Gramophone
Once a fortnight, my father would bring down the Gramophone from the five-foot almirah. He would listen to Marathi songs by playing record plates, two songs at a time. A small box containing a few hundred pins was kept inside the player unit. The pins needed to be changed after playing some songs. We had exactly 42 record plates, 40 in Marathi and two in Hindi. The Hindi record plates featured songs from the film Madhumati and another film with songs by Manna Dey.
The most delicate part of the player was its spring for keying purposes. If over-wound, the spring would break. This happened in the mid-1970s, and my father stopped using it. Repairing the Gramophone was a daunting task, as it was heavy and needed to be taken to the marketplace.
I returned to Mysore in early April 1977 to stay with my parents, following my final year Bachelor of Commerce exams in Bangalore. With ample free time and no obligations, I found myself curious about the various items in our home, and I began to explore and examine them more closely. I managed to open the player, reverse-engineer the problem, and replace the spring. I had taken the unit that had the spring part to the marketplace for replacement. I was fortunate to find someone who still knew how to repair Gramophones, as most shops had transitioned to cassette players by then. The Gramophone remained with my sister for a long time.
Radio
While the Gramophone was a treasured possession, our Radio was an equally important part of our home entertainment.
We have had a Murphy Radio in our home since the 1960s. My father would regularly listen to Marathi songs played once or twice a week on Bombay Vividh Bharati. Famous singers like Gangubai Hangal, Mallikarjun Mansur, and Sudhir Phadke were often featured. My mother would listen to Bangalore Akashvani every morning and the women's program in the afternoon. She eagerly awaited the Kannada movie broadcast every Sunday at 2:30 pm.
My older sister and brother would listen to 'Radio Ceylon' every morning at 8 am. They also enjoyed the 15-minute skit 'Hawamahal' at 7:45 pm and the 30-minute song program 'Chayageet' at 10:30 pm in Vividh Bharati, Bombay. My sister would also listen to 'Sakhi Saheli' aired from 3 to 4 pm on Vividh Bharati.
Except for my father, the rest of our family were fans of Binaca Geet Mala, which aired every Wednesday night at 8 pm. The Hindi programs are still broadcast on Vividh Bharati Mumbai Station, and I continue to listen to them whenever I can. Such is the influence of radio on me. Although Binaca Geet Mala was discontinued in the late 1980s.
Two surprising aspects of the radio were the antenna and the license fee. The radio required an antenna, a cluster of thin wires extending from the radio unit to outside or inside, tagged at a higher altitude. However, this antenna worked flawlessly, and there was no need to adjust its position.
The central government charged a license fee at the time of purchase and an annual renewal fee of Rs. 10. I remember my father visiting the post office to pay the yearly renewal fee for using the radio. He also paid a license fee of Rs. 15 in the early 1970s.
Everyone familiar with Akashvani remembers the signature song played at the start of every program. Here's an audio clip of the signature song from the 'Learn and Speak Sanskrit' program, aired on Bangalore Akashvani in the early 1970s.
केयूराणि न भूषयन्ति पुरुषं हारा न चन्द्रोज्ज्वलाः
न स्नानं न विलेपनं न कुसुमं नालङ्कृता मूर्धजाः ।
वाण्येका समलङ्करोति पुरुषं या संस्कृता धार्यते
क्षीयन्ते खलु भूषणानि सततं वाग्भूषणं भूषणम् ।। - नीति शतकम्
keyūrāṇi na bhūṣayanti puruṣaṁ hārā na candrojjvalāḥ
na snānaṁ na vilepanaṁ na kusumaṁ nālaṅkṛtā mūrdhajāḥ|
vāṇyekā samalaṅkaroti puruṣaṁ yā saṁskṛtā dhāryate
kṣīyante khalu bhūṣaṇāni satataṁ vāgbhūṣaṇaṁ bhūṣaṇam||
- Nīti Śatakam
Translation: Bracelets do not decorate a person, nor do necklaces glittering like the moon, nor bath, nor smearing the body with fragrance, nor flowers, nor decorated hair. Only that speech embellishes a person, which has been upheld with cultural refinement. Indeed, all ornaments decay. Ornament of speech are always real ornament.
As I look back on those fond memories, I realize that the Gramophone and Radio were more than just devices that played music - they brought our family together, created a sense of community, and provided a window to the world beyond our small town. Even though technology has advanced significantly since then, the joy of listening to music and radio programs remains unchanged. As I continue to tune into the nostalgic frequencies of my past, I am reminded of the power of music and radio to evoke emotions, spark memories, and connect us across time and space.
More in my next... Enjoy the continuous rains of today.
In the meantime why don't you tune in to your memories and write here?
suresh hulikunti
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