Gaga over radio: Why ‘tuning in’ remains a ritual for these collectors

For 52-year-old Prachi Muranjan, who grew up watching the radio supply the soundtrack to her mother's chores, tuning in is a vital part of her everyday routine. "The minute I wake up and get fresh, I tune into the radio at around 5 am and listen to it for the next 1-1.5 hours." In fact, it is this very love for radios that created a special bond in her marriage. "The very first radio that I ever owned was gifted to me by my husband in 1992, soon after our marriage. Even though we had an arranged marriage, he knew my love for listening to the radio. I still have it and it's pretty special for me," she adds.

Every year, February 13 is observed as World Radio Day to celebrate the instrument and medium, which has been known to popularly transmit information and music before television came in. The day was designated by UNESCO in 2011 and was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012. The theme for the 11th edition in 2022 was ‘Radio and Trust'. It focused on the need to give verified information to listeners through ethical radio journalism, and on the importance of making the medium accessible and viable through radio stations. Even as the world pivots to video, there are quite a few people in India who still rely on radio for their music, entertainment and news.

Being all ears
Like Muranjan, Kolkata-based businessman Indra Kumar Ghosh has grown up listening to radio, a habit he cultivated because it was one commonly practised in his family. Now, the 67-year-old owns as many as seven radios, which he has been collecting for the last 52 years. They include brands such as Murphy, Philips Holland, Aiwa, Standard Transistor, Philips India, National Panasonic 2-in-1 and Santosh. "They belonged to my family, my dad would bring them home. As I grew older and started my business, I invested in more radios, keeping in mind that the old ones need maintenance from time to time. I am a big-time lover of music," says Ghosh. He does listen to them by turns now but, being a collector, he mostly tries to preserve them because they are reminders of his childhood and history.

Interestingly, his youth was full of sport, music and festivals and the radio was an important part of each of those experiences. He says, "We used to get thrilled whenever cricket or football commentaries were broadcast or when Mahishasur mardini used to be broadcast nationally. Even now, this is broadcast over all bands in radio nationally, on the Mahalaya day before Durga Puja."

It was not only the sports and festival broadcasts but the family was all ears even during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. He adds, "These radios were our lifeline and we would listen to Radio Bangladesh every evening without bothering about our annual exams." Listening to Vividh Bharati was a ritual every afternoon and evening; Radio Ceylon with Ameen Sayani was a must for the family too. Ask Ghosh about the kind of programmes he listened to, and he quotes the schedule from memory. "It used to include news, music and plays. Sangeet Sikkhar Asor by Pankaj Mullick at 9 am, Shishumahal on Sundays at 9:30 am, Musical Bandbox at 1 pm, Chayachabir Gaan at 9:30 pm were among our favourites."

Prachi Muranjan tunes in to her newer radio (in picture) every day and is thankful that operating them has become much easier now. Photo Courtesy: Prachi Muranjan

Of music and radio jockeys
While Ghosh's listening schedule was sprinkled with a little bit of everything, radio has always been about music and entertainment for Muranjan. She remembers, "Our very first was the Murphy radio, which was very big in those days. I remember it was a family-owned radio, since having a radio in the earlier days was also a luxury."

Over the years, she has been able to afford several radios and is thankful that operating them has become much easier. Given the role the device plays in her life, she doesn't have to adjust the antenna to get the correct frequency. "It's ‘me time' for me. When I tune in to a radio channel, it is to simply de-stress and unwind," she says. Apart from the music, Muranjan also tunes in to singers' interviews and chats about movies.

It is no different for Bengaluru-based Saina Jayapal, who has been hooked on the radio since her childhood because of the music and radio jockeys she has been listening to over the years. "I have a radio in my bathroom which I listen to when I shower," says the 43-year-old, who currently owns a Phillips radio. She still has a picture of the first one she owned, which was a clock that doubled up as a radio. "At that time in the 1990s, the radio was my only introduction to good music. I loved Casey Kasem's American Top 40 and the letters he used to read out," adds the former RJ.

Kasem's impression on her is evident when she recounts a letter he read on radio. The communications professional says, "One of my fondest memories of his show is about a letter he read from one sister to another, who had run away from home. The way he read the letter had a human connect, and also the way he used to pick them really connected with people. This was about one sister who longed for her sister, couldn't find her and had no clue what happened to her." Jayapal narrates that the sister had dedicated the song ‘Hero' by Mariah Carey because even though their parents didn't think much of her, she was still a hero in her eyes.

Jayapal herself worked with the medium and her father had always loved the radio too. Old-school box radios may have gone out of fashion, but ardent fans of the medium like Jayapal, Muranjan and Ghosh tune in every so often to tap into past memories.