Indian public broadcaster All India Radio’s (AIR) Goa station celebrated 53 years of being given a new lease of life, reports The Times of India.
Goa, which was ruled by the Portugese for 400 years, was liberated by the Indian military after an invasion in 1961.
During the Portugese rule, Emissora de Goa began broadcasting with a small transistor donated by radio amateur Jose Ferreira Martins to a group of youngsters in 1946.
In the beginning they used a microphone improvised from a coconut shell but eventually got an official status in 1959 and broadcast from powerful transmitters.
Emissora de Goa broadcast its programmes to Indian, African, Middle Eastern and European listeners, providing an entertaining alternative to the government-run AIR.
After the Indian invasion on December 18, 1961, Emissora de Goa stopped broadcasting.
It was brought back on air by India’s external affairs ministry as ‘Radio Goa’ on January 9, 1962, and finally named AIR in 1963.
Today, the station runs three channels – Madhei and Vividh Bharti Service on shortwave, and Rainbow FM.
It celebrated its 53rd anniversary with a musical concert representing the traditions and customs of Goa held in the state capital Panjim.