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Mr Jayanta Chakrabarti has been a regular listener to Radio Bulgaria since 1971

What was Sofia Airport renamed? - A radio club in India hosts a quiz on Bulgaria and the BNR

"I read your website every week," says Mr Bain, President of the Pariwar Bandhu Club.

Bulgaria, as distant as a mirage, has become a beloved land for a man who has never set foot in this country. For nearly 50 years, Mr Jayanta Chakrabarti has been closely following everything that happens here and probably knows more about our history and geography than some of our own compatriots.

It was he who reached out to Radio Bulgaria to tell us about an intriguing initiative launched by the president of the Indian the President of Pariwar Bandhu SW Listeners' Club:


"As a regular listener of BNR Radio Bulgaria, I am happy to say that one of my compatriots, Mr. Anand Mohan Bain, who is the President of the Pariwar Bandhu SW Listeners' Club, recently conducted the first quiz competition on Bulgarian National Radio on 22-02-2025 for its more than 300 members. The competition was very popular as 101 members from various neighbouring countries participated and 87 were able to give the correct answers."


The questions in the quiz were not easy, such as "How many years since the death of the Apostle of Freedom, Vasil Levski, has Bulgaria commemorated with various events throughout the country?" (Answer: 152) Or what was Sofia airport renamed? (Answer: Vasil Levski). 

Mr. Anand Mohan Bain, President of the Pariwar Bandhu SW Listeners' Club.

"Every month our club holds quizzes on different international radio stations - Mr. Bain told Radio Bulgaria. This time we chose Bulgarian National Radio. I visit your website every week and recently came across a great article about your freedom fighter, Vasil Levski. This inspired us to do some quizzes.


We are now running our second quiz - this time on Bulgarian National Radio. To take part, all you have to do is answer whether our statements are true or false by commenting on our Facebook page." 


Sounds easy, but some of the questions dedicated to Bulgaria are quite tricky. The first one is this: "On 25 January 1935, Tsar Boris III signed a decree on the establishment of the Bulgarian National Radio, making radio broadcasting in Bulgaria state property (true or false?)". March 20th is the deadline for anyone wishing to participate in the quiz to visit the club’s Facebook page and join the quiz.



Currently, the Pariwar Bandhu SWL club has 334 members from various countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal, France, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Japan, and the USA. It was founded on August 15, 1990, explained Mr. Bain, and added:


"We used to publish a newspaper called Sanchar Barta, along with club newsletters and other materials. However, we no longer publish it regularly because I am now retired. I worked in a national bank for 35 years, but now I am fully concentrating on DXing. My aim is to bring more people into radio every day."


We asked Mr Anand Bain if there was any information about Bulgaria in the Indian media. Here is his answer:


"I read three newspapers every day - two in Hindi and one in English - but they contain very little news about Bulgaria. However, your website is like an encyclopedia for us. It has so much information! Whenever I talk to club members, I always tell them to go to the Bulgarian National Radio website. Everything they need is there. Your podcast is also excellent - it is loud and clear, which is very important.


Some radio stations have good programmes, but their English pronunciation is difficult for us to understand. My mother tongue is Bengali and I know three other languages, but clear pronunciation is crucial. Your announcers do a fantastic job in this regard."



One of Radio Bulgaria's most dedicated listeners is none other than Mr Jayanta Chakrabarti. 


"Since childhood I have been curious about the cultures of different countries. I was particularly interested in Bulgaria because, even during the communist era, it was more advanced than many other Eastern Bloc countries. It had a strong industrial sector and a rich cultural heritage that fascinated me. This curiosity started in my school days and has only grown with time."

Mr Jayanta Chakrabarti
To his regret, he has not had the chance to visit Bulgaria, but he hopes that one day he will. He is enthusiastic about the quiz about our country because, as he puts it:


"Bulgaria, an ancient country with a rich culture, is being highlighted through this interesting and engaging quiz. Many listeners—not just from India but also from neighboring and distant countries—will learn a lot about Bulgaria. That makes me happy because I have been interested in Bulgarian culture and history for over 50 years. I am in my mid-sixties now, and I have been listening to Radio Sofia since 1971. It is a privilege for me that you resumed the Bulgaria Today program in 2012—I never miss an episode!"


There's no doubt that Mr Chakrabarti is keeping a close eye on what's happening not only in Bulgaria, but also at Bulgarian National Radio. He even remarked:


"I also appreciate your Director General, Milen Mitev - he is a visionary who has greatly improved BNR's programming, which we enjoy very much in India. I am very grateful to him.


I would also like to thank Bulgaria for its contributions to India's Chandrayaan-1 mission to the Moon. Bulgarian scientists have provided very precise and important instruments for the spacecraft and we are truly grateful for their support," he said, referring to the fact that the Institute of Space Research and Technology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences developed and provided the Radiation Dose Monitoring Experiment (RADOM-7), one of the scientific instruments on board Chandrayaan-1 - India's first lunar mission in 2008.


Chandrayaan-1

And as a wish for one of his favourite radio programs, Mr. Chakrabarti would love to see more information about the everyday person on our website.

I believe Bulgaria has many talented and outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the world. I would love for Radio Bulgaria to highlight not only famous personalities but also ordinary people – workers, farmers, and everyday citizens. I'm sure it would be fascinating to hear about their lives, their standard of living, and how they experience democracy since 1991.


Photos: Facebook/ Pariwar Bandhu, indianexpress.com
Posted in English by E. Radkova


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