All India Radio

The Calcutta All India Radio Nilima Sanyal. The girl in the Copa Cabana of her life.

 

I can still hear the crisp, elocution-correct voice coming over the “aajker bishesh bishesh khobor holo” (Today’s Special News) and rattle off in a terse, no-nonsense stream the important facts of the daily news. If you were experienced in picking up the subtle undercurrents of a voice, you might detect the previous night’s cigarettes and whisky beneath the smooth exterior, which finally signed off with: “Khobor porche Nilima Sanyal!” (News Read By Nilima Sanyal).

 

The voice belonged to my mother’s special girlfriend, the glamorous, sexy Nilima Sanyal who read the Bengali news every day of her life. To us, the three Guha sisters, she was known as Nil Mashi: always warm, gregarious, hot-tempered, fun-loving, exciting and fashionably chic. Exuding charm wherever she went, all men fell for her in ninepins when she shot her sexy, Cleopatra-style eyes at them. Her thin lips, covered with just the right shimmer-pink blush lipstick, would then stretch into a wide sickle-moon smile while her eyes glinted: “Bingo! I got them again!”

 

Nil Mashi had the same effect on women, children and elders. She would descend on us from New Delhi in a frenzied hullabaloo of fun, laughter and excitement, exclaiming, “Lily Di, Lily Di”! And then: “Jhumuni, Kumuni, Tumuni”, which were her special nicknames for us three sisters. Her shoulder-length hair was swept to one side with a stylish flick; her eyes were smoldering and smoky, like a sorcerer or a belly dancer’s; and she had a perfect round mole between her nose and mouth that she would darken with an eyebrow pencil. Wearing a sleeveless saree blouse with a crisp cotton sari, and shrouded in a haze of rich French perfume, she would flounce in and sweep us off our feet.

To describe how she wore a sari, I must devote an entire paragraph. Every pleat was folded with exacting precision. Once pleated, the end of the sari would be tucked into her petticoat with a deft flick of the wrist. The pleats flowed in perfect symmetry, reminding me of a gorgeous hibiscus flower that was narrow at the top and flared at the bottom. When she walked the pleats swished and swayed. The pallu draped over her bodice was a second skin, the long ends spreading like a Japanese hand-held fan, folding and closing according to her moods and movements. To me, it was as if the sari was invented for the sole purpose of dressing Nil Mashi as none other could showcase its grace and beauty.

 

Nil Mashi came from a well-reputed and genteel Bonedi Bengali family. Her way of life changed. When she got transferred to Delhi. And married a man who broke her heart and left her to remarry. She led a high end lifestyle. Having a string of die hard ardent admirers and fans. But….she was like an army general at home. Every meal was scrumptious. All went by clockwork timing. Kept a spotless, tidy home. Her floors shone like mirrors. The kitchen was clean as a pin. Even after “cooking up storms” for all the meals. Did all the well... most of the marketing (provisions) by herself. Was an absolute amazing cook. Even though she had an excellent cook. Trained by her and her mother. And looked after the domestic staff and the government staff graciously and generously. They all loved her. We all loved her.

 

These were my first impressions of Nil Mashi: a fun-loving, coquettish flirt; a gorgeous, sexy woman who had the whole world at her feet with the bat of an eyelid. In parallel: she was disciplined, punctual, neat, and ran her two-bedroom bungalow like an army general. A strict disciplinarian both at home and work.

The years went by and I lost track of Nil Mashi. Or maybe I just did not keep in touch -- another regret that I have to bear. Till one day I heard she was stricken with diabetes, and over time bedridden. In a way, I am glad because the image I carry in my heart and head was that of the glam mam of A.I.R – her strong character, her vivaciousness, her frivolous flirting ways, her quest for company in combating loneliness and beat this courageously every single day of her life.

It seems like only yesterday that I heard the radio being turned on so we could hear her read the news, excited and proud that we were on such personal terms with this eminent personality. Her crisp, clear voice cuts across the soundwaves and announces, “Aajker bishshes bishesh khobor holo” -- Today’s special news. And then the conclusion: “Khobor porche Nilima Sanyal”. News read by Nilima Sanyal.

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