I *heart* Internet

I love the internet, that wonderful source of information!! In addition to being a good reference point (thank you Wikipedia), it is also the ultimate time capsule. Not only dose it archive all the online content created, but it also has managed to archive traditional media, which may not be suitable for archiving. Now this may not be valuable for the Net 2.0 kids, for someone my age (not old, but definitely headed there), it does, occasionally to bring up pleasant memories of growing up, when things were less complicated, or we were too young to understand the complications, whichever way you look at it.

One of my memories of growing up was the radio, specifically the All India Radio. Growing up in Doha, Qatar, we did not listen to it, but my friend usually had programs recorded on audio cassettes and sent over from India. There was one program that I loved to listen, and that was the Cibaca Geetmala. Hosted by a man with the friendliest and most authoritative voice, talking about music, and the latest numbers at that!! When I returned to India, Tuesdays 8 pm were special days for me, when Ameen Sayani counted down the ten latest songs for half an hour. It was not the songs that I listened to, but his hosting.


Sadly, cable TV killed the radio star, and the humble half hour count down could not compete against the one hour countdown extravaganzas like Superhit Muquabla and Philips Top 10. I was sad to see it go, but was also mesmerized by the visual treats of Madhuri doing Dhak Dhak and Choli Ke Peecha, and an over weight Tabu in skin tight clothes asking Ajay Devgan to Ruk, Ruk Ruk and the phenomenon that was Akshay Kumar in Tu Cheez Badi hai Mast Mast.


Until Now.


I discovered to this wonderful link to the wonderful voice of Ameen Sayani, talkng about the program, from Binaca Geetmala till Cibaca geetmala. This brings back memories and suddenly, I want to lay back and remember those times, which is not always a good thing, but for the voice of Ameen Sayani,


To anyone wandering, to know what I am talking about, head over here. And if you know what I am talking about, enjoy those memories :-).