Beginning today (January 26), All India Radio will launch a new programme on India’s relations with other countries.
The first programme, to be broadcast on AIR FM Gold at 4.30 p.m., will focus on Japan to coincide with the visit of its Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for Republic Day celebrations.
India 360, as the weekly programme will be known, will be produced by the News Services Division with inputs from the External Publicity (XP) Division of the External Affairs Ministry. It will profile a country each week and its relations with India.
The eight-minute programme aims to give listeners a feel of the region with music clips and other aspects of the country in focus. Indian ambassadors to these countries will talk about bilateral trade, people-to-people contact and the Indian diaspora.
There will be a quiz at the end of the programme. The first three listeners who send the right answer will be given music CDs from AIR Archives and their names will be announced in the next programme.
To further engage listeners, followers on AIR’s social media site will be asked to share their experiences and how they relate to that particular country. Photographs of popular places, cuisines, cultural events and festivals can also be uploaded on AIR’s social media. Both Facebook and Twitter will carry links to the programme.
The programme on Japan focusses on its food, religion and trade. There is also a mention of Delhi’s Metro project that has been developed with Japanese aid.
