Port Blair, June 2: The All India Radio, Port Blair today completed its 50th Year in the islands. Established in the year 1963, the AIR Port Blair started as a small team and later spread its wings by covering even the remotest parts of the islands, which hasn’t been achieved by any media yet.
To mark the jubilee celebration, a grand function was organised at the AIR Station, wherein Shri R. Mohan, Director (E), Doordarshan Kendra, Port Blair was the chief guest. Addressing the occasion, the chief guest congratulated the AIR team for their achievement. He said A&N Islands has its own beauty and the AIR Port Blair has created its own unique identity by continuing with Medium Wave and Short Wave. While in the mainland, it is a notion that FM has taken over Medium and Short Wave, in Andamans people still enjoy programmes broadcasted through Medium Wave.
Fifty years is a milestone for AIR Port Blair and the credit goes to the seniors who worked hard to establish the station, said Mohan.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Madan Mohan Singh, (Retd) Senior Announcer, AIR Port Blair recounted his memories of the day when AIR Port Blair was established. It was a rainy day like today he said, which made things uncertain. After all the trouble with the bad weather condition prevailing, finally the foundation of AIR Port Blair was laid.
Madan Mohan Singh proudly announced that AIR Port Blair is the only media which could achieve a reach that no other media in the islands could. During the tsunami, AIR played a crucial role to inform the latest to the islanders stuck in various remote corners of the islands. He congratulated the entire team for the achievement and said that after tsunami the AIR team visited different parts of the islands and reported events.
Singh recollecting the fame of AIR Port Blair explained that there was a situation when a prisoner from Cellular Jail had escaped and reached AIR Station. He climbed up the mast, not willing to come down until his dream of seeing Announcer Saira Bano was fulfilled. Police and Fire Brigade arrived to bring him down but it was only after Saira came out that he surrendered himself. He wanted that his name should be announced in AIR by Saira, referring him as a prisoner of Cellular Jail. Such was the fame of AIR, Madan Mohan said.
Later during the programme, the retired employees of AIR Port Blair who had served the station for decades were felicitated by the Chief Guest and the Director (E), AIR Shri C Mookan. A jubilee cake was also cut to mark the occasion.
Among the others who spoke on the occasion were Ms. Mumtaz Bano, Programme Head, AIR Port Blair, Shri C Mookan, Director (E), AIR Port Blair, Shri Semai Raju, Retd. Engineer, Shri G Thimothy, Retd. Engineer, Smti Anis Begum, Retd. Announcer, Shri Ramchander, Retd. Driver, AIR Port Blair.
The programme was coordinated by Shri Shibu George of AIR Port Blair.