“Hot Heads and cold hearts don’t achieve anything’ reads a quote pasted on the wall of his office chamber. He is tall, handsome and flamboyant. His voice deceives; it is younger than the long silver hair dangling his stud, charismatic deep face. His voice is so attractive; his vocals are probably the last of that genre. God has wound up the manufacturing unit otherwise we hear so many voices but none of his type. What is he special at as I spent years to figure out then my loose guess is I think, is the intelligent blending of the different facets of his persona, his knowledge and updated information. His favourite word to students of all age groups used to be ” You should keep your antennas open and receive information from everywhere.” This is the quality that has made him so unique and distinctively distinct. In his ace broadcaster person, we have seen him as a social scientist, a scientist, a cricketing expert, a sports guide, youth mentor, career counselor, resource manager, an activist, a reformist and all this with a humane spirit. He is far more beautiful than his voice. He is an excellent broadcaster not because he is among only a few who have qualified Indian Broadcasting Service exam conducted by UPSC, no not that basically he is an innovator, innovator of highest kind. Calling him daredevil is apt. He changed radio from a monotonous (not strictly literally) machine to an interactive tool and listeners could relate themselves to the voice going on air, they could sense it is not a robot reading the script but a human who could joke, laugh and listen too. While late Choudhry Ghulam Hassan Zia was the Station Director, Humayun introduced the phone-in format and turned the station on its head. The format has been the most popular since its commencement over seventeen years ago, in late 1996. By 1996, Humayun had served in the corporation for five years since his appointment as the programme Executive in 1991, when he decided on Prasar Bharti and packed on his job at Delhi, where he had been working for the previous two years as the social scientist with the economic Development Associates.
A cursory look at his academics, Humayun did his schooling from the Tyndale Biscoe School, college from the Amar Singh College Srinagar and post graduated with M.A in Geography from the University of Kashmir in Srinagar. He then went to Delhi, where he did a diploma in public relations and an M.Phil from the Delhi School of economics in 1986. Humayun, the son of Former Deputy Director General All India Radio and a reputed poet Syed Qaiser Qalander might have taken after his father but he is self made, original and unparallel. Without an iota of doubt I dare say like Aristotle surpassed his teacher Plato and his teacher Socrates, Humayun went way ahead than his father. Humayun who is a former Ranji trophy player says “I have learned a lot in the cricketing field”. In addition to covering cricket, Humayun as in-charge of the yuva-vani at the time, was instrumental in getting youth from colleges and hiring students as amateurs. Many of his produced programmes still have direct or indirect role of youth. Some of the programmes which flourished under him are Western Music, Discussion Time , Youth Pulse, Just a minute, scientific knowledge based programme called Spectrum all presented by youth. His relationship with youth rose above his encouragement and counseling at the Radio Kashmir. Invited as a special lecturer, he also teaches media students at various institutions of learning in India. Symbiosis Institute of mass Communication, Pune and the University of Kashmir have been enjoying his services for many years now. Yet all this is not why Humayun’s is a household name in Kashmir. He is admired because of the broadcaster that no one else could be. A classic case in point is weekly broadcast “Dhadkhan” which has a cult status among youth since its inception in 2002. Dhadkhan is a plethora under a single umbrella, a quiz show, it has it all- Spoken word and music, phone in participation by listeners, SMS and e-mail participation, segment on some issue, guests of every walk of life, achievers, unique and Humayun’s trademark choice of music where “Tantana.. Aja Aja Dil Nichode by the lyricist Gulzar” to becomes so special and unique. This is not all, believe in myself this goes all live and in a very scientific method of elimination, uniquely devised by Humayun from analogy from Cricket league round of 16,8,4,2 and a winner this idea didn’t came to anyone in the Asian subcontinent. “Khel ke Maidan Se” covers local sporting activity and a stark hawks eye analysis of this expert it is not his crystal ball or black magic which made him pick France as winner even Before FIFA 2018 but sheer knowledge of the game and game management that is why he has been the member of Olympic games organizing committees. During 2011-2012 Humayun as programme head of AIR Kargil rejuvenated the listener base and revenue share of the station there. Humayun has been acknowledged for his service at various levels and the award list is unending. Some of which are the radio kashmir Golden Jubilee Award, Radio Kashmir award of Excellence in broadcasting, the Jhelum art media award , the listeners club award, The Republic Day awards for Sports Promotion (For Various Districts in the state). The Jammu and kashmir Football Association award for development of football, an Olympic medal from organizing committee of London 2012 for making Olympics a Success, over 40 Awards for coverage of sports events and sports counseling, several awards for contribution of Dhadkhan in Society, etc. It is his Knack and intelligent sense of Humor that attracts Humayun’s admirers to his office room, which tends to be full of people and tea most times, courtesy of his overwhelming fan following..
Speaking of his office room this too is unusual and has paintings. Dilip Kumar and Zenadane Zidane from the archives, Placards asking you to write your pick (players of the matches and series, and teams) for the forthcoming cricket and Football tournaments; on its walls. One of the walls also has “come lose the fear of being wrong to live a creative life” and ‘keep your word sweet, for you don’t know when you may have to eat them’ written on two separate posters on it. You would think a contradictory combination of sayings, but if you know Humayun, You Know where the first ends and the second begins. This teacher’s day we pay our Homage to this adorable lovely, lively teacher and all dedicated teachers of the world and thank them for their service. We owe them all as Maulana Rumi has said “Maulvi Hargiz Na Shud Maula E Rum
Ta Ghulaam E Shams Tabraizi Na Shud” Mevlana could never be Mevlana Rumi
If he had not devoted himself to Shams e Tabrizi. To propel and give wings to our dreams , we must submit ourselves to these good teachers, Mentors.
With inputs from
Suhail Khan (University of Leeds Graduate, a writer, an independent journalist and a radio presenter and Moderator, Lives in Manchester, United Kingdom)
Showket Akhoon is Ph.D Research Scholar Department of Chemistry, KU. He is a part time Participant in Youth Pulse and Just a Minute programme on Radio)
showkatakhoon@kashmiruniversity.net