November 12: Celebrating public service broadcasting day
New Delhi, Nov 12, 2025 : Today is Public Service Broadcasting Day. This day is observed on the 12th of November every year to mark the historic address of Father of the nation and freedom Fighter Mahatma Gandhi through the radio.
A red letter day in the History of Broadcasting, father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi paid his first and only visit to the Broadcasting House in New Delhi on this day in 1947. Mr Gandhi addressed the grief-stricken Indians staying in Kurukshetra, and displaced from Pakistan, through a special broadcast on the country’s festival Deepawali. Freedom fighter Rajkumari Amrit Kaur also accompanied him during the visit.
At first, Mr Gandhi was hesitant to speak on the radio, as he had earlier addressed the medium only once during the Round Table Conference. However, on the advice of Ghanshyam Das Birla, he later agreed to deliver the address. The studio in Broadcasting House was arranged in the style of his daily prayer meetings.
On the next day, Hindustan Times featured a headline, Mahatma Gandhi described Radio as an example of miraculous power. Subsequently, Mr Gandhi’s daily prayer meetings in Birla House began to be recorded, and these recordings are preserved till this day in the Prasar Bharati Archives.
In the year 2000, then Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Sushma Swaraj announced that every 12th of November would henceforth be observed as Public Service Broadcasting Day. Since then, Akashvani has been celebrating the occasion every year with special programmes and events. Akashvani music artists render bhajans dear to Mahatma Gandhi to mark these celebrations.
On the occasion of the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly address ‘Mann Ki Baat’ in March of 2023, Akashvani dedicated the very studio from where Bapu had delivered his historic message as the ‘Bapu Studio’. The studio houses recordings of that speech, excerpts from his Prarthana Sabha, along with memorabilia and antiques from his visit, and a specially curated photo gallery depicting the historic occasion.
Throughout the year, Akashvani broadcasts and organizes a series of special programmes across the country based on the Gandhian Philosophy. Public Service Broadcasting Day inspires Broadcasters to carry forward the ideals and teachings of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, to every corner of the country.