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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