Akashvani: A voice from the sky, and a name that stuck, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• All India Radio (AIR), India's public radio broadcaster, was officially mandated to be referred to solely as Akashvani in May 2023.
• The name Akashvani (meaning "voice from the sky") was adopted from Rabindranath Tagore's poem and officially coexisted with All India Radio since 1956.
• The 2023 directive enforced a provision within the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990, which defines Akashvani as the broadcasting entity.
• The original name, All India Radio, was coined in 1935 by Lionel Fielden, the first Controller of Broadcasting for undivided India, replacing the Indian State Broadcasting Service.
• The institution, originally established as the Indian State Broadcasting Service in 1930, is celebrating 90 years of its existence, though the name Akashvani became its sole official designation only recently.

Detailed Insights:

• The internal order issued in May 2023 by the Director General of Akashvani mandated the exclusive use of the name, ending the dual nomenclature that had been in practice for decades.
• This change was presented as the operationalization of an existing statutory position, as the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990, which came into force in 1997, already defined the entity as Akashvani.
• Critics, including Tamil Nadu MP T.R. Balu, viewed the name change as unwarranted and potentially reflective of a "Hindi-first" approach, overlooking regional linguistic preferences like 'Vaanoli' in Tamil Nadu.
• Lionel Fielden, a BBC producer, was instrumental in renaming the Indian State Broadcasting Service to All India Radio in 1935, seeking a simpler and more distinct identity for the fledgling network.
• A private radio station, Radio Mysore, began using the name Akashvani informally in 1942, predating its official adoption by the national broadcaster.
• All India Radio played a crucial role in post-Independence India, unifying disconnected regions and princely states and shaping the country's cultural imagination through its diverse programming.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Akashvani: The official name for India's national public radio broadcaster, meaning "voice from the sky."
• All India Radio (AIR): The historical and widely recognized name for India's public radio service, established in 1936.
• Prasar Bharati Act, 1990: The parliamentary act that established Prasar Bharati as India's public service broadcaster, encompassing Akashvani and Doordarshan.
• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting: The Union government ministry responsible for the administration of rules, regulations, and laws relating to information, broadcasting, press, and films in India.