Melville Frederick Oswald de Mellow | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1913-04-28)April 28, 1913 Jodhpur, Jodhpur State, British India |
| Occupation | Radio broadcaster |
| Honours | Padma Shri |
Melville Fredrick Oswald de Mellow (also de Mello) (28 April 1913 – 4 June 1989) was anIndianradio broadcaster with theAll India Radio.
He is remembered for his high-quality reports and commentary on various events inindependent India, the most notable of which was a seven-hour broadcast ofMahatma Gandhi's funeral inDelhi.[1] He was conferred thePadma Shri by theGovernment of India in 1963 in recognition of his services to broadcasting.[2]
De Mellow was educated atBishop Cotton School, Shimla, andSt George's College, Mussorie and served as aLieutenant in the5/2 Punjab Regiment before joining the All India Radio.[3][4] Melville de Mellow was one of thepioneers, the first batch of cadets to graduate from theIndian Military Academy.[5] He was married to Coralie Emma de Mellow[6] and his nephew Ian Tudor de Mellow is a recipient of theMedal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to aged welfare.[7]
Melville de Mellow worked with the All India Radio from April 1950 to April 1971 and belonged to the ‘staff artistes’ category. Following his superannuation he was retained as Producer (Emeritus) for another five years with AIR.[8] De Mellow is remembered as an iconic broadcaster noted for his deepbaritoned commentary of various events in independent India.[1][9] In 1948 he accompanied the cortège bearing Mahatma Gandhi's body fromBirla House to thecremation venue atRaj Ghat giving a seven-hour-long commentary of the event from an All India Radio van. Melville de Mellow's moving commentary that day, articulating the nation's grief and homage as the cortege moved towards Raj Ghat, is remembered as one of the best instances of radio broadcasting in India.[10] His commentary that day inspired veteran Hindi commentatorJasdev Singh, then a seventeen-year-old, to take up commentary as a profession. Singh has since been conferred with a Padma Shri and aPadma Bhushan for his services to radio broadcasting.[11][12] In 1952 Melville de Mellow was handpicked by theBritish Government for broadcasting a running commentary onQueen Elizabeth’s coronation procession.[9] He was also the commentator atIndia's Republic Day parade for several years and his commentary ofIndia-Pakistanhockey matches are remembered to this day.[13] His reportage on theBangladesh War and its subsequentliberation by Indian forces were keenly awaited by listeners of the radio.[14]
Melville de Mellow is the author of several books on sports includingThe Story of the Olympics, which describes the run up to the1964 Olympics inTokyo,[15]Remembered Glory,The Olympics and their Heroes,Reaching for Excellence,The Glory and Decay of Indian Sports andIndigenous Games &Martial Arts of India.[2]
Melville de Mellow was feted for his work throughout his career. These include the Commonwealth Scholarship (BBC), 1948, Czechoslovak Radio Documentary Prize, 1960, Padma Shri (1963),Prize Italia for Radio Documentary (1964) - which he won for 'Lali and theLions of Gir', a featured programme on All India Radio,[16] Chaman Lal Award (1971), Czechoslovak Peace Essay Prize (1972), Excellence Award (ICFEE), 1975, Commentary Award (1975), Education Ministry's Award for Best Book on Sports (1976), Long Service Award (1977), FTE Award for Excellence in Radio & TV and the Asiad Jyoti Award (1984).[2]
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