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From India’s first female newsreader to a freedom fighter who ran a secret radio station – two voices that changed history.
World Radio Day 2026: How Saeeda Bano and Usha Mehta Used Radio To Change India. Credit: Amazon.in/NYT
For most of us who have logged into a world driven by social media, radio is almost a relic of the past, of the ‘good old days’. And World Radio Day is a reminder that the airwaves have never just carried sound; they have carried courage, conviction and change. In India, some of the most powerful voices behind the microphone were women who used radio not just to inform, but to transform. From broadcasting history to broadcasting resistance, here are two trailblazers who shaped India’s story through sound.
Saeeda Bano: The Voice That Opened The Door
Saeeda Bano made history in 1947 as India’s first female radio newsreader at All India Radio, a moment that reshaped who could be heard in public life. At a time when broadcasting was overwhelmingly male, her calm, authoritative voice became a familiar presence in Indian homes. In her book, Off The Beaten Track, she wrote: “I was ready to deliver my very first news bulletin on air on the 13th of August 1947. Prior to this, no woman had been employed by either the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) or AIR Delhi to work as a news broadcaster. I was the first woman AIR considered good enough to read radio news. Of course they had to train me and I was taught how to first introduce myself on air with my name and then start reading the bulletin.”
She didn’t just read the news but redefined representation, opening the door for generations of women to step into media, journalism and public communication. Her legacy is not just in what she said, but in the fact that she was heard.
Usha Mehta: The Voice Of Resistance
During the Quit India Movement in 1942, Usha Mehta turned radio into a weapon of resistance. At just 22, she secretly operated the underground Congress Radio, broadcasting messages that defied British censorship and kept the spirit of India’s freedom struggle alive.
She first participated in a protest march when she was just 8, and was a true Gandhian. Working from new hidden locations every day to avoid arrest, her transmissions carried updates, speeches and hope to a nation under surveillance. She was arrested, and even sentenced to four years in jail. For Mehta, radio was not just communication but rebellion and courage. She later taught at the University of Bombay and passed away in August, 2000.
February 13, 2026, 12:34 IST
