The Mahatma didn't like the movies and why it matters

Abstract

This article examines the ideological and structural foundations of Indian broadcasting policy as it developed from the 1920s to the 1990s. The article argues that the failure of Indian governments to make the most of radio and television for economic and social development stemmed from three sources: (i) the restrictive policies inherited from a colonial state; (ii) the puritanism of the Gandhian national movement; and (iii) the fear, made vivid by the 1947 partition, of inflaming social conflict. The policies and institutions established in the 1940s and 1950s shaped Indian broadcasting for the next 40 years and have been significantly subverted only since 1992 as a result of the transformation effected by satellite television.