Propaganda Wars: BBC Eastern Service to India during the Second World War

The BBC Eastern Service was started in 1940 to provide “high-quality" programmes to Indian listeners and counteract German propaganda. The question is: why was there a need for a new service from London when All India Radio was already functional? The answer lies in studying the broadcasters and audience, which leads to a layered understanding of the complexities of war and politics in India in the 1940s. The BBC, in accordance with the British Ministry of Information, sought dominance over Indian opinion, assisted by a group of dedicated anti-fascist liberal writers, journalists and intellectuals. Through a detailed study of archival records, this paper seeks to redefine established narratives about war publicity in India and the public responses to it.​