World Radio Day was proclaimed in the year 2011 by the member states of UNESCO. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day. Since then February 13 came to know as World Radio Day.
On the occasion of World Radio Day 2021, Indian DX Club International of Kolkata, as in the past years, will celebrate World Radio Day 2021 with a Webinar in view of the raging pandemic, to be attended by various radio hobbyist and institutions from across different continents.
Webinar is based on the official World Radio Day 2021 theme "New World, New Radio" which highlights resilience of the radio, to its sustainability, radio has had to adapt to new technologies to remain the go-to medium of mobility, accessible everywhere and to everyone. And last but not the least radio's services to our society—natural disasters, socio-economic crises, epidemics, etc.
On this occasion, Pradip Chandra Kundu, a veteran radio hobbyist from Tripura and Indian Record Holder in collecting maximum QSL cards from radio stations across the globe, will be among the other dignitaries' from across the globe presenting his views on the World Day theme.
In addition to Webinar, the club is organising a conference of radio hobbyist at Barasat in the North 24 Parganas District of West Bengal, hosted by another eminent DXer Babul Gupta, who was been recently been appraised and certified by a scientific expedition team (LRA-36) from their base camp at Antarctica when Babul Gupta intercepted their radio test transmission from his hometown at Barasat.
In a recent survey in UK by a radio station has suggested that the benefits of radio in these troubled times are increasingly being appreciated by a younger audience, with 62 per cent of 18-34s suggesting they are listening more than pre-pandemic.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay on his message on World Radio Day 2021 said "wherever you are, radio is with you. Confined, radio opens up to the world, to health information, to education, to the arts, to cultural diversity. Radio is an invaluable tool for the transmission of information, a common good of humanity."
Radio is a very powerful medium to celebrate humanity in all its diversity. It is the most widely consumed medium at a global level. The unique ability of radio to reach out the widest audience has paved way for radio to shape a society's experience of diversity, stand as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented and heard and also give voice to the voiceless. Therefore World Radio Day significance holds great value all over the world.
Indian DX Club International of Kolkata is an association of radio hobbyist, which brings out Asian DX Review, a DX bulleting and distributed free. It is also active in organising DXpeditions, and promoting the scientific hobby of radio DXing in general.
Indian DX Club International, GPO Box 646, Kolkata 700001. idxc.international@gmail.com www.idxci.in