...It would be useful to examine what the role of radio has been in India, and whether it has played a constructive part in furthering the secular ideal... As the following recapitulation of the history of broadcasting before and after Independence will show... radio's contribution has been largely negative, and that by yielding to pressures exerted by interested groups it has over the years, accentuated religious differences, more than helped effectively in the spread of values of communal amity and tolerance.
...Giving time freely and almost without restriction to all religions and creeds is not genuine secularism. True secularism would have been propagated better by following the principle that religion was the personal affair of each citizen, and that the State... System should not be expected to give more than minimal coverage to selected religious events of importance.
During the days when broadcasting was run by a private concern (from 1927 until it was taken over by the Government) there were no religious programmes from its two stations at Bombay and Calcutta, except Christmas service relay, and some 'bhajans' and qawwalis on other festivals. When AIR came into being A.S. Bokhari, the Deputy Controller, was in favour of religious broadcasts on grounds of popular appeal, but Lionel Fielden, the Controller, was against these.
...However, regular weekly recitations from Delhi were started from the Koran on Friday, and Hindu scriptures on Tuesdays. Expectedly Bokhari, by then the Controller, had to write to the Delhi station in 1940 to ensure that the whole of Friday should not gradually become a Muslim Day, and the whole of Tuesday regarded as Hindu Day.
To keep matters under check, a chart of religious festivals to be observed was drawn up in 1942 setting out which station was to observe which, and for how many minutes. This led to 'demands' by other pressure groups, each trying to secure attention for its community. After Independence, committees were set up in 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954 and later, but the effect of each was to add to the festivals and give more time to them. Still, the pressures have continued unabated, and the position now is quite chaotic. Any concession... becomes a... commitment. Despite specific orders to the contrary on paper, several stations continue to have fixed days set apart for different religions, and many regular live relays direct from places of worship have been permitted under duress. The least that Prasar Bharati could do... to set up a National Advisory Committee for Religious Programmes, to stem the growing rot.