‘Mai Jasdev Singh bol raha hu’

India’s most renowned commentator recalls his golden days

By Paritosh Pramanik

SOME names need no introduction. They became a synonym for their trade. Anyone who grew up listening to Hindi music would not need an introduction for Mohd Rafi, Kishor Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. They were institutions by themselves. One such name, Jasdev Singh, though not related to Indian film industry, is in the same league but in the business of commentary.
In his several decades old career, Jasdev has been decorated with several titles — ‘Voice of India’, ‘The King of Commentary, ‘Pioneer of Hindi Commentary’, ‘Guru of Hindi Commentary’, A Broadcasting Legend’ and ‘Mr Commentary India’. Every Indian has spent several winters listening to his Independence Day and Republic Day parade commentaries.
One might not be listening to him since past few years but as the name Jasdev Singh pops up during discussion, memories of his commentaries, be it of Independence Day, R-Day or hockey matches or athletics refreshes one’s minds. ‘Mai Jasdev Singh bol raha hu’, one immediately starts imitating his style. It was the way he used to present live pictures through his voice when radio was the only medium of information.
Indians have grown up listening to the emotional, touching, euphoric, joyful voice of this commentator and today also he is remembered as one of the finest of Hindi commentators India has ever produced.
At 81, his hands might be quivering but even today his voice is the same as it used to be several decades before. The Delhi based Jasdev feels today’s crop of commentators are not getting proper training thus the art of commentary was losing shine a bit.
“Training is most important. Today, with so many avenues, commentators need a bit of training. They should prepare hard ahead of any assignment,” said Jasdev, while talking with ‘The Hitavada’ at his relative Dr Sanjay Bajaj’s residence.
“When I used to commentate, I would stay awake whole night. I would prepare, update myself for the next day. I used to jot down a few sentences on a piece of paper,” revealed Jasdev, who was conferred with the prestigious Padmashree award in 1985 and Padma Bhushan in 2008.
Talk about his days with microphone and Jasdev gets nostalgic. His never-ending but interesting incidents forced this scribe to unwillingly interrupt him in between.
“Once I was described by a French paper as a person who eats, sleeps and drinks commentary,” said Jasdev, who is the only Indian commentator to win the prestigious Olympic Order in 1998 at the hand of then IOC president Juan Antino Samaranch.
Recalling his early days, Jasdev said he fell in love with commentary when he was 16 years old.
“It was on January 31, 1948, the day when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, I decided to make career in this profession, that too in Hindi. I heard Melville De Mello’s, my idol, commentary on Radio. The way he presented picture of Gandhiji’s death forced me to fall in love of this profession.
“My mother first laughed at me because I studied in Urdu school and my Hindi was far from being a commentator,” mentioned Jasdev, who has covered nine Olympics, eight World Cups and six Asian Games apart from live commentaries on Independence and Republic Day for 50 years.
Jasdev did his first R-Day parade in 1961 and continued for several decades. He was promoted to Deputy Director General (Sports) from Doordarshan in 1987. He retired from the same post in 1989 but continued to force Indians fall in love to his commentary. Jasdev, who joined All India Radio in 1955 in Jaipur, said his first sports assignment at 1964 Tokyo Olympics was the most memorable one. “That was my first Olympics. I was very excited but not nervous,” he recalled.
Jasdev felt that technical terms in sports should not be converted while commentating in Hindi.
“I am against changing technical terms. We should use those words as in English but why call a shuttle cock a ‘chidiya’ while commentating in Hindi. It makes no sense,” he clarified.
Jasdev says he feels overwhelmed when people still remember his voice.
“The way people respond when they recognise my voice is something overwhelming. Some remember me for my hockey commentaries, some for the R-Day or I-Day ones,” he concluded.