ABSTRACT

The humble beginnings of television in India, much like in other post-colonial democracies in Latin America and Asia, have been on predictable lines. On the eve of Independence and after the terrible events of the Partition, India inherited a free Press but a State-controlled broadcasting system from the British. Rural development has been one of the key motifs of communication planning in India. Unlike the Press and radio which had colonial origins, the story of the television, born in an independent India, took a very different path as did its policies. The Government of India’s hurry to adopt a satellite-based television network without looking at the effectiveness of SITE came under some criticism. The politics of institutionalization of the young Doordarshan ironically reaffirms how many of India’s institutions born in an independent country continue to be guided by her earlier colonial past, in terms of their conceptualization, policy frameworks and legal strictures.