For Indian freedom struggle leaders, from Mahatma Gandhi to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, one of the most complex struggles they had to overcome was to figure out a way to make their voices heard during public gatherings, reaching out to every single supporter in rallies of thousands. More often than not, they’d have to move between multiple platforms at the same venue to address everyone present. The lack of a swadesi public address (PA) system was the primary reason.
Now, if you browse through photographs of public rallies from that era, you must have spotted a half-circular (or, sometimes even circular) board around microphones with the words ‘Chicago Radio’ etched in white against a black background. While the name might make you think of a multinational audio tech giant headquartered in the US, the reality is far more inspiring.
When Was Chicago Radio Founded?
Chicago Radio was founded in Sukkur, Pakistan, by entrepreneur Gianchand Chandumal Motwane in 1909, who was a telegraphy engineer for North Western State Railway. Back then it was called the Eastern Electric & Trading Company. In 1912, the company moved its headquarters to Karachi and then to Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1919.
During this time, it changed its name to Chicago Telephone Supply Company, as it was dealing with loudspeakers and telecommunication equipment on behalf of main supplier Chicago Telephone Supply Company, which was actually based out of the US.
When the original American company shut down, Motwane renamed his firm as Chicago Telephone & Radio Company in 1926.
How Did Chicago Radio Operate?
Motwane would import loudspeakers, amplifiers, and microphones from the US and the UK. His team comprised five engineers who would open them up and reverse engineer them in order to replicate the technology further.
Gianchand’s son Nanik would set up PA systems at pro-independence Indian National Congress party meetings. He’d travel by trains and trucks under the security provided by local police and volunteers, reach the venue a day early, and set up and test the system well beforehand. Loudspeakers would be propped up on bamboo poles and sprinkled across the venue, which often would be nothing better than an open field.
According to Nanik, for a crowd of tens of thousands of people, 12 loudspeakers were enough, as per a report by the BBC. He’d later begin to stack up speaker units on top of one another for better amplification — a technique used heavily in nearly all large-scale public events to this day.
Operating during the independence struggle was no easy task, either. Nanik himself was arrested in 1942, months after he started an underground radio station that broadcast messages from Gandhi and other leaders during the peak of the Quit India movement. He was imprisoned for nearly a month but was released when no solid connection could be established between him and the Congress party.
However, thanks to Motwane’s sharp business wits, Chicago Radio never caught the attention of the police. Funnily enough, British officers would actually buy radio equipment from Motwane.
How Much Did Chicago Radio Get Paid For PA Arrangements?
Nanik’s son Kiran, in an interview with the BBC, said, “We called our loudspeakers the 'voice of India’. [Nanik] was a pioneer of the public address systems in India and the party was the only consumer.”
Even Jawaharlal Nehru admitted Chicago Radio’s excellence and said, “Your loudspeakers did the most excellent work and the arrangements were very much appreciated by all.” The company would supply PA systems for nearly six public and party meetings for the Congress every month for 30 years or so.
However, most of the work done by the company pre-independence was pro bono — as was the case with most nationalist endeavours at the time.
It was only after the independence, in the 1960s to be exact, that the party would agree to pay the company, by covering the expenses and an amount of Rs 6,000.
At its peak, Chicago Radio claimed to have over 200 employees all across the country. It’d build its systems in two cities and service them in other locations as well.
What Happened To Chicago Radio After Independence?
Even after independence, Chicago Radio continued providing PA assistance to the Congress party, and several other public gatherings and performances across the country, spreading the voice of global or religious leaders such as Dwight Eisenhower and Pope Paul VI to even Lata Mangeshkar.
The company is now known as Motwane Private Limited and manufactures wireless microphones, paging systems, as well as loudspeakers and mics at its Bengaluru factory.
In a nutshell, the story of Chicago Radio showcases the excellence India’s businesses managed to achieve while navigating a chaotic pre-independence landscape, and still manage to continue operating at an apt scale.