Saeeda Bano, India's first woman radio jockey

Saeeda Bano became the first woman radio newsreader in India on August 13, 1947. Bano witnessed not only India’s Independence but also the horrors of partition all the while dealing with a broken marriage and raising two sons on her own.

At 17, Bano was married to Abbas Raza, a judge from Lucknow but she later left her husband and started out as a working woman in the newly independent India.

She secured a job at All India Radio as an Urdu newsreader.

The 1994 Urdu memoir Dagar Se Hat Kar by Bano was later translated to English, titled “Off the Beaten Track”, by her granddaughter Shahana Raza. In the memoir Bano recalls her long-time relationship with a much-married barrister Nuruddin Ahmed, who served as the mayor of Delhi and was also awarded Padma Bhushan. The two later got married in the 1970s.

She used to receive hundreds of letters from various parts of the world in praise of her voice. Many men even expressed their desire to marry her. While there were some who cursed her and she even received letters asking her to, ‘Get out of our country, go to Pakistan.’

“Unflinching and riveting, ‘Off the Beaten Track’ offers a personal account of the Partition and the burgeoning capital city of a newly independent India. “A story of hope and resilience, it’s an unforgettable exploration of a fascinating woman; beckoning readers to reflect upon what it means to live and love passionately in the face of conformity and social pressure,” the publishers said in a statement.

(With inputs from PTI)