When an old Hindi film song Dost... Dost.. na… raha... from Raj kapur’s
film sangam floats in the background,
it take me to the period of radio and its memories. Yes, radio was the only
medium of entertainment then. Those who had radios at home were considered
modern and luxurious. Round rotating disks on both sides of the box were for
station locating and volume controlling respectively. The radio was always mischievous
and used to shutdown when there was something very important going on - because
of poor connectivity. Sometimes, when it was not in mood, it used to give a
hissing sound. The volume was always either very low or very high. It was never
smooth and cajoling. I do not know why it was so problematic and difficult to
manage. Radios-news in tea-stalls and restaurants attracted more customers
during that period. When cricket matches were going on, people in large number
used to gather around the tea-stalls to listen to cricket commentary and scores.
There were no opportunities as now, to listen to particular songs whenever we
desired. It was great joy for us when our favorite songs were heard on radio.
Everyone of us used to rush towards the radio, wanted to listen from close, and
enjoy the melody of the songs, combined with the hissing sound in between. Binaca was a very popular programme of
Hindi film songs in those days.
Whether one believes
or not, it was compulsory to have a radio license then and it had to be renewed
every year. So was the case with bicycle. Now the scenario is very different
and offers many facilities and luxuries.
Today, music has become
part and parcel of our life, and has been fused with our daily activities like
jogging, walking, driving and so on. Now, we have technologically advanced
televisions and music systems. With these facilities, life style today has
changed completely and for the better.
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