 2005) was an Indian statesman, diplomat, academic, and politician who served as the 9th Vice President of India from 1992 to 1997 and 10th President of India from 1997 to 2002 .
Born i ...
, then
Vice-President of India
The vice president of India (IAST: ) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in the ...