Reviving Akashwani and Doordarshan is Essential to Safeguard India’s Public Interest in the Age of Commercial News
NEWS365 TIMES | SPECIAL OPINION
By Subhash Chandra Agrawal
Guinness World Record Holder | RTI Consultant
Public Broadcasting Must Once Again Lead the National Narrative
There has been a vast decline in popularity of Doordarshan and Akashwani (All India Radio) ever since colour-TV was first time started telecast in the country making private TV channels taking undue reporting of news-events as if there is some sort of consensus amongst all private TV channels to decide for some popular news-story of the day sometimes even ignoring news of larger national and public interest.
Best is to make it mandatory for all TV channels (private and Doordarshan) to telecast especially designed news-bulletin followed by a commentary on some important news of the day (Samayaki after main Hindi evening news-bulletin and Spotlight after main evening news-bulletin of English) between 8.30 pm and 9 pm for Hindi bulletins and between 9 pm and 9.30 pm for English bulletins by slight shift in timings of these bulletins from present 8.45 pm and 9 pm respectively giving important time-place to Samayaki just after main evening Hindi news-bulletin in the manner presently Spotlight is placed after main evening English news-bulletin. Time-clash of Urdu news-bulletin with “Spotlight” must be avoided by placing main evening Urdu news-bulletin with news-bulletins in other regional languages.
Timings of other news-bulletins of Akashwani should also be changed in a manner Hindi news-bulletins are broadcast before English news-bulletins like placing morning Hindi news-bulletin at 8 am followed by 5-minutes “Comments from Newspapers”, likewise English news-bulletin at 8.15 am and news-bulletins in Regional languages at 8.30 am.
Why Dual Names as Akashwani and All India Radio
It is beyond understanding why there are two distinctly different names of for All India Radio which is officially called Akashwani in Hindi. It is a common knowledge that Proper Nouns are never translated. Propriety demands that British-given name of All India radion should now be removed and autonomous government broadcaster should be simply named as Akashwani like Prasar Bharti and Doordarshan are known with their Hindi names in English and other languages. It is a matter of record that All India Radio was called Akashwani and even President Prime Minister and Defense Minister were called as Rashtrapati, Pradhan Mantri and Raksha Mantri in English news-bulletins but only for one day of 26.01.1965 when “Shall” was replaced as “May” by amending the Constitution. Even since global summit of G-20, in all government-functions, “Bharat” has replaced “India”. Only Indian forces continued with Hindi replacements of English words in their marching orders like Savdhan, Vishram etc in place of earlier Attention and Stand-At-Ease. Rather Constitution needs to be amended for knowing nation only by name “Bharat” abolishing dual name of the country.
Where are Important Audio-Recordings of Famous News-Readers?
It is regretting that Prasar Bharti National Archives which even provided audio-recordings of speech of Pakistan’s founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah subsequent to a CIC-verdict, did not maintain any of the very important audio-recording of news-bulletin read by world-renowned news-reader (Hindi) Devki Nandan Pandey who had a unique compliment of being called for reading news-bulletin about death of Sanjay Gandhi after his retirement from Akashwani. He was chosen after voice-test of 3000 aspirants for the post. Devki Nandan Pandey was amongst the popular Hindi news-readers like Ashok Bajpayee, Shiv Sagar Mishra, Vnod Kashyap and Ramanuj Prasad Singh. Likewise Akashwani (All India Radio) had in its panel well-renowned English news-reader Melee-Ville-Demellow.
Likewise Doordarshan also had very sober-speaking news-readers both in Hindi and English which are remembered by old-timers in present news-anchors of private TV news-channels known for shouting and sensualizing news-items.
Celebrating World Radio Day
Very few know that World Radio Day is celebrated on 12th February because of radio having been overshadowed by TV-network in present fast-moving era of advanced technology. Old timers still recall radio-programmes like Lahare, Cibaca Geetmal, Hawa Mahal, Aapki Pasand, Aapki Chitthi Mili, Children Programme apart from late-evening drama and so many other programmes.
It may be recalled that British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) once had a no-news day on 18.04.1930 when the anchor announced of regular news-bulletin being cancelled because the renowned news-broadcaster had no news on that day. Instead music on piano was played in place of regular news-bulletin. Several decades back, Akashvani also ran short of news-stories when a totally insignificant news-story about mouse was relayed in its prime-time morning news-bulletin giving some extra larger time-duration to such a story which was not at all news-worthy. News-story suggested that AIR news-reporter was so smart that he could distinguish whether mouse of news-story was a male or female.
Merge Less Viewed Doordarshan Channels to Improve Efficiency
Even in present era, Monday-newspapers are mostly dependent on news-stories received from news-agencies to whom newspapers subscribe. This is because news in India is mostly political, and politicians like others also enjoying holiday from their politics on government-holidays of Saturdays and Sundays. Otherwise also news-most reporters in electronic and print media have weekly holidays on Sundays. Otherwise also, now-a-days, one news-story even though may be important one, continues for couple of days on all TV news-channels making viewers fed up of TV news-channels.
It refers to welcome merger of Rajya Sabha TV and Lok Sabha TV to a unified Sansad TV with effect from 15.09.2021 which saved huge funds in running two TV channels with same purpose. Direct telecast of live proceedings of two Houses of Parliament can be done according to importance of proceedings being conducted in two Houses of Parliament. However, excerpts of proceedings of two Houses can be shown at prime time not only on Sansad TV but also on various Doordarshan channels. Same merger-plan can be considered for too many Doordrashan channels according to viewership-statistics of Doordarshan channels. There may be several Doordarshan channels which may not have significant viewership. Continuing with such Doordarshan channels is waste of public-money.
Already there is a law whereby all cable-TV and Dish-TV operators are bound to compulsorily telecast all the 25 Doordarshan channels apart from Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV. It should also be compulsory for all cable-TV and Dish-TV operators to place all the Doordarshan channels, Rajya Sabha TV and Lok Sabha TV in starting numbers. For example DD National and DD Bharti should be numbered at first and second place amongst entertaining TV channels, while DD News, Sansad TV at first and second amongst TV news-channels.
It is observed that many TV serials continue for years after years with even change in generations of the characters shown in such TV serials. It makes viewers TV-addicted with unimaginable number of total man-hours viewing TV-serials only adversely affecting studies of students and proper attention to children by mothers who are victims of such addiction. Already social media has ruined life-style and working-efficiency of all including office-goers. Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting should regulate maximum number of episodes in a normal TV serial to say 52 (one year). However such a restriction may not be there on epic-serials like Ramayan and Mahabharat. Even TV serials with single story in each episode can also be exempted.
About the Author
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
Guinness World Record Holder for writing the most letters published in newspapers and RTI Consultant.
Published by NEWS365 TIMES
Serving Public Interest • Policy • Governance • National Discourse
