All India Radio station Akashvani Pasighat, the first radio station in Arunachal Pradesh, celebrated its 60th foundation day at its office premises in Pasighat of the East Siang district on Thursday, marking six decades of broadcasting service in the region.
Speaking on the occasion, Head of Akashvani Pasighat ID Pertin highlighted the station’s historic journey and enduring legacy in the field of radio broadcasting. He urged staff members, casual assignees, and radio jockeys associated with the station to stay updated with the rapidly evolving landscape of broadcasting and media.
The first station of All India Radio in the state—then known as the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA)—was inaugurated in Pasighat on March 6, 1966, by Kuttik Moyong, a political assistant and prominent social and political figure of that period.
Initially, the station operated with a modest 1.5-watt transmitter, covering only the township of Pasighat. At the time, the office, studio, and transmitter were housed in a single SP-type wooden government quarter located near the present superintendent of police office.
Late MN Raichaudhury, who later retired as Deputy Director General at the headquarters in New Delhi, served as the station’s first program head after joining in January 1966. The engineering wing was led by PK Singh, who joined as assistant engineer in February the same year.
The station began its broadcast in Assamese, with Jatin Morang and Takit Darang joining as regular announcers in December 1966.
Over the decades, Akashvani Pasighat has built a rich archive of regional cultural heritage, including rare folk songs of the Adi community. Its collection preserves the voices of notable personalities such as Daying Ering, Oshong Ering, and the poetic series “The Baali Appun” by Talom Rukbo.
The station gained prominence in 1969 when it began broadcasting a five-minute Adi news bulletin, relayed from the AIR station in Dibrugarh, Assam.
AIR Pasighat was upgraded to a 10-kilowatt transmitter in 1991 and was formally inaugurated later by former Chief Minister Gegong Apang on January 27, 1996. The same year marked another milestone with the introduction of the Adi dialect as the station’s main broadcast language, replacing Assamese.
The station also adopted hard-disk-based recording in 2004, becoming one of the earliest radio stations in Northeast India to introduce the technology.
Engineering Head Ojing Megu and PEX (Coordination) M Lemjan Phom also addressed the gathering during the celebration.
