50 not out, delight in Patna AIR

    By, Madhuri Kumar

Courtesy http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

              PATNA: "Ye Akashvani Patna Hai. Aab aap...se pradeshik samachar suniye..." these opening lines have been reverberating in almost every rural household and even in urban areas of Bihar for the past 50 years as soon as the clock strikes 7.30 pm. 

          Be it the devastating floods, earthquake or polls, radio as a medium of unparalleled immediacy, intimacy and power still holds the forte in communication and the AIR news bulletins have definitely helped over the years to educate, inform and enlighten the masses. 

          The All India Radio, officially known as Akashvani and a division of Prasar Bharti, though established AIR Patna in the year 1948, its news wing started functioning only 10 years later in the year 1959. 

          The first provincial news bulletin was broadcast on December 28, 1959 at 7 pm, which was of five-minute duration. The entire state, which then included Jharkhand, waited with baited breath to hear its first bulletin read by the late Ram Renu Gupta. 

           "For the last 50 years, this powerful medium of communication has seen a lot of remarkable changes with advent of communication revolution. It still works as a catalyst to create strong public-opinion and create informed society, " said PIB joint director Arun Kumar Verma while talking on "Gramin Vikas Mein Akashvani Samachar Ki Bhumika (Role of AIR news bulletins in rural development)", at a function organized to celebrate the golden jubilee year of news section of AIR, Patna. 

        "For a large chunk of population living in remote areas, for people who cannot read or write, for people speaking languages and dialects that are not represented by newspapers, AIR, with its news bulletins everyday, is still the only source of news," added Verma. 

       "The news wing of AIR, Patna, has come a long way. From one bulletin a day in Hindi, today it broadcasts several provincial bulletins a day in Urdu, Maithili and Hindi," said AIR news editor Sanjay Kumar. 

         Chairman of state legislative council Tarakant Jha, while inaugurating the golden jubilee function, said, "As far as reliability of news is concerned, the news bulletin broadcast by AIR, Patna, is on the top. These bulletins bring every news which helps in rural development like news on cash crops, seed outlets, information about pesticides, new farming methods, accurate weather reports and how to go about applying for loans. Farmers also learn about how to increase the production of cereals, vegetables, fruits and pulses, and about the role of panchayats in rural development." 

          As radio-broadcasting has been revitalised and revived keeping in tune with the changed needs like multimedia or digital sound effects, the news section here has also been technologically updated. 

        Former news editors, prominent news readers and other staff associated to news section were given mementoes on the occasion for their contribution in the development of AIR news section.