Congress Radio
Encyclopedia
Congress Radio was a clandestine and underground radio station
, which operated for about three months during the Quit India Movement
of 1942, a movement launched by Gandhi against the British Raj
for independence
of India
. Congress Radio was the broadcasting mouthpiece of the Indian National Congress
, and functioned from different locations from Bombay, currently known as Mumbai
. It was organized by Usha Mehta
(1920–2000), a veteran freedom fighter of India with the help of ham radio operators. Her other associates for organizing the Congress Radio included Vithalbhai Jhaveri, Chandrakant Jhaveri, and Babubhai Thakkar. The technicians and the equipments were supplied by Nanak Motawani of Chicago Radio, Mumbai. Eminent personalities like Ram Manohar Lohia
, Achyutrao Patwardhan, and Purushottam Trikamdas were also associated with the Congress Radio.
On 14 August 1942, within a week of launching of the Quit India Movement, the Secret Congress Radio, went on air, with Dr. Usha Mehata herself broadcasting this announcement:
"This is the Congress Radio calling on (a wavelength of) 42.34 meters from somewhere in India."
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, which operated for about three months during the Quit India Movement
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement , or the August Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table...
of 1942, a movement launched by Gandhi against the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
for independence
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
of 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...
. Congress Radio was the broadcasting mouthpiece of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
, and functioned from different locations from Bombay, currently known as Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. It was organized by Usha Mehta
Usha Mehta
Usha Mehta was a renowned Gandhian and freedom fighter of India. She is also remembered for organizing the Congress Radio, also called the Secret Congress Radio, an underground radio station, which functioned for few months during the Quit India Movement of 1942...
(1920–2000), a veteran freedom fighter of India with the help of ham radio operators. Her other associates for organizing the Congress Radio included Vithalbhai Jhaveri, Chandrakant Jhaveri, and Babubhai Thakkar. The technicians and the equipments were supplied by Nanak Motawani of Chicago Radio, Mumbai. Eminent personalities like Ram Manohar Lohia
Ram Manohar Lohia
Rammanohar Lohia was an Indian freedom fighter and a socialist political leader.-Early life:Lohia was born in a village Akbarpur in Ambedkar Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, in India to Hira Lal, a nationalist and Chanda,a teacher. He was born to Marwari Maheshwari family. His mother died when he...
, Achyutrao Patwardhan, and Purushottam Trikamdas were also associated with the Congress Radio.
On 14 August 1942, within a week of launching of the Quit India Movement, the Secret Congress Radio, went on air, with Dr. Usha Mehata herself broadcasting this announcement:
"This is the Congress Radio calling on (a wavelength of) 42.34 meters from somewhere in India."
External links
- Programs of Congress Radio, see 'Records and Audio Tapes'
- Article on Congress Radio
- http://www.clandestineradio.com/intel/station.php?id=84&stn=237 Audio File