RADIO PAKISTAN KARACHI STUDIO NUMBER NAU (9) EVERY SUNDAY 9 PM:

By Raju Jamil

To the veterans, it could be the most pleasant yet tearful mixed with happiness memory remembering “Studio No. 9” which was broadcast every Saturday and found people specially our sisters, mother and even daadi and naani glued to the radio….sometimes holding the aerial in their hands for earthing to get a better sound due low powered RPK transmitters on medium wave.

Incredible plays loom in my mind that I was a radio buff; RAHAIN, LIGHT HOUSE KA MUHAFIZ, ISHQ E DAURAN, LUBNA, BAARISH, MAUT KA FARISHTA…….THE LIST GOES ON.

My memory though remains fully intact of all the plays and radio artiste of that very late 50’s and very early 60’s era…like Talat Hussain, Sajida Syed, Ibrahim Nafis, Talat Siddiqui, Rehana Siddiqui, Santosh Russell, Sahab Qazilbash, Qazi Wajid, Zafar Siddiqui, Mahmood Ali, Safia Moini, Agha Jahangir, Rizwana Khan, Munni Baaji, Amir Khan a.k.a Hamid Mian, Mughal Basharr, S. M. Saleem, Jamshed Ansari, Maqbool Ali, Ishrat Hashmi, Zeenat Yasmine……and a deluge of talent picked up from Bazm e Tullaba…. our Neelofer Aleem.

Sauti Asraat means background ambiance sounds and music were always by Abdul Razzak. The prominent producers I remember were; Razi Akhtar Shauq and Farooq Jahan Taimuri. Famous dramatist were Syed Ahmed Rafat, Saleem Ahmed, Z. A. Bukhari the Emperor of Radio Pakistan Karachi brother to the great Pitras Bukhari.

One play on studio no. 9 which was re broadcast a few times besides other was…

“Rooh Ka Chakkar”

Those beautiful winter days with gujjak wala handling his thehla lighted by a patromax……shouting “Le Lo gujjak… Khasta Karari Ho Rahee Hai Mewa Gujjak” and we clad in our sleeping suits—-with lihaaf on ourselves, would try and stay as near our our PYE or TELEFUNKEN or PHILLIPS or GRUNDIG radio set…all ready to hear that amazing signature tune of the unforgettable “Studio Number Nau (9)” of RPK on Saturday nights.
JASHN e Tamaeel was of course like Eid or Christmas as celebrations.

While I remember many plays of RPK by heart…alongside some of the cast members, I would like to enlighten my readers with a very interesting yet a comical and also kind of mind boggling play titled “Roohi Ka Chakkar” broadcast by RPK sometimes in 1959-60 which had, according to my memory or guess; Talat Hussain, S.M. Saleem that I remember with sauti asraat by M. A. Razzak that I can never forget.

The play involved the exchange or some mysterious transformation of the ROOHs of two into one another. One was a student and the other a teacher or Professor. I can also remember the dialogue “Iss Tarhaan Nahin chalega Sahabzaday!!” And “Subb Chalta Hai Professor” when the girl who likes the student is perplexed on a different approach of the professor towards her—the professor being in captivity of the ROOH of his student who’s approach towards the girl he likes is sober and very elderly……so forth on.

Hilarious and most interesting play of RPK I remember. My guesses for its producer take me to either Farooq Jahan Taimuri or Razi Akhtar Shauq or Yawar Mehdi…and the play probably written by Syed Ahmed Riffat…my father’s college mate from Delhi and a close friend and indeed a known dramatist of Radio Pakistan Karachi.

A revival of the broadcast of the old plays of RPK is a must to keep our heritage on Radio plays alive. I just want a revival of our values of entertainment.

Never forget your history and the good parts of it when it comes to showbiz and entertainment.

Raju Jamil.