Azad Hind Radio
Encyclopedia
Azad Hind Radio was a propaganda radio service that was started in leadership of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
in Germany
in 1942 to encourage India
ns to fight for freedom. Though initially based in Germany, its headquarters were shifted to Singapore
and later Rangoon following the course of the war in South East Asia. Following Netaji's departure to South East Asia, the German operations were continued by A.C.N. Nambiar, the head of the Indian Legion (in Germany) and later Ambassador of the Arzi Hukumate Azad Hind in Germany.
The radio broadcast weekly news bulletins in English
, Hindi
, Tamil
, Bengali
, Marathi
, Punjabi
, Pashtu, and Urdu only as these were the languages of potential volunteers for the Indian Legion in Germany and the Indian National Army
in southeast Asia. The majority of the volunteers spoke these Indian languages only.
Azad Hind Radio aimed to counter the broadcasts of Allied radio stations. Netaji had on the Azad Hind Radio referred the British Broadcasting Corporation as the Bluff and Bluster Corporation and the All India Radio
as the Anti Indian Radio.
Subhash Chandra Bose
Subhas Chandra Bose known by name Netaji was an Indian revolutionary who led an Indian national political and military force against Britain and the Western powers during World War II. Bose was one of the most prominent leaders in the Indian independence movement and is a legendary figure in...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1942 to encourage India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns to fight for freedom. Though initially based in Germany, its headquarters were shifted to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and later Rangoon following the course of the war in South East Asia. Following Netaji's departure to South East Asia, the German operations were continued by A.C.N. Nambiar, the head of the Indian Legion (in Germany) and later Ambassador of the Arzi Hukumate Azad Hind in Germany.
The radio broadcast weekly news bulletins in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, Pashtu, and Urdu only as these were the languages of potential volunteers for the Indian Legion in Germany and the Indian National Army
Indian National Army
The Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauj was an armed force formed by Indian nationalists in 1942 in Southeast Asia during World War II. The aim of the army was to overthrow the British Raj in colonial India, with Japanese assistance...
in southeast Asia. The majority of the volunteers spoke these Indian languages only.
Azad Hind Radio aimed to counter the broadcasts of Allied radio stations. Netaji had on the Azad Hind Radio referred the British Broadcasting Corporation as the Bluff and Bluster Corporation and the All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
as the Anti Indian Radio.
Netaji's speeches on Azad Hind Radio
See also
- Free India Legion
- Azad Hind
- Indian National ArmyIndian National ArmyThe Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauj was an armed force formed by Indian nationalists in 1942 in Southeast Asia during World War II. The aim of the army was to overthrow the British Raj in colonial India, with Japanese assistance...