AKASHAVANI

    For the Kannada speaking community of Sydney, November 24,1984, was a momentous day. On that day the first ever Kannada language program in the Southern Hemisphere was broadcast over air waves of Sydney. It was an emotionally charged and joyous occasion for the whole community. Many people in the community were listening to a broadcast in Kannada for the first time in decades.

      Right from the beginning, the broadcast has been a community effort. Seven representatives drawn from different sections of the community joined together to produce the first program. They were Dr.Siddalingeswara Orkondy (Joint coordinator), Dr.Muddappa Prabu (Joint coordinator), Mrs Kanaka Ramakrshna,Mrs Jayanthi Pai, Mrs Rajeswari Jayadev, Mr Chandrashekara Devudu, Mr Onkaraswamy Goppanahalli, and at a later stage Mrs Girija Ramaswamy also joined the team.

    As a consequence of increased migration of Kannadigas in the eighties, the community was widely spread out in Sydney and surrounding areas. To keep every one informed about the activities of the community, to satisfy the need to know what was happening back home, to promote and propogate the language and culture of Kannadigas for the future generations to be aware of their origin, a great need for a broadcasting fecility was felt. As a result of untiring efforts of a few individuals who took a lead to provide a broadcasting fecility achieved their goal through the SBS, a multicultural braodcasting corporation set up by the Commonwealth of Australia for the benefit of migrant communities. That’s how the Kannada program braodcast was born.

    Over the years the program has grown in popularity and the size of audience has increased. The program includes segments on news(both local and homeland) and current affairs(homeland), Devotional songs, Bhava geethe, Janapada geethe, community announcements and film songs. However, the most popular segment of the program has been the news and current affairs from homeland. They are provided by noted writer and journalist Mr B.V.Vykunta Raju, who edits popular Kannada weekly 'VARAPATRIKE', and Mr Sanatkumar, Editor of Kannada evening daily 'GODHOOLI'.

    The program goes to air in Sydney every Sunday between 5.00 PM to 6.00 PM on SBS Radio (Special Broadcasting Service) 1107 AM BAND.

Members of the Broadcasting team are: (Click here for Photos)

    Mr. Chandrashekara Devudu (Head of Kannada language group)

    Mr. Onkaraswamy Goppenalli

    Mr.Bellave Nagashayana

For a selected Archive of Kannada Programs Click Here

To listen to the most recent broadcast Click Here (You will require Real ONE Player to listen to broadcast)