National Broadcasting Day is observed on July 23 every year in India. The day aims to remind us about the impact of radio on our lives. This day also marks the start of organised radio broadcasts in the country by All India Radio.
The radio served as the sole broadcasting medium before TV came into existence.
National Broadcasting Day 2023 History
On July 23, 1927, the India Broadcasting Company came into existence and became the first radio company in India. However, the company faced liquidation in less than three years.
Soon after this, All India Radio (AIR) came into being in April 1930 as the Indian Broadcasting Service. On June 8, it was rebranded as All India Radio.
The famous Akashvani tune was composed by Indian Jewish refugee Walter Kauffman in 1930.
The AIR came under the purview of the Department of Information and Broadcasting in British India in 1941.
By Independence, AIR had six radio stations namely in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow and Tiruchirapalli. However, broadcasting began 30 years later on 23 July 1977 in Chennai.
All India Radio (AIR) has been officially known since 1956 as 'Akashvani'. The name Akashvani (voice or announcement from the skies) was formally adopted by the national broadcaster in 1956. The name was derived from a poem of the same name by Rabindranath Tagore in 1938. He wrote the poem for the inauguration of Kolkata's first short-wave radio station, as noted by historian Chandrika Kaul.
National Broadcasting Day 2023 Significance
Since 1927, Radio has been an important part of people's life in India. All India Radio has been serving to inform, educate and entertain the masses truly living up to its motto - 'Bahujan Hitaya, Bahujana Sukhaya', according to AIR.
