‘Do I talk into this thing?’ These were the first words ever broadcast live, albeit inadvertently, by Mohandas Gandhi ahead of his speech to the USA. The year was 1931 and the location, London. Gandhi was in town as the sole representative of the Indian National Congress to attend the Second Round Table Conference. He was just weeks shy of his 62nd birthday. This episode adapted from a BIC Streams session with Chandrika Kaul in conversation with Jawhar Sircar focussed on Gandhi and radio, a subject that has been curiously neglected, both in studies of Gandhi and of broadcasting. Gandhi’s engagement with radio, the circumstances surrounding his broadcasts, and his interaction with broadcasters, were analysed to help situate the medium within the Mahatma’s media repertoire and evaluated its impact.

Dr Chandrika Kaul, is Reader in Modern History at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, U.K.

Jawhar Sircar retired in 2012, after four decades in the IAS — as India’s longest serving Culture Secretary. He was immediately appointed CEO of Prasar Bharati in charge of All India Radio & Doordarshan for five years.