Sayani suffered a heart attack on Tuesday night, 20 February, and was taken to a hospital in South Mumbai but could not be saved.
Published Feb 21, 2024 | 11:48 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 21, 2024 | 11:48 AM
Ameen Sayani. (X)
Famous radio personality Ameen Sayani, the iconic voice behind “Binaca Geetmala“, died at the age of 91 in Mumbai on Wednesday, 21 February.
His son Rajil Sayani said Ameen Sayani suffered a heart attack on Tuesday night, 20 February, and was taken to a hospital in South Mumbai but could not be saved.
“He passed away last night of a heart attack at HN Reliance Hospital. He was rushed to the hospital last evening around 6:00 pm after he complained of chest pain. They tried to revive him but he passed away around 7:00 pm,” Rajil told PTI.
Rajil said the last rites will be held on Thursday, 22 February, and that the family will be issuing a statement soon.
Ameen Sayani, whose introduction “Namaste behno aur bhaiyon, main aapka dost Ameen Sayani bol raha hoon” on Radio Ceylon still evokes strong nostalgia amongst listeners, was born in Mumbai in a multilingual family on 21 December 1932.
He had a creative flair since childhood and started writing for his mother’s fortnightly journal “Rehbar” when he was just 13.
It was also the age when he became a proficient broadcaster in English and started participating in children’s programmes on the English service of All India Radio Bombay.
However, Ameen Sayani was rejected when he auditioned to present in Hindustani because of a slight tinge of Gujarati accent in his voice.
When the then Minister for Information and Broadcasting BV Keskar banned Hindi songs from AIR, Radio Ceylon started to become popular, which was then broadcast from Colombo.
Ameen Sayani got a chance to host “Binaca Geetmala” on Radio Ceylon in December 1952 and he never looked back.
A first-of-its-kind show that featured popular Bollywood songs, “Binaca Geetmala” ran from 1952 to 1994 to massive popularity for 42 long years.
With variations in its name, it continued to woo listeners in the early 2000s too.
One of the greatest radio presenters, Ameen Sayani has passed away.
He was the iconic presenter of the popular radio show “Binaca Geet Mala”.#RIP #AmeenSayani @MIB_India @prasarbharati @airnewsalerts pic.twitter.com/S0aO4L5a1M
— Akashvani आकाशवाणी (@AkashvaniAIR) February 21, 2024
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
