Do you remember listening to Chitrahar on the TV or the Rangoli on sundays!?
Then later on came the music countdown shows which were very popular like the Superhit Muqabla and of course with the advent of Mtv and other channels, countdowns became more of the videos than the songs itself!
The paucity of good music makes sure that there is no good countdown now! There were days when one film would have more than ten good songs! while nowadays you have ten movies with not even a single good song! Whatever Spotify or Apple music says!
This is the age of singles! One hit wonders and songs which you sing for some time and forget the next day! The music is produced and orchestra is artificial! The singers are auto tuned and the lyrics are repetitive and garbage! The songs nowadays need a single point of click bait which can be used as a reel and your work is done!
Did you know that one of the first music (actual music and not garbage of today!) countdown was in India in Radio ceylon and later on Vividh Bharathi which started way back in 1952!?
At its onset in 1952, the program did not rank songs, but rather played seven contemporary songs in no particular order! This was really good since those days the songs were so good and so full of soul that to put a number to it would be an arduous task indeed!
Later on the program started ranking the most popular Hindi film songs. The songs were initially ranked by a combination of the number of records sold in India and listener votes which were collected and recorded in no particular order since this was not an official countdown but still it was a matter of great pride when the song came in the top three!
Popularity was gauged by record sales, verdicts from record store owners, and popularity among the shrota-sanghs or ‘listeners clubs’. Each week, the shrota-sanghs would send the radio station their list of popular songs. The clubs were formed because it was possible for a record to be sold out at stores and although there was interest to buy more, the interest would not show up in record sales!
The year-end lists were compiled based on points earned by songs through the year. Between 1966 and 1970 there would sometimes be no points on the weekly broadcast, but the year-end show would be based on point system!
I still remember how my mother used to be glued on to our old big radio with the dial stuck in AIR and she used to listen to the songs in full blast!
When you see the number one songs the singer on top would undoubtedly be Lata didi!
It is probably one of the longest running countdown shows ever! Starting in 1952 to 1988 in Radio Ceylon and then from 1989 to 1994 in Vividh Bharathi! With subsequent revivals also in later years! The names used to change but the presenter is one of the most recognizable voices in Radio! His start of “Behno aur Bhaiyon ” has been imitated in many movies and songs and is instantly recognizable!
The name of the countdown was Binaca Geetmala, and its subsequent incarnations named after Cibaca—Cibaca Sangeetmala, Cibaca Geetmala, and Colgate Cibaca Sangeetmala!
And of course the iconic voice of Ameen Sayani…
We lost that eternal baritone and melodious voice today.
My mother would have shed a tear for you sir, I will shed two, one for her and one for you…you will be missed…
Heart felt condolences; OM SHANTHI…
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