Ameen Sayani, pioneering radio star in India, dies at 91

Ameen Sayani, a pioneering radio host who attracted generations of listeners in India with his melodious voice on a radio program that became a national phenomenon, died on Tuesday. He was 91.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India condolences expressed before Mr Sayani's death on social media, saying that “he played an important role in the revolution in Indian broadcasting and had a very special bond with his listeners.”

Mr. Sayani's son, Rajil, was not immediately available for comment.

Born in 1932, Ameen Sayani was introduced to radio by his older brother, who was an English-language broadcaster. In 1952, Ameen became one of the first voices to be heard on the airwaves in Asia by starting the radio program for which he became best known, 'Binaca Geetmala', which presented Bollywood music.

He presented the program on Radio Ceylon, one of the oldest radio stations in the world, based in what is now Sri Lanka. The show was later moved to All India Radio, the state-owned public broadcaster. The show started as a half-hour series, but was extended to an hour due to its explosive popularity. The program lasted more than 42 years.

“Hello, sisters and brothers,” he would often say in Hindi during the show. “This is your friend Ameen Sayani talking.” The phrase became his signature, and widely imitated, way of appealing to his audience, evoking nostalgia and instantly recognizable among longtime listeners.

This is a development story.