India will celebrate National Broadcasting Day tomorrow, commemorating the country's first radio broadcast, which went on air on July 23, 1927, from the Bombay Station under the privately owned Indian Broadcasting Company.

The country's broadcasting landscape underwent a major transformation on June 8, 1936, when the Indian State Broadcasting Service was renamed All India Radio (AIR). A year later, in August 1937, the Central News Organisation (CNO) was established to strengthen news broadcasting across the nation.

In the same year, AIR came under the Department of Communications, and four years later it was transferred to the Department of Information and Broadcasting. Subsequently, the CNO was reorganised into two separate wings—the News Services Division (NSD) and the External Services Division (ESD)—to expand domestic and international broadcasting.

In 1956, AIR officially adopted the name Akashvani, which has since become synonymous with public service broadcasting in India. The following year, Vividh Bharati was launched, offering popular film music and entertainment programmes that quickly became a household favourite.

Over the past century, radio has remained a trusted companion for millions of Indians, providing timely information, education, and entertainment. Today, Akashvani continues to uphold its guiding motto, "Bahujana Hitaya, Bahujana Sukhaya"—working for the welfare and happiness of the masses while serving as one of the country's most enduring public broadcasters.