100 Years Of Radio Ceylon: Uniting A Fractured South Asia Through Shared Melodies

On December 16, 1925, Asia’s first radio station officially began broadcasting from Colombo, then part of British Ceylon.

What started as experimental transmissions of gramophone music evolved into Radio Ceylon, a cultural powerhouse that bridged divides in a region torn by politics, borders, and languages.

As it marks its centenary in 2025, the station now operates as the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). Its legacy endures as a beacon of shared entertainment and soft power.

Early Days and Rise to Prominence

Engineers from the Ceylon Telegraph Department, led by Edward Harper, often called the ‘Father of Broadcasting in Ceylon’, pioneered the medium using equipment reportedly salvaged from a captured German submarine. Initial broadcasts were modest, featuring gramophone records from makeshift studios.

During World War II, Allied forces took control, renaming it Radio SEAC (South East Asia Command) and using it to broadcast to troops across the region.

Post-war, authorities returned control to civilians and formally organised Radio Ceylon in 1949. They installed powerful shortwave transmitters at Ekala, enabling signals to reach far beyond the island.

By the 1950s and 1960s, Radio Ceylon earned the title ‘King of the Airwaves’ in South Asia. Its commercial service, bolstered by Australian administrator Clifford Dodd under the Colombo Plan, attracted massive advertising revenue and talented broadcasters.

The Golden Era: Captivating India with Hindi Film Songs

Radio Ceylon’s unparalleled popularity in India stemmed from a policy misstep by All India Radio (AIR).

In 1952, Information and Broadcasting Minister BV Keskar banned film music on AIR, deeming it ‘vulgar, erotic, and Westernised’. The ban restricted broadcasts to classical and folk genres.

Seizing the opportunity, Radio Ceylon launched dedicated Hindi services. Indian announcers like Vijay Kishore Dubey, Gopal Sharma, and Sunil Dutt (before his film career) joined Radio Ceylon. However, the crown jewel was Binaca Geetmala, hosted by Ameen Sayani.

Debuting on December 3, 1952, as a weekly countdown of Hindi film songs sponsored by Binaca toothpaste, the show exploded in popularity. Sayani’s warm greeting, ‘Behnon aur bhaiyon’ (Sisters and brothers), became iconic. Recorded in Mumbai and flown to Colombo, episodes aired Wednesdays at 8 PM, emptying streets as families gathered around radios.

Cross-Border Popularity and Cultural Impact

From Karachi to Karnataka, listeners tuned in, transcending linguistic and national boundaries. Fan mail poured in, up to 65,000 letters weekly, with requests, trivia, and votes shaping the charts.

Binaca Geetmala ran on Radio Ceylon until 1988, later moving to AIR’s Vividh Bharati until 1994.

Broadcasters like Vernon Corea, Livy Wijemanne, and Greg Roskowski added to the allure with English and regional programmes.

A Shared Cultural Space in a Divided Region

In post-Partition South Asia, fractured by religion, language, and borders, Radio Ceylon provided a rare common ground.

Hindi film songs, Western pop, and local music united listeners across India, Pakistan, and beyond. It popularised Bollywood globally while introducing acts like Elvis Presley to the region.

The station’s archives remain Asia’s largest music library, including rare Hindi recordings unavailable even in India. Families across South Asia gathered around vintage radios, tuning into signals from across the sea.

Legacy Today: From Radio Ceylon to SLBC

The station was reorganised as the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation in 1967 and as SLBC in 1972. It then adapted to FM, television, and digital competition.

Though its dominance has waned, it continues broadcasting in multiple languages, preserving a priceless cultural repository.

Radio Ceylon’s century-long journey reminds us how sound waves can transcend barriers. It fostered unity through melody in a diverse and often divided subcontinent. Its frequencies once carried not just songs, but a sense of shared belonging.

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