Thank you to the Wavescan staff for Part 2 on the history of AIR/Akashvani
Part 2 – 1936-Today
Jeff: Today, Ray Robinson continues our feature on the 99th anniversary of broadcasting in India, and the 90th anniversary of Akashvani in particular, with grateful thanks to the Indian DX Club International and their Asian DX Review.
Ray: Thanks, Jeff. So the Indian Broadcasting Company began broadcasting 99 years ago on July 23, 1927, initially with a single station in Bombay. Just over a month later, a second station was added in Calcutta. But the company faced financial difficulties, and less than three years after its launch, in March 1930, it collapsed and entered liquidation. A few weeks later, on April 1, 1930, the Government stepped in and relaunched the stations as the Indian State Broadcasting Service. And that service was duly renamed ‘All India Radio’ on June 8, 1936 – 90 years ago.
Walter Kaufman was a Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia. He was an accomplished violinist who fled Europe to avoid being captured by Hitler’s Gestapo, and he lived in Bombay until after the war, when he returned to his homeland. In 1936, he composed the signature tune for All India Radio, which became the wake-up alarm for a nation.
Audio Clip - All India Radio - Original Signature Tune available at: : https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/wavescan
The late 1930’s transformed broadcasting in India. A station was opened in New Delhi. News bulletins became a regular feature. External broadcasts began reaching audiences beyond India's borders. Engineers worked tirelessly to expand transmitter networks and improve reception.
Then came the Second World War. The conflict dramatically increased the importance of radio. Governments around the world relied upon broadcasting to communicate information, maintain morale and reach distant populations. India was no exception.
On October 1, 1939, the External Service began with a broadcast in Pashto, intended to counter German radio propaganda targeted to Afghanistan and the North-West Frontier province. Other broadcasts in Dari, Persian and Arabic were soon added for regions that were then British protectorates.
AIR expanded its news operations and foreign-language services. Broadcasting became an essential instrument of communication. In February 1943, a new ‘Broadcasting House’ was opened at Parliament Street in New Delhi, and by the end of the war, radio had become firmly established in public life.
Every institution has moments that define its legacy. For All India Radio, one such moment arrived at midnight on August 15, 1947 – the date of Indian independence from Great Britain. Across the country, listeners gathered around radio receivers.
Some listened in homes. Others listened in public spaces. Many remained awake through the night. Through the microphones of All India Radio, India heard the voices that announced the birth of an independent nation.
The airwaves carried speeches, celebrations and history itself. In that moment, radio was not merely reporting events. It was helping create a shared national experience. The country was listening together.
And yet, on that momentous occasion of Independence, AIR's reach remained surprisingly limited. The network operated only a handful of stations and transmitters. Much of rural India remained beyond effective coverage. The decades that followed changed that dramatically. New transmitters rose across the country, and power levels were increased. Coverage was expanded into previously unreachable regions. Engineers transported equipment through mountains, forests and deserts to bring broadcasting to remote communities.
The results were remarkable. What had once covered only a small fraction of India gradually evolved into a network reaching nearly the entire population. For millions, radio became the most accessible source of information, education and entertainment.
If the 1930’s and 1940’s were about building infrastructure, the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s became the golden age of programming. Radio entered Indian homes in a way no other medium had before. The National Programme of Music introduced listeners to the finest classical performers in the country. Farm broadcasts delivered practical information to rural communities. Educational programs supported literacy and development. Children's programs became beloved family traditions.
In 1956, All India Radio was officially renamed Akashvani, which means ‘Voice from the Sky’ in Sanskrit.
But the arrival of Radio Ceylon had challenged All India Radio’s dominance in entertainment broadcasting. So in response, the Vividh Bharati channel was launched on October 3, 1957, and it transformed Indian radio. Film songs, light entertainment, listener requests and celebrity presentations captured the imagination of millions. For an entire generation, the sound of radio became inseparable from daily life. The radio accompanied breakfast. It played during work. It entertained families after dinner. It became a member of the household.
Audio Clip - Vividh Bharati, Simla available at: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/wavescan
One of Akashvani's greatest achievements often receives less attention than it deserves. It preserved much of Indian culture for posterity. Before digital recording, before streaming platforms and before online archives, AIR was documenting the nation's cultural heritage. Legendary musicians, poets, dramatists and scholars performed in front of AIR microphones. Rare traditions were recorded, and regional languages found representation. Folk music from remote villages was preserved for future generations. The archives that emerged over decades became one of the most valuable collections of Indian cultural history ever assembled. Without Akashvani, much of that heritage might have been lost forever.
No institution survives for ninety years without facing challenges. AIR was often criticized for excessive bureaucracy and slow decision-making. Questions about editorial independence surfaced from time to time. Television created a new competitor for audience attention.
Later came private FM stations with energetic presenters and highly localized content. Then the internet changed everything. For many traditional broadcasters around the world, the digital revolution proved disruptive. Akashvani faced the same challenge. Could a public broadcaster built in the age of valves and transmitters remain relevant in the age of smartphones and streaming? The answer required reinvention.
Today's Akashvani bears little resemblance technologically to the network inaugurated in 1936. There are now 420 stations nationwide, covering 92% of India’s geographic area and over 99% of its population. Programming is available in 23 languages and 179 regional dialects. FM broadcasting began on July 23, 1977 in Madras, now known as Chennai, and DRM technology has improved audio quality still further throughout the country. Online streaming allows global access. Mobile applications bring programs to younger audiences. Podcasts extend the reach of traditional radio content. Social media platforms create new forms of engagement. Yet despite these transformations, the essential mission remains unchanged – to inform, to educate, to entertain, and above all, to connect.
Of course, what listeners outside India remember is All India Radio’s General Overseas Service, which is heard around the world.
Audio Clip - All India Radio General Overseas Service available https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/wavescan
Even though the network’s name was officially changed to Akashvani back in 1956, it was still frequently referred to on air both as AIR and All India Radio right up until 2023. All India Radio was a term originally coined by Lionel Fielden in 1936, and so for some, it had connotations of India’s colonial past. Thus, on May 3, 2023, an order was issued by the Indian government that the network should henceforth solely refer to itself as Akashvani. Even on that date, the English morning news bulletin -- broadcast at 8.15am -- carried the ‘All India Radio’ name in its introduction. But by the afternoon news bulletin, broadcast at 4.05pm, the announcer had switched to Akashvani.
Audio Clip - It's Akashvani - India's public radio service is no longer called 'All India Radio' available at https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/wavescan
The story of Akashvani is one that began with engineers who built transmitters in difficult conditions, artists who enriched the airwaves, announcers whose voices became household companions, and listeners who welcomed radio into their lives.
From the inauguration of the Indian Broadcasting Company in 1927 to today's digital broadcasts reaching audiences around the world, nearly a century has passed. Yet the fundamental purpose of broadcasting remains the same: to bring people together through sound. Long before India became digitally connected, Akashvani had already created something equally remarkable — a nation listening together. So, as India celebrates ninety years of All India Radio and honors the enduring legacy of Akashvani, we are reminded that broadcasting is not merely about transmitters, frequencies or technology. It is about people. It is about stories.
And it is about a voice that, for generations, helped India hear itself.
Back to you, Jeff.
