'Awaaz ki duniya ka dost' goes quiet forever; RIP Sayani sir!
Ruling listeners' hearts from the early 1950s till the mid-1990s, Ameen Sayani brought in a new wave in the radio and voice-over industry and paved the way for so many young aspirants to try their luck in the voice industry
“Jee Haan, Behno Aur Bhaiyo!”
These words have echoed in millions
of ears for decades. The moment one hears these words, they are certain of an
audio treat with some of the finest narratives followed by an array of
memorable melodious songs. Today as Ameen Sayani breathed his last, these
iconic words rest in eternal peace with him.
Ameen Sayani can easily be called
the Godfather of the Indian voice industry. Ruling listeners' hearts from the
early 1950s till the mid-1990s, he brought in a new wave in the radio and
voice-over industry and paved the way for so many young aspirants to try their
luck in the voice industry.
The radio announcing industry can
be divided into two eras, Before Ameen and After Sayani. Before he entered into
the announcing industry, the style of compering was very formal or
straightforward. He brought with him a certain charm and elegance, which made
every listener sit up and pay attention to what he said. In the times, when
television had not yet taken over, Ameen Sayani conquered every heart through
his bass-tone voice and immaculate modulation that gave the much-needed
credibility and oomph to every narration. Listeners' imagination would come
into play when he would describe a song or the artiste's creativity in his
countdown show. The much-needed narrative to each song in every paaydaan,
created a film of its own in the listener’s mind. He made radio listening a
very personal interactive experience. It seemed he was addressing each listener
individually with his effortless ease.
Having grown up in the 80s and 90s,
I was introduced to Ameen Sayani by my parents and their love for Vividh
Bharti. I have grown up listening to his inimitable style and that became the
ultimate benchmark for announcing, compering and interacting on public
platforms for me. Announcement/anchoring was equal to Ameen Sayani to me,
PERIOD!
A few years ago, when I had got an
opportunity to attend a two-day music conference, little did I know that the
grand finale was a surprise session with the legend himself. During that
conference, I also made a presentation on the importance of audience connection,
which was applauded by all in general and Ameen sir's son in particular. On the
second day when the surprise was shared that the culminating session would be
graced by Ameen sir, I had no words to express my feelings. Rajil Sayani (Ameen
sir’s son) had by now gauged my devotion for the man and gracefully asked me to
sit in the front row for a better view.
My voice guru was on the stage and
watching his fragile body with a support belt for his spine, I was emotional
and controlling my tears. Then the man starts talking “Jee Haan Behno aur
Bhaiyo!” and I burst into tears. The emotions were unexplainable. The session
ended and Ameen sir had to be taken to the green room. Rajil bhai very sweetly
came to me and my friend and said, “Come, let's take Papa to the green
room". With eyes wide open, we went to the stage, held his hand from each
side and helped him walk slowly and steadily to the green room. The moment he
settled down in his chair, he gave me a sweet glance and I was crying again,
this time like a baby without any control over my emotions. In a composed
manner, he put his hand on my head, asked my name and said, “You have a sweet
voice, don’t spoil it by crying!” I was standing there speechless! How can one
contain so much love and affection? This one blessing was more than enough for
my lifetime.
The moment I got out of the
auditorium, I called up Dad and narrated
the whole scene to him and now both Dad and I were crying with happiness.
Today I curate my music shows and
interact with artists from the entertainment industry, and every time I take a
silent approval from my voice guru and evaluate myself by asking if Ameen
Sayani ever heard my anchoring, would he approve of this style and content.
Last few years there have been
multiple rumours of his demise and every time I read something, I would message
Rajil bhai and he would quickly respond, “Don’t worry he is fine, don’t believe
in fake news!" Wednesday morning when I heard the unfortunate news, again
I sent a message to him anticipating a quick similar response, but no reply
came!
The divine voice today is gone
silent forever!
You will always live in our hearts
sir and will remain the eternal inspiration for every aspirant of the voice
industry.
Travel well to the other realm.
Kalpana Swamy is the Product
Head of MUZICALLI, a music appreciation community. She hosts her radio show on
Zoom, which features popular Hindi film music
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Rama kant
Very touching n moving tribute to the legend. Having gone through it, one can have a fair idea of the origins of inputs ingrained in yr always commanding compering of shows.