Tuesday, April 29, 2008

On air for half a century

As 77-year-old Anadi Ganguly lies in his dimly lit Shyambazar room, an odd bedfellow keeps him company - a transceiver, or in radio parlance, a unit which contains both a receiver and a transmitter. But the ether waves have been part of his life for 50 years now. Ganguly is the owner of the oldest amateur radio licence in Calcutta. And the set seated next to him is a gift from the National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad, as a mark of respect to one of the oldest ham radio operators in India.
"My licence came from Delhi's Sanchar Bhavan in August 1957. I was 26 then," recalls Ganguly. But the radio bug had bitten the youngster long back. "I was fascinated with wireless operations ever since I saw the film Spy Smasher. I saw a radio around 1953-54 in the house of Biren Bose, who stayed opposite Rupabani cinema. He introduced me to his Bombay-based friend Mickey Mazumdar, who had a pre-World War II amateur wireless licence."
So taken was young Ganguly that when he got a job in Mumbai soon after, every Sunday he would take the train from Churchgate to Bandra and reach Mazumdar's house after two more changes. "I borrowed a book from him, learnt the Morse code by myself and took the test at the George Telegraph office in Bowbazar." His reward was what was called the experimental wireless station licence in those days and the proud identity code of vu2ge.
But he still needed a radio. The youngster took up a challenge to build his own set. "I used to make aeroplane models. Around 1951-52, my radio-controlled plane had won in a contest at the Barrackpore race course." So high on confidence, he picked up a WWII set from the junk market in Wellington Square. "My salary was Rs 860 then. The radio cost me Rs 150." He bought two more parts - a wireless crystal and a 100ft aerial used for valve radio sets. Thus he set about preparing a 20m transmitter and a receiver propped up by bamboo poles on the roof. Soon he was talking to other hams around the globe.
Over the years, the septuagenarian made many friends, some of whom came down to Calcutta to meet him while others sent him gifts of radio parts or American Radio League journals. But of late, his voice had fallen silent on air as his machine had become outdated. So on the eve of World Amateur Radio Day, the National Institute of Amateur Radio presented him an FT 757 hi-frequency transceiver of Japanese make. S. Suri, the chairman and founder of National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad, himself flew down on April 17 to make the presentation.
As Ganguly fondly tunes the machine, he admits that the hobby has not caught on with the youth in Calcutta. "The ham radio has always been a sport of the middle classes. A set these days costs Rs 40,000 or so. Where will they get the money? Also these days they have the Internet and what not." Ever-curious about communication technology, he too had bought a computer. "But I could not operate the mouse, my hand shook so much. So I sold it off."
That left Ganguly with his radio. "I have just renewed my licence," he smiles. His son, an engineer, has learnt the operations. "But if I find there will be no one to run my radio, I can always return it," he reasons.
As of now, from 7am to 8am, he is on air. And health permitting, so will he be till his last day.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080427/jsp/calcutta/story_9191958.jsp

(Thanks to Sudipta Ghose, Kolkata for the link)

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