All India Radio: International Broadcasting and the Remaking of the Airwaves after Empire

This dissertation investigates the evolution of All India Radio (AIR) external broadcasts from the colonial inception into an instrument of cultural diplomacy, ideological warfare. The broader argument of the dissertation is that by projecting the foreign policy of independent India, AIR external broadcast sought to uphold national sovereignty, safeguard internal security and project cultural diplomacy, however, its overall effectiveness was constrained by hierarchical music policies, uneven engagement among Indian diaspora and foreign listeners, persistent political influence, state censorship and the use of propaganda in the Cold War period. During the colonial period AIR served as a government tool for mass communication, propaganda and governance. After 1947, AIR inherited this colonial broadcasting legacy and transformed rapidly to address security challenges posed by partition, border intrusions and conflicts with Pakistan and China, jamming from China and as a tool of propaganda, similar to the Cold War broadcasters like Voice of America and Radio Moscow. Original insight of this work is its multi-layered critic of AIR’s music policy under B. V Keskar which codified a musical hierarchy privileging Hindustani Classical music. This policy reinforced the existing divisions along caste, class, and religions within Indian society. Examining divergent policy approaches the research documents how AIR’s external broadcast to territories like Trinidad, East Africa, Afghanistan and Iran exhibited pronounced regional variations. These were driven by intersection of diaspora class status, religion and social dynamics and Indian foreign policy objectives that oscillated between secular - inclusive and exclusionary strategies. The study further analyses AIR’s transformation from a champion of decolonisation and media pluralism to a vehicle for state control and censorship during Indira Gandhi's Emergency (1975-77) weakening India’s international legitimacy as an advocate of press freedom and undermining its leadership within the New World Information Order and Communication Order (NWICO).<p></p>

Author dc:creator

• Shreya Rakshit (21043952)

• International broadcasting
• Cold War Studies
• Asian Studies

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved
• Open Access after 2028-01-15

Identifier

10779/exe.32992031.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/32992031