How Vividh Bharti Changed Indian Radio Forever

From 1957, the voices of iconic Indian singers and musicians such as Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey, and Mukesh were broadcasted throughout India. Vividh Bharti was the best radio station for the Indian market. This was not just any other radio show, it was one of many All India Radio shows that had become a staple on Indian radio. When people think of Vividh Bharti, it means so much more than a radio show, and today it is a popular 24-hour music channel.

A recording studio at All India Radio station where Vividh Bharti was produced. Image source: Hindustan Times

I am going to start this story with Varya Royce. Specifically his song: Vividh Bharati. The song, released on 7 July 2020, is usually appreciated for its fast tempo and rap bars. Varya Royce, an up-and-coming rap artist in India begins the songs with his lyrics:

Vividh bharti hai bharti hai ye zindagi

Utarti hai marti hai ye zindagi

Tu bhi jaanta hai jaanti hai ye zindagi 

Vividh Bharati hai bharti hai ye zindagi

The song continues as he raps about the trials and tribulations of his life. However, the moniker of the song is a story way bigger than Varya Royce. Vividh Bharati does not mean the same to Varya and his Gen-Z counterparts as compared to what it meant to radio listeners in the 1950s and 1960s.

A Vividh Bharati host sitting in a recording studio. Image source: Hindustan Times

Voices of Vividh Bharati's hosts like Shahnaz Akhtari, Kamal Sharma and many more were low and soothing. They would list a handful of artists and singers whose songs would be played on the show such as Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey and Mohammed Rafi who sang songs such as 'Mori Chham Chham Baje Payaliya', 'Usko Nahin Dekha Humne Kabhi' and 'Ek To Surat Pyari' respectively. Kamal Sharma was one of the most beloved hosts of Vividh Bharati. For several years in the early 1980s, Sharma's voice was broadcast through Raipur into Mumbai. It was the most popular program from the Mumbai market which is how his voice made a significant difference in the world of radio. He was most popularly known for his famous tagline 'Hello Farmaish' and made a name for himself around the country with his smooth velvet voice. The reason I am talking about Vividh Bharati is that it was not just any radio show.

It was one of the many Vividh Bharati Programs such as 'Geet Gata Chal', 'Geetmala' and 'Chaya Geet' that had become a staple on Indian radio. Singers like Mangeshkar, Dey and Rafi were describing the vibe of the postcolonial Indian experiences.

The year is 1957. The place is Churchgate, Bombay, where Vividh Bharati was recorded in the AIR building. A lot was happening outside the walls of this radio station in 1957. For one, the decimalization of the Indian rupee was implemented by the second Nehru cabinet, and the Anna coin system was abandoned. Additionally, India approved a law that gave it power over Kashmir and made it a member of the Union. But if you wanted to understand what was happening in the minds of the Indian citizens in the year 1957, you just have to listen to Vividh Bharti.

The goal of Vividh Bharati was to satisfy the desire for popular and light music among typical listeners. It was to create popular programme schedules taking into account the shifting preferences of the vast majority of listeners.

At Bhopal, Allahabad, and Ranchi, new radio stations debuted during the Second Five-Year Plan (1956–61). The 'Vividh Bharati' service was also made available to listeners as an alternative channel as part of this plan. Its original purpose was to offer family listening to lower income groups in exchange for a small charge. 26 mediumwave transmitters operated by AIR, 23 of which served as extra channels at existing stations and 3 of which served as standalone Vividh Bharati Centres, delivering Vividh Bharati Service to the urban population.

Ashok Vajpayee, an AIR host. Image source: Hindustan Times

Vividh Bharati was all about the music and the spirit, not only about the time. If any song sounded good, told a good story, and was based in the world of Hindustani and Ghazal, then it had a home at Vividh Bharati to which all Indians belonged. Even today, people remember Vividh Bharati, because it meant so much more than just a radio show to them.