Jalal Din Bughio from Bhitshah grew up listening to Radio Pakistan, Hyderabad from 1960. It inspired him with the love of music that would turn into a life-long passion. After losing his eyesight in childhood, Bughio cultivated his passion for music by obtaining a tape recorder that allowed him to listen to music cassettes. This led him to quickly acquire new cassettes. He would sometimes go to cities to buy cassettes, buying them as they grew rare.
Radio personnel once approached him to borrow his cassettes, promising to return them after making copies. However, he refused, fearing that his collection might get lost. Although Bughio had a vast collection of cassettes, many were damaged due to floods and renovations. However, he still has 2,000 cassettes in his possession.
Bughio is not only passionate about Sindhi music but also Indian film songs. He enjoys listening to Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Mohammad Rafi, Suraiya, and Shamshad Begum. After the cassette era, he began collecting Indian film songs in MP3 format and has amassed a collection of 111 films.
The Bhitshah native recalls being invited to a program called “Majlis Maru’aran Ji” on FM Bhit Shah radio station. The host asked him about his music of choice, to which he requested to hear Mohammed Yusuf. However, Radio Pakistan offered to play the song in Runa Laila’s because they did not have Yusuf’s voice. To which Jalal Din says he told the station that he had the original in his collection.
Jalal Din’s introduction to the radio is an interesting story. He says that one of his relatives brought a radio to their home, and his grandmother, like other women in the neighborhood, went to listen to it. She returned home, amazed, and told Jalal’s uncle that there was a man hidden inside the box who talked. The next day, his grandmother went back to listen to the radio but since it didn’t connect to the station, so she didn’t spot the “hidden man.”
Listening to the radio turned Jalal Din into a music lover. Most people have hobbies, which they rarely turn into a passion. Jalal Din Bughio is one such individual who has pursued his passion for music with unwavering dedication and become an inspiration for others.