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| Taj Mahal |
The settlement of Agra, 125 mile south east of Delhi, dates back to very ancient times, though the city itself was established by Sultan Sikandar Lodi in 1504. Agra became the capital city of the illustrious Mughal Empire in India at its height.
The exquisite Taj Mahal was built at the direction of Shah Jahan and it was established on the southern bank of the Yamuna River just before the middle of the 1600s. It took 22,0000 workmen using their elaborate skills, and 1,000 elephants as beasts of burden, and exotic quantities of white marble and precious stones from nearby countries to assemble one of the world’s most beautiful buildings, a building that is to this day the most expensive building ever, anywhere upon planet Earth.
During the concentrated hectic days of World War II, the British focused some of their most constructive efforts on reinforcing their Indian Empire, and in some of these major events it was in co-operation with their ally in warfare, the United States. The first contingent of American service personnel arrived in Agra on May 28, 1942, and their initial responsibility was the construction of accommodations for a large inflow of air force personnel which began two months later in July.
A large new aerodrome was constructed at Kheria, just four miles west of Agra, the City of the Taj Mahal. The 3rd Air Depot Group of the American Army Air Force ferried in a large number of combat aircraft, which were commissioned to deliver war materiel to inland China, via Burma and the famous Stilwell Road.
Because there was a large number of American service personnel on duty in India, the British Indian government gave approval on April 1, 1944 for the establishment of American radio broadcasting stations in several key locations. The Indian Post & Telegraph Department issued licenses for each of these stations, which included an Indian callsign, authorized frequency, and a maximum power of just 50 watts.
One of these duly approved AFRS American Forces Radio Stations was established at the new American air force base at Kheria on the western edge of the city of Agra. AFRS Agra was inaugurated in the Summer of the year 1944, with 50 watts under the callsign VU2ZW. Apparently the authorized frequency was 1305 kHz, though it would appear that they they chose unofficially to operate on 1355 kHz. Or perhaps the listing of an incorrect operating frequency was just an editorial oversight that the proof reader did not catch.
Programming for this new radio broadcasting station was produced locally, it was taken from recordings that were flown in from AFRS California in the United States, and a live program feed was also taken off air from AFRS VU2ZZ shortwave in Calcutta, on 14983 kHz. Maybe the regular news bulletins heard on VU2ZW Agra several times each day were a live relay on shortwave from VU2ZZ Calcutta. The programming from VU2ZW was also heard over a loud speaker system at the air force swimming pool.
In a compilation of relevant information by the renowned American radio historian, Jerome Berg in suburban Boston, he presents a full page Program Schedule for AFRS Agra VU2ZW. This program compilation, he states, is similar to a Program Schedule for AFRS Calcutta VU2ZU/VU2ZZ around the same era.
Some of the 16 AFRS mediumwave stations in India were heard on occasions in both Australia and New Zealand. However, there is no known logging of the AFRS station in Agra VU2ZW being heard in the South Pacific. There are no known QSLs from VU2ZW Agra anywhere.
The Pacific War was over in August 1945, and the Agra air force base was no longer needed. The low powered 50 watt AFRS station VU2ZW was closed on the last day of March of the following year (1946), and the American air force base was subsequently handed over to the Indian authorities. For them, it is the largest air force base in India, and it also supports civilian flights coming in from Delhi and elsewhere.
That was the story of the first radio broadcasting station in Agra, a station that was on the air in the city of the Taj Mahal; and in that sense it was the American Voice of Agra, the Voice of the Taj Mahal. However since then, another mediumwave broadcasting station has been on the air in the city of the Taj Mahal.
All India Radio Agra was officially inaugurated in March 1995, with 10 kW on 1530 kHz. The transmitter power was increased to 20 kW 13 years later (2008), due no doubt to the installation of an additional transmitter.
The only location for the studios of Akashvani Agra are at Ashram Road, Navarangpura, Vivabh Nagar near the Agra Cantonment. The only location for the transmitter facility of AIR Agra is at Shamsabad Road (Highway) at Kahrai. Both locations can be seen on Google Earth.
(AWR-Wavescan/NWS # 53)