70 Years of
Independence
Special Feature – I-Day 2017
Television
and Radio are Changing India
*Shivaji
Sarkar
The radio and
television are change agents for India. The radio when started in late 1920s
was a surprise. Its access, broadcast and listening, was limited but still it
made waves. It won the hearts as Calcutta (Kolkata) Radio station broadcast an
early dawn music programme of Mahishasurmardini, chanting of the Devisapatshati
on Mahalaya in late 1938. Suddenly radio became popular and other few stations
tried to do similar programs.
The Television as
Doordarshan started its initial programme in 1959 from Delhi with equipment
presented by West Germany. It was a black and white wonder and was called
pictorial radio. The viewership was limited and the nation wanted such
pictorial coverage. But despite setting up many telecast centres mainly in
state capitals, its real expansion happened many years later in 1982, when colour
telecast was introduced in the country to coincide with the Asian Games which
took place in Delhi during November-December 1982.
Radio
In its early years, Radio
remained confined to affluent homes as radio sets were not considered
affordable. Its name Akashvani was given by Noble laureate poet Rabindra Nath
Tagore. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army set up the INA
radio. Its broadcast of Netaji’s speech during the height of the World War II
despite its limited listening was the household talk. It gave a fillip to the
freedom movement. During Quit India Movement too, Usha Mehta and Dr Ram Manohar
Lohia operated the underground Radio.
Post independence All
India Radio (AIR) became the link between the government and the people. Apart
from its classical music and some popular movie songs, its prime time morning and
evening news bulletins were eagerly awaited. The first Five Year Plan,
zamindari abolition, Hindu Marriage Act, election results, first President Rajendra
Prasad and first Prime Minister Pt Jawaharlal Nehru’s live broadcasts were the
most-listened programmes.
Still radio was not in
the popular realm. Two things changed it. One was the Hindi film commercial
sponsored programmes from Ceylon (later Sri Lanka) radio, and its most popular
Binaca Geetmala anchored by Amin Sayani and the introduction of transistor
radio around 1958, changed the dynamics of radio. Transistor made it a
household object and Geetmala brought programmes closer to the hearts of the
people. The AIR had to change its guarded official look to a popular and a bit
non-elitist film-song and movie-artiste based and later commercially sponsored
programmes through Vividh Bharati – Akashvani ka panchrangi karyakram. It made
radio the buzzword and helped it reach the village and farmers homes for news, entertainment
as well as farm-related programmes.
Ramai Kaka’s (Ramanath
Avasthi’s) programme on new farming methods synchronizing with the Green
Revolution connected farmers with the Agri-labs innovating new technologies.
Radio became the catalyst for the farm revolution and turning a food importing
country to food producer.
It also aroused
patriotism with discussions and its patriotic songs like “zara yaad karo
kurbani” sung by legendary Lata Mangeshkar in the wake of 1962 Chinese
aggression, 1965 Pakistani aggression and 1971 war for liberation of Bangladesh
even as the US Seventh fleet entered Indian Ocean to deter India. The midnight
broadcasts of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi were eagerly awaited till
the night of June 25, 1975, when internal emergency was imposed.
As DD became popular
with day-long programming, early 1990s saw fall in radio listening. The
oblivion made AIR become more objective and deal with subjects which normally
official organs used to avoid. Yes, it became more vibrant.
Its oblivion was
short-lived. The radio technology changed drastically. It was digitalized and
computerized. Radio editing became easier and the frequency modulated channels
brought radio back to the hearts. Now private FM channels in different languages
are competing with AIR. So did the community radio movement in since mid 2000s.
Television
This was the time, mid
1970s, Doordarshan started slowly setting up its stations across the country
with limited morning and evening telecasts, news telecast, live Republic Day
shows, Sunday evening movie, and developmental programmes. The gradual
satellite based programmes and countrywide classrooms in 1980s ushered in a
change and led to demand of different sorts of news stories.
The AIR and DD were run
as government departments. The opposition often raised objections to the news
programmes. A move for independent corporatization gained momentum. It led to
the passing of Prasar Bharati Act in 1991. The corporation was formed in 1997
during United Front rule with S Jaipal Reddy as information and broadcasting
minister.
The liberalization of
DD was also witnessed since 1993-94, when today’s many prime news channels were
allowed to start short news programmes on DD. It benefitted Aaj Tak, News 24
and NDTV among others the most.
The DD created its
competitors, something possible in a democratic country like India. Hundreds of
channels telecasting different kinds of programmes across the country are
connecting, educating and entertaining people. Many of these telecasts were
facilitated by DD directly or indirectly by the staff trained by it.
As commercial telecasts
began, TV access no more remained free. It was digitalized and encrypted to
become a billion dollar industry. With liberalization of policies, even foreign
stake holding was allowed. Today the myriad channels, shows and free telecasts
by Indian and foreign companies have made India a global hub. The dish TV
changed the quality of broadcasts – an omnibus platform for all TV and radio
channels.
Mann
Ki Baat
The 2014 brought a huge
change. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi starting his Mann ki Baat
on AIR it created a convergence of radio, TV – all TV channels, and dish. The
34th Mann ki Baat broadcast in end July proved that even official
broadcasts can boost listening, viewership and ratings of all media, yes even
of newspapers.
India’s experiment with
radio and TV continues.
******
The author is a
senior journalist based in Delhi. Regularly writes on Socio-political
issues.
The views expressed in the article are author's own.