The lofty legacy of Fakir Hassen

ADIO has always fascinated me. So when the opportunity presented itself to serve as adjudicator of the prestigious Liberty Radio Awards, both my hands shot up almost immediately.

I’m glad I did as it is quite revealing that radio in the country is still relevant and riveting.

The glittering ceremony took place on Saturday evening at the swish Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

A week ago, my very good friend, colleague and confidante Fakir Hassen posted a message on social media expressing his delight about being inducted into the Hall of Fame for his decades of radiant radio work. A few days later, he called to enquire whether I had seen the message, as he had not seen me react to it.

I played ignorant of the message and oblivious of any award he was receiving.

Truth be told, I knew all about it well in advance.

And let me declare right away that on the grounds of integrity and credibility all round, I had absolutely nothing to do with his nomination for the award.

Come the night of the radio stars, there I was, much to the profound surprise and delight of Fakir.

There was no way whatsoever that I was going to miss my close and longtime mate’s crowning glory.

It was the least I could do for him.

As programme director, the brilliant David Kau announced that Fakir Hassen was being included into the Radio Hall of Fame, I was filled with a deep sense of satisfaction, admiration and pride.

The industry could not have chosen a better soul.

I got to know Fakir in the 1980s when he was station manager at the then Radio Lotus.

The station was new to the SABC stable, with some trepidation about whether it would make its mark.

With relatively very little resources to work with, including a small band of staff, Fakir turned Radio Lotus into a household name.

Under his astute leadership for a decade, the service captured the hearts and minds of many a listener.

It was turbulent times in the country and for its part, Radio Lotus served as a soothing and safe companion.

Notwithstanding its stature, the powers that were at the SABC believed that the station was a lost cause in the greater scheme of things.

At that moment, I had developed a strong working relationship with Capital Radio.

Mind you, those in the upper echelons at the SABC despised any hint of an association between its services and the station broadcasting from the beautiful Wild Coast.

It became so petty that even if Capital Radio was doing an outside broadcast from an event, SABC would not allow any of its stations at the same locality.

Taking cognisance of the contribution Fakir and his team were making at a national level, I could not but do my little bit in helping to keep the station “on-air”.

When I hosted the International Radiocracy Conference in 2001, jovial Fakir was the programme director at the gala banquet.

It is this level of professionalism and respect that has underscored the friendship Fakir and I enjoy and treasure.

Fakir moved on from Radio Lotus and involved himself with a variety of management tasks at the SABC headquarters.

When he retired from the corporation last May, his accomplishments spoke volumes.

During his 35-year tenure at the SABC, Fakir ably represented the public service broadcaster at the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA).

There were instances when I, as a commissioner, was part of the tribunal hearing complaints against the SABC, and Fakir was across the table.

Our personal relationship never for once affected our professional engagements.

It was straight after one such hearing in 2010 that Fakir invited me to lunch in Fordsburg.

I knew instantly that it was not going to be about a BCCSA matter.

He spoke candidly about doing a book on the Indian cinema industry.

Fakir was the right person to do it as he had seen just about every Bollywood movie as well as met all the visiting stars to South Africa as a radio boss and freelance journalist.

The “chat ’n chow” was thoroughly enjoyable.

A few months later, I received a call from an excited Fakir telling me the book had been written up.

In no uncertain terms, he told me that I would be the editor.

My busy working schedule around the country was not enough to get him to change his mind.

It was a mammoth task editing the publication, but I relished every moment of it.

150 Bollywood Encounters – The South African Connection was launched in late 2010.

It was incredibly successful, having sold out in a mere six weeks.

The festive season was beckoning and I told Fakir to do a reprint.

There would be no such thing as he had another hundred gripping stories to share.

In a short space of time, I was editing 250 Bollywood Encounters, which was just as popular.

Quizzed about the cover page of the book that was to include a picture of the ravishing Rani Mukherjee, Fakir nonchalantly said he played no part in the decision – modesty forbids me from saying more.

My friend has published seven books, the newest being a tribute to Struggle veteran Ahmed Kathrada.

He has hinted at another Bollywood instalment.

Fakir has already left a lofty legacy.

He may have moved away from the station many years ago, yet Lotus FM continues to make headlines for the right reasons.

It was therefore fitting to be present at the awards ceremony to also see another good friend and one-time Capital Radio colleague, Alan Khan, be duly recognised for his show Walk the Talk on Lotus FM.

Alan was previously inducted into the Hall of Fame, so Fakir is in excellent company.

Blessed I truly am to have a dear friend in Fakir Hassen – he is one in a million!