Javadekar promises apps to throw open sound archives

Your cellphone will soon play the golden collections in the sound archives of Doordarshan and All India Radio.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar promised here on Saturday that the archives would be made accessible to the people through mobile-phone applications.

AIR has four lakh hours of archives and Doordarshan three lakh hours.

“We need to preserve this treasure, this legacy and give it to our people. They can access this treasure through mobile applications; we will work to do something like that,” Mr. Javadekar said.

Endorsing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on Teachers Day, Mr. Javadekar emphasised the role of extracurricular activities in education and the need for holistic learning, of which music, art and culture were essential parts.

“There is music in every aspect of life. Without music, tune and rhythm, life will be bland,” he said.

Mr. Javadekar was speaking at the launch of the book The Wonder That Was The Cylinder, an account of India’s contribution to early sound recording in the 1900s.

IRS officer Amar Nath Sharma and his daughter, Anukriti Sharma, authored the book, which throws light on the rare cylindrical records of legendary Indian artistes from the 19th century, the era of the phonograph and the wax cylinder.

Mr. Sharma, who did research for two decades for the book, draws his knowledge from a rare collection of over 200 cylinder records.