AMRITA BAZAR PATRIKA | Wednesday, December 4, 1940 |
Page 10
AMRITA BAZAR PATRIKA |
Wednesday, December 4, 1940 | Page 10
NEW BROADCASTING HOUSE AT CALCUTTA
[By R. L. SURI, Deputy Installation Engineer, All – India Radio]
I wonder if listeners in Bengal and elsewhere have recently observed an improvement in the quality of programmes from the Calcutta Station All- India Radio. Calcutta’s Broadcasting House, which is been officially opened by H. E. the Governor of Bengal on December 3rd now has six new air-conditioned Studios with modern acoustic treatment and new technical equipment; The modifications have been carried out by The Installation Department of All-India Radio and have taken nine months to complete.
Old Radio Station at Garstin Place
To describe these studios, let me for a moment transports you in imagination to the building at NO 1, Garstin Place. It is the same building which has previously been occupied but with the difference that the ground floor has also been taken over due to the increased accommodation required for more Studios and offices. We enter the premises and pass into the Reception Hall through the entrance door right under the porch with the ‘A. I. R.’ monogram moulded on it. The Control Room is on the left containing all the necessary technical equipment for controlling the Studios and programmes. We are now facing a large double swing door which opens into the corridor with Studio No 1. (To- Drama) on the left and Studio No 2 (for Indian Music) on the right. The swing door opposite opens into a lounge with Studio No 3 (For Talks) on the right and Studio No. 4 (For Dramatic Control) on the left. The third swing door opposite takes us into a passage and we face the waiting room, with the rehearsal rooms on its right and left. Studio No.5 (For European Music).Studio No. 6 (Second Dramatic Control) and Sound effects room are situated on the first floor. The offices are located partly on the first floor and partly on the second floor.
Why have we so Studios? Firstly because experience has proved the necessity of using different Studios with widely different acoustic conditions for various types of programmes in order to achieve the best possible result. For example, a small but comfortable Studio with little reverberation is just what is desired for Talks while we need a much larger capacity to accommodate two score musicians for an orchestral item. Certainly it will be appreciated as explained latter that for plays more than one Studio has to be engaged. In addition there are at times to progrrammes in broadcast simultaneously involving the use of at least two Studios. Another reason is that some of the programs have to be rehearsed several times, which keep the studios occupied for most of the time.
SOUND INSULATION
It will be appreciated that any extraneous noises developed outside the Studios, if allowed to enter the Studio affect the sensitive microphone and tend to interfere with the programme originating from it. This is more true of programmes of the nature of solos, news and talks, for this reason a minimum number of entrances is aimed at. All openings likely to affect leakage of sound are blocked or treated so as to provide sufficient insulation. Each of the Studios has a single entrance only which is a specially designed sound proof door about 5 inches thick. Extraneous noises, which were previously a source of great trouble at the Calcutta Station, have now been completely eliminated.
ACOUSTIC TREATMENT
After attending to the sound insulation work we commence with the preparation of the walls to take on the acoustic treatment. But someone asks, why have an acoustic treatment in the studios? Can’t we do without it? Let us go into a large and empty room and allow someone to speak at one end and while we listen at the other end. When he speaks one word at a time we probably can make out what he says about but we do notice that the sound of that word persists for some appreciable length of time owing to reflection and re-reflection from hard surface till it entirely dies away. But we can’t make out what the speaker says if he utters a few words following one another, as he would do in his ordinary course of speech. What is the reason? Obviously it is due to the overlap of one sound on other. The reflection of the first sound and the direct sound of the second have reached the ear simultaneously and have formed a jumble of words so that our ear is unable to interpret them .The root cause of this trouble is the persistence of the sound in the room. An engineer calls it ‘Reverberation’ and the time taken by any sound to die away to one millionth of its original strength is termed the ‘Time of Reverberation’ of that room. This varies at different frequencies. The object of acoustic treatment is to use a certain quality and quantity of an absorbing material so as to absorb the sound and thereby reduce the reverberation period to an optimum value. This depends on the size of the room or studio and the purpose to which it is to be put—music or speech. Methods of acoustic treatment are varied in nature although all aim at achieving the best results. In order to investigate this problem various experiments were carried out in an experimental studio at Delhi and the present method of acoustical treatment employing “building board” was evolved which at the same time gives the room a satisfactory appearance. Every one of the studios is tastefully decorated by means of groove cut designed in the building board. The decoration scheme is different in every Studio which lends individuality and a very modern appearance. All Studios have false ceilings which are also acoustically treated. Three are zig-zag in shape so as to allow uniform diffusion of sound in the Studio, as well as to avoid inter-reflection between the floor and the ceiling. These also greatly enhance the internal appearance.
AIR CONDITIONING
All the Studios, being hermetically sealed require forced air circulation and ventilation. The new Calcutta Studios also have the advantage of air-conditioning. Each Studio according to size contains one or two ‘air-conditioners’ (or cooling units) comparing cooling cools, a fan and a thermostat. The refrigerant (methyl chloride) is drawn in and returned to the plant. Room in pipes: The plant room contains a compressor with driving motor, condenser shut off valves for liquid and gas lines, the main switch board for starting and stopping the compressor motor and air-conditioning units in all the studios. Fresh air is let into the air-conditioners through special ducts to avoid transmission of outside noises. The air exhausted out through special ducts let into the walls. Both outlets and inlets with absorbing material for suppression of noise. The air is maintained automatically as described temperature by means of thermostats incorporated in each of the air conditioners in the Studios.
LIGHTING SYSTEM
The electric installation of the whole building has been renewed. The lighting scheme in all Studios except one is indirect by means of bowl sittings. The one exception is the Indian Music Studio which has tubular or architectural fittings fixed on the ceiling. The Studio corridor and lounge also have the same types of fittings fixed on to the ceilings.
SPECIAL TECHNICAL FEATURE
Let me now show you round the Control Room. The speech control equipment installed in it is assembled in two racks. Several modifications have been carried out in equipment to obtain the maximum operation facilities and to allow easy and prompt checking in the event of break down.
The present arrangement allows transmission of two programmes (one on the abort wave and second on the medium wave) and two auditions to be carried out simultaneously. Two separate ‘mixing’ or Control positions are provided—one for short wave and one for the medium wave. Sound picked up by microphone in the Studio is amplified by about a million times in the Control, Room before they are sent to Transmitters at Cossipur by underground cable.
Four 25 watt bridging amplifier are mounted in the third rack and are employed for feeding the loud speaker circuits for monitoring, audition and ‘talk back’ purposes. All the Studios, Control Room and six offices have been equipped with loud speakers to enable the staff to listen to any of the four channels. The loud-speakers in the Studios are for ‘talk back’ purposes. Any unengaged Studio, however, can be used as a listening room and audition can be listened to.
DRAMATIC CONTROL PANEL
One of the special technical features provided for this Station is Dramatic Control Panel .A Dramatic Control Panel comprises six channels or faders connected thus: one to the announcer’s microphone for the producers of the drama, one to each one to each of the two gramo-reproducers installed on one side of the table, one of the sound effect room and two of the remaining to two Studios—ONE being adjacent to the Dramatic Control Studio and the second on the other floor. For each of the programme source outside this room and associated with its ‘fader’ is a key which enables the producer to flick a cue light installed in that particular Studio for the ‘alert’ or ‘stop’ signal. There is a similar key in the Studio to flick a light in the D.C. Panel room. Now as to its utility. It may first be mentioned that there are certain types of feature programmes which need the use of more than one Studios. Previously such programmes constituting music, song [Solos as well Chorus ], Conversations and sound effects were all performed and managed in one single medium-sized room. In certain plays broadcast on Fridayas from this Station. I have seen as many as fifty people featured in it. In addition to the congestion involved which affected adversity the performance of some artists. It retained a tremendous efforts and strain on the part of the producer to convey the desired atmosphere and effect that he had visualised. In order to overcome these difficulties and to co-ordinate various parts of an elaborate programme such as this D.C. Panel is brought into operation. The artist can follow the continuity of the programme by means of head-phones provided in the Studios. In some of the Studios the artists can listen to the announcement made by the producer directly for the speakers provided in the Studios.
OTHER FACILITIES
In addition to the above the producer can listen to the programme re-produced from the loud-speakers in that same room which is automatically switched off when he fades up his own microphones for making announcement.
Facilities are also provided which enable the producer to ‘talk-back’ to the artists through the Studio speakers during auditions or rehearsals. The gramo-producer sets provided are used for recorded effects during plays and for regular programmes. Sporting or other special announcement and market reports etc, are also broadcast from this room. Two such Dramatic Control positions, one each in Studio No. 4 and 6 have been provided.
It may be of interest to mention that about five miles of cable was used for loud-speakers, headphones signaling and clocks circuits and 1000 yards of cable for the microphones.
DISC RECORDING EQUIPMENT
There are many items of interest which happen at odd hours of the night or at inconvenient time of the day and cannot be relayed immediately, either because the station is closed down or because the majority of listeners are not at home to tune in. In such cases the recording equipment is put into service. The equipment is similar to that used by the gramophone companies. There are, however, two main points of difference-Firstly that the recording head cut grooves on a cellulose-coated metal disc instead of a wax disc. Secondly this method permits immediate play-back, while the wax disc has to undergo several processes before a record is ready for play-back. We have two similar types of recording machines so as to record simultaneously to obtain a duplicate copy or to make continuous recordings. These records are not permanent but can be played over a dozen times without appreciably affecting the quality.
The equipment is mobile and has frequently to be carried to the desired spot for making records of talks or effects etc. Dr Rabindra Nath Tagore’s talks for example, are usually recorded at his residence and broadcast at the appointed time. There are in fact numerous everyday uses to which the equipment is put to.
SIGNALLING SYSTEM
An illuminated signaling system is used between the Control Room and the Studios for instantaneous change-overs to one Studio to another.
There are numerous other problems which need careful thought while designing a broadcasting Studio. Excellent results achieved in respect of sound insulation, acoustics and technical facilities justifies the time and energy expanded in this direction. But this is not all. Modern steel furniture and carpets enhance the appearance of the Studios, as will be seen from the illustration. In future the listeners will have the advantage of both the improved quality of reception from these new Studios as well as the improvement in programme production which will be possible with the additional facilities provided.
Source:
“Amrita Bazar Patrika [Daily]. Vol: 72; Issue:334 (04 December 1940).” Accessed December 23, 2016. http://eap.bl.uk/database/large_image.a4d?digrec=4266303;catid=226926;r=28145.
Photo source:
“LEGEND OF THE LOST – No.1 Garstin Place, AIR, Kolkata.” Noise Break, November 1, 2016. http://noisebreak.com/legend-lost-no-1-garstin-place/.
Identified by Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee, Research Fellow
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
The seventh session of the All-Bengal Music Conference sits on board the First Empire on and from Sunday the 29th December next and lasts till Wednesday the 1st January – 1941. There will be in all eight sittings.
The following famous artists will demonstrate classical music and dance at the Conference: –
Khan Saheb Mustaque Hossain Khan of Rampur State, the famous Kheyaliya who belongs to the Gharowana (School) of Enayet Hossain of Rampur.
Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Sangit-Martanda of the School of Late Pandit Vishnu Digambar, (Kheyal and Bhajan).
Khan Saheb Golam Ali Khan, famous Kheyaliya and son of Ali Bux of Lahore.
Srimati Hirabai Barodekar, a disciple of the late Khan Saheb Abdul Karim Khan of Bombay, (Khayal and Thumri).
Srimati Saraswati Bai of Bombay (Kheyal).
Khan Saheb Ziauddin, son of Taksuddin Khan brother of Late Ustad Alabande Khan (Dhrupad and Alap).
Khan Saheb Bhai Lal Muhammad Rababi, a disciple of famous Hindu musician Bhaskar Rao.
Magan Lal, a disciple of Lachmi Narayan, of Panchgachia, Bhagalpur.
Vilayatoo’s Sahnai Party of Benares.
Anokhelal of Benares (Tabla).
Miss Menaka Bai of Bombay, (Dance).
Master Madan, 14 – year – old musician of Delhi Radio.
Sundaram Aiyar, renowened violinist of Madras.
Hiralal, famous dancer of Jaipur.
Khan Saheb Samsuddin of Bombay, (Tabla).
Some of the famous Calcutta musicians will also demonstrate.
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Source:
“Amrita Bazar Patrika [Daily]. Vol: 72; Issue:355 (25 December 1940).” Accessed December 16, 2016. http://eap.bl.uk/database/large_image.a4d?digrec=4266590;catid=226947;r=26962.
Identified by Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee, Research Fellow
Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University.
All artists are known to be a bit moody. Musicians are no exception, as they are always within their Sadhana. Since they cannot see the music and have to attain it through the feeling, they are called Sangeet Sadhaks. So they are moody by nature. Badal Khan was moody and short-tempered too. And all the more was Vishmadeb.
One day, in 1924-25, Badal Khan saheb had come to teach and learned that his disciple was up on the roof, flying a kite. He said, “Don’t call him, I’ll go there myself.” He knew his student’s mood. He went up gently and found Vishmadev’s eyes on the kite in the sky. He took the kite’s spool from his hand .Viishmadev, finding his guru there, was taken a back, but Badal Kahan saheb told him, you go on flying the kite. He kept the kite’s spool in his hands, and started to hum a lesson from there, and his student, with his kite in the sky, was learning , singing along. These ways of imparting lessons were there in those days, but now we have become too much methodical.
Ustad Vishmadev Chattopadhyay
When Baba was a bit older, he used to indulge in physical exercises a lot. One day Badal Khan saheb had arrived when he was doing his exercises. My father could do 500 push-ups at one stretch; something many people could do in multiple sets. So Badal Khan saheb found him doing one push-up after another. When he finished, he found his Guru standing behind him. He said, “beta, if you continue exercising like this, you would ruin your voice”, but praised him too by saying that he had not seen anybody do it like this. We have heard that Moizuddin Khan Saheb did push-ups and squats before he performed at a programme, which finds mention in Amiya Nath Sanyal’s writings. So it was with Vishmadev.
Badal Khan Saheb started teaching music to father. This was at either the Chhidam Mudi lane or the Gulu Ostagar Lane residence.
Pt. Vishmadeb Chattopadhyay
Baba had learned Tappa well before this. But the first thing that Badal Khan did was to stop him from singing Bengali songs, saying that singing those cast a regional influence on his singing, which would prevent him in his endeavour to bring about the pan-Indian character in father’s voice. So Bhismadev stopped singing bangla songs, which opened up the North Indian style before him. Even to a talented artist like Bhismadev, Badal Khan taught only Malkauns for six months. He started teaching in 1923, when father was 14 years old. After the lessons had gone on for six months, my grandfather, Ashutosh Chattopadhyay, noticed that the same song was going on for six months, no new ones. And the fees or ‘Gurudakshina’ that was being paid to Badal Khan saheb was quite hefty even by today’s standards. Each day he used to come, he was paid two rupees, which was the price of one mon (about 37 kgs) of rice. And the rickshaw fare was paid separately. You can calculate how much that quantity of rice costs now. This was paid per day. It also happened, though not within those six months, that Badal Khan saheb had come twice a day, because he had suddenly remembered a song that he had to teach. Anyway, every day he came, Ashutosh Chattopadhyay, who had never taken lessons in music himself, thought that the same song was being taught for six months. Just as Badal Khan saheb had finished his lessons and gone out of the room, than Ashutosh Chattopadhyay said to Bhismadev, “ Will he not give you any other song? The same malkauns has been going on.” Badal Khan saheb had not actually left, as he took some time to put on his shoes due to old age. He came back in and said, “ Ashubabu, Malkauns is such a Raag that let alone six months, even six life spans are not enough to learn it. I am preparing the base now; you’ll see the results after the preparation is complete.” Later, it was often the case that he taught one raag in the morning and another in the evening. And, thanks to Bhismadev’s musical talent, he picked it up with ease. Not everyone he tried to teach thus could do so. He was so talented that often the raag he learned in the morning, he performed at a musical function in the evening. And I am not talking about the song, but the Raag itself.
Guru Murarimohan left his earthly body on 1904. Durlabha Chandra started organizing a concert named MurariSammelan on memory of his Guruji from next year. Since 34 years this annual concert used to run smoothly. Not only artists from Kolkata but also artists from Bishnupur, Murshidabad and all over India had come and participated in the concert. After Murari Sammelan annual Shankar Utsav began. That concert used to take place for all night on the occasion of Shiv Ratri at Radhanath Mallick Lane. After then Lalchand Utsav started from 1928. However After the sad demise of Durlabha Chandra, things started falling apart in Murari Sammelan. The way the life of Mridanga expert Durlabha Chandra was wondrous similarly his death was quite absurd that took place at Pathuriaghata in the house of Bhupendra nath Ghosh, a passionate music lover of and founder of All Bengal Music Conference. The date was 24thAshwin 1938. There was a baithak at the Bhupendra nath Ghosh’s place. All famous artists of India had gathered at his place. Great pakhawaj player Shankar Rao Ustad, BrajendraKishor, Gour Chandra Ghosh, Dhrupadiya Gopal Chandra Bandhapadhyay, Girija Shankar Chakraborty, Ayodhya Ram Pathak and also the Maharaja of Nator, Jogindranath Ray and PanditDurlabh Chandra. People were really happy and excited to see Mridangacharya Dulibabu. There were also many young music lovers who had heard the name and greatness of Durlabh Chandra but never seen him performing. Many among them requested Durlabh Chandra to play. His fingers were restless but his disciples did not agree.
Radhika Prasad Goswami
Young vocalist Lalit Mohan Mukhopadhyay started his alaap in the middle of the night. Dhrupadiya Lalit was an acclaimed disciple of Radhika Prasad Goswami and son of Mohim Chandra Mukhopadhyay. Lalit started with Miya-ki- Malhar – ‘He Adi Anth’, the favourite raga of Ustad Mir Mohammad Gaji MiyaTansenji. Durlabh Chandra could not hold himself back anymore. He snatched the pakhawaj from his disciple’s hand.Pakhawaj started speaking getting touch of the known hands “Dha”. A joy wave covered from one edge to another edge. Just like raga, so is the singer, so is the player. Mridang started running after the singer initiating the bol in choutal. The tihai was hugged with fast rhythm steeped in ankles.
Nobody knew and no one had noticed that the raging sensation of the Brahmin’s nerves, which started in the rush is not of the Mallhar rather of Deepak. The veins of the old are beginning to burst. Lalitbabu took the blessings of the old Durlabh and said – “Today my birth is successful.”The oldman Durlabha Chandra blessed Lalit raising both the hands. The old man held his hands and whispered in his ears – “Do you know a secret? You did it. Lalit, you did it.” His eyes were filled with tears. Then he joined his hands and said – “ Then bless me , grant my last wish”.
Durlabha – “ Say, say, what do you want? Today I am Karna”
Lalit – “ I will sing DarbariKaanda. And you have to accompany me.”
He pulled up the laid down pakhawaj. Again, the genius of the genre ranges to conform to the harpist. All the listeners submerged with the melody .Then began DarbariKaanda on Sur fankTaal with the moods of Ustad – “ BajatoJhajMridang”. The blue veined hands raised bols newly in the mridang. The music is fast ranging from peak to peak. The seven swaras are chirping like seven pet birds. He was playing melodious and had become bundled. Suddenly, the ones who were sitting at the side of the front rows started noticing that Durlabha Chandra was playing only with his left hand, his right hand had become still. That was quite absurd. None of them had ever dreamt that the right side of his body was completely devastated by the cruel attack of paralysis. He was tolerating a severe pain with all his body. The wise Brahmin cannot be defeated, so that he takes on the necklace of the suralakshmi, so that the physical pain is neglected by one and the other. He kept continuing the thekain one hand. Suddenly, it was noticed by the vocalist, he said – “ What’s this?” . At the next moment, he collapsed and as if Mridangacharya was offering his last prayer to the Goddess of Music. Coronary Thrombosis affected his last breath. Such death is desirable for music preachers. Such death makes an artist mortal. What is the greater honour any artist can ask?
