top of page

By:

Suhas B Naik-Satam

25 November 2025 at 2:24:38 pm

All India Radio Mumbai: The Voice of a Century

A century of memories, culture and trust that lives in the hearts of millions. Some voices do not remain mere voices; they become witnesses to history. They live on through generations of memories, create a sense of belonging in homes, and become an inseparable part of the collective memory of society. The voice of All India Radio Mumbai is one such voice. 23 July 2026 marks a historic and proud moment in the history of Indian broadcasting. On this day, All India Radio Mumbai enters its...

All India Radio Mumbai: The Voice of a Century

A century of memories, culture and trust that lives in the hearts of millions. Some voices do not remain mere voices; they become witnesses to history. They live on through generations of memories, create a sense of belonging in homes, and become an inseparable part of the collective memory of society. The voice of All India Radio Mumbai is one such voice. 23 July 2026 marks a historic and proud moment in the history of Indian broadcasting. On this day, All India Radio Mumbai enters its centenary year. This is not merely the hundred-year journey of a broadcasting centre; it is a glorious chapter in the cultural evolution of Maharashtra, the bond of trust created with people, and the dissemination of knowledge and ideas. 23 July is celebrated as Indian Broadcasting Day. On this day, organised broadcasting services began in India, marking the beginning of a new era in the country’s communication landscape. In those early years, radio was not merely a technological medium; it was a powerful tool that connected the nation, shaped thoughts and provided a platform for culture. In today’s digital age, the means of communication have undergone a remarkable transformation. Mobile phones, the internet and various digital platforms have enabled information to reach across the world within moments. Yet, the importance of radio continues to remain unique. This is because radio is not merely an experience of sound; it is a dialogue of emotions and trust. The warmth of the announcer’s voice, the identity of programmes, the melodies of music and the rich tradition of ideas have helped All India Radio Mumbai create a lasting place in the hearts of listeners. Mumbai is not only the economic centre of the country but also a vibrant cultural capital. Numerous streams of literature, music, theatre, cinema and art have flourished from this city. All India Radio Mumbai played a significant role in bringing these diverse cultural expressions to households. By taking the thoughts of Marathi writers, the voices of musicians, the imagination of playwrights and the talent of artists to listeners, the centre became an inspiring platform for many. The countless voices broadcast from the studios of All India Radio Mumbai remain alive in the memories of listeners. The melodies of भावगीत (lyrical Marathi songs), classical music concerts, powerful performances of dramatic readings, literary interviews and various cultural programmes enriched the cultural life of Maharashtra. For many artists, All India Radio became their first major platform, helping their talent gain recognition and reach a wider audience. The contribution of All India Radio has never been limited to entertainment. Through the threefold approach of information, education and entertainment, the medium has consistently contributed to social awareness and public enlightenment. It has played an important role in promoting education, creating social awareness and developing a scientific outlook among people. An important chapter in this tradition is the establishment of the Science Cell in 1976. The cell was created with the objective of bringing developments in science and technology to ordinary listeners in a simple, understandable and engaging manner. At that time, science was often considered a field restricted mainly to experts. Encouraging a scientific outlook among society, bringing new discoveries and concepts in science to common citizens, and nurturing curiosity among students were important needs of the era. The Science Cell of All India Radio Mumbai fulfilled this responsibility effectively. Through science news, expert interviews, discussions, educational programmes for students and initiatives explaining the science behind everyday life, the Science Cell brought the light of knowledge to the common people. By presenting information on subjects such as space research, the environment, health, agriculture, energy and technology in an accessible language, the cell created a rich tradition of science communication. The journey of science communication that began in 1976 remains an important milestone in the centenary journey of All India Radio Mumbai. Along with music, literature and culture, All India Radio also gave science an important place in social life. The effort to promote scientific thinking and encourage curiosity about knowledge has become even more significant in today’s information-driven era. In its century-long journey, All India Radio Mumbai has not merely broadcast programmes; it has woven an invisible thread connecting memories, emotions, knowledge and culture with society. That is why the voice of All India Radio Mumbai continues to be a symbol of trust, warmth and cultural identity for millions of listeners. As All India Radio Mumbai stands at the threshold of its centenary year, may this remarkable journey of voices continue to illuminate the path of knowledge, culture and communication for many more decades to come. (The writer is the Chief Executive at the National Centre for Science Communicators, Mumbai. Views personal.)

Warped Justice

In Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal, freedom of expression is a conditional privilege, revoked when it fails to appease the political whims of her government’s core constituency. This grim reality became unmistakably clear when the state’s police force travelled over 1,500 kilometres to arrest a 22-year-old law student and Hindu social media influencer for a video critical of Pakistan and Islamist terror. Her supposed crime? A profane video denouncing jihadist ideology following the Pahalgam terror attack. The actual offence, it would appear, was daring to speak as a Hindu with unfiltered rage.


That the video was swiftly deleted and followed by a public apology mattered not to the West Bengal police. Nor did the deluge of threats - from rape to decapitation - that the young woman received from radical Islamists online. The West Bengal government, unmoved by such calls to violence, sprang into action not to protect the citizen under siege, but to punish her. In Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal, you may mock Hindu gods with impunity and riot in the name of religious grievance without consequence. But criticising Islam (or Pakistan) can land you in jail. Dissent is criminal if it inconveniences the ruling party’s vote bank. And law enforcement is not an impartial arbiter of justice, but an outsourced instrument of appeasement.


Consider what the state did not do. When Islamist mobs tore through Murshidabad on April 11, unleashing targeted violence against Hindus under the pretext of opposing the Waqf Amendment Act, the government did nothing. Hindu homes were razed, water supplies poisoned, and women threatened with gang rape unless they abandoned their faith.


In Sandeshkhali, the horror was worse. There, women had accused local TMC leaders with direct ties to Mamata’s political inner circle of abducting, raping and threatening them with death. The state’s reaction was both callous and cowardly. The Chief Minister, a woman herself, dismissed these credible allegations as ‘minor incidents.’ It took a court order from the Calcutta High Court to initiate a proper probe, which the government opposed with stubborn zeal.


Yet the arrest of this social media influencer was executed with impressive speed and surgical precision. This is not secular governance but selective enforcement.


India does not have a blasphemy law nor should it. But Mamata Banerjee’s government has found a way to mimic one. Insult Islam, however tangentially, and the state will hunt you down.


This is no longer a local crisis but a national embarrassment. The Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and equality before the law. West Bengal, under its current dispensation, delivers neither. And as long as vote-bank politics dictate who can speak and who must remain silent, the state will continue its descent into communal opportunism and authoritarian caprice. India must decide if it will tolerate this perverse inversion of justice. If a young woman can be jailed for defending her country while those who threaten her walk free, then the idea of a plural and free India is in mortal peril.

Comments

bottom of page