Television of Resplendence

[Continued from last issue]

At that time the general knowledge quiz used to be showcased in television with college going contestants from both sides of Pakistan. The general knowledge program was held in Karachi and the one who got the most number of wins in the whole of Pakistan was Kazi Kayum. Not only did he read books in Bengali, Kazi Kayum was also an avid fan of reading children books in various languages. He had the whole story of “Thaku Maar Jhuli” and Jasimuddin’s “Bangalir Hashir Golpo” memorized. At that time Kazi Kayum was able to bring lots of innovative and different flavors to the programs which any of the audience at that time can recall. He used various ways to showcase his story, sometimes he used the children to act, other times adults, and sometimes he used puppets to tell his stories.

He was really alert to make programs that will grab children's attention from the start. At that time the program used to be started with writing on a telp. Small pieces of black boards were called telp. Kazi Kayum started using Camera board instead of telp. He used to cut the board in a large piece and used to write the title in it while showcasing it in front of the camera. He used to keep the cards on a normal chair. And on that card board he used to write with hand writing that children would like. It doesn't end here- he used to arrange lots of toys beside the card. When the children used to see the telp they realized the show is about to start and so they used to sit in front of the television.

Kazi Kayum is an artist and also a good novelist. He is also a well-known lyricist. Also he was really good at writing title songs for children programs. He was able to deliver beautiful songs by using small words. We call television “Media” which means nothing lasts long here but still something's could have remained the same but there are no facilities to do so. Like if there are any collections of Kazi Kayum in the library section of BTV or in the archive section then institutions like Shishu Academy can easily think about it.

Kazi Kayum appointed child artist Riton as playwright and producer for television. In Kazi Kayum's program there Riton used to recite, draw, act, sing and perform as a host in his program. Later on this duo with Lutfur Rahman Liton’s story and with Kazi Kayum's direction made a children’s drama called “Jhantu-Puntu” which was really popular with the children. Child artist Tarin started his journey with this drama. In this serial the most famous character called “Potol Mama” was enacted by Black Anowar.

There are some producers in television who only produce programs. The program that they produced, the ideas behind it comes from someone else’s mind. Hosts like Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Fazle Lohani, or Asad Chowdhury usually were involved with the creative parts in the program. In this kind of program the producer were only involved with the panel. On the other hand there are producers who do the creative work and bring forward wonderful shows to the audience. Kazi Kayum was one of those producers. Even though, as per his job, he produces weekly dramas, music programs, but he was mainly involved with children programs. Children dramas, children music programs, the childhood of adults- and apart from these he has created wonderful shows with puppets.

“Bagha and Muni” two important puppet characters made by Mustafa Manower has left an influence in puppet world, the same magic was created by Kazi Kayum’s character “Golpo Buro”. One time “Golpo Buro” used to be a popular character among the children. With the help of “Golpo Buro” not only did Kazi Kayum tell them stories but also he taught them about ideals and ethics. He was also involved with the studio production so that he is able to get most of the benefits out of the production. At that time only one program was produced in one shift. Especially during outdoor recordings, only one program could be produced.

The writer is Managing Director, Channel i
Translated by Imtiaz Salim