“Ye Akashvani Hai”, the immortal words that every Indian can identify, resonated in the Rang Bhawan auditorium at Akashvani Bhawan today 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 on Saturday, the day All India Radio had begun, 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 the internet, radio 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.

Crediting the role of the two entities All India Radio and Doordarshan in delivering on the essence of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Minister said that when the education system since independence did not mention the role of many regional freedom fighters, Radio and Doordarshan curated information about over five hundred unsung heroes from the remotest corners of the country and presented it to the nation celebrating their contribution to the freedom struggle.

The Minister underlined the importance of content for the two agencies and said that it was content that drew people to the channel and no amount of reach through towers can match the importance of content. He further expressed hope that in the digital age, Radio is going to strengthen its presence among the people.

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 conveyed his best wishes to the audience on the occasion of National Broadcasting Day. Dr Murugan highlighted the important role played by Radio during the 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.

Chief Executive Officer, Prasar Bharti, Mayank Agarwal underlined the importance of the two mediums viz Television and Radio and said that the news content on the platforms has fared better than private media in trustworthiness and this has been brought out by various surveys.

Director General, All India Radio N. Venudhar Reddy, and senior officials of Prasar Bharti, Doordarshan and All India Radio were also present on the occasion.