Ameen Sayani, the iconic radio presenter of the popular show “Binaca Geet Mala’, passed away on Tuesday of a heart attack. He was 91.
Sayani’s son, Rajil Sayani, said that his father suffered a heart attack on Tuesday night after which they took him to HN Reliance Hospital, Mumbai, where he breathed his last. Rajil shared, “The doctors at the hospital attended him but couldn’t save him and he was declared dead.”
Ameen Sayani was born in a family where literature was of paramount significance — his mother used to run a newsletter called Rehbar and his brother was the eminent English broadcaster Hamid Sayani — Ameen Sayani began his stint with Radio Ceylon in 1952.
“Namaskar bhaiyon aur behno, main aapka dost Ameen Sayani bol raha hoon,’ the voice reeling out from large wooden boxes-like radio sets across the country’s living rooms, announced.
His presentation became an immediate hit when All India Radio banned the transmission of any Bollywood numbers. It was also a medium for the promotion of simple Hindustani, something that connected with the people across the country.
