Exhibition radio keeps numaish buzzing with golden-era Bollywood hits

Hyderabad’s annual Numaish exhibition remains a favourite family destination, offering more than rides and stalls. Its enduring charm lies in the ‘Exhibition Radio’, run by Ajay Kumar Jaiswal for nearly four decades, which plays Bollywood classics from the 1970s and 1980s.

Hyderabad: A popular hangout space for families on weekends during the first 45 days of the year, the Numaish continues to draw crowds. It is more than the amusement rides, the handicrafts, home furnishings, clothes, eateries or the famous dairy products stall.

A visit to the fair guarantees a transition back to the days when families dropped in for a plate of mirchi bhajji, an ice cream or milk shake at the popular dairy outlet or to enjoy the limited amusement rides.

“While the children and women shop around, the men relax on the lawns listening to the popular film songs from the 1970s and 1980s. The announcers dropped in once a while informing the public about a child lost in the crowd and traced by volunteers,” recalls Syed Sajjad, a resident of Noor Khan Bazaar, who stays in the Middle East and visits Numaish whenever he is in the city.

Years have passed and the radio station goes ahead with its saintly duty of playing the old Bollywood numbers to the visitors. The ‘Exhibition Radio’ is managed by Ajay Sounds owned by Ajay Kumar Jaiswal who has been running the ‘Exhibition Radio’, continuing its legacy, for nearly four decades.

At the stroke of 5 pm the radio station starts and Bollywood numbers are played till the closure at 10.30 pm. Songs from Bollywood’s ‘golden era’ like those of Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar fill the evening air, as Ajay Kumar carefully selects each song from his collection of a few thousand tracks.

Rafi’s songs are played more, followed by Kishore and Lata Mangeshkar. “No, we don’t play new songs, they are played everywhere already,” said Ajay Kumar, who is a third generation member of his family associated with the radio station at Numaish.

“Some of the visitors to the Numaish are also music aficionados who come to listen to the old Bollywood numbers and drop in at the radio station with a request,” he said.

The evening starts with a prayer song while the signature song from the film Pakeezah i.e. ‘Chalte Chalte yunhi koi mil gaya tha, is the last to be played before the day’s business winds up at the exhibition.

“Around four announcers who are familiar with Hindi, Telugu, English and Urdu sit at the radio station every day. They promote stalls and products, make missing children announcements,” said Ajay Jaiswal.