All India Radio Trichy FM Goes Hindi By Night, Draws Ire
New Delhi: All India Radio (AIR)’s Trichy FM 102.1 programme replacing its Tamil night broadcast with Hindi content since April has drawn sharp criticism from its MP, Durai Vaiko and other listeners who see it as yet another instance of the BJP-led Centre’s intent to impose Hindi in a Tamil-speaking region. More so as embers from the row over the New Education Policy or NEP’s three-language formula, linking funding from Delhi to teaching Hindi in Tamil government schools, a drive seen to push Hindi, have barely cooled down.
From April 9, reports The New Indian Express, AIR Trichy has been broadcasting in Tamil during the day, but has decided to switch to Hindi from 11 pm to 5.50 am. The newspaper attributes the decision to Prasar Bharati, the central public broadcaster.
The same pattern was with Chennai’s FM Rainbow 101.4 from July 2024. But then the move “prompted criticism from political leaders, who urged the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to immediately restore full-time Tamil programming.”
“This is a subtle yet deliberate push for Hindi in Tamil Nadu, and an assault on linguistic rights. We will not accept it,” Durai Vaiko said on Saturday.
N Periyasamy, a resident who has sent over 20 complaints, is cited by the newspaper as saying, “FM Gold’s Hindi shows are being aired at night while our own Tamil content is cut off. I’ve sent over 20 complaints to AIR and Prasar Bharati but have received no response.”
Trichy FM 102.1 is among the top commercial revenue earning AIR stations in Tamil Nadu and is said to reach ten districts. Alongside concerns over the imposition of Hindi, there is a fear that “linking Trichy’s transmission with Chennai’s FM Rainbow which relays content from Delhi will further dilute regional programming.”
On being approached by the media, an official at AIR Trichy acknowledged the public backlash. They said that there is a strong possibility that Tamil programming may be reinstated during the night hours soon.
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