Artistes rehearse for a programme at the All India Radio studio on Friday. Picture by Eastern Projections

June 29: The stalwart of the airwaves will turn 60 on Sunday. To celebrate the occasion, All India Radio, Guwahati, has lined up a musical evening that will showcase the legacy it has established in the past six decades.

While that may be music to the ears of AIR loyalists, the channel will allow no room for complacency. It will simultaneously think out of the box to stand up to competition from private FM channels.

Until recently, AIR Guwahati and AIR-FM Guwahati were the only two radio channels available to listeners here. But two private FM channels that went on air only a couple of months ago, have caught the fancy of the people, particularly the youth.

A third private FM channel is also set to hit the airwaves soon.

The who’s who of the city’s art fraternity will be part of Sunday’s mega cultural programme, to be held at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra auditorium.

“We have left no stone unturned to make the event successful. The programme has been specially designed to showcase the body of work the AIR has created during its 60 years of existence. We are proud to say that the first radio station of the region is doing pioneering work in educating and entertaining the masses through its innovative programmes,” said Utpal Dutta, programme executive, AIR Guwahati.

The programme will be a melange of music and dance items. On the list of performers are the AIR Guwahati chorus troupe, flautist Deepak Sarma with an orchestra, classical singer Abhishruti Bezbaruah and Ranjit Gogoi and his Bihu troupe.

“Alongside all the celebrations, we are toying with several ideas to keep our number one position intact as far as radio programming is concerned. We are not scared of competition from new FM channels. Rather, we welcome it because healthy competition breeds creativity,” said Dutta.

“We are also planning to introduce several new programmes which will present a good mix of instruction and entertainment. Hopefully, our brand, with its dynamic policies, will attract more and more listeners in the coming days,” the programme executive said.

Originality and quality have seen AIR Guwahati through over half a century. It has also steadfastly promoted the cause of Assamese culture and literature. According to an estimate, an average of 3 lakh listeners from the city tune in to AIR Guwahati each day.

“Kudos to AIR Guwahati for completing 60 years so successfully. I have been a regular listener of the radio since its inception. I enjoy the plays aired on the channel. Many classics have been adapted for the radio by the best playwrights and dramatists of Assam,” said septuagenarian theatre veteran Kulada Kumar Bhattacharyya, who has directed several plays for the radio himself.