The Indian Government's 'Erotic' Ban That Fueled Radio Ceylon's Dominance

In 1952, B V Keskar, Union minister for Broadcasting, decided to ban film songs from All India Radio for their ‘erotic’ nature, and relay only classical music. It meant listeners had access to songs only through gramophones, a luxury few could afford. Radio Ceylon quickly hit the waves, relaying film songs even before the movie hit theatres.

It turned the tide almost overnight. The film industry switched its affiliations to Radio Ceylon, which even started a Hindi language service to play Bollywood songs. Programmes such as ‘Binaca Geet Mala’, a countdown show of songs curated by radio presenter Ameen Sayani, became an instant hit among listeners. In 1957, AIR was forced to broadcast film songs to compete with the soaring popularity of Radio Ceylon, which was already 32 years in the business (a decade more than AIR).


“Thanks to strategies like this, Radio Ceylon became a cultural bridge between India, Pakistan and Burma. The reception to these programmes made Indian business houses advertise on Radio Ceylon,” says T Jaisakthivel, assistant professor, department of journalism and communication, University of Madras, who is writing a book on the history of Radio Ceylon, Asia’s first and world’s second oldest broadcasting service, which turned 100 this Dec. “In the 1950s and 60s, Tamils preferred Radio Ceylon to Akashvani or Vividh Bharti,” says Tamil writer A A H K Ghori, a long-time listener of Radio Ceylon. “That was because not only the nature of programmes but also the broadcasting was heard clearly without noise, particularly in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli in south Tamil Nadu.”

S P Mylvaganam was one of the earliest announcers of Radio Ceylon, who became popular among Tamil audiences through his clear pronunciation of pure Tamil. He was followed by many other announcers such as Rajaguru Senathipathi Kanakaratnam, S K Pararajasingam, Sara Immanuel, Visalakshi Hameed, K S Raja, B H Abdul Hameed, who by their unique voice and presentation of programmes earned a special place in the hearts of island and mainland Tamils. “We learned to speak good Tamil by listening to them,” says Kondegoundenpalayam Muthukumar, a long-time listener.

“The announcers enjoyed a fan following equal to Tamil film heroes. Tamil filmmakers such as C V Sridhar used to bring Mylvaganam to Chennai to conduct musical shows,” says Ghori. The craze went to such an extent that the Radio Ceylon station was on the tourist itinerary of Tamilians on a visit to Ceylon. “They wanted to meet their favourite announcers,” said Hameed in a discussion on social media.

Launched on Dec 16, 1925, the beginnings of Colombo Radio, the precursor to Radio Ceylon, traces its origins to Edward Harper, a British chief engineer at Ceylon Telegraph Office, who founded the Ceylon Wireless Club. During World War II, Colombo Radio evolved into ‘Radio SEAC’ (South East Asia Command) under Lord Mountbatten. After Ceylon’s independence, Radio SEAC was handed over to the Ceylon govt and rechristened Radio Ceylon in 1949. Broadcasting was divided into three services: All Asia, National and Commercial.

Under the National Service, broadcasts went out in English, followed by Sinhala and Tamil. In Sept 1950, the Commercial Service was launched, becoming a rage. Its programming ranged from Western pop and jazz to quiz shows, alongside dedicated Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and Christian segments.

“The Commercial Service used shortwave transmitters which covered Asia and were heard as far as North America,” says Jaisakthivel. “We know that because a QSL card (verification card) was sent by Radio Ceylon in 1958 to a listener in California who sent a reception report.”

In 1972, Radio Ceylon was renamed the Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation, though for listeners it remained Radio Ceylon. “When someone bought a radio, people would ask, ‘Will Ceylon Radio come on this set?’ Such was its impact,” says Munugappattu P Kannan Sekar, who wrote about his experiences of listening to the channel in ‘Panmuga Paarvaiyil Ilangai Vaanoli’.

The station began losing its sheen in the 1980s amid ethnic conflict, during which several Tamil announcers were killed, laid off or fled abroad. “Before the war, Radio Ceylon relayed BBC Tamilosai news,” says Jaisakthivel. “During the conflict, it stopped because the BBC reported both sides of the war, on the govt and LTTE. Radio Ceylon reported only the govt’s version. This gave rise to the LTTE’s own ‘Voice of Tigers’.”

Even today, the impact of Radio Ceylon continues. Some long-time listeners have launched online radio initiatives via platforms such as WhatsApp, inspired by its programming style. Meanwhile, Radio Ceylon, now the SLBC, has turned its attention to the youth through podcasts.

Sivaraja Thakeesan, a new-gen Tamil announcer in SLBC, says though the broadcasting service has been technically updated, its core traditional values charted out by the British remain intact.

“Whether it is Carnatic music, film songs, or literary and drama programmes, our former announcers know every detail by heart, without compromising the language. Our generation is trying to carry that legacy forward,” he says.

Little wonder then that Radio Ceylon once proudly carried the motto: “Entertainment at your fingertips.”

On air, in the heavensWhen comedian K A Thangavelu switches on a radio in heaven in the 1960 Tamil film 'Naan Kanda Sorgam', having brought it with him from earth, a voice booms: 'Ilangai vaanoli varthaga oliparappu' (the Radio Ceylon commercial broadcast). Thangavelu then sighs: ‘Oh... this Ceylon Radio Mylvaganam doesn't even spare Svarga Loka...’

The Tamil launchThough Tamil broadcasting formally began in 1951 under the Commercial Service, the seeds were sown as early as 1937, when S Nadarasa was appointed the first full-time Tamil announcer on the All Asia Service. At the time, Colombo Radio relayed recorded BBC programmes, gramophone records and live music. In 1953, Radio Ceylon launched exclusive services for South India in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu.