Echoes from the past: This gallery concert in Mumbai celebrates music and stories from the bygone era

A gallery concert will seek to bring alive the sounds, music and stories from a bygone era to add another layer to artist Atul Dodiya’s ongoing exhibition, Radio Ceylon Paintings Vol. I

Before the rise of streaming platforms and the irredeemable urge to constantly channel surf, a generation of music lovers grew up around the radio. In 1923, Radio Ceylon became the first radio station to broadcast in Asia. By the 1960s, it had become the channel for a younger post-Independence generation. Programmes like Binaca Geetmala brought to life Uma Pocha’s anthemic ‘Bombay meri hai’ and Usha Uthup’s jazzy numbers alongside KL Saigal, Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi. Like many of his generation, Atul Dodiya grew up familiarising himself with these names over the airwaves. His latest series, Radio Ceylon Paintings Vol. I at Chemould Prescott Road is a poignant tribute to the musicians, lyricists, and composers who shaped the Hindi film industry’s most cherished songs.

An homage in paint

Dodiya employs a masterful approach to portraiture, meticulously capturing the faces and emotions of these legends who once ruled the airwaves. His canvases serve as a gateway to the past, evoking the memory of a time when music was a unifying force, celebrated across religious and cultural divides. “Painting these figures felt like bringing back old friends,” the artist reflects, adding, “I grew up listening to these voices over the radio, and they remained my constant companions in the studio. I rediscovered the Radio Ceylon again during the pandemic, while I was painting.” He reminisces about the time of Radio Ceylon when he would wait eagerly for Ameen Sayani’s Binaca Geetmala to come on the radio.

Lata Mangeshkar; Sajjad Hussain and Talat Mahmood

The artist began the project two years ago, and the exhibition features a vast collection of 123 portraits and 16 stills. But this, he promises, is only the beginning. “I call it Volume I because I hope to add more artists to this series in the future,” he says.

A walk through the gallery would reveal the familiar profiles of Mohammed Rafi, Suraiya, Shamshad Begum, Talat Mahmood, Sajjad Hussain, Naushad, Shakeel Badayuni, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kaifi Azmi, and Sahir Ludhianvi. Their songs, Dodiya explains, weren’t just melodies but reflections of an era where music transcended divisions, fostering a rare and genuine sense of unity. “These aren’t just faces; I wanted to bring them alive” the 66-year-old artist explains. 

Rutuja Lad in performance

Music meets art

Keeping with Dodiya’s intent, the gallery will bring these memories alive with a live performance by Rutuja Lad tomorrow. “I was initially going to do a standard performance, but when I saw the works at the gallery, I realised that this was a tribute to so many great artistes,” says Lad. She added that she will also address the crowd and have certain interactions and Q and A sessions interspersed with the performance. The vocalist will be accompanied by Omkar Agnihotri on the harmonica, Tanay Rege on the tabla and Abhishekh Prabhu on the guitar. The performance will be homage to music between 1945 to 1965. 

Dodiya’s Radio Ceylon Paintings: Vol. I is a celebration of names who redefined the golden age of Hindi cinema. In many ways, the exhibition is a return to the era where music could unite, inspire, and endure across generations. 

ON February 18; 6.30 pm onwards
AT Chemould Prescott Road, 3rd floor, Queens Mansion, Fort.
FREE

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