AKASHVANI PASIGHAT CELEBRATES 6Oth FOUNDATION DAY

PASIGHAT, March 06: Akashvani Pasighat, the first radio station of Arunachal Pradesh, celebrated its 60th Foundation Day yesterday. The occasion was marked by a simple yet impressive gathering organised at its office premises.

Sri I.D. Pertin, IB(P)S and Local Administrative Head of Akashvani Pasighat, spoke at length on the legacy and remarkable journey of the station. He also called upon staff, casual assignees and radio jockeys associated with Akashvani Pasighat to remain updated with the rapidly changing broadcasting landscape.

The first station of All India Radio in Arunachal Pradesh (then NEFA) was inaugurated at Pasighat on 6th March 1966 by Late Kuttik Moyong, Political Assistant and a renowned social and political figure of the time. Initially, the transmitter had a power of only 1.5 watts, covering only the Pasighat township. The office, studio and transmitter were set up in a single SP-type wooden government quarter near the present SP’s office, Pasighat.

Late M.N. Raichaudhury, Programme Executive (later retired as DDG, HQ New Delhi), was the first Programme Head of the station, joining in January 1966. Late P.K. Singh, Assistant Engineer, who joined in February 1966, was the first Engineering Head. Shri Jatin Morang and Late Takit Darang joined as regular announcers on 1st December 1966. The station initially broadcast in Assamese.

Akashvani Pasighat possesses a rich archival collection of folk songs, particularly from the Adi community, including rare and exclusive recordings. Its archives include voices of Late Daying Ering, Oshong Ering, Talom Rukbo’s poetic series “The Baali Appun”, and numerous modern songs by prominent Adi and Galo artists. The first artists recorded at AIR Pasighat in 1966 were Late Okir Gao and Late Maktem Yirang, who presented Ponung (Adi folk song). The first Bari folk song was recorded by Shri Tamer Moyong, and Delong by Shri Osek Moyong.

The station gained prominence in 1969 with the introduction of a five-minute Adi news bulletin at 5:30 PM, relayed from AIR Dibrugarh.

All India Radio Pasighat was upgraded to 10 KW in 1991 and was formally inaugurated later by former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Shri Gegong Apang, on 27th January 1996.

Another significant development came in 1996 with the introduction of the Adi dialect as the primary language of broadcast, replacing Assamese. The station also adopted Hard Disk Based Recording (HDBR) in 2004, becoming one of the first stations in the North Eastern Region to do so.

Sri Ojing Megu, Engineering Head, and Smt M. Lemjan Phom, PEX (Coordination), also spoke on the occasion.