From IBC To Akashvani; History Of All India Radio On National Broadcasting Day

On July 23 Sunday, India celebrates the National Broadcasting Day to mark the inception of India's first-ever radio broadcast. Here is a brief history of Radio broadcasting in India.

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Radio broadcasting services were introduced in India during British rule in 1923 as an initiative of the Radio Club of Bombay. India’s first-ever radio broadcast commenced from Bombay Station under the Indian Broadcasting Company in 1927.

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On July 23, 1927, All India Radio was founded as a private company called “Indian Broadcasting Company Ltd (IBC),” and this date became the basis for celebrating National Broadcasting Day, established in 1936.

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Later, on June 8, 1936, IBC was transformed into All India Radio (AIR). In 1956, the name “Akashvani” was officially adopted for AIR, inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s 1938 poem titled “Akashvani,” which translates to “voice or announcement from the skies.”

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Radio broadcasting in India commenced as private initiatives in 1923 and 1924, with the establishment of radio clubs in Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras (now Chennai). However, due to financial constraints, these stations had to shut down.

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Subsequently, a Broadcasting Service was introduced on an experimental basis in July 1927 in Bombay and a month later in Calcutta, through an agreement between the Government of India and a private company called the Indian Broadcasting Company Ltd.

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In response to public outcry over the closure of the Indian Broadcasting Company, the Government took charge of broadcasting on April 1, 1930, renaming it the Indian State Broadcasting Service (ISBS). Initially experimental, it became permanently under government control in 1932.

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A new radio station was established in Delhi in 1936. On June 8 of the same year, the Indian Broadcasting Service was rebranded as All India Radio (AIR), with a fresh signature tune. The Delhi station eventually grew into the core of national-level broadcasting.

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