The Partitioned Airwaves of All India Radio - Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari

Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari (1904-1975) was a pioneering broadcaster, as well as a poet and musicologist. Born in Peshawar, Bukhari was among the earliest administrators of All India Radio, and the founder of Radio Pakistan. In this essay, excerpted from his autobiography that was serialized in an Urdu newspaper between 1962 and 1966, Bukhari recalls the days of Hindu-Muslim disputation over All India Radio airtime. He talks about his resentment for the harmonium, the origins and instant popularity of Muharram programming. Written many years after Partition, the essay’s tenor recalls the political atmosphere of 1940s British India, and the familiar trappings of Urdu musicology.Featured music and recitations:1. Ustad Shahid Parvez - Des2. Ustad Habibuddin Khan - Harmonium3. Agha Maqsood Mirza Dehlvi - Aye salami hashr ke din4. Aftab Ali Kazmi - Behek rahay ho kyun