Tale behind Begum Mahal

 

It has been more than 2 years staying at Bangalore (Presently Bengaluru) and every time I pass by Ulsoor Road, the bus stop named at the crucial four road intersection “Begum Mahal” made me inquisitive to know the Story behind this unique name. I had to dig out a lot to find a brief story of Akhter Begum

In the colonial Bengaluru of the 1940s, the sight of a red Buick zipping down MG Road was common. Alighting from the car was a stern woman, roughly in her 50s, bedecked in the finest glittery garments and jewellery. Short, rotund and with heavy makeup, she was endowed with a thundering voice and a personality brazenly modern for her time.

One of the most famous faces of the area that is today part of the City's central business district (CBD), Akhter Begum would be armed with beefy security guards on either side or a spittoon-carrying maid walking meekly behind. Liberty Begum, she was called, mixed awe with fear. The prefix in her name came from the century-old cinema hall in Bengaluru that she owned. 

The Liberty's earliest avatar was the Crystal Picture Palace in the early 1900s. “It was briefly owned by a European woman after the first World War and she called it The Globe. The begum's husband purchased it in the 1940s,“ said Mr Natarajan, one of neighbourhood resident in his late 80s. “It was renamed Liberty to honour India's independence and reflect the mood of freedom. “

The strictly-English theatre that accommodated around 700 people was demarcated into four different classes. It enjoyed the patronage of middle and upper classes. Many Hollywood classics were screened there.

The begum, who also owned the controversial Begum Mahal in Halasuru (Ulsoor), (Where the hotel Hilton stands up now) presided over the Liberty administration and personally monitored all the shows. Liberty stood near the Spencer Building, which is now called Almas Centre on MG Road

“The begum's husband was a pathan who owned lots of land around the city. There was a significant age difference between the two. I remember him always shouting at her but she couldn't care less, “ Mr Natarajan  said, remembering how, apart from the Buick, she also owned a Cabriolet Mercedes and a White Impala.

Bengaluru's oldest theatres could not keep up with newer technologies and commercialization. While Liberty shut in the late 1970s, some of its contemporaries are on the verge of closure.

Though Liberty was just one among colonial theatres like Empire, Imperial, BRV, Opera and Plaza, what differentiated it was the begum's presence. “She was an enigma in her floor-length white gown. “I’ve heard she would drive around the city in her big car like a queen.” It is curious, he added, that no one really knows what happened of the begum after Liberty shut down. She just remains part of the city's collective memory. 

There was this huge building at the corner of Ulsoor (Now the site for hotel Hilton), Begum Mahal is believed to have been destroyed under mysterious circumstances overnight nearly 35 years ago, and Akhtar Begum’s son Raheem’s suspicious death adds to the cloud of mystery around the property. Of course, as an endlessly litigated and complexly sub-contracted space, Begum Mahal would have been nothing less than a bureaucratic impossibility to take over legally. The story of how it was seized is the stuff of real estate legend, involving the usual characters deploying the usual tactics and leaving no trace, except perhaps, Right to Information Act will unearth someday.

 “Liberty Begum” now only is remembered by the people of IT Hub by this bus stand name at the corner of Ulsoor Road “Begum Mahal”

 Courtesy : Mr Prakash Dharwad and a informations available from locals and internet.

Story of Binaca Geetmala

 Story of Binaca Geetmala….

About 70 years ago, the whims of India’s first Minister of Information & Broadcasting led to the birth of the most iconic radio programme for Indian listeners.

In 1952, in the first general elections, the Congress Party led by Pt. Nehru was elected to power with an overwhelming majority. Balakrishna Vishwanath Keskar was chosen by Nehru to take charge of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

Keskar was a man with strong opinions on certain subjects. His tenure is noted for several controversial decisions - including a short-lived ban on cricket commentary on radio, as well as a similar ban on the use of harmonium in All India Radio (AIR) programmes But the decision of Keskar that affected the future the most was his decision to ban film music from AIR. A classical music enthusiast, Keskar believed that film music was causing irreparable damage to Indian classical music

After initially limiting film music to only 10% of airtime on AIR, he eventually took steps that made Hindi film songs persona non grata AIR. There was considerable public outrage as well as protests from the film industry. But Keskar didn't relent

Keskar’s ban soon became a boon for another party. Founded in 1925, Radio Colombo is the 2nd oldest radio station in the world. During WW2, it became Radio South East Asia Command (SEAC) - an effective means for the Allies to send messages to forces spread across SE Asia

When Ceylon became independent in 1948, the former Radio SEAC became Radio Ceylon - which officially began its journey in Dec, 1949 with programmes in English, Tamil and Hindi and quickly gained popularity 

An enterprising American Daniel Molina, sensing a great business opportunity in India, founded a company called Radio Advertising Services in Bombay in 1951 to recruit sponsors for Radio Ceylon’s programmes

Molina also established Radio Ceylon's production arm, Radio Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. (REPL), and hired an AIR broadcaster named Hamid Sayani to head it. With Hindi film songs going off air, Radio Ceylon sensed a golden opportunity 

But Hamid Sayani could not find a producer/writer for a Hindi film song programme on the modest budget of Rs 25/week. Eventually, he settled on his younger brother Ameen. Around this time, the Swedish company Ciba launched their toothpaste brand “Binaca Top” in India

To promote their brand, they decided to title sponsor a new Hindi film song based programme on Radio Ceylon. Thus the iconic “Binaca Geetmala” was born. Ameen Sayani hosted the Geetmala which aired on every Wednesday evening

During 1952-53, the programme did not have a countdown format. That changed in 1954. The ranking was decided based on record sales as well as fan postcards. The latter was scrapped after it was discovered that many listeners were sending multiple entries

Such was the popularity of Binaca Geetmala that Keskar and AIR had to take a step back and launch Vividh Bharati in 1957 to broadcast film songs. But it could not derail the rise of Binaca Geetmala

Every Wednesday evening, the entire subcontinent eagerly waited to hear the iconic lines: “Jee haan bhaiyoo aur behnoo, main hoon apka dost Ameen Sayani aur aap sunn rahein hain Binaca Geetmala!”

Geetmala and Sayani’s brilliant partnership continued on Radio Ceylon until 1989, when it permanently moved to Vividh Bharati. The title changed from Binaca to Cibaca Geetmala along the way. The show retained its loyal audience 

The launch of satellite TV marked the end of the road for Geetmala. Song countdown shows on TV like Superhit Muqabla quickly became a big hit as radio made way for TV. Finally Geetmala's 42 year journey ended in 1994

But for several generations of Indians, Geetmala will always remain close to their hearts. On that note, bhaiyoo aur behnoo, do share any unique memory that you may have associated with this remarkable show