Welcome to SBS Radio's Bangla Language Program.
I recall the thrill of making the first Bangla program of 20
minutes duration I the Radio Lab of the ABC’s Federal head office in Sydney, even
though I worked there as a special project engineer in Television. I was
assisted by Stanley Dogger, the senior technical officer in charge of the Lab.
By the end of a few lunch breaks we had the program on a cassette. Stanley was delighted to
make an impression in showing his expertise. The program consisted of some
local news and a few songs.
The cassette was handed over to the Indian Languages
Coordinator who took the tape to Christian Broadcasting Association to put to
air. That was done from their Five Dock Studio together with the transfer of
program material to a reel to reel tape.
We have no record of the first program or the date of
transmission. Perhaps it happened in 1976 even though we were involved in the
process from the very beginning including establishment of Radio 2EA in Sydney and Radio 3EA in Melbourne.
There were 6 Indian languages to start with who shared the
available time given to us in a block. Since then there have been many changes
with regard to number of languages, the organisation and manner of funding.
Bangla is a rich language and spoken in parts of India (West Bengal and Tripura states and some
adjacent areas) and Bangladesh
which was created through a struggle for recognition of the language. The UN in
tern has given recognition as an International Mother Language Day, the day
when the three young men was shot dead in Dhaka
for their language demand.
It is perhaps worth noting that the Bengali poet Rabindra
Nath Tagore won the Nobel prize in literature, first in Asia.
He is also the national poet of both India
and Bangladesh.
His songs (with his own tune) have been chosen as national anthem by both countries.
Other Info:
i)
Every week we offer
national, homeland and international news and current affairs through our
network of correspondence in India
and Bangladesh.
ii)
As this is a weekly program
we deliver a weekly roundup of happenings in the Indian sub-continent.
Our correspondence in Kolkata and
Dhaka file reports in every week. Freelance
journalist Partha Mukhopadhyay from Kolkata covers all aspects of life and of
the city and surroundings. Kolkata in West Bengal
state is the centre for politics and culture.
From Bangladesh
capital Dhaka, the Kaler Kantha journalist Ali
Habib provide the latest news and background reports on political and cultural
developments.
There’s often a radio feature
from the homeland (normally an historical event) and a regular full round-up of
the community news.
We also have some music to relax.
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