Radio Void.

Here is excerpt from World space satellite radio’s “ last letter” to us customers:

“Dear customer,

On December 31, 2009, the WorldSpace satellite radio broadcast service will be terminated for all customers serviced from India.

This action is an outgrowth of the financial difficulties facing WorldSpace India’s parent company, WorldSpace, Inc., which has been under bankruptcy protection since October 2008. The potential buyer of much of WorldSpace’s global assets has decided not to buy the WorldSpace assets relating to and supporting WorldSpace’s subscription business in India. As a consequence, WorldSpace, Inc. must discontinue its subscriber business in India. Your subscription contract is with WorldSpace, Inc., a US company that is in a bankruptcy proceeding in the United States. The company recognizes that you may have paid for services to be rendered beyond the termination date, but is not in a position to offer a refund for any unused portion of your subscription.”

Oh! I will miss World space!

For TV detesters WS was a vindication. Radio Farista and Orbit rock two my favorite channels of WS used to take me on nostalgic trips like no other. When I hear Kishore Kumar singing fifties song , it was time machine travel to childhood whatever destination. I remember my brother singing same in the same way DevAnand did to the amusement of my family members. Oh. That feeling!!
It is general knowledge radios are generically different than Tvs. You can enjoy listening to radio in the background while you doing other chores. Tv generally demands your attention. For us, guys born in fifties, radio is nostalgically sacrosanct. How we used to rush home while playing to listen to Binacageetmala or Radio Ceylon!!
Nostalgia is bliss no matter how bad the reality was!
I watch Tv, I certainly do not dislike it. It has great entertainment and info value. In hindsight we missed out a lot on TV at our prime. I wish there was TV then but not as pervasive as it is today. But that’s life isn’t it? Every generation miss out on some epochal inventions of the later generation. I am not ruing on missing it then. I am sad at the demise this world-space radio” Timemachine”. Even while I am typing this I am listening to fifities hindi song from it with out those pompous overly informative deejays or irritating commercials in between songs. Sadly I am told the reason for this advantage, optimum subscriber population, which WS unfortunately could not garner, has led to its early demise.
FM radio stations never really commanded my attention. Whenever I listen, it is loud music , noisy commercials and annoying RJs. Fm stations probably have miniscule time slot for our 50's/60's music, especially hindi.I rarely come across to listen to them. Is this generic music on the wane like our age group. Probably yes. Or is it we are not aging gracefully?
I don’t know.
Can a CD player replace it. I do not think so. That jumbled random assortment of songs has a soul which is missed in a CD player.
SO, It is curtains for WS on this Year end. That official letter is like “DearJohn” letter for me.
That really breaks my heart and I am sure it is for many of its fans. I have the proud claim as inaugural subscriber. In fact I have subscription for next year too. According to same Email sent by WS, I can claim for refund from US government.
That apart, I am used to listen to it in the morning while working out, while bathing or in some evenings.
I will miss it hard.
That’s something I do not want to happen just before the beginning of a New year.
It does not bode well for our world. TRUST ME.