Ashok Ogra
Radio services that started in the early 1920s made it possible to listen to leaders and politicians in real time. Their ability to engage and entertain became crucial components of their success. The way their voices sounded made more of a difference. A proof that with radio, the listener absorbs everything!
It is therefore no surprise that MANN KI BAAT that features Prime Minister Modi dialogue with citizens across the country on various topics of importance,has generated high impact points. It re-established the supremacy of the spoken word at a time when visual narrative and social media are seen as the new emperors.
And nobody would have been happier to see the spoken word regain its true standing than Socrates, who loved conversation. He believed that you can’t find yourself when you write; only when you converse. And that is the true power of the spoken word. It is a different matter that both his disciples- Plato and Aristotle- preferred writing to communicating complex ideas.
Before the advent of radio, the principal medium for mass political news was the printed word. However, by the 1930s, politicians could address citizens directly through radio. The Great Depression prompted US President Roosevelt to conceive of ‘fireside chats.’ Roosevelt spoke with familiarity to millions of American listeners about recovery from the New Deal initiatives and, of course, the course of World War II.
Roosevelt’s conversations were later described as a “revolutionary experiment with a nascent media platform.” Modi has been shrewd to gauge the power of this medium in the
21st century, and exploit it to the maximum benefit.
It was during World War II that we got to witness the true potential of radio. Who will forget the impassioned speeches delivered by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the war: ” I speak to you in a solemn hour for the life of our country, of our empire, of our allies, and, above all, of the cause of freedom.” Although the Nazis were seemingly unstoppable in France, Churchill was resolute and inspiring.
Hitler’s propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels understood the art of persuasion. He sought to exploit radio’s tremendous potential to broadcast Hitler’s messages-giving voice to Fuehrer.
When an attempt was made to assassinate Hitler, he delivered a historic six minute speech on radio: “for the third time an attempt on my life has been planned and carried out. If I speak to you today, it is first in order that you hear my voice and that you should know that I am myself unhurt and well…” Towards the end of the speech he began shouting excitedly.
It was Emperor Hirohito who on August 15, 1945 gave a radio broadcast of surrender. This was the first time a Japanese emperor had ever addressed the nation by radio.
To mark the founding day of the People’s Republic of Korea on October 14 1945, President Kim Il Sung delivered an historic speech :”All the Korean people must heighten their vigilance and keep sharp watch on every movement of the US imperialists.”
In communist China, when Chairman Mao ascended the rostrum at Tiananmen Square on October 1, 1949 and declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China, his speech went out live on the radio. Microphones were also placed around the square to capture audience enthusiasm and the accompanying military parade.
Incidentally, radios were so popular that they were made into one of the ‘four Items’ (that includes bicycles, sewing machine and wristwatch)that a man was expected to provide a prospective wife.
It was left to then Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, who in a special radio broadcast over All India Radio of 3rd June, 1947 informed anxious millions that India would be a free nation by 15 August, 1947. The most memorable moment for Akashvani was when Mahatma Gandhi visited the studios of Akashvani, Delhi, first and last time, on 12 November 1947.
On reaching the studios Gandhi said about the radio, “It is a wondrous thing. In it I see Shakti- the miraculous power of God.” He spoke for 20 minutes in which he appealed to the refugees camping at Kurukshetra to face their suffering ‘with as much fortitude and patience’ as they could summon. To commemorate Gandhi’s visit to AIR studio,12 November is observed as Public Service Broadcasting Day in the country.
All India Radio archives have a recording of emotion-filled tribute delivered by Prime Minister Nehru when Gandhi ji was assassinated: “The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere. I do not know what to tell you and how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu, as we called him, the Father of the Nation, is no more…”
Soon after the partition in 1947, Pakistan sent tribals into J&K and launched a virulent anti-India propaganda through a strong network of radio stations located in Lahore and Peshawar. To deal with this critical situation,the then Maharaja Hari Singh set up two radio stations-Jammu on December 1, 1947 and Srinagar on July 1,1948.The first formal broadcast over Radio Kashmir, Jammu was by Maharaja Hari Singh, who asked the people to stay united against Pakistani intruders.
The name Radio Kashmir was purposefully chosen to give the impression that the station was indigenously manned and operated by the people of J&K. This was done more-so since Pakistani media was operating its programs through `Radio Azad Kashmir’.
(Incidentally, post the abrogation of Article 370, Radio Kashmir has now been rechristened Akashvani).
Equally moving was the speech delivered over Akashvani by Prime Minister Nehru on October 22, 1962 within two days of the Chinese invasion. In his broadcast, he asserted India’s territorial rights on the Indo-China border: “I am speaking to you on the radio after a long interval. I feel, however, that I must speak to you about the grave situation that has arisen on our frontiers because of continuing and unabashed aggression by the Chinese forces…. But to conserve that freedom and integrity of our territory, we must gird up our loins and face this great menace that has come to us since we became independent.”
Even when Doorda-rshan was fairly well established, Mrs.Indira Gandhi preferred to announce the imposition of emergency over Akashvani at 8am on June 26,1975: “Brothers and sisters, the President has declared a state of emergency. There is no reason to be terrorized by this.” These ominous words resonated on the airwaves on that fateful Thursday morning.
It is no surprise that noted media theorist and author McLuhan described radio as a “hot” medium, because broadcast speeches could incite passions in a way that also made possible the rise of dictators such as Mussolini and Hitler. It is believed that television contracts the imagination and radio expands it.
Government “of the people, by the people, and for the people”-as Lincoln put it – can thrive only when voters are informed by a truly robust exchange of ideas. While MANN KI BAAT managed to restore the SOVEREIGNTY of the spoken word, the fact remains that most Indian television channels and social media shun reasoned dialogue and debate. The challenge is how to restore the PRIMACY of the IMAGE so that it empowers the citizens to take informed decisions.
Radio in India has played a significant role in promoting national integration, in highlighting our rich cultural heritage and diversity and in popularizing new schemes of the government. We are all too familiar with the active role Akashvani played during the Green Revolution of the 1960s. Unfortunately, as of today, both All India Radio and Doordarshan are not receiving the serious attention from the government. They are both suffering manpower shortage resulting in poor content creation, and badly lag in technical up-gradation.
Both the organizations are in need of a major surgical intervention- necessary prerequisite to equip them to effectively engage and converse with its audiences. It’s mission must be informed by Indian values and interconnected to India’s future. Meanwhile, the recent decision of the central government to substitute references to ALL INDIA RADIO with AKASHVANI has come as a big surprise. One fails to understand how is it is going to improve the organizations’ standing and stature that it once enjoyed. It reminds one of R.K.Laxman’s cartoons: “If one can’t change the condition of the road, change its name.”
(The author works for Apeejay Education, New Delhi)
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