Indian Broadcasting Day - 23rd July 1923
"Radio---harbinger of new hope and life".
"With the advent of efficient broadcasting - there is
nothing to prevent, in time, the farthest confines of Kashmir, Sikkim or
Travancore simultaneously receiving the news of the moment. Although by
composition, ours is a commercial company, it is the earnest desire of the
Board of Directors to do broadcasting in a spirit of public service.",
said Sir Ibrahim Rahimtoola, Chairman of the Indian Broadcasting Company.
It was in June 1923, that the very first radio programme in India was broadcast by the Radio Club of Bombay (Mumbai) and then in November, 1923 from Calcutta (Kolkata). These radio broadcasts were made with the efforts of amateurs, later followed by private enterprise.
This was the beginning, of a medium, which was to connect the
country through electric waves and eventually contribute greatly in creating new India in new world order!
Finally, organised broadcasting in India began when the first
station of the Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) was inaugurated at Bombay by
the British Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin on July 23, 1927. Though it gained a
lot of popularity, but the Indian Broadcasting Company went into premature
liquidation from March 1, 1930. Eventually, from April 1930, broadcasting in India
came under the direct control of the Government.
In September 1935, broadcasting began in the princely State
of Mysore with the name AKASHVANI. The name All India Radio was adopted from
June 08, 1936 and the Delhi Station of the Indian State Broadcasting Service
went on air on January 01, 1936 from the temporary studios at 18, Alipur Road.
Dr. Gopalaswamy Professor of Psychology at the Mysore
University had set up a 30 Watt transmitter at his house to air the first
broadcast in the year 1935. By the end of 1932 when the BBC started its Empire
Service, the number of receivers in India was 8557. It increased to 10,872 by
the end of 1933 & 16,000 by the end of 1934. Today, AIR covers 99.19% of
total Indian population. It Broadcasts via DTH, live streams several AIR channels
and updates through various social networking platforms.
National Broadcasting Day celebrates radio!
On the basis of my authentic information, Delhi station of AIR was started initially from the precencts of North Block - on Raiseena Road. It worked from there for six months. Then it was shifted to one Kothi on presnt day Dr. Bhagwan Das Road before it moved to 18 Alipur Road.
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