The Voice from the Sky S

COVER STORY

ALL INDIA RADIO The voice from the sky S. Sankaranarayanan

“Broadcasting in most countries does not base its policy exclusively on pleasing the majority. It is to the advantage of broadcasting to widen if it can the scope of listener’s tastes…. Thus we find in most broadcasting organisations that classical music gains a place which a majority vote would not actually give it and it is undoubtedly true that the taste for classical music has in many countries been considerably strengthened by this policy.” – From the first report of the Controller of Broadcasting published in 1940.

he services rendered by All India Radio BBC, with John Reith as its managing director, went on (AIR) towards promotion, propagation air with regular programmes. and preservation of classical music have no Tparallel in the cultural history of independent India. Broadcasting comes to India Music was in the past the preserve of a few in some In August 1921, The Times of India, in collaboration with princely states. The advent of AIR completely changed the Posts and Telegraphs Department, broadcast a special that scenario; it took music to the homes of music lovers, programme of music at the request of Sir George Lloyd, and gave musicians a country-wide audience. Women the Governor of Bombay Province (who listened to it in performers and up-and-coming musicians were major Poona, 175 kilometres away). It was an ad hoc event, in a beneficiaries of this exposure. rudimentary form. AIR was mandated to maintain a high standard of A group of enthusiastic amateurs formed a Radio Club music through a system of in Bombay in 1923, and it started audition. For innumerable broadcasting in June that year. It youngsters with talent, a radio was followed by the Radio Club programme was a passport to of Bengal (also known as Calcutta prominence and a sure means Radio Club) in November that of gaining recognition in music year. The transmitters were loaned circles all over India. Even by Marconi Company. maestros first gained a pan- The Madras Presidency Indian audience through AIR; Radio Club was formed on television was decades away. 16 May 1924 by a group of News, music and spoken word dedicated amateurs led by C.V. features constituted the three Krishnaswamy Chetty. When major components of AIR’s it had to close down in October programme repertoire. Music 1927 due to financial difficulties, encompassed classical, folk, light, the transmitter was presented to and devotional; it also included the Madras Corporation which Western music. launched a regular service on 1 April 1930. This continued till 16 According to H.R. Luthra, June 1938, on which date All India author of Indian Broadcasting (1986), the first regular Radio took over and started its operations. (See box titled broadcasting station in the world is believed to have opened Madras Presidency Radio Club) in Pittsburgh, U.S.A. in 1920. In England, programmes were successfully broadcast by the Marconi Co. from News bulletin Chelmsford on 23 February 1920. In November 1922 the In March 1926, the Government of India entered into

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an agreement with a private company called the Indian Broadcasting Co. Ltd. (IBC) to operate two radio stations – at Bombay and Calcutta. The Bombay station, located at Radio House, Apollo Bunder, was inaugurated by Viceroy Lord Irwin on 23 July 1927. The news bulletin broadcast on that day marked the beginning of organised broadcasting in India, albeit by a private company. The Calcutta station was inaugurated by the Governor of Bengal, Sir Stanley Jackson, on 26 August 1927. Both these stations provided considerable encouragement to music and drama. The stations were operating on medium wave on 1.5 KW power. After running the stations for two years the company went into liquidation on 1 March 1930. In response to popular demand the Government took over the two stations from the company and started running them. SOUVENIR JUBILEE PLATINUM MYSORE AKASHVANI COURTESY: From 1 April 1930 broadcasting in (‘British’) India came under the direct control of the government. The company was re-designated ‘Indian State Broadcasting Service’ and was placed under the Department of Industries M.V. Gopalaswamy and Labour. A station at Delhi was opened on 1 January 1936. Meanwhile, four more stations had started functioning in 1935 – at Hyderabad, Mysore, Peshawar and Allahabad. Engineer should be remembered for the short wave coverage of the The Government of the Nizam launched a station in Hyderabad on 3 February entire country which they achieved 1935. (See Hyderabad radio station). quickly by 1938. It was thought Dr. M.V. Gopalaswamy, Professor of Psychology at the Maharaja’s essential to provide a basic short College, Mysore, set up a low power transmitter in his house and started wave service in order to give at least broadcasting on a small scale. The station was known as ‘Akashvani’. He ran a second grade service to the whole the station for six years with the support of the public and the Mysore of India and then to supplement this Municipality. On 1 January 1942 it was taken over by Mysore State service with a first grade medium (See Akashvani Mysore). wave service at important centres; any future funds which might The stations in Peshawar and Allahabad were lsoa private ones. become available being devoted All India Radio to the extension of the medium wave service area.” Accordingly, When the Government decided to draft the services of experienced they commissioned short wave personnel from BBC, Lionel Fielden assumed charge as Controller of stations at Bombay, Madras, Delhi Broadcasting in August 1935. H.L. Kirke and C.W. Goyder took charge as and Calcutta, all in 1938. The first Research Engineer and Chief Engineer in 1936. Charles Barnes joined as inter-state relay between Bombay News Editor in September 1937. and Delhi on short wave began Within a short time Lionel Fielden took complete control of the company. early 1939. He persuaded Viceroy Lord Linlithgow to discard the name Indian State Meanwhile, three more MW Broadcasting Service and adopt the name ‘All India Radio’. In spite of stations started functioning vehement opposition from his own Secretariat, the Viceroy accepted – at Lucknow in 1938, and at Fielden’s suggestion. The new name was officially adopted with effect from Tiruchirapalli and Dacca in 8 June 1936. It became the official date of birth of All India Radio. 1939 (See AIR Tiruchirapalli). A With the commissioning of the Lahore station in December 1937, AIR broadcasting station was opened in had five stations and all of them were using medium wave transmitters Trivandrum, capital of the princely with limited reach. “Apart from the name All India Radio and getting state of Travancore, in 1943. It was together a group of dedicated young people” observes U.L. Baruah in his known as the Travancore State study This is All India Radio (Publications Division), “Fielden and his Chief Radio Station.

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