The legacy of Radio Pakistan
Karachi: “I don’t have the courage to visit the burnt studios. It reminds me of the friends and colleagues who passed away and the memorable work we had done. It is my biggest loss,” says Mehmood Ali.
Now a TV artist, Mehmood began his career from Radio Pakistan in 1948 — a time when the studios were not even properly made. “Earlier, the broadcasting set-up was established at the Naval Headquarters near the Fleet Club and was named Dilawar Studios. There were just two studios and a room for the station director. The rest of the people worked outside in a tent. Later, it was shifted to the broadcasting building at Bundar Road. This is now the Radio Pakistan groomed,” he recalls.
His first play was in Studio 9, which was meant for dramas. “It was a radio feature titled Utra Teray Kinaray, Jab Khula Humara Dar, which was a historical journey of the subcontinent from Muhammad Bin Qasim to the creation of Pakistan and was broadcast on August 14, 1948,” he said.
From music to news to children’s plays and dramas, Radio Pakistan was responsible for entertaining the masses for a long period of time. The tragic fire outbreak at the Radio Pakistan building on October 28 has left many artists saddened. Out of the 14 studios, 13 have been completely burnt. The only one left is studio one, which was the most important as the bulletins of the 1965 war were broadcast from there. These studios have produced inspiring celebrities. There is no big name from TV and film that has not gone through the training of Radio Pakistan.
Ather Shah Khan Jedi is a big name when it comes to comedy writing. Jedi joined Radio Pakistan as a scriptwriter starting from children’s plays and moving onto adult dramas. He credits studio nine for teaching him the art of writing and taking him to where he is today. “After my matriculation I joined the radio. Sitting in the canteen, I used to write scripts for hours. From studio one to 14, I have written for everybody. My famous programme was Dhamak, which was also a comedy programme, and was a big hit for studio nine. My solo programme, Rang he Rang, Jedi ke Sang, was also light comedy that ran for 19-and-a-half years,” he says.
Shamim Ejaz started her career from Radio Pakistan in 1958 as an Urdu newscaster. Earlier, she was working as an airhostess. Narrating her favourite memory of studio five, which was a VIP studio, Shamim said that she was called in an emergency and was rushed to the studios to read the news on air. “My voice was shaking when I went on air. So much so that the Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri said in India ‘Lahore was on the verge of war and the newscaster was crying’,” she says. She gained massive popularity owing to her radio programme titled Paasbaan for the armed forces that gained her instant popularity, especially among the armed forces. ‘Ae mard-e-mujahid jaag zara ab waqt-e-shahadat hai aya’ was the signature tune of the show that was sung by Mehdi Hassan.
Qari Waheed Zafar, a renowned naat khawan of ‘Allah Hoo’ fame also recorded a number of naats for Radio Pakistan. Before his journey to TV, his radio journey started through a programme called ‘Sar Chashma-e-Hidayat’ where he recited the Quran. “Though I had recorded my famous naat ‘Allah hoo’ first time for TV, it didn’t give me as much popularity as it did when it was aired from studio five of Radio Pakistan. I have even worked for studio 14 which was for children’s programmes,” he said.
Qamar Shahbaz, a renowned Sindhi writer, still calls himself a radioman. He has written a number of short stories and plays. Beginning his career with Radio Pakistan in 1972, Qamar started writing one-hour short plays in Sindhi. “Later, they were translated in Urdu and were also adapted for TV. Because of this, my main affiliation has been with studio nine, which is no more. Though I had stopped working for radio for a few years now, but still whenever I visited the place, it reminded me of our struggles,” Qamar sadly says.
Qazi Wajid is another famous name affiliated with the rich history of Radio Pakistan. He joined the radio as a kid and most of his work is mostly for children. Recalling his work in studio 14, Qazi said that Naunehal “was the first children’s drama that I did which was broadcast in 1956.” Later, Qazi’s character in Qazi ji ka Qaida became very popular among children. This journey then moved to studio nine “where I also did a lot of adult dramas as well,”
The list of such artists can go on as it is an exhaustive one. This is the same studio where Liaqat Ali Khan addressed the nation and it remains no more. The transmission is now being broadcast from the new broadcasting house at Civic Centre. On the whole, the loss of belongings and equipments may be overcome but the irreparable loss of the burnt memories and studios is huge for the people who are what they are because of Radio Pakistan.
Source: News
Date:11/15/2007
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