BBC Bangla: A memory vivid in listeners’ minds
Md. Zillur Rahaman :
On 31 December 2022, BBC Bengali radio broadcasting is going to be stopped permanently. On October 11, 1941, BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) started broadcasting Bangla programs on radio. BBC Bangla crossed 81 years on October 11, a time when BBC Bangla’s radio broadcast ceased, a truly painful and memorable end to many hardships for the listeners. Undoubtedly, as an international media, BBC Bangla has gained a permanent seat in the hearts of its listeners. Initially started with a 15-minute program a week, but from the Bengali Service under the BBC World Service, a total of one-hour programs are being broadcast in two sessions per day.
I was introduced to BBC Bangla as a devoted listener in my childhood when I had not even started going to school, it was in the early eighties. My late father was a great fan of international radio, including the BBC. Morning afternoon radio was his constant companion for breaking news. I know from him that he used to listen to BBC regularly since the fifties. BBC Bangla was reliable news medium for many like him during the Great War of Independence; I have heard him say this many times. He was fascinated by the latest news, which later encouraged me to become a regular listener. I remember many news-hungry people would gather around my father’s radio, sipping a cup of tea. Too bad I didn’t understand much, but the opening music of the BBC’s rustic flute tunes fascinated me and introduced me to the BBC growing up. It is a great memory and experience.
BBC Bangla’s opening music and late Nurul Islam’s vocal voice readings still resonate with many people like me. Nurul Islam reading news from BBC Bangla, London, it was very good and romantic. The voices of Sirajur Rahman, Urmi Bose, Visakha Ghosh, Sanjay Dasgupta, Ali Riaz, Ataus Samad, Atikus Samad, Golam Murshid, Kamal Ahmed, Subhir Bhowmik, Kaushik Shankar Das, Suprakal Ghoshal, Nazes Afroz are floating in the heart. The military analysis of Syed Mahmood Ali, former editor of BBC Bangla, was truly remarkable.
In 1969, BBC Bangla first started a morning program called ‘Prabhati’. On the other hand, keeping the urban audience in mind, the journey of the second morning session of BBC Bangla ‘Pratyusha’ started on January 11, 2007, keeping the six o’clock morning schedule. Coincidentally, after 13 years on the same day i.e. January 11, 2020, the last episode of Pratyusha aired. Then it shut down all morning programs of BBC Bangla completely. Earlier on March 31, 2018, Prabhati at 6:30 AM Bangladesh time and the last Parikrama program was broadcast at 10:30 PM. However, the night circumambulation program, which was closed on January 11, 2020, was brought back. Incidentally, till April 1, 2018, a total of four programs were aired on BBC Bangla Radio in the morning Prabhati and Pratyusha and at night Prabhati and Parikrama. Recently, BBC Bangla Radio reduced two programs and started two programs in evening and night.
BBC Bangla’s announcement said that in addition to expanding its TV program, BBC Bangla will be more active and present on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. In the meantime, the number of followers on BBC Bengal’s Facebook page has crossed 14 million. Bangla Service will be equally present on social media by adding more text, audio, video through digital media. The role of BBC during the glorious liberation war in 1971 will be forever remembered in the history of Bangladesh. In the dire straits of the nation, this media has become an institution faith and trusted by billions of people.
The audience correspondence program Pritibhajaneshu and its online version Editor’s Mailbox were BBC Bangla’s only audience accountability programs. The way in which this program objectively presented various complaints, praises, comments, criticisms, joys and sorrows of the listeners for a long time was really extraordinary. Respecting different opinions and raising difficult questions fluently were their outstanding characteristics. Apart from this, the magazine program Bigganer Ashore (Science Forum), Itihasher Sakkhi (History Witness), e saptaher sakkhatker (This Week Interview), Phone-in, Mathe Maidane (Sports from field), News Analysis Program Special Report, Discussion on Current Affairs etc. will be remembered by the audience for a long time. At the same time, Sabir Mostafa, Manoshi Barua, Pulak Gupta, Mizanur Rahman Khan, Shakeel Anwar, Masud Hasan Khan, Shubojyoti Ghosh, Kadir Kallol, Akbar Hossain and many other radio voices will be lost forever. Thousands of listeners like me are still huge fans of BBC Bangla. The BBC is still equally popular with the masses for its impartiality, informative reporting, variety programs and professionalism. BBC Bangla Radio will remain a beacon of light in the hearts of listeners for a long time. We hope that the BBC’s vibrant and fresh news on digital platforms will keep the BBC vibrant and bright forever.
(The writer is a banker).
