SociologySocial Change and Development in India: Mass Media and Communication

Radio broadcasting in India commenced through amateur 'ham' broadcast…

Radio broadcasting in India commenced through amateur 'ham' broadcasting clubs in which cities?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → Kolkata and Chennai

Option (1) Mumbai and Delhi — Incorrect. Neither city fits. The ham clubs that started radio in India in the 1920s were not in Mumbai or Delhi.

Option (2) Delhi and Kolkata — Incorrect. Kolkata is right, but Delhi is not. The other ham club city was Chennai.

Option (3) Kolkata and Chennai — Correct. Radio broadcasting in India started in the 1920s through amateur 'ham' clubs, groups of hobby broadcasters, in Kolkata and Chennai. In the 1940s these grew into a public broadcasting system.

Option (4) Mumbai and Chennai — Incorrect. Chennai is right, but Mumbai is not. The other ham club city was Kolkata.

NCERT (2026-27): “Radio
Radio broadcasting which commenced in India through amateur ‘ham’ broadcasting clubs in Kolkata and Chennai in the 1920s matured into a public broadcasting system in the 1940s during the World War II when it became a major instrument of propaganda for Allied forces in South-east Asia. At the time of independence there were only six radio stations located in the major cities catering primarily to an urban audience. By 1950, there were 5,46,200 radio licences all over India.”