Looking Back

Imagine showbiz personalities without voice talent. They will easily become intolerable. The purpose behind the invention of Radio was to promote the vocal chords of human beings. Just take the example of Radio Pakistan. It has produced numerous voice relating greats. Their style of rendering the lines, which went on air, was unmatchable in their times. If S.M. Saleem and Santosh Russell can be termed as the best male and female type voice, then Munni Baji can be rated as the best child type voice ever produced. Most of the Radio greats have died but superstars like Munni Baji are one of those remaining living legends in Pakistan.

Parveen Akhtar alias Munni Baji, was born in Simla in 1941. She was one of her parent's five children. She was very small in height approximately, 50 inches, but as it is said, 'the smaller the artiste, the bigger would be its fame'.

Not everyone knows that this remarkable radio star started her career as a child artist, whenever she went to Delhi on holidays. Behzad Lakhnavi, a family friend, introduced this frock-clad girl to Radio at a time when even the girl didn't knew that she is going to play such a great role in the history of Radio. "I recited alum nashrah lakaat the Radio as Urdu was Greek to me then", recalls Munni Baji.

After the death of her father, before partition, she started working for All India Radio, but, like most of the Muslims, had to migrate to Pakistan with her family in 1947. She was helpless and homeless at that time but not hopeless. At this point, we shall be thankful to our neighbours for sparing such talents for us.

She did Radio programmes for 2 years from Lahore, as a drama artiste. Then there was no Radio Station in Karachi. Munni Baji lived in Lahore in order to claim the lost property. Zia Jullundri, another well-known Radio personality, asked her to work as long as the claiming process was taking place.

In the midst of 1950, she, with her family shifted to Karachi. Here she needed no introduction as most of the colleagues were known from Delhi. "We were, later, allotted a canteen at the government offices. Z.A. Bokhari was a friend of my grandfather and helped me a lot. As dada was not in his senses since my father's death, he handed over the canteen to my brother and me. I had to choose from the Radio and the canteen and chose the latter bidding a temporarily farewell to the Radio", said Munni Baji.

She had a childish voice which enabled her to accept the kid roles in dramas for the Radio Pakistan, Karachi. She did many serials with Qaid-e-Havas and Zanjeer Bolti Hai as her favourites. She also did children programmes.

In answer to what made her revert to Radio, she replied in her peculiar voice, "In 1958, the Capital shifted from Karachi to Islamabad and the business of the canteen shifted towards the negative side. I had to earn the bread and butter for my family and had no choice but to return to the Radio and worked for 35 more years. I retired in 1993, but worked on contracts till 1998".

It is quite difficult to make a programme your identity. There have been hundreds of radio programmes but only few had been able to register themselves in the reader's mind. Naunehaal, whose name later changed into Bachchon ki Duniya was thoroughly a Munni Baji programme. It went on air for more than 30 years and is still remembered by the young-ones of the 70's and 80's.

"I was never interested in doing TV. They approached me many a times but I simply refused. Yes, I once did a TV programme 'badon ke liye' (For Elders) for a private company. The programme is nowadays being copied across the Wagah Border", complains Munni Baji.

Munni Baji loved to work with Qazi Wajid, Mehmood Ali, Safia Moinee, Fatima Khanum, Arsh-e-Munir, S.M. Saleem and others and misses her colleagues specially those who are no more in this world. Living a retired life today, Munni Baji is satisfied with her achievements.

She received Ilyas Rashidi's Nigar Award for her services. She wanted to work more for the institution, but her poor health is keeping her away from doing so. Artists like Munni Baji are an asset for a country. Sadly, the younger generation is unaware of the laurels these prodigies have earned for the Radio Pakistan. But, legends do not fade out. Height does not always matter, as we come to know from the living legend like Munni Baji.