Iconic Indian radio presenter Ameen Sayani, 91, no more
Mumbai: Iconic Indian radio presenter Ameen Sayani has passed away at the age of 91. Ameen’s son Rajil Sayani confirmed the news to media outlets. He informed the media that his father suffered a heart attack. The family rushed him to HN Reliance Hospital, Mumbai. He breathed his last at the hospital.
Ameen’s son said, “The doctors at the hospital attended him but couldn’t save him and he was declared dead.”
Ameen Sayani’s funeral will take place on Thursday as the family is currently waiting for relatives to reach Mumbai.
Ameen Sayani was a radio presenter with a voice that mesmerised one and all. He was possibly the most famous name in the world of radio with the current lot of radio presenters having been inspired by his work.
The weekly countdown of superhit Hindi songs, Binaca Geetmala, became a rage from the 1950s to 1990s because of Sayani.
Ameen was born into a family of literature aficionados. Ameen’s mother was linked with a newsletter called Rehbar and his brother was the eminent English broadcaster Hamid Sayani. Ameen Sayani began his stint with Radio Ceylon in 1952.
His iconic words “Namaskar bhaiyon aur behno, main aapka dost Ameen Sayani bol raha hoon, (Namaste brothers and sisters, I am your friend Ameen Sayani)” still ring in the ears of those who have had the privilege of hearing him. His voice, many say, was one of a kind.
Apart from regular presentations, Ameen was a hit when All India Radio banned the transmission of any Bollywood songs. Radio at the time was also a medium for the promotion of simple Hindustani, something that connected with the people across the country.
In a previous interview, Ameen told Indian Express, “I wanted each listener to feel that I was talking to them and it immediately struck a chord. It, surprisingly, even revolutionised radio presentation. I didn’t expect it to become a phenomenon in the coming years. They were such fantastic times. It was my romance with Radio Ceylon.”
