Voices from The Sky Part 1 – Radio Comes to India

“Akashvanis” or celestial announcements, an enticing notion from ancient Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain scriptures started to materialise in modern science only towards the end of the 1800’s. The magical properties of radio waves were only confirmed in 1887, but efforts to harness this invisible energy accelerated through the coming decades leading to the biggest leap in the speed of communication by the end of the 19 th century – Radio was here, and its impact shook society in both the west and in India.
Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi began experimenting with radio waves soon after their existence was confirmed by Heinrich Hertz in 1887. In 1901, Marconi’s firm successfully carried out the first transatlantic transmission of Morse code. This was followed by sound transmission becoming a reality with the coming of vacuum tube technology and Edwin H. Armstrong’s innovations in receiver design.

The BBC was formed in 1922 and broadcast radio proliferated rapidly in the west. In India however, the British government was apprehensive about bringing the new medium to the country. Thus, early efforts towards setting up radio stations were led by hobbyists through organizations such as The Bombay Presidency Radio Club.
By the mid ‘20s, the government was still divided about the matter. While some officials expounded the potential for improving good-will towards the Raj, others were still apprehensive about its utility. The result was a compromise solution that saw a private firm, the Indian Broadcasting Company Ltd (IBC) being authorized to operate two radio stations and collect a license fee. The IBC’s business model proved to be unsustainable and the company went into liquidation in 1930.

At this point, government attitudes were more receptive towards the political potential of radio. Thus, IBC’s facilities were nationalized and the Indian State Broadcasting Service (ISBS) was formed. Under the leadership of Lionel Fielden, numerous short-wave and medium-wave transmitters were setup across the sub-continent, covering a large section of both the rural and urban population.

ISBS became All India Radio (AIR) in 1936, and by 1939
licenses had crossed over 74,000.
AIR, along with gramophone records, gave a powerful platform to the talented local musicians of the time, who had by now lost their traditional patronage of wealthy feudal courts. AIR thus played an important role in keeping India’s rich musical heritage alive.
While AIR was quickly accepted as a source of entertainment, its biased reporting meant that the network failed to gain the public’s trust amidst the growing nationalist movement.
In response, Subhas Chandra Bose launched his Azad Hind Radio broadcast first from Germany, and later from Singapore.
Back in India, an underground effort was Congress Radio led by Dr. Usha Mehta and other members of the Indian National Congress. Both Azad Hind and Congress Radio helped unite Indians in the fight for independence.

When India got independence in 1947, the nation was left with six stations –Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Tiruchirappalli, and Lucknow. While much progress had been made since the 1920s, the British had failed to fully utilize the power of broadcasting to benefit the Indian masses. Fortunately, the newly formed government was eager to expand its broadcasting power, and the medium really blossomed in the coming decades – this led to a golden age of radio in India that we shall delve into in the next part of this series.
Also read: Indian Audio Icons – Valve Radio Brands of the ‘50s and ‘60s | Indian Audio Heritage
Comments