Forgotten treasure trove of radio relics
On this day, where the world celebrates radio’s remarkable past, relevant present and promise of a dynamic future, the antique radio collector urges the importance of radio to be educated to the children in schools
Abuthahir MA with his antique radio collection
CHENNAI: Donned in his school uniform, a young boy waited for the 8 am film songs to play at the radio from his neighbours house. By the time the second song played, it was time for Abuthahir MA to step out of his home for school.
“We didn’t have a clock in our house. The radio at my neighbours house used to be our only alarm, which gave us perspective of our schedules. Those days, not many had a radio,” narrates the 45-year-old, who resides in Anaimalai in Coimbatore.
Unable to finish his schooling after grade seven, he started working young to support the family. Even during work, the only thought that revolved around his confused mind was his fascination towards the radio box, as he never owned one.
“I bought my first radio from a scrap dealer for ₹35 back in 1989, which felt like my biggest achievement back then. It was a Valve radio and I was not aware of how it functioned,” he states.
With continuous experimentation, by the end of 1996, the vintage radio collector realised it to be a Ham radio, which, to his astonishment, was used before the Second World War.
“People my age usually go to theatres on Sundays. But I set sail on a hunt in search of unique radios. I also started diving deep into the history of each of them,” Abuthahir says.
On one of his voyages to a tribal community in 1993, the radio collector was intrigued to encounter the tribal groups yearning for radio, highlighting, “I met a tribe who were settled in a place far from electricity and basic necessities. But they had submitted a few documents to the government for an acquisition of a radio for themselves. This inspired me a lot.”
On this day, where the world celebrates radio’s remarkable past, relevant present and promise of a dynamic future, the antique radio collector urges the importance of radio to be educated to the children in schools.
“In our country, we had renowned scientists like Jagadish Chandra Bose, who was one of the pioneers who researched radio technology, much before Marconi, the inventor of radio. Today’s generation should celebrate the achievements of our country, along with the good old days of radio,” he explains.