Akashvani: A Century of Stories from All India Radio

by Vikrant Pande, Neelesh Kulkarni

'To harness the ether for those who dwell upon the earth is one of the loveliest services that the modern age can render to humanity-Upward Radio!'-Sarojini Naidu's note in the AIR visitors' book


For decades, All India Radio or Akashvani, India's national broadcaster, has been 'the sound of India'. Be it Jawaharlal Nehru's iconic 'Tryst with Destiny' speech, shows such as Binaca Geetmala, cricket matches, movies or, more recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann ki Baat, AIR has been and continues to be the primary source for programmes on news, entertainment and knowledge for many Indians. But there are innumerable fascinating stories associated with the radio channel itself.

For instance, did you know that Rabindranath Tagore dedicated a poem to AIR called 'Akashvani', which was adopted as the Hindi name? Or that an AIR producer was one of the first civilians to be let inside the Golden Temple after Operation Blue Star? Or that noted Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali used to make his disciples listen to AIR's Urdu service to understand correct Urdu pronunciation?

These and many other such tales make up A Century of Stories from All India Radio. With anecdotes from producers, broadcasters, radio jockeys and listeners, this book is a must-read to understand AIR's pivotal role in the average Indian's life.

230 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 23, 2025

Reviews

[anil · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to be treasured.
Well researched, beautifully written.
Perfectly concise.
Lovely anecdotal nuggets, some fun facts.

The downside for me was missing photos. There’s not even one. Even the cover is a graphic of a ‘radio’. Sad.

[Hetal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a collection of anecdotes, several of which are memory recalls. It is a bit like listening to your grandparents talk about the 'good old days'. It is an easy read. Some of the anecdotes are cute, while several are just petty.

The book is defensive on the future of radio as a medium, and AIR's competitiveness in the business. It glorifies what can only be best considered basic standards of professionalism that must be expected from any legitimate business with integrity - from fact checks to getting the pronunciation right. There is an entire chapter on the success of jingles on radio - but that has more to do with the content creators than AIR as a transmission medium.

I may have enjoyed the book more if it had had a stronger research focus - and a historical build-up of events.

[Dr Tejinder Singh Rawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the radio fans, for those who still love to listen to the music of the 60s and 70s, this book is a treasure. It is soaked in our heritage; radio is a source of nostalgia for many people, including me. A must-read book.

[Anurag Agarwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Towards the ending the book became interested - starting felt boring to me. On the future of AIR, there could be more to show how it would thrive in the presence of podcasts, youtube etc.