Owning a radio set was a matter of pride in the early 1940s. So much, the arrival of a ‘radio potti’ called for celebration in many homes.
Until the advent of television in the 1970s, radio was the only medium of entertainment and communication for many city residents.
Many All India Radio (AIR) listeners still recall those golden days when they listened to programmes like ‘Oli Chithiram’, in which the track of an entire movie would be aired, and ‘Thenkinnam’, a late evening programme of Tamil songs.
AIR Madras station on Mashall's Road in Egmore was inaugurated by C.Rajagopalachari, premier of Madras Presidency in 1938, Lionel Fielden, controller of broadcasting, and Sir Andrew Clow, member of communication in the Viceroy's Executive Council
At the time of partition, India was left with six AIR stations, including those in Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras and Tiruchirapalli
AIR station shifted from Egmore to the building on South Beach Road(now Kamaraj Salai), near Santhome
Many Carnatic music stalwarts like G.N. Balasubramaniam, Semmankudi Srinivasa Iyer and M. Balamuralikrishna were producers of Carnatic music at All India Radio (AIR)
“I was a fan of the resonating voices of Janaki and H. Ramakrishnan. In those days, the cricket commentary of Melville de Mellow, V.M. Chakrapani and Koothapiran brought the game alive,” he says.
For many, the day dawned with ‘Vande Mataram’ played on the radio at the start of the day’s programmes.
Lalitha Sudhakar (62) of Guindy says, “My love for radio started when I was hardly eight, and I would listen to almost all the programmes throughout the day. Whenever I had to travel out of the country, I would eagerly wait to return and listen to B.H. Abdul Hameed’s crystal clear Tamil on AIR or Radio Ceylon.”
‘Vanoli Anna’ Koothapiran was an unforgettable name among child listeners for over two decades.
Recalling his stint, he says, “Most programmes were broadcast live, and announcers had to be alert. Small children became radio stars with their performance in shows like ‘Siruvar Isai Arangu’ and ‘Pappa Malar’.”
Dramas were another popular segment among listeners. Vijaya Thiruvengadam, former AIR director, says: “We produced writer Kalki’s ‘Alaiosai’ into a serial, with veteran actors like V.S. Raghavan lending his voice. ‘Indru Oru Thagaval’ by Thenkatchi Ko Swaminathan and ‘Pazhagu Tamil’ were very popular in the 1990s.”
Suki Sivam, writer and orator, says, “My father Suki Subramanian was a radio drama producer. In those days, when the title music of popular serials like 'Dubash Veedu' and 'Kaapu Kati Chatram' were played on radio, people would rush home to turn on their sets.”
