“Ye Akashvani Hai”, the immortal words that every Indian can identify, resonated in the Rang Bhawan auditorium at Akashvani Bhawan as Anurag Thakur uttered them, appending it with “aur aaj aap soochana prasaran mantri ko sunn rahe hain”. These opening words marked the celebration of National Broadcasting Day, the day All India Radio had begun its, what was going to turn out to be a long and glorious journey, in 1927.
Addressing the gathered audience Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that when some people surmised that Radio was going to have an existential crisis with the advent of Television and subsequently internet, radio has identified its audience and not just maintained its relevance but also its credibility.
He added that today, when people want to listen to unbiased news, they naturally tune in to All India Radio and Doordarshan news. That 92 percent of the country’s geography and over 99 percent of people are covered by All India Radio is a commendable achievement, he said.
Speaking on the importance of Radio as a platform Thakur said that many Prime Ministers have come but none saw the value of Radio as Prime Minister Narendra Modi who made it a platform of choice for his monthly Mann Ki Baat, to connect directly with the people of the country.
The Minister sounded a cautious note to the media and said that if somewhere a wrong perception is getting created about private media with utterances of ‘media trials’, then we need to introspect about our functioning.
The Minister released promos of new serials on Doordarshan- Corporate Sarpanch: Beti Desh Ki, Jai Bharati, Suron ka Eklavya and Ye Dil Mange More as well as promo of Startup Champions 2.0.
The Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L. Murugan highlighted the important role played by Radio during freedom struggle when many freedom fighters employed it as a tool for communication against the British imperial government. He recognized the role played by radio in connecting the remotest corners of the country and expressed pride in Prasar Bharti being the biggest public broadcaster in the world.
