Unit 1 a Radio and Cinema

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Unit I: Broadcasting in India (Colonial period)
a. Colonial Foundations in Inter-War Years
b. AIR Programming, Policies and Propaganda
c. Quit India Movement and Congress Radio
Unit II: Establishment and Expansion of Akashvani under Keskar

a. Classical vs. Popular
b. 'Ban' on Film Music; Radio Ceylon, VividhBharati
Unit III: Early Years of Indian Cinema

a. Silent era to Talkies: Social, Historical, Mythological and Action
b. Women enter Films
c. Studio Era: AVM and Gemini Studios
d. Colonial Censorship and Patriotic Creativity

Unit IV: Social Films of Nehruvian Era and its Aftermath
a. Angry Young Man, Melodrama
b. Music: song genres
Introduction
The ‘Radio Clubs’ that had developed in the
early 1920s in India’s major
metropolitan centres of Bombay, Calcutta, and
Madras.
In 1927, a group of private investors launched

the Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC).
But their failure to maintain funding led to the

British government taking control of the IBC in
1930. In 1935, the government gave the
responsibility to Lionel Fielden, an employee of
the British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC), for controlling broadcasting in India.
Fielden strongly desired to
establish an “Indian”
broadcaster to provide
information pertinent to the
Indian political milieu.
He named it the All-India Radio

(AIR) to show that the service
was for the whole country,
BEGINNINGS OF RADIO
BROADCASTING IN INDIA
The IBC was a private enterprise
established in India in September
1926.On 23 July 1927, the Viceroy, Lord
Irwin, launched the first radio station of
the IBC in Bombay.
The inauguration marked the beginning

of institutionalised broadcasting in
India.
• It started broadcasting radio signals
from Bombay in August 1927.
• In August 1935, the government

launched the AIR, and Lionel Fielden,
an employee of the BBC, was put in
command.
• But the government refused to grant

AIR the status of a company and was
allowed to continue functioning as
a government division.
Experiments of the Indian Radio Clubs
Radio enthusiasts in India had been

vigorously experimenting with radio
broadcasting systems as early as the
1920s. The Bombay Radio Club was a
pioneer in this sector.
In 1920, Giachand Motwane, one of the

Club’s founding members, is usually
credited for broadcasting the first
recorded radio signal in India
The Times of India started broadcasting
from its Bombay Office as early as August
1921 with the assistance
of Bombay’s Post & Telegraph (P&T) Office
on commercial funding.
In response to a request from the

Governor of Bombay, Sir George Lloyd, it
transmitted a particular musical
programme.
He listened to the transmission from

Poona, located around one hundred and
seventy-five kilometres from Bombay. The
Marconi Company also started testing
transmitters and conducting experimental
broadcasts in Bengal.
Founding the Indian Broadcasting
Company (IBC)
On 17-18 March 1924, a meeting chaired by

A.H. Ley, Secretary of the Home
Department, was convened to discuss
broadcasting in India.
U.N. Sen, Pilcher and Byrt of The Statesman

and The Times of India, respectively,
Rangaswamy Iyengar, a member of the
Home Department, as well as the P&T
Director General, were present at the
meeting
the British government
retained the authority to carry
out inspections at
any broadcasting station it
deemed necessary; take
control of them, continue to
run them,
impose complete restrictions
on them, or, in times of
emergency, shut them down;
• The IBC obtained its income from
two primary sources. First, eighty per
cent of the IBC’s income came from
radio licences.
• The government decided that each

radio set would be subject to a
levy of ten rupees yearly. IBC was
authorised to collect yearly licence fees
from people who owned the receivers.
The IBC hired the BBC veteran Eric C.
Dunstan as the Company’s first General
Manager. Ithired V.A.M. Bulow as the Chief
Engineer, L.B. Page was appointed Station
Director in Bombay, C.C. Wallick was
appointed Station Director in Calcutta, and
F.A. Cobb was appointed Station Engineer in
Calcutta.
The IBC recruited all of these individuals

from the BBC in England.
Bankruptcy and Liquidation of the IBC
Even after granting the IBC a licence, the
British government remained concerned
about the Company’s financial feasibility.
Soon, the IBC’s financial worries became a

reality. Based on the number of people
who applied for their receiver sets licences,
the general public’s response was not
particularly encouraging.
the Company did not have adequate money.
The Company had difficulty collecting the
‘tribute’ and the licensing fee.
In January 1930, the government informed

the Company of its decision, which said it was
unwilling and unable to grant any financial or
other support.
The Company dissolved itself voluntarily

on 1 March 1930, and the decision took
effect immediately.
Formation of the Indian State
Broadcasting Service (ISBS)
Following the IBC’s closure,
stakeholders made an
unprecedented request to the
British government to take action
in the situation.
The existing and potential radio

licence owners were quite
concerned that there should not
be any disruptions to the service.
On 1 April 1930, the government took
control of the IBC, establishing the Indian
State Broadcasting Service.
Under the aegis of the British government,

broadcasting continued along the same
lines.But as a cost-cutting measure, the
government further reduced the programme
expenditures.
In 1927, the IBC had a monthly budget of

thirty-three thousand rupees, but
in 1929, the Company decreased this sum to
twenty-four thousand rupees due to financial
constraints.
• An official communication released on 9
October 1931 stated the British
government’s intention to discontinue the
broadcasting service.
• the British government found the

suggestion unfeasible that a private
company could undertake radio
broadcasting.
• On 5 May 1932, the government

concluded that the ISBS should continue
to operate under the control of the state.
A heightened enthusiasm for broadcasting
emerged in 1934, and the ISBS’s improved
financial condition prompted the
government
to pursue an expansion programme.
The ISBS approved a grant of two lakh and

fifty thousand rupees for establishing a
radio station in Delhi and made efforts to
hire an
experienced BBC employee to lead the
service and assist in its growth.
Lionel Fielden and the
All-India Radio(AIR)
In 1935, the Commissioner appointed Lionel
Fielden, who worked for the BBC, to serve as
the ISBS’s first Controller of Broadcasting.
there were no technical specialists in India

with extensive expertise in broadcast
engineering or the most recent
advancements in the area, the assistance of a
highly trained technical expert was required
to make the most of the limited budget
ISBS was renamed All-India Radio (AIR)
in June 1935. Lionel Fielden, H.L. Kirke,
and C.W. Goyder created the
fundamental framework for the AIR
network.
In March 1936, Lionel Fielden and H.L.

Kirke travelled to different places in
India to examine the situation and
address the issues with local officials.
Several other significant events occurred
during the early years of AIR’s existence,
all of which contributed to its growth. In
1935, private companies established stations
in Peshawar and Allahabad.
These stations began airing programmes

explicitly aimed at rural populations. These
stations, which AIR subsequently included in
its service, represent the origins of Rural
Programmes. In 1937, AIR established a news
agency called the Central News Organisation,
later called the News Services Division.
This agency was responsible for
the expert preparation of news
broadcasts and comments. AIR
also began broadcasting to
international audiences in 1939.
The first transmission of its

kind was conducted in Pushto and
directed at Afghanistan.

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Sachin_od_

For PDF Notes Join

b. AIR Programming, Policies and Propaganda

c. Quit India Movement and Congress Radio

Unit II: Establishment and Expansion of Akashvani under Keskar

b. 'Ban' on Film Music; Radio Ceylon, VividhBharati

Unit III: Early Years of Indian Cinema

b. Women enter Films

c. Studio Era: AVM and Gemini Studios

d. Colonial Censorship and Patriotic Creativity

In 1927, a group of private investors launched

But their failure to maintain funding led to the

He named it the All-India Radio

The inauguration marked the beginning

• In August 1935, the government

• But the government refused to grant

Radio enthusiasts in India had been

In 1920, Giachand Motwane, one of the

In response to a request from the

He listened to the transmission from

On 17-18 March 1924, a meeting chaired by

U.N. Sen, Pilcher and Byrt of The Statesman

• The government decided that each

The IBC recruited all of these individuals

Soon, the IBC’s financial worries became a

In January 1930, the government informed

The Company dissolved itself voluntarily

The existing and potential radio

Under the aegis of the British government,

In 1927, the IBC had a monthly budget of

• the British government found the

• On 5 May 1932, the government

The ISBS approved a grant of two lakh and

there were no technical specialists in India

In March 1936, Lionel Fielden and H.L.

These stations began airing programmes

The first transmission of its

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