I have grown up hearing many stories about India’s first radio superstar, Ameen Sayani. At a time when there was no Internet and even television, the radio was the only source of our infotainment. It was at this time that India gave birth to its first radio jockey. Ameen Sayani is often remembered by many for his joyful trademark greeting, “Namaskar, behno aur bhaiyon! Mein aapka dost Ameen Sayani bol raha hoon”. For about 42 years, he remained the country’s quintessential ‘Radio Man’.
Over a period of four decades, he went onto host over 54,000 radio programmes and recorded more than 19,000 jingles. What led to his immense popularity was probably the fact that his language was simple. Ameen not only interviewed music directors, lyricists and film stars, but also covered socially relevant campaigns for children’s rights and HIV/AIDS. Via letters and postcards, he received about 65,000 song requests in his career. Moreover, an entire generation of radio listeners discovered India through his well-known show, Binaca Geetmala (Radio Sri Lanka – short wave radio programme).
Living Room Theatre’s The Radio Man is a musical tribute based on the life of Ameen Sayani.
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Special Arrangement
In an attempt to give the man his due, a befitting musical tribute based on his life has been put together by Delhi’s renowned Living Room Theatre. Told in the form of an interview with Ameen, one learns about the life of this son of a freedom fighter who grew up in Bombay. Veteran artist Sarita Vohra scripted and directed Radio Man almost immediately after his passing in February last year. Needless to say, a lot of research went into its making. Sarita watched every single interview of his on YouTube and read numerous articles. “A friend of mine knew Ameen’s son and niece. Through them, I clarified certain facts about how when and where Radio Ceylon started,” she said.
Further, composer and singer V. P. Mishra arranged music for the play. Mishra selected several popular tunes from the yesteryears — between the years 1954 and 1994 — which have been sung live by Living Room Theatre’s own in-house actors and singers. In a sense, the play is not just an ode to India’s original Radio Man, but to an entire era of music. The play’s diverse cast of around 20 ranges from age 18 to 80 years plus, and includes everyone from defence veterans to lawyers, AI experts, professional stage, film and television actors, a cardiac surgeon, academics, stylists, fashion and jewellery designers, business men and women, ex-bureaucrats, exporters, young entrepreneurs, IT experts and students.
The Living Room Theatre group.
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Special Arrangement
“Initially, I had staged the play as an experiment at the amphitheatre on my terrace. It was so well received by the audience that I decided to stage it on a bigger platform for a larger audience,” said Sarita. Subsequent shows took place at the capital’s National Rail Museum auditorium as well as at the India International Centre.
Sarita has written, produced and directed over 150 musical plays for children and adults, and her medium is a blend of English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. In the past, she has worked with street and slum dwellers in Mumbai and Delhi. She has also conducted theatre workshops for undertrials at Tihar Jail, empowering them to look forward to a better tomorrow. In 1988, she created a novel concept of informal theatre, called Living Room Theatre, primarily for children, which she operated from the living room of her colonial bungalow in Mumbai’s Colaba. In 2000, she relocated to Delhi. Initially, she did several drama workshops for children at various schools as well as at the India Habitat Centre.
The Living Room Theatre group at the show The Radio Man.
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Special Arrangement
In 2003, she wrote and directed her first adult play in association with HelpAge India called ‘75 Not Out’. Over the years, Living Room Theatre’s productions aim to raise awareness on various social issues, including pollution, environment, turbulence in the Kashmir valley, care for the elderly, relationships in the backdrop of troubled Punjab, globalisation, improving the quality of life of those affected by Thalassemia, Alzheimer’s, cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, autism and depression.
Published – September 25, 2025 05:17 pm IST
