Amid India-China standoff, the national broadcaster Prasar Bharati has firmed up its “content improvement” plans for All India Radio‘s Tibetan World Service, and for programmes transmitted in areas bordering China, especially in Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.
The content will now have more news-related programmes and commentary on national affairs. According to officials, this strategy will help spread the Indian stand on global matters, including on attempts or incursions on its own soil. AIR’s World Tibetan Service will also be available in YouTube-based live stream, an official said.
AIR’s foreign service transmission plays a critical role in public diplomacy, particularly in countries with a large Indian diaspora, said a senior official.
Now, the Tibetan World Service will broadcast shows on India’s democratic and cultural traditions, its connections with Buddhism, influence of India on Tibet and the status of Tibetans in India among other things. Officials also said the service was started in 1956 but was briefly suspended. However, it has been continuous since 1958.
The plan also stated that the service “occupies a critical position in the contemporary history of India, and has to balance obligation towards large Tibetan refugees in India, and relationship with China amid its trickiest foreign policy challenge”.
“Prasar Bharati has been advancing India’s soft power by expanding the footprint and programming in Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh…Jataka Tales on Tibetan Buddhist tradition is being aired on DD National and DD Arunprabha…Sadak Ka Superstar reality show is fully shot in Arunachal Pradesh. AIR stations of these regions are both on YouTube and News on Air to facilitate maximum audience,” said an official.
The official said the Tibetan World Service will also get radio slots on DD Free Dish soon. DD Freedish is Doordarshan’s free Direct-To-Home Service that covers even Afghanistan and Pakistan. AIR Leh and AIR Sikkim have also been added to the Free Dish radio, he said. “We are using social media extensively to overcome the jamming of shortwave signals.”
While Tibetans accuse China of carrying out large-scale human right violations, India has followed a humanitarian approach by offering refuge to Dalai Lama, the leader of the exiled Tibetan government and also shelter to many Tibetan refugees.
AIR and Doordarshan have been active in political diplomacy. In 2016, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of Balochistan, AIR relaunched its Balochi service which was seen as an extension of the country’s diplomatic stand supporting the Baloch freedom movement. Both have also started featuring weather forecasts for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) from Muzaffarabad, Mirpur as well as Gilgit-Baltistan since last month.
According to Prasar Bharati officials, AIR’s External Services Division launched after World War II broadcasts in 27 languages, i.e., 15 foreign and 12 Indian languages, across the world every day for 24 hours.
Leave a Reply